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Bible Questions with Michael Pearl
Episode 085: Should Christians observe the Sabbath?

By Michael Pearl

This Week’s Bible Question:

Was the Sabbath given as a sign for the Jews, or should it be observed today, as a day of worship by Christians?

Episode Transcription

[music]

Michael Pearl: Alright, I am Mike Pearl. No concertina music today. We are here to answer your Bible questions, and I have not seen any of these questions beforehand. It’s just because if I did, I’d spend a lot of time preparing for it and I don’t have that much time. I have got a bunch of grandkids out there that demand my time. So, I just walk in here cold turkey. He hits me with your questions, and I try to come up with an answer. So, Jared, what’s the first question?

Jared: Was the Sabbath given as a signs for Jews or should it observed today as a day of worship by Christians?

Michael: Alright, there are clearly several times in the Old Testament... Let me see, I think I made some notes in the back of my Bible one time on that issue. If I can locate them… Yes, here they are. Alright, Exodus 31:12, and let me read that to you. Exodus — my old Bible is falling apart, and I have to hold on to it — 31:12. My fingers are too dry. That’s what happens when you get old, everything starts drying up. Here it is, beginning in verse 12.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths,” not just one Sabbath, but multiple Sabbaths, “ye shall keep for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbaths” — plural — “therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death.” He goes on and talks about what they shouldn’t do on a Sabbath.

You see, they had a Sabbath of days, they had Sabbath of months, they had Sabbath of years. Then there are other Sabbaths during the course of the year like the feast days, seven days of feasting, and then they had Sabbaths of Sabbaths, like every 49 years. And then there were Sabbaths of Sabbaths of Sabbaths, that was four 70‑year periods which came out to 490, and Israel’s history can be divided in to four periods of 490 years. You see that in Larkin’s Dispensational Truth.

So, the other day someone said to me, “Are you a Sabbath keeper or Sunday keeper?” I said, “I am a Monday keeper and a Tuesday keeper, and a Wednesday keeper, and a Thursday keeper, and a Friday and a Saturday, and a Sunday keeper. I observe the Lord Jesus Christ every day and worship Him without pause throughout the whole week. All days are holy unto me.”

They said, “But do you set aside the Sabbath as unique, as special?” Jesus is my Sabbath. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. And so, no, I don’t hold Saturday or Sunday as a day above any other day of the week. All days are equal.

Now even though I was born with Jewish blood, I am now in Christ, and being in Christ, I am no longer under the bondage of that Mosaic Law. If I were, and I said to this person, “Do you keep Sabbath?” “Yes.” I said then, “I thought you went to church on the Sabbath.” He said, “Well, we do.” I said, “Well, don’t you get in to your car and travel four or five miles?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “Well, according to the Bible if you keep Sabbath, you are not to go out of your place.” I said, “Don’t you guys get together and have dinner and play ball, and games on stuff, on Sunday afternoon?” He said, “Yeah, we get all the kids together.” I said, “Well, the Bible says you are only to think holy thoughts. You are not to think your own thoughts. You are not even to speak your own words.” You can’t talk about work, you can’t talk about politics, you can’t about playing ball, you can’t talk about family matters; all you can do is read the Word of God, pray and meditate.

The Jews determined you couldn’t travel any more than about a half mile. And so, if the synagogue was further than half mile away, it was not legal to walk to it. They are not allowed to build a fire on the Sabbath. You can’t light your stove. You can’t carry a pot and a pan. You can’t cook your meals. You cook them the day before.

See, I don’t know of anybody on the face of the earth, except a few orthodox Jews in Israel, that actually keep a biblical Sabbath. Just to set aside one day so you will be unique among Christians and then brag about your allegiance to the Sabbath and then totally ignore what God says you are supposed to do to keep it is a bit silly.

So, if you want to keep Sabbath, do it God’s way. But then if you do, you are falling from grace, because you are coming back under the Law of Moses, you are coming back under that which the Bible said, brought death. The letter of the law killeth, the spirit giveth life.

So, no, I am not a Sabbath keeper, and never have been, and never will be.

Now, let’s see some more of those verses of Scripture. Hebrews 3:18 is interesting in this regard.

So, let me say it the way I like to say things. If you are a Sabbath keeper, you are sinning. It is a sin to keep the Sabbath. It is a sin because you are falling from grace. You are ignoring the provision of God in Christ.

Let me see if I can find Hebrews. I can’t talk and quote my books of the Bible at the same time. Okay, Hebrews 3:18, beginning in verse 18. “And to whom swear he that they should not enter into His rest but to them that believe not. For we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” So the Sabbath that he promised them was the Sabbath of Christ, a rest in Christ, which they couldn’t enter into because of unbelief.

Now, in Romans 14:15, it’s interesting... Let me turn to that. Romans 14, verse 15. He said, “But my brethren be grieved with thy meat” — that doesn’t make sense. Let me check my verse again. Romans 14:5, okay. Here it is. He says, “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; but he that eateth not, eateth not to the Lord, and giveth God thanks. None of us lives to himself, no man dies unto himself.”

He said, “Know ye not, we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We’ll receive the things done in the body,” and so forth. The whole context of this is that some people are weak in the faith. He said, verse one, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye. One man believeth he may eat all things, another believeth he may eat herbs, one man holds one day above another,” and so forth.

So, he says there are some people who are weak, weak in faith. And because of that, they feel like they can’t eat meat or they feel like they should keep a Sabbath day and they’re not at liberty to love the Lord equally on all days. And so, he said, let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He said, don’t judge another man in regard to that, don’t come down on his case because it’s to the Lord he does it. If he’s making a mistake in that regard, if he has a weak conscience, let him be, because he’s going to stand in the judgment seat of Christ and receive the things done in his body.

So, if there were such a thing as Sabbath keeping, this would have been a good place to say it, in discussion of holding one day above another. In other words, if it were mandatory upon Christians or expected of them to observe one day above another, Paul would have clearly said so. But what he did, he left it open, and said, “Whatever your view is, is okay.” But just know that sometimes views come out of weak consciences. In other words, a failure to clearly understand all that God says.

Then in Colossians 2:16 is another verse that we might turn to. He says, “Let no man...principalities and powers...” — let me get the context here. Okay. “Let no man judge you therefore in meat, or drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of a new moon, or Sabbath days which are shadows” — all these holy days, new moons, etc. — “are shadows of things which are to come; but the body of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in voluntary humility,” and so forth. “...and not holding the head....wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the root, while living in the world are you subject to ordinances like touch not, taste not, food, diet which things are to perish with the using.” So he indicates that being in Christ we’re no longer under the touch not, taste not, handle not ordinances.

Then Galatians 4:10. This is a good one. He says, “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.” Now that’s the church in Galatia. So they observed the days, the holy days, they observed the months, and they observed the times and the years. Times were Jewish 360-day periods of time.

“I am afraid of you,” he says, “lest I bestowed upon you labor in vain.” It troubled Paul that the church in Galatia was observing holy days, Jewish holy days. He said it’s an indication that maybe he failed in communicating the grace of God to them. Paul felt like if they truly understood the grace of God, they wouldn’t be embroiled in this Jewish legalism.

He said, “Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are...” and so forth, and he goes on in there. He begs them to be like he is in regard to the observance of these days.

Alright, let’s see what else we got here. Well, I think we’ve gone far enough for our time’s sake. But you can look in Genesis 2:1, 3; Exodus 20:11, 31:17; Hebrews 4:3‑10; Romans 1:8; Mark 1:5; Ephesians 6:21; Matthew 13:32; John 15:15… it looks like that’s what it is… and John 16:12, are some of the verses I’ve got listed on that subject.

Voiceover: If you would like to ask a Bible question, email us at [email protected] or call at 931‑805‑4820.

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43 comments on “Should Christians observe the Sabbath?”

  1. Dear Michael,

    There is a great difference between the (oral) laws of the Jews and the Torah of YHWH! Including the ones for the Shabbat.
    Biblical Shabbat: rest, no buying or selling, no making of fire (but you can have a fire!).
    Jewish law: walk no more than..., don't do this, don't do that. Please don't make this the same as the Biblical Torah of YHWH.
    You should keep the Shabbat(s) weekly and every High Shabbat (Shabbaton, yearly feast of Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkoth etc).
    The Torah was never done away with! not by Yahshua (jesus) not by Paul. Yahshua did every thing according to the Torah.
    Explain the end from the beginning! you can't explain the old testament from the new testament!

    And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one dot of the law to fail. luke 16:17

    For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Math 5:18
    Michael: when did heaven and earth pass away? did I miss that event? Nop, heaven and earth will pass when YHWH returns to earth and heaven and earth will be one.

    And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.Exo 12:14
    Michael: Did YWHW lie when he said we should keep his ordinances, feasts and shabbats for ever? He could have told Moshe (moses): keep them till Yahshua comes, but He didn't, did He?

