Testing the Pre-Trib Rapture

By 119ministries.com

There have been many staunch debates over the years as to just when the church will be taken. All seem to have their argument established and are ready to go down fighting to prove their case. It is our prayer that this teaching will offer some clarity on the topic.
We believe that just how the teachers of the first century missed Yeshua’s first coming, likewise, today, the majority of teachers are missing the Scriptures regarding His return.

Hopefully this teaching will show how history is indeed repeating itself in this area.
But before we begin to examine this topic of what many call the “Rapture,” let’s look at one verse in Isaiah 1.
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says (Yahweh) the LORD.
Ask yourself the question, “Am I willing to reason with the Scriptures or am I wanting to debate my perspective?” This is imperative that we answer this question now. Are you willing to examine the Scriptures from the viewpoint that some of your existing beliefs COULD actually be wrong? Could you actually entertain the thought that something you have believed in for years may indeed not be true? This is difficult for many but something that needs to honestly be addressed.
All too often when someone presents something that opposes what we believe, our first “knee-jerk” response is to reject it, simply because we struggle with the thought that we could actually be wrong.
So again I say, ask yourself, “Am I willing to reason with the Scriptures or am I wanting to debate my perspective?” You, and only you, can answer this question.
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says (Yahweh) the LORD.
Let’s touch on a couple of basics first.
Harmony of the Scriptures
This is a must. If you hold to a teaching or a belief that does not line up with ALL Scripture, then you need to seriously reconsider that view.
We believe that Scripture interprets Scripture. We do not believe that an interpretation of a Scripture is to interpret another Scripture. One more time. We believe that Scripture interprets Scripture. We do not believe that an interpretation of a Scripture is to interpret another Scripture.
Terminology
Terminology that one uses must be Scriptural. This is something that we believe is lacking with many believers today. We need to do our best in keeping with terms that are found in the Scriptures. What can develop is error. At the very least, misunderstanding will creep in over time.
Let’s face facts… The word Rapture does not exist in the Scriptures. Should we use it? Many would say “Well, you know that it means the same thing.”
We understand where you are coming from. But is it in the Scriptures? If we are trying to be a “New Testament church,” shouldn’t we be using New Testament terms?
Other phrases you will not see in the Scriptures are:
– Church age. You’ll see the word church and you’ll see the word age. But you’ll never see them together to name a particular age.
Another: – Tribulation saints. You’ll see the word tribulation and you’ll see the word saints. But you’ll never see them together to name any particular type of saints.
This is truly imperative that we understand the importance of this. Not using biblical terms CAN eventually lead to unbiblical theology.
To begin our study, we need to briefly go over the five views of what has been traditionally called the “rapture.” It’s what the Scriptures refer to as the resurrection. Obviously, there will be variations within each camp of these views. But as a whole, these basically represent what each view holds to.
The first is the Pre-tribulation view. As you can see, the view holds to the rapture or resurrection taking place before the tribulation, with there being a seven year tribulation, in which the seals, trumpets and bowls all take place. Then after all this we have the return of Yeshua, followed by the millennial reign of Yeshua, then the white throne judgment followed by the eternal kingdom. This is the general understanding of the pre-tribulation view.
Next, we have the Mid-tribulation view. This view is very similar to that of the pre-tribulation view except that the resurrection takes place in the middle of the tribulation. All else is relatively the same with some minor changes depending on who you are asking.
Next we have what is called the “Pre-Wrath” view. It has the rapture/resurrection taking place just before the bowls. Again, all else is relatively the same.
Next we have what is called the “Post-tribulation” view, which basically has the rapture/ resurrection taking place at the return of Yeshua after the bowls.
Finally we have the last view. It’s simply referred to as the “Pan-trib.” Simply meaning, however it pans out. Taking the view that however it’s going happen, then that’s how it’s going to happen, really taking no stance on the subject for whatever reason. Maybe they believe it’s just beyond them or they’ve heard so many debates on the topic that they just don’t know what or who to believe.
As we’ve said before, everybody’s right on something and everybody’s wrong on something. And we truly need one another as we all learn and grow together.
With all that being said, let’s begin.
At one time, like so many, I used to believe in what is called the pre-tribulation rapture. But when I was a teenager, I started asking questions that weren’t getting answered. Not getting answered in my opinion anyway. The answers that were given sounded good. But they didn’t line up with other Scriptures.
One verse that really tipped me over was this:
Revelation 20:4-6 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
So, here we have this verse telling us who is involved with the first resurrection. The first resurrection included those who did not receive the mark, they were beheaded, and they did not worship the beast. These are those who will be involved with the first resurrection.
Immediately, I started thinking, If Yeshua comes before the tribulation, that’s a resurrection right there because it says the dead in Christ will rise first. That’s a resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
So now we have a problem. The pre-tribulation view says there is a resurrection BEFORE the tribulation. Before the antichrist appears and before the mark of the beast is introduced. But this verse in Revelation says that there are those who are a part of the first resurrection who do not take the mark and even some who are martyred by the Antichrist.
So how can the first resurrection contain these individuals if the tribulation has not started yet? Knowing that ALL Scripture is to be in harmony, it would seem that this verse alone makes it very difficult, at the very least, to hold to the pre-trib view. Yet there is much more. I remember once
hearing a prominent teacher in the Christian faith on the radio who actually addressed this very verse in Revelation 20 and how it flowed in harmony with the rest of Scripture. I remember it quite vividly even though it was MANY years ago. I was excited to finally hear an explanation on this verse in Revelation. That is, until I heard it. He simply said that the pre-tribulation rapture is the first part of the resurrection and the resurrection that is mentioned in Revelation 20 is the second part of it.
Talk about disappointed. I couldn’t believe my ears. The Scriptures give us NOTHING about two parts to the first resurrection. Not even a hint of such a thing. It was as if he was doing all he could to defend his view, yet with no Scriptures to back it up. I was greatly disappointed.
The Scriptures seem quite clear that there will only be one resurrection consisting only of the righteous. Compare:
Luke 14:13-14 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection [singular] of the righteous.
“You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”
There is only one resurrection of the righteous.
John 6:39-40 39 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
“I will raise him up at the last day.”
What is the “last day”? We believe, quite possibly, that this is the millennium. The seventh day, the Day of the Lord. Many struggle with this because the millennium is normally explained as nothing but a time of peace. And we agree. It will be a time of peace. But is this how it starts?
The Day of the Lord is noted as a frightful day and a day of victory. It truly depends on what side you are on that will determine this for you. It will be a day of nothing but darkness for those who are evil in the eyes of Yahweh.
Compare:
Isaiah 13:9 See, the day of (Yahweh) the LORD is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger — to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
Ezekiel 30:3 For the day is near, the day of (Yahweh) the LORD is near — a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.
Yet it is mentioned as both bad AND good at the same time. Again, it truly depends on what side you are on. Compare:
Acts 2:20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 5:5 Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the Day of the Lord.
It will be a time rejoicing as well.
2 Corinthians 1:13-14 13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the Day of the Lord Jesus.
References to the Day of the Lord can be the very beginning, the middle and even the end of it like that found in Peter. Compare:
2 Peter 3:10-14 10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.
So being raised at the last day truly seems that we are being raised at the time of the millennium.
Continuing on this topic of the resurrection in John chapter 6:
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Again, verse 54:
John 6:54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
In this chapter alone, Yeshua keeps telling us that we will be raised at the last day.
We must understand that there is a difference between being raised to life and being resurrected. Raised to life is being raised from the dead only to die again.
Resurrected is being raised from the dead with a new body to never die physically again.
One who has been raised from the dead will die again because they are raised with the same body. Like that of Lazarus or any of those that Yeshua raised from the dead while He was walking the earth in His ministry. But those who are resurrected are raised with a glorified body.
So the question for us at this moment is, how many resurrections are there? How many resurrections does the Scriptures tell us will happen through all of history?
There are a total of three resurrections as given in the Scriptures.
Compare:
1 Corinthians 15:20-24 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. 24 Then the end [will come].
I want to make a quick note here. There are many who use the NIV. If you have the NIV, you will notice the brackets around the two words “will come.” This is to let you know that these words were added and are NOT in the Greek text. So, since these are not in the Greek text, let’s read this without these words as added by the NIV.
Starting from verse 23.
1 Corinthians 15:23-24 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end (omit), when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
So, according to this text, we see that Yeshua was the first resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:23 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits.
Yeshua was the first one resurrected from the dead. There are other verses that confirm this for us. Consider.
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead.
Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead.
And then just at the beginning of the text we were discussing…
1 Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
So there is no question as to Yeshua being the first resurrection, the first fruits from the dead.
Now, let’s look at the second resurrection. Continuing in verse 23.
