So confused on the Sabbath...

[JAL]

Look in Exodus 20 for God's explaination of His rules.

Your foundational mistake. The whole root of your error lies in your fantasy that a book can fully contain, describe, and circumscribe the rules of God. How naiive. At any given moment, fragile human life is faced with billions of possible dangers, threats, and contingincies known only to an omniscient God. For example, if you read the Bible and conclude, "I should go to work tomorrow," you might find yourself in the midst of another 911 that God alone foreknew. You might therefore die as a result of your arrogant presumptiont that "I have the know-how to discern the will of God from the Bible laws." Whereas if you had inclined your ear unto the Father, as Jesus would have, He might have warned you, "Don't you dare go to work tomorrow - I don't care what you THINK the bible is commianding you."

 

[JAL]

I can tell you story after story of people I know who have lost their job's because they have decided to follow God and keep the Sabbath. THESE PEOPLE HAD FAITH IN THEIR GOD TO PROVIDE FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILES WHERE IS YOUR FAITH IN GOD??? I heard one last week from a member of my church that almost doubled his salery after being terminated for not working on the sabbath. He was without work for 3 weeks but he recieved a sizable bonus from his former company even though the company could have with held the bonus legally. His new job has every Sabbath off his boss is a praticing Jew and takes Sabbaths off and he makes about 50K a year more. God provides for His children can we hear and amen? People who make a stand for God and end up loosing their jobs for it generally end up with a better job if not finacially better at least one the is better for them spritualy.

So you remember a few people who supposedly benefitted from your paradigm (and you conveniently forgot, or perhaps never heard about, those who suffered from it) and you expect me to base my theology on your testimony? So if I brought into this discussion a sizeable number of, say, Muslims who testified that they profited after taking a bold stand for Allah, you would convert to Islam? Please. Don't insult my intelligience in this fashion.

 

[JAL]

Your problem is you have more faith in your ablitly to feed your family than God's ability to feed your family. You say God is all powerful and provides for you but you don't trust in Him to provide for you? When you say grace over your food who do you thank for providing that food yourself or God? Who is the hypocrit here?

But as you probably know about me, I don't accept the notion of blind faith. As a general rule, blind faith is not only stupidity, it often amounts to tempting the Lord. "Do not tempt the Lord thy God." For example, would you step out on the ocean, as Peter did, to walk on water? Where is your faith? (Blind faith?) Peter didn't do it blindly. He inclined his ear unto the Lord, who said, "Come out on the water." Faith cometh by hearing. If the voice of the Lord hasn't TOLD ME to risk my job on a Saturday, I am going forth in presumption and arrogance to take a stand for God "on the water" in an unauthorized fashion. That's foolishness.

Now I will qualify that, however. We are obligated to our conscience, even though we are the ones who have corrupted it (with doctrines such as sabbatarianism). Therefore if you have this false doctrine in your conscience, you are obligated to it, and God MUST reward your obedience. That's just how it works, and this would account for those examples of people who beneffited from your paradigm. On the other hand, if He ever troubles your conscience over this doctrine, asking you to reconsider it (who knows, perhaps He is doing that now), you will forfeit some of His blessings if you remain stubborn about it.

 

[ThreeAM]

Abrahamic covenant no? Didn't God make a covenant with Abraham? Isn't that considered 'Law' i don't think the reference is to a covenant that doesn't exist, nor something that God did not tell Abraham to do. The verse is in reference to the things that God had already told Abraham to do and how he Obeyed them. It can't be a reference to a Law that God would give in the future, although Abrahams actions may have been congrous with the later Law that doesn't mean that God made the same covenant, or gave Abraham the same Law as moses.

God calls them "My Commandments."

Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Exd 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. [From the 10 Commandments]

Personally I don't think God changes His definition of sin the thing that are offensive to Him have always been offensive to Him and will always be offensive to Him, yesterday today and for ever...


Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Jhn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Isa 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23. 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.

