Discovering the New Covenant by Greg Taylor - exAdventist Outreach

SABBATH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
writing as well. As we studied earlier, Mark’s Gospel
makes a comment about clean and unclean foods based on
Jesus’ discussion with the Pharisees. Jesus did not state
directly that the food laws were going to be obsolete, but
Mark, from his vantage point after the Cross applies it that
way. Was this Genesis account one of those after-the-fact
statements based on Moses’ vantage point? Was Moses
writing to the Children of Israel about God blessing and
setting apart the seventh day from their perspective or vantage
point? If so, the fact that the name “Sabbath” was
omitted is even more significant.
Since either the creation ordinance of the Sabbath or
the later ordinance interpretation honor the text, I needed to
study further to see if the context of the Old Testament
gives a clue as to which is correct. What deeply impacted
me was the clarity of the other texts on this subject. They
state exactly which way to interpret these texts. There is no
need for confusion. We don’t have to speculate as to
whether Moses was writing from the post-Law vantage
point or not. One thing I have found in my studies, on
important issues God always provides at least three or more
Scriptures to make sure we are not led astray. 1 He does not
1 This is one reason the Adventist doctrine of the investigative
judgment is so shaky in my opinion. It is based on one text that comes
from an obscure passage of apocalyptic literature. It is complicated by
the fact that the immediate context does not appear to be talking about a
heavenly but an earthly issue. It is connected to other Scripture by the
weakest of linguistic ties, and it ignores the actual wording of the
evening and morning sacrificial imagery within the text. In order to
make the horn power of Daniel 8 fit the Adventist scenario, one must
make this horn grow out of one of the winds rather than the horns of the
Grecian empire where it logically fits. The obvious connection to
Antiochus Epiphanes is ignored. To base an entire doctrine on such a
stretch is highly suspect. There are no biblical scholars outside of
Adventism who agree with the SDA interpretation. This ought to throw
up a caution sign for making too many dogmatic claims. Essentially the
SDA position has one weak text and Ellen G. White for support. That
doesn’t sound like the Bible and the Bible only to me.
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