Dear Kelly,

You make some very plausible arguments, much of which I personally cannot comment on, at least not without an in-depth study into your claims and assumptions.  Regrettably, I don’t have the time to go through everything but I would like to take up a couple of point as follows:

The Old and New Covenants.  If I am reading you correctly, anti-Sabbatarians, believe that the old covenant (including the 10 Commandments) was done away with and is no longer a requirement for the Christian to keep?  Especially the 4^th Commandment/Sabbath?  If this is the case, no Christian is required to keep any of the 10 Commandments because he should, in theory be keeping the spirit of the law, therefore he won’t be breaking any of the written code?  I’m not quite sure how this worked so after much prayer, I was directed to look into the question of what were the Old and New Covenants?  Please bear with me as I try to explain my understanding.

In Hebrews 8, Paul tells us that the first covenant (v7), which God made with the people of Israel was faulty.  My question is:  “Was the old covenant faulty because of God, so He had to change it - or was it faulty because of the people?”  This will become clear as I go on.  

Did Paul think that the 10 Commandments were expunged with the old covenant?   In Ephesians 6: 1-3, he says:

 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honour your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise.”

 My logic informs me that as the first commandment, with a promise, was still in force during Paul’s time, so must the other nine be!

 It would also appear from this that Paul did not consider the 10 commandments null and void when he wrote in Romans 3:31:

 “Do we make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary we establish the law.”

and Romans: 7:12:

“the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good.”  (See also Psalm 19:7)

Does dying to the letter of the law and being renewed in the Spirit mean the law of God written on tablets of stone is no longer to be followed by humanity?  

If so, then you must destroy something that Paul says is holy, just and good!

Are we just under Grace and not the law?

I believe that Grace and Law go together.  If I have faith, I keep the law, not as a way of salvation – but as a result of it.  For example:  If I am driving my car over the speed limit and a police officer stops me and gives me a telling off for speeding, but does not give me ticket, am I now, having received the grace of the officer, no longer under the law against speeding?  Because I am under grace I can now forget the law and happily speed along the motorway.  It doesn’t make sense.  God’s grace enables the keeping of the law because we are thankful for His benevolence in forgiving us.

 What was the Old Covenant?    We have to go to Exodus 19:3-6 to get our answer.

"And Moses went up to God and the Lord called to him from the mountain saying: “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel:  ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you will speak to the children of Israel.”

Here God sets out an agreement or covenant with the people of Israel.Moses then informs the people or God’s covenant and the people answered (v8 & 24:3).  “All that the Lord has spoken WE will do.”   The covenant   between God and the people was then ratified with the blood of oxen and Moses wrote the agreement in a book.  

Were the Israelites able to keep the covenant? 

Not long after agreeing to keep the covenant, they turned to idolatry.  

Why was the old covenant faulty?  Because the people had said that THEY, would keep it.  They did not indicate that they wanted or needed help to keep their part of the agreement.

What was the result?  God kept His side of the agreement, but the people failed, making the old covenant faulty.

In Hebrews 8:8 it says:

“Because finding fault with THEM (notice again it was not with the covenant that was at fault) but with the people, therefore He says:

“Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt: because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord".

What does God mean when He says ‘not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers?”

The old agreement written down by Moses contained what we call ‘the ceremonial laws’, the written code placed on the outside of the Ark of the Covenant.  These were shadows of things to come and were later nailed to the cross, (2 Colossians 2:14). 

Yes the agreement between God and Israel included the keeping of the 10 Commandments or moral law but they failed on all accounts.

Were the 10 Commandments also nailed to the Cross?

The majority of theological scholars will say no.  The 10 Commandments couldn’t have been nailed to the cross because as we have already seen, Paul did not consider them void.   Even ‘The Lord of the Sabbath’  Jesus, made reference to them in the New Testament.  Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 10:17-22.

New Covent given by God.  God alone would now make a new covenant without asking for the people’s agreement.  

In the old covenant, the people tried by their own efforts to keep the law without success.  This time, God in His New Covenant, would take the moral law – the 10 Commandments and write them into the hearts of the people.   This would mean that no-man, through his own efforts, would be credited with keeping the new agreement (Covenant). God would initiate the agreement and He would be the keeper of the law in man.  Because it is His Spirit that writes the law into our hearts, we have no excuse if we break the law. 

What does it mean ‘Writing the law in our hearts?

Does God take a pen and scribble the 10 Commandments on the vessel that keeps us alive?  Of course not!   Through the Holy Spirit, he impresses the law into our ‘minds’. 

How is this done?  By directing our attention to his book – the Bible.  Once convicted that the law is holy, just and good, it is impregnated into our subconscious and the Holy Spirit enables us to keep it in spirit.  It becomes part of our nature.  We are set free from the curse of the law when we walk according to the Spirit.  When we walked according to fleshly lusts, the law was at war with our sinful nature.  Through Christ we now have a nature that is in harmony with his law, so there is no conflict.

Can we reject the Holy Spirit’s leading in this matter?  Yes.  God will never force the will of man to obey him. 

How did he ratify the new covenant?  With the blood of Jesus?  Hebrews 13:21. 

That’s why Paul says in Romans 8:2-4.

“For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.  3. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin.  He condemned sin in the flesh, 4. that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

When God gave us His Son, the agreement came into effect at His death, Hebrews 9:16.  We, as humans had nothing to do with the agreement/new covenant, so it was unlike the old covenant, which was removed because we could not keep it in our strength. 