 

[ThreeAM]

But as you probably know about me, I don't accept the notion of blind faith. As a general rule, blind faith is not only stupidity, it often amounts to tempting the Lord. "Do not tempt the Lord thy God." For example, would you step out on the ocean, as Peter did, to walk on water? Where is your faith? (Blind faith?) Peter didn't do it blindly. He inclined his ear unto the Lord, who said, "Come out on the water." Faith cometh by hearing.

I don't accept "blind" faith either. And trust me the people that put their jobs on the line as a matter of conviction have studied the scriptures and are conviced about God's will. That applied specially for my father a mechanic with 3 small boys and a stay at home mother. It was a decision that was reached with MUCH prayer and study.

And Peter walked on the water as long as He had his eyes on Christ and when he didn't what happened ...he sank.

If the voice of the Lord hasn't TOLD ME to risk my job on a Saturday, I am going forth in presumption and arrogance to take a stand for God "on the water" in an unauthorized fashion. That's foolishness.

Perhaps you just aren't listening very well. We all are guilty of that sometimes. Perhaps stop making rediculus arguments about vacations and feeding animals and shouting "hypocrits" and really try to understand the issue and pray about it with an open heart in earnestness.

Now I will qualify that, however. We are obligated to our conscience, even though we are the ones who have corrupted it (with doctrines such as sabbatarianism). Therefore if you have this false doctrine in your conscience, you are obligated to it, and God MUST reward your obedience. That's just how it works, and this would account for those examples of people who beneffited from your paradigm. On the other hand, if He ever troubles your conscience over this doctrine, asking you to reconsider it (who knows, perhaps He is doing that now), you will forfeit some of His blessings if you remain stubborn about it.

That's the exact reason I don't worry about those who don't follow the sabbath because they are truely conviced to not observe it. God winks at our iniquty in time of ignorance. But we are also suposed to study and to hold on to that which is true. I have studied this doctrine and feel very comfortable in my understanding of the scripture. I try to follow Christ's own example and I think that's solid ground. Since its Christ works that saves us and not your own you will be saved by Christ's obedience to the Sabbath we should observe the Sabbath simply becaue we love Him and he has asked us to keep His Commandments.

Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Isa 66:23 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.

Then you are not taking it literally. Based on your sort of logic (I got all my work done), you could also justify Saturday-labor as follows, "This week I had all my work done by Thursday, so on Friday I rested all day.Since I got all my resting done on Friday, I didn't need need to rest on Saturday. So I worked Saturday." The whole rigid paradigm breaks down once you start making exceptions. Tell me something, does the text say, or does it NOT say, "Six days shalt thou labor." If it does, and if you say we are to take the text literally (no exceptions), then we MUST work six days a week. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

Not at all: Were are commanded to rest specifically on the 7th day friday rest doesn't qualify as Sabbath rest unless it is after sunday friday which is the begining of the sabbath.

 

[JAL]

I don't accept "blind" faith either. And trust me the people that put their jobs on the line as a matter of conviction have studied the scriptures and are conviced about God's will. That applied specially for my father a mechanic with 3 small boys and a stay at home mother. It was a decision that was reached with MUCH prayer and study.

And Peter walked on the water as long as He had his eyes on Christ and when he didn't what happened ...he sank.

As for the words in bold, you just don't get it, do you? As I argued earlier, one simply cannot determine the will of an omniscient God from the Scriptures! You cannot have it both ways - either we can simply read laws in the Bible and conclude they are binding or we admit that the Bible is insufficient to make those kind of rigid determinations. You almost suggest as much in the words following the boldface, "It was a decision that was reached with MUCH prayer." - What has prayer got to do with it? Thought all this sabbatarianism stuff was "plainly taught" in the Scriptures? Why pray about it? What's there to pray about? Are you questioining God? Thje non-sabbatarian says, "I've prayed about it, and I see no obligation either in the Scripture or in the testimony of the Holy Spirit that I need to observe the Sabbath." The typical sabbatarian replies (and perhaps you are atypical), "This doctrine is plainly taught in Scripture." Ok, if it is plainly taught, why pray about it? What's there to pray about?

