Bible Study: October 18, 2023

Okay, so we're going to look at Isaiah 56 and 57 tonight. I think we began—it's been about a month, I think, since the last time we had a Bible study with the feast coming in and then the other holy days as well that interrupted some of our Wednesday routine. Very good to see all of you, very good to have you all back with us here tonight. But as we begin chapter 56, let me just remind you of where we are. We have gone through this series of chapters in Isaiah that really do speak to a millennial time, teaching that God will give people, and it gives us an idea of the type of things that we need to learn so that we can teach them as well. It means we have to be applying them into our lives. As we've moved into chapters 54 and 55, we're going to find more instruction in the way we live our lives going forward in the book of Isaiah here and the chapters we have tonight. But the last time we looked at Isaiah 55 and probably wherever you were at the feast, when they turned to John 7 verse 37 on the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles or wherever they turned to, where Jesus Christ is, if anyone is thirsty, come to me and I'll give them rivers of living water, you probably turn to verses in Isaiah 55 where it talks about he who thirsts, come to me, come to my bread, come to my drink without money. God says, just come to me, I give salvation freely to those who seek me and those who will do my will.

So as we move into chapter 56, you know, if you heard me say that as we've gone from Isaiah 40 through the chapters we've been through, God talks a lot about the first commandment and teaching people in that time that he is the God and he is the only God of salvation. There is no other God besides him.

He speaks a lot about the second commandment that don't put any trust in idols, don't make any carved images, no other gods before him, nothing between us and God. We talked about taking God's name in vain and how important that his name is as he's talked about that. As we go into chapter 56, we see the Sabbath day front and center, the fourth commandment. Again, God is teaching the people who live over in those kingdoms, the kingdom or the millennium, the things that we will be doing as spirit beings, then that we will be teaching them because they have to learn all those things that we learn just because they receive the Holy Spirit when Christ returns, when he spreads his spirit or to all of that kind, doesn't mean they're going to know everything immediately just like us, just like we had to learn, they're going to have to learn as well.

So the Sabbath is a very important thing to God, and if we look at chapter 56, we see just how important it is. And we also see the New Testament application of the Sabbath day. So many people in the world will say you don't see any application of the Sabbath, the mention of it, in New Testament. And of course, we know that's wrong. Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath.

We know the apostles kept the Sabbath after Christ was killed, resurrected, and descended into heaven. We know that all those things happen, but even in chapter 56, we see that God talks about, there's a New Testament reference to the Sabbath being kept by those who would be part of his family. But let's get into some people here. Let's get into chapter 56. Verse 1 says, Thus says the Eternal, Keep justice and do righteousness. And that might remind you of Micah 6 verse 8, where God says what is required of you, but to do, to be merciful, to do justly, and to humbly serve the Lord.

Keep justice and, of course, that word do, do righteousness. Not just know it, not just be able to talk about it, but actually do it, make it part of your life. Keep justice and do righteousness. And boy, is this verse even more meaningful to us today after everything we've been through and seen happen in the world with Israel and terror attacks and everything that went on, you know, wow, almost two weeks ago now, time does fly. You know, for my salvation is about to come and my righteousness to be revealed. With every one of these steps of the trees, with every one of those buds that open up in that that Luke 21 tree, when Christ said, you know, when you see these buds appearing, know that the time is near.

And as we see these things, it draws us closer and closer to the return of Jesus Christ. And each one will fill in that tree when when it is in full bloom. Verse two, blessed is the man who, again, look at the verb there, who does this, not just knows it, not just knows when the Sabbath day is not, you know, just thinks about it when the sun goes down and everything, but those who the man, blessed is the man who does his righteousness and blessed is the man who does this and the son of man who lays hold on it.

That's not just knowing it, that's, I grasp it. This is something I'm cleaning to. This is a pearl of great price. This is the way of life that leads to eternal life. This is the way of life that leads to all the fulfillment and purpose and well-being in life when you know God and you're doing his way, you lay hold on it, you cling to it, just like you cling to that crown of life that that it talks about in the New Testament.

Blessed is the man who does this and the son of man who lays hold on it, who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, his hand from doing any evil. Notice it says, you know, he could have just said, who keeps the Sabbath. Blessed is the man who keeps the Sabbath.