    Please Michael don't be blindfolded! especially not when you are teaching people!
    17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
    Did you really never read this text?! (Math 5)

    Shalom Ima

    1. Ima, if you don't keep the WHOLE law, then you can't keep the law. That was the whole point of the exercise. It was to show us it was impossible for man to keep the law, but YHWH alone had to be the one to impart grace on us through His death burial and resurrection. Ima, do you keep the sacrificial laws? (I guess not) then you aren't keeping the laws at all. It is impossible. There are no priests at this moment, there is no temple at this moment. So it is impossible.
      Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. vs 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. vs 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
      Gal 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? v 5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, [doeth he it] by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? vs 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. vs 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, [it is] evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
      Do I need to go on? or can you read Galatians for yourself? even Romans is full of evidence that the law is not the way of salvation. Read it slowly, savor the meaning. The law that Mr. Pearl talks about in his training books, is the moral law put in our hearts, like in Ezekiel, that someday our heart of stone would be taken out and would be replaced with a heart of flesh- this is the Holy Spirit who is sealed in our conscience. Taking the place of the Holy of Holies as we as believers have become the temple. (See Missler's Be Ye Transformed- series of temple diagrams).
      Non believers, are still under the law. Until they accept Christ and are sealed themselves, the law still applies to them.

  2. As someone who was raised Messianic (sabbath and Torah observant Christian) I was always interested in what Big Papa Pearl thought about the subject. I was happy to hear that he does not esteem Sunday as a holy day. There's nothing more annoying than christians preaching that you CAN'T keep sabbath, but you HAVE to go to church EVERY Sunday. As a messianic believer, I see a lot of hypocrisy in that, and I HATE hypocrisy.

    I of course had an issue with Mike's belief that esteeming Saturday as the Sabbath (rest day) is a sin. My faith is built on Jesus' promise and ability to save me from all sin, and keep me from falling. I'm fine with people thinking I'm weak, but to say that I'm sinning is a slap in Jesus' face, since he's the one who saves me from sin.

    A well intentioned friends mom once quoted all those same scriptures to me and told me it was okay to eat pork. So the next day at school I had a piece of pepperoni pizza IN FAITH. What I got was an anaphylactic reaction and a missed 1/2 day of school!! The same thing happened with shellfish and crustaceans! I can't even TOUCH it. My contact solution had porcine and it swelled my eyes shut! So NOBODY can tell me the God gave ME permission to eat it. He may have given YOU permission, but not me.

    I also esteem the sabbath because God wrote it on the tables of my heart to do so. When I was facing a teen pregnancy due to a sexual assault in HS I sought God with all my heart and soul. I was sure God meant for me to raise the child in the Lord. I knew that I needed a husband who would let me be a stay at home mom. My sister got me a job waiting tables but they wanted me to work Fri nights and Sat. I thought, if God is not on my side, it doesn't matter how much I work, I'll never have enough... But if God is for me, He will provide all that I need. So I kept the Sabbath unto the Lord, only working Sundays. I met my husband a couple weeks later when I was 5 months along. Our story is so amazing, and words do not do justice to Gods glory and grace. I have been a stay at home, homeschool mom since I was 17. My daughter is now 15 years old, and I have two others. Their story is amazing as well. Each one is a miracle and a strong testimony to Gods care for each one of us.

    Therefore, God has taught me that Christianity is not a one size fits all faith. It is personalized. As far as being Torah observant, God writes His Torah on the tablets of our heart. The new covenant is in our hearts and minds, and Jesus causes us to keep his commandments that He writes there. I don't believe God means for us to be the same. Just like the high priests tunic had 12 different colored gems, all different, all precious.

  3. Dear Michael Pearl,

    Not knowing what to think on the subject for long, and much more willing to know what to tell my little girls about it, I was so willing to know what you had to say on this, for I really respect you and trust you for the influence you and Debi and your family have on my life though all your writings, articles, videos... We really love you and pray for you all constantly!

    I was surprised to hear about keeping ALL days for the Lord! That is certainly renewing!!
    But I do have one doubt, the same one that always keeps my mind busy when trying to decide what I believe on this subject... why did God rest, then? I have taught my little ones that God surely was not tired, but HE did it to give us an example, so that we would take a day of rest, too. Now, my perspective is being challenged... and I sort of like it, if it will be to grow in wisdom and in the Lord's ways... but I still find that doubt... why did God choose a day to rest, then, and "sanctified it"? And why did he included it in the 10 commandments? Are we not supposed to obey Him by following those 10 commandments, too? I am not talking, of course, of trying to get to God through keping a day or any other deed, or to get saved through any of that. I am talking of obedience after salvation, of wanting to do what pleases Him... I got to think that He liked people to keep a special day of rest a week, where he would be especially remembered and honored... maybe not in the pharisean, strict way... but in spitir and in truth. I had no clue whether it be Saturday, Sunday after the Resurrection, or what... now, getting to think that maybe there's none... I still find those questions nanswered... could you help, please?

    1. The reason he rested is that he was done with his creative work. As far as he was concerned he was done doing what he wanted to do with the earth and all that was in it. He probably did it in six days so that he could give us an example of a week of work with a 7th day rest. There does not seem to be any other reason for having a 7 day week other than that found in the bible. 7 is also a special number in that there are 7 notes in a scale of music and 7 colors in a rainbow.

      The Sabbath seems to be a big stumbling block for many people of faith. I think the reason for this is that many people do not understand how to rightly divide the word of God. The bible is broken into different time frames. What Jesus spoke to the Jews while he was here in the flesh is important to us in its context, but in may not be for us in this time period. Paul is the Apostle to the gentiles and he wrote most of the New Testament. We live in an unprophecied time. We live in the age of grace. We should get our instructions from the Apostle Paul, he wrote the Romans through Philemon. My own experience with law keeping and grace was a terrible time for me until I understood what was written to me in the writtings of the Apostle Paul. read Galations where it says that to go back under Judaism and to follow the law is to fall from grace. Why go back under the law when God has made you free from it?

      God Bless

    2. God did not necessarily set an example... He gave us a picture when He invited Adam to rest with Him. The Garden of Eden was also not an example of rest because Adam was to "keep" it (take care of it). Mr 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: If man was made to keep the sabbath then wa ought to keep it... but thats not what it says. Furthermore Jesus goes on to say that He is the Lord of the sabbath... yet He seemingly broke the sabbath (in the Pharisees eyes)... The Christian is IN the Lord over the Sabbath, Jesus. Therefore I am in my rest daily... I am over and above the Sabbath (ALL Christians are over and above the law in general). If you think you need to keep the ten commandments than you MUST keep ALL of them! Read Leviticus and abide by it. But God crucified me with Christ, and where no law is there is no transgression (Ro 4:15). Hebrews 4 also speaks of this... the SABBATHS (PLURAL) were ALL pictures pointing to the final rest we would have in Christ Jesus! It was a perpetual covenant between God and the JEWS! Gods rest was His business, and Adam was invited into it. Same now, Gods rest that He invites us into is IN His Son, Christ Jesus. The Sabbath that God took was NOT a law, that was His choice... but the sabbath that God commanded to the children of Israel was 100% LAW! So much so that you were killed if you didnt keep it. I do not keep it because God killed me in Christ Jesus! The new testament epistles are FULL of this teaching! God bless!

  4. Very interested in reading the reply to Ivett's questions if there is one. I agree with what Mike Pearl said but would like to understand why God had that day of rest in creation.

    1. The reason God rested was because He had finished creating. He wasn't tired, He was finished. Now, He still governs the universe and works in the hearts of men but He is no longer creating new species, land masses, etc.

      The answer to those who demand a legal Sabbath observance is found in Jesus' words in Matthew 12:
      At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath." But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent."

      Let's follow Jesus' logic:
      1) The mercy of feeding David and his men was more important than a cermonial law.
      2) The priest can break the Sabbath for the sake of temple service and yet remain innocent.

      So, if mercy is greater than a cermonial law and a cermonial law was greater than the Sabbath then it follows logically that mercy is also greater than the Sabbath.

      A > B and B > C therefore A > C.

      Some laws are referred to as moral laws becuase they represent God's nature and are unchanging and binding upon all men for all time. The ceremonial laws and civil laws were not binding for all time and God has liberty to change their use according to His plan. (Note, God Himself does not change, He only changes HOW he relates to His people.) This should be plain to see by the fact that Christians do not offer blood sacrifices on an altar.

      If we have two moral laws in conflict we are all in serious trouble! Could you imagine one command to serve the One true God and then another command to serve as many gods as you please? How absurd! We never see this contradiction in the Bible. (Thankfully!) We do, however, see an examples in David of a cermonial law being usurped without judgment, chastisement, etc. (This is why we conclude that cermonail laws are not binding on all men at all times since God Himself saw fit to show that mercy is more important.)

      So, a moral law can never be repealed, usurped, etc with God's approval. We do see cermonial laws being usurped with God's approval. We also see the Sabbath being usurped by a ceremonial law with God's approval. From this, we can conclude that God Himself considers the Sabbath to have some element of a ceremonial aspect to it. In other words, it is not 100% moral like serving only one God, abstaining from idolatry, etc.

      If the Sabbath is, in part, a ceremonial law, it is not binding on all men at all times and The Lord of the Sabbath can change the administration of that law as He sees fit. By declaring that He desires mercy and not sacrifice, Jesus was declaring that a legal observance of the Sabbath was no longer required.

      Because Jesus rose on the first day of the week (John 20:1), the early Christians began to gather on that day (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2). Now, nearly 2000 years later, most professing Christians maintain that tradition.