 

[JAL]

Perhaps you just aren't listening very well. We all are guilty of that sometimes. Perhaps stop making rediculus arguments about vacations and feeding animals and shouting "hypocrits" and really try to understand the issue and pray about it with an open heart in earnestness.

Perhaps you just aren't listening very well. We all are guilty of that sometimes. Perhaps stop making rediculus arguments about vacations and feeding animals and shouting "hypocrits" and really try to understand the issue and pray about it with an open heart in earnestness.

You haven't demonstrated that my arguments are ridiculous. I define a hyprocite as someone who tries to generalize his rule-paradigm to others while violating it himself. In this case, the sabbatarian says, "We must all take the text literally." He then takes a two week vacation in the bahamas, contrary to the literal command, "Ye SHALL work six days." In a theological debate, I generally have only one primary consideration - is the person I'm dealing with logically consistent. If I expose an inconsistency, it is a cheap tactic on your part to call it "a ridiculous argument." Instead, show me the consistency of your position, if you can. Are we to take the text literall, or NOT? Make up your mind, please. You can't have it both ways!

 

[JAL]

ThreeAm:

You cited the following verse, "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" (Isa 66:23). This passage is almost certainly eschatologial. The chronology of eschatological passages is often non-sequential and therefore confusing. The verse is probably referring to the Millennium where there may, indeed, be a restoration of Sabbath observance - in fact I would expect it, given that the Millennium is in large part a restoration of Israel, most likely.

 

[holo]

[Christ could have said the sabbath was made for ethnic Israel only but He didn't say that did He?

Perhaps he assumed that you'd figure that out by yourself? I did

If you assume the Sabbath was only given to ethnic Israel only then the other 9 commandments that God wrote [/FONT]with his finger on stone apply only to ethnic Israel also.

Yes.

So go ahead and profane God's name etc. etc. he won't care ...right?

Would you profane God unless a commandment told you not to? Or would you steal or kill, for that matter?

 

[ThreeAM]

Your foundational mistake. The whole root of your error lies in your fantasy that a book can fully contain, describe, and circumscribe the rules of God. How naiive. At any given moment, fragile human life is faced with billions of possible dangers, threats, and contingincies known only to an omniscient God. For example, if you read the Bible and conclude, "I should go to work tomorrow," you might find yourself in the midst of another 911 that God alone foreknew. You might therefore die as a result of your arrogant presumptiont that "I have the know-how to discern the will of God from the Bible laws." Whereas if you had inclined your ear unto the Father, as Jesus would have, He might have warned you, "Don't you dare go to work tomorrow - I don't care what you THINK the bible is commianding you."

More absurd examples?

So God can't tell in the scriptures us what He wants from us. We do what God convict us to do based on our understanding of the scriptures and our daily comunication with God through prayer.

Perfect Example: One summer my dad was helping his neighbor and friend who was working on his home. He did the work for free. Every sunday and many week days dad would help. Every Sabbath my dad would not work on the house and we would go to church. On Sabbath morning a sudden thunder storm can up and the roof needed to be covered with plastic to prevent damage. We walked out of the house about the time the rain was about to begin. Dad realized the situation and ran inside put his bible down quickly changed cloths and helped the neighbor save his home from damage. Then when things were buttoned down he changed and we went to church we were late and dad had missed his part of the service. Again it is lawful to do good on the sabbath. Helping our neighbor save his home from damage was a good thing that could not be delayed to another time. I think God is fine with that. I don't remember anywhere in the bible where it specifically says nail plastic on your neighbors roof if it rains on the Sabbath. But our Christion actions say a lot more than words alone. Christ covered this principle when He healed on the Sabbath. I'm a physican I have no problems at handeling emergencies on the Sabbath but non-emergency work should be scheduled on a day other than the sabbath.

