Question: I grew up in a "Sabbath-keeping" home, and have recently changed to a Protestant church. Obviously, the Sabbath was a difficult issue for me. I have recently been studying end-time events, and came upon the text of Matthew 24:20, which says "Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath;" and also the text in Revelation 14:12, "This call for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus." In studying the New Testament, it was my belief that the new covenant with God’s people did not include the old "Ten Commandments," but only the command to love one another, which in turn would change our hearts to want to keep "moral" laws, but this did not necessarily include the 4^th commandment. I think I finally understand, and then all of a sudden I am confused again.

Could you please give me your explanation of the above texts in Matthew and Revelation. I know your magazine used to subscribe to the necessity of Sabbath-keeping, and then changed its stand on this, so I would appreciate your views here.

Thank you so much for your help in this matter.

Lois

Answer: Dear Lois,

Be happy to help. The passage in Matthew first. It is imperative to remember that the first interpretation of a passage should be the one that was intended to the original audience. After determining what the original application of the text is, we should then seek for the application to our lives now – but we should not jump over the original reason God inspired the passage.

In Matthew 24, all the original hearers were Jews – under the old covenant. They were being instructed about what might occur to them, using cultural symbols and realities from their lives. The Sabbath, as you know, was very important to them – it was the sign of the covenant.

Now – how should a Christian understand that passage? Whether that Christian lived in 67 AD – just a few years before the first (and some say only and final fulfillment of what Jesus said here – while others say that there will be another "fulfillment" – and that is another topic) or living in the year 1000,1600, or 1999 – what does it mean? Is this a passage "proving" that we should keep the Sabbath – does this passage over-ride and trump the rest of the clear message and meaning of the old covenant-books like Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, Colossians, etc.? Of course it isn’t – anymore than a passage where Paul asks those who received one of his letters to greet one another with a holy kiss means that we are required to greet one another with a holy kiss – regardless of when we live, and in what culture we live.

The passage in Revelation – and in many other places in the New Testament – is often misunderstood by sabbatarians – whether they be Saturday sabbatarians or Sunday sabbatarians. The New Testament is all about the new covenant – when it talks about commandments that Christians will be faithful to observe, it NEVER says "10 commandments" – inserting a "10" before the word commandments is something that humans do, assuming that God meant that – but God means what he says, and he said no such thing.

Lois, we have many questions and answers posted on this topic of the Sabbath and the Commandments and the Law – simply click on "Ask Greg" and then view the categories we offer, and click on that category, where we list the questions and answers available. Hope that they can be of some help to you, as this topic can be confusing – and is to many today. May God bless you – let us know if we can be of further help.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht