Directory of Sabbath-Observing Groups
I have recently completed editing the ninth edition of the Directory of Sabbath-Observing Groups, published by The Bible Sabbath Association. It lists over 400 Sabbatarian groups, and over 1600 congregations, around the world. The 246-page book should ship in September or October, 2001. To order, send $15 to Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849.
It is fascinating to study various Sabbath-keeping groups. Why are there so many Sabbath-keeping groups? Sabbatarians have split, and resplit. Nevertheless, their similarities far exceed their differences. It behooves us to know more about our Sabbatarian brethren.
Sharing Library
Write to our Sharing Library, John D. Crissinger, PO Box 581, Granville, OH 43023 for a catalog of materials available for free loan.
God created the world and prepared everything so that humankind would be created on the sixth day, and thereafter enter directly into the observance of God’s commandments. Indeed Adam, representative of all human beings, was created on the day before the Sabbath, and hence he was directed to rest on the Sabbath day as a response to God’s commands. He was given the finest work of the greatest Master Designer, who sanctioned it with a day of rest that represented humanity’s obedience to God. Humankind was created on the eve of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath was created for every human being. — (from the book: Jesus, The Jewish Theologian, by Dr. Brad Young, 1999, page 110.)
“God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars,” — Elbert Hubbard.
Protestant Reformation — Lessons for Us
Today, the difference between Protestants and Catholics has become blurred. Many Protestant Churches are co-operating with, and taking the road back to, Rome. A study of the history of the Protestant Reformation reveals that this has always been the case.
The Protestant Reformation of the Sixteenth Century did not restore the true “faith which was once delivered to the saints.” The Roman Catholic Church did not need “reforming,” because it was not the original Church which Jesus and His Apostles built, that had merely gone wrong. At the start of the Reformation, Protestants did not seek for, and unite with, the Church of the Wilderness. Instead, they wrongly believed that the true Church was a big political organization. The Bible, however, says it would be a little flock, Luke 12:32. Protestant leaders such as Luther, Calvin, and others, admitted that they believed the Catholic Church was God’s Church, and they were still part of it, albeit protesting its excesses. Protestantism generally began, and continued, to be a political, national, and cultural, rebellion against Roman Catholic corruption and power. They protest over much, because when Protestants gained control of political power in certain cities and states, they tended to be intolerant and repressive of Catholics, Anabaptists, and others who disagreed with them. “The Reformers inherited the doctrine of persecution from their mother Church . . .” (Schaff, Vol. VIII, p. 700).
Noted Protestant theologian Chillingworth stated, “The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, is the religion of Protestants.” However, since all the early Protestant leaders were schooled in the Roman Catholic religion, it is not surprising that Protestants carried over a great deal of false, non-biblical Romish doctrine. Protestant leaders distorted or rejected many passages of Scripture, which did not conform to their doctrinal ideas. When the Bible did not provide the answers he wanted, Luther looked to Roman Catholic tradition. Even more than Luther, Calvin explained away all that seemed to limit or condition his personal beliefs (Moore, History of the Reformation, p. 479).
Protestants consider themselves only as a continuation of the historic Catholic Church, but under a different and “purified” form. Luther affirmed his oneness with the Catholic Church, many years after the political break with Rome. Without the political support of German princes, Lutheranism would have gone nowhere. Calvin’s “theocracy” in Geneva, Switzerland, oppressed all who disagreed with his rigid beliefs. Calvin aggressively pushed the burning at the stake of Michael Servetus, whose anti-Trinitarian views were anathema to Calvin.
A key Protestant doctrine, from the sixteenth century to the present, is a low view of marriage. One of Luther’s chief supporters among German nobility was the Landgrave of Hesse. He claimed that the state of his health required him to cohabit with more than one wife. Luther needed this powerful noble’s support. In a signed statement by Luther, Melanchthon, and other Lutheran leaders, the Landgrave was advised to obtain a second wife secretly. However, when word got out of this scandalous action, Luther advised “a good strong lie” to cover it up. Such was the effect of Luther’s “justification by faith alone” doctrine. Luther added the word “alone” to Romans 3:28, in order to support his erroneous teaching, which confused “justification” with “salvation.” Luther detested God’s Law and anything to do with Moses. He degraded the book of James to an “epistle of straw,” and rejected the prophecies of Revelation as uninspired. Luther betrayed the German peasants who trusted him to get papists off their backs. When German peasants revolted from heavy taxation, Luther urged the German princes to “smite, strangle, and stab” the peasants and their loved ones.
Andreas Carlstadt, a follower of Luther, actually attempted to reinstate many of the practices of Christ and the Apostles. He renounced all clerical garb, refusing to be called “Doctor,” but only “Brother Andreas.” Carlstadt destroyed images and introduced strict Sabbatarianism. This Luther would not tolerate. Luther banished Carlstadt from Wittenberg.
Luther exhibited the same vicious hatred and jealousy of the Jews, as later characterized the rule of Adolph Hitler. In early pamphlets, he called upon Christians to take the Bible from Jews, to burn their books and synagogues with pitch and brimstone, and to forbid their worship under penalty of death. He described Jews as “young devils doomed to hell” who should be driven out of the country. And, in his final sermon before he died, Luther once more called down the vengeance of heaven upon the Jews.
