Sabbath 9/7/26/120 and Atonement 10/7/26/120
Dear Friends,
This Sabbath we come into the double or back-to-back Sabbath and Atonement of the Seventh Month of the Twenty-sixth year of the 120th jubilee of the creation of man. The Day of Atonement represents the reconciliation of man to God after the fall of the Garden of Eden and the Restoration under Messiah. In all, this took 6000 years or 120 jubilees. We are now in the process of the final or last days of the last jubilee before the restoration is effected under the return of the Messiah.
We are constantly amazed at the wilful disobedience of the majority of people who profess to obey God and follow His law and teaching. This year the Jewish system will keep Atonement on Monday 6 October following the postponements, which are designed to make sure that the traditions of the Pharisees and now rabbis are not impugned by the Calendar of God (see the paper God’s Calendar (No 156)). So Judaism postpones Atonement and so do the Churches of God that follow their corrupted traditions. Most years where Atonement falls within a day of the Sabbath, it is either brought forward or brought back to the Sabbath or postponed to the Monday. Very rarely is it allowed to fall on a Friday or Sunday, and only in years where there is absolutely no alternative. The inconsistent logic of this blasphemy is fairly obvious. If it is permissible to postpone or ignore the most holy day of the year in the process of the reconciliation to God, and that follows the Crucifixion and the Resurrection notwithstanding, then it is permissible to postpone any Sabbath or Holy Day and God’s calendar has no meaning. If this day is not sacred to all the elect, then they have no part in the nation of Israel to which they are appointed as heirs and successors. If Atonement can be postponed then so can the Sabbath. The failure for not keeping Atonement is to be cut off from the nation and God’s people. It is a fast declared for all mankind.
Islam corrupted the process by declaring the Tenth of Muharram a discretionary fast (Tenth of Tishri, the Seventh Month, see the paper Hebrew and Islamic Calendar Reconciled (No.53)) and then cut the calendar loose and rotated it so nothing could be kept at all of God’s Laws as they relate to His calendar. It is a scandal and an insult to the faith and the glory of God that the churches, and Judah, and all Islam simply ignore God’s Laws and His appointed feasts.
At the Surah 33 “Battle of the Clans” the prophet, termed “Muhammed,” drew the attention of the unchanging nature and immutability of God’s Law and the treachery of the Jewish tribes who had gone into alliance with Islam and then changed their allegiance (Surah 33 Al Ahzab, The Clans or The Confederates). The prophet had expelled the Jewish tribe of the Bani (sons of) Nadir from Yathrib on the grounds of treason (Surah LIX). They went first to the leaders of the tribe of the Qureysh in Mecca, and then they went to the chiefs of the great desert tribe of the Ghatafan. They urged the extermination of Islam and promised help from the Jews of Yathrib. These Jews had promised alliance with Islam who were quartered at Yathrib or Al Madinah in the same city. The Bani-Qureysh and the Bani-Ghatafan with all their clans marched to destroy Yathrib. The army of Islam was outnumbered 10,000 to 3,000. They had dug a trench around Yathrib and fought for a month under difficult circumstances. They were saved by distrust sewn among the clans against them by a sympathiser. The Jewish tribe of the Bani-Qureyzah, in their rear, had broken their alliance and made common cause with the Bani-Qureysh but waited an opportune time to declare themselves and attack the hard-pressed Muslims once the victory of the Bani-Qureysh seemed certain. The women and children had been put in strongholds, like the peel-towers of Northern England, of which families of note had one for protection in time of raids. Some of the Muslims asked to be given leave to return and protect their exposed families. The case of Islam seemed hopeless. However, the obstacle of the trench they had dug for the siege, had slowed them for a long time and a fierce wind from the sea came in for three days and nights. No shelters could be raised and no fires lit and coupled with the distrust the leader of the Qureysh, Abu Sufian, raised the siege in disgust. The Ghatafan on finding the Qureysh gone the next morning also departed for their homes. The Jews were left exposed and their Jewish allies in the rear of Islam, the Bani-Qureyzah, were left to the mercy of Islam. The Muslims returned from the trench and the very same day commenced the siege of the Jewish Qureyzah in their towers some three or four miles north and perhaps east of Medina and which lasted twenty five days. When the besieged surrendered, some of the tribe of Aus whose adherents they were (Pickthal, Introduction to Surah 33), asked for the same clemency that Islam had shown to the tribe of the Khazraj in the case of the Bani-Nadir in allowing them to intercede for their dependents. They were asked if they wanted one of them to intercede for them, and they said yes. Abdullah Yusuf Ali says they stipulated the judge by name (cf. fn. 3702 to his translation, Amana Press). So one of the great chiefs of the Aus, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, who lay wounded from battle being tended in the mosque, was sent for. He judged them by the Laws of God under Jewish interpretation which had been stricter than that of Christianity and Islam, following those teachings as given by Christ and followed by Islam. The men were put to death and the women and children made captive and their property was divided at the prophet’s will.