 

[JAL]

So God can't tell in the scriptures us what He wants from us. We do what God convict us to do based on our understanding of the scriptures and our daily comunication with God through prayer.

As for the first sentence the answer is Yes, correct, God CANNOT tell us in the scriptures what He wants from us, at least nothing specific to our situation, which is what matters most. It is logically impossible for a book that is short enough for humans to read to contain all that information for all generations and individuals. (I'm getting tired of repeating this fact). In regard to your second sentence, here too you are mixing up themes, trying to have your cake and eat it too, "We do what God convict us to do based on our understanding of the scriptures." No, we EITHER do we what God convicts us to do OR we do what our understanding of the Scriptures dictates. MY paradigm says we should do what God convicts us to do, NOT what our understanding indicates. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,lean not into your own understanding."

 

[ThreeAM]

Perhaps he assumed that you'd figure that out by yourself? I did

And see you got it wrong..you should have listen to what Christ said.

Yes.

Then curse God, steal from your neighbors, comitt adultry, kill a few people sas your mom and dad and tell a few lies while professing to follow Christ.

Would you profane God unless a commandment told you not to? Or would you steal or kill, for that matter?

I see "Christian" using God's name in vain almost everyday. How about adultry? Why not? God tells us it is wrong and I believe him. What about lieing is it wrong? Why do you think it is wrong? Are their any civil laws against lieing to your neighbor? What's wrong with it? Its wrong because God says it is wrong. How about coveting what's wrong with just wanting the things your neighbor has? Are there civil laws against it? No. But God says it is sin and I believe Him.

 

[JAL]

Perfect Example: One summer my dad was helping his neighbor and friend who was working on his home. He did the work for free. Every sunday and many week days dad would help. Every Sabbath my dad would not work on the house and we would go to church. On Sabbath morning a sudden thunder storm can up and the roof needed to be covered with plastic to prevent damage. We walked out of the house about the time the rain was about to begin. Dad realized the situation and ran inside put his bible down quickly changed cloths and helped the neighbor save his home from damage. Then when things were buttoned down he changed and we went to church we were late and dad had missed his part of the service. Again it is lawful to do good on the sabbath. Helping our neighbor save his home from damage was a good thing that could not be delayed to another time. I think God is fine with that.

Agreed. And when a single-parent mom is offered a job that involves working Saturdays, she says to herself, and rightly so, "Feeding my kids is more urgent, and less delayable, then fixing that neighbors roof. I'm taking the job."

You see, one of the things that sabbatarians overlook is that Israel was given special providence, that is, both an economic and spiritual revival (He even promised them no diseases - Ex 15). That's why there were Sabbath years (which sabbatarians fail to honor, which in my opinion is theologically inconsistent and hypocritical). As a result of this special providence, the typical single-parent mom did not have to worry about getting her kids fed. Most other nations are under no such dispensation of prosperity. Consequently working on the sabbath is, in my view, typically a VERY good thin - but the Lord has to determine that for each individually. Neitehr you nor I have the right to make that determination.

 

[ThreeAM]

ThreeAm:

You cited the following verse, "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" (Isa 66:23). This passage is almost certainly eschatologial. The chronology of eschatological passages is often non-sequential and therefore confusing. The verse is probably referring to the Millennium where there may, indeed, be a restoration of Sabbath observance - in fact I would expect it, given that the Millennium is in large part a restoration of Israel, most likely.

It says the New Heaven and NEW EARTH. Certainly this is yet future and certainly Man will CONTINUE to worship God on the Sabbath in the earth made NEW.

Let's look at your reasoning.