The English Reformation produced no great religious leaders. It began when the lustful King Henry VIII wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon, in order to marry Anne Boleyn to produce a male heir. Rome refused to allow this, and excommunicated Henry, who in turn confiscated Church property for himself and his friends. Henry divorced and remarried several times, after beheading a couple of his wives. Sex, money, and politics were driving reasons for the English Reformation as well as the Reformation on the Continent of Europe. Protestantism is not the religion of the Bible.
Countless Protestant books, pamphlets, and tracts identify the “Great Whore” of Revelation 17 as the Roman Catholic Church. But that voice is now muted, because many Protestants suddenly came to the embarrassing realization that they were telling on themselves! Truly, the Roman Catholic Church is a leader in Babylon the Great, and her Protestant daughters are harlots descended from the great whore.
As Plummer writes in The Continental Reformation, “To a large extent the true way of stating the case is not that the teaching of the Reformers had made men worse, but, that it had failed to make them better. And it is here that the parallel between the Reformation and the first preaching of the Gospel breaks down” (p. 189).
Nevertheless, there were two worthwhile results of the Reformation: (1) Reformers freed men from the binding authority of the Roman Catholic Church and the superstitious fear of its religious power, and (2) men were given real encouragement to read the Bible for themselves.
What can we learn from the history of the Protestant Reformation? Religion and politics do not mix. It is extremely difficult for mankind to extricate itself from the paganized Babylonish religion of Rome. Only a heart yielded to the Holy Spirit can understand the Bible, and work with others to edify the Church.
In his masterful work, “The Plain Truth About the Protestant Reformation,” Roderick C. Meredith writes:
“The REASON God has allowed today’s religious confusion is so that after 6000 years of human misrule — bringing us now to the verge of WORLD SUICIDE — man might at last ‘have enough’ of his own ways, his own political schemes, his own religious theories.
“After a time of great punishment which he has brought on himself, man will at last be really willing to learn of God’s ways and laws, and to accept His rule through Jesus Christ so the world can at last have peace!
“God’s Church has NEVER had many different names, doctrines, and practices. He has only permitted this ‘Babylon’ of religious confusion to develop so that man might be able — under Satan’s deceiving influence — to try out every conceivable type of religious theory he might lust after.
“This is so that man might — in plain language — once and for all get his ‘bellyful’ of the foolish ideas and reasonings of carnal, human, erring MEN. Then, perhaps, he will be willing to obey GOD!”
Roderick C. Meredith’s excellent 94-page article, “The Plain Truth About the Protestant Reformation,” is available on 30-day LOAN for a donation of $3.00.
Help Lines Expands to Add Assistance Line
Help Lines was begun in 1999 as a service to bring those in need of counseling for personal or family problems or just someone who is lonely or depressed to find a compassionate ear. We have seen requests on health questions, addictions, marital problems, and from many prisoners with varying requests. Now, with the addition of Assistance Line, we will try to provide for short-term, or long-term physical or financial assistance to those in need. (Cash, Housing, Medical, Food, Clothing.)
What makes this program unique is that we will maintain a register of persons who wish to assist others directly, and will match them to persons or families in need. We believe this is the preferred approach. However, for donors not wishing to be directly involved and to remain anonymous, a reserve will be held in a local bank account to provide distribution of funds. Since many of us are no longer affiliated with large organized churches, this program has gone by the wayside for us. Scripture mandates us to care for the poor and needy. One aspect of God’s instructions is the Third Tithe, described in Deuteronomy 14:28-29, and expanded in many other Scriptures.
The Gentiles recognized a need in Acts 4, and seven deacons were selected to manage the problem. The story of the sheep and the goats is pertinent in this regard. Note that both sheep and goats are clean animals but there is a deficiency in the goats; so much so that they were cast into everlasting fire. Matthew 25:31-46, “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee? Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in: naked, and ye clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” The goats are “called” and “converted” like sheep, but they are distinguished as goats because, as goats are, they are stubborn and refuse to accept the responsibility of caring and helping the needy.
Assistance Lines will use a system of checks and balances to minimize problems and avoid abuses. A panel will serve in an advisory capacity. Some of the procedures are as follows: (1) Priority aid will be given to the Fatherless and the Widow (over 60 years old) and the “Household of Faith” (Sabbath keepers), Galatians 6:7-10. (2) Assistance will be encouraged to be given on a direct, person-to-person basis, where possible. A registry will be established to match donors with the appropriate person(s) in need. Information will be provided and feedback requested to see that the party’s needs are being met. All donors and recipients will remain anonymous, except to panel members who will receive a detailed financial report periodically. A summary report will be sent to donors upon request. (3) Assistance limited to the Continental U.S. and Canada for the present, and will be limited to individuals and families (excluded: churches and businesses). (4) Care will be taken to avoid conflicts with government programs. (5) Suggestions will be taken for revision, deletion or addition to these guidelines. (6) The staff will not be paid. (7) Decisions will be bathed in prayer.
All monies donated will be distributed. A financial statement will be regularly published. It is our sincere hope that this program, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will help us to satisfy a requirement that God has set upon us, and be able to provide for those in need. Donations, registry requests, and questions may be directed to: Steven and Suzanne Kieler, 2193 Sheker Drive, Fort Dodge, IA 50501-8707, phone: 515-576-5743, Email: sskieler@juno.com OR: Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849, Email: info@giveshare.org.
Ethiopian Sabbath-Keepers: Their Key to Survival
I have long been fascinated by Ethiopian Sabbath-Keepers. The books, Sabbath Roots: The African Connection by Charles E. Bradford (234 pp., $15 suggested donation from Giving & Sharing), and Church History of Ethiopia by Michael Geddes (148-page copy, $12.50) are two excellent resources on African, and Ethiopian, Church History.
