Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy

Christians get all bent out of shape when you tell them

Exodus 31:16....  Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.

and then couple that with

Romans 11:17....  But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 

If we are grafted in to Israel, are we not, in a sense, Israel?  Certainly not ethnically, but we are children of Abraham, according to the promise.

If, then, the Sabbath commandment is "a covenant forever," did forever end?  The Hebrew word here meaning "forever" is "עוֹלָם" (Olam) which literally means the Universe... heaven and earth.  "Forever," in this case, ends when heaven and earth pass away.  When does Heaven and Earth pass away?  In Revelation 21:1.

Now, IF we are commanded to keep the Sabbath "as a covenant forever," what does it mean to "keep" the Sabbath?

The Torah prohibits 2 things on the Sabbath:  Doing work (Exodus 20:8), and "kindle(ing) a fire in any of your dwellings."  (Exodus 35:3)

That's it.  You're even allowed to go camping and start a fire outside of your tent if you want.  You just can't start a fire inside your tent.

How do we spend the Sabbath?  Please notice, nowhere in any commandment does it say we must assemble for regular worship on the Sabbath.  Jesus did it because every other day of the week was a daily struggle for survival... every other day of the week, everyone was out in the fields or in the marketplace... Shabbat (the name of the 7th day) was literally the only opportunity to gather anywhere.

But we're not commanded to "go to church" on Shabbat.  What are we commanded to do?

The Hebrew root for the word Shabbat is the three letters, שבת, Shin, Bet, Tav.  Those three letters mean, simply, "cease."  Stop what you're doing.  It's saying, every other day you work.  You work hard all day, every other day... today, you stop it.  Today, you rest.  Today, you take care of yourself.

How do you do that?

Play a video game.  Read a book.  Make love to your spouse.  Take a nap.  Invite friends over for coffee.

Literally, THAT'S what we're commanded to do.

Why do Christians fight against that?  We're like toddlers balling our fists and yelling at our mommies that no, we won't go to bed, when we're already too tired to stand up.  It's silly.

Ok, one more thing in this book of a rant before I close it:  What day should we "cease?"  Paul tells us not to let anyone judge us on account of our day of rest.  That is to say, it's nobody else's business.  What does that mean?

When I, as a Methodist, tell people I keep a 7th day Shabbat, I get judged.  "You know you don't have to do that, right?  You know Jesus set you free from the chains of Shabbat, right?  You know Jesus is our sabbath rest, right?"

I love my Christian brothers and sisters... I really do.  LORD bless them, they're doing the best they know how.  But they're judging me, in direct contradiction to what Paul said.  Paul didn't say "Move the Sabbath," Paul said "It's nobody else's business when you take your shabbat."

So if your job requires you to "cease" on a Wednesday, then you "cease" on a Wednesday.  But for heaven's sake, DO IT.  That's not a day for you to get caught up on work... that's a day for you to remember to rest.

As for me, I think it's pretty clear.  The Hebrews didn't have names for their days... the day we call
Sunday was simply known as "One."  Monday was "Two."  Wednesday was "Three."  You get the picture.

The only day that DID have a special name was the 7th day, which was not called "Seven," it was called "Shabbat."

So on the 7th day of each week, I rest from whatever labors I had the week before.  I try to focus my attention on heavenly things.  I listen to a few sermons, or I read more scripture than usual, or I set aside time for prayer.  And, if at all possible, I take a nap.

Paul said don't judge. =)

Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?

So lets say you have a friend named Dave. and as we're talking, I mention my friend, who is also named Dave.

You look at me suspiciously: My Dave lives in Columbus.
I look back suspiciously: My Dave also lives in Columbus.

You smile: My Dave lives on High Street.
I grin: My Dave also lives on High Street.

You say: My Dave is a banker.
I say: My Dave is also a banker.

You say: My Dave drives a white car.
I say: My Dave also drives a white car.

You say: My Dave loves his son very much.
I say: My Dave doesn't have any children.

Is it possible we're talking about the same Dave? No. No it's not.

And say, "Praise to Allah , who has not taken a son and has had no partner in [His] dominion and has no [need of a] protector out of weakness; and glorify Him with [great] glorification."  (Quran 17:111)

Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. (Quran  112:1-4) 

It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is. (Quran 19:35) 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4)

When we want to know if two people in question are the same person, like the two men named Dave in the opening example, we need to compare their attributes.  Are these two men exactly the same in every way?  We may find thousands of similarities between the two... they could both have beards, they could both have wives named Susan, they could both be graduates of the same university... but it is only necessary to find a single, irrefutable discrepancy to make the call.  In this case, I think, the teaching is very clear.