Hi John nice to see you again. I do not think anyone is labeling anyone here that I have seen or I am aware of as far as I know. I do not mind addressing these claims of yours however below as there is nothing you have provided here that says Gods' 4th commandment of the 10 commandments is now abolished and we are now commanded to keep Sunday as a Holy day of rest. Some comments are posted below if not for you others may be interested.
Acts 15 is silent about the Sabbath just as it is about committing murder, lying, stealing, committing adultery, using God's name in vain, coveting your neighbors belongings, and worshiping other God's. This is because Acts 15 was never over the question of "
Are the ten commandments a requirement for Christian living?" The question that Acts 15 was discussing was "
Is circumcision a requirement for salvation for new gentile believers?" This is clearly shown in Acts of the Apostles 15:1-2 and this was the question Paul and Barnabas when to Jerusalem to discuss as shown in the scriptures. To have an interpretation of Acts 15 that God's 10 commandments are not a requirement for gentile believers contradicts most of the new testament scriptures and the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles who all kept the Sabbath and taught others to keep God's 10 commandments (
scripture support here). Having the interpretation that Acts 15 was over the 10 commandments and not circumcision as it is written in Acts of the Apostles 15:1-2 also makes Paul a hypocrite when he goes to the Corinthians believers not long afterwards and says "
Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God." in 1 Corinthians 7:19. According to the scriptures, Acts 15 has nothing to do with if God's 10 commandments are a requirement for Christian living. It was about if the Mosiac "
shadow law" was a requirement for salvation for new gentile believers. The answer was no as they would continue learning God's Word every Sabbath *Acts of the Apostles 15:19-21.
Romans 14 says
nothing at all about the Sabbath of God's 4th commandment and the subject matter has nothing to do with God's 10 commandments whatsoever. It is about eating and not eating (fasting) on days that men esteem over other days not what days God esteems and judging others in this regards. According to the scriptures the things that men esteem are an abomination to God (Luke 16:15). There is no mention at all in all of Romans 14 about Gods' 4th commandment and to suggest otherwise is to read into the scriptures what the scriptures do not say anywhere and do not teach. This practice of reading into scripture what it does not say or teach is called eisegesis and is
not biblical.
That would be because everyone was keeping the Sabbath as shown in the scriptures *Matthew 12:1-8; 10-12; 24:20;
Mark 3:1-5;
Luke 6:1-10; 13:14-16; 14:1-5;
John 7:22-23; 9:14;
Mark 1:21;
Mark 6:2;
Luke 4:16; 31;
Luke 14:1; 23:56;
John 2:6; Matthew 16:24; Acts of the Apostles 13:14; 13:27; 13:44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4.
Why would there need to be a scripture here about assembling on the Sabbath? According to the scriptures they were already doing so (see previous section) Hebrews 4:9 THEREFORE IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH.
Colossians 2:16 as shown earlier through the within scripture and chapter contexts is to the annual ceremonial "shadow sabbaths" in the Feast days
not God's 4th commandment.
These ceremonial sabbath(s) and days of holy convocation excluding work (sabbaton) included…
(1) Feast of Unleavened Bread (first and last day) *
Leviticus 23:6-8
(2) Feast of Trumpets *
Leviticus 23:24-25
(3) Day of Atonement *
Leviticus 23:27-32
(4) Feast of Booths *
Leviticus 23:34-36
(5) Feast of First Fruits *
Leviticus 23:39
(6) Feast days of Holy convocation of no work *
Leviticus 23:7-8; 21;24; 27; 35-36
(7) Sabbath rest of the land (7-year cycle) *
Leviticus 25:2
(8) Sabbath of Jubilee culminating of the 7x7 yearly cycles sabbaths *
Leviticus 25:9-54
All of the above of course were different to God’s 4th commandment and could fall on any day of the week unlike Gods’ 4th commandment which is strictly every ) “seventh day” of the week.
These are the "shadow" sabbaths that Paul is referring to above not God's 4th commandment of the 10 commandment that gives us a knowledge of what sin is when broken. These were to be fulfilled in the new covenant promise as the annual Feasts days and days of holy convocation all pointed to Christ as our Passover sacrifice for the sins of the world *
1 Corinthians 5:7-8.
Let's now look at the old testament scriptures that Paul is referring to in
Colossians 2:16 noting the order and scripture context which is to the meat and drink offerings, and the new moons and sabbaths in the annual Feast days...
