4. Sabbath Observance, the Seal of God

Dale Ratzlaff, Feature, Truth About Adventist "Truth"

Revelation depicts a sharp demarcation between those who serve God and those who serve the “beast”1 Adventists have traditionally held that the seventh-day Sabbath is the seal of God. Ellen White on numerous occasions confirmed this belief in her writings. She wrote that Sabbath observance would be the “line of distinction” in the “final test” that will separate God’s end-time people who “receive the seal of God” and are saved, from those who “receive the mark of the beast”2 and are cast into the lake of fire.

The traditional Adventist support for the seventh-day Sabbath as the seal of God comes from the common understanding of what a seal is. It is a mark which shows authenticity by (1) giving the name of the one in authority, (2) the title of the one in authority, and (3) the dominion of the one in authority. Seventh-day Adventists show that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment has all of this information.

This may be good human reasoning, but the New Testament never speaks of the Sabbath as the seal of God. Because the Sabbath commandment was placed in the very center of the Ten Commandments, it served as the dynastic sign of the Sinaitic Covenant.3 On several occasions within the old covenant we find the Sabbath called a sign. In context it is always the sign between God and the sons of Israel.4

Never is the Sabbath called a seal or a sign within the New Testament. Rather, the Holy Spirit is said to be the seal which the Christian receives when he believes.

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us in God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge (2 Cor. 1:21, 22).

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:13, 14).

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).

According to Scripture it is the Holy Spirit and not the seventh-day Sabbath that is the seal of God. According to the New Testament the seventh-day Sabbath is not the sign which is to be remembered. Rather, Christians are to celebrate the Lord’s Supper (the new covenant sign)5 in remembrance of Christ.

Some Adventist evangelists now admit that the Holy Spirit is the seal but maintain that the Sabbath is the “sign of the seal”, thus seeking to maintain their traditional teachings and make it sound as if they agree with New Testament understanding.

There is no major problem with Christians worshiping on Saturday. However, when SDAs make their Sabbath-keeping a sign that they are right and everyone else is wrong, then that teaching becomes divisive. This is especially so when such great importance is placed on a divergent teaching. There is no command to keep the Sabbath in the New Testament. Every Sabbath meeting in the book of Acts is in a Jewish setting. It is clear that the Epistles never place positive emphasis on Sabbath keeping. Never do they explain how Gentile believers are to keep the Sabbath, and Sabbath-breaking is never included in any New Testament lists of sins.6 This certainly seems strange if the Sabbath, as Adventists claim, is to be the testing truth for all Christians in the last days.7 The Apostle Paul teaches that the Sabbath is to be included with the other ritual holy days of the old covenant and serves only as a shadow of Christ.8

By requiring Sabbath observance, Adventists are following the Galatian heresy—the legalistic observances of old covenant law.9

One of the big problems for those who require Sabbath observance is to determine how the Sabbath is to be kept. Does one keep it by old covenant guidelines as Ellen White recommended?10 If so, no Adventist keeps it correctly.11 Does one keep it by the additional guidelines of Ellen White? If so they will find a huge list of legalistic rules.12 Or, is a Sabbath-keeper to follow the 20 page list of Sabbath rules promoted by Adventist “Sabbath scholar” Samuele Bacchiocchi?13 As is true of any required legalistic observance, one never knows when his observance is “good enough”.

What usually happens is that each subculture of Adventism will create its own accepted norm of Sabbath observance. Then this norm is used as the standard by which to judge others. Some will not go out to eat at a restaurant on Sabbath. Others will. Some say it is permissible if you pay for your meal ticket on Friday. Some say that it is wrong to pay for a meal on Sabbath using cash but it is acceptable to do so when using a credit card. Some hold that it is wrong to pay for a meal on Sabbath in a secular restaurant but it is in keeping with Sabbath law to do so in an Adventist institution.14 Some sav it is fine to go swimming on Sabbath. Others say no. Some say it is permissible to wade in water on the Sabbath, but never over your knees.  

Most say it is acceptable Sabbath-keeping to go for a hike as long as it is not too strenuous.

Ellen White said that parents who let their children play on the Sabbath are seen by God as Sabbath-breakers. Notice how she frames the importance of this counsel as “above every thing”.

Parents, above every thing, take care of your children upon the Sabbath. Do not suffer them to violate God’s holy day by playing in the house or out of doors. You may just as well break the Sabbath yourselves as to let your children do it, and when you suffer your children to wander about, and suffer them to play upon the Sabbath, God looks upon you as Sabbath-breakers. Your children, that are under your control, should be made to mind you. Your word should be their law. Will not parents wake up to their duty before it shall be too late, and take hold of the work in earnest, redeem the time, and make unsparing efforts to save their children?

Endnotes

  1. Rev. 7:2, 3; 13:17; 14:9, 11; 16:2; 20:4.
  2. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, p. 605. Describing a supposed vision direct from God, she wrote, “I saw that the Holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God [in context, true SDAs] and unbelievers” (Early Writings, p. 33). She also wrote that Sabbath observance “was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbeliever” (Ibid., p. 85). (Emphasis added)
  3. See Sabbath in Christ, pp. 40-43, 50 and Meredith G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King, (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1963) pp. 13, 14.
  4. Ex. 31:13, 17; Ez. 20:12, 20.
  5. See Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:19, 20.
  6. See Sabbath in Christ, and D.A. Carson From Sabbath to Lord’s Day, (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI).
  7. “The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty… when the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve him not.” The Great Controversy, p. 605.
  8. See Col. 2:16 and Sabbath in Christ, pp. 247-258.
  9. The issues in Galatia were circumcision, table fellowship with Gentiles based on Jewish food laws and observance of old covenant holy days. Adventists not only require Sabbath keeping, but also enforce the old covenant food laws of “clean” and “unclean”. See “Fundamental Beliefs” No. 22.
  10. Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 296.
  11. See Sabbath in Christ, p 71-77 for a summary of biblical Sabbath laws.
  12. See Sabbath in Christ, p. 388-392 for a number of Sabbath rules laid down by Ellen White.
  13. Samuele Bacchiocchi, The Sabbath in the New Testament, (Biblical Perspectives, 4569 Lisa Lane, Berrien Springs, MI 49103), p. 211-232.
  14. The author has personally witnessed or spoken to Adventists or former Adventists who have personally witnessed all the variety of Sabbath behaviors mentioned.

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