      Grace and peace,
      Matthew

      1. You also seem to ignore all the times Paul met with the gentiles on the sabbath some 30-60 years after the resurrection. You also ignore Matt 24 when Jesus mentions the end times and mentions the sabbath = a time still yet in our future.

        If the sabbath was done away with we would see prophesies in the OT but we do not. We would also see Jesus and His disciples teach the sabbath was done away with and a sin but we do not. We would NOT see the New Millennium passages where the sabbath is still in effect during those future times as well.

        Again if we see the sabbath in the OT, the NT and in the passages about the New Millennium then it has not been done away with. To support your claim you MUST ignore and take away from God's word which we are commanded NOT to do.

        Sorry but I used to say the exact same thing as you then I started testing everything against the whole counsel of God. Study more and seek His truth and not the doctrines of men.

        Peace

  5. I agree this is a very interesting topic. So many people are seeking the answers. I still have
    questions. The Bible teaches that God doesn't change but yet in a round about way we are taught He has changed in certain areas. We must trust that He will teach us all things.

  6. I struggled with this subject also. But I have never asked a pastor who was able to answer to my satisfaction why we didn't keep the Sabbath. When I began to study more closely the requirements of actually keeping the Sabbath, I hit another wall. Even if your going by the Bible, and not Jewish tradition, it would still be extremely difficult to keep this law. And if we keep the Sabbath according to the law, why not eat kosher, use the mikvah, etc etc. And if we're keeping all these laws, we might as well convert to Judaism, which is a step backward.
    Didn't Paul address this in Romans 3:30? ( since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised by faith) among other scriptures throughout the NT?
    After hearing Michaels very straightforward and solid explanation of this issue, it dawned on me - I was failing to understand a scripture that my kids have been reciting since they were tiny. Matthew 5:17 Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
    I think Ima (above) overlooked that very important point as well. Jesus fulfilled our need for redemption. We no longer have to make blood sacrifices for our sins, or follow the very specific laws throughout the Old Testiment to be redeemed. But we are not exempt from the other 9 commandments because they are summed up in Matthew 22:37-40 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... and You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang ALL the Law and the Prophets.
    We no longer have to work, work, work to please God. We are saved by Grace, justified by Faith, and the Holy Spirit living within us is our guide on how to carry this out daily.

  7. i think a better question is, as christians shall we strive to obey the ten commandments? not that they would be our salvation. that they would be honored, that we not carry on in sin. not of our own strength. but as evident fruit of what Christ has done in our hearts?

  8. I'm not going to blame the man...it's stupid deception's fault that this message on sabbath is so sad...It is the broad teaching of nearly all of Christianity. Narrow is doing thigs God's way -- the way it was intended from the beginning...All I'm going to say is that sabbath was part of CREATION way before it was ever considered a commandment. It is a sin to NOT keep sabbath, not the other way around. It is a sin to commit adultery, not the other way around. Etc. Ooohhhh...I could say so much, but I will refrain. Like most Christians who have been taught a different doctrine than what Jesus taught, this man's teaching is one and the same, and the scriptures he uses are used out of context, easily debunked by many sources, and used without a good understanding of biblical history and culture. 🙁 SAD 🙁

    1. We left the "church" and are worshipping Christ daily. We do not believe we are compelled by Scripture to maintain and contribute to a 501c3 organization, churches to be exact. We are generous with our money to those in our neighborhood who need help. Will listen to people such as Mike Pearl and others who are not preaching from revisionist versions of the Bible. Why in the world would be want to attend church?

  9. Michael Pearl calls "keeping the Sabbath day holy " "sinning."

    Paul kept it (Acts 25:8) (Acts 28:17). Was Paul sinning?

    Ananias of Damascus, whom the Lord Jesus chose to lay hands on blinded Saul of Tarsus, was a Sabbath keeper. (Acts 22:12-13).

    Jesus kept the Sabbath day holy. Was Jesus sinning?

    Jesus commanded EVERYONE to do whatever was taught, in Moses' authority, "in Moses' seat." (Matthew 23:1-3. Were the scribes teaching the ten commandments? Yep. They just weren't doing them right. So was Jesus telling everybody to sin?

    My Bible says, "The disciiple is not about his Master, nor the servant above his Lord...It is enough that the disciple be as his Master and the servant as his Lord." Matthew 10:24-25.

    This doesn't mean Michael shouldn't BE holy all seven days. It just means we don't have authority above Jesus to make holy what He has left common. We must not add unto the words of God, lest He reprove us, and we be found to be a liar. - Proverbs 30:5-6

  10. Grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. In vain do they WORSHIP Me keeping for DOCTRINE THE COMMANDMENTS AND TEACHINGS OF MAN. To the LAW and to the TESTIMONY if they speak not according to this WORD, it is because there is NO LIGHT IN THEM. God winked at us in our times of ignorance but once the LIGHT comes we become stewards of the manifold grace of God. It is a frightening thing to defy the True and Living God. IF THEY LOVE ME, THEY WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.

    Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
    2 I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
    3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
    4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:
    5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;
    6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
    7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
    8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
    9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
    10 But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates:
    11 For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
    12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
    13 Thou shalt not kill.
    14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
    15 Thou shalt not steal.
    16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
    17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's.

    For some reason, there is a mindset that exists that the fourth commandment is not binding on this earth. When reading through these commandments, not many would dare to say we should not keep any of the other commandments yet there is the boldness to defy God and say we do not have to keep the commandment in regard to the holy sabbath day. Christ Himself when He created the worlds, instituted this blessed memorial of creation and redemption. The same power that created the worlds, is the same Power that redeems our souls. May the Father help us to see how our ways and teachings GRIEVE His heart. A day to spend in communion with our Heavenly Father to be neglected because of the doctrines of man. O how the Father desires to commune with His children. May we examine ourselves this day and see whether we be in the faith and if our beliefs align with His. May The Lord bless and keep those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. Praise The Lord.

  11. Michael ignores a lot of scripture and that is problematic. Today we will look at the whole counsel of God and not just the scriptures Michael promotes. I feel as believers we owe this to God.

    We see God in both the OT and NT to not "add to" or "take away" from His word. However the only way Michael's belief to stand is to take away from God's word and/or add to it. He stated that the sabbath was only for the children of Israel. Well Romans 11 states we are grafted into Israel so where does that leave us? That we should observe the sabbath.

    Another question we must ask is this... Does God's commandments apply only to the Jews? Is there a separate set laws for foreign believers who follow God in the OT?

    Lets look at the scriptures...

    "You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 24:22

    "One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.” Exodus 12:49

    "One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you." Numbers 15:16

    So its clear that there is one body as we are grafted into Israel, with one Shepherd who has one law for all time. When Michael tries to imply that the sabbath was only for Jews, he should be reminded that foreigners who also traveled out of Egypt followed God. The above verses show people's ignorance to God's word (which I also did because I relied on the doctrines and teachings of men rather than test everything against God's word). This should be enough but another question we need to ask is this...

    Are there verses that show how long the sabbath is to be observed? Yes there are.

    Now if you ask people if God's mercy is forever the answer is YES. Does His love endure forver? YES. So if God used the word "forever" which means without end / eternity then this is something we can look up and help further explain if the sabbath is to be observed today. IF we find scriptures showing the sabbath is only to be observed for those in the OT THEN we can be sure in our claim the sabbath is not for today. However IF we find scripture that shows the sabbath is forever THEN we have to change our beliefs to correctly reflect what God put in His word and walk accordingly (BTW the sabbath is NOT going to church or worshipping but that is another topic).

    Exodus 31:16
    "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant."

    It should be noted again, we are grafted into Israel according to Romans 11 but we also see that the sabbath is perpetual. According to Strong's concordance it is H5769 עוֹלָם owlam meaning everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity. The same word is used when it describes God's love and mercy which is forever (owlam). So when God states His sabbath is to be observed for eternity He means it. Now some people ignore this fact and say all the old covenants are not binding or inforce today. Lets see if there is another place in scripture showing an Old Covenant that is still binding today...

    "And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:11-13

    Here is proof positive that when God says something is forever / perpetual He means it. If you have ever seen a rainbow after a rain its showing that this covenant is still inforce today. So why is it people will acknowledge the rainbow but not the sabbath when the same words/phrase are used to indicate its duration is for eternity?

    Simple, they must ignore portions of God's word to support the doctrines and traditions of men over what God instituted for all time.

    What I find disturbing is that Michael does not know the difference between the traditions and doctrines of men vs. the commandments of God. Jesus rebuked to 'adding to' His commandments i.e. 'The Jews determined you couldn’t travel any more than about a half mile.'

    This was NEVER a commandment of God and if you study the scriptures, you would see the sabbath is NOT about going to church/synagogue. Its something else entirely. Matter of fact nothing in the bible say you can't go to church on any day of the week. If you want to worship 7 days a week thats fine! However the sabbath is to benefit all mankind and not just the Jews as we see here...

    Mark 2:27 "And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."

    I would like to ask Michael a question... Did Jesus ever sin? Did He ever lie? I would hope your answer is 'no he never did'. Ok so your saying the sabbath was only for the Jews (even though scripture disproves it lets just say this is the case). IF the sabbath was only for the Jews THEN the word "man" in Mark 2:27 would be defined as Jew or Child of Israel, an Israelite. Lets check Strong's concordance on how "man" is defined...