COLOSSIANS 2:16 [16] Let no man therefore judge you in (1) MEAT, or in DRINK, or in respect of an (2) HOLYDAY [FEASTIVALS], or of the (3) NEW MOON, or of the (4) SABBATH DAYS <plural GNP>
PAUL'S within scriptures CONTEXT and use of
COLOSSIANS 2:16-17 is in reference to the OLD TESTAMENT scriptures.
EZEKIEL 45:17 [17] And it shall be the prince's part to give BURNT OFFERINGS, and (1) MEAT OFFERINGS, and DRINK OFFERINGS, in the (2) FEASTS, and in the (3) NEW MOONS, and in the (4) SABBATHS, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
NUMBERS 28 [9] 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: [10] This is the burnt offering of EVERY SABBATH, beside the continual BURN'T OFFERING, and his DRINK OFFERING.
ISAIAH 1:10-14 [10] Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.[11] To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I AM FULL OF THE BURNT OFFERINGS of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.[12] When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?[13] BRING NO MORE VAIN OBLATIONS; incense is an abomination unto me; THE NEW MOONS AND SABBATHS, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.[14] Your NEW MOONS and your APPOINTED FEASTS my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
LEVITICUS 23:4 [4] These are THE FEASTS OF THE LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. [5] In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is THE LORD'S PASSOVER. [6] And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread…… [13] And the MEAT OFFERING thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the DRINK OFFERING thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
HOSEA 2:11 [11], I will also cause all her mirth to CEASE, HER [ISRAEL'S] FEAST DAYS, her NEW MOONS, and HER SABBATHS, and all HER [ISRAELS] SOLEMN FEASTS.
Note in HOSEA the prophecy to put an end to all the end to all the annual feasts and in all the above scripture applications that link directly to
Colossians 2:16, the sabbaths being referred to here are always applied the annual feast days, meat and drink offerings, and the new moons? So the scripture context is to the annual sabbaths in the feast days that are shadows of things to come. As shown earlier these annual ceremonial sabbaths or days of holy convocation included (1) Feast of Unleavened Bread (first and last day) *
Leviticus 23:6-8 (2) Feast of Trumpets *
Leviticus 23:24-25 (3) Day of Atonement *
Leviticus 23:27-32 (4) Feast of Booths *
Leviticus 23:34-36 (5) Feast of First Fruits *
Leviticus 23:39 (6) Feast days of Holy convocation of no work *
Leviticus 23:7-8; 21;24; 27; 35-36
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CONCLUSION: WHAT IS PAUL REFERRING TO IN
COLOSSIANS 2? Well of course it is the ceremonial “shadow laws” and the annual ceremonial shadow sabbaths in the annual Feast days from the Mosaic book of the law (
Leviticus 23) not God's 4th commandment weekly Sabbath of the 10 commandments. The chapter context of
Colossians 2:11-17 is to “circumcision” and “baptism” and the blotting out of the “ordinances that were against us” that were all “shadows of things to come v17. So there is nothing about Gods 10 commandments being referred to in
Colossians 2 and the sabbaths are those connected directly to the annual Feast days not God's weekly Sabbath connected solely to the "seventh day" of every week as a memorial of creation *
Exodus 20:8-11.
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So in summary John there is not a single scripture in all of God's Word that says that God's Sabbath commandment of the 10 commandment has been abolished and we are not commanded to keep Sunday or the first day of the week as a Holy day of rest. As shown earlier this is a man-made teaching and tradition handed down from the Roman Catholic Church to Protestantism today that has led many either knowingly or unknowingly to break God's commandments. Jesus says in
Matthew 15:3-9 that if we knowingly follow man-made teachings and traditions that break the commandments of God we are not worshiping God. Our God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship him in Spirit and in truth according to Jesus in
John 4:23-24. So who should we believe and follow John, God or man? -
Romans 3:4;
Acts of the Apostles 5:29?
Hope this is helpful.