Discovering the New Covenant by Greg Taylor - exAdventist Outreach

DISCOVERING THE NEW COVENANT
given me.' so I will make them a forest, and the beasts of
the field shall eat them. Hosea 2:11, 12
Then it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings,
grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the
New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed
seasons of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin
offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the
peace offerings to make atonement for the house of
Israel. Ezek. 45:17
Notice the construction. The order of Sabbaths, the new
moons, and the festivals is clear and distinct. There can be no
mistaking that this refers to the weekly, the monthly and the
seasonal festivals. Throughout the Old Testament, the same
construction is used. The weekly, the monthly, the seasonal,
and sometimes the yearly or sabbatical years are included.
Sometimes the order is reversed, but the same principle
applies.
The “sabbaths” referred to in Colossians 2:16-17 are
therefore referring to the seventh-day Sabbaths. It would be
redundant and totally out of literary character for this to refer
to the appointed feasts. To make it do so would make the
passage read “Let no one judge you regarding festivals, new
moons, or festivals.” That would not make sense. Even
Samuele Bacchiocchi (noted sabbatarian author) admits that
this is the case. He agrees that the weekly Sabbath is what is
being referred to here. 1 He does go on to say that it is not the
proper keeping of the Sabbath that is being discussed, but the
perversion of the keeping of the day that is the focus.
The biblical problem with Bacchiocchi’s theory is that
the text continues by describing these sabbaths and festivals
as “shadows of things to come,” the “reality is Christ.” These
1 Samuele Bacchiocchi, Sabbath Under Crossfire (Biblical Perspectives,
1998) p. 245-248.
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