Correspondence: Sabbath Day Points to?; Acts 2:17; 1 Cor. 7:14; Musical Instrum.

From: Young Christian: Volume 30, 1940

Acts 2:17 • 3 min. read • grade level: 9

Question: Does the Sabbath day in Genesis 2:1-3¹Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ²And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ³And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis 2:1‑3) point on to the eternal state, or to the Millennial reign of Christ? (Isa. 66:23²³And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 66:23); Col. 2:16-17¹⁶Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: ¹⁷Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16‑17)).

Answer: In Genesis 1:26-28²⁶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26‑28), we see in figure Christ and the church, reigning over the earth, that is the time spoken of in Isaiah 66²To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. ³It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. ⁴Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (Jeremiah 1:2‑4), when the Sabbaths will again be observed, and in Colossians 2:16-17¹⁶Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: ¹⁷Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16‑17) still shadow things to come.

We, as the church on earth now, have Christ, the body, or substance of all the shadows. He is our rest now (Matt. 11:28²⁸Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)), yet in Hebrews 4¹²For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (Hebrews 5:12), we look on expecting the time when God’s rest comes, that is, the eternal state, to have our part in it, when

“All taint of sin shall be removed,

All evil done away;

And we shall dwell with God’s Beloved

Through God’s eternal day.”

Question: When does Acts 2:17¹⁷And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: (Acts 2:17) apply?

Answer: Joel 2:28-32²⁸And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: ²⁹And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. ³⁰And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. ³¹The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. ³²And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:28‑32) will be fulfilled in the Millennial reign of Christ. In Acts 2²⁸Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. ²⁹Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. ³⁰Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; ³¹He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. ³²This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. (Acts 2:28‑32) it is quoted to show that these men were not drunk, as was supposed, but that the Holy Spirit was causing them to speak with tongues, that all the nations present might understand the gospel. It was of the same kind of power of the Spirit, but it was not the fulfillment of these Scriptures.

Question: What does 1 Corinthians 7:14¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. (1 Corinthians 7:14) mean?

Answer: God respects the children of believers, even where only one of the parents is converted and expects that parent to own His name, and to claim God’s promise for the children’s training and salvation (Acts 16:31³¹And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)).

The unbelieving parent is sanctified by the believing one. This is in contrast with the marriages in Ezra 10¹⁴Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. ¹⁵Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. ¹⁶And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. ¹⁷And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month. ¹⁸And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. (Ezra 10:14‑18), and Nehemiah 13¹⁴Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof. ¹⁵In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. ¹⁶There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. ¹⁷Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? ¹⁸Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. (Nehemiah 13:14‑18). In these, God did not own the marriages, or the children. In 1 Corinthians 7:14¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. (1 Corinthians 7:14), God owns the marriage, and the desires that the children may be trained for Him. Sanctification means the act of setting apart. Here it does not mean salvation. God does not approve of believers and unbelievers yoking themselves. It is quite wrong for a believer to engage himself, or herself to an unbeliever (Amos 3:3³Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3), 2 Cor. 6:14-18¹⁴Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ¹⁵And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? ¹⁶And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, ¹⁸And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14‑18)).

Question: Does the Word of God forbid us to possess musical instruments?

Answer: No. Christians are left free to be led by the grace of God which has saved them, and to be constrained by the love of Christ to live, not to themselves, but to Him who died for them, and rose again (Rom. 12:1-2¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1‑2)). We may use our music for the Lord, though it is first seen in Cain’s world (Gen. 4:21²¹And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. (Genesis 4:21)), and Satan uses it to blind many (Job 21:6-14⁶Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh. ⁷Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? ⁸Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. ⁹Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. ¹⁰Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. ¹¹They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. ¹²They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. ¹³They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. ¹⁴Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. (Job 21:6‑14)).

In Christian worship as found in Scripture, instrumental music has no place. “They that worship God must worship Him in spirit, and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him” (John 4:24²⁴God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24); Phil. 3:3³For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)).

In Israel’s worship to Jehovah as an earthly people, we find choirs and instruments, wind and stringed instruments, with timbrels and cymbals (Psa. 150), also in idolatry (See Dan. 3).

We find all kinds of instruments employed, but not in Christian worship.

“Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb. 13:13¹³Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. (Hebrews 13:13)).

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