1. Creation: Sabbath made and 7th day blessed and made HOLY

2. Creation to the Exodus {roughly 2000 years} God does not expect His followers to observe the HOLY sabbath.

3. Exodus to the curcifixion: God does want His followers to observe the Sabbath.

4. Time of Christ to second coming: God wants people to just ignore the HOLY sabbath day.

5. New Earth to eternity: Worship on the Sabbath for all flesh now important to God.

Sounds like God is just wishy washy to me.

But wait God said he doen't change and Christ is the same today, tomorrow, and forever.

My reasoning.

1. Creation: God created Man and the next day God made the Sabbth a special Holy day for Man to commune with God through out eternity.

2. Much of what God wants is forgotten or ignored by Man. But not fogotten by all men.


3. Second comming the faithful are saved and all flesh now understand that God has set aside the Sabbath as a special day of worship. Many of these folks had never understood that the Sabbath was God's HOLY all along. hank God that He winks at our inquity in time of ignorance.

 

[JAL]

5. New Earth to eternity: Worship on the Sabbath for all flesh now important to God.

If you think that Sabbath worship will continue in heaven, you are probably mistaken. There will be no night in heaven (Rev 22?) and hence no seven-day sequence. It will be a perpetual day, which brings up a good point - I'll get to it in a moment.

 

[JAL]

5. New Earth to eternity: Worship on the Sabbath for all flesh now important to God.

If you think that Sabbath worship will continue in heaven, you are probably mistaken. There will be no night in heaven (Rev 22?) and hence no seven-day sequence. It will be a perpetual day, which brings up a good point - I'll get to it in a moment.

Sabbatarianism depends on a seven-day paradigm, obviously, and they also say it is based on God's example at creation, we are to follow His example. He worked six days and rested on - Saturday? Buzz! Wrong Answer! I will soon argue that God did NOT rest on Saturday. Why is this important? Although I agree that God wants us to folow His example(s) in many areas of life, always there are two ways to follow someone's example, either verbatim or analogically. For instance, we should follow Christ's example of self-sacrifice - verbatim? Must we be crucified? No, we follow His example analogically, we sacrifice our time, money, and labor. And each individual does it in a differnt way, as the Spirit leads. This stands in manifest contradiction to the assumption that we MUST follow God's example (work six days and rest on Saturday) verbatim. (I do not deny that He told Israel something to that effect, what I deny is the assumption that this applies to every individual).

But the admonition to following God's example (work six days, rest on Saturday) breaks down even more once we realize that God did NOT rest on Saturday. And why do I say that? For two reasons. First, according to Hebrews God rested from the act of creating. He is still resting from that act. If the seven-day week of Genesis was 7 24-hour periods ending in Saturday, this means that God is NOW resting seven days a week (resting from the act of creating, at least). And, therefore, if we are to follow God's example VERBATIM (as sabbatarian's insist), we should now be resting seven days a week, as He does.

Moses did tell Israel to follow God's example, which makes sense only if God does NOT entail His resting seven days a week. How do we resolve this? Does He, in the example He sets for us, rest seven days, or not? NOT. The scientific evidence is pretty overwhelmingly indicates that the earth is 4 billion years old, and that the events of Genesis could NOT have taken place in 7 24-hour periods. Moses did not say it was 24-hour periods. He said it was seven days. A day he defines as a period of light followed by a period of darkness. He doesn't specify how long that he is. Problem is, there was no sun at that time, so he couldn't have been talking about 24 hour days. Paul tells in 2Cor 4, that it was the Light of Christ's face (providing photosynthesis to the plants, for example) that shined (for millions of years) until the sun was put into place. In my view, he shined into all the Galaxy (I call it the Seven Galactic DAys) interspersed with Seven Galactic Nights, and even during the Nights, He secretly provided a bit of light to the earth to take care of the plants. We are still in God's seventh (Galactic) day of rest, Hebrews says we enter into God's rest. God does not rest seven days a week. On HIS calendar, He is only resting on the seventh day, which is an eternal day, it has NOTHING to do with Saturday. Since God did not rest on Saturday, we can never follow His example verbatim, we can only follow it analogically, that is, in a variety of non-literal ways. For example, if I rest on Wedenesday, I have rested one day of the week, as He did, I have followed His example analogically.

