Seventh-day Adventist's Sabbath and Catholic's Sunday

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Hi chero23,

And equally sad is that they think because everyone else worships God on Sunday, they are doomed to hell.

There is a very small minority of pro-life SDAs who try to right this wrong in their denomination. I tried in the early 1990s, but was ignored, as are most pro-life SDAs today. I think it is very important for us who respect the sanctify of life to pray the Rosary for these pro-life SDAs and their efforts.

Interesting that you quote Deut.30:19. There is man who is leading the way in pro-life efforts in the SDA denomination who quotes this verse often. It is almost his motto. He authored the best, if not the only, book on the truth of the abortion issue in the SDA denomination. It is a very interesting and enlightening read! Here is a link to that book:

From Pro-life to Pro-choice: The Dramatic Shift in Seventh-day Adventist’s Attitudes Towards Abortion

If anything…as the SDA denomination ages…it is moving farther and farther away from God and His commandments, rather closer and closer to them.

Please pray for SDAs.

God bless all!!!
God willing they see their mistakes before its too late. keep on the good fight, in no way shape or form are we bashing them, we just want them to see that to begin with their Sabbath teaching is wrong, but they teach false doctrines and run to cover on the Sabbath worship. The way they act reminds me of the once saved always saved churches.
 
Hello everyone,

For those of you who interact with SDAs, for whatever reason, and who share the verses and questions above with them, you will get the same replies from them in objection to what you share and ask.

For Catholics, receiving Jesus in the Sacraments, and primarily in the Holy Eucharist, is the source and summit of our faith. The breaking of bread (i.e., the receiving of our crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ in Holy Communion), is as important today as it was in the Bible.

When you share with SDAs all the Bible verses that especially note and show the breaking of bread taking place on the first day of the week, they will reply, without exception, that the early Church broke bread everyday, and that there is nothing special or important about the breaking of bread. Below is an excerpt from an email conversation I am currently having with a SDA friend of mine. I post my reply in hope that it will help those of you who are interacting with, and trying to be converted from the Holy Catholic Faith by, SDAs.

My friend said: “as for breaking bread. nothin special-they did that every day! acts 2:42,46”

I replied:
Well, I would have to disagree with you in the most absolute terms that there is nothing special in the breaking of bread. And yes they did break bread every day. In fact, if I have the time, I can go to the breaking of bread every day at Catholic Churches all around me. From the Last Supper forward to this very day and until Jesus returns again in glory, all who believe in Him may receive Him in the breaking of the bread every day and not just on Sunday.

Now is there nothing special about the breaking of bread, or, is there something very special and very necessary and very holy about the breaking of the bread.

The breaking of bread, instituted by Jesus Himself at the Last Supper, is Jesus giving Himself and His sacrifice on the cross, to all who have faith in Him (Luke 22:18-20, Matthew 26:25-27, Mark 14:21-23).

And look at what Paul says about the breaking of bread:

1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, shun the worship of idols. 15 I speak as to sensible men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the practice of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.[g] 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.

Nothing special about the breaking of bread among those who believe in and follow Jesus Christ???. That is not what my Bible says. In fact that is not what any Bible says. This is perhaps the most special thing in which a Christian partakes…it is the body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given for us and poured out for us for the forgiveness of sins…this is the Gospel…this is the Good News…This is Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us!!! And that my friend, is very very very special!!!

God bless all!!!
 
It’s interesting that SDA’s rely so heavily on the backstory that Rome “changed the Sabbath to Sunday,” or transferred its honor, etc. as part of their church mythology (along with the view that the Bishop of Rome having unilateral Church-wide authority). So while the Western Churches may have come to view Sunday as both the Lord’s Day and the Sabbath, the EO Churches, and probably the OO, do not view the Sabbath as the Lord’s Day. AFAIK, the Sabbath is still Saturday, and the Lord’s Day is still Sunday.
 