1 Corinthians 15:23 …Then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.
“When He comes;” “those who belong to Him”….
Let’s look at some other verses that support this.
Matthew 24:30-31 30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
So even here we see that He gathers His elect AT HIS COMING.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; this is often referred to as the “Rapture verse.”
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
So again, we see that the second resurrection takes place at Yeshua’s next coming.
And now, the third resurrection: Back to verse 24.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then the end [ ], when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
There have been some that say this text is only talking about believers. However, if we look at the beginning of this text in 1 Corinthians, the context is all about ALL men. Consider:
1 Corinthians 15:21-23 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: through Adam, all die. Yet, through Yeshua, ALL will be made alive.
The context of these verses is the resurrection of all men. All men are going to be raised. Each in his own turn. Not just believers.
Even Daniel says the same thing about all being raised. It just wasn’t defined as being two separate
resurrections then. Compare:
Daniel 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
So, we saw the first resurrection being Yeshua. It then explained the resurrection of those who belong to Yeshua. And now we see the rest.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then the end [NOT… WILL COME ], when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
Another confirmation to this is found in John 5.
John 5:28 Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice.
And another:
Acts 24:14-15 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
Compare now this verse with what we read earlier in Revelation 20.
Revelation 20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
And now, to confirm with 1 Corinthians, let’s read Revelation 20:12-13.
Revelation 20:12-13 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.
With this in mind, we see just how Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then the end [ ], when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
And here we see in Revelation, the last resurrection just before He hands everything over to the Father.
So we see Yeshua resurrected as the first fruits, those who belong to Him resurrected at His
coming, and the rest of the dead resurrected at the end just before He hands everything over.
Another Scripture that the pre-trib view seems to over look is Acts 3:21
Acts 3:21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.
Here we see that Yeshua must remain in heaven until the restoration is to happen. Thus, He can’t leave heaven until the Day of the Lord.
When discussing this with my youth pastor many years ago, he told me that Yeshua never leaves heaven at the time of the rapture. He said that heaven basically opens up and we all go up there with Him. It sounded good at the moment. That is until I read back over the verse noted by many as the “rapture verse.” It says…
1 Thessalonians 4:15-16 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven.
So here we have the “rapture verse” telling us that He leaves heaven.
Thus, when Yeshua leaves heaven, it’s for the restoration of all things before the millennium at His return.
Another Issue that needs to be addressed is that of the mystery at the trumpet.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound.
Notice there is a mystery. And what happens at the mystery? A trumpet sounds. At this trumpet we are changed. This is the resurrection. Again, a mystery, trumpet and resurrection.
Let us now compare this to Revelation…
Revelation 10:7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to his servants the prophets.
If you go to the verses just before the seventh trumpet blows, you see the two witnesses raised to life. We believe it’s possible that all followers of Yeshua join them as it appears they seem to be resurrected since they are taken up.
The question here is this… Do we think Paul, writing to the Corinthians really knew about the 7th (last) trumpet of Revelation. Not at all. Nor do we believe that John, when writing Revelation, was reflecting on what Paul wrote to the Corinthians. However, we believe the Father is the one truly giving us these verses through these authors by way of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
In that light, is it really that
hard to see these verses being tied together in such a way? At the very least, one can say it’s interesting.
The next thing to consider when looking at the Pre-tribulation rapture view is the phrase “at that time.”
Consider:
Matthew 24:29-31 29 Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 30 At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
At that time. What time? When sun is darkened, the moon does not give its light and the stars fall. So what happens at that time? He gathers His elect. The big question here is, “Who is the elect?”
Some like to say that the elect are the 144,000. But is this really the case? Let’s look to the Scriptures and see just who the elect really is. Please consider:
Romans 11:7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did.
2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect.
Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect.
1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, strangers in the world.
To who? God’s elect. We are the elect. We are the ones who He gathers at that time.
Let us briefly look at Luke’s account of this same text found in Matthew 24.
Luke 21:27-28 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing nigh.
What things?
Many who hold to the pre-trib view use this verse in saying, “See? Look. When these things begin to take place.”
The question though here is, “What things?” To answer this, we need to clarify the definitives that Yeshua gives us in this text.
In talking to His disciples, He says in Luke 21:
Luke 21:12 But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. (definitive) They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons (definitive), and you will be brought before kings and governors (definitive), and all on account of my name.
The mere fact that He says “all on account of my name” clearly lets us know that He is talking about believers here.
Continuing on:
Luke 21:13-14 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. (definitive) 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.
Verse 16:
Luke 21:16-17 16 You will be betrayed even by parents (definitive), brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 All men will hate you because of me. (again definitive)
Luke 21:20 When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies (definitive… Not if, but when), you will know that its desolation is near.
All these are definitives as to what He declared his followers would INDEED see.
Continuing with verse 25: Luke 21:25 25 There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world.
Now verse 28:
Luke 21:28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
When these things begin. Those which is mentioned in verse 25. At verse 12 we see the definitives of what we are going to see. Why would He take us out before seeing the things He’s telling us that we are going to see? Thus, verse 25 is when we are going to lift up our heads.
Another topic that needs to be addressed is that of the “Day of Redemption.”
Ephesians 1:14 Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
“For the day of redemption.” Singular. Not “days,” but “day.”
Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Philippians 3:20-21 20 Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.
“Will transform our lowly bodies.”
When He comes, He will redeem our bodies and transform them on the “Day of redemption.” Singular.
Another thing for us to consider in reviewing the pre-trib view is the parable given in Luke 19. Consider:
Luke 19:12-13 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
“Until I come back.”
The parable continues and when we see the master come back the servants come to him. The first one comes and says how he earned 10 minas. The master responds with “Well done” and puts him in charge of 10 cities.
Then the next servant came with how he earned 5. “Well done” says the master and puts him in charge of 5 cities.
Remember, He said, “until I come back.” What happens when Yeshua comes back? We will rule and reign with Him in the millennium.
2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
So what does this tell us? We are to continue steadfast until He comes to reign, and that’s when we get to reign with Him.
There are many debates that are brought up in discussing this topic with those who hold to the Pre- tribulation view.
The first, that is usually brought up, is that which is called the “Restrainer.” There are several views as to just who the “restrainer” truly is. One view is that it is actually the church, basically saying that the Antichrist cannot come until the church has been raptured away.
So let’s examine the verses where the restrainer is found. They are found in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the Day of the Lord has already come.
First, we must note that the topic here is all about us being gathered to Yeshua. This is important to note. There are three things mentioned here. 1) The coming of Yeshua, 2) Being gathered to Him and 3) The Day of the Lord.
This tells us that the coming of Yeshua and our being gathered to Him equals the Day of the Lord. Because this is so important to understand, let’s establish a small timeline here.
On this line we see where the Day of the Lord begins. With the understanding that the Day of the Lord is when Yeshua returns and our being gathered to Him takes place. Now let’s continue to verse 3.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for [that day will not come] until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
This verse just told us that the Day of the Lord (His return and our being gathered to Him) cannot begin until the man of lawlessness is revealed. Telling us what? That it is not the church who is holding Him back. Thus the church cannot be the restrainer.
So, on the timeline, the man of lawlessness needs to be in front of when the Day of the Lord begins. Continuing:
2 Thessalonians 2:4-6 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
Here we see that there is indeed something holding the Antichrist back, but it obviously is not the church. So, on our timeline, working backwards, we see the Day of the Lord beginning after the revealing of the Antichrist, which takes place after the restrainer is taken out of the way. Next verse:
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed,
whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming.
There are many opinions as to who this restrainer really is. We currently hold that this is actually Michael the Archangel. This may sound strange at first, but please consider the similarities.
Daniel 12:1 At that time (speaking of the end) Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people — everyone whose name is found written in the book — will be delivered.
The word arise here in the Hebrew is omed. It actually means to stand still, to cease from action. We must remember, the context of this verse describes Michael as the one who protects the people. If he is protecting, he’s not sitting. He’s protecting. Thus, now, at this moment, he stands still. He ceases from protecting.
And at that time, it will be a time of great distress as the verse says.
Knowing that Michael is the one who protects the people, does it not sound like he could be the one who is actually holding the Antichrist back?

