Resting on the Sabbath

Previously: The Sabbath, part nine

Just a quick note this morning: World Net Daily has been commenting on the Sabbath, is it Saturday or Sunday? issue lately. They have two articles up right now:

Deception: Christians war over worship day; centuries- old clash continues over disputed commandment

and

Anti- Judaism at root of Sunday Sabbath?

I do believe that there was a definite attempt made to completely separate anything having to do with Judaism from anything having to do with Christianity, which was codified in the 4th century. Even though by reading the New Testament, it is clear the Christians (I am sure they merely considered themselves Yeshua- following Jews, and not a separate religion) continued in the Temple and synagogues, and continued celebrating the biblical feast days, after a time they of necessity separated. The Jews rejected Yeshua- following believers and eventually even passed laws to forbid them entrance into the synagogues. So what were the followers of Yeshua to do?

I believe that although the separation did take place, this separation was in a way ordained by God. It served a purpose. If there are two witnesses, the Jews and the Christians, each witness served to preserve their witness of God through the centuries while the Devil was trying to silence and kill them. The Jews preserved the Torah and the obedience of God and walking in His ways, and the Christians preserved the knowledge of the Messiah, the gospels, and the apostolic writings. In a way, the Jews preserved the written Torah, and the Christians preserved the living Torah (John 1:1, 14).

But now that we are in the last days, the purpose served for the separation has come to an end. The Jews are adding to their witness of the written Torah, the Messiah (the living Torah), just as it was prophesied they would. The Christians are adding to their witness of the Messiah (the living Torah ), the written Torah, just as it was prophesied they would. The written Word and the living Word are not at odds with each other! Neither contradicts the other! They each illuminate the other.

So when I realized that God never ordained the Sabbath change, but that it was prophesied that the man of lawlessness (or, Torah- lessness) would do so, then, for me, the decision to repent of breaking the 4th commandment and to begin to walk in obedience to YHVH’s ways, starting with resting on the 7th day, or Saturday, was made much easier.