It’s interesting that SDA’s rely so heavily on the backstory that Rome “changed the Sabbath to Sunday,” or transferred its honor, etc. as part of their church mythology (along with the view that the Bishop of Rome having unilateral Church-wide authority). So while the Western Churches may have come to view Sunday as both the Lord’s Day and the Sabbath, the EO Churches, and probably the OO, do not view the Sabbath as the Lord’s Day. AFAIK, the Sabbath is still Saturday, and the Lord’s Day is still Sunday.
Hi neokarny,

Thank you for sharing this Orthodox insight. While the Western Church teaches that Sunday, The Lord’s Day, naturally fits in with the sabbath commandment to work six days and rest on the seventh, no where in any of my reading or studying Catholic teaching, have I found the Catholic Church saying anything other than the fact the sabbath of the Old Covenant was on what we call Saturday. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, makes the distinction between the Sabbath and The Lord’s Day. In fact, I was speaking with a Melkite Catholic (who are in full communion with the See of Rome), that they celebrate special liturgies on the sabbath, because of the sabbath. I do not have details and have never attended with him, but I found that interesting.

Another interesting fact about SDA mythology, is that in all of Ellen White’s writings, she never addresses the Eastern Orthodox, and their “Sunday worship”. Certainly a prophet of God would not be in the darkness of ignorance regarding the Eastern Apostolic Church???

No, their focus is driven by anti-Catholic bigotry, and nothing or at least very little else, and not the history of The Church.

God bless all!!!
 
Hi neokarny,

Thank you for sharing this Orthodox insight. While the Western Church teaches that Sunday, The Lord’s Day, naturally fits in with the sabbath commandment to work six days and rest on the seventh, no where in any of my reading or studying Catholic teaching, have I found the Catholic Church saying anything other than the fact the sabbath of the Old Covenant was on what we call Saturday. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, makes the distinction between the Sabbath and The Lord’s Day. In fact, I was speaking with a Melkite Catholic (who are in full communion with the See of Rome), that they celebrate special liturgies on the sabbath, because of the sabbath. I do not have details and have never attended with him, but I found that interesting.

Another interesting fact about SDA mythology, is that in all of Ellen White’s writings, she never addresses the Eastern Orthodox, and their “Sunday worship”. Certainly a prophet of God would not be in the darkness of ignorance regarding the Eastern Apostolic Church???

No, their focus is driven by anti-Catholic bigotry, and nothing or at least very little else, and not the history of The Church.

God bless all!!!
Thank you for sharing that, I had always assumed Latin Catholics had equated the two. In fact, a Catholic professor of systematic/moral theology of mine was surprised to hear that we EO don’t equate Sabbath/Lord’s Day. IOW, he believed them to be the same day, on Sunday. So is it just popular belief that the two are equated, while the official teachings of the RCC themselves are open to interpretation?

You’re right that the Eastern Churches are completely left out. Many Ethiopian Orthodox still retain large Sabbath devotion (others don’t, it’s my understanding they’re pretty divided on the issue), which she doesn’t mention. Like you said, she’s coming out of a post-Latin Catholic West (hence the assumptions that the Pope had unilateral power to single-handedly, alongside the emperor maybe, ruin the world-wide church) and reacting against it with contempt. It’s pretty easy to see that they’re merely a failed byproduct of that which they hate so much (not saying the RCC is bad or anything like that).
 
Thank you for sharing that, I had always assumed Latin Catholics had equated the two. In fact, a Catholic professor of systematic/moral theology of mine was surprised to hear that we EO don’t equate Sabbath/Lord’s Day. IOW, he believed them to be the same day, on Sunday. So is it just popular belief that the two are equated, while the official teachings of the RCC themselves are open to interpretation?