This is not something that we believe can be declared as gospel truth. However, it does seem to line up with Scripture in that he could easily be the restrainer who holds the Antichrist back until the beginning of it all. But we can definitely see that the restrainer is not the church.
Another topic brought up for defending the pre-trib view is that which is referred to as the “Picture.” It’s found in Revelation 4.
Revelation 4:1-2 1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
Many say that this is the “picture” of the church being raptured out because the church is never mentioned from this moment on in Revelation. To which, we agree. The word “church” is never mentioned from this moment on. However, “saints” ARE mentioned hereafter.
So just because the word “church” is not mentioned, this does not mean that the church itself is not there. Some are quick to say that these are the tribulation saints. But again, this is a term that is found nowhere in Scripture. So the question then becomes, “Who are the saints?”
Romans 1:7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints.
1 Corinthians 6:1-2 1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
Here we see the saints will judge the world. And then these here are told that they will be the ones judging the world. Meaning what? They are the saints.
Rom. 16:1-2 1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints.
The saints ARE the church. And we clearly see the saints, the church, in the tribulation after Revelation chapter 4.
Yet, regarding “pictures” as assumed for Revelation 4:1 and 2, please consider the following.
Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
“From ancient times, what is still to come.” The ancient times are the pictures of what is to come.
What are the ancient times that we learn from? Those that could indeed be “PICTURES” of illustrations for us.
Consider Noah. The day they entered the ark, what happened? The rains came down (Genesis 7:11-13).
Consider Lot and his family. The day they left, judgment fell (Genesis 19).
Consider Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They went through the flames. Yet, they were protected (Daniel 3).
Consider the Ten Plagues. From the fourth one on, God’s people were exempt from the plagues. Though they were there they were protected and not affected (Exodus 7-12).
Pictures. These are the pictures we are to consider.
Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
This brings up the next topic that is often mentioned when defending the pre-trib view. That topic is the “Wrath.”
The statement often said is, “We are not called to suffer wrath.”
And we completely agree. So let’s look at that verse.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, we agree that we are not called to suffer the wrath of God. But consider some verses that show
God’s wrath AND redemption on the same day. Though we covered Noah and Lot, consider here how even Yeshua refers to them both in this light.
Luke 17:26-30 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
Yeshua Himself is showing us wrath and redemption happen on the same day. Consider also 2 Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-8 5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Again, here we see wrath and redemption on the same day with the return of Yeshua.
Again, we agree that we are NOT called to suffer the wrath of God. Never. But we must also remember the Hebrews were protected during the judgments of the Ten Plagues. First, He indeed declares them as judgments.
Exodus 6:6 Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am (Yahweh) the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
Then, as stated before, from the fourth plague on, we see the Hebrews being protected.
Exodus 8:22 22 But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, (Yahweh) the LORD, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.
So the Father knows how to protect His people in the midst of pouring out His judgments on the rest.
Indeed, we agree that we are not called to suffer any wrath. However, the wrath of man, well, that’s a different story. That’s not guaranteed. In fact, our teaching titled “The Seven Churches” shows how the tribulation will be used as a time of refinement FOR the church.
However, we must understand that there is an element of God’s wrath that is truly displayed every day. Let’s look at some verses regarding the wrath of God that could apply to a daily form.
Psalm 7:11 God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses His wrath every day.
When does God express His wrath? Every day.
2 Peter 2:9 If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Ephesians 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
And consider here in Revelation.
Revelation 15:1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues — last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.
He’s telling us right here that this is the completion of His wrath. The last of it all. Even when one looks at the end of the millennium when Satan is loosed, it says he deceives many. But then fire then comes down from heaven and destroys those who follow him. Yet there is no wrath mentioned. There’s not even a fight. He simply wipes them out and then prepares for the final judgment.
Revelation is where God concludes His wrath, not starts it.
The next topic often referred to in defending the pre-trib view is that of the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3. We cover this in much detail in our teaching titled “The Seven Churches.” But let’s look at it in the light of the pre-tribulation rapture.
Revelation 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
If one holds to the belief that Yeshua is taking this church out from the world because of this one text that says “I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world,” they are assuming that being kept from this temptation requires being “raptured” out of this world.
When in fact, this is the very opposite of what Yeshua prays in John 17.
John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
Here we see Yeshua praying that they are not taken out but rather protected from the evil one. This being the case, why would Yeshua do something opposite in Revelation to what He prayed for here in
John 17? Yet it is clear that this church is indeed protected from something for some time. If we harmonize it with Yeshua’s prayer, we see that they will be protected from the evil one during this time.
Again, for further detail on this, please see our teaching titled “The Seven Churches”.
Another verse that is often brought up in defending the pre-trib view is found in Luke.
Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
We have two things to pray for here. 1) to escape all things that are coming and 2) that we may be able to stand before the Son of Man. 
Let’s read the verse again and we’ll see there are clearly two things to pray for and not one wrapped together.
Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
This verse is very similar to what is given to the churches of Revelation. Just as the church of Philadelphia was to escape the hard times of the tribulation. We are encouraged by Yeshua to pray that we escape as they. Just as all churches in Revelation were encouraged to be steadfast and overcome so they can receive eternal life, we see the same here that we may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
To make this text say anything other truly opposes the harmony of all Scripture.
Another argument given in defending the pre-trib rapture is that we can’t know the day when Yeshua returns. Though we cover this briefly in two of our teachings, we will cover it here all together.
Many are quick to mention that Yeshua himself said, “No man knows about that day or hour.” To which we agree. He did say that. So let us address these statements as they are and see what we come up with. First we have Matthew 24:35-36 where it says:
Matthew 24:35-36 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
If we look at the context here, we see that the day and hour referred to here is when Heaven and earth pass away. Which only makes sense as there are several events given after the millennium that have no time frames allocated to them.
They are 1) the season that Satan is loosed; 2) The preparation for the final battle where fire comes down from Heaven and destroys the enemy; and 3) the Great White Throne Judgment. It is after these events that have no time designated to them, that the new Heaven and Earth appear. Thus, the context is in verse 35. “That day” is referring back to the day of heaven and earth passing away.
In reference to the return of Yeshua, the text that follows verse 36 describes that of the days of Noah. We obviously know that those who were to be judged in the days of Noah did not know the day or hour that the judgment was to come. However, seven days before the day of judgment came, Noah was informed of the day and was protected. Though it’s important to note he did not know the hour. Compare:
Genesis 7:4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
He did not know the hour but he DID know the day. Let us not forget that the Scriptures are cyclical. Showing us patterns and pictures of how the Father works. This is also in harmony with Amos.
Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
Again, those being judged did not know when the judgment was coming while the righteous, Noah, did know. Many are then quick to refer to verse 42.
Matthew 24:42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” Again, this is just after Yeshua parallels His coming with the flood of Noah. The people who did not know the timing of the flood were taken away while those who did were protected. Verse 42 is where Yeshua is telling His disciples to “be on the alert.” Why? Because they did not know (present tense) when the Lord was returning. Let’s now look at the following verses to show how He explains the previous statement. Matthew 24:43-44 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.
If you notice, He doesn’t say that the owner would have known the time because he watched BUT RATHER that he would have watched because he knew the time. Let’s read that part again.
Matthew 24:43-44 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.
So if we follow the Lord’s command to be alert and watch, that means we will know the day of His return, just as the home owner would have, just not the hour.
Again, He doesn’t say that the owner would have known the time because he watched, but rather that he would have watched because he knew the time.
Matthew 24:43-44 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. So if we follow the Lord’s command to be alert and watch, that means we will know the day of His return, just not the hour.
If someone is coming to visit you on Friday, you don’t start looking for them on Wednesday do you? Of course not. You start looking for them on Friday around the time they said they would come. The same principle applies here.
This makes all the more sense as we compare other verses that talk about knowing the timing of His return. Compare: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
But in whose perspective does He come like a thief in the night? To the believer or the unbeliever? To answer that question, let’s read verse 4. 1 Thessalonians 5:4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise YOU like a thief. Compare also in Revelation 3 where Yeshua is talking to the church in Sardis.
Revelation 3:3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. These two witnesses clearly show that Yeshua will come like a thief only to those who are not following Him. To those who are not watching. But those who are following Him will know when to start looking for Him. Only those who are to be judged will stay in the dark of not knowing. If you are walking in the light and pursuing His feasts according to the mo’adim, ( times and seasons) set in place from the beginning, then you will know when the Messiah will come.
Remember, He fulfilled the Spring Feast days to the day at His first coming. And He will do likewise for the Fall Feast days at His return.
Many also use Matthew 25 to say that we will not know the day. It reads:
Matthew 25:11-13 11 Later the others also came. “Sir! Sir!” they said. “Open the door for us!” 12 But He replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day
or the hour.
To understand this, we must keep the context. Let’s read the verses before.
Matthew 25:5-10 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” 7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.” 9 “No,” they replied, “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” 10 But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
These are representative of all “believers.” Notice how they all fell asleep. But yet at the end only those who were ready were allowed in. This parallels exactly with what we see in Revelation 3:3 and 1 Thessalonians 5:4.
Many refer specifically to verse 13 of this text.
Matthew 25:13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
But our question is this: Does it say “you WILL not know” or “you DO not know”?
It says “You DO not know.”
Did Noah know the day the flood was coming during the 100 years of making the ark? No. He didn’t. Did the virgins know the day of the bridegroom’s return at the beginning? No. Of course not. But was Noah eventually informed of the day? Yes. He was. Were the virgins informed of the return of the bridegroom? Yes. They were. And half were not prepared and missed it.
“Present tense” verses that of “future tense.” This is the issue that we are truely discussing. In all the verses that we have found, the only thing given that we will not know in light of future tense is that of the “hour” and these are in harmony with that of Noah and the virgins.
Some have even referred to Acts 1:6-7 for their defense as well. It reads:
Acts 1:6-7 6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.
As evidenced from Revelation 3:3 and 1 Thessalonians 5:4, the Scriptures indicate that we will know the times and season. Remember, in contrast to this verse in Acts, Christ also said that we WILL know the season. Compare:
Matthew 24:32-33 32 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near,
right at the door.
Thus, His words in Acts 1 seem to contradict those in Matthew 24.
This leads us to wonder if Yeshua was actually meaning that those very individuals who heard Him speaking there in Acts 1 wouldn’t know the times and seasons since they obviously wouldn’t be around in the end times. There is much debate over these verses in Acts 1. However, we believe that all Scripture is to be interpreted in perfect harmony with each other. If we interpret something that does not line up with other Scripture, then our interpretations are making the Scriptures contradict each other.
We struggle with any interpretation that makes the Scriptures contradict.
Another verse that is often cited for the pre-trib view is John 14:1-3. It reads:
John 14:1-3 1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
This verse clearly says “I will come back and take you to be with me”.
Now, if one is going to hold to the pre-trib view, please consider the logic that is being used through this verse.
He takes us up to heaven to the place He has been preparing for us for 2,000 years. We then stay there at that place for seven years. We then come back down with Him at His return and reign with him for the millennium on earth. Then after the millennium a NEW heaven and NEW earth appear. Telling us what? The place that He has been preparing for us for the last 2,000 years, according to verse 3, will only be occupied by us for seven years as we come down for the millennium and then comes the NEW heaven and NEW earth. He prepares it for 2,000 years and we’re only there for seven. Does that even make sense?
Well, not to us.
Lastly, some time ago a book series came out titled Left Behind. The whole premise of the series was about those who missed the pre-tribulation rapture. Meaning, if you were left behind, you missed the resurrection and will face the time of the tribulation.
These books became a huge hit in the modern day church. Even had some movies made after them.
Let’s let Scripture speak for itself and see what it has to say about who exactly is “left behind” and who is taken away.
First off, what does Yeshua say in Matthew 24:29-31?
Matthew 24:29-31 29 Immediately AFTER the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 At that
time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
When are the elect gathered? After the days of tribulation, not before.
Let’s examine the Scriptures more closely to see who is left and who is taken. In Matthew 24:37-41, Yeshua says,
In Matthew 24:37-41 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
So, who is left behind? The righteous (Noah and his family). Who is taken? The wicked.
Also, let’s examine the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew13:24-30 to see if there is a second witness to this.
Matthew13:24-30 24 Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?” 28 “An enemy did this,” he replied. The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” 29 “No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”
What harvest is being spoken of? The end time harvest. Again, who is taken? The tares (the unrighteous).
Consider the words of Yeshua as He explains this parable to His disciples. Matthew 13:36-43 says:
Matthew 13:36-43 36 Then He left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
So again, we see the tares (unrighteous) being taken and the wheat (righteous) being left to shine forth. 
 Let’s look at another witness to this. Luke 17:23-37 says:
Luke 17:23-35 23 Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”
Again, who is taken? The wicked. Who is left? The righteous.
Consider even Proverbs 10:29-30 says:
Proverbs 10:29-30 29 The way of Yahweh is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. 30 The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.
After looking at what the Scriptures say about this topic, are you really certain you DON’T WANT to be “LEFT BEHIND”?
All that being said, we are often asked as to when we see the return of Yeshua actually happening. How we see it playing out with the Fall Feast days. Remember, as we explain in our teaching “Yahweh’s Prophetic Calendar,” we know Yeshua fulfilled, to the day, the spring Holy days. And it is in this light that it only makes sense He will return within the Fall Holy days.
Obviously we are still watching like everyone else. And we believe that as the time draws closer and we all continue to keep watch, we will all be able to see and know His return.
Could it be on the Day of Trumpets? That would make sense for the last trumpet to sound.
Could it be on the Day of Atonement? Every 50 years two silver trumpets are to be blown on the Day of Atonement to announce the next Jubilee.
Could it be on the first day of Tabernacles? This would be the first day that Yeshua would indeed be tabernacling with us and it would also better match the 1,260 days from the Passover 3½ years earlier when many believe the Antichrist could begin his rule.
We are open. But more than anything, we are watching.
In all of this, we ask you, are you defending your belief or are you seeking truth?
We know that this is not an easy teaching to hear, especially if you have been brought up all your life believing the pre-trib view. We simply ask that you stay open to the Spirit in examining the Scriptures. And remember:
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says (Yahweh) the LORD.
We hope you have enjoyed this teaching. Remember, continue to test everything.
Shalom
For more on this and other teachings, please visit us at www.testeverything.net
Shalom, and may Yahweh bless you in walking in the whole Word of God.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture

Shabbat, How Do We Properly Keep it?

 J.K. McKee

How the Messianic community is to properly keep Shabbat, or any Biblical commandment for that matter, is a mystery for many. There are many issues and questions that have to be weighed and taken into consideration when establishing a proper halachic orthopraxy for oneself, one’s congregation, and the movement as a whole. In the Jewish community, whether you are Orthodox or Conservative, keeping the seventh-day Sabbath is an important sign of who you are as a Hebrew or Jew. It is the sign that God gave the people of Israel from Mount Sinai to distinguish them from the world. When one goes to Israel today, stores close, public transportation stops, and the Old City of Jerusalem comes to a virtual standstill for a full twenty-four hours. When some in the emerging Messianic movement see how our Jewish brothers and sisters keep the Sabbath, it can seem almost foreboding and something that needs to be minimized. When our Christian brethren see how Orthodox Jews keep the Sabbath, they often run away, believing it to be a time of forced “unwork,” legalism, and anything but rest.

But as you can imagine, this is not what God originally intended. The Lord gave us the gift of Shabbat so that we might rest and abstain from our labors, focus exclusively on Him, and be rejuvenated for the week of work ahead. Yeshua the Messiah tells us, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27, NRSV). God gave Shabbat to all people so that it would be a special time for us, not a time that is burdensome or intended to place men and women into bondage. He asks us to “Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God” (Ezekiel 20:20). Anything surrounding Shabbat is to be focused on this end: the Sabbath is to be a time so that we might “know” the Lord. Yada is a common verb in Biblical Hebrew not only used to describe knowledge, but most importantly is “used for the most intimate acquaintance” (TWOT).[1] On Shabbat, we are to be intimate with our Heavenly Father, and with other Believers in the community of faith.

While those of us who have salvation in Yeshua, and have the gift of the Holy Spirit present inside us, should leap inside when we realize that the Sabbath is to be a time when we commune with our Father—how we keep Shabbat is another story. It begs many difficult questions. When many become convicted that Sunday Church is not what God originally intended, and that His people need to keep Shabbat, various changes begin to take place. The transition to Shabbat is difficult for many, especially given the many Christian misconceptions about what the seventh-day Sabbath is, and why God gave it to His people. While on paper many Messianic Believers say they keep the Biblical Sabbath—keeping Shabbat is not just transferring a Sunday Church experience to Saturday. While the Sabbath has elements of worshipping God involved with it, Shabbat is not about “worshipping on Saturday.” It is, rather, one of the appointed times or moedim of Leviticus 23. It is to be “a sacred occasion” (NJPS) or “a sacred assembly” (NIV). But being these things involves much more than just worship:

“For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:3).

The question of why we need to keep the Sabbath is fairly easy to answer. Our Heavenly Father wants us to abstain from our labors. Exodus 20:11 attests, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.” The verb nuach, appearing here in the Qal stem (simple action, active voice), means to “rest, settle down and remain” (BDB).[2] Every week, we need to just stop what we are doing, and “settle down” for a while. We need to abstain from our labors and stop working. However, there is a great amount of discussion concerning what it actually means to stop working. Keeping the Sabbath is a wonderful thing—but how are we to keep it properly? How do we not forget the essence and joy of Shabbat, but at the same time not eliminating its primary aims?

What do we have to consider?

We as the emerging Messianic community today have a substantial amount to consider when we contemplate how we are to properly keep the Sabbath. We have to make some serious ideological and philosophical value judgments, and also weigh our testimony to both our Christian and Jewish brethren, and sometimes our Messianic Jewish brethren, if we are non-Jewish. We have to answer some serious questions relating to our individual and corporate callings, and what we believe that God is trying to achieve through our obedience to Him. We have to ask ourselves if we want to alienate ourselves from others, or let others be drawn toward us because we are truly being blessed by obeying the Lord. We also have to allow for some flexibility among those who keep Shabbat, because not everyone is going to keep it exactly the same way that we are.

I believe that there are three critical questions that we all have to consider as we contemplate how we are to properly keep Shabbat. Obviously as you will see below, these questions do not exclusively relate to the Sabbath, but for our specific purposes, we will assume that they are:

How am I to keep Shabbat as an individual?
How is my congregation or fellowship to keep Shabbat?
How are we to keep Shabbat as the Messianic community, and are we trying to emulate Jewish practice in any respect?
How you answer these questions will affect how you interpret the Biblical commandments regarding the seventh-day Sabbath. There are many people in the Messianic community today who say that they keep Shabbat, but then we have those in our midst who accuse such people of not keeping the Sabbath, because they do not keep the Sabbath as “they do.” Consider the fact that while the Written Torah absolutely prohibits work from being done on Shabbat, what one person considers work, another person might not consider work. While the commandments themselves are not what are in dispute among Messianic Believers who believe that Shabbat is to be observed—their application is. This begs the questions of not only how we are to develop an individual halachah of how the Sabbath is to be kept, but to what degree, if any, the emerging Messianic movement considers Jewish tradition and commentary regarding Shabbat.

One of the things that I think many non-Jewish Believers in the Messianic movement do not realize is that salvation has gone out into the nations, so that non-Jewish Believers might provoke their Jewish brethren to faith in Yeshua. Paul writes this in Romans 11:11, “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious” (NIV). Whatever non-Jewish Believers do regarding their Torah observance should make the Jewish people jealous. This should be because they see non-Jewish Believers keeping “their Torah,” and doing the things that “they are supposed to do.” I can tell you from personal experience that those who are the most jealous, of families like mine, are non-religious or nominally-religious Jews. When they see a non-Jewish Believer, a “Christian” in their minds, keeping the things of the Torah, they get extremely offended. They get offended because they know that they should be doing these things, and have decided instead not to do them. According to Paul, these things need to make our Jewish brothers and sisters jealous for faith in the Messiah!