    BOTH instances of the word "man" is ἄνθρωπος G444 which is anthrōpos a human being, whether male or female; to include all human individuals i.e. mankind / the whole of the human race. Interesting stuff when actually look at the definitions of words than pick and choosing scriptures out of context to support the doctrines of men.

    So IF we still hold that the sabbath was only for the Jews, THEN we have to conclude that Jesus did not mean what He said and we know that is not the truth. He is all knowing and He did use the correct word.

    Something else Michael ignores, does not know or fails to bring out is Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul observed the sabbath long after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Matter of fact IF the sabbath was NOT for gentile/foreign believers THEN we would see that in His writings. We would surely see Paul telling the gentile believers to NOT observe the sabbath, so lets check the scriptures...

    Acts 13:42
    "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath."

    Notice how we do NOT see Paul telling the gentile believers the sabbath was not to be observed by them. Interesting eh?

    Acts 13:44
    "On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God."

    In this verse we see the entire city which had a lot of gentile believers and unbelieving gentiles came to hear the word of God on the next sabbath.

    Again Paul NEVER correct the gentile believers to NOT observe the sabbath but he support the sabbath for all!

    Acts 18:4
    And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

    Again another scripture supporting the eternal command of the sabbath for all mankind - both Jew & Greek. It should be noted during this time it was about 25-30 years after the resurrection of Christ. So if you still cling to the belief 'the sabbath was done away with' despite all the proof sited, lets look at another matter...

    Do we ever see in the OT or NT that observing the sabbath by gentiles is a sin? No we do not. Matter of fact we see in the writings of the prophets that His sabbath will still be observed in the New Millennium!

    Now EVERY bible scholar rightly states that Ezekiel 46 deals with the New Millennium and what do we see? The sabbath! Read the entire passage for yourself.

    Another New Millennium passage is Isaiah 56:1-7 so IF we see the sabbath has been done away with in this passage THEN we can conclude the sabbath is NOT for gentile believers in the New Millennium...

    Isaiah 56:1-7 Salvation for the Gentiles

    56 Thus says the Lord:

    “Keep justice, and do righteousness,For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.2 Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it;
    Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 3 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord Speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
    ...
    6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
    And holds fast My covenant—7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
    Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

    WOW! there is a lot in that small New Millennium passage that wrecks a lot of man made doctrines. This again shows that the sabbath IS definitely still enforce after the times of tribulation and after the second return of Christ the Messiah!

    When Michael brings up Colossians 2:16 as proof to justify NOT observing the sabbath we see this is wrong. The whole context of Colossians is that the writer was telling the believers to NOT let the neighboring pagans judge them about keeping the sabbath among other things. IT was NEVER implied to be used as a way to disobey God and observing the sabbath as has been pointed out in all the other scriptures we posted.

    I could go on and show how the feasts of the Lord also go along the same lines of having to be observed forever but that would really make this a long post.

    In closing the ONLY way Michael's belief that the sabbath has been done away with and not applicable for gentile / non-jewish believers in the Messiah is to do away with all the scriptures that were posted (adding to or taking away from God's word). Please search the scriptures to find the truth and follow what God wants us to do. To do otherwise is lacking and only cause further problems in scripture. When we accept God's word for what it is, then we can walk in liberty, freedom, and in blessing just as Jesus walked. Remember Paul stated to imitate him as He imitates Christ.

    One word of warning I would give is this.. any man or woman that ignores and cherry picks scripture is NOT basing their beliefs on the whole counsel of God. Also remember that the New Covenant shows ALL of God's law should be written on our hearts and minds so we can obey Him in spirit and in truth ref. Jeremiah 31:31-34.

    Test everything and be like a berean to see if what is taught is true!

  12. P.S. I read Michael's response again and found something interesting. Its something a lot of believers claim as truth but when you check the scriptures we find something different.

    Michael said "Jesus is my Sabbath. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. And so, no, I don’t hold Saturday or Sunday as a day above any other day of the week. All days are equal."

    1st, "Jesus is my Sabbath" is a very common response to a lot of christians but has anyone ever checked the scriptures to see if this is true? If we do a search for "Jesus is the sabbath" or similar phrases we do NOT find this in the bible. Now we do find that Jesus gives us rest...

    Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

    Jesus used the word G373 ἀναπαύω anapauō which Strong's concordance defines as "to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength". It should be noted that this word REST is NOT the same word used for sabbath.

    Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

    Strong's "sabbath" is G4521 σάββατον sabbaton meaning the institution of the sabbath, the law for keeping holy every seventh day of the week. We also know this applied to both Israelites and gentile believers because God gave the same law/instructions for both as I showed in my previous post.

    So when people say Jesus is my sabbath that is not true. They also forget that Jesus NEVER made the claim He was the sabbath. They also forget, as did Michael, that Jesus said He was the Lord OF the sabbath. Never do we see in scripture Jesus claiming to be the sabbath, never do we see any prophesies of Jesus becoming or replacing the sabbath either. The bible passages referencing the New Millennium show the sabbath is still observed so again this proves Jesus is NOT our sabbath - yes He gives us rest, peace, mercy, strength, etc but lets not make a claim that is NOT supported by scripture.

    Michael also said "all days are equal". Interesting because in the Old Testament all days are NOT equal. Matter of fact we see where God stated that the sabbath was a perpetual covenant for all time (see notes on owlam - meaning forever / eternity). All the other days of the calendar were assigned numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6 but the seventh was entitled as the SABBATH. It was set apart as holy by God...

    Leviticus 23:3
    "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings."

    Deuteronomy 5:12
    "Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you."

    Now while Michael has some good teachings, I think I will stick with God and His word on this - that the sabbath is a holy day and is NOT equal with all other days. Yet despite all these facts there is a question we must ask...

    If God told you to do something, would you do it?

    Most believers would answer "Yes!" and when you ask 'Why?' most would respond with "because He is God!" Funny how they give this answer but when it comes to the sabbath suddenly people refuse to obey His commandment on the sabbath. One of the problems a lot of people have is they have no idea what the sabbath is or what it entails.

    Some common misconceptions/myths of the sabbath...

    1. "I can go to church and worship on any day I want"

    Answer: Of course you can! There is no scripture or teaching saying you cannot. What people don't understand is the sabbath is NOT about going to a church service - matter of fact if you want to go to a service everyday of the week there is no problem at all. So what is the sabbath? Its about spending time with God & your family; a time to be the spiritual head of the house and disciple your family; to study and pray for your family and others, etc. Its quite time with God for one day out of the week where you relax physically, emotionally and spiritually. The great thing is God blesses us for spending this time with Him! No other god does this for His children.

    In todays world where parents and children spend next to NOT time with each other God in His wisdom set up the sabbath as an example of not only to remember how He created everything but how He set up time with His children one-on-one. In other words God in our relationship with Him by observing the sabbath is giving us time with Him; its an example of how we are to spend time with our children too. Its leading by example, loving God in a tangible way that our children can see - its raising them in the way that is right so when they are old they will not depart from what God setup.

    2. "The sabbath has been nailed to the cross"

    Answer: This is common excuse because as mentioned in the previous post we see the sabbath observed in the New Millennium so that is proof it was NOT nailed to the cross. To make this claim means that what God declared, the sabbath, as holy and a benefit for us, is suddenly no longer today, but it will be holy again in the New Millennium once again. Strange because there are no scriptures saying there is a "pause" on the sabbath.

    3. "I don't have to observe the sabbath because no one can judge me - Colossians 2:16 is the proof!"

    Answer: I used to use the same excuse but unfortunately I did not take into consideration the context of the book. Colossians what written to believers where the neighboring pagans were trying to get them to NOT observe the sabbath / do the things God told them to do! You see the pagans were trying to get people to NOT obey God, to not observe HIS holy day that is meant as a benefit for all mankind. When Paul the apostle to the gentiles wrote this he was advising the believers to not disobey God but to obey His commandment, observe the sabbath and keep it holy.

    Now some will respond with this and say but verse eight says this...

    Verse 8 "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."

    They try to use this verse out of context and say this is about observing the sabbath. This is not the case because they forget they have to show the sabbath is a vain and empty philosophy and its a tradition of men. Yet when we search the scriptures we see this is not the case with the sabbath - it was established and set up by God Himself as a holy set apart day for all eternity. It cannot be a tradition of men or empty deceit because Jesus Himself said He was the Lord of the Sabbath! So if we continue with this false logic we are concluding the Jesus is the Lord of vain and empty deceit! This again refuted by Jesus stating this about the sabbath...

    Mark 2:27 "And He (Jesus) said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."

    Again the word 'man' is anthropos meaning all mankind - and just as God gives good gifts to His children Jesus reaffirms this by stating the sabbath was made for man; its for our benefit and God blesses us if we observe it with a loving heart. So again the truth of scripture shows the misuse of the verses in Colossians.

    Now what is the sabbath? What do you do or not do? First lets look at a passage that many do not know even exists...

