Dear Friends,

Many people in today’s Christianity try and hold to the view that the Church had the right, under the Bishop of Rome, to change the days of worship of the Church and to do away with the Sabbaths, New Moons and Holy Days.

Trinitarians hold that the Church changed the Sabbath to Sunday and had the authority to do so (see the paper Rome’s Challenge: Why do Protestants keep Sunday? (No. 249)). They also claim they had the authority to do away with the New Moons and Feasts on the basis of Isaiah 1:10-16.

Isaiah 1:10-16
[10] Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomor'rah! [11] "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats.
[12] "When you come to appear before me, who requires of you this trampling of my courts? [13] Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. [14] Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. [15] When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. [16] Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,

A careful reading of the text shows that the Sabbaths, New Moons and Feasts are being kept in iniquity and that God hates the way in which they are kept, not the fact that they are kept. God says He cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. It is not that He hates solemn assembly – which He Himself commanded to be kept – but rather the iniquity in which it is kept. It is for that reason Judaism is not allowed to keep the true Calendar (see the paper Distortion of God’s Calendar in Judah (No. 195B)).

Ministers of the various Churches of God use the argument that Isaiah 66:23 does indeed state that God demands that all flesh will come and worship Him from one Sabbath to another and from one New Moon to another, but they don’t have to keep the New Moons now. They only have to keep them when Christ comes.

Isaiah 66:19-24
[19] and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. [20] And they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their cereal offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. [21] And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD. [22] "For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me, says the LORD; so shall your descendants and your name remain. [23] From new moon to new moon, and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says the LORD. [24] "And they shall go forth and look on the dead bodies of the men that have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."

That view is essentially a Trinitarian and Catholic argument. Surely one can see the logic that if the New Moons don’t have to be kept by the Church now, but will be kept when Christ comes, and then the same argument applies to the Sabbath and the Sabbath does not have to be kept now, then the Trinitarians would be justified in not keeping the Sabbath now and can keep Sunday or Tuesday or any other day they like until Christ comes.

They are thus also free from the New Moons and the Feasts. God is thus not immutable but is a respecter of persons, as He requires different standards from humanity over the ages.

In the same way, Zechariah 14:16-19 demands that the Feasts are kept in the millennial system, but God says that He hates their Feast in Isaiah 1:10–16 above. Therefore, the Feasts do not have to be kept now. It is only when Christ comes that any of it needs to be done, so it is reasoned.

Zechariah 14:16-19
[16] Then every one that 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. [17] 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 upon them. [18] And if the family of Egypt do not go up and present themselves, then upon them shall come the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of booths. [19] 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.

Obviously, from Isaiah 66 and Zechariah 14 above, if the Sabbaths, New Moons and Feasts have to be kept on pain of death in the Millennium, and they do not have to be kept now by the followers of Christ, then God is not immutable and Christ is not the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is thus in respect of persons. However, we know that God is immutable and Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8). Therefore, the reasoning involved is wrong and attributes sin to God, and is thus blasphemy.

Now, it follows also that if the Laws of God are discretionary, then we do not have to keep any of them until Christ comes. We are thus free from the Law and we can transgress the Laws of God with impunity. However, John said that transgression of the Law is sin, in that sin is transgression of the Law (1Jn. 3:4). Thus any person who reasons against the Law of God and teaches men likewise cannot be a servant of God and Christ, and cannot be a proper member of the Body of Christ, and there is no light in them (Isa. 8:20).

Thus no person of the Body of Christ can argue that the Sabbaths, New Moons and Festivals do not have to be kept, and kept in a spirit of holiness on a permanent basis.

Trinitarians argue that they had the authority of Jesus Christ to change Sabbath to Sunday. Catholics argue thus and Protestants have no defence against the assertion.

The real problem with the argument is that Christ gave specific example in that he and the Apostles and the Church kept all the Sabbaths, New Moons and the Feasts, and Paul said they were to let no man judge them in how the Church kept them. He did not say let no man judge you in how you did not keep them!

Colossians 2:16: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the New Moon, or of the Sabbath [Days].

Christ also stated that the Sabbaths would be in effect in the Last Days in the final tribulation when Christ would come again. Christ showed thereby that he expected the Church to be keeping the Sabbaths when he came, and that the entire structure of the Fourth Commandment stood – as did all the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 24:15-29
[15] "So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader 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 what is in his house; [18] and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle. [19] And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! [20] Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. [21] For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. [22] And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. [23] Then if any one says to you, `Lo, here is the Christ!' or `There he is!' do not believe it. [24] For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. [25] Lo, I have told you beforehand. [26] So, if they say to you, `Lo, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out; if they say, `Lo, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. [27] For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man. [28] Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together. [29] "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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; (emphasis added).

Mark 13:17-18 omits reference to the Sabbath. However, it is clear in Matthew.

It is quite clear that Christ will come in that great tribulation and the entire world will be aware of it.

It is also clear that the Church is expected to be keeping the Sabbaths from the time of Christ until his return, and those who teach otherwise are without excuse and will be counted least in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the same way, any person purporting to be a minister of God who teaches against the Sabbaths, New Moons and Holy Days is condemned by God, and the same penalties apply. God and Christ expect obedience of us now. God established a vineyard and left it to His tenants. They disobeyed Him and when he sent his son to collect what should have been his, they killed him and set about abusing each other. The Church is expected to be the loyal servants tending the vineyard in obedience until the very end. The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the whole House of Israel and Judah, his special plant (Isa. 5:7). We of the Church of God are the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts, being spiritual Israel. Be diligent.

Wade Cox
Coordinator General