But it's a little more detailed than that, you know, who keeps from defiling the Sabbath. And that kind of shows God has that 24-hour period. It is his time. It is time that we do what we do his will and pay attention that we're not defiling the Sabbath, defiling the Sabbath.

And he talks a lot about the Sabbath and the ensuing verses, but while we're talking about the Sabbath, we flip a couple chapters over to Isaiah 58.

He gives some instruction. You know, we see God in the book of Isaiah, he'll introduce a subject, and then a chapter two later, he talks more about it. And so here he talks about the Sabbath and keeping us from defiling the Sabbath. But in verse 13 and 14 of Isaiah 58, he talks about some of the things that we could do that would defile the Sabbath as he discusses. So just let's read those things, and then probably it'll be, well, we'll be next week. We're in chapter 58. We'll talk more about it. He says, if you turn away, chapter 58 verse 13, if you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, well, that's the key. That defines how we keep the Sabbath. Don't find your pleasure. Don't do the things that you like to do. Do the things that pleases God. And we know what those things are. Keeping the fires burning, looking, reading the Bible, keeping the oil going, praying to God, the incense burning, the things we talked about last Sabbath at the tail end of the sermon there. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, if you're coming into my time frame, God says. So just like he told Moses, when you come into my presence, take your shoes off, Moses. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and you call the Sabbath a delight that we look forward to. That it's wonderful. Maybe we're not watching ball games, and maybe we're not doing whatever we want to do in the yard, or whatever it is, but we're doing what God's will is, and that should bring delight to us. That we are sacrificing ourselves to him. And do you call? So he says, you call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord, honorable. And honor him, not doing your own ways, not thinking, not making, you know, well, I want to do this, and I'll do this because this is what I want to do. Do it to honor him, to bring the thing to bring God into, and do the things that would bring him into your life. Honor him, not doing your own ways, not finding your own pleasure, and not speaking your own words. You know, glorify God. Praise him. At the tail end of chapter 15, actually in the chapter 57, we'll talk about the fruit of the lips a little bit. And it's talking about that here, not speaking your own words, but doing the things and talking about the things of God. And if you do these things, then you will delight yourself in the eternal. And God will cause you to ride on the high heels of the earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, the mouth of the Lord, has spoken. So we've read those verses before, and so you know what those are. The Sabbath day is important. It's our way of sacrificing, giving a sacrifice to God of our time to do what his will is, not finding our own pleasure, but doing his will. And here in chapter 56, then, he talks about the importance of that Sabbath day, how important it is to him. And before we go back to Isaiah 56, let's just turn for a minute to Ezekiel 20. Remember, Isaiah was a prophet to Israel, and Ezekiel lived and was a prophet 150-some years later. At the time Ezekiel lived, the house of Israel had already gone into captivity.

Had already gone into captivity, and so Judah was on at that time, but much of Ezekiel is addressed to Israel. So we know that a lot of it is prophetic in nature. I'm not going to go through chapter 20, but you might want to just take some time to read through chapter 20, because in it, God talks a lot about the Sabbath day. Let me just give you some verses here.

Verse 12, for instance, Ezekiel 20, it says, Moreover, I also gave them. You know, it wasn't that God laid a burden on us. His commandments are not burdensome, right? He gave. When we give something to someone, it's something of value. So God gave us something of value here. I gave them. He's talking about ancient Israel here, but he also gave that Sabbath to us, right? Because Jesus Christ said the Sabbath wasn't made for man or the Sabbath was made for man. It was a gift to man. It was something to keep him in contact with God. Moreover, I also gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between them and me that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. And then he talks about ancient Israel in verse 13. He says, the house of Israel, those are the ones who went into captivity. They rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes. They despised my judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them. And they greatly defiled my Sabbaths. They disregarded him. They didn't do what he said to do. They defiled his Sabbath. Down in verse 15, I would not, because of that, he wouldn't bring them into the land, which he had promised them at that time. 16, because they despised my judgments, they didn't walk in my statutes. They profaned my Sabbaths, for their heart went after their idols. They didn't do what God said. They weren't willing to follow what he said. Verse 19, I am the Lord your God. Walk in my statutes, keep my judgments, and do them. Not just know them, not just be able to recite them. Not just think, because I can say these things, or I don't go to my physical job on the Sabbath that you're doing that, but do do those commandments. Hallo my Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between me and you that you may know that I am the Lord your God. Verse 21, one of the words that I have circled a lot of times in my Bible is the word careful down there, and near the end of the well, in the middle phrase there, they were not careful to observe my judgments. God says, carefully obey what I command you to do. If we love God, we will be careful to do the things that he asks us to do. And in that verse, they profane the Sabbath. And down and down, verses 23, verses 24. And let's go down to verse 39. In 39, this is talking about the house of Israel that will be brought back after the time of captivity when Jesus Christ returns. We talked about the time when he will bring Israel back into the Promised Land. And we'll see that as we read through some of these verses. That time the Sabbath will be kept. As well as for you, verse 39, O house of Israel, go serve every one of you as idols, and hereafter if you won't obey me.

