[table of contents]

Chapter Five

CEREMONIAL SABBATHS?

I have heard the term “ceremonial Sabbaths” used by members of other churches as a put-down of the Seventh-day Sabbath.

Actually, I have found no such term used in any inspired writing. Why? Probably because there is no such phrase. It is like the comparing of oranges to apples. The apple being the “mo’ed,” the appointed time of the seventh day of creation week. On the other hand, the orange being the ceremony of rituals done on that day. You may wonder what rituals were done on the Seventh-day Sabbath? Several:

“And on the Sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: This is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.” Numbers 28:9, 10

The “ceremonial” part (the orange) is done away. But the mo’ed, the seventh day (the apple), remains forever.

“And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 66:23

The “apples” will still be intact, only the “oranges” will be gone. The time is still holy, the sacrificing of animals is no more. The day is still holy, but the ceremonial types are removed.

AN IDEAL TIME FOR REVIVAL

In one New Testament experience, Paul was very upset because fornication, incest, and other sins were tolerated in the church. He used the festival of the Passover time as n occasion for the New Testament church members to clean up their act.

“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Cor. 5:7,8

One way of looking at the above text is that Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed, once and for all, but the feast itself is to be continued – that is, continued in a church void of malice and wickedness, enjoying sincerity and truth.

In other words, be clean and holy like Christ. Remember, He is the objective of your service.

What did Paul mean, “as ye are unleavened?” If he had taught them about the feast then they had removed all leaven from their homes. Thus, they were “unleavened.” The problem was they had not yet removed the spiritual leaven of malice and wickedness from their hearts. In other words, they went through the ritual, but didn’t fully comprehend what it meant. The first is to be a reminder and encouragement to do the other.

Although Jesus bore our sins to the cross, His death did not give us an excuse to continue in sin. The Feast of Unleavened Bread can illustrate the putting away of sin, but it cannot compete with the work done for us at the cross. All have sinned and have come short of the glory of Christ.

Please read the following quote carefully:

“Since the whole ritual economy was symbolic of Christ it had no value apart from Him. When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ by delivering Him to death, they rejected all that gave significance to the temple and its services. Its sacredness had departed... From that day sacrificial offerings and the services connected with them [the ordinances of the altar] were meaningless.” DA 165 (brackets inserted)

The now meaningless services of animal sacrificing are too elaborate to discuss here. Some of these priestly service rituals can be studied in Ezekiel 43:18-27. Suffice it to say:

“The need for the service of sacrifices and offerings ceased when type met antitype in the death of Christ.” FLB 106

Daniel had prophesied that in the “midst” of the 70th week the “sacrifices and oblations” would cease. Daniel 9:27.

DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

With the temple itself desolate (Matthew 23:38), and the gospel reaching around the entire globe, one can readily see why the apostle Paul felt free to keep the feasts at other locations. (See AA 390, 391; Acts 20:6).

The words of Jesus were taking on new meaning. Once He was asked whether we should worship at the temple in Jerusalem or some other place. He replied, we should “worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:19-24

Most people, today, who keep the feasts, admit openly that the yearly Passover ritual, with the sacrificing of a lamb, was done away with at the cross. They believe this ritual of sacrifice, as a “national festival of the Jews passed away forever,” but that a ritual, just as important, is still in place. They also believe that its festival should be kept with unleavened bread and unleavened wine.

They teach that the former festival, with its sacrifice at Jerusalem, was replaced with an international festival to be observed by all people in all lands.

The broken bread of the grape juice represents the same things as did the broken animal bodies and their spilled blood, mainly, the broken body and spilled blood of our Saviour. Please notice the following quote:

“Christ was standing at the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals. He, the spotless Lamb of God, was about to present Himself as a sin-offering, that He would thus bring to an end the system of types and ceremonies that for four thousand years had pointed to His death. As He ate the Passover with His disciples, He instituted in its place the service that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice. The national festival of the Jews was to pass away forever. The service which Christ established was to be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages.” DA 652

Where the festival is kept is no longer an issue; however, the time for the festivals was established at creation [see chapter three]. Jesus also said that Passover, with the emblems of unleavened bread and grape juice, would be observed in all ages, including in the kingdom to come in the New Earth. See Luke 22:15-18.

In other words, the “oranges” (ceremonial laws) are done away forever, but the “apples” (appointed times) are sanctified to be with us forever. Speaking of forever, won’t it be a thrill to enjoy these wonderful feasts with our Saviour face to face?

Several things are noted in the above statement taken from the Desire of Ages. One festival, the animal sacrifice, was replaced with the broken bread and wine. There are “two great festivals” mentioned. Therefore, we do have a festival to observe, and we can observe it in any land.

The former festival pointed like a shadow forward toward the cross. The later festival points like a shadow back to the cross. One festival had a sacrifice; the other has the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. Since they represent the same tokens of God’s great gift, I am not surprised that Jesus referred to them both as “Passover.”

Question: When Ellen White wrote the types and ceremonies that for four thousand years pointed to Christ’s death, was she referring just to the ceremonial sacrificing of animal types that pointed to their antitype fulfilled on the cross, or was she referring to the feast days as well? If she was also referring to the feast days and their scheduled calendar dates, then we who believe in the feast day of October 22, 1844, have a real problem. October 22, 1844 would immediately lose validity. If actually nailed as a dead issue to the cross, what right did we have to resurrect it in 1844?

We would also have a problem with Pentecost being observed by the apostles and honored by the Spirit of God on the third month this side of the cross. If the day had been nailed to the cross, why did both God and the apostles give it honor fifty-two days after Passover?

On the other hand, if Ellen White believed that the ritualistic services of the animal sacrifices were done away with at the cross, then all writers are in harmony. Ellen White did often state that the sacrificial system was what was done away with at the cross.

“In the last Passover our Lord observed with His disciples, He instituted the Lord’s supper in placed of the Passover, to be observed in memory of His death. No longer had they need of the Passover, for He, the great antitypical Lamb, was ready to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Type met antitype in the death of Christ.” Lift Him Up 31

Clearly, she was writing of the lamb’s sacrifice both typical and antitypical.

CONTINUITY OF PASSOVER
Before, During, and After Christ’s Life on Earth

1. Probation closed for the Egyptian nation at Passover centuries before Christ’s birth (Ex. 12).
    
2. The Jewish temple was cleansed by Jesus at Passover (John 2:13-16).
    
3. The destruction of Jerusalem began on Passover in A.D. 70, about forty years after Calvary. See GC p. 31

In the above three references we see important events happening at Passover time before Jesus’ day, during Jesus’ day, and, according to Ellen White, after Jesus’ day.

Perhaps two more very important Passovers should be mentioned. Our Lord died on the most important of all Passovers, and the other would be the most exciting Passover feast of the future, promised by our Lord in Luke 22:15, 16.

Note: The feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread are merged into one. Passover begins on the evening of the 14th and the feasts of Unleavened Bread begins on the evening of the 15th day of the first month and lasts for seven days – hence eight consecutive days. Ellen White also blends the two feasts into one:

“At Philippi Paul tarried to keep the Passover. Only Luke remained with him... and he enjoyed a peaceful and happy visit with them during the eight days of the feast.” Life Sketches from the Life of Paul, 196

[table of contents] [next chapter]