    Isaiah 58:12-14
    12 Those from among you
    Shall build the old waste places;
    You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
    And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
    The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
    13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
    From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
    And call the Sabbath a delight,
    The holy day of the Lord honorable,
    And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
    Nor finding your own pleasure,
    Nor speaking your own words,
    14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
    And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
    And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
    The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

    Interesting how this passage tells us what to do during the sabbath besides doing no work.

    Anyway I did notice that Michael said that if you observe the sabbath your sinning and falling from grace...

    " If you are a Sabbath keeper, you are sinning. It is a sin to keep the Sabbath. It is a sin because you are falling from grace. You are ignoring the provision of God in Christ."

    So with this logic, Jesus kept the sabbath and said to be the Lord of the sabbath and in the New Millennium the sabbath will be observed for all time by all mankind. So if we apply Michael's logic that observing the sabbath is a sin, then Jesus sinned. Of course not - why would Jesus claim to Lord of the Sabbath - is He saying He is the Lord of sin? Remember Jesus said the sabbath was for MAN, so if we continue with Michael's false logic that means that what was once holy is now sin? Hmmm...

    No where in scripture if we use it in context does it ever say that observing the sabbath is a sin. IF we are unbelievers and not forgiven our sin by His death & resurrection THEN no amount of sabbath observances will make us right with God (works salvation). However as NEW creatures in Christ we are called to observe the sabbath with a loving heart and its liberty and blessing for us as God promised.

    To claim its a sin is disingenuous and severely lacking - the proof I have posted from scripture shows this is not the truth. This is terrible false teaching because SINCE ALL MANKIND will be observing the sabbath in the New Millennium, then you have to say that God is going to force ALL mankind to SIN and FALL from grace! Rubbish!

    What a heresy we have on our hands when we disregard the whole counsel of God's word.

    IF observing the sabbath is falling from grace, then why do we NOT see Jesus or any other NT writer talking about this specifically? Why did not Paul make this clear to the gentiles he taught as was his custom tell them of such damnation? Why? Because observing the sabbath is NOT a sin.

    Now as for Michael's take on Galatians that is a bit off too - Paul was confronting the 'works salvation' crowd who said you must believe in the Messiah AND obey the commandments to be saved. We are saved by grace through faith, not of works than any should boast and rightly so. The point Paul was making was this... you can only be save by grace, then as a new creature in Christ we are to live our lives in righteousness and not lawlessness. There are also those who misquote Galatians as (false) proof to not observe the sabbath, but if you look at then entire passage the word sabbath is not even mentioned, its about fasting!

    So in closing, be objective and search all the scriptures and not just the ones that support your man made doctrine. When we ignore all those other scriptures, we end up being like the pharisees who drifted from God's word and made up their own doctrines. These false doctrines is the reason Jesus preached "repent or perish".

    God bless and seek His truth.

  13. P.P.S. One more point I would like to address in regards to the sabbath. Again my posts are not to disrespect Michael and I do not look down on him. I used to believe and say the exact same things as he did. With that said God brought me to a place where He had me test what I believed against His word. Then I had a choice to either change my beliefs to be in accordance with His word, OR ignore His word and continue with the doctrines and traditions of men.

    Now we are all looking to the second coming - so many people believe we are in the end times / last days there is a lot of interest in the "end times" passages in the bible. The question is there any mention of the sabbath during the tribulation? Do we see Jesus Himself discussing this in the gospels? Yes we do...

    Matthew 24:15-22 = The Great Tribulation
    15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” whoever reads, let him understand, 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the SABBATH. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened."

    Matthew 24 is held by all bible scholars and the majority of believers as talking about the time of the great tribulation that is still in our future. Notice Jesus states "pray that your flight may not be in the winter or on the SABBATH". Interesting.

    If the sabbath was done away with then this would have been a great time for Jesus to tell everyone to NOT observe the sabbbath. Matter of fact if it was done away with then there would be no need to even bring up the sabbath. However Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, was talking about the tribulation which is still in our future and mentioned the sabbath.

    This, along with all the other scriptural proofs for the sabbath prove without a shadow of a doubt that the sabbath was not done away with; it was a day set apart by God as holy, as sign between us and God for all times, past, present, future and eternity. To disregard God's word by ignoring these scriptures, or using scripture out of context to do away with the sabbath is wrong in God's eyes. Sin is transgression of the law and if we continue to tell people to NOT observe the sabbath we are doing a disservice to God and our brethren. Consider Jesus' words...

    Matthew 5:18-20 "18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

    God bless as you study and walk in His word.

  14. P.P.S. Its been a while since I last posted and wanted to throw out some other proofs the sabbath has not been done away with (as if the previous scriptures were not proof enough).

    Situation: Many believers say a lot of stuff in the bible has been done away with yet they forget to search the scriptures to see if this is true. We see in Jeremiah 31:31-34 that the New Covenant does NOT show any of God's commandments as being done away with. Rather that His law should be written on our hearts and minds so we do not sin against Him. So here is more proof...

    Scripture states that God does nothing without revealing it to His people via His prophets. Here is the verse...

    Amos 3:7 "Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets."

    So what we need to do is see if the sabbath is prophesied as being done away with. Surprisingly we find NO prophesies stating the sabbath will end. What we do see is that it will continue on FOREVER as a perpetual covenant. So again if we say we are believers and REFUSE to obey a simple commandment that is a blessing for us, then something is wrong.

    Just saying..

    😉

    1. SAR,

      Did you happen to read my comment above about Jesus' words in Matthew 12? If not, please give it a read. I think you will see Jesus uses logic to prove that the Sabbath is no longer legally required under the New Covenant and since He is Lord of the Sabbath, He has the liberty to alter His Law as He sees fit.

      Let me know what you think!

      Thanks!
      Matthew

      1. Matthew,

        I did read but you pick out one thing and ignore all the other scriptures I posted. Especially the ones where the sabbath is in the New Millennium.

        Your missing the point of what the sabbath is and what it is for. Sorry but I can't go back to NOT observing the sabbath, nor can I ignore, add to or take away from God's word, which we are commanded to not do.

        Peace to you during these end times,

        SAR

        1. SAR,

          The reason it seems that I ignored those portions of Scripture is because we have not discussed them. My post on Matthew 12 was from a long time ago and I was interested to know if you wanted to discuss the exegesis of that passage. I’m still open if you’d like to. It just seems like a logical place to start.

          As far as your other comments, I believe that Matthew 24 was fulfilled in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem so it is not a passage that describes the distant future of its original audience. Thus there is no mention of a future Sabbath. Hebrews 1:2 teaches that the “last days” were in Jesus’ lifetime – the last days of the Old Covenant; not the end of the world scenario that is so popular today.

          As I mentioned in my other post, I believe Jesus did say there’s no longer a legal observance of the Sabbath. It seems best to discuss that first before we discuss what the Apostles taught on the Sabbath. (Yes, I saw what you wrote and we can think through those passages as well.)

          If you choose to discuss this further you will see that I am not taking anything away from the Bible, I’m only trying to read what it says and interpret it in light of how the original audience would have understood it.

          So, if you’d like to continue the dialogue, please let me know your thoughts on Matthew 12. Thanks!

          Matthew

          1. Hi Matthew,

            I love to discuss scripture, where iron sharpens iron. However I have limited time - work, travel and writing takes up a lot and I can't promise I will be able to responds on a regular basis. So let me address with this...

            I know and understand the belief of Matt 24 being fulfilled (preterits). However that belief does not change the definition of words such as forever, everlasting, perpetual, eternity which comes from the Hebrew word 'owlam' that is used for the Sabbath and His feast days, as I noted in my previous posts. A belief never changes the definition of words and if it does then that is a red flag IMHO. Remember the perpetual covenant of the rainbow = owlam and the same word is used with the Sabbath, Feasts, etc.

            I assume your a New Covenant believer which is defined in Jeremiah 31:31-34. This states that the God's law is written on our hearts and minds. Why? So we can obey from the heart and not out of a legalist way or as a way of salvation by works with which Paul defends many times (making it hard for people to understand his writings). If you reject the Sabbath and Feasts then we also have a problem with preterism due to the following...

            Jeremiah 31:33-34 The New Covenant
            "33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

            Many preterists, and I used to be one, claim their are no more passages when it comes to the Sabbaths, Feasts, etc yet they claim they are New Covenant believers. Problem - note in verse 34 where it says "no more shall every man teach his neighbor... for they all shall know me..." This portion of Jeremiah 31:31-34 has not occurred. Another problem for preterists is Ezekiel chapter 44-47 where the prince gives sacrifices, offerings on the Sabbath. It also mentions the feast days of God. Hence another problem with the preterist view.

            The feast of Tabernacles in Zechariah 14:16-21, which has not happened yet, states...

            "16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 20 In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts.[d] Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts."

            Notice this event has not happened - another preterist problem; yet we see this Feast is still applicable, forever, regardless of time frame, past or future. In regards to preterism, there is a problem with saying 'its all been fulfilled in 70 AD" is that God works in cycles. Just as Jesus states that then end will be as in the days of Noah ref. Matthew 24. God's feasts, Sabbaths, etc are all cyclical there is no end to certain things. Just as God's love, mercy, never end (Hebrew word owlam) so to are His appointed times.