What is important here is the teaching of Islam under the prophet regarding
the Laws of God? The Law of God does not change. The Surah makes the point well,
even though most translators try to make it as obscure as possible to enable
the wilful disobedience of modern Islam. The Qur’an says at Surah 33: 60-62:
“Truly if the Hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease, and those who
spread false rumours in the City, desist not, We shall certainly stir thee up
against them: Then they will not be able to stay in it; as thy neighbours for
any length of time.
They shall have a curse on them, wherever they are found; they shall be seized and slain (without mercy is added).
(Such was) the practice (approved) of Allah among those who lived aforetime: No change will you find in the practice (approved) Of Allah.”
The term “practice” is the “Law” of Allah. The comments in brackets are explanatory additions to the text in English. The text reads “This is the Sunna of God for those of the past, and you will find no alternative for the Sunna of God” (33:62). The Sunna of Allah is comprehensively the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospels and the Books of the Prophets. These are termed the Tawrat, the Zabur the Injil and the Sahaif respectively. In other words, the entire Scriptures.
The notes to the translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali show insight into what is actually being spoken of here.
In fn. 3768 we see the comments showing that the term “Hypocrites” relate to those who seem to be, or claim to be, of Islam, of the Surrender to God, but whose manners and morals were anti-Islamic or anti-God’s Law. It was necessary to stop unseemly conduct in the “City” and here it was assumed that the prophet’s “City” was meant whereas it is the City of God that is being referred to which is the City of the elect (cf. the paper The City of God (No. 180)).
Abdullah Yusuf Ali says (fn. 3703) that Sa’d ibn Mu’adh of the Aus in judging them applied the terms of Deuteronomy 20:10-18 but not as strictly as the Bible warranted. The terms of Deuteronomy 20:10-18 were that a city that is near in proximity and would corrupt the teachings of the Laws of God, as provided to Israel and hence Judah as well as all the sons of Abraham of which Judah was only a tribe, was to be destroyed completely. Deuteronomy 20:16 says you shall leave nothing alive. This was to preserve the faith. According to the Laws of God as advocated by Judah, the Bani-Qureyzah who lived in Medina itself, with the adherents of Islam and with whom they had entered into alliance and betrayed, deserved total annihilation in entering into alliance with pagan tribes to exterminate the faith.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali holds, in note 3770 to Surah 33:62, that the Jewish interpretation of the Law of God was more severe than that found in Islam but it is a principle generally that any social element that refuses to obey the Law and tries to subvert order in society secretly or openly must be effectively suppressed.
What is important is that the Law of God is held from this Surah to be immutable and although the term “Practice of Allah” is used, the term refers to the Law of God, the Sunna of Allah, as the commentators themselves so freely admit by reference back to the Torah in mitigation of the orders.
By the same criteria, the adherents of Judaism, Christianity and Islam today would be all put to the sword by Messiah at his return because they have deliberately perverted the Laws of God and the Calendar of God to keep their traditions and to separate the people who would obey from the faith they are trying to follow.
Atonement is a process and represented by a day that is holy in the Calendar of God. Islam has deliberately corrupted it by making it discretionary and divorcing the calendar from the correct determinations.
Judaism has postponed Yom Kippur so that they can keep their traditions. It was jokingly suggested to me that it might be so they can follow the World Cup Rugby match this coming Sunday. One might suppose that is as good as the reasons they usually give for the postponements. What is more bizarre is that some of the Churches of God follow them into this error because one minister of the Twentieth century Churches of God, namely Herbert Armstrong, did not know enough to produce a correct calendar.