You’re right that the Eastern Churches are completely left out. Many Ethiopian Orthodox still retain large Sabbath devotion (others don’t, it’s my understanding they’re pretty divided on the issue), which she doesn’t mention. Like you said, she’s coming out of a post-Latin Catholic West (hence the assumptions that the Pope had unilateral power to single-handedly, alongside the emperor maybe, ruin the world-wide church) and reacting against it with contempt. It’s pretty easy to see that they’re merely a failed byproduct of that which they hate so much (not saying the RCC is bad or anything like that).
Hi neokarny,

Here is a link to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) regarding the sabbath commandment of the Decologue, and the relationship between sabbath and sunday. The CCC clearly makes a distinction between the two days, as well as showing the relationship between the two days.

The Third Commandment

This is brief, but this is the official teaching of the Catholic Church. Of course there are other writings that go more in depth regarding this subject. One such official document is the following Apostolic Letter written by Pope John Paul II which also makes the clear distinction between the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day as two different days, and their relationship to each other:

Dies Domini

I suppose these two official teachings of the Catholic Church are open to interpretation by non-Catholics, but as a Catholic, they are very clear to me, and need no interpretation. Certainly discussion, but not interpretation. As always, the official teachings of the Catholic Church are open to acceptance, rejection, inquiry, or apathy…but the official teachings are, themselves, interpretations and teaching of the Word of God and directed to the Faithful for our understanding, and for our growth in Faith and Morals.

I rejected them for most of my life. I inquired about them. Now I accept them. I cannot, however, think of any time where I was apathetic toward them. In fact even atheists are so concerned with them that they have to attack them most of the time, rather than just ignoring them and going on their merry non-believing ways…lol No, most people approach the Church with love, or hate, or obedience, or skepticism, or fear, but I’ve never met anyone who just doesn’t care about Her…not to say that there may not be someone out there who falls into that category…I’ve just never crossed paths with them in my 54 years on this earth.

Not only are SDAs a “failed by-product” of what they hate so much…without the Catholic Church, they would not even exist. They need us to keep The Ellen G. White Story alive.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts neokarny! It is a pleasure for me!

God bless all!!!
 
Another odd thing about the SDA’s is that Ellen White promulgated that Jesus pre-Incarnation and Lucifer prior to sin…
…Were “both” archangels in heaven with Lucifer loosing his title after being kicked out.
…And Christ loosing the archangel title after He was able to eek out His own Salvation.
 
Another odd thing about the SDA’s is that Ellen White promulgated that Jesus pre-Incarnation and Lucifer prior to sin…
…Were “both” archangels in heaven with Lucifer loosing his title after being kicked out.
…And Christ losing the archangel title after He was able to eek out His own Salvation.
Wow that sounds very similar to Mormonism.
 
Wow that sounds very similar to Mormonism.
I can say that both Joseph Smith & Ellen White were both hard core theological Anthropomorphites…
…I.E. they believed God the Father was a “flesh God” with all the organs and members of a perfect man.
…Ellen White gloated over this ‘fact’ as she called it.
 
I can say that both Joseph Smith & Ellen White were both hard core theological Anthropomorphites…
…I.E. they believed God the Father was a “flesh God” with all the organs and members of a perfect man.
…Ellen White gloated over this ‘fact’ as she called it.
NONE of the above is taught in the SDA church–note the lack of proof–that alone, is quite telling.
 
Another interesting fact about SDA mythology, is that in all of Ellen White’s writings, she never addresses the Eastern Orthodox, and their “Sunday worship”. Certainly a prophet of God would not be in the darkness of ignorance regarding the Eastern Apostolic Church???
Not relevant when related to endtime events.

What is interesting is that in the course of time, most Christians around the Med, kept the Sabbath at least as late as the 5th century.

In India they did so till the 1540’s and the Jesuits arrived.
 