            The problem with stating the Sabbath & Feasts of the Lord are no longer applicable is that Jesus stated He was the Lord OF the Sabbath and that the Sabbath was made for man (anthropos = mankind and not Jew/Israelite). Combine the passages of Ezekiel, Zechariah, etc which have not occurred yet, there still remains the Sabbaths & Feasts of God. Again it comes down to context and definitions and preterism does not address this, rather it ignores it &/or changes definitions. Hence my leaving behind that belief.

            The problem with testing everything is that it creates a cognitive dissonance - which is...

            When people hold to a core belief or teaching that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief or teaching, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. Because it is so important to protect that belief or teaching, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn't fit in with the core belief or teaching.

            I was confronted with this problem because the Sabbath was one of the first things God had me test in His word. When we test something against scripture we have to look at its definition, context, time periods/term of the item being tested, the prophesies and fruit. The conclusion is the Sabbath & Feasts have not been done away with and is applicable for all times as God defined them as perpetual and forever.

            Anyway, I hope you test what you believe against scripture and without bias that comes from a belief. Since leaving behind the problem beliefs and walking as the Messiah walked, via the Sabbath & Feasts of God, our lives have been blessed beyond what we experienced before. It should be noted there are many that observe these things but bring is many false teachings so the testing does not stop. In the end we are grafted into Israel, one body, one shepherd with one set of instructions/law of God.

            Lord willing till next time, blessings to you and yours,

            SAR

          2. SAR,

            Greetings brother! Consider again, Matthew 12 and divine the import of His logic: Mercy takes precedence over a ceremonial law; a ceremonial law takes precedence over the Sabbath. Thus, mercy takes precedence over the Sabbath (“I will have mercy and not sacrifice”). Or, A > B and B > C, therefore A > C.

            If a ceremonial law was given precedence over the Sabbath, and the ceremonial laws are no longer required for Christians, what does that tell us about the Sabbath?

            As far as Jeremiah’s prophecy (31:31-34) regarding the New Covenant is concerned, Hebrews 8 tells us that is has been fulfilled. (See verses 7 through 12.) You and I may not know exactly what the fulfillment looks like, but when the Holy Spirit inspires a writer to say something, then nothing more needs to be said. Right? The writer then concludes with these words, “When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear." Since the book of Hebrews was written in the mid-60s the Old Covenant was "becoming obsolete" at the time of its authorship. It ‘became’ obsolete with the fall of Jerusalem when God's wrath was poured out as that event was near (or ready) to the original audience of the epistle.

            What does it mean that the Old Covenant is now “obsolete?”

            Is the Sabbath perpetual? Yes, because it was a shadow of the ‘substance.’ As Paul says, “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17) The same truth is expounded in Hebrews 8:1-6 where we’re told that the gifts and the tabernacle are a “copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” If the shadow, as presented by Moses, is perpetual, then so is the substance, Jesus. “For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses...” (Hebrews 3:1-6)

            Why look at your wife’s shadow when you can enjoy an intimate time with her in person?

            The courtesy of an answer to these specific questions is appreciated. Thanks for your time.

            Grace and peace,
            Matthew

          3. Matthew,

            If Matt 24 has already been fulfilled, where were the events in v. 29-31. Asking in true confusion.

            I love and respect Mike's teachings but truly feel that SAR has made a better scriptural case on this issue than you and Mike are arguing.

            Are we only to obey the negative commandments and ignore the positive now? Why is it not sin and legalism, not falling from the grace of our Lord Christ, to obey "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not kill" but it is sin and legalism, and falling from grace, to obey "thou shalt observe a day of rest as I did"?

            And again, how can Matthew 24 have been fulfilled if we have not seen our savior returning as he spoke of v. 30?

          4. KB,

            That’s a great question. There are really two separate but related questions here: the fulfillment of Matthew 24 and the observance of the Sabbath. Since your first question was about Matthew 24 I’ll start there.

            Allow me to post a large portion of Matthew 24. I’ve truncated the passage so that it’s not too overwhelming but please feel free to read it on your own in one sitting to make sure I didn’t leave out any pertinent details. I’ve capitalized some things that I felt were important to a proper understanding of the passage; namely the original audience and the texts dealing with timing. Here goes…

            Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when HIS DISCIPLES came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said TO THEM, “Do YOU not see all these things? Truly I say to YOU, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”
            3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, THE DISCIPLES came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
            4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads YOU. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 YOU will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that YOU are not frightened…
            9 “Then they will deliver YOU to tribulation, and will kill YOU, and YOU will be hated by all nations because of My name… 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
            15 “Therefore when YOU see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)… 20 But pray that YOUR flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For THEN there will be a great TRIBULATION, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will... 23 Then if anyone says to YOU, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him... 25 Behold, I have told YOU in advance. 26 So if they say to YOU, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them...
            29 “But IMMEDIATELY after the TRIBULATION of THOSE DAYS the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the SIGN OF the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and THEY will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
            32 “NOW learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, YOU know that summer is near; 33 so, YOU too, when YOU see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to YOU, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

            First, let’s establish the audience of Matthew 24. It seems pretty clear from verses 1 through 4 that Jesus is speaking to His disciples. Would you agree with that? If so, we must then understand that every use of the pronouns “you” and “your” are referring to “His disciples.” Agreed? This is important because those pronouns appear a good 20 times in this brief passage (in the NASB translation).

            If we understand every instance of “you” to be a reference to His disciples then that means according to verses 9 and 21 that the disciples will experience the great tribulation. And according to verse 15 they will witness the abomination of desolation. (These two events are tied together by the “then” of verse 21.)

            Let’s pause there for a moment. Is there anything in the text to suggest that the “you” of verses 9 through 28 is anyone other than the disciples who first asked Jesus the questions that are proposed in verse 3? If so, please explain who the new “you” is and when and how it changed.

            Now, if the disciples are going to experience the great tribulation of verse 21, notice the use of the word “immediately” in verse 29. (We are now entering into the passage you questioned.) The events of verses 29 through 31 occur "immediately" after the great tribulation. So even if you or I cannot explain what that looked like exactly, is there anything in the text to suggest that someone other than the disciples is going to witness these events? Please elaborate if you see something that suggests a different group of people.

            In my opinion, the reason most people hold to a futuristic interpretation of Matthew 24 is because they start with the notion that these events have not yet been fulfilled. Believing that the Bible contains neither errors nor contradictions, people look for an explanation to maintain the Bible’s integrity. Although this is a noble effort, I believe it is misguided as most of the people who hold this position have never examined the evidence that those events have already been fulfilled.

            If you’re still with me we can discuss some of the specifics of verses 29 and 30. But more on that later; time to log off. In the interim did you happen to read my comments on Matthew 12 and the Sabbath? Thoughts? I’ll be glad to discuss that and your other questions about the Law at a later time.

            Grace and peace,
            Matthew

    2. SAR,
      If we are required to keep the law of God, then aren't we commanded not to overeat? And aren't the husbands commanded to have children with his wife?
      Now, I am just simply asking a question. I have been really struggling with keeping the law, or not keeping the law.
      It seems that most people argue over a few and just forget the rest.
      What about wearing the Tzitzi? Forgive my spelling.
      If we are commanded to keep the Sabbath, what happened to the penalty for breaking it?
      Thank you for your response.