As a matter of fact, the language of the Decalogue is more flexible than sabbatarians care to admit. Suppose I said to you, as my employee, "Two days this week I want you to stock shelves, and the third day I want you to cashier." Your first question would be, "WHICH two days did you have in mind?" You see, that kind of language isn't day-specific. The Decalogue did the same thing, "Six days this week you shall work, and the seventh you shall rest." It doesn't tell us which day is in view, precisely because God intended to be flexible, contrary to the Saturday-legalism of sabbatarians.

 

[ThreeAM]

Agreed. And when a single-parent mom is offered a job that involves working Saturdays, she says to herself, and rightly so, "Feeding my kids is more urgent, and less delayable, then fixing that neighbors roof. I'm taking the job."

You see, one of the things that sabbatarians overlook is that Israel was given special providence, that is, both an economic and spiritual revival (He even promised them no diseases - Ex 15). That's why there were Sabbath years (which sabbatarians fail to honor, which in my opinion is theologically inconsistent and hypocritical). As a result of this special providence, the typical single-parent mom did not have to worry about getting her kids fed. Most other nations are under no such dispensation of prosperity. Consequently working on the sabbath is, in my view, typically a VERY good thin - but the Lord has to determine that for each individually. Neitehr you nor I have the right to make that determination.

Do you think that God and the church would let a single mom go wanting because she chose to stand for God. I don't

Since you understand the term ethnic Israel I assume you see a difference between ethnic Israel and true or Spiritual Israel. Abraham is the father of Spritual Israel as well as ethnic Israel. The Spritual linage flows through Issac because of Issac's faith in God. It took faith to lay down on a alter and allow an aging Abraham to raise a knife to slay him. Surely Issac could have stopped Abraham. Issac had enough faith in God's word to lay his life on the line. All of Issac's decendents that had true faith in God are part of Spritual Israel. We as Christians have been adopted into spritual Israel were are part of the promises made to spirtual Israel.

NKJV Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Now here is an interesting exchange between Christ and the Pharisees.

John 8:37-44

Christ acknowleges that the pharisees are part of ethnic or genetic Israel. But denies them as part of Spiritual Israel

37. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

38.I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

Christ who had just said the pharisees were Abraham's seed now says the pharisees are not Abrham's children. Abraham followed God's commandment his works were obsedience to God.

39. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

Christ points out how He knows the pharisees are not part of spritual Israel.

40. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

41. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God.

42. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

What is a sign of spritual Israel who has been SANTICFIED by God?? And how long is that sign of sanctification supposed to last?


Exo 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it [is] a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

The real question is are you Christ's

NKJV Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

[JAL]

You cited this verse:

Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.


There are many aspects of the Israeli law that God said were to be done perpetually, most of which sabbatarians do NOT practice. Tell me the reason(s) you don't practice them, and I'll tell you the reason(s) I don't practice your Saturday- Sabbath.

 

[JAL]

In fact, here's a list of laws that God said were to be everlasting, many of which sabbatarians do not practice. [FONT=&quot](Ex 12:14, 17, 24; 21:6; 27:21; 28:43; 29:9, 28; 30:8, 21; 31:16-17; Lev 3:17; 6:18, 20, 22; 7:34, 36; 10:9, 15; 16:29, 31; 17:7; 23:14, 21, 31, 41; 24:3, 8-9, 25:23, 34; Num 10:8; 15:15; 18:8, 11, 19, 23; 19:10, 21; 25:13)[/FONT]

 

[JAL]

What is a sign of spritual Israel who has been SANTICFIED by God?? And how long is that sign of sanctification supposed to last?
Exo 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it [is] a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
The real question is are you Christ's

I forgot to mention, I don't for a moment believe that this passage is referring to spiritual Israel. I think it's referring to national Israel.