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Clifton Sabbath Letter
Dear Clifton,
It was good to receive your letter! Thank you very much for your interest in my booklets and written material. I will pass your letter along to Jerry. It is very true as you say; the Sabbath question has caused much division among many sincere truth seeking Christians. I am convinced that this confusion simply need not be if we are willing to let the Bible teach us if the true "rest of God" is a certain day of the week, or if it is something far more important and meaningful. This whole Sabbath issue can be resolved if we use common sense and spiritual logic, which will allow ourselves to think on the correct premise of this whole subject. I know that the fourth commandment is very important for many people to obey and uphold. Indeed, it is a law of God and therefore must be honored and obeyed from the heart. However it is my belief that Saturday keepers, bless their hearts, are thinking and attempting to obey the Sabbath command on the wrong premise. The laws of the Sabbath and the Sabbath itself was never mentioned before Moses. Why do sincere people refuse to believe this very simple and obvious truth?Clifton, there is nowhere in the written text of the Bible that states that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week! This phrase is not found in the Bible! I have been told many times over the years by Saturday keepers that God's Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. If we choose to be honest with the Bible we have to acknowledge that this simply is not true. It is so sad that Saturday keepers base their whole premise on Sabbath keeping on this assumption! It is very important to simply believe what the Bible says about the fourth commandment, which is simply a divine pattern of one day out of seven to be remembered and to be set aside for holy use. Never underestimate the power of deception. The Galatian Church during Paul's day was also under this misunderstanding, and caused Paul much grief and agony.
I also used to believe that Christ was crucified on a Wed., until I realized that it is repeatedly stated in the New Testament that he rose on the third day. If Christ's body was in the tomb exactly 72 hours (three days and three nights), common sense will tell us he would have been resurrected on the fourth day (not the third day). This subject is addressed in my booklet "How Did Jesus Christ Die?", and am assuming you have read this booklet. Let me know if you have not. You also mentioned in Mark 16:1 and Luke 23:56 that these Sabbaths were two different Sabbaths. If you will check again, these Sabbaths in both cases were the day before the first day of the week; therefore was the same Sabbath. The women had bought (past tense) the sweet spices to anoint the body of Christ, and they wanted to do this anointing very early on the first day of the week. This anointing was to be done of course after the Sabbath was past; which is what is stated in Mark 16:1. Luke's account of this event explained that the women prepared (after they had bought) the spices before the Sabbath and then rested. When the Sabbath was past and the woman had rested, Mark's account explained what the women intended to do with the spices after they had bought and prepared them. All this fits beautiful if we allow the Bible to explain these things for us, and there need be no confusion at all.
I am also sending copies of letters that address the "Sabbath question" and also material on the "70 AD" doctrine and misunderstanding that some people have chosen to believe. These copies of "letters regarding the Sabbath" address the same points that you brought up in your letter. The revised edition of the "The Seventh Day" article is also included. The other "Seventh Day" booklet that was sent to you some time ago can be discarded. Study and read this material very carefully and get back with me. We are in this together, and I know it is pleasing to our Heavenly Father if he sees that we are serious in understanding precious truths from the Holy Scriptures. May the God of Israel bless you.
In His Service, Mahlon
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