  15. What do you do when your church denomination puts a very high regard on "Sabbath" keeping (the politically correct way of calling it in these circles is "The Lord's Day", but it basically replaces the Sabbath in importance/necessity/expectation), and teaches it fairly regularly? I am weary and burdened, and THIS is the exact reason. This topic right here. I don't want to be negative or disrespectful of leadership so I never speak of it in public, but I'm a mother of some dear children, who I don't want to be deceived. To let this teaching slide week after week, they begin to think it really is very important, and necessary to keep a Sabbath day unto the Lord to be good/real Christians. Including the sense that one MUST be in the church building for the morning AND evening services on the "Sabbath" to prove one is a serious, "mature believer". I believe we must meet together regularly, and weekly is fine, likely implied. That is Biblical. Even more than weekly is fine, or more than once a day- we have that liberty, but REQUIRED? To subtly define attendance by x amount of times per Sunday, and then put pressure on people that they are not mature due to lack of double attendance on "The Lord's Day", etc. And pressure that one MUST meet and keep the Sabbath, though they are careful not to be legalistic about what that exactly means. Because they don't want to be "legalists". It gets very confusing. My husband and I do not agree with this. But we have tried to remain very respectful. We have come to the conclusion that if one tries to please God by keeping the Sabbath/requiring- lifting up that standard regularly, pushing, teaching, etc., he must then be under the WHOLE law, which is a terrifying, and impossible place to be. We believe the laws were enforced to prove one can't keep them... so that a soul would cry out to Jesus for salvation. ("Hopeless and lost... how can I be saved?" So the law does it's needful work in the hearts of man to draw them to Christ.) In the present situation we will likely never meet muster at this fellowship. In fact, the leadership has made it plain to us that my husband would never be qualified to be an elder, or leader of that nature because of our firm belief: that Jesus has fulfilled that part of the law. Even though my husband is qualified in most all other regards- Biblically. Not that he is trying to be an elder, but knowing you won't ever qualify can also be discouraging. My husband is a natural leader, so I know he has weighed this heavily, privately, and just given up any hope of that in his future if we stay there. We've never tried to contend about this. We wanted the pastor to know upfront of what we are convinced, speaking to him privately. Again, not to contend, but to clarify. He also wanted us to know upfront where they stand. Does this give us a good enough reason to find a different fellowship, or just commit to attend, jump through the hoops, and try to reexplain to our children as it frequently comes up? This has actually caused some major distress in my heart over the past several months. That is why I'm being bold enough to ask about it openly here. One member sensed I was struggling about something, and asked if the issue was one that I would take a bullet for- if it was that important to my faith. (Not knowing what the issue was.) In my heart, I felt that it could be that serious. If Jesus paid it all... if I were on the chopping block and someone asked me to renounce this errant belief or die I think I would have to say, "Yes. Jesus did pay it all. You do not HAVE to keep the Sabbath to be made right with God. Christ fulfilled that requirement. Christ is our rest." I was not expecting to be asked such a forthright, stunning question. But now that it was asked, I feel even more troubled/burdened. OR do we graciously bow out and seek another fellowship? We have absolutely NO DESIRE to split the church or stir up any trouble. None. We just don't feel like we can be in agreement on this point with the other members, (we are not yet members, due to our hesitation on this point) even though we agree with most of the other doctrine which is significant (except their particular eschatology but they don't bring that up as much), and it seems to be a key point for most in this denomination. I keep thinking that I don't want newly saved Christians to enter into that fellowship and right off the bat be faced with the law... that they must keep to be "good Christians". Including a need to keep the Sabbath. How can this be truth to a new believer, who needs to be settled in Christ's finished work? Am I too sensitive about this issue? Should I see everyone in light of having a slightly "weaker" consciences: desiring to keep and teaching others the importance to keep a day: the Sabbath/Lord's Day to be fully repentant and obedient? (I don't like to think of those in that fellowship, that I do truly LOVE, as having weaker consciences... That seems rather prideful on my part.) But I'm still troubled. Can this be what Paul speaks of in Galatians... another gospel?... combining Jesus WITH the need to follow the law/keep the Sabbath to be approved by God? One of our older children has bought wholesale into this teaching, and while most parents would be very proud of a child who is seeking to love the Lord wholeheartedly... and please Him by keeping a day specially set apart (also choosing church over occasional evening family activities), I am distressed over that child's soul. Because I discern this very subtle poison of adding the law to Christ's finished work that has troubling me all along. I want that child to be FREE, settled in Christ, not tampering with adding any laws to approve themselves to God. (Then if they want to meet twice a day, fine... in their freedom/liberty, go for it! But when it is not liberty but necessity of law... it becomes quite a different thing with a different spirit.) My husband is willing to look into finding another fellowship, but of course, dreads the pursuit. He was also asked the bullet question, and said, "Yes. I would take a bullet on this issue." (Again, the issue was never revealed to the person who asked.) Which makes me think we probably ought to graciously bow out and find a new fellowship... I'm just tired of the turmoil in my heart. If we left we would leave peacefully, because we have made no enemies, and have no personal conflicts with anyone... But my husband is also willing to stay there, and just forbear on that point. I'm very burdened by it all. Would really appreciate your wise counsel. Thank you.

    PS: I've read the other replies of those who are debating with Michael on the topic. I would appreciate if you would not answer me/this post to try to change my mind on what my husband and I have come to believe on this point. We have read the same Scriptures, and are convinced Jesus fulfilled the law on this point. What I am requesting is counsel/general advice on how to handle a situation where we are considering the major decision of leaving a fellowship over this issue that is highlighted. I didn't write this to contend/debate... but to gain some advice/wisdom from the Pearl's or those who would already be coming from the same general understanding about this Sabbath issue. Thanks for understanding.

    1. Dear J,

      Thank you for sharing your story. I know it’s a difficult road to travel as disagreements are never easy especially when they are with church leadership.

      Your first priority, over any church body, is to your family. This is a great opportunity to share with the little ones that you can disagree with brothers and sisters in Christ and not be divisive. You can agree to disagree. There is nothing unspiritual about disagreeing; it’s how we handle the disagreement that’s so important. We can even disagree with church leaders and it doesn’t mean we are disobedient or ungodly; it simply means we’re different.

      No, you are not too sensitive. You are correct; this is what Paul spoke of to the Galatians. There’s no need to concern yourself with thinking others have a weaker conscience or anything like that. We are allowed by God to disagree so you’re free to leave it at that. There could be any number of reasons that a particular person embraces this type of thinking and unless you are going to have a heart-to-heart with someone, trying to diagnose the issue is probably more trouble than it’s worth.

      If you do decide to leave, I’d recommend that your husband (and you, if you desire) speak to a pastor or elder about your decision. Let him know you don’t agree with the organization’s stance on the Sabbath and that you believe your family would be better off in a different congregation. Even though you are not ‘official’ members of this assembly, I think that is an honorable way to conduct yourself. It’s simply a courtesy. It shows you respect them and their beliefs but also that you respect yourselves and your own beliefs as well.

      You are also free to share your decision with your friends. This is not divisive. If you are informing them of your intentions and motives (we disagree and are more comfortable in another place of fellowship) then that's neither gossip nor divisive. It’s simply letting people know what’s going on in your life. There is no malice on your part.

      What happens if there is division? Know that it is not your fault! You may be accused but people make their own choices and you and your husband are not responsible for what other people decide for themselves.

      If you do decide to leave this congregation and speak to the pastor about it, you will have an excellent opportunity to teach your children how mature adults handle conflict; we enter into it with grace and truth. This is such an important lesson because our flesh wants to walk away and avoid it altogether. Personally, I think it’s important to explain the situation to your little ones and let them know what you are doing and why. This will really help instill the values in them that you desire them to learn. They will see a godly way to handle disagreements; even if they one day disagree with you.

      Also, it’s important to talk to your older child and share your heart about this issue. One of the hardest things for us parents to do it to allow our children the freedom to develop their own beliefs and not take it personally. So often we believe that their decisions are a reflection of our parenting if they choose differently than we do, but in reality it is not. They are simply exercising the minds that God gave them. It’s definitely an Abraham and Isaac type situation; trusting God with the outcome of his life. If he chooses differently, let your love and freedom be what God uses to change his heart and mind. Also, it’s important to get to the heart of why he believes this way to be correct; what his feelings are behind the belief. This is far more important that the actual beliefs themselves.

      Lastly, as a brother in Christ, I’d like to encourage your husband to take an active role in this process; to live intentionally and with a purpose. Life is not easy and this situation is part of the battle. I know they are not direct quotes, but phrases like “dreading the pursuit” and “forbearing the point” are not the attitudes of a warrior (Exodus 15:3). It’s a struggle for me too, so I can relate.

      I have a yahoo email account with this handle if you or your husband would like to discuss this further. Blessings on your journey.

      Grace and peace,
      Matthew

      1. Quick update here.... Our family DID find a new fellowship over a year ago. This fellowship seems to have a good handle on the issue of Christ being our rest, & the futility of trying to "keep" a Sabbath. I'm deeply relieved. And so thankful. This little country church has some sweet believers, & a strong emphasis on learning & knowing God's Word. Thanks for the feedback!!

  16. Dear brother Michael Pearl,
    I hope you will read this, although you are retired.
    It is very interesting to read your article about sabbath-keeping. And even more interesting reading the discussion between you and SAR. Who is holding the truth?
    Did you ever wonder why there are so many different churches? It is because there are so many different Bible-interpretations! Is it the will of God? No, divisions are the will of satan.
    But, who then will tell us the truth, since there are so many different churches? The answer is as simple as it is hard to swallow for many people.
    It is the Church which Jesus started to build on the Rock (so it could not fall) which is being led by the Holy Spirit in all Truth (so it could not fall into heresy) and which the gates of hell could not prevail. Therefore St. Paul calls this Church the Pillar and ground of the Truth (1 Tim. 3:15).
    This Church is the house of God, which was promised to David that his Seed would build (2 Sam. 7). Where God dwells no lie of satan can ever enter.

    All churches, except one are build on Bible interpretations of men. The Church of Jesus would be built on Revelations of God through the Holy Spirit (Matth. 16:17, 18), called “the apostles' doctrine”. When the truth of the Church was attacked, the leaders came together, and being led by the Holy Spirit, they rejected the heresy (Acts 15). They didn't take the Bible (the N.T dindn't even exist at that time) to discover the heresy. That is what Luther tried. He took the Bible and meant to see heresy in the Church. The result we all know: the proof that the house of the Reformation was not built on the Rock but on the sand, is that it is fallen, and its fall was great (into thousands of peaces, say: different churches).

    We think the Church is fallen into heresy. But that is a lie of the devil who wants to divide us, and divided we are, because of Bible-interpretations of men, of which you are one (and I was one).
    But I really love you Michael and your family and I pray for you and all christians that the Light of God will bring you all back home, already here on earth, back to the House of God, where you will find pasture. Where is one fold and one shepherd.

    God bless you

  17. I'm a little late to this discussion but it is very interesting indeed. So far over the past 4 years I've learned more about the Sabbath than I ever thought. I was once one who said, "Jesus is my Sabbath" until I realized that the Scripture never makes that statement.