The July, 2001, issue of National Geographic, gives more exciting information. The article, “The Living Legacy of Aksum,” explores 3000-year old Ethiopian legends. The Queen of Sheba (known in Ethiopia as Makeda) is said to have ruled Ethiopia, and according to the Bible, visited King Solomon, I Kings 10:1-13. The Ethiopian chronicle Kebra Nagast says when she returned home, she was pregnant with Solomon’s son, whom she named Menelik. King Menelik originated the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia, a line of kings and emperors that ended in 1975 with the death of Haile Selassie.
When Menelik grew to be a man, legend says he went to Jerusalem to meet his father, King Solomon. He stayed for three years, and when he left, Solomon ordered the firstborn sons of his noblemen to accompany him, and sent the Ark of the Covenant to protect him. This part of the story seems unlikely. For safekeeping, Menelik brought the Ark to Tana Kirkos, where it stayed for over 1200 years. In the fourth century, King Ezana converted to Christianity, and legend has it he sent for the Ark at Tana Kirkos, and hid it in a small chapel in Aksum. Today, the Aksum Ark is said to be guarded by one man, Abba Mekonen. As recorded by a fourth century A.D., writer Rufinus, Frumentius, a young Christian from Tyre, encouraged Aksum’s few Christians and likely converted King Ezana himself. Frumentius became Ethipia’s first bishop, and Ezana adopted Christianity as Aksum’s official religion.
Rather than being merely another branch of the Catholic Church, Ethiopia’s long history of Sabbath-keeping goes back to the days of Solomon, produced a unique brand of the Christian faith. The National Geographic reports that today, more than half of all Ethiopians are professing Christians, some 30 million people. “Their faith,” the article reports, “because it survived in isolation here for a thousand years, is a unique blend of Old and New Testament teachings. Great devotion is shown to the Virgin Mary [as a result of the sixteenth century invasion of Jesuits], e.g., yet to this day Ethiopian Orthodox customs echo Judaic law, calling on members of the church to circumcise their male children on the eighth day, rest on the Sabbath, and abstain from pork.”
Here are three keys to the survival of the Ethiopian Sabbath-Keepers: Circumcision, Sabbath, and Clean Meats. These three Bible Truths go together. God’s Holy people today live clean, rest on the Sabbath, and eat clean. Do not underestimate all three of these tools the Almighty Yahweh has given us to stay close to Him. In times of trial and tribulation, these keys will hold us in good stead. As Jews say, “I don’t just keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath keeps me!”
As a result of being faithful in these few things, the Ethiopians have survived to this day. As the Geographic article concludes: “In the centuries since its introduction, Christianity in Ethiopia has survived many threats. The most recent took the form of the Communist regime during the 1970s and 1980s, when brutal political attempts to eliminate all religious practices in Ethiopia backfired, giving rise to a tremendous resurgence of Christianity.”
The lesson from Ethiopia for us is this: do not give up the faith. God is faithful to preserve a remnant of His people. We must be faithful to Him, and He will preserve us.
The last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans was delivered by Phebe, a servant of the Church at Cenchrea, Romans 16:1-2, and endnote to the book. Then Paul lists a number of his co-laborers. In verse 7, we read, “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ Jesus before me.” Those in favor of ordaining women Church pastors seize upon this verse, claiming that Junia was a female Apostle, and therefore, there is no office in the Church that a woman cannot fill. Women are said to be “equal to serve.”
The problem is, that one has to twist Scripture in order to justify such a position, and ignore other plain Biblical instructions. The word translated “among” in Romans 16:7 is the Greek word, en, Strong’s #1722. The preposition, en, is one of the most common NT Greek words. Some believe that this verse means that Andronicus and Junia were among the Apostles in the sense of being Apostles. Certainly, if they were noted among the Apostles, it is reasoned, then they must have been Apostles. The exact same word, en, is used later in verse 7, “in [en] Christ Jesus.” If Andronicus and Junia were Apostles because they were noted among [en, in] the Apostles, then by the same logic, they were also Christ! This is ridiculous!
The same word en, #1722, is used in Romans 15:9. Quoting from David in the Psalms, Paul says, “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy; as it is written [in Psalm 18:49], For this cause I will confess to thee among [en] the Gentiles, and sing unto Thy name.” David, and Paul, confessed to Yahweh among the Gentiles, so that means they must have been Gentiles, right? No, David was a Jew, and Paul a Benjamite. See also Galatians 2:2. A mouse in a cookie jar is among the cookies, but it is definitely NOT a cookie! The preposition en is usually translated “in.”
Romans 16:7 is simple to understand. Andronicus and Junia were noteworthy servants of God in the company of the Apostles. They not only worked and served with Paul, but with other Apostles. They were “in Christ Jesus,” converted, before Paul’s calling. This verse in no way hints that Andronicus and Junia were Apostles.
In I Corinthians 5:1, Paul writes, “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among [Greek, en] you,” and goes on to name the type of fornication: incest. So, according to the perverse reasoning of those who say Junia was an Apostle, the whole Corinthian Church consisted of fornicators! Not so, there was this one case of fornication, and the Church was justifying perversion. In II Corinthians 11:26, Paul reported his many trials and tribulations, even “in perils among false brethren.” Paul was among false brethren. Was Paul a false brother? No! These are only three examples that overturn the false “Junia was an Apostle” theory. You can find others easily, using the Englishman’s Greek Concordance.
