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Pointed out to me recently was this passage from the book Education as evidence that Ellen G. White confirms that composed is a day of the singular period from an evening to a morning. However, I will show below that she is not saying what they think when she uses the plural “periods” and not the singular form of the word.
Notice the definite article in the Genesis quote and her use of the words without the definite article. When she mentions “evening and morning” she is referring to a list of words and not the singular period cited in Genesis. She is saying that a day consists of the plural “periods” bordered by the words evening and morning. This previous passage shows that our language is flexible and we can misunderstand if we don't read it carefully. We are prone to blind ourselves to the correct understanding when we have a wrong way of looking at it that ignores the details. She is not saying what we think she is saying when she uses the plural “periods” and not the singular form to defend our tradition. She is not saying that made up is a day only of the period between an evening and a morning, which is half a day when she used the plural form and not the singular form of “periods”. No one disputes that she knew that a Sabbath in Israel consists of two “periods” that God named night and day with those border words from the first evening to the morning, followed by a second period from the morning to the second evening. What she is saying is that each day has the words evening and morning to border its periods, but she is not saying that a day consists only of the period from evening to morning, which is half of the first day, the night half. Language allows a change of meaning if a single word is plural or singular. Her use of the plural word “periods” confirms the first day from morning to morning that Israel remembers from evening to evening, to keep the Sabbath holy.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. (Genesis 1:3-5 NIV)
Our church does not realize that God is using the Sunday tradition to give us time to grow to keep the true biblical Sabbath everywhere and not just in Israel, because God will not help to unify us on a human tradition. God is not helping to convict Sunday keepers while Saturday keepers are keeping a human tradition in contradiction to the biblical Sabbath. The never-ending fight between Saturday and Sunday is because of the Saturday tradition. God is not allowing us to unify Christianity in a human tradition. We must correct our Sabbath keeping and then God will help us correct others to keep the Sabbath.
Consider how our tradition ends the first day in an evening when it plainly says that the first day ends in a "morning". Human tradition has assumed that given is a beginning for the first day when no beginning is given and God expects us to find the beginning by working backwards from the given end of the first day. When it only takes one to find the other and God chose to give the end and not the beginning, our tradition forced our will for a beginning by rejecting the end as it shows our wrong assumption. It is critical that we correct our Saturday tradition with the true biblical Sabbath in God’s word to prepare many for the soon return of Jesus.
United in our hope for the soon return of Jesus, Jorge
Inferences erroneously drawn from facts observed in nature have, however, led to supposed conflict between science and revelation; and in the effort to restore harmony, interpretations of Scripture have been adopted that undermine and destroy the force of the word of God. Geology has been thought to contradict the literal interpretation of the Mosaic record of the creation. Millions of years, it is claimed, were required for the evolution of the earth from chaos; and in order to accommodate the Bible to this supposed revelation of science, the days of creation are assumed to have been vast, indefinite periods, covering thousands or even millions of years.
Such a conclusion is wholly uncalled for. The Bible record is in harmony with itself and with the teaching of nature. Of the first day employed in the work of creation is given the record, “The evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:5. And the same in substance is said of each of the first six days of creation week. Each of these periods Inspiration declares to have been a day consisting of evening and morning, like every other day since that time. In regard to the work of creation itself the divine testimony is, “He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Psalm 33:9. With Him who could thus call into existence unnumbered worlds, how long a time would be required for the evolution of the earth from chaos? In order to account for His works, must we do violence to His word? (Education, page 129)
Such a conclusion is wholly uncalled for. The Bible record is in harmony with itself and with the teaching of nature. Of the first day employed in the work of creation is given the record, “The evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:5. And the same in substance is said of each of the first six days of creation week. Each of these periods Inspiration declares to have been a day consisting of evening and morning, like every other day since that time. In regard to the work of creation itself the divine testimony is, “He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Psalm 33:9. With Him who could thus call into existence unnumbered worlds, how long a time would be required for the evolution of the earth from chaos? In order to account for His works, must we do violence to His word? (Education, page 129)
Notice the definite article in the Genesis quote and her use of the words without the definite article. When she mentions “evening and morning” she is referring to a list of words and not the singular period cited in Genesis. She is saying that a day consists of the plural “periods” bordered by the words evening and morning. This previous passage shows that our language is flexible and we can misunderstand if we don't read it carefully. We are prone to blind ourselves to the correct understanding when we have a wrong way of looking at it that ignores the details. She is not saying what we think she is saying when she uses the plural “periods” and not the singular form to defend our tradition. She is not saying that made up is a day only of the period between an evening and a morning, which is half a day when she used the plural form and not the singular form of “periods”. No one disputes that she knew that a Sabbath in Israel consists of two “periods” that God named night and day with those border words from the first evening to the morning, followed by a second period from the morning to the second evening. What she is saying is that each day has the words evening and morning to border its periods, but she is not saying that a day consists only of the period from evening to morning, which is half of the first day, the night half. Language allows a change of meaning if a single word is plural or singular. Her use of the plural word “periods” confirms the first day from morning to morning that Israel remembers from evening to evening, to keep the Sabbath holy.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. (Genesis 1:3-5 NIV)
Our church does not realize that God is using the Sunday tradition to give us time to grow to keep the true biblical Sabbath everywhere and not just in Israel, because God will not help to unify us on a human tradition. God is not helping to convict Sunday keepers while Saturday keepers are keeping a human tradition in contradiction to the biblical Sabbath. The never-ending fight between Saturday and Sunday is because of the Saturday tradition. God is not allowing us to unify Christianity in a human tradition. We must correct our Sabbath keeping and then God will help us correct others to keep the Sabbath.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27 NIV)
Consider how our tradition ends the first day in an evening when it plainly says that the first day ends in a "morning". Human tradition has assumed that given is a beginning for the first day when no beginning is given and God expects us to find the beginning by working backwards from the given end of the first day. When it only takes one to find the other and God chose to give the end and not the beginning, our tradition forced our will for a beginning by rejecting the end as it shows our wrong assumption. It is critical that we correct our Saturday tradition with the true biblical Sabbath in God’s word to prepare many for the soon return of Jesus.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5 NIV)
United in our hope for the soon return of Jesus, Jorge
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