But if you profane my holy name... Okay, but reading more than I intended to read here, let me read here. So... Now let's go down to verse 41.

I will accept you as a sweet Daroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised my hand and an oath to give to your fathers. And there you will remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight because of the evils that you have commanded. Then you will know that I am the Lord. You know, it's an interesting thing to think about where this country is today. The little nation of Israel over there in the Middle East, the other Israelite nations, the English-speaking nations of the world, and how they are departing from God. And when God opens their eyes to see and understand what they had given him—and remember in the book of Isaiah, God has said, I created you. I created you, Israel. I made you. And indeed, He did when you recognized the lineage that we are all children of promise, it says in Galatians 3, 28, just like the ancient Israelites, the physical nations, they were children of promise. They were born through the miracle of the birth of Isaac, and then through the miracle of Jacob, another, you know, that mother was also barren. And then also Jacob and then Joseph, born to Rachel, again, a miracle from God. He made Israel, and they will come to know Him, and they will loathe Him when they realize what they have done. And the Sabbath day is a sign between God and His people, not just physical Israel, but for all of mankind. He created the Sabbath day, as we know, in the creation week, on the seventh day, He sanctified it, He hallowed it, and Jesus Christ said it was made for man, not just for the Jews, not just for the house of Israel, but for man. And mankind will keep the Sabbath day. So let's go back to chapter 56 then, in Isaiah.

Isaiah 56. So we read through, you know, keep from defiling the Sabbath.

Mr. Shaby? Yes, yes, ma'am. Yeah. Hi, Debbie. Debbie from Funnel Hectic County, my city. So I was just, I had a thought, or in reading the Bible. So in Leviticus 23, have you ever noticed what the Sabbath, what God says to do on the Sabbath and the day of Atonement have in common? I'm turning to Leviticus 23. Go ahead and say what you were going to say, though. So Leviticus 23 verse 3, where it says you should do no manner of work. And then on Atonement, it also says you should do no manner of work, except on Atonement, we fast, and on the Sabbath, we may eat. Those two things in common. Okay, so the rest of the Holy Days, it says, do no servile work. And in Exodus 12 16, it identifies what servile means, no manner of work, except what every man must eat, that only may be done. So I'm just wondering if the body of Christ has not stretched these verses to do more than what God wants them to do on the Sabbath, as far as keeping it holy, for an example. So on he gave us in this plenty of scriptures, he gave us the preparation day. So on Friday, we could go buy the roast, we can get the potatoes and the carrots, we can sear the roast, we can skin the potatoes, the carrots, the onions, put them in a pan, put them in a crock pan, or whatever. And then on the Sabbath, you just plug it in, or you put it in the oven.

So that is the difference between servile, because on the Holy Days, we can prepare food. But on the Sabbath, we cannot prepare food, we just eat what we have prepared on the preparation day. So my point is, and this is going to make a lot of people angry, I guess, but I don't find it in the Bible. Where does it say we can, it says, do no pleasure on the Sabbath. Do you do your, know your own pleasure? So where is it okay to go out to eat, pull out your wallet, and pay for food on the Sabbath, where Nehemiah clearly tells us we are not to buy vigils, whatever they are, when the Gentiles would bring fish and grains in.

The Israelites would buy the fish, well, they're going to buy the fish, and they're going to eat it. So you're buying it on the Sabbath, and you're eating. I mean, it just does not, I'm just wondering, are we being Laodicean and not keeping God's holy law like we should keep it in this end time?

