The Sabbath work for Salvation

Sabbath means to cease from work, rest. If one insists that you must keep the Sabbath as requirement to demonstrate Salvation or prevent themselves from being lost, then grace is no more applicable in the Biblical sense. We would then be saved by grace but kept by our works, in this case, by an old testament law. This is not what the Bible teaches in the New Covenant. This is completely contrary to Eph.2:8-9 which explains how one is saved. We are saved and kept by faith in the Son of God and His work on the cross, the crucifixion.

Ezek 20:12 "And also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. Also Ezek 20:20, Ezekiel 37:28

Adventists turn this around and say that the only way I can know that I am sanctified by God, is by keeping the Sabbath (and the other nine laws)? We are sanctified by faith in Christ washed his blood! Nothing more or you have distorted the gospel and removed yourself from grace.

On Kenneth Cox’s outline under the heading VI. Christ our high priest in heaven E. (BTW: VI is a Roman numeral he’s using). He states the sanctuary in heaven was made desolate for over 500 years because = no one confessed his sins to Christ- this is the abomination of desolation. (He arrives at this because the earthly sanctuary was destroyed in 70 AD.) First of all, if it is the abomination that makes desolate then we have been in the tribulation for well over 500 years (which they accept). Second, Jesus said the abomination takes place on earth, in Jerusalem, and they are to flee (Mt.24). So his idea of this is absurd. But this is 7^th day Adventist eschatology, a mixed brew; which I find is no less false and dangerous than the Catholics. Can he actually prove this statement? Only by doing summersaults through the scripture can one come to these conclusions. To say no one on earth for 500 years had salvation ... If what he is saying is true (which it definitely is not), then no one was saved for 500 years and the Church was overcome by the devil. But not to worry along came Adventism in the 1800’s to restore the Church to the truth.

This goes along with the closed door teaching of salvation of E.G. white

“Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all have their weight in deciding our destiny ... though ...forgotten by us, they [our works] will bear their testimony to justify or condemn. '(Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 486-490.)

“When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life ..... (Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 483.)

So if you don’t remember to confess ALL your sins you will be blotted out. This is how they understand the atonement? This is how they relate to being justified and sanctified.

"In 1844. . .[Christ] entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgement which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin. . .It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgement vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom" (SDA's Believe. . ., p. 312).

Thus Christ had to begin the work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary (of sins His blood had brought there!) through the "investigative judgment." Ellen white stated that "Ministers who would not accept this saving message" were hindering God's work and "The blood of souls is upon them."'( EGW, Early Writings, 234. )

". . .[O]ur High Priest enters the holy of holies [in 1844]. . .to perform the work of investigative judgement and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits. . .Every man's work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. . .The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgement. . .As the books of record are opened in the judgement, the lives of all those who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. . .Names are accepted, names rejected. . .as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life. . .Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father. . .Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner. . .[Christ] had kept His Father's commandments, and there was no sin in Him. . .this is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble" (Great Controversy, pp. 480, 482-84, 486, 623).

Jesus did not wait until 1844 to enter the Holy of Holies in heaven (Heb. 1:3; 6:19-20; 8:1; 9:6-12, 24; 12:2). Neither is he still making an atonement in heaven (Heb. 9:22,25-26; 10:11-14). It was complete on earth

"And according to the Law, on may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is not forgiveness"

The fact that Christ, our high priest when he finished His work SAT DOWN!

There was no chair in the tabernacle or in the temple. In Heb 10:12, "When He has made purification for sins, He sat down..."

Heb. 10:10-14 “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Their (7^th Day Adventists) mistake is the same mistake in Roman Catholicism and people need to know that this prevents people from having salvation.

Eph. 2:4-6 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”