Once more the seriousness of the feast keeping situation has come around. This issue is getting more and more prevalent, similar to the subject of the Trinity. There is no doubt that in these last hours of probation our enemy has zeroed in on these two subjects. Even so far as to be a concern among some present truth believers.
Let us look into what the Lord’s Elijah message, the restoring truth message, has to show us from the view of observance in anti-type of the ceremonial feast days. There is some very interesting references that we need to look at and delve into.
What makes this subject so intriguing is that if one desires to surface read or skim the message and hold on to a few selected references, one can actually think he has support for the idea of keeping the ceremonies (sans the sacrifices). Yes this can be supposedly supported and we’ll show how.
But those who want the “full Truth and nothing but the full Truth” will desire their Truth house built solidly upon the Rock of Jesus –the undeniable Truth. We shall endeavor to show from His divine Word.
The message explains —
“Those who are willing to risk all on the ground of one inspired statement and disregard another in order to carry out certain cherished ideas of their own, are doing it on the same basis as those who entertain the idea of the conscious state of the dead, the eternal torment of the wicked, the baptism by sprinkling, the Sunday observance for the Sabbath, the condition of the millennium, etc….We would never try to establish an idea on the basis of agreeing with one passage of Scripture while disagreeing with another, for such a conclusion is as sure to be erroneous as if one should conclude that when the sun sets in the evening, it will never arise in the morning.” (Sym. Code, vol. 2, no.1, p.5)
In speaking of the writings of the Rod and SOP we read —
” …as there are no useless words in either of the writings, those who desire to know the truth must carefully mark every word, otherwise they will never comprehend the truth and, as a consequence, they will be driven by the winds as the waves of the sea until the winds cease blowing (probation closes), and they be left to sink down in their sins as do the waves in the sea.” (Sym. Code, vol. 2, no.7-8, p.10)
The above counsel is deep and far-reaching and when we use it, we prosper!
In part one we’ll look at the situation from “John’s” point of view. How he views the feast keeping doctrine today. He’ll show us how he blends the Rod message into his belief of keeping the feasts. In part two we’ll look at the opposing view and what many who have studied the message see as the Rod’s truth about it.
Ok let’s began with brother John. John is a long time Seventh-day Adventist who was not content with the lukewarm sermons and Sabbath school lessons. Something told him that there must be more to the Lord’s plans for us. After all he read Scripture like the following and truly wondered its timeline and significance for the SDA church.
“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:1-3)
John asked around the church and did not get many answers, mostly ‘I’m not sure”. Then he happens to be online one day and heard about a report on end time events and what it means to the SDA church. Bingo! Right up his alley, he thought.
Long story short John was thrilled to review the report as it was all supported by Scripture and SOP. Even had some new unknown references, though he didn’t know what, stacked up to the Bible and SOP as well. He went on their site and saw that it was about the “Shepherd’s Rod”. Um, he remembered last year hearing about this term from another church leader but it was not in a good light. Something bad if he recalled.
Yet John loved the Truth. He found himself frequently going to his new-found site, learning more and more about end time events. But John unfortunately was active in another well-known alternative website led by John Vandenberg of Bible Explorations from California. This is a well-known ministry that promotes SDA doctrine along with Biblical Feast keeping, in order to please the Lord today.
Their theory goes that although Jesus died and fulfilled our payment for sin, that fulfilled the sacrifice part of the feasts. Yet, the Lord still requires us to observe the ceremonies because among other things, His word made promises such as keeping the Passover forever —
“And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”(Exodus 12:14)
Fast forward a couple of years, John has now studied the “Rod” and believes in its teachings. But he also has not let go of his prior teachings, those of Vandenberg on keeping the Feast days. But soon John reads the following from the Rod and his joy is unspeakable!!
Nah. 1:15 — “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.”
Here you see that the announcement of this long-expected event is to be made by someone’s publications. Moreover, he publishes peace and thus announces the restoration of the Kingdom. This is the only peace that the world can have. There is to be no other. Those who keep God’s solemn “feasts” and perform their vows shall have this peace. None others shall. (Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 42 p.41)
“Now commands the Lord: “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee he is utterly cut off.” Nah. 1:15. — {4 Jezreel Letter p.4.}
You see one thing had been bothering John, although he was learning the Rod message he was finding opposition to the idea of keeping the Feast days from fellow Elijah messengers. They would tell him “no, no, we are NOT to keep them” and they would provide references. But John , being already convinced upon the duty of Feast keeping would not accept their arguments.