But what can happen, and what often does happen, is that in much of the Messianic movement, many non-Jewish Believers think that they “know better” than Judaism in regard to the Torah. Hence, we have seen many interpretations and applications of Torah commandments that are foreign to the mainline Conservative and Orthodox Judaisms of today, and certainly to the Judaisms of the First Century. This can occur for any number of reasons, but notably because such non-Jewish Believers want to be “Scripture Only” in the strictest sense of the term, and believe that the Jewish people have rejected Yeshua because of their own customs and traditions. In extreme cases, some non-Jewish Believers in the Messianic community are actually anti-Semitic.[3]

I believe these sentiments are misguided. The Protestant Reformers themselves, while believing in the primacy of written Scripture, never envisioned an interpretation of Scripture that did not take into consideration history and tradition, and for that same matter, reason and one’s personal faith experience (or even one’s own native culture). Secondly, the field of Jewish New Testament studies, which involve the examination of First Century history and literature, is revealing more and more that Yeshua the Messiah followed more of the traditions of Second Temple Judaism than He is commonly given credit for in most evangelical Christian exegesis. In fact, not only is scholastic opinion leaning more and more toward Yeshua keeping many of the oral traditions of the Rabbis, but it is being shaped by the fact that Yeshua’s (and for that same matter, Paul’s) theology is quite Pharisaical at its core. The foundation of Pharisaical theology is a belief in the bodily resurrection, an afterlife, angels, demons, miracles, and a compatibilist position of predestination and free will.[4]

In the case of Shabbat, many have decided to keep the Sabbath without considering any Jewish traditions or opinions concerning it. This is disconcerting because non-Jewish Believers will be unable to fulfill the call of provoking Jews to jealousy for faith in Yeshua if they follow the Torah without any Jewish elements present. While the statement of, “You don’t want to come out of the Church and trade one set of traditions of men for another set of traditions of men,” has become commonplace in certain parts of the Messianic community, and definitely in the independent Hebrew/Hebraic Roots movement—the simple fact of the matter is that traditions help bind a community together. Tradition has been what has kept the Jewish people bonded for almost two thousand years since the destruction of the Second Temple. Tradition is what allows a group to formulate an established working opinion of how things are to be done. While “tradition” can be a “buzz word,” in certain sectors, any objective reading of the Apostolic Scriptures, coupled with history, is revealing more and more that Yeshua and His early followers kept many of the Jewish traditions of their time. The Apostle Paul commended the Corinthians with the following word: “Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:2).[5] Should we not consult Jewish tradition when developing a viable halachah for ourselves?

I do not believe that the emerging Messianic community must follow all of the Jewish traditions that exist relating to Shabbat. In fact, there are many variances among the customs and traditions that exist, which have developed in different types of Jewish communities, i.e., the Ashkenazic or Sephardic communities, for hundreds of years. Some in the Messianic community want to act just like “Orthodox Jews.” Is this something that we want? Many in the Orthodox Jewish community live and act like they live in Seventeenth Century Eastern Europe, and enclose themselves to not interact with society at large. Consequently, how the Sabbath is kept also needs to be tempered by the fact that we live in a modern world. The development and progress of technology has changed our ability to communicate, travel, and do things that in the ancient world, especially the period of when the Torah was originally given, was extremely difficult. When considering how the Sabbath is to be properly observed, we also have to weigh how much differently we live from the ancients. When consulting tradition, how much weight do we give to those Jewish sects who shut themselves off from the world, versus other Jewish sects which strive to be obedient to God in a modern world?

As we list the specific Shabbat prohibitions that Scripture gives us below, these are all factors that must be considered as we endeavor to have a viable Messianic halachic orthopraxy—not only for our individual selves, but also for our congregations, and for the movement at large. This is not intended to be a detailed exposition by any means, but attempts to offer practical solutions as to how we might keep the Sabbath as Messianic Believers in a modern world.

The Shabbat Prohibitions

Here are a collection of specific admonitions in Scripture as they relate to properly keeping Shabbat. These are the prohibitions that we will be examining, hopefully so that we can have a good idea about how God’s people are to conduct ourselves on Shabbat, and how it is probably not as complicated as we often think it is.

The seventh day is the Sabbath, requiring a suspension of all labor.
The Sabbath is to be a holy convocation.
Work is to be done in the first six days of the week.
The Sabbath is to be a day of complete rest.
Fire shall not be kindled on the Sabbath.
On the Sabbath, God’s people are to remember that the Ancient Israelites were once slaves in Egypt.
God’s people are not to be concerned about their own carnal pleasures.
Conducting in business is prohibited on the Sabbath.

1. The seventh day is the Sabbath, requiring a suspension of all labor.

The Torah commands in Exodus 20:10, “the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.” We are told the reason why God wants His people to abstain from their work in v. 11: “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.” The purpose of Shabbat is so that we can remember God’s supremacy as Creator, how He created the universe for His Divine purposes, and how when He had completed His work creating the universe, God rested. While some might argue, “How can a Supreme Being who controls the universe actually ‘rest’?”, the truth of the matter remains that God’s ways are not our ways. The Lord moved upon human beings to write in corporeal terms infinitely more profound truths that we will not fully understand until we enter into His Kingdom and into eternity. But until that time, just as God ceased from the labor required to build the universe on the seventh day, so must we stop from our labors.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the two words that are often used to describe “labor” are avodah, meaning “labor, service” (BDB), and its verb form, avad, generally meaning to “work, serve” (BDB).[6] These words are used in tandem in Exodus 1:13-14 to describe the harsh work that Pharaoh had the Ancient Israelites under while in Egypt:

“The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor [avad] rigorously; and they made their lives bitter with hard labor [avodah] in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor [avodah] in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.”

While this kind of work could certainly be in mind in the Sabbath prohibition given in the Decalogue, what is more specifically in mind is the type of work that brings financial gain. The prohibition given by God to Ancient Israel is that they are not to perform any melakah. In the Hebrew Scriptures this has a wide variance of possible applications, including, “trade mission, business journey,” “business, work,” and “handiwork, craftsmanship” (HALOT).[7]

The challenge with properly interpreting the Fourth Commandment text given here is noted by Nahum M. Sarna: “The definition of prohibited labor (m’lakhah), which limits the commandment explicitly to creation (Gen 2:2), is not given here.”[8] While the Fourth Commandment tells us that work is not to be done by anyone in the community, the types of specific work that are forbidden are not explained. This leaves the interpreter with one of two options when applying this text today: (1) examine further Scriptures that describe prohibitions of work on the Sabbath that build upon the Fourth Commandment, or (2) apply modern definitions of “work” to this Scripture.

The challenge, of course, with applying modern definitions of “work,” i.e., “going to work,” is that the largely agrarian society of the Ancient Israelites did not have the same concept of “work” as we often know it in the Western world today. The Ancient Israelites did not “go to jobs” and clock-in as employed workers from nine-to-five. They lived on their farms or functioned in a particular trade, and had a much less-definite view of “work.” The First Century Jews for that same matter, even merchants in the Diaspora, did not consider “work” as we do. In applying this commandment in a Twenty-First Century model, we have to see how religious communities have applied it for their particular settings, and as Believers ask the Holy Spirit to show us how we can properly apply it today while maintaining the integrity of the prohibition not to “work.”

2. The Sabbath is to be a holy convocation.

While the Torah identifies that the Sabbath is to be a time when God’s people abstain from work, it is also listed in the series of appointed times or moedim that the Lord establishes for His people. Leviticus 23:3 attests, “For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.” There are some Jewish scholars who do not believe that Shabbat should be considered one of the “appointed times,” per se, arguing instead that if one simply keeps the Sabbath, then he or she will be naturally inclined to keep the high holidays of the Lord. This logic is valid, but regardless of one’s view, Leviticus 23 says that Shabbat is to be “a day of sacred assembly” (NIV). What is this miqra qodesh?

The Hebrew word miqra generally means a “summons” or an “assembly” (HALOT).[9] It is derived from the verb qara, meaning “call, proclaim, read” (BDB).[10] It is from these various roots that the Jewish custom of assembling in a synagogue on Shabbat is derived. Nehemiah 8:8 indicates that this practice was developing after the Southern Kingdom exiles returned from Babylon: “They read [qara] from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.” This verse attests that the Torah was read aloud publicly to crowds in Hebrew, and also translated verbally into Aramaic for those who had returned, but had forgotten Hebrew. Centuries later as synagogues were planted in Greek-speaking lands, the Septuagint translation was largely used in the liturgy and worship. We see here the beginnings of how services were to be conducted in the Jewish Synagogue, with the focus being the reading of the Torah and the Prophets.

Some in the more independent Messianic community believe that assembling for worship services on Shabbat is not what the Leviticus 23 commandment directs, and that Shabbat is only about “rest.” But if this were the case, then we would see it borne out in the actions of Yeshua and the Apostles. Yeshua the Messiah’s custom was to go to the synagogue on Shabbat. The narrative of Luke 4:17-20 shows how He was handed a scroll of Isaiah and read it aloud publicly. A cursory reading of the Book of Acts will reveal time and time again that the Apostles, notably Paul, would always go to the local Jewish synagogue in a city and reason with the Jews—on Shabbat—from the Torah and the Prophets regarding who Yeshua was as the Savior of Israel. Surprisingly to many people, the post-Reformation Christian custom of going to Church on Sunday, submitting to some kind of “Sunday school” teaching, and then engaging in corporate worship and instruction, is loosely based on the practices of the First Century Jewish Synagogue.

What should we do today to fulfill the commandment to have a holy convocation in regard to Sabbath observance? It is fairly safe to say that in a community where you can assemble and fellowship at a Messianic congregation—that you should. The important thing that only a few non-Jewish Believers in the Messianic movement realize is that the Torah is to be kept in a community. The Torah should not be kept as though you are a hermit in a cave somewhere or out on a deserted island. The Torah is to be kept where you can be accountable to other people, and solicit their opinions—especially the opinion of a qualified “rabbi.” The Jewish community today is centered around the local synagogue, and Jewish rabbis have the profound responsibility in instructing members of the Jewish community in how they are to function as Torah observant members of society. Interestingly enough, the Protestant Reformers used the template of the Jewish rabbi to train pastor-teachers. While “rabbi” (Heb. rav) is merely a Hebrew term meaning “teacher,” a rabbi also functions as a spiritual mentor to his fellow Jews. A pastor-teacher likewise must be a teacher, but be responsible for the spiritual well-being of his parishioners.