It is claimed that uninspired men, apart from God’s Law, have prevented women from exercising their spiritual gifts by preventing women from becoming ordained pastors and Church elders. I beg to differ, because not all men are allowed to become Church pastors and elders. There are ten basic qualifications for a Church elder, and not all men are qualified, or called, for these positions (see I Timothy 3:1-7). One qualification is “the husband of one wife.” This 10-point job requirement excludes women from this area of service. Does exclusion of some men from the eldership stunt the exercise of their spiritual gifts? No. Are all men called by God to be Apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles? No, Paul answers, I Corinthians 12:28-31. Men and women all have different God-given spiritual gifts, I Corinthians 12:5-11. No woman used by God, such as Loma D. Armstrong, was precluded from using her spiritual gifts to benefit God’s people, just because she could not be a Church elder and pastor.
For a thorough discussion of the issue of woman elders, please read contact Giving & Sharing for Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi’s book, Women in the Church, 295 pages, $14.50 suggested donation.
A great problem in the Church of God today is that both men and women are not doing the work God has called them to do. Many small groups are doing little or nothing to promote God’s Truth to others. Both women and men are conscripted by God to do His Work. While God’s Word restricts Church pastors and elders to men only, His Word says we ALL are given spiritual gifts, and God expects us to use His gifts in service to His people.
Those who advocate the ordination of women as Church elders are demonstrating their lack of God’s Holy Spirit, and are in contention with God and His Holy Word. These “walk among [en] you disorderly,” II Thessalonians 3:11. We are commanded to withdraw ourselves from those who reject God’s Word, verse 6. Those who have supported the growing movement in the Churches of God to ordain women as pastors, need to repent of their rebellion against God.
Some Holocaust Survivors Believe in Christ
Many Jews view the Holocaust as proof that Christianity is both anti-Jewish and responsible for persecution. This is an accurate assessment, however, the persecuting “Christianity” is apostate Christianity. Jews for Jesus has produced an inspiring, free 58-minute VHS NTSC video, “Survivor Stories,” which describes the stories of several holocaust victims who have, nevertheless, converted to Christianity.
Jews for Jesus attempted to advertise this free video on nationwide television, but their million-dollar ad campaign was nixed by every news network. It is not politically correct to mention Jews who have come to understand that the fulfillment of their religion is in the Messiah. Television moguls promote adultery, fornication, and other perversions, but will not allow any mention of Jews who have accepted the Messiah.
Rose Price, one of the six who tells her story on this remarkable video, survived Treblinka. She reports that Nazi concentration camp guards screamed, “Jesus told us to hit you,” as routine beatings were done in the name of Jesus. Jewish victims were told that Jesus hated them. When she was liberated from the death camp, Rose said, “I wanted to kill Jesus,” and participated in burning Christian churches. She blamed Jesus for killing her family. She later moved to America, and to her dismay, her husband and daughter converted to Christianity. Locking herself in her basement for days, Rose read the Old and New Testaments over and over again. Isaiah 53 made a tremendous impact on her life. She became a believer in the Messiah, forgave her oppressors, and found peace with God. Now, she says that only through Yahshua can you forgive others, and only then can God forgive you. She notes there are 328 Old Testament prophecies which point to the Messiah Jesus. How politically incorrect, but Biblically accurate!
You may order a free video by calling 1-800-MESSIAH, or write Jews for Jesus, 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-5895. They also have a free booklet, “Why Did God Let Six Million Die?” We encourage you to give them a donation of $10 or more, to help them cover their costs. If you would like to borrow this video, contact our Sharing Library, John D. Crissinger, PO Box 581, Granville, OH 43023.
There is no “Bible Calendar” which tells you when to observe the annual Holy Days. Nobody has claimed our $1,000 offer to anyone who can provide Scriptural proof detailing a Bible Calendar. It is not there! Many today think that they have the authority to determine the Calendar for themselves. They observe the New Moon and the seasons, and possibly get pretty close to the right Holy Day dates. But, pity the poor person who lives in the rain forest of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. They have few opportunities to observe the New Moon, or any moon, since it is often cloudy there. Those who observe the New Moons and calculate the calendar for themselves, chide those who follow the Hebrew calendar for “postponing” certain Holy Days, when self-appointed calendar observers also postpone Holy Days. Few “observers” agree among themselves when to observe the Holy Days.
We believe, along with Moses
ben Maimon (a.k.a. Rambam, or Maimonides), that the Jews preserved calendar
calculation rules since the days of Moses.
We recommend that you obtain the third update of Arthur Spier’s classic
book, The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar. The first 22 pages briefly explains calendar
history and rules, while the next several hundred pages list the Roman Calendar
and Hebrew calendar side by side for the years A.D. 1900-2100. Our suggested donation is $35, from Giving
& Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849. You may also order online at www.giveshare.org/amazon.
