everlasting-gospels.gif When Does The Sabbath Begin?-3
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April 30  When Does The Sabbath Begin?-3

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They. . .searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11.

The Bible and searching it diligently were central to early Sabbatarian Adventists. Thus it was, as we saw yesterday, on the time to begin and end the Sabbath.

James White reported that Andrews' Bible study in late 1855 had settled the minds of nearly all of those present that the sunset time was correct. He undoubtedly included himself in that group.

But not everyone agreed with Andrews' conclusions. As White put it, "Bates, and a few others" were at that point out of harmony with the body of believers. Joseph had taught the 6:00 p.m. position for a decade, and he dug in to defend his position.

Here was a problem. Some of the movement's leaders clung to the old position even after Bible study had clearly set forth text after that the biblical "even" began at sundown and that, therefore, the Sabbath also must of necessity, by Bible definition, commence at sunset. After all, God had plainly taught that "from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath"(Lev. 23:32).

But despite the Bible study on the topic, "Bates, and a few others" still sought to justify the old aproach by the "logical" application of their human reason based on stray texts from here and there.

Now, James White doesn't identify who those "few others" were who were standing against the church body on the topic of the time to start the Sabbath. But Uriah Smith tells us who at least one of them was. It was Ellen White.

The tension over the issue, with two of the three founders of the movement being out of harmony with the majority, must have been both serious and apparent to all.

Two days after Andrews presented his study, James later recalled, they "had a special season of prayer" during which "Mrs. W. had a vision, one item of which was that [the] sunset time was correct. That settled the matter with bro. Bates and others, and general harmony has since prevailed among us upon this point."

Whether we like it or not, those of us in the church still disagree. We can be thankful that God is ever willing to guide His people toward unity.

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We build on Christ by obeying His word. It is not he who merely enjoys righteousness, that is righteous, but he who does righteousness. Holiness is not rapture; it is the result of surrendering all to God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father. When the children of Israel were encamped on the borders of the Promised Land, it was not enough for them to have a knowledge of Canaan, or to sing the songs of Canaan. This alone would not bring them into possession of the vineyards and olive groves of the goodly land. They could make it theirs in truth only by occupation, by complying with the conditions, by exercising living faith in God, by appropriating His promises to themselves, while they obeyed His instruction(TFMB 149).
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