It is my understanding that the Catholic Church never did away with the sabbath. The reason we Catholic’s celebrate on Sunday is because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday which is the first day of the week. The sabbath statrted at sundown on friday till sundown sat. Sat. is the last day of the week. When the jews returned from their captivity they then had a calander which before then they had the sabbath on whatever day they thought it was, depending where they were in Israel. The New Testament accounts in Acts show that the Apostles did go tthe Temple on the sabbath while they still broke bread on Sunday. It was only after the Jewish religious leaders banned the Christains that they stopped attending on the sabbath.
 
The sabbath statrted at sundown on friday till sundown sat. Sat. is the last day of the week.
Correct.
When the jews returned from their captivity they then had a calander which before then they had the sabbath on whatever day they thought it was, depending where they were in Israel.
There’s no evidence of that.
The New Testament accounts in Acts show that the Apostles did go tthe Temple on the sabbath while they still broke bread on Sunday.
There’s only ONE incident where they broke bread (i.e., a meal) on Sunday morning just before Paul departed.
It was only after the Jewish religious leaders banned the Christains that they stopped attending on the sabbath.
Later than that even that; during the second Jewish revolt in 135 A.D.) and because the Romans couldn’t tell the diff between the Jews and the Christians THEN some (mostly in Rome and Alexandria), but not all Christians started to keep Sunday. Other than that, most Christians around the Med were still keeping the Sabbath at least as late as the 5th century. In India, they were still keeping the Sabbath in the early 1540’s.
 
I used to be a Seventh-day Adventist. Looking back, we don’t practice Sabbath correctly as the Jews do, so it’s our own version of the Sabbath without circumcision. The truth is God didn’t redefine the Sabbath. So if we want to keep it, we better get circumcised. We better stop firing up that electricity because that’s a sin. In short, I looked into our early church history and became Catholic. Thanks be to God.

Paul also says to pick a day and give thanks to God. But there’s still fights over what day is more holier than another. Paul said one day is not holier than another and kept pretty general about it. The Christian church, free to pick a day (hense getting rid of circumcision), picked Sunday very early on. Without the Levite priests or the temple the bible says the law is obsolete, but that’s fine because it’s now in our hearts. Go read the Didache (Teachings of the 12 Apostles) written around 40 AD. They picked Sunday for their gatherings. Can you still pick Saturday? According to Paul, yes, but we were fighting over the days with sunday keepers in the past. We just didn’t know our church history background and the New Testament scriptures besides Daniel and Revelations (and even there we’re completely off because our mindset was against Catholics in the first place).
 
Another odd thing about the SDA’s is that Ellen White promulgated that Jesus pre-Incarnation and Lucifer prior to sin…
…Were “both” archangels in heaven with Lucifer loosing his title after being kicked out.
…And Christ loosing the archangel title after He was able to eek out His own Salvation.
Actually we don’t believe that.

Many SDAs, myself included, also hold that abortion is murder and a breaking of the 6th commandment (which would be your 5th commandment - Thou shalt not kill)
Many SDAs, myself included, also believe that life begins at conception and that certain forms of contraception are also a breaking of the 6th commandment

We also don’t believe that all Sunday worshipers will be lost. We believe that God judges people based on the truth that they knew and practiced.

Most SDAs I know do not bash Catholics or Roman Catholicism. I do however know that there are some out there who do. This is not the Spirit of Christ, (1 John 4:20) and I would like to apologize to anyone who has ever experienced that negative reaction from a SDA. God loves all people and wants to lead them all into Truth and salvation.

As to the Sabbath question. There are many places in Acts where Paul is teaching and preaching and worshiping God in the churches on the Sabbath Day - the 7th day - as was his custom. (Acts 13:14,42,44; 17:2; 18:4) And even one Sabbath at a river where "prayer was made - worship - Acts 16:13) As to Paul meeting on the first day (as in the case where he was leaving the next day and wished to encourage the brethren) Do you also only worship God on Sunday? or do you hold prayer meetings, or Bible studies only on Sunday? God should be worshiped every day, but there is one special day that He set aside from the beginning as a holy, sanctified day. This day will also remain in the new earth Isaiah 66:22-23

If the Sabbath was going to be changed from the 7th day to the 1st day, why did Jesus not say so? Why did He say in Matthew 24:20, speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem and last day events that believers should “pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath.” ?