The challenge, for some in the Messianic community, is that in some locations Messianic congregations are few-and-far-between. As a maturing religious movement, some people have to drive long distances to attend a Messianic congregation, that is if any one can be found. With many no longer feeling comfortable at a local “church,” they are left to keep Shabbat in their homes with family members and close friends. Is this in violation of the commandment to make Shabbat a “holy convocation”? Must it always be done in some kind of assembly building? No. In fact, as many of you may not be aware, many Jewish synagogues in the First Century Diaspora met in homes. There were only synagogue buildings in cities where there were large Jewish communities. In Corinth, for example, the Believers were actually booted out of the synagogue, and instead assembled in the home of Titius Justus, who lived right next to the synagogue (Acts 18:7). In Philippi, which was administered as a Roman military colony with a high Roman patriotism, the Jews were not permitted to establish a religious assemblage and instead had to go outside the city to pray by the riverside (Acts 16:3). Keeping Shabbat in one’s home is consistent with many examples that we see in the First Century community of faith. Oftentimes new Messianic fellowships have had to begin in the home. But this by no means discounts the value of a larger, established Messianic congregation that meets in its own “building.” The command is ultimately that the Sabbath is to be a special time of assemblage for instruction, teaching, and spiritual exhortation by worshipping the Lord.

3. Work is to be done in the first six days of the week.

The purpose of the days leading up to Shabbat are detailed for us quite clearly in Exodus 20:9: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.” In this text, we see the two words avad and melakah employed together: “Six days shall you work [avad] and accomplish all your work [melakah].” Context clearly indicates that avad and melakah are indeed connected together and are somewhat synonymous. The Septuagint translation makes no distinction rendering ta’avod as the verb erga, and melakah is rendered by the noun erga. What is perhaps most interesting is that the Hebrew verb ta’avod appears in the Qal imperfect tense, meaning that an absolute literal translation could appear as “You work,” but that the LXX translators thought of it as erga, appearing in the (more specific) future middle indicative tense. Erga could be translated into English as “you will work,” and that you are involved in the work as though it is unavoidable. This is because work is a part of the human condition that each one of us must experience.

Whether we personally “like” work or not, surprisingly there is to be a Divine calling when it comes to one’s work. This is realized when we examine many of the varied Jewish and Christian traditions regarding the workweek. J.H. Hertz writes, “Work during the six days of the week is as essential to man’s welfare as is the rest on the seventh. No man or woman, howsoever rich, is freed from the obligation of doing some work, say the Rabbis, as idleness invariably leads to evil thoughts and evil deeds.”[11] The Protestant work ethic, which largely came from the teachings of John Calvin and others, was birthed out of the belief that if one is a member of God’s elect, then he will demonstrate it through faithful labors during the six days designated for work. This even led to some of the Reformers preaching that if an individual does not work during the designated time, that he or she is actually sinning! Of course, the Protestant Reformers were limited by their inability to see the validity of Shabbat, as opposed to the Christian Sunday,[12] but to many of them a “Sunday sabbath” was rigidly enforced, and no work of any kind was permitted. The Protestant work ethic largely led to the great technological advances made in Northwestern Europe and Great Britain, which were largely not paralleled in Catholic France and Southern Europe.

In the Jewish and Christian traditions, work is really not something that is looked down upon. It is simply something that people are supposed to do. Of course in our modern context in the West, we generally have a five-day work week, with both Saturday and Sunday off. In our society this has allowed for Jewish people to worship on the Sabbath, and for Christians to go to church on Sunday. Generally, this allows for Messianic Believers to abstain from working on Shabbat. However, it is very easy to say that many of us have lost sight of what it means to truly “work,” and what it likewise means for us to truly “rest.” Many Christian pastors today have observed that we live in a “weekend culture,” where one works and works, but does not take seriously a day of rest that God has prescribed. Is this occurring because the Lord is in the process of restoring the seventh-day Sabbath to all of His people, and that by keeping Shabbat on the right day of the week we will be able to truly experience all of the rest that He has for us?

Interestingly enough, while it is easy for some in the Messianic community to accuse Christians who do not even take a “Sunday sabbath” that seriously, of holding to “Greek” or “Hellenistic” ideas of “work,” the modern-day concept of work really does not have that much in common with the Hellenistic idea of work. The modern concept of work is largely focused around financial theories, the stock and trade markets, and any plan for companies and individuals to make the most money during all days of the week, regardless of whether or not the stock market is closed on Saturday and Sunday. Jews and many Christians over the centuries have historically viewed work as being something that was a calling given to them by God. The Greeks, in stark contrast, viewed work as nothing less than a curse that people were to avoid at all costs. R. Paul Stevens explains the Greek view of work in his book The Other Six Days:

“While there was no uniformity in the ancient Greek world in its view of work, the classical period generally held work in disdain, especially the philosophers. Work was a curse, unmitigated evil; and to be out of work was a piece of singularly good fortune. Unemployment allowed for one to participate in the political domain and to enjoy the contemplative life. The whole of society was organized so that a few could actualize the highest human potential. Not surprisingly, 80 per cent of the Greek city-states were comprised of slaves, which Aristotle defined as instruments endowed with life. Work was called ‘unleisure’.”[13]

When the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek several centuries before Yeshua, the Jewish translators rendered Exodus 20:9 as “you will work” in the (specific) future tense. Perhaps this is because they knew that those who would be reading it did not have a high view of work. When such Greeks would accept the God of Israel as the One True God, and entered into the community of Israel, many of them would then be forced to finally “work.”

It is absolutely true that we see Greeks and Romans of the First Century criticizing the Jewish people for taking a complete day off of work on the Sabbath. Such Jews were often criticized as being “lazy.” But what was the context of this? Jewish people in ancient times, and largely today, are often described as being very industrious, productive, and successful. A Greek or Roman slave, or common worker, could see such people and easily criticize them as being “lazy” or “slothful” for taking off a day of rest. Do we not see the same thing even happening to us who are industrious during the workweek and then take Shabbat off?

One of the challenges for many in the Messianic community today is that many people, because of our modern world, must still go to work on Shabbat. This would have been largely unknown to the Ancient Israelites, or even the Jews of the First Century. Clearly this would be prohibited by the Torah, but difficult ethical questions are posed nonetheless. What if a husband and/or wife still has to go to work to support the family? What if someone is a business owner in an industry that requires some work to be done on Shabbat? What happens if someone does not work on the Sabbath, but is called in to work?

Thankfully, we live in a time when Messiah Yeshua has come and has been sacrificed for our sins. His atoning work at Golgotha (Calvary) covers any violation of God’s commandments, be it intentional or unintentional. He was the one who asked a group of Pharisees, “have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?” (Matthew 12:5). The priests were doing the hard, sweaty, dirty, back-breaking work of sacrificing animals, putting them on the altar to burn, and cleaning up their charred remains—among some of their responsibilities. Certainly, if the priests in the Temple were not considered violating the Sabbath for doing this work, then in our modern world, when “life happens” and you are required to work, God’s grace is there to cover us. If you are in a difficult position that requires you to work on the Sabbath, please pray that God enables you to find favor with your employer, who will let you work on Sunday instead, or schedule you differently. There are always exceptions to the rule, as is continually shown in Scripture. But the existence of exceptions likewise does not mean that we should desire to work on Shabbat. We all go to our Father daily to ask for His provision, and should ask Him that we not have to receive that provision by violating the Sabbath day.

4. The Sabbath is to be a day of complete rest.

Repeated in the midst of the Exodus narrative, the commandment to rest on the Sabbath day is given: “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest” (Exodus 34:21). Whereas in Deuteronomy 5:14, the Hebrew verb nuach is used for “rest,” Exodus 34:21 reads with, u’b’yom hashevi’i tishvot, “on the seventh day you shall rest.” The verb for rest in this text is shavat, appearing in the Qal stem (simple action, active voice), meaning “to rest, celebrate, with direct or indirect connection with the Sabbath” (HALOT).[14] The command could be understood as meaning that on the seventh day we are to observe Shabbat.

What a day of complete rest is, of course, is subject to a substantial amount of interpretation. When God originally gave the command to rest, He conditioned it with the requirement, “you shall cease from labor even at plowing time and harvest time” (NJPS). Anticipating that Israel would be a largely agrarian society, the Israelites were told that on the Sabbath day they were not to be out harvesting and plowing their fields, or any other agricultural activities. The principle, of course, is that ordinary work is not to be performed on Shabbat. In our modern age, while many of us may not have fields to harvest or crops to plant, we often do have homebound responsibilities that we like to work on during the weekend. Mowing the grass, doing yardwork, planting things in a personal garden, cleaning one’s house, washing the car, and things that can clearly be done on other days are prohibited. But there are always exceptions. Certainly if there is a storm (as our family experienced when we lived with hurricanes in Central Florida, 2000-2012) and there are fallen tree limbs in one’s yard that are causing serious problems, one should remove them. Weather and climate can affect things that require immediate attention. But unnecessary yardwork or housework that can be done on another day is something else.

But what would constitute “rest” from one’s labors? Is God simply expecting us to spend Shabbat lying on our sofas taking a nap? Not surprisingly, this is exactly what many people do. In fact, some people spend most of Shabbat sleeping.

One of the things that we have to keep in mind, as previously discussed, is that the Sabbath is to be a holy convocation. We should not simply enter into the Shabbat rest by “falling asleep.” We are admonished in Scripture to convene a holy assembly, worshipping God and studying His Word. It is to be a special time of intimacy between ourselves as Believers, and the Lord. In that special time we are to be consecrated, and not be doing things that we would normally do during the rest of the workweek.