Why Wavesheaf Day Cannot Be a Holy Day
Question: When the Passover falls on a weekly Sabbath, when is Wavesheaf Day? I see no problem with the priest working a little on the Holy Day to offer the Wavesheaf. — Oklahoma
Answer: Certainly it is not the priest working a little on the Sabbath or a Holy Day by offering sacrifices that is the problem here. There are many problems with putting Wavesheaf day on the first high day, when Passover falls on the weekly Sabbath. Here are three proofs that Wavesheaf Day cannot be a Holy Day:
One problem is that the people were to harvest their own wavesheaf, which could not be done on a Sabbath or Holy Day. In Leviticus 23:10, we see that each individual was to bring his wavesheaf to the priest, who would wave it before the Lord. The sheaf (Hebrew: omer) was one tenth of an ephah (Exodus 16:36), or about 3.25 quarts of grain. After the wavesheaf (omer) was taken to the priest, and waved by the priest, the offerer could eat of the new grain “the selfsame day,” Leviticus 23:14. Now, it is some work to take a sickle or scythe and cut enough barley for 3.25 quarts of grain, to winnow it out (barley has nasty beards, and takes work to separate the grain from the chaff). Then, it would take more work to cut enough barley and thresh it out so you could eat some for yourself “the selfsame day” after you offered the first 3.25 quarts of your harvest to the priest. That is why Josephus says the Wavesheaf Day was the first busy work day of the harvest. Would a Holy Day be a busy work harvest day? No way! The whole nation of Israel would have to be involved in harvesting and threshing grain on a Holy Day, if the Worldwide Church of God 1974 change was correct.
Barley doesn’t yield as much as wheat. Modern yields are much higher than in old times. Let us be generous and suppose ancient Israel could harvest 30 bushels of barley per acre. They probably harvested less than this. To produce 3.25 quarts of grain, it would require cutting more than a 12 x 12 foot section, plus threshing and winnowing the grain, just to produce enough for the wavesheaf, not counting the grain for the family to eat that selfsame day. Sure, Jesus and His disciples plucked a few ears of grain on the Sabbath, but not a 12 x 12 square foot or larger section!
Another problem with putting Wavesheaf Day on the first Holy Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is that it disrupts the prophetic sequence of events fulfilled by Christ. Christ was crucified on Passover day, put to rest in the tomb for a period, then was resurrected, then He ascended to the Father in Heaven as our Wavesheaf, to be accepted for us in Heaven. In the year 2001, Passover was on Sabbath, April 7. If April 8 was Wavesheaf Day, then we have the sequence of events not allowing Him to be in the tomb. The events in this erroneous case would be crucifixion, resurrection, and wave sheaf, instead of the correct sequence of crucifixion, IN THE TOMB, resurrection, wave sheaf. Many Protestants incorrectly believe that Jesus did not really die, that He merely acted like He died, and preached to demons in Hell. Jesus died, He really died, was buried, and after three days and three nights, He rose from the dead.
Another problem with a Nisan 15 Wavesheaf Day is shown in Leviticus 23:15, where the Wavesheaf Day is said to be “the morrow after the Sabbath,” or as the literal Hebrew has it, “from morrow the Sabbath.” Notice that the Wavesheaf Day is NOT a Sabbath, but the day AFTER THE SABBATH. Annual Holy Days are called “Sabbaths,” even in Leviticus 23:24, Trumpets is a Sabbath, and verse 32 says Atonement is a Sabbath. John 19:31 refers to the first Day of Unleavened Bread as “that Sabbath day was an high day.” In the year Jesus was crucified, the First Holy Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was Thursday, Nisan 15. Looking again at Leviticus 23:15, we see that Wavesheaf Day is the morrow after the Sabbath, not the Sabbath after the Sabbath, not a time when there are two back-to back-Sabbaths (like 2001, which was April 7 and 8).
Those who believe that Wavesheaf Day is Nisan 15 when the Passover falls on the weekly Sabbath, often use Joshua 5 as “proof” of their position. Paul Yoos’s article, “Joshua Chapter Five and the Wavesheaf Day,” effectively shows that in Joshua 5, there was no mention of a harvest nor a Wavesheaf.
There are also two good reasons to believe that Joshua 5:10-11 refers to the Passover of the second month, rather than the first month.
The Israelite males who were not born in Egypt were not circumcised in the wilderness. They were circumcised after Israel crossed Jordan on the tenth day of the first month (Joshua 4:19), and remained in camp until they were whole, Joshua 5:1-9. How long does it take for an adult male to recover from circumcision? Certainly longer than three or four days. In fact, as the episode of the destruction of the Shechemites demonstrates, the third day after circumcision is when men are most vulnerable. Simeon and Levi tricked the men of Shechem to be circumcised, and single-handedly slew all the males who were very sore on the third day, Genesis 34:1-31, especially verse 25. A Hungarian friend of mine came to America after the 1956 Revolution, was baptized into the Church of God, and chose to be circumcised. He can attest to the fact that circumcision put him flat on his back for a considerable period of time. So, Joshua 5:10-11 is not talking of the Passover in the first month at all.
Another proof that Joshua 5 is not referring to the normal Passover of the first month, is Joshua 5:12, “And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.” When did the manna start? Exodus 16 indicates the manna started on Sunday, Iyar 16, Iyar being the second month. How long did Israel eat manna? They ate manna for forty years, Exodus 16:35. Since Israel started eating manna on the sixteenth day of the second month, and they ate manna for forty years (not 39 years, 11 months), then Israel stopped eating manna on the sixteenth day of the second month, which was also a Sunday. Therefore, the “Passover” of Joshua 5 had to have been the second Passover, not the first (see Numbers 9:1-14).
Incidentally, both in the year of the Exodus, and the year Israel entered the Promised Land, Passover fell on a Wednesday, which then leads to a Iyar 16 being a Sunday. Nisan (Abib) always has 30 days.
|
Week Day |
Nisan |
Nisan |
Nisan/Iyar |
Iyar |
Iyar |
Iyar |
|
1 |
11 |
18 |
25 |
2 |
9 |
16 |
|
2 |
12 |
19 |
26 |
3 |
10 |
|
|
3 |
13 |
20 |
27 |
4 |
11 |
|
|
4 |
14 |
21 |
28 |
5 |
12 |
|
|
5 |
15 |
22 |
29 |
6 |
13 |
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6 |
16 |
23 |
30 |
7 |
14 |
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7, Sabbath |
17 |
24 |
Iyar1 |
8 |
15 |
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In Joshua 5, the second Passover would thus have been on a Friday, not a Sabbath as some claim. They ate the old corn of the land on the weekly Sabbath, which they had carried over the Jordan with them when instructed to pack provisions in Joshua 1:11. Then, on Sunday, Iyar 16, the manna ceased, Joshua 5:12, fulfilling Exodus 16:35 precisely.
Presented with these irrefutable proofs against a Nisan 15 Wavesheaf Day, one Church organization has opted out of the discussion, clinging to their untenable position with the platitude, “let us follow the example of Jesus.” Yes, we should follow Jesus, who was IN THE TOMB following his death on the stake, which the Nisan 15 Wavesheaf Day theory contradicts. Brethren, do we want to follow the Bible, or create a man-made religion?
Question: I have been a Sabbath-keeper for some time. However, I never quite had to address this question until I began to attempt to teach my children, who are men and women now, a more in-depth response to the Sabbath. I would appreciate your help on the “kindling” a fire on the Sabbath question, Exodus 35:3. — E-Mail
Answer: Does Exodus 35:3 mean, “Ye shall kindle [burn] no fire for any purpose whatsoever throughout your habitations, upon the Sabbath day”? If so, then we folks in Wyoming have a problem during our harsh winters. What are we going to do to keep from freezing to death when the temperature dips well below zero?
One of the rules of Bible interpretation is to consider the context of the verse. Verse 3 must be understood in the context of verse 2, “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.” Any fire for industrial work purposes, such as smelting ore, including various commercial purposes (such as a bakery, restaurant, dry cleaner), etc., cannot be kindled on the Sabbath, because doing this would be continuing the six days of work into the seventh day, which is to be a Sabbath of rest. A fire necessary to keep warm, or to heat water for necessary purposes is, I believe, allowable on the Sabbath.
But, like all other aspects of the Sabbath, we should “do no unnecessary work on the Sabbath day,” Jeremiah 17:22, Living Bible. If we violate God’s Holy Sabbath by unnecessary work, and also flagrantly cause others to break the Sabbath, God will kindle a fire in our gates that shall not be quenched, Jeremiah 17:27. Let us serve the Eternal with reverence and fear, and keep the Sabbath holy! If we do, instead of a fire in our gates kindled by the Almighty, our cities shall remain forever, verses 24-25.
All of these tasks can be performed by anybody in the Church, men or women, of nearly any age. Instead of criticizing the ministry, why don’t you get off your duff and do something to spread the Gospel?
(1) Place booklets in Laundromats and other public places. (2) Place ads in local newspapers. Be prepared for follow-up. (3) Type for Giving & Sharing. (4) Duplicate cassette tapes, mail tapes. (5) Webmaster for G&S website. (6) Gather good materials from other websites to add to the G&S website. (7) Duplicate and mail CD’s. (8) Write letters to prisoners and brethren in Africa and India. Send literature to same. (9) Visit prisoners. Help them get on their feet when they are released from prison. (10) Travel around the country doing odd jobs for Church brethren. (11) Provide sources of healthful food for our website. (12) Provide job search help for brethren unemployed. G&S will post job openings free on our website. (13) Prepare television shows for free public access TV. (14) Help Lines counselors. (15) Work with Lifenets to send food and clothes to needy Sabbath-keepers in other countries. (16) Travel to visit brethren in Africa, India, and Latin America. Assess their needs and how G&S can help them in spreading the Gospel and feeding the flock. (17) Translating services. Take any good English article, translate it into a foreign language. (18) Send your kids to Church camps; volunteer to serve at Church camps.
What caused the recent shooting in Santee, California? Let’s see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O’Hare complained she didn’t want any prayer in our schools, and we said, OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible that says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said, OK.
Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. And we said, an expert should know what he’s talking about so we said, OK, we won’t spank them anymore. Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don’t want any bad publicity, and we surely don’t want to be sued. (There’s a big difference between disciplining and touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.) And we accepted their reasoning.
Then someone said, let’s let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won’t even have to tell their parents. And we said, that’s a grand idea. Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they’re going to do it anyway, let’s give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won’t have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said, that’s another great idea.
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn’t matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And agreeing with them, we said it doesn’t matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.
And then someone said, let’s print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body. And we said we have no problem with that. And someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet. And we said they’re entitled to their free speech. And the entertainment industry said, let’s make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. And let’s record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes. And we said, it’s just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.
Finally, people decided they needed the extra income “to make ends meet,” so the parents got second jobs. Now they weren’t home to spend the quality time with the kids, so they watch the violence, they listen to the profanity, they are involved with the sex, and they sing the music as their banner. The parents don’t teach them the good values, the way to make decisions between right and wrong. Unwittingly, they let society be the parent.
Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.”
Dear God: Why didn’t you save the students in Santee? Sincerely, Concerned Student AND THE REPLY: Dear Concerned Student, I am not allowed in schools. Sincerely, God.
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says. Funny how someone can say “I believe in God” but still follow Satan who, by the way, also “believes” in God.
