S
DOES MILLENNIAL SABBATH/FESTIVAL/CLEAN UNCLEAN MEAT REFERENCES FROM THE PROPHETS PROVE THEY APPLY TODAY?
There are a number of groups that claim Christians must observe one or more ceremonial and ritualistic elements of the Old Covenant, including the Saturday Sabbath, annual festivals of Leviticus 23, clean and unclean meat laws, and triple tithing.Some of these groups go so far as to claim that physical circumcision is required.
The term that Christianity has used to describe such individuals is Judaizers. No disrespect to those of Jewish ancestry is intended by use of this term. It simply describes those who claim that elements of the Old Covenant ceremonial and ritualistic laws apply to New Covenant Christians.
Judaizers are not a new development in the Church. They attempted to force Gentile believers to observe elements of the Old Covenant early in the Church. This was recorded in Acts 15. Paul dealt extensively with the issues caused by them in the book of Galatians. He describes them in Philippians 3:2-3 as "dogs", "evildoers", and "mutilators of the flesh". They would follow him around like dogs and attempt to force Gentile believers to observe the Old Covenant as soon as he left the area. Paul called Judaizing doctrine a damnable heresy in Galatians 1:7-9.
It should be noted that circumcision was only the first step. Circumcision was the event that marked one as a member of the Old Covenant. Judaizers not only wanted Gentiles to be circumcised; they expected them to obey the law of Moses as well (Acts 15:5).
Judaizing groups include splinter groups from Worldwide Church of God, founded by Herbert Armstrong, Seventh Day Adventists, and many Hebrew Roots groups. Some observe more elements of the Old Covenant than others.
In addition to requiring observance of these ceremonial or ritualistic elements of the Old Covenant, these groups typically hold other bad doctrine, such as claiming that they have an exclusive relationship with God and that salvation is found only through their organization.Armstrongite groups claim that mankind is in the process of being perfected, and will become a God being in the resurrection.Seventh Day Adventists claim to be the remnant church who will lead all Christians to accept Sabbath-keeping in the Great Tribulation, and that those who do not keep the Sabbath will fall under the Mark of the Beast.
Many Hebrew Roots groups think that God is raising up a special group of true believers who are Torah observant.By implication, this implies that those who are not Torah observant are not true believers.
Individuals who hold these views will not generally tell you that they believe you are unsaved or spiritually inferior or incomplete, but that is what they believe.They will generally evade the question in some manner.
I was a member of Worldwide Church of God for over 10 years and observed the various elements of the Old Covenant above.I am well acquainted with their reasoning.I rejected the Christianity of all other believers due to my indoctrination. This is a part of my life that I am ashamed of, and I will not associate myself with Sabbath or festival keeping groups largely due to the contemptuous attitude that these beliefs cause them to have.
I would like to warn individuals on this forum about their reasoning and the logical flaws behind it, as there are some who are involved with groups like Worldwide Church of God and more extreme Hebrew Roots groups on this form.I have seen individuals pressing these false teachings in various threads over the past month.
The focus of such groups is not on Jesus Christ and the true gospel of the redemption which is available through placing our faith in his sacrifice on our behalf. It is “Jesus plus”. Their focus is all about the law, and by this they mean the entire Torah, not the moral law of God. It is the constant topic of their conversation.
They hardly even mention the name of Jesus. One would think their face would break if they said the word "Jesus". Instead, they will use some Hebrew word like Yeshua, despite the fact that the New Testament was written in Greek and Aramaic, and Iesus is clearly indicated in the original language.
Anyways, here's some of the verses they use to attempt to support their claims that today's Christians need to keep the Torah:
Is 66:23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me.
Ez 46:1-3Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that faces the east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate.The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.The people of the land shall own down at the entrance of this gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.The burnt offering that the prince offers to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish.
Zech 14:16-19 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.And if the family of Egypt does not go up to present themselves, then on them there will be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
The important thing to realize with respect to these verses is that the prophets were speaking through the lense of their culture.They were Israelites who were acquainted with these elements of the Old Covenant, and associated them with their worship of God.
The prophets were picturing a return to faithfulness to God in a manner that the Israelites could relate to.These passages are not meant to convey that these days need to be kept by New Covenant Christians.
However, if Torah observers want to make this claim, they need to examine their own consistency.If they believe that the Sabbath or festivals are required for New Covenant Christians, but animal sacrifices are not, they are being inconsistent. The verses above not only reference the Sabbath and Holy Days; they also reference animal sacrifices.
I would venture to say that virtually no Christian believes that animal sacrifices apply today, yet the above verses reference animal sacrifices. Animal sacrifices, in my opinion, would be anti-Gospel, as Jesus Christ died once for the sins of all.In order to be consistent, the person who claims that the Torah must be observed needs to be prepared to answer for his own inconsistency in regards to the elements that he does not observe.
This subject must also be viewed in the larger framework of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.The Old Covenant was in place only until Christ came (Galatians 3:19; compare to verses 16 and 17).These practices were elements of the Old Covenant, and the Old Covenant does not apply to New Covenant Christians.The Old Covenant was between God and ancient Israel.
In addition, those who claim these elements of the Old Covenant apply to New Covenant Christians must explain the notable absence of Sabbath-breaking from the "sin lists" of the Gentiles, and the lack of instruction regarding the practices that they assert are still applicable. If these practices were expected of New Covenant Christians, why isn't more instruction given?
The fact that the Old Covenant no longer applies to Christians is covered very well in a book by an ex Seventh Day Adventist,Dale Ratzlaff,in a book called Sabbath in Christ if you want more in-depth information.
If you have any questions regarding these topics, I'd be glad to answer them via CC email.
The points below would make a good mini-bible study if someone wants to understand the overall rationale for rejecting the assertions of those who claim that you must keep the Old Covenant elements mentioned previously:
The Old Covenant was an agreement between God and the nation of Israel (Ex. 31:12-17).The Ten Commandments are a summary of the Old Covenant (Ex 31:18, 34:28; Deut 4:13, 9:9, 11).The Old Covenant is no longer in effect for anyone (2 Cor 3:4-18, Gal 3:17-25, Heb 8:13-9:4).The Sabbath, therefore, is not in effect for anyone (Gal 4:10, Rom 14:5-6, Col 2:16-17).Christians are under the New Covenant, which has higher demands and different commandments (Luke 22:20, Heb 9:15; Jn 13:34, 15:12, 17; Rom 13:10).The chief of those commandments is to love others as Christ loved us (Jn 13:34).
Here is also another good article on the topic of Judaizers:
Who were the Judaizers?
There are a number of groups that claim Christians must observe one or more ceremonial and ritualistic elements of the Old Covenant, including the Saturday Sabbath, annual festivals of Leviticus 23, clean and unclean meat laws, and triple tithing.Some of these groups go so far as to claim that physical circumcision is required.
The term that Christianity has used to describe such individuals is Judaizers. No disrespect to those of Jewish ancestry is intended by use of this term. It simply describes those who claim that elements of the Old Covenant ceremonial and ritualistic laws apply to New Covenant Christians.
Judaizers are not a new development in the Church. They attempted to force Gentile believers to observe elements of the Old Covenant early in the Church. This was recorded in Acts 15. Paul dealt extensively with the issues caused by them in the book of Galatians. He describes them in Philippians 3:2-3 as "dogs", "evildoers", and "mutilators of the flesh". They would follow him around like dogs and attempt to force Gentile believers to observe the Old Covenant as soon as he left the area. Paul called Judaizing doctrine a damnable heresy in Galatians 1:7-9.
It should be noted that circumcision was only the first step. Circumcision was the event that marked one as a member of the Old Covenant. Judaizers not only wanted Gentiles to be circumcised; they expected them to obey the law of Moses as well (Acts 15:5).
Judaizing groups include splinter groups from Worldwide Church of God, founded by Herbert Armstrong, Seventh Day Adventists, and many Hebrew Roots groups. Some observe more elements of the Old Covenant than others.
In addition to requiring observance of these ceremonial or ritualistic elements of the Old Covenant, these groups typically hold other bad doctrine, such as claiming that they have an exclusive relationship with God and that salvation is found only through their organization.Armstrongite groups claim that mankind is in the process of being perfected, and will become a God being in the resurrection.Seventh Day Adventists claim to be the remnant church who will lead all Christians to accept Sabbath-keeping in the Great Tribulation, and that those who do not keep the Sabbath will fall under the Mark of the Beast.
Many Hebrew Roots groups think that God is raising up a special group of true believers who are Torah observant.By implication, this implies that those who are not Torah observant are not true believers.