Why is it that the 4th commandment is almost the only one that we say we should not follow, when Jesus Himself kept all of the commandments and in Mat 24:20 clearly expected His followers to be keeping not only the other 9 commandments, but also the 4th, up to 40 years after He ascended to Heaven?

Not only this, but in Revelation it talks about God’s people being sealed with the seal (or mark) of God in their forehead, (in their mind - beliefs which result in actions) What is a seal? It is something that states the name, title, and territory. So God’s seal on His people is something that states His name, His title, and His territory, and there is only one thing in the Bible that does that and it is the fourth commandment. Name: God, Title: Creator, Territory: Heaven and earth.

I don’t keep the Sabbath Day or any of the commandments to be saved. In other words. I don’t believe that there is anything I can do that could earn me merit for heaven or salvation. I am saved by the grace granted to me when I believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, and accept His perfect life, His death, and His resurrection. I do keep the Sabbath Day because I love Him and want to show my love to Him through keeping His commandments, and living and walking as Jesus did (in daily surrender to God the Father, and keeping His Father’s commandments - John 15:10), so that God may be glorified in my life. 1 John 2:3-6; John 14:15

May God bless you all
 
Actually we don’t believe that.

Many SDAs, myself included, also hold that abortion is murder and a breaking of the 6th commandment (which would be your 5th commandment - Thou shalt not kill)
Many SDAs, myself included, also believe that life begins at conception and that certain forms of contraception are also a breaking of the 6th commandment

We also don’t believe that all Sunday worshipers will be lost. We believe that God judges people based on the truth that they knew and practiced.

Most SDAs I know do not bash Catholics or Roman Catholicism. I do however know that there are some out there who do. This is not the Spirit of Christ, (1 John 4:20) and I would like to apologize to anyone who has ever experienced that negative reaction from a SDA. God loves all people and wants to lead them all into Truth and salvation.

As to the Sabbath question. There are many places in Acts where Paul is teaching and preaching and worshiping God in the churches on the Sabbath Day - the 7th day - as was his custom. (Acts 13:14,42,44; 17:2; 18:4) And even one Sabbath at a river where "prayer was made - worship - Acts 16:13) As to Paul meeting on the first day (as in the case where he was leaving the next day and wished to encourage the brethren) Do you also only worship God on Sunday? or do you hold prayer meetings, or Bible studies only on Sunday? God should be worshiped every day, but there is one special day that He set aside from the beginning as a holy, sanctified day. This day will also remain in the new earth Isaiah 66:22-23

If the Sabbath was going to be changed from the 7th day to the 1st day, why did Jesus not say so? Why did He say in Matthew 24:20, speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem and last day events that believers should “pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath.” ?

Why is it that the 4th commandment is almost the only one that we say we should not follow, when Jesus Himself kept all of the commandments and in Mat 24:20 clearly expected His followers to be keeping not only the other 9 commandments, but also the 4th, up to 40 years after He ascended to Heaven?

Not only this, but in Revelation it talks about God’s people being sealed with the seal (or mark) of God in their forehead, (in their mind - beliefs which result in actions) What is a seal? It is something that states the name, title, and territory. So God’s seal on His people is something that states His name, His title, and His territory, and there is only one thing in the Bible that does that and it is the fourth commandment. Name: God, Title: Creator, Territory: Heaven and earth.