So reading the Rod references above, he was excited and now felt fully justified in keeping them as Vandenberg had taught. True confirmation he thought!
After all does it not say “Those who keep God’s solemn “feasts” and perform their vows shall have this peace. None others shall.” ? And “Now commands the Lord:… keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows” ? No one, John thought, can misunderstand these plain Inspired injunctions.
To John’s mind he has successfully dealt with “the big reference” which deals with this feast keeping as follows —
“Broadly speaking, the law of Moses consists of three parts. The first is the Ceremonial law, the law of the temple — the sacrificial law. This law, of course, we today must not observe, except in antitype, for it foreshadowed things to come, particularly Christ’s first advent. Thus it is that if we had lived in Old Testament times and had failed to comply with the sacrificial law and system of that day, we would thereby have demonstrated unbelief in Christ, Who was to come. But since we are living in the Christian era, if we should now observe the typical sacrificial law and system, we should thereby demonstrate unbelief in Christ, Who has come.
And so, as this law was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14), we need not, and must not, observe it now.
The second part of Moses’ law, is the law by which Israel was to rule its people, the civil, or legal law, — the law which defines what penalty the government should impose upon those who are caught stealing, killing, or the like. Now, since we as Christians do not have a government of our own, but are still under the governments of the nations of today, we personally, or as a group are not required to enforce the legal law of Moses either.
The only law of Moses, therefore, that we can possibly be admonished to remember, is the third part of his law: the moral law, which consists of the things that pertain to us as individuals, the things that we as individuals must perform, the things that perfect our character, the things that make us a peculiar people. We therefore need to search out and do the things contained in the moral law of Moses — “The commandments, and the statutes and the judgments.” Deut. 5:31.(TG, vol. 2, no.37, p.14-15)
John has read this many times and he counters those who use it to point against keeping the ceremonies, that what the Rod is saying is that we are not to keep the “sacrificial law”. In other words John thinks that the Rod found it necessary to warn against doing sacrifices!
This to the listeners of John’s argument makes them shake their head in amazement. They tried to tell John that even the vast multitude of protestant Christians know that we do not have an issue today, nor since Christ, with doing sacrifices. So with the Lord’s restoring message is HE going to tell His prophet to warn against keeping sacrifices?? No, there is only one conclusion – it’s a warning to not keep the ceremonies.
But John has not read ALL the Rod. He has severely limited his understanding of the Lord’s message by reading a portion instead of the whole.
The Lord’s Rod explains —
“The most common cause of doctrinal confusion among Bible students lies in their so very frequently failing to view a subject in full perspective from the writer’s point of view, — a failing which results in their seeing it from some foreign standpoint so narrowing their view that instead of gaining the writer’s idea on the subject, they gain a false idea on it. And if the idea be to their liking, they magnify and zealously promote it as truth, whereas if it be not to their liking, they vigorously oppose it, and then lay it to the responsibility of the writer!” (Tract 3, p.91)
Allow us to give another example of how reading a reference without studying the whole subject can throw us off.
The following is so perversely misunderstood that it has caused a vast multitude of protestant Christians to have a misguided understanding. Thinking that despite the unbelieving Jews in Israel today, God will magically save them.
“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Romans 11:26)
The message clarifies this —
Question No. 64:—Romans 9:27 says that a “remnant” of Israel will be saved, but Romans 11:26 says that “all” Israel will be saved. I do not understand this. Can you help me?
Answer:—Romans 9:27 is speaking of Israel as a nation, of which only a remnant will be saved; whereas Romans 11:26 is referring to the elect of Israel as individuals, all of whom will be saved. (Answerer, vol. 3, p.51)
Additionally we have our Lord’s Word Himself —
Jesus saith unto them, ‘Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. ..And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. “(Matt 21:42-43, 45)
In part two we’ll look at the anti-type observance of keeping the feast days which is the dominant position of present truth believers today. God in His all-knowing wisdom did not leave these powerful and clear instructions unwritten for us.
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