    As the scriptures began to unfold, the Sabbath begin to crystalize in my mind. Here are some guiding principles that helped me reach a conclusion.

    1) Jesus did not come to Destroy the Law but to Fullfill the Law.
    2) He will say to some, depart from me you workers of "Lawlessness". This should wake us up for those who say the Law was done away with.
    3) The Law was written on the tables of our heart when we are born again. What Law was this? I wrestled with this for some time until it came to light that God only wrote One Law at One time, the Ten Commandments. He writes the Ten Commandments on our heart. Why would he write it just to do away with it?
    4) The only commandment that says "Remember" is the first one we forget. This shook me. If the Sabbath was commanded to be remembered then where is the verse that says we need to forget it?
    5) (Matthew 5:19-20 ESV)[19] Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
    6) Constantine changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. In fact the Roman Catholic Church states that they have authority to change the day. This is a huge RED flag!
    7) The Law is NOT sin! It reveals sin.
    8) The Sabbath is NOT a ceremonial law, it is the 4th Commandment!
    The first 4 commands teach us how to Love God. The last 6 teach us to love people!
    9) We are engrafted into Israel. We do not replace Israel.
    10) Sunday was made the "Lord's Day" because of the Roman Catholic Decree, it is a day of pagan sun worship and the Roman Catholic Church adopted this day because the pagans already worshipped on this day, only now, it is Jesus.
    11) Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial Law.
    12) On seventh day God created a Day of Rest, or a day of relationship. It was Adam's first full Day as a part of God's creation and he spent it as a Sabbath! Pretty cool. If all of the other things God created is still standing and working as usual then why wouldn't the Sabbath? The Day God sanctified and blessed?!?

    In talking to people about the Sabbath it usually gets turbulent quick! People think you are going "back under the law" but in this day of great deception we need to understand what "under the law" means. It is under the curse, the curse is the punishment for sin. We are not under the punishment or penalty of sin until Judgement. When we are walking in the Spirit we are walking from the Heart the Law - the 10 commandments.

    In reading Mr. Pearl's article it is filled with some concerning materiel. When he says if you are keeping a Sabbath then you are sinning is an eye opener to me. The word "Lawlessness" comes to mind. Also, that reasoning goes against what he proclaims to do - worship God on every day.
    Mr. Pearl's lack of understanding of the Sabbath and the rules that the Pharisees made concerning the Sabbath is NOT God's word.
    Finally, it is a day God blessed... why not just do it? 24 hours of focusing on God and Family, doing good and helping others. Resting from the labor of pursuing your ways and just pursue God's ways. It has been a blessing to me, and I'm learning more all the time.

    1. css...
      I think it's important to grapple with the question of HOW to keep the Sabbath. If it's "the law", & you must keep it perfectly, lest it be "lawlessness"... Then how does one keep it perfectly? This should be a critical question if you have arrived that it's important, necessary, a requirement, & a directive. (Commandment.) If you can verify how to keep it, to stay in or earn God's favor- I'd like to know what that should look like. Fri. sundown to Sat. sundown? Absolutely no work? Adopt Jewish traditions? Become Jewish? Go to worship? Stay home? Are there modern rules? Who determines what those rules are? You see the issue... Those who have come to your conclusion are eager to adhere to a Sabbath, but gave no idea what it's supposed to actually look like, and have the hardest time agreeing on how it is to be "kept" to fulfill that law. If it's a law to fulfill, then it's pretty important how one can/should fulfill it. It can not be subjective or arbitrary. How can you know if a person is not fulfilling it properly? (I'm asking this question, coming from a place of grappling myself. I have arrived at peace knowing Christ literally fulfilled that requirement for us.)

    2. And in addition to all the Bible teaching from SAR and CSS, and the testimony from Shalemayah, etc, the fact that those Christ followers who observe this weekly rest in a right spirit are blessed indeed. The Sabbath is a beautiful rest for those who are willing to rest unto the Lord that day. The servant girl or man was to have a day off, and even the work animals too. Our God is merciful. The number seven has always been big in God's economy. The life cycles of all living things revolve around the number seven. The human heart goes slower one day in seven, it is said.
      Of course, it depends on what one means by "observe the Sabbath". Jesus kept it, but not in the strict, religious, heartless way of the legalist. So, if Jesus saw a sick man or a hungry man on the Sabbath, He would heal him or feed him - IF the Father called Him to. God's heart is towards us. As Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man" ; for our benefit. I look forward to the Sabbath as a day in which I can rest with my family, do no heavy work, and have a day that is different, in a good way, from others - a foreshadowing of the coming eternal rest in the kingdom of God. The Sabbath is a delight to me. It is a protection for the laborer against the slave-driving employer who cares only about his own income and not about the good of his employees. Praise the Lord that there is a rest for the people of God, and it is physical as well as spiritual. Then, the next day, I resume work with new vigor. Thank the Lord !

  18. The logic you expressed for not observing God's Fourth Commandment could be applied to any of Gods laws. If you feel that your not under Grace if you kept His Sabbath, are you implying that you somehow feel better disobeying Him?
    This makes no sense at all. When we experience His Love, His Grace, it makes us capable of obeying Him--its His Love in us that enables us to overcome sin, and to obey where we formerly could not.

    This is the Circumcised Heart. In Jeremiah Ch 4: 4 it says to Fulfill (Mela) to Yehova (Circumcise), and He will remove the Hearts Foreskin. Paul alluded to this verse in the New Testament. The Circumcised Heart is to be desired and is the means necessary to obey the Law of God.

    Shalom

  19. I have studied this topic for over an year. My findings are:
    1) Sunday worship is non-scriptural and most likely pagan influenced in origin, and
    2) All believers should keep the Sabbath.

    Here are some of the scriptures to back up the importance of the sabbath to YHWH.

    You decide.

    Exodous 20:8-11
    Ex 31:16-17
    Mat 5: 17-19
    Mat 7:20-21
    1John 2:3-4
    John 14:15
    John 15:9-10
    2John 1:6

    Heb 4:9,10
    Rev 14:12
    Rev 22:14-15

    Jubilees 23:26

    Psalm 119:142
    Psalm 103:20
    Prb 3:1
    Prb 4:2, 4

    Isa 66:22-23 (new heaven/earth)

    2 Tim 3:15

  20. Jesus said on that old rugged cross, "It is finished. " He fulfilled the law. Mr. Pearl is correct! The LEGALITY is indeed a sin. That's why the Pharisees were a brood of vipers, they were condemning people with the law! Our commandments are to love God with all our hearts, and put Him first. And to love others- treat them the way you'd want to be treated. That's IT! THAT SUMS UP THE WHOLE LAW! Once you get into all the legality, you're putting Jesus Christ back up on that cross! He's not on that cross! He's very much alive! If you don't believe in God's wonderful gift of grace, you're condemned already! If you don't believe this, then you're calling God a liar. And if you don't believe this, then you truly don't realize the gift of freedom that Jesus Christ gave to you when He was nailed to that cross! Why do you think He told you His yoke is easy and His burden is light?! He truly gave us freedom and it pains me when Christians, or anyone else for that matter, get to arguing over legality. That's NOT Christ like at all! You can't follow Christ yet not believe what He told you!!! YOU ARE FREE. PLEASE DON'T TAKE GOD'S PRECIOUS GRACE, AND JESUS'S PRECIOUS SACRIFICE FOR GRANTED! Whom the son sets free, is free indeed!!! Mr. Pearl, Please, do a whole sermon on the freedom of Christ. These children are lost! The law was the teacher- before Christ. Now Jesus Christ is our teacher! Moses was the "law-giver", Jesus Christ, truly fulfilled the law- to give you freedom! We're ALL sinners, and the law brought death. No one could keep the whole law. God KNEW that no one could keep that whole law. That's His whole reason for sending His own son to die on the cross to be the propitiation for our sins!!!!! If you attempt to keep the law, you're living under the "bond woman", the true seed of Abraham lives under the "free woman". Because we BELIEVE God! When you feel convicted, by the Holy Spirit, you know not to repeat whatever it was that made you feel guilty, because feeling guilty for doing wrong feels yucky. God doesn't want you to feel yucky! He loves us! So you repent and don't repeat whatever it was that you did that convicted you to begin with. And thank God His mercy is new every morning!!! When you love Him, you don't want to even disappoint Him. How disappointed do you think He feels when you don't trust the freedom that His son gave to you? Do you think Christ was tortured and hung in naked shame in vain? Not hardly. Please, don't put our Master back on that cross in disbelief. Remember what Jesus told the woman that was caught in the act of adultry??? "I don't condemn you neither, go and sin no more. " If you wanna keep Friday evening until Saturday evening Holy, (the true Sabbath days) fine, but you're supposed to worship God in Spirit and Truth EVERY day, not just once a week! Mr. Pearl is correct, Jesus IS Lord of the Sabbath!!! What was more important to Jesus on the Sabbath? To do good, not put on an outward show of legality! Jesus worked on the Sabbath! He healed, He walked, He taught, etc. And He was Jewish! The disciples even picked wheat to eat on the Sabbath! You're supposed to follow Him! If you're following the law, you're forgetting to follow your Lord and Savior! Don't be misguided or misled!

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