I don’t keep the Sabbath Day or any of the commandments to be saved. In other words. I don’t believe that there is anything I can do that could earn me merit for heaven or salvation. I am saved by the grace granted to me when I believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, and accept His perfect life, His death, and His resurrection. I do keep the Sabbath Day because I love Him and want to show my love to Him through keeping His commandments, and living and walking as Jesus did (in daily surrender to God the Father, and keeping His Father’s commandments - John 15:10), so that God may be glorified in my life. 1 John 2:3-6; John 14:15

May God bless you all
I was a former Seventh-day Adventist, and this was me many moons ago. Saturday was an idol to us, whereas Paul says no day is holier than another, and to pick a day and give thanks to God (Romans). The church in Acts got rid of circumcision and thus implies the Sabbath was no longer binding. May we trust our apostolic fathers to pick a day and give thanks to God and to listen to their traditions, not a teacher that came 1927 years later. Don’t listen to false teachers 1900 years in the future of former apostolic teaching. Rather, read the whole NT, see their practices before and after the resurrection, and read the Dicache and Ante-Nicene Fathers (disciples of the apostles, etc. to see the apostolic teaching). I’m just saying that as a former member, and I struggled hard with this topic upon entering the apostolic church. Reading Paul and our apostolic fathers were a great comfort to me. God bless, and may He lead all of us to further truth and a deeper joy.
 
Saturday was an idol to us,
Never has been, nor will be.
Paul says no day is holier than another,
There’s no Greek basis for the use of the word “holy” or “holier.” Only God can make a day holy and there’s no record of His un-doing that. The Sabbath is ALWAYS His Sabbath.
not a teacher that came 1927 years later.
The truth about the Sabbath has been taught down through the ages.
 
The Christian church, free to pick a day (hense getting rid of circumcision), picked Sunday very early on.
That didn’t happen till about 135 A.D. and only under the pressure of Roman trying to put down yet another Jewish revolt. Even then, most Christians around the Med still kept the Sabbath. In India they did so till the early 1540’s.
Go read the Didache (Teachings of the 12 Apostles) written around 40 AD.
Eusebius is the earliest to mention the works (note the plural) “spurious works of a better sort”. — “They betray a knowledge of Matthew and Luke, and one is clearly derived from the Shepherd of Hermas (ch. I:5 = Man. 2:q.-6), which was written about A.D. 200. Another indication of the date of the Didache is to be found in ch. 16, where a citation from the Letter of Barnabas appears (ch. 16:2 = Barn. 4:2?]). There can be little doubt that we are dealing with a second century document which reveals a wide canon of Scripture, including Barnabas and Hermas. The terminus ad quern is to be set by the quotations from the Teaching in a Syrian church order called the Didascalia. This dates from the early third century.”
our mindset was against Catholics in the first place).
The Adventist church has never been against the Catholics–that is a base and gross distortion of reality.
 
You know you’re arguing to a former Seventh-day Adventist, one who’s very familiar with these false teachings, I hope. Ask other SDA’s and yourself: where were these teachings before 1827 (Ellen White’s birth)? Didn’t Christ say he will build his church on Peter and it will be here forever? How can it start in 1827? The SDA church calls themselves a remnant (true) church. What a time gap! So it’s invalid. Pretty simple. At least they’ve been in dialog with the pope the last 50 years.

The Sabbath in the SDA world is a modified Sabbath of the Jews, and God did not give you a new modified Sabbath. Get it? It’s man-made and cultural, it’s not a valid Jewish Sabbath. A Rabbi now Sunday keeper recently said that too. If you’re going to keep the Jewish Sabbath, then, you must be circumcised or you’re cut off from “God’s chosen.” You must not kindle a fire (electricity in our time), and I bet you’re sinning right now because that’s the only Sabbath God commanded to the Jews.

Being that, the Christian Church (“kath holos” - in Greek in Acts - Catholic) was given authority to change the Christian day of worship. They did this by getting rid of circumcism in the book of Acts. This implies the Sabbath is no longer binding to the Christian church. The Church (1827 years before Ellen White) chose Sunday. We even see in the Didache it was a very early practice. Hope this will help you in your faith journey. God bless.
 
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