Funny how we are quick to judge but do not want to be judged. Funny how you can send a thousand ‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar, and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and workplace. Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sabbath, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.
Are you laughing? Funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you’re not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.
Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me. (Ah, yes, that dead-in-sin human nature.)
If you discard this thought process, don’t sit back and complain about the bad shape in which America finds itself. — from the Internet
Review: Holy Land Experience, Orlando Florida
The theme park is located very conveniently at exit 31A immediately off Interstate 4 in Orlando and opens at 9:00 A.M., except Sunday, when it opens at 12:00 noon. We would suggest you avoid the weekends.
It is very compact on a few acres of land and, though our nature is to complete our tours more swiftly than the average tourist, we spent about five hours there. The staff was exceptionally helpful and friendly (except for one parking lot attendant who I think was an ex-WCG super deacon. Perhaps he was there to test us, so we immediately forgave him.).
We would recommend arriving at the opening time and making a full day of it, especially since the Qumran Dead Sea Caves exhibit was not yet open (opening in 2001). And in early 2002 the Scriptorium Center for Biblical Antiquities is scheduled to open. This should be a great exhibit for the history buffs.
Our five hours were spent touring the Jerusalem street market and observing the Wilderness Tabernacle, which was a miniature mock-up of the Tabernacle presented with actors dressed as Israel’s ancient priesthood. It opened with the blowing of the shofar. (A full size replica of the Tabernacle may be seen in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.) There is little high-tech throughout any of the displays, but that which is used was well- done and appropriate.
Calvary’s Garden Tomb was a musical presentation of the death and resurrection. The music was presented mostly a cappella. You will want to see all the exhibits and will find very little with which to disagree, as they are fairly accurate historically from a Jewish perspective.
The presentations usually run about twenty-five minutes. The city of Jerusalem is displayed in miniature, which is about the size of a large living room. It is the largest indoor model in the world and took more than a year to build. It contains houses, the temple, walls, Antonia Fortress, and hills and valleys and all points of interest at the time of Christ. The presenters describe the development of the city and trace Christ’s movements the last week of His life. This would be helpful to anyone contemplating a trip to Israel.
The Theater of Life shows an incredible journey through history called “The Seed of Promise,” which communicates God’s master plan for redeeming mankind.
The Oasis Palms Café surrounds you with authentic Bedouin tapestries from Jerusalem while you dine on reasonably priced American or Middle Eastern food. There are long lines during lunch time. Admission is $17, which is far less than Disney World, and a whole lot more wholesome. The gift shop has a lot of interesting and worthwhile items and tax is not charged. We hope that someday you will be able to enjoy this enlightening and entertaining experience. — written by Steve and Suzanne Kieler
12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee
Some of my most treasured possessions are letters of condemnation. One man wrote us a letter asking us to remove his name from the mailing list of the Giving & Sharing Newsletter. After several unkind jibes, he stated: “. . . you, Mr. Nickels, are a traditional Bible Pharisee!” After considerable reflection, I think this gentleman is onto something. We have met the Pharisees, and they are . . . US! You and I are “Joe Pharisee.” That is because we are all slaves to self-righteousness and judgmentalism. It’s built into human nature. We think we know God’s laws, then associate keeping the commandments with righteousness, and declare “A Christian wouldn’t do that.”
Would you be interested in reading a book that hits you right between the eyes and labels you as a self-righteous Pharisee? Probably not. Yet, that is what the Bible is about. Jesus magnified the Law to a much higher spiritual plane, demonstrating that there is no way anyone can be truly righteous — not one of us. We cannot be made right before God by being “better” than anyone else. We need to lay aside the Pharisee in all of us, and embrace the grace, gratitude, and joy of a spirit-filled life in the Messiah.
John Fischer, musician, songwriter, and speaker, has written a book that convicts all of us of being Pharisees. He points the way out of our hopeless condition. 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (like me) is not a book for the fainthearted. It is frightening to realize that “Sin is my nature, the only thing I know how to do.” A Pharisee does not need a Savior, because he thinks he earns salvation. We, however, are addicted to sin, and often refuse to recognize our dreadful condition. As we deal with the unpleasant fact that we abysmally fall short of perfection, Fischer gives twelve helpful steps in his book:
1. We admit that our single most unmitigated pleasure is to judge other people. We are comforted when we find others who are “worse” than ourselves.
2. We have come to believe that our means of obtaining greatness is to make everyone lower than ourselves in our own mind. Instead, we should put ourselves in other’s shoes, and give them the benefit of the doubt.
3. We realize that we detest mercy being given to those who, unlike us, haven’t worked for it and don’t deserve it. Suppose a mass-murderer on death row tearfully repented of his heinous act, and begged the court for mercy. If his death sentence was commuted, many would be indignant. If you have been given mercy, you don’t care who else gets it, because you are so thankful you obtained mercy. But, if you earned mercy, you don’t want others to have it, if they haven’t earned it like you did.
4. We have decided that we don’t want to get what we deserve after all, and we don’t want anyone else to either. Since all have sinned, and the wages of sin is death, we are all under the death penalty. As recovering Pharisees, we finally realize that we do not want “justice”; instead, we want mercy. The Kingdom of God is for sinners who face their sin; destruction in the Lake of Fire is for those who refuse to see their sins. However, it is ironic that neither one thinks they got what they deserved.