Individuals who hold these views will not generally tell you that they believe you are unsaved or spiritually inferior or incomplete, but that is what they believe.They will generally evade the question in some manner.
I was a member of Worldwide Church of God for over 10 years and observed the various elements of the Old Covenant above.I am well acquainted with their reasoning.I rejected the Christianity of all other believers due to my indoctrination. This is a part of my life that I am ashamed of, and I will not associate myself with Sabbath or festival keeping groups largely due to the contemptuous attitude that these beliefs cause them to have.
I would like to warn individuals on this forum about their reasoning and the logical flaws behind it, as there are some who are involved with groups like Worldwide Church of God and more extreme Hebrew Roots groups on this form.I have seen individuals pressing these false teachings in various threads over the past month.
The focus of such groups is not on Jesus Christ and the true gospel of the redemption which is available through placing our faith in his sacrifice on our behalf. It is “Jesus plus”. Their focus is all about the law, and by this they mean the entire Torah, not the moral law of God. It is the constant topic of their conversation.
They hardly even mention the name of Jesus. One would think their face would break if they said the word "Jesus". Instead, they will use some Hebrew word like Yeshua, despite the fact that the New Testament was written in Greek and Aramaic, and Iesus is clearly indicated in the original language.
Anyways, here's some of the verses they use to attempt to support their claims that today's Christians need to keep the Torah:
Is 66:23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me.
Ez 46:1-3Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that faces the east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate.The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.The people of the land shall own down at the entrance of this gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.The burnt offering that the prince offers to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish.
Zech 14:16-19 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.And if the family of Egypt does not go up to present themselves, then on them there will be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
The important thing to realize with respect to these verses is that the prophets were speaking through the lense of their culture.They were Israelites who were acquainted with these elements of the Old Covenant, and associated them with their worship of God.
The prophets were picturing a return to faithfulness to God in a manner that the Israelites could relate to.These passages are not meant to convey that these days need to be kept by New Covenant Christians.
However, if Torah observers want to make this claim, they need to examine their own consistency.If they believe that the Sabbath or festivals are required for New Covenant Christians, but animal sacrifices are not, they are being inconsistent. The verses above not only reference the Sabbath and Holy Days; they also reference animal sacrifices.
I would venture to say that virtually no Christian believes that animal sacrifices apply today, yet the above verses reference animal sacrifices. Animal sacrifices, in my opinion, would be anti-Gospel, as Jesus Christ died once for the sins of all.In order to be consistent, the person who claims that the Torah must be observed needs to be prepared to answer for his own inconsistency in regards to the elements that he does not observe.
This subject must also be viewed in the larger framework of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.The Old Covenant was in place only until Christ came (Galatians 3:19; compare to verses 16 and 17).These practices were elements of the Old Covenant, and the Old Covenant does not apply to New Covenant Christians.The Old Covenant was between God and ancient Israel.
In addition, those who claim these elements of the Old Covenant apply to New Covenant Christians must explain the notable absence of Sabbath-breaking from the "sin lists" of the Gentiles, and the lack of instruction regarding the practices that they assert are still applicable. If these practices were expected of New Covenant Christians, why isn't more instruction given?
The fact that the Old Covenant no longer applies to Christians is covered very well in a book by an ex Seventh Day Adventist,Dale Ratzlaff,in a book called Sabbath in Christ if you want more in-depth information.
If you have any questions regarding these topics, I'd be glad to answer them via CC email.
The points below would make a good mini-bible study if someone wants to understand the overall rationale for rejecting the assertions of those who claim that you must keep the Old Covenant elements mentioned previously:
The Old Covenant was an agreement between God and the nation of Israel (Ex. 31:12-17).The Ten Commandments are a summary of the Old Covenant (Ex 31:18, 34:28; Deut 4:13, 9:9, 11).The Old Covenant is no longer in effect for anyone (2 Cor 3:4-18, Gal 3:17-25, Heb 8:13-9:4).The Sabbath, therefore, is not in effect for anyone (Gal 4:10, Rom 14:5-6, Col 2:16-17).Christians are under the New Covenant, which has higher demands and different commandments (Luke 22:20, Heb 9:15; Jn 13:34, 15:12, 17; Rom 13:10).The chief of those commandments is to love others as Christ loved us (Jn 13:34).
Here is also another good article on the topic of Judaizers:
Who were the Judaizers?
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