Increasing Light by I. Sanborn

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 17, 1875

Increasing Light.

By I. Sanborn

(Concluded.)*

Having shown in the preceding article that the mark of the beast will be the observance of the Sunday, the day whose observance the power symbolized by the beast claims to have substituted for the observance of the Sabbath, in place of the Sabbath of the Lord; that a strong party in our nation are now seeking to have the national Constitution so amended as to compel people to observe that day; and that the Sabbath is a sign between God and his people Israel, we will inquire, Who are now the true Israel? and is the Sabbath still a sign between God and his people?

Paul, although a Christian minister, had respect to the promises made to the fathers, and through them to the Jews. “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.” Acts 26: 6, 7. This is a candid admission on the part of Paul that the promises made of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were, and are now, the foundation of the hope of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The Bible definition of the name Israel is literally a prince of God. “And he [the angel] said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel [margin, a prince of God]; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Gen. 32: 27, 28. Then the true seed of Israel, in every generation from that time, are only those who, like Jacob, or Israel, overcome their sins, prevail with God, and receive his pardoning mercy; so that Jesus may say of them as he said of Nathaniel, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” The character of an Israelite is definitely described in these words of the text: “They serve God day and night.” Peter speaks of them as follows: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2: 9, 10.

James, A. D. 60, addresses the people of God in the following manner: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1: 1-4. This language seems to be applied particularly to those Christians who are living at a time when the second coming of Christ is near, as they are exhorted to an especial exercise of patience, and they are addressed as “the twelve tribes scattered abroad.” That James is speaking to the last generation of Christians is further evident from the following texts:—

“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.” “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” James 5: 1-3, 7, 8.

The character of the people of God under the gospel dispensation is precisely the character which the literal seed of Abraham that God brought out of Egypt to Mount Sinai would have possessed had they kept the covenant which God made with them. Let us contrast them.

To Israel at Sinai, God says, “If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; . . . and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Ex. 19: 5, 6.

To the new-covenant Israel, in whose hearts God writes his law, he says, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” 1 Peter 2: 9.

But the old-covenant Israel did not obey, and therefore were not regarded by the Lord as a holy nation; and 1 Peter 2: 9, shows that the new-covenant Israel are what the others might have been if they had obeyed God. This proves that the new-covenant Israel do obey and keep the ten commandments. How long will this holy nation or seed continue? “Thus saith the Lord which giveth the sun for a light by day, and ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hosts is his name; if those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever.” Jer. 31: 35, 36.

But is the Sabbath still a sign between God and his people? “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. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you. Every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord; whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever.” Ex. 31: 13-18.

It is a fact universally admitted that the words forever and forever and ever only mean as long as the things spoken of can consistently exist. We will apply this principle here. The Lord is the speaker; Israel and the Sabbath are spoken of. How long are they to exist? The psalmist answers this question thus: “They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure.” Ps. 72: 5. In Ps. 111: 10, he tells us what the fear of the Lord is: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.” Isaiah testifies as follows: “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. 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: 22, 23. Hence, we see that the children of Israel, or, as Peter calls them, the holy nation, will keep the Sabbath in this life on this earth, and also in the next life on the new earth forever, for a perpetual covenant.

“Every one that defileth it shall be put to death.” When shall they be put to death? At the time of the destruction of the wicked, brought to view in Rev. 21: 8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” David says, “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together.” Ps. 37: 38.

Our divine Lord said the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2: 27. He also said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled;” Matt. 5: 17-19; that is, till all things spoken by the prophets shall be fulfilled.

Law is a noun, and all is an adjective. If the word all qualifies law, then, according to the laws of grammar, the adjective must agree with its noun in number, gender, and case. The Greek word rendered law is nomon, a noun in the singular number, masculine gender, genitive case. The Greek word all is panta, an adjective in the plural number, neuter gender, nominative case. Hence, it will be seen that all cannot possibly refer to law, because it agrees with it neither in number, gender, or case. Therefore, until all the prophecies are fulfilled, one jot or tittle shall not pass from the law. Hence, the fourth commandment is binding till all the prophecies are fulfilled; and the seventh day is the Sabbath, and must still be kept if we would not be found with the transgressors who are to be destroyed together.

Let us stand with David who said, “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.” Ps. 119: 6. If we respect all of God’s commandments, we shall have to keep the seventh day; for it is plainly brought to view; because Israel still exists as a nation, and the seventh-day Sabbath is the sign between them and the Lord for a perpetual covenant throughout their generations.

Dear reader, how can we avoid keeping the Sabbath if we would obey God in the letter and in the spirit also? Remember, if you are a child of God, you must stop transgressing the fourth commandment, which requires you to remember the seventh day to keep it holy, with all the rest of the commandments of God. You may thus be numbered with the twelve tribes of Israel, who Paul says served God instantly, day and night, and who hope to come into possession of the promises of God when Jesus comes. Amen. I. SANBORN.

Baraboo, Wis.