The Seventh day Adventists point the people to the
Decalogue as God's eternal law, superior to all else, that
which governs angels in heaven governed Adam in Eden, end
will govern the teeming millions of redeemed ones to all
eternity. These extravagant claims are the main pillars
underneath the whole doctrine and argument used by them
for the observance of the seventh day. If Adventists are
wrong here, their whole doctrine falls to the ground. And
fall it must under the hammer of eternal truth.
When the lawyer asked Jesus,
"Which is the great commandment in the law?"
Jesus did not point to the Decalog. In fact, he did not
quote one precept from the tables of stone. "Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is
like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On
these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40). Here are two commands not
found in the Decalogue. Yet the Master said that these are
"the first of all the commandments," and that
"there is none other commandment greater than
these" (Mark 12:29-31). This spoils the Adventist
theory in pointing to the Decalog as God's superior and
eternal law. These two—enjoining love to God and fellow
being—are first and greatest. On them the Decalogue
hangs. Hence it is inferior to that higher law which is
eternal. The Decalogue was hung to that first and greater
law. But twenty five hundred years of man's history passed
before this took place. "The law was given by
Moses." Not until Moses' time was the Decalog given
and coupler! to that higher law. This is settled beyond
question by Moses himself. Referring directly to the Ten
Commandments (see Deut. 5:2-22), he says, "The Lord
made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even
us [Israel]" (vs. 3).
The very wording of the Decalog
proves that it was given to Israel as a nation alone. On
the tables were writ. ten all the words God spoke in the
mount (Deut. 9:10). These words you will find written out
in full in Deut. 5:6-22. "These words" "he
wrote in two tables of stone" (vs. 22). Now lay down
the book and carefully read verses 6 to 22 inclusive, and
you have exactly what was on the tables—the Decalog. To
whom does it apply? To whom it was given is told by the
very first words: "I am the Lord thy God, which
brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me,"
etc. (Exod. 20:2, 3; Deut. 5:6, 7). This was on the
tables, written with God's own finger, and placed in the
ark. When Adventist lecturers hang up their charts, it
will be noticed that they have left out this part, and
begun with "Thou shalt have no other gods." Why
do they do this? The reason is apparent. To put the whole
Decalog on their chart would betray the falsity of their
claims. Was Egypt the abode of Adam? How many of the
millions of Christians which constitute the new testament
church were under King Pharaoh in Egyptian bondage? Not
one. It cannot possibly apply to any but the Israelitish
nation.
Look at the Sabbath commandment as
written on the stone tables. "Keep the Sabbath Day to
sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Six
days thou shalt labor, and do all thy work: but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou
shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, nor thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor
shine ox, nor shine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man servant
and thy maid servant may rest as well as thou. And
remember that thou west a servant in the land of Egypt,
and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through
a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the
Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day"
(Deut. 5:12-15). Can this apply to all people in all ages?
Can it apply to angels? Will it apply to the redeemed in
heaven forever? Reason and common sense answer,
"No." Angels—servants in the land of Egypt!
"Thine ox, nor shine ass, nor any of thy
cattle." Do the angels in heaven own oxen, work
asses, and feed cattle? Will this be true of the redeemed
millions around the throne in eternity? "Thy man
servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates." Would this apply to Adam in Eden?
Did he have servants. and let strangers in his gates back
there? The language shows that Israel is referred to. It
cannot possibly apply elsewhere. "Thy stranger in thy
gates" refers to the Gentiles that entered the gates
of their cities.
"Honor thy father and thy
mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the
Lord thy God giveth thee." What land was given?
Answer: Canaan. To whom was it given? Answer: Israel. Then
the fifth commandment was given to Israel. Angels do not
have fathers and mothers. How can they honor what they do
not have? Are the angels under the fifth commandment?
Preposterous. Then that law cannot govern the hosts of
heaven. It was given to a single nation—Israel— in a
limited territory—Canaan.