So the difference between the old and new covenant is:

1. the old covenant was: sinful flesh trying to keep an agreement made between them and God, which they could not keep.
2. The new covenant is: God doing it all for us through His Son.

 The Moral Law of God has not changed and I don’t believe it is just for the natural Jew. 

How do we know who is a natural Jew?  My grandfather’s name was Jacobson, so I may have some natural Jewish blood.  Is the Sabbath therefore only for those who think they have some Jewish blood?  According to my Bible, there is neither Greek nor Jew. Galatians 3:28.  All who believe in Christ become Abraham’s seed and part of the chosen people of God (v29), Colossians 3:11; Romans 2: 28-29; Micah 5:8.  If this is the case, then God’s law, including His Sabbath is for all people!

Investigative Judgement

I do believe that God is investigating the lives of those who lived and died on this earth over the past 6,000 + years. Why do I believe this?  

But for personal circumstances, I almost became a Magistrate, which involved a little study into the  criminal system.  Consequently I know a little about how human justice in the courts work or should work. 

First a judge is informed of the crime.  He then investigates the information he has received.  (Usually this investigation is before he sees the criminal – he reads the file).   The criminal is then put in front of the judge, who has reviewed the case and gives the criminal time to speak.  He then passes the sentence. 

Second Resurrection of the Wicked

Likewise I believe that each wicked person, after the second resurrection, will stand before a merciful God to receive the result of their sinful life on earth – deeds which have been thoroughly investigated by God.  Jesus is the advocate who stands for or against each individual.   I am sure those who rejected God in life will be given time to speak on his/her own behalf but I am equally sure he/she will have little to say except to acknowledge the truth of their sinful life. 

First Resurrection of the Righteous

The saints that were taken to heaven at the first resurrection because they have been proven by Christ to be not guilty in His investigative judgment of their lives on earth. Consequently, they were raised in the first resurrection to stand before God and receive a crown of righteousness.

Ellen G. White

Ellen White was accused of some as being a **plagiarist?  (I personally believe she was not).  I am unable to confirm, without further in-depth study of her many writings, if some of her revelations on future events,  came true?   (I believe they all did!).  Some say she claimed revelation from God for some others work?  (I personally doubt this).  However, my salvation does not rest on Ellen White’s writings, but it does rest on my willing obedience to God, who alone has written his law in my heart.  

(**EGW 2.10 –Adventist Review Sep 17, 1891 featuring Attorney Vincent L Ramik, Senior Partner of Duller, Ramik & Wright Ltd, Washington D.C.  The article concluded that Mrs. White’s use of certain texts written by others constituted ‘fair use’ and was not plagiarism.

Ellen White was a latter-day prophet of God. He chose a simple illiterate young girl and gave her the power of the written word.  She never claimed her writings were equal or superior to that of the Bible. She amplified scripture to enabled millions of people to gain a greater knowledge of the written Word of God.  Her visions and revelations opened the minds and hearts of people to receive the Holy Spirit and direct their path to Christ.   As Paul said:

“whether they are preaching Christ out of envy or not, it doesn’t matter, as long as Christ is being preached”.   Philippians  1:15

I have not found one Adventist that I have known, who states that Ellen White’s writings are above the Bible or make her out to be more than she herself claimed to be, which was the little light showing the way to the greater light – the Word of God.    

Final Comments

I am grateful to you for challenging my faith. You have posed some interesting questions many of which I could have spent hours researching to contradict you but I believe this would have been a pointless waste of my time.  I do not expect to convince you with my reply.  You have already set your beliefs in stone and anyone contradicting you, even with evidence to the contrary would not change your mind.   

I would like to say in all humility, that I was not uplifted when reading your document.  It depressed me and brought me to my knees to speak to God about you.  He impressed me to read the Bible on the subject of the old and new covenants and whilst watching a Christian TV programme on Sabbath,  the very subject was being presented.  

If I may offer some advice, please change the tone  of  your writings.  They do not inspire me as coming from heaven.   You make plausible arguments, backed up with many references but the little sarcastic quips at the end of some of your sentences does not show humility but a desire to ‘prove you are right and all Adventists are wrong’. 

I believe you are investing all your energy trying to convince SDA’s their belief is erroneous and they should leave the church for the reasons you have stated.  In doing this, you are doing a great service to Satan and a disservice to God.  We are not put on this earth to ‘put down’ the belief of others.  When presenting, what we believe to be true, there should be great humbleness of heart and concern for those we are trying to reach with the truth of God’s Word.   Human arguments in themselves do not convict the heart, no matter how many references from other books are given.   If the truth is in the words, and comes from Scripture, then the Holy Spirit will water the seed.

Sunday Law.  Having just watched a YouTube speech by the Pope on the Sunday Law (which I can send a link if you wish?) and the progress that is being made to enact this, I am firmly convinced, despite your arguments to the contrary, that the SDA church - a far from perfect church - has the final message for the people living in the final chapter of earths human history.   

It is also my belief that the church has been infiltrated by Jesuits to sew doubt in the minds of its congregation and break up the last bastion of Protestantism to enable the New World Order to finally happen and the Mark of the Beast to be given.   Many have left the church because of the seed of doubt placed in their minds by the covert operation of these individuals.   

I believe Ellen White did predict that those most vocal against the SDA church before Jesus returns would be ex-SDA’s.   So she wasn’t always wrong as you think she was!

May God fill you with His love to share with others.

Yours in  Christ Jesus.

Ralph Jackson

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift”, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them to repentance, since they crucify themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame.”  Hebrews 6:2-8

Ralph Jackson