| Author | Message | ||
| Gregkleinig Registered user Username: Gregkleinig Post Number: 53 Registered: 12-2010 |
For many years as an SDA I pondered what Col.2:16+17 meant when it talked about the Sabbath as a shadow etc. Let me quote it here; 16 "Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink,or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath. 17 Which are a shadow of things to come but the body is Christ" When I would ask my learned SDA friends about this they would shrug it off by saying it was referring to the ceremonial law. However I always thought that that was a cop out. #1. It starts off by saying "let no man judge you." But as SDAs we were judging people. Every time someone asked for baptism and we didn't baptize them until they stopped eating Old testament unclean food and kept the Saturday Sabbath we were judging them. So we were wrong from the very start of the verse. #2 The concept of the Sabbath as a shadow really perplexed my mind even up to a few weeks ago.(Look up the greek for this Sabbath. It is the 7th Day Old Testament Jewish Sabbath) Until a friend who has recently became an SDA asked me about what she could and couldn't do on Sabbath. She has stopped playing all sport and sailing because she was told; "the Holy Spirit will convict you when God wants you to stop these things. That sounds fine at face value but really it is just very clever psychological pressure. The same people see nothing wrong with going out onto the sand dunes on Sabbath afternoon and going absolutely crazy in their 4WDs. I asked her to consider the hypocracy in all of that. But what I was most pleased about was the following parable that I sent to her. "What sort of a nut would you have thought Dave (hubby) was, if when you first met, he spent most of his time talking to and about your shadow? I mean really! Imagine the following; young, frisky handsome, irressistable Dave takes alluring, etc, young you on your first date. Beautiful day; sun shining, birds singing lovely picnic and and Dave spends all his time talking to your shadow.He talks to you as well, but you can clearly see he is very besotted with your shadow. Meantime young you is thinking how is this going to work if there is no sunshine? The picnic goes really well though and young Linda thinks he's got what it takes. In actual fact she realizes she is falling in love with Dave. Disturbingly she starts to hear talk that that Dave spends as much time, maybe even more time, telling people about this amazing shadow he is getting to know. As a matter of fact it gets back to young L that young D is telling other courting couples that unless you spend as much time talking, loving respecting the shadow of your beloved then you are missing out. Well he's such a catch YL decides to marry him anyway. The years go by and the ache in L's heart ghrows as Dave never seems to shift his full attention to her and away from the shadow. He's even managed to convince a handful of people that they have to give their spouses shadow at least as much time and respect. Although it is never stated outright Linda sees what appears to be some people spending more and more time and attention on their spouses shadows rather than the spouse. But this is never spoken of because it has become taboo in the "Exclusive Shadow Lovers Club." I hope that helps somebody out there asking questions. Greg | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 9539 Registered: 3-2004  |
Ohhhhhhh, I like this. Thanks Greg. diana | ||
| Leonie Registered user Username: Leonie Post Number: 26 Registered: 10-2011 |
Thank you, Greg! Shadow-worshipping is over for me. And I just pray that others will see and understand the madness of it all. Monica | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 9540 Registered: 3-2004 |
Greg, can I use this word for word else where? Diana | ||
| Raven Registered user Username: Raven Post Number: 1201 Registered: 7-2004  |
Love the parable! | ||
| Hec Registered user Username: Hec Post Number: 1872 Registered: 3-2009 |
Greg, sometimes SDA's explain the "let no man judge you" clause as meaning that if you don't disobey it no man can judge you. So it means that you have to obey it so you won't be judge on it. Clever, ah? The only problem is that then they get it trouble with the "ceremonial sabbaths", because if that thinking applies to the seventh day, it also applies to the others. Nevertheless, they still use it hoping one doesn't catch it. Hec | ||
| Gregkleinig Registered user Username: Gregkleinig Post Number: 54 Registered: 12-2010 |
G'day all. Please feel free to use it anywhere. Hec. SDAs sure do have an answer for anything and everything. Until the veil is removed in Christ darkness will remain. I guess God patiently waited for me for 35 years so I nead to extend that same grace to those still caught up in it. Bless you all. Greg | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 13236 Registered: 12-2003  |
Greg, I love the parable, too! Colleen | ||
| Lori Registered user Username: Lori Post Number: 139 Registered: 11-1999 |
Great analogy of dating a shadow!!! I had already left the SDA church by the time my dog provided this analogy for the shadow of the reality. My dogs first love of shadows began after we moved to a new home and the angle of the sun in the afternoon cast a shadow of the basketball goal (and the basketball) across our garage doors. While the boys were playing with the real thing the dog was happily playing with the shadow about 20 feet away. Of course, we just thought it was funny when occasionally he'd run into the real ball seeing and hearing no connection between it and the shadow. He also enjoys the shadows of butterflies (and birds). He will gleefully follow their trail all over the yard. One summer day after playing with a butterflies shadow numerous times something strange happened. The shadow suddenly disappeared when the butterfly landed less than a inch from his nose. I expected him to bite it. He just stared at and stepped away....looking for the shadow. He had no clue the butterfly was the reality of what he'd been chasing!! | ||
| Gregkleinig Registered user Username: Gregkleinig Post Number: 56 Registered: 12-2010 |
G'day Lori. That is a great story about your dog. I like the last sentence. Substitute Jesus for butterfly and you have got SDAism in a nutshell Cheers | ||
| Indy4now Registered user Username: Indy4now Post Number: 1079 Registered: 2-2008  |
Great analogies Greg and Lori! I just think that an adventist cannot understand how Jesus is rest in the first place. They cannot make the connection that Jesus is the reality of the sabbath rest shadow. This is because of the IJ. The IJ teaches that Christ did not complete atonement at the cross. Until they understand how they can have rest in Christ... they keep looking towards the shadow to give them rest. Unfortunately, the shadow is only a picture of physical rest. I believe that the complete rest we have in Christ is not only physical, but spiritual. It's a rest that goes beyond one day and extends into our whole life. We can know, without a doubt, that whatever life throws at us, we can have rest in Christ because He is sovereign. An adventist can't understand how Christ gives them physical rest... except that He has supposedly given them a day to give them rest. So the day becomes significant... not Christ. If a person's view of salvation being completed, a finished work at the cross, is skewed... there is no rest in Christ. They will always gain rest from a day instead and therefore be happy to live in the shadow. Why would they need Christ? ... they have the day. vivian |