Perhaps one issue that needs to be considered is that many Messianic congregations hold their services on Erev Shabbat or Friday evening. Those who attend these nightly services often will stay at home Saturday. If you are one of these people, what should you be doing at home? Should you be doing yardwork or housework? Or would it be better for you to simply stay in bed? Is it a sin for you to watch television or sports games on Shabbat? Is it a sin for you not to read the Bible on Shabbat? Sadly, these kinds of questions are often not examined from a mature perspective by some in the Messianic community. The Sabbath is to be a time of rest, but “rest” can be interpreted and applied differently among Believers. But one thing is absolutely certain: what goes on in a person’s home is that man or woman’s personal business. If you criticize a person for doing things on Shabbat that you would personally not do, than that person should have every right to criticize you in like manner. If a Messianic Believer is doing something on Shabbat that you believe violates the principle of “rest,” then lead by your example and demonstrate the better way in a positive tone, and not in a superior attitude that is condemning. Remember how Yeshua said that the Sabbath was made for us; we were not made for the Sabbath.

5. Fire shall not be kindled on the Sabbath.

There is probably no commandment more contested today in regard to the Sabbath than Exodus 35:3: “You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day.” The decree, “Do not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day” (HCSB) has been a cause of an unbelievable amount of applications and opinions regarding what it actually means to “light a fire.” In ancient times, lighting a fire was serious work, as a person had to go and collect wood, perhaps even cutting down a tree, and get a flint and strike and strike and strike and hope that a spark would appear that could ignite a fire. There was a challenge to keep the fire lit. The ancients did not know what we know today about the chemical process of combustion, and certainly did not have matches or lighter fluid to aid them in creating a fire. They definitely did not know about the petroleum fuels that power most of our moving vehicles—to say nothing of elements like uranium or plutonium used in nuclear power.

The Jewish Rabbis used the premise that this commandment could only be properly interpreted via application of the Oral Law, if not it would be subject to a gross amount of improper interpretations. The Orthodox Jewish ArtScroll Chumash gives us a good summary of how the command has been interpreted in Jewish history:

“This prohibition is indicative of the Jewish principle that the Torah can be understood only as it is interpreted by the Oral Law, which God taught to Moses, and which he transmitted to the nation. The Oral Law makes clear that only the creation of a fire and such use of it as cooking and baking are forbidden, but there is no prohibition against enjoying its light and heat. Deviant sects that denied the teachings of the Sages misinterpreted this passage to refer to all use of fire, so they would sit in the dark throughout the Sabbath, just as they sat in spiritual darkness all their lives.”[15]

Orthodox Jewish halachah today demonstrates that not only is the lighting of an actual “fire” considered prohibited, but likewise turning on any kind of electric device, including a lightswitch or the ignition to a car, is considered in violation of the commandment. This is why many Orthodox Jews have automatic timers on their lights, so that they do not have to perform any work. The practice of having a “Sabbath goy,” or a Gentile to do the work of lighting a fire on Shabbat, was adhered to in many Jewish communities. Adam Clarke, writing in the early Nineteenth Century, observes to this end, “The Jews understand this precept as forbidding the kindling of fire only for the purpose of doing work or dressing victuals; but to give them light and heat, they judge it lawful to light a fire on the Sabbath day, though themselves rarely kindle it—they get Christians to do this work for them.”[16]

Conservative Judaism in the United States has a less rigorous interpretation of this commandment. While lighting a fire to be baking something is considered forbidden, flipping a light or electronic appliance on is not. Conservative Jews do not consider driving on Shabbat to be sinful, provided that one is driving to the synagogue. It is clear in the Book of Acts, for example, that the Apostles largely held to the tradition of only walking a Sabbath day’s journey: “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away” (Acts 1:12). However, they did not anticipate the modern age where now cars and other machines exist to transport people. The big issue is, regarding what “lighting a fire” truly is, is to what extent the evolution of technology should affect our interpretation of this passage.

The Rabbinical tradition widely concludes that cooking or baking food on the Sabbath day is prohibited. Obviously, this is why on the day before Shabbat Jewish homes over the centuries would be a center of cooking and baking so food for the Sabbath would be ready. But the Rabbis did not anticipate the day of microwaves and packaged foods that one could easily just put into an oven and have prepared for a person. Cooking and baking in the context before our modern age involved much, much more than just unzipping something from a package. It involved a great amount of pre-preparation time, i.e., giving bread the time to rise, peeling potatoes and onions, letting vegetables and meat soak, and other things which modern technology has either eliminated or streamlined. Furthermore, the Rabbis of ancient times did not anticipate the creation of what may be humankind’s ultimate culinary creation: the sandwich.

If there is anything that the Messianic community does not want, it is to interpret this passage in a very strict sense so as to be left cold and in the dark on Shabbat. The quotation above is particularly directed against the Karaites, a rebellious Jewish sect that rejects all of the Oral Torah and adheres to a very narrow minded and fundamentalist interpretation of the Tanach text only. Karaite theology is sadly prevalent in some areas of the broad Messianic movement today. But I do not think that most Messianics want to sit in the dark eating cold bread on the Sabbath. Likewise, I do not think that most Messianics want to be worried about what it means to “light a fire,” either. Is the modern Orthodox perspective equally wanting? Is it really work to flip on a light, or even heat something up in a microwave or toaster oven? These are all personal value judgments that we have to make ourselves.

My personal opinion regarding this commandment is that in ancient times, it was major work to get a fire started. It was major work to keep a fire from going out. God did not want His people taking His Sabbath day going through all the motions of lighting a fire when they should be spending that same time with Him and with others in the community of faith. But today we do live in a modern age when the technological level has changed our ability to manipulate “fire.” The ancients did not have the ability to strike a match and ignite a gas fireplace with the ease that we have today. The ancients did not have electricity or microwave ovens. The ancients, if they took any “vehicle” to their synagogues, had to ride donkeys (and possibly horses), as animals which would require rest; they could not just turn the ignition to their cars. Any proper Messianic interpretation of this commandment will take into consideration the progress of technology. I will say that I do not consider it a sin to drive on the Sabbath, or even microwave leftovers from the Shabbat meal the night before. But if I am engaging in strenuous work on the Sabbath, which involves fire, electricity, or my car, that is probably something else. We each have the responsibility to go to the Lord and see how this commandment is to be applied in our modern world.

6. On the Sabbath, God’s people are to remember that
the Ancient Israelites were once slaves in Egypt.

One of the most unique commandments concerning Shabbat appears in the repetition of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5:15: “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.” Presumably, the admonition to remember the slavery in Egypt is connected to the wonderful rest that the Sabbath offers. The Ancient Israelites in bondage did not receive a Sabbath day of rest. The only “rest” any of them experienced would have been going to sleep every night with the anticipation of having to go out and work the next day for the Egyptians. Finally as Israel was constituted as a nation, people could sleep one evening out of the week and know that a laborious day of work was not ahead.

Jeffrey H. Tigay does indicate that there is some variance of opinion as to what Deuteronomy 5:15 fully means, which is worth noting. He remarks, “Commentators are divided over what this motive emphasizes. Some believe that it is the memory of the servitude, to create empathy for the servant’s need to rest. Others believe it is God’s redeeming them from Egypt, to remind the people of His kindness and of His authority to establish such a command.”[17]

For us as Messianic Believers, how do we apply the commandment to remember that the Ancient Israelites were slaves in Egypt? Not all of us are physical descendants of the Patriarchs, and our ancestors were not all in Egypt. Through faith in Messiah Yeshua, however, we are all a part of the Commonwealth of Israel, and whether we are Jewish or non-Jewish, we all partake of the same Biblical heritage. This is why the Apostle Paul could write the Corinthians with confidence, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:1). For Paul to write a mixed group of Jews and non-Jews and say that “our ancestors” (NRSV) went through the Red Sea crossing is to assert that the same spiritual heritage that a First Century Jewish Believer had, knowing that his ancestors were slaves in Egypt, is the same spiritual heritage any Believer in Yeshua has. Furthermore on an individual level, unless we have the blood atonement of Yeshua the Messiah covering our lives, we cannot be considered “free from Egypt.” Before each one of us came to faith in Yeshua, we were in spiritual bondage and slavery to sin. Yeshua has freed us from these things as our Passover Lamb and atoning sacrifice.

It is important as we keep Shabbat to remember that in Egypt the Ancient Israelites were not able to partake of this great blessing. In many of the Sabbath liturgies that are canted in the Jewish Synagogue, as well as in many Messianic congregations, the command to remember the bondage of Egypt and the mighty deliverance of God is repeated. If we hear such liturgies, it is important to praise the Lord for His miraculous acts those many centuries ago, and the much more recent deliverance from sin that each one of us has experienced, enabling us to truly rest, both physically and spiritually, on Shabbat.

7. God’s people are not to be concerned
about their own carnal pleasures.

The Torah is not the only part of Scripture that issues admonitions concerning the Sabbath. The Prophet Isaiah explains that God’s people are not supposed to be concerned about themselves on Shabbat. He proclaims,

“If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word, then you will take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13-14).

What this text means and how it should be applied is subject to a large amount of debate. The Hebrew word chefetz largely means, “delight, pleasure,” perhaps more specifically “that in which one takes delight, his business (late), or matter (very late, cf. Mish.=thing)” (BDB).[18] The English translations of this word reflect a variance of interpretations, including: “your own needs” (ATS), “your affairs” (NJPS), and “your own interests” (NRSV). When we see these things in the Biblical text, we can only wonder, “What does God mean by my pleasures? Is this not open to a wide variance of subjective applications?”