It is not simply that Islam has corrupted the Calendar that leaves them vulnerable and cut off from God, as is Judaism also. The major factor in the repentance of Islam must commence with repentance and then baptism.
The Bible is clear that there is one Faith, one Lord, one Baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:5; Surah 2:138; 5:73; 6:82). Most of the world is not effectively baptised.
The Qur’an says:
“Receive the baptism of Allah, and who is better than Allah at baptising? And
Him do we serve” (Surah 2:138).
Modern Islam does not baptise because they do not understand the Scriptural
background of the Qur’an (or Koran). Therefore they do not obey Allah and do
not receive His true baptism, which they must receive in order to be saved.
There are false baptisms, in so-called Christianity, carried out by sprinkling
on infant’s foreheads. They are innocent of sin and in any event cannot repent
as required (Lk. 3:3; Acts 13:24), or with adults who have not received the
gift of the Spirit of God (Acts 19:1-6) and have an invalid baptism from a lack
of understanding Allah’s plan. The true baptism is based on repentance (Surah
4:146; 5:39; 42:25) of sinful conduct and agreeing to no longer sin which means
breaking God’s Covenant (Surah 16:91,95).
Baptism is a complete submersion in water so that one would drown if not raised.
Hands are laid on the individual and God’s enabling Spirit is placed in the
person (Acts 19:1-6; Surah 5:110; 16:102). All of their previous sins are forgiven
(Surah 20:73) because Christ’s sacrifice paid the individuals debt (Col. 2:12-14)
and will grant the first resurrection (1Pet. 3:20-21; Rom, 6:1-6; Sura 2:113
& 212; 4:87; 6:12; 23:16). We all must admit having sinned. (1Jn. 1:8-10;
Rom. 3:23; Surah 42:25) and God commands all people to repent, having fixed
a Day of Judgment for them (Acts 17:30; Surah 82:17). Baptism by immersion symbolizes
the death of our former way of life in sin, which is Law or Commandment breaking
(1Jn. 3:4). The awareness of sin and the worthlessness of the sinner are the
major factors in repentance. Self-righteousness is the worst of sins because
the sinner cannot see their own inadequacy and we all are inadequate to some
degree. Self-righteousness is a serious self-delusion that always brings thoughts
of condemnation on others. We keep all of the terms of the Covenant except for
the physical sacrificial covering laws that were added (Jer. 7:22). We now keep
the spirit of the Law (Rom. 3:31), which is our judge (Rom. 2:27;) and this
will affect all of us very differently.
The historical background shows many ancient sites that have baptizing pools.
Newly restored ones like those at Qumran show how extensive this belief was.
Because Islam does not follow the prophet’s instructions they do not receive
the baptism of Allah whom they erroneously claim to serve.
Judaism likewise does not receive the baptism of God because they do not serve Him through the acknowledging of the Messiah and his saving sacrifice (see the paper Repentance and Baptism (No. 52)).
All of us must acknowledge the need for salvation through repentance and baptism, and repent and turn and be saved. All of us are sinners and slaves to sin. Only by repentance, baptism and overcoming sin through faith can we guarantee salvation. Once we start down the track, God will add to our knowledge and strength. We are tested along the way and the demons try to destroy us through error and sin. This is the concept Balaam gave to the sons of Moab (see the paper The Doctrine of Balaam and Balaam’s Prophecy (No. 204)).
Islam has to repent and keep the Sabbaths of God and the Laws of God. The first step comes in reading the Scriptures. Islam has been told if they don’t understand them, then go and ask someone of the Scriptures and they will explain the meanings to you (see the papers Sabbath in the Qur’an (No. 274); The Juma’ah: Preparing for the Sabbath (No. 285); and the Law of God (L1) series). If you love God keep his Commandments and the Faith or Testimony of Christ (Rev. 12:17; 14:12).
See General Circular Regarding Atonement and Fasting
Wade Cox
Coordinator General
© Copyright 2003 Christian Churches of God, All Rights Reserved
