“THE SABBATH TRANSFERRED.”—NO. 3.
The third chapter of “The Sabbath Transferred,” by Dr. Parker, deals with “Prophecies Foreshadowing the Transfer of the Sabbath.” These prophecies are Isa. 65:17–19 and Ps. 118:19–29; and this is all Mr. Parker has to present. But what do they teach us?—Absolutely nothing regarding a “transfer” of the Sabbath. In fact, the Sabbath is not mentioned. The first passage refers to the new heavens and the new earth, the eternal home of the redeemed when sin is blotted out. The text reads as follows:— “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” On this our author thus argues:— “The (Jewish) Sabbath was the memorial day set apart for the commemoration of the work of creation. The prophet says that this Sabbath day shall cease to be kept, for the old creation ‘shall not be remembered nor come into mind.’ The new heavens and the new earth, spoken of by the prophet, is a spiritual creation. The old creation should fade away in the brighter light of the new creation, as the stars fade out in the light of the rising sun; and the transfer of the Sabbath, the memorial of the work of creation, from Saturday to Sunday, would indicate that this prophecy has been fulfilled.” And then counsel is hidden by words without knowledge in likening the “transfer” at the resurrection to geological changes. The simple fact is, there was no change or transfer at the resurrection. There is no more reason in saying that the Sabbath was included in the “former” things which should not come into mind than the sun or the moon or the day or the night is included. The “former” relates to the “former troubles,” spoken of in the verse previous. Certainly the condition of things foretold by the prophet does not exist now; it did not exist even in the early church. It was far future, the glorious consummation to be, in John’s day. Rev. 21:1–7. Neither does Ps. 118:19–29 mention any Sabbath day. Once only is the term day used, and that has no reference to any day of the week, but the day of triumph by Jesus Christ. “The Stone which the builders refused is become the head Stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Verses 22–24. When Christ was betrayed into the hands of His enemies, He said, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Luke 22:53. When He was locked in the stone sepulcher by the Roman seal, it was seemingly Satan’s day of triumph. But when He was demonstrated to be “the Son of God with power,” according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:4), it was the day of Christ’s triumph,—the day of the salvation of the church. It is not a twenty-four-hour day in which to rejoice, but one great long lifetime day, the glorious Gospel-day of Christ’s triumph, the gladness of which is as appropriate on the fourth day of the week as the first. Is Mr. Parker glad only on Sunday? Are the fruits of Christ’s triumph operative only on that day?—Nay; he who knows the power of Christ’s resurrection is glad every day of the week. “On the day of the resurrection, Christ appeared five times to His disciples and to the holy women. On the next Saturday, the Jewish day for the observance of the Sabbath under the law, He did not appear to any one, but ‘after eight days,’ on the Lord’s day, He appeared to His disciples in the upper room, Thomas being with them. The first risen Saviour ceased to observe the Sabbath7day, to meet with His disciples, and give them an opportunity to come into His immediate and sensible presence to worship Him, and meet them on the Lord’s day, if the Sabbath had not been transferred at the resurrection from Saturday to Sunday?” We hope our readers will study the Sacred Record. They will find, (1) That there is no intimation of the change or “transfer” of the Sabbath; (2) That there is no evidence that Sunday was made a holy day, or is to be so regarded; (3) That the disciples remained in doubt and unbelief throughout the day; (4) That those who went to Emmaus regarded the day as purely secular; (5) That the meeting of Jesus with the disciples had no likeness of a religious meeting, but simply to show that He was risen; (6) That while the first four instances occurred in that first day of the week, and while it was still that day when the disciples came together, it was not till the close of that day that Jesus met with them; and then He upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe in His resurrection. Strange indeed, that they were met to celebrate an occasion in which they did not believe. The next meeting was “after eight days from that time,”—after eight days from Sunday night. Count it honestly, reader, and see when the next meeting would fall. One day would certainly be, to be liberal, as late as Monday night; two days would be Tuesday night; three days, Wednesday night; four days, Thursday night; five days, Friday night (Sabbath evening); six days, Saturday night (evening after the Sabbath); seven days, Sunday night; eight days, Monday night; and after eight days would be when, reader? At the most liberal interpretation Christ’s second meeting was as late as the next Monday week at evening. Why did He meet with them then?—Simply because they were all at home—Thomas among them. It was to convince Thomas before all, so that he could have confirming evidence that Jesus met with them on that occasion. The third meeting with the chosen ones was a fishing occasion by the Sea of Galilee, recorded in John 21. This may have been on a Sunday; it is still quite a day for fishing by even professed Sunday observers. It was certainly not the Sabbath. To the question of Mr. Parker in the above quotation, we would say that Christ ever regarded the Sabbath, and we have no reason to believe that His moral conduct and regard for the law of God was any different after His death than it was before. Nay, we have abundant evidence to believe that it is just the same. Here are two scriptures: “As He is, so are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17. We are here to represent Him; and “he that saith that he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” 1 John 2:6. But He kept the Ten Commandments and the seventh-day Sabbath. If we are intelligently-instructed followers of Christ; if Christ lives in us the same life He lived on earth, will not we do the same?—Most assuredly. Faith does not make void the law; it establishes it in our heart.