"Thou shalt not commit
adultery.' Does this command govern angels in heaven? Will
it be the law that will rule the untold millions of
immortal beings around the throne in eternity? These
lecturers hang up their charts, and teach men that this
law is eternal, governs angels, and will govern the
redeemed forever, that it must stand eternally. This is
all done to save their idolized Sabbath. But their
argument is false from the ground up. The Decalog cannot
apply universally. It was given by Moses from God to
Israel to restrain wickedness from men's hearts. Think of
God telling the angels, who are spirit beings, "Thou
shalt not commit adultery." Would that not sound a
little strange to the millions in heaven with immortal,
spiritual and glorified bodies? Yet on just such
absurdities rests the whole structure of Sabbatarianism.
"Thou shalt not covet thy
neighbor's wife." Strange language this would have
been to Adam while in Eden. Stranger yet it would sound to
angels in heaven, and to the immortal saints around the
throne, where "they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage."
The wording of the Decalogue
throughout shows that it was only a prohibitory national
law, worded to fit the circumstances, and adapted to the
social condition of the Jews as a nation in the land of
Canaan. To apply it to Eden, to angels, and to heaven, is
nonsense.
Adventists make a great ado over
the fact that the Ten Commandments were spoken by God's
voice, written by his finger, engraver in stones, and
placed in the ark. "Why," ask they, "was it
thus kept separate, if not more prominent than the rest of
the law?" We answer: The Ten Commandments were
written by Moses in the book of the law, along with the
other precepts (see Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). They
were included in the book of the covenant which was
sprinkled with blood, and which Paul says "was taken
away" and "abolished" that Christ might
establish the "second" or "new
covenant."
But it was customary at the time of
the giving of the law, that, when a solemn covenant or
agreement was entered into between parties, some object be
selected as a witness or testimony of the transaction. I
shall cite a few examples. Jacob set up a pillar as a
witness of his vow to God (see Gen. 2:18). When Jacob and
Laban made a covenant, "they took stones and made a
heap." "And Laban said, This heap is a witness
between me and thee this day" (Gen. 31:45-48). On
this point I quote from Canright:
"Just so when the solemn
covenant was made between God and Israel at Sinai, the
Lord gave them the tables of stone to be always kept as a
witness or 'testimony' of that agreement. Hence they are
called 'the tables of testimony,' that is, witness (Exod.
31:18). So the tabernacle was 'the tabernacle of
testimony' (Num. 1:53), or, 'the tabernacle of witness'
(Num 17:7; Acts 7:44). These tables of stone, then,
containing some of the chief items of the law, were always
to be kept as 'witness' of the covenant which Israel had
made to keep that law. This is the reason why the
Decalogue was given as it was, and not because it was a
perfect and eternal law in and of itself." This is
sound and logical. These reasons are so simple and clear
that the imaginary reasonings invented by Sabbatarians
fade away.
Another thought just here: The
Decalogue of necessity was only a national law for Israel
and temporal in Its obligations, because the penalty for
its violation was stoning to death. "He that despised
Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses" (Heb. 10:28). Adventists admit that the
penalty of the law was abolished at the cross, and this
admission proves that the law itself ceased there too; for
a law without a penalty is a nullity.
But as a last effort, these
preachers cry, "If the Decalogue is no longer in
force, then there is nothing to condemn crime, such as
adultery, idolatry, etc." This is another man of
straw that the fire of truth will consume. The New
Testament does condemn these.
Idolatry—"Little children,
keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21)
"Neither be ye idolaters" ( 1 Cor. 10:7 ) .
wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry" (1
Cor. 10:14).
Adultery.—"Know ye not that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? Be
not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate. nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of
God" (1 Cor. 6:9, 10).
Theft.—"Steal no more"
(Eph. 4:28).
Lying.—"Lie not one to
another" (Col. 3:9).
All liars shall have their portion
in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone"
(Rev. 21:8).
Murder.—"No murderer hath
eternal life abiding in m" (1 John 3:15).
Covetousness.—"Covetousness,
let it not once be named among you" (Eph. 5:3).
"Covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5)
The New Testament forbids not only
evils condemned the Decalogue., but also scores of others
not mentioned in that code, such as drunkenness, love of
pleasure, pride, anger, impatience, selfishness, boasting,
filthy talk, evil thoughts, foolishness, uncleanness,
strife, hatred, envyings, revelings, etc. Thus, it became
necessary to supersede the Decalog and all that clustered
around it with the new testament, which is "a better
covenant, established upon better promises."
