Jesus said the Sabbath was given to man, Mark 2:27
Yes, given to the
children of Israel (who are of mankind) and not to everyone. (Exodus 31:16-17; 35:1-3; Deuteronomy 5:15)
and to everyone Isa 56:1-6 and continues on for eternity Isa 66:23
In regard to Isaiah 56:2-7, foreigners were to "join themselves to the Lord;" and "love the name of the Lord;" and "be his servants;" and "take hold of God's covenant." The
OLD COVENANT. But to do this they had to be circumcised, for God said: “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary." (Ezekiel 44:9) When Gentiles thus "joined themselves to the Lord" they
ceased being Gentiles and became proselytes to the Jewish religion. They kept the Sabbath AS JEWISH PROSELYTES, NOT as Gentiles.
But where are Gentiles as Gentiles ever commanded to keep the Sabbath? Furthermore, if the Sabbath was of universal application, why were the Gentiles called "strangers?" The apostle Paul, speaking of the Gentiles during the Jewish age, says they were
"strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world?" (Ephesians 2:12)
And when God gave the Sabbath commandment at Sinai, why did he make it binding ONLY on
"the stranger that is within your gates?" (Exodus 20:10) Where is the passage that proves the Sabbath was binding on the Gentile OUTSIDE the gates? All this shows the Sabbath was NOT universally applied. If it had been, there would have been no "strangers from the covenants of promise."
In regard to Isaiah 66:22-23, this simply teaches that from month to month and from week to week, God’s people will worship Him. In the new heaven and the new earth, we read there will have no need of the sun or moon, there will be no night there, but one perpetual day and the glory of God will illuminate it. (Revelation 21:23-25).
How then could there be a cycle of seven days that would allow for literally keeping the weekly sabbath day under the law?
The Isaiah passage simply means that God’s people will perpetually worship Him in
contrast to keeping the weekly sabbath day under the law.
Furthermore, if one insists on weekly sabbath observances based on Isaiah 66:23, then one also needs to observe
new moons as well. Yet from what I hear, Sabbatarians don’t observe new moons, which is inconsistent. New moons require night, hence Sabbatarians have night in heaven, yet there is no day and night cycles in heaven. You cannot have
"new moon to new moon" or "sabbath days" without day and night, so your argument is moot.
Will there be Levitical priests in the new heaven? If Isaiah 66:23 teaches that we will keep the weekly sabbath day under the law in the new heaven, then it also teaches in Isaiah 66:21 that the
Levitical priests will be in the new heaven, because it's also mentioned. What happened to the Levitical priesthood under the new covenant terms?
Priesthood changed so did the law. Hebrews 7:12 - For when the
priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. The old and new covenants do not mix.
Israel is just a name God gave to identify His people- why the New Covenant- God's law in our hearts is still written to Israel and those in Christ are grafted in through faith Gal 3:26-28 and God's people keep God's commandments Rev 14:12
Since the old covenant has been made obsolete, does this leave us with no moral direction? Absolutely not. God made the old covenant obsolete to legally put into place the new covenant. (2 Corinthians 3:6-9; Hebrews 8:6-13) The life of discipleship flows out of the new command, to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34), and the apostle Paul says that by bearing one another's burdens, we fulfill "law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) So, love fulfills the law (Romans 13:8-10) and out of this single command comes other commands, including references for the moral aspect of 9 of the 10 commandments which are reiterated under the new covenant, yet
the command to keep the sabbath day is not binding on Christians under the new covenant.
1. You shall have no other gods before Me. - Acts 14:15
2. You shall make no idols. - 1 John 5:21
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. - James 2:7; James 5:12
4. Keep the sabbath day holy. -
Not binding on the Church - Colossians 2:16-17
5. Honor your father and your mother. - Ephesians 6:1-2
6. You shall not murder. - Romans 13:9 10; 1 John 3:15
7. You shall not commit adultery. - Romans 13:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
8. You shall not steal. - Romans 13:9-10; Ephesians 4:28
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. - Romans 13:9-10; Colossians 3:9-10
10. You shall not covet. - Romans 13:9-10; Ephesians 5:3
The moral aspect of the law is written on our hearts. So once again, the law on our heart and mind is the
love of the Spirit, not the letter of the law. This is why Paul tells us that the
new covenant is a covenant of the Spirit, and not of the letter in 2 Corinthians 3:6-9.