5. We will cease all attempts to apply teaching and rebuke to anyone but ourselves. Whether we have been in God’s Church for forty years, or one year, we need to continually be like a new believer. They are wide-eyed with amazement, enthused about learning more Truth, feeling like they have a long way to go. It would be unthinkable for a newcomer to apply a teaching to anyone but themselves, because he assumes everybody else knows more than he does. They are the antithesis of Pharisees in every way. May we all stay young in the faith.
6. We are ready to have God remove all these defects of attitude and character. David Roper wrote, “Before we can be greatly used by God, we must see the monstrous evil in our souls.” That, my friend, is a tall order!
7. We embrace the belief that we are, and will always be, experts at sinning. Jesus’ damning question to the judgmental Pharisees was “Who among you is without sin?” John explains, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves,” I John 1:8 (NIV). Facing our sins every day, we need to deal with our own sins, and not someone else’s. Alcoholics sometimes benefit by joining Alcoholics Anonymous organizations. Likewise, we need to be part of the “Pharisees Anonymous” club. “Hello, I’m Richard, and I am a Pharisee.”
8. We are looking closely at the lives of famous men and women of the Bible who turned out to be ordinary sinners like us. The Sunday School stories about great Bible heroes are only half-truths. They show only the good side: David’s slingshot slew Goliath, Samson’s jawbone mowed down a thousand Philistines, Jonah’s whale saved him from a watery grave, Moses’ rod parted the Red Sea, Jacob saw a ladder reaching to Heaven, etc. Yet, the disappointing fact is that Solomon was a bigamist, Samson a womanizer, Jacob a deceiver, Gideon an idolater, David was an adulterer and murderer, and Jonah ran away from God. Why is God so brutally frank with the strengths and weaknesses of His champions? God operates through human imperfection. God did not condone the sins of His people. He uses sinful men and women to nevertheless demonstrate His power and love for mankind. What an awesome God!
9. We are seeking through prayer and meditation to make a conscious effort to consider others better than ourselves.
10.We embrace the state of astonishment as a permanent glorious reality. If we are blessed to enter the Kingdom of God, we will be amazed at three things: that some are there we thought had no chance, that some are not there that we thought for sure would make it, and, most of all, that we are there! Did Christ begin His first sermon with a statement that does not apply to most people? “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 5:3. No, only those who realize their own inadequacy and unworthiness will be in the Kingdom. It is amazing grace, astonishment, that God would even consider offering to us forgiveness of our debauched sins, and the gift of eternal life. Pharisees think that they deserve a place in God’s Kingdom. Recovering Pharisees know that they don’t even begin to qualify. What a surprise to receive a gift you totally don’t deserve!
11.We choose to rid ourselves of any attitude that is not bathed in gratitude. Being thankful and grateful for God’s gifts is the antidote for Phariseeism. If you are truly thankful for what God has done, and is doing daily, for you, there is no way you can judge others.
12.Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we will try to carry this message to others who think that Christians are better than everyone else. I like the T-shirt slogan, “I am not perfect . . . just forgiven!” May God help us live a life of gratitude for His love and mercy, and present our bodies as a living advertisement for His grace and love. I need the forgiveness of the Messiah because I am a chief sinner. That was the message of Paul. Recovering Pharisees need to know that being saved is better than being better. No matter how much we love God’s Law, strive to live by it, and recommend its virtues to others, “He is blessed who is forgiven” should be our motto.
I heartily recommend 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (like me), by John Fischer. You may order it online at www.giveshare.org/Amazon, or borrow it from our Sharing Library, C/O John D. Crissinger, PO Box 581, Granville, OH 43023..
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. He felt he could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter.
“This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”
The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently. But we cannot go back.
You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. “Life is a do-it-yourself project,” someone has said.
Your attitudes and the choices you make today build the “house” you live in tomorrow. Build wisely. — from the Internet
Hebrew Made Easy, 78 pages, is available for a suggested donation of $15.
Many assume erroneously that Charles Darwin, one-time-divinity-student turned naturalist atheist, originated the theory of evolution. However, this pagan, anti-God, idea came from Greeks, Babylonians, and other ancient philosophers. In his book, The Long War Against God, Dr. Henry Morris thoroughly documents the ages-long history of the creation/evolution conflict. Suggested donation: $16.50 postpaid.
The book, Men of
Science, Men of God: Great Scientists Who Believed the Bible, by Dr.
Henry Morris (suggested donation, $8.50), documents that many of the major
scientific contributions were made by scientists who 
were
also dedicated men of God. Almost every
pioneer and “founding father” of modern scientific disciplines was a Christian
who believed in a personal God and the veracity of the Bible, from Leonardo da
Vinci to Wernher von Brahn — the list of more than a hundred men includes
Francis Bacon, Johann Kepler, Blaise Pascal, Isaac Newton, Carolus Linneaus,
John Dalton,
Michael Faraday, Samuel F. B. Morse, Louis Agassiz, James Joule, Louis Pasteur,
Gregor Mendel, Henri Fabre, and John Ambrose Fleming. All of them were
Bible-believing Christians who advanced true science, and who really shaped
modern science.
It was Bible-based enlightened Christian thinking that gave us the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, that have been so important in shaping our country’s values. Formerly, there was much more awareness of the Christian origins of our government, and the necessity for proper reverence for God, from whom our rights derive. Without reverence for God and His Word, no government will be able to long sustain the free and decent society envisioned by our founding fathers. They knew better than to rely merely upon a “form” of government! — from the Internet
Both these books are also available on a free loan basis from Sharing Library, c/o John D. Crissinger, PO Box 581, Granville, OH 43023