The most obvious application of the text here pertains to a prohibition on anything that would contradict the Sabbath commandments of not working, not lighting a fire, or doing anything that would clearly violate the admonition to rest. If, for example, one is a gourmet cook and takes great pleasure in cooking, then one should not cook on Shabbat. This would cause a person to work, often light some kind of fire well beyond a “minimum” usage of microwaving something or heating something up, and would take a person away from the Sabbath rest that God intended. The intent of Shabbat is for us as God’s people to focus on Him, His Word, and what He has done for us. Things that very clearly take us away from the Lord, and cause us to focus on ourselves and what we are doing, seem to be implied by Isaiah’s words.

Questions that often have to be fielded frequently come from those who are often stuck at home on Shabbat. As many Messianic congregations have Erev Shabbat services, many do not go anywhere on Saturday. What are these Messianic Believers to do? Are they required to either sleep all day, or only read the Scriptures and/or religious literature? Are they permitted to watch television and sports games, walk in their neighborhood, read books, talk to friends or loved ones on the phone, and generally take a day off? Are husbands and wives permitted to make love? Some in the Messianic movement would say a definite “no” to these things. They would say that these sorts of things would clearly violate the commandment not to partake in personal pleasures. Others in the Messianic movement would say “yes” to these things, provided that they do not take one’s attention off the Lord, as God wants us to enjoy ourselves in Him. The truth of the matter is that what a man or woman does in his or her home is that person’s personal business. Our Heavenly Father is gracious to each one of us, and we each have to realize that we are individually responsible for what we do on the Sabbath. May God bless each one of us for our desire to obey Him to the best of our ability, and allow us to respect others’ privacy.

8. Conducting in business is prohibited on the Sabbath.

The last of the Biblical prohibitions regarding Shabbat is derived from Nehemiah 10:31: “As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day; and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.” This text records how the Southern Kingdom exiles returned from Babylon and adapted to the new environment of trying to rebuild the Temple and largely be retrained in the commandments of the Torah. Just as there were many who taunted Nehemiah, saying that the Temple or walls surrounding Jerusalem could not be rebuilt, so were there those who had occupied the Land of Israel during the Jews’ exile who did not follow the Torah. They were the ammei ha’aretz, “the peoples of the land.” These were not Israelites, but pagans who had occupied the Land of Israel during the exile.

These people did not know the command to rest from one’s labors on the Sabbath day, and as the foundation of what would advance into Second Temple Judaism was being laid, and as the city of Jerusalem was being reconstructed and reconstituted, these people still had access to the city and could bring in their wares to sell on Shabbat. Civil order and police had not been established to the point of preventing this. Jews living in Jerusalem had to consciously make the choice of whether to abstain from buying on Shabbat or not. As selling a product was considered to be a form of work, the Judaisms of the First Century largely regarded conducting in business to be a prohibited practice on the Sabbath. While work, business, trade, and industry could be practiced the previous six days of the week, and history bears the testimony of many able Jewish businessmen and merchants, the command to separate the Sabbath day likewise is to be observed.

What we do as the Messianic community today needs to be tempered by the fact that we are not to conduct in trade on the Sabbath. We need to try as best as humanly possible to make sure that during the previous six days that we have purchased everything that we need prior to Shabbat, that we do not have to do any grocery shopping, and that all of our expenses are taken care of. Shabbat is not a time when we are permitted to go to the mall and shop of our own personal desires. Shabbat is a time where we are to focus on the Lord and consecrate it as a holy time.

One of the challenges, of course, is that in our society today exceptions to the rule always find themselves into our lives—and these challenges mostly are not by choice. What if somebody gets sick on Shabbat? Are we permitted to go to the store or pharmacy to buy medicine? Those who adhere rigidly to this principle would say “no.” But the Rabbis of Judaism would all say “yes.” If one is ill and needs care, then the commandment can be set aside to preserve life. This is the same reason why doctors in Israel today are allowed to work—and are not considered to be breaking the Sabbath. We are always going to find circumstances like somebody getting sick forced upon us that cause us to buy and sell on the Sabbath. But buying medicine to help an ill person is substantially different than going out and purchasing something that is “on sale.”

Perhaps the most common form of buying and selling that has worked its way into the Messianic movement, primarily because of how common it is in American Christianity after Sunday Church services, is going out to eat at a restaurant after Shabbat services.[19] Is it permitted for Messianics who go to a Shabbat service to eat afterwards? If these Shabbat services are held late in the afternoon, and by the time they are over it is dark and no longer the Sabbath, then it is certainly permitted for Messianic Believers to engage in any kind of commerce they want to. But most Messianic congregations hold late morning/early afternoon services on Shabbat, just like many churches do on Sunday. Is it permitted for Messianic Believers to go to a restaurant to eat on the Sabbath? Perhaps a better alternative would be for Messianic congregations—which are often small and need cohesive community—to have a covered dish lunch for members of the congregation where pre-prepared food can be heated up in which all can partake.

As with all of the Sabbath prohibitions we see in Scripture, the ordinance to abstain from buying and selling ultimately must be decided by you. You must use your own judgment and discernment when life circumstances are thrust upon you that may require you to buy something on the Sabbath. Ultimately, the responsibility is on you, and is between you and the Lord.

Leading By Our Example

This concludes our analysis of the guidelines that the Bible itself offers regarding how we should celebrate the Sabbath and make it a special time between ourselves and our Heavenly Father. As it should be emphasized, we have only scratched the surface regarding what we should and should not do on Shabbat. There have been many debates in ancient Judaism, and there are many debates today in Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, regarding how the Sabbath is to be properly kept. These debates have spilled over into the Messianic community. It is doubtful that we will ever have a consensus of opinion relating to what we should be doing on Shabbat. Each congregation or fellowship of Messianic Believers is different, just like each one of us individually is different. Some will choose to follow a very strict, rigid interpretation of the Sabbath commandments, and others will choose to relatively ignore them. I personally believe that we should strive for a safe position, where we do strive to keep the Sabbath’s commandments, but at the same time keep them in a modern context that respects both ancient and modern Jewish opinion.

The major challenge that exists for the Messianic community in relation to Sabbath keeping is going to be avoiding the fundamentalist trap of thinking that there is only one right way to keep the Sabbath, and those who are not following this “one right way” are not keeping Shabbat at all. We cannot and should not spend our time arguing and debating why “we are right” and why “everyone else is wrong.” We should rather be encouraging one another through our obedience, and if an interpretation of a Sabbath commandment is truly correct, then a person should be convicted by the Holy Spirit that this is correct and he or she will adapt it. Force-feeding one’s personal halachah on someone, however, will only cause problems. There is a substantial amount of subjectivity relating to how the Sabbath is to be properly kept, as well as issues of privacy concerning how much a local congregation or fellowship should intrude itself into the affairs of one’s family. We each have an individual responsibility to obey the Lord, which exceeds the responsibility we have toward each other.

You do not need to feel condemned if you do not keep the Sabbath the way other people do. Your opinions about Shabbat will change over time as you keep it more and more. Shabbat is to be a time of joy and delight—not a time of burdensome legalism. But even so, Shabbat is to be a special time when we abstain from certain things. There are ethical and ideological decisions you have to make concerning the Sabbath day, and hopefully you have a strong relationship with God through Yeshua to help you make the right decision for yourself and your family, which will help the cohesion of the community of Believers at large. And, there are many theological issues that must be discussed as the Messianic movement continues to mature and examine Scripture in a more systematic manner. May we all make the right decisions, and be edifying to one another in everything that we do.

NOTES

[1] Jack P. Lewis, “yara,” in R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 1:366.

[2] Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979), 628.

[3] Consult the thoughts summarized in “Anti-Semitism in the Two-House Movement,” appearing in the book Israel In Future Prophecy by J.K. McKee.

[4] Consult the article “You Want to be a Pharisee,” appearing in the Messianic Torah Helper, which more thoroughly explains this.

[5] The Greek word paradosis specifically pertains to “tradition, of teachings, commandments, narratives et al.,” and can refer to “the tradition of the rabbis” (BDAG, 763).

[6] BDB, pp 715, 712.

[7] Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, eds., The Hebrew & Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 2 vols. (Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2001), 1:586.

[8] Nahum M. Sarna, “Exodus,” in David L. Lieber, ed., Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary (New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 2001), 446.

[9] HALOT, 1:629.

[10] BDB, 894.

[11] J.H. Hertz, ed., Pentateuch & Haftorahs (London: Soncino Press, 1960), 297.

[12] Of course, while the principle of one-day-in-seven was believed to be valid by these Protestant Reformers and theologians, they believed that the Messiah’s so-called “Sunday resurrection” validated the transfer of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day. The Reformers did not have access to the Jewish resources that we have today, which continually show us that the Apostles kept Shabbat. Nevertheless, God did great deeds through these men and women, and we would not be where we are today without them.

[13] R. Paul Stevens, The Other Six Days (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 110.

[14] HALOT, 2:1407.

[15] Nosson Scherman, ed., ArtScroll Chumash, Stone Edition (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 2000), 517.

[16] Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible. E-Sword 7.6.1. MS Windows 9x. Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation, 2005.

[17] Jeffrey H. Tigay, “Deuteronomy,” in Etz Hayim, 1020.

[18] BDB, 343.

[19] Note that this article is not intended to discuss the application of the dietary laws in the modern world. There are some fundamentalist Messianic Believers who believe it is wrong to eat at a public restaurant that is not “approved kosher.” Our ministry position is much more moderate in that we certainly believe that we are to follow the dietary laws and abstain from pork, shellfish, blood, etc., but we do not consider eating at a public restaurant, including certain fast food, to be wrong.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath