(Part B)

Dear Friends,

This Sabbath message is a continuation of the prior message that focused on the insidious departure from our historical Subordinationist-Unitarian roots in the belief in the One True God, Eloah.

These messages are written for the benefit of all those who simply could not see the false premise and errors of the teachings that caused the 20th-century Sabbatarian Churches of God to accept belief in the Hellenistic and Gnostic gods of Ditheism, Binitarianism, and Trinitarianism.

Historically, the writers in the early centuries, such as Irenaeus of Lyons, exposed the origin of these false doctrines in the nature of God as coming from pagan philosophy that was extant in the Roman Empire at the time Messiah was incarnate. These pagan-inspired doctrines on the nature of God became the product of several Councils within the developing Greco-Roman Church system beginning in 325 CE. That Church system is known as “orthodox or mainstream” Christianity in society today. Now the majority of the Sabbatarian Churches of God have aligned themselves closer to those early Church Councils and its system when they abandoned our historical Subordinationist-Unitarian roots and succumbed to the doctrine of the Trinity and Binitarianism.

Last week’s message focused particularly on the former Sabbatarian Worldwide Church of God (WCOG) that abandoned our Unitarian roots and became Trinitarian and Sunday-keeping. Documentation from WCOG’s own publications highlight that its ministry, under Herbert Armstrong, introduced a confused mixture of pagan Ditheism and Binitarian belief on the nature of God the Father, and the nature of His Son Jesus Christ.

WCOG also introduced a misunderstanding of the position of the numerous spirit-created sons of God such as Michael, Gabriel, Lucifer, and all the messengers (Heb. “malak”; Greek “angelos”) that are included within the pluralistic family of God, “Elohim”. This introduction by Herbert Armstrong and ministry in the late 1940s and early 1950s was fraught with error and stems directly from Binitarianism that was developed at the Council of Nicea. Knowing the pagan origin of Ditheism, even these early Church Councils avoided introducing it into their belief system.

Over time this convoluted mixture of Binitarianism and Ditheism caused confusion not only in the nature of God Eloah (SHD #433, which is the singular of the plural word Elohim), but it also caused damage to WCOG’s understanding in many other areas of Scripture. Lacking knowledge and understanding in this One True God, WCOG, over the years, did not follow biblical instruction correctly when observing the annual Holy Days.

This Sabbath message will now focus on where WCOG became in breach of God’s Laws in keeping these annual Sabbaths, specifically Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, and including Pentecost. This breach is also prevalent in WCOG off-shoots to this very day.

It was always understood within WCOG, and taught by Herbert Armstrong, that the 4th Commandment consisted of a system of Sabbaths. He also taught that the 4th Commandment was a test Commandment as to whether we would obey God or not. The ministry would often quote Colossians 2:16 as proof that the New Testament Church of God would be keeping these Sabbaths. See the paper Colossians 2:16-17 (No. 205), which is an interesting commentary authored by Larry J. Walker, who is a minister of United Church of God in the USA. The paper contains valuable Endnotes by Wade Cox.

Colossians 2:16 reads in the NRSV:

16) Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.

It was interpreted from this Scripture by Herbert Armstrong and his ministry that the Sabbath system consisted of the weekly Sabbath and annual Festivals, or annual Sabbaths, for observance today. The ministry would also teach from Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 the details on keeping this Sabbath system, particularly the annual Sabbaths. These were key chapters in countless sermons over the years, giving instruction to families on how to observe the weekly Sabbath and annual Feast days. Much instruction was given, for example, in observing Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, including the annual Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Sukkoth. Families were instructed to travel to Feast sites and keep the Feast of Tabernacles for the full 8-day period.

Deuteronomy 16:16 was often cited by WCOG ministry, as it gives exact instructions from the Law of God on how He commands us to keep the 3 seasons of the year for the observance of the annual Festivals – which includes Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) – at the place He will choose.

Deuteronomy 16:16 reads in the Jerusalem Bible 2000 (JB2000) as:

16 Three times each year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose: in the solemn feast of unleavened bread and in the solemn feast of weeks and in the solemn feast of the tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the LORD empty,

This verse is specific. Notice it states that there are three times in a year when the Lord commands assembly before Him for these Feasts, in the place He shall choose.

Now let’s examine Deuteronomy 16:1-8 for the requirements that the Lord places on observing the Feast of Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread.

In Deuteronomy 16, verses 1-8, reads in the JPS translation as:

1. Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God; for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2. And thou shalt sacrifice the passover-offering unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to cause His name to dwell there.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for in haste didst thou come forth out of the land of Egypt; that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4. And there shall be no leaven seen with thee in all they borders seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificest the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover-offering within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee;
6. but at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover- offering at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose; and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work therein.

The JB2000 translates these verses as:

1 Keep the month of the new fruit, and thou shalt do the passover unto the LORD thy God; for in the month of the new fruit the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2 Thou shalt, therefore, sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the sheep and the cows, in the place which the LORD shall choose to cause his name to dwell therein.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou didst come forth out of the land of Egypt in haste; that thou may remember the day when thou didst come forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen in thee within all thy borders for seven days; neither shall any of the flesh which thou didst sacrifice the evening of the first day remain all night until the morning.
5 Thou may not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates (or within any of thy towns) which the LORD thy God gives thee
6 but at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause his name to dwell in; there thou shalt sacrifice the passover in the evening, at the going down of the sun, at the appointed time when thou came forth out of Egypt.
7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, and thou shalt turn in the morning and return unto thy tabernacles.
8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day shall be a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work in this.

Notice in verses 5-7 the instructions given by the Lord for observing Passover are: (1) observance of Passover is not to be within our gates (the JB2000 adds the clarification, “or within any of the towns”); and (2) we are to be in a place which the Lord shall choose.

We are instructed by the Lord to be in a place outside our cities of residence (v. 5), and in a place where He chooses for us to be (vv. 6-7) when observing Passover-Days of Unleavened Bread. It is within the authority of the Church to select the Feast site where the ecclesia will gather for Passover-Unleavened Bread, and the ecclesia must reside at the selected site during the entire Feast of Passover. This symbolizes the ecclesia coming out of this World (symbolized by Egypt) during the entire period of time (see the paper Seven Days of the Feast (No. 49)).

We should not return to our home and city of residence during this week of Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, nor should we work at our place of employment (v. 8). Gathering together only on the 1st and last days of the Feast, and working in between the week of Passover, is obviously not “coming out of Egypt”. No matter how much unleavened bread we would eat within our gates during this solemn time, this practice is a violation of the instruction given by the Lord.

Messiah left us an example that we should follow in his footsteps (1Pet. 2:21). He and his family travelled every year from their city of residence to Jerusalem to keep the Passover.

We read in Luke 2:39-43 in the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB):

39 When Yosef and Miryam had finished doing everything required by the Torah of ADONAI, they returned to the Galil, to their town Natzeret.
40 The child grew and became strong and filled with wisdom––God’s favor was upon him.
41 Every year Yeshua’s parents went to Yerushalayim for the festival of Pesach.
42 When he was twelve years old, they went up for the festival, as custom required.
43 But after the festival was over, when his parents returned, Yeshua remained in Yerushalayim. They didn’t realize this;

Except for a brief period in the early 1960s, WCOG never followed the instruction given in verses 1 through 8 of Deuteronomy 16 to observe the full Feast of Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread at a place where the Lord chooses. WCOG even allowed its members to work at their jobs during this period of time and assembled together only on the first and last days of Unleavened Bread. This is a clear breach in the Law governing observance of the Feasts as outlined in Deuteronomy 16.

WCOG did observe the Feast of Tabernacles for the full length of time at selected Feast sites as commanded in verses 13-15, but it never obeyed the instruction of the Lord for observing the Feast of Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. Its ministry never understood the entire preparation process that is integral to the understanding and observing of Passover. This preparation process is to be carefully observed beginning at Abib 1. Individually and collectively, the ecclesia will be carefully observing this commanded process in order to correctly keep the Feast of Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread.

This is explained in the study paper Sanctification of the Temple of God (No. 241). The introduction to this very important study paper states, “Israel was commanded to sanctify the Temple prior to the Passover. There was a process of sanctification leading up to the Passover. In some cases, the Passover was actually delayed because this sanctification was not done correctly. The significance of the process has serious implications for Christianity”.

Pentecost is another annual Feast that was not correctly observed in WCOG.

Deuteronomy 16:9-12 reads:

9 "You shall count seven weeks; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain.
10 Then you shall keep the feast of weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you;
11 and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place which the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there.
12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. (RSV)

All three Feasts are commanded to be observed in the same manner, at the place where God’s name is to be placed outside our city of residence, and we are to remain at the Feast site for the entire duration of the Feast. In the case of Pentecost, it is a 2-day Feast consisting of the weekly Sabbath and Pentecost, and the same Law applies to it for observance as it does to the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Tabernacles (see paper Keeping the Feasts (No. 56) for a detailed look at observing the Feasts according to the Law of God).

Herbert Armstrong himself did not fully grasp the importance of his own statement when he taught that the Fourth Commandment is a test Commandment as to whether we will obey God or not. It is a test that the WCOG Sabbatarian off-shoots still fail to understand.

The ecclesia going into the Millennium with Messiah will be observing and doing today what they will be teaching others in the Millennium under Messiah.

Tom Schardt
Assistant Coordinator of California