Are we Laodiceans? I think, you know, that's a whole conversation. We could probably have the whole Bible study on that one. You know, when you look at, I agree with you, God did a preparation day. He clearly showed that we should be preparing our food to be ready for the Sabbath day, so that we're not cooking and preparing all our meals and waking up on Sabbath morning. I think, we're going to eat for dinner tonight, let me pull things out and cook it, right?

That's clear. There's a preparation day. But when you get into Nehemiah, and you, you know, when you look at Nehemiah, and you see what they were doing there, it's kind of like today we would go to a farmer's market, right? Now we would say, oh, you know what? I need some tomatoes for this, my salad, I need to buy some lettuce and whatever. I'm going to go here and buy it, and then I'm going to take it home and fix it. That's kind of what when you look at Nehemiah, it's that.

It's not going to sit down where you're with brethren, right? Then you are extending the fellowship time by, by doing what God says is good, because He wants us to be together on the Sabbath. It should be a time that we're talking about Him and enjoying being with each other. And then, you know, it's a whole conversation. The study paper that we have online, I don't know if you've had a chance to read it, but, but, you know, go to the members section of ucg.org. I don't remember exactly what the title of that paper is. I don't think it says eating out on the Sabbath. It says something about observing the Sabbath or whatever, but read through that.

And you know, the Church has taken the stance that, yeah, there, I mean, we do need to observe this. We do need to understand the concept of the Preparation Day. And it's good to prepare ahead of time and have, you know, invite people over to your home and have that meal already prepared, not prepare it when they get there, and those things. But, but remember that Christ, you know, Christ walked through the grain fields, you know, with His disciples, and the Pharisees got ahold of Him when they took some grain and ate it and said, Oh, what are you doing?

You know, you're working on the Sabbath. You shouldn't be doing that, whatever. And they could have made the case, well, you know what, you guys should have thought ahead of time, you should have picked that grain on Friday afternoon and added in your knapsack so you can just pull it out and eat it.

So, you know, I don't think we want to get judgmental in that. Now, if someone... You know, there's no, excuse me, there's no difference than them picking the grain, then us opening the refrigerator and taking out something that we prepared the day before. I mean, they did not, they did not pick it to harvest it, to sell, they picked it to feed themselves.

So we can open our cabinet, take something out, and feed ourselves. And I did read, I have read lots of lots of things on the Sabbath, but it all goes back to man, what man says, what the whoever's in charge says versus what God says. And I see nothing but strong words to keep the Sabbath holy. You don't pull out your money and buy on the Sabbath. You just don't. That's not in God's word. It's not okay just to extend the fellowship. Well, it's nice to extend the fellowship, but you can do it in other ways.

You can pack a picnic lunch, you can prepare ahead of time. You don't. I think we're taking liberty with God's law, and I think we're going to be judged for it. I'm sorry, I won't say anymore. Okay, then I think everyone has their own opinions on this. Certainly, I'm not going to try to convince you that it's okay, right? You need to go with your conscience.

I have looked through this so many times, and at one time I'll have one opinion that I think, well, no, this is okay. But I think everyone needs to make their own decision, not lay it a sea, right? And not judging each other, but keeping the Sabbath holy.

And if we're going out to restaurants just for whatever reason, right? It should be accentuating and enhancing the Sabbath day of it, not for some other reason.

We could talk about this privately, but don't ever go against your conscience, but don't judge either, okay? Because this is one of those gray areas that the examples that people use are not exactly where we are in society today. I mean, we can go back to the point where it talks about kindling a fire, and some of the Amish and some of the Orthodox Jews say you can't even flip that switch. Can't even flip that switch because that's kindling a fire. So we've got to take it and look at the spirit that we're keeping the Sabbath day in as well. And God did say it's lawful to do good, and that accentuates the Sabbath day to be with other people. It's not the same as going to a marketplace and buying the food. So let's just leave it at that. Yeah, so we've got our hands on here. Yes, good evening. May I say something? Okay, I think that circumstances altercately. It depends on why you have to do that. Say, for instance, the mother is at home, not working, father comes home late. You have to buy food for the children, and it's an isabbat. So it depends. Circumstance altercacies. That's what I think. No judgmental. No just depends on circumstances. Yeah, yes, yes, yeah, okay, I agree. Okay, anyone else want to talk about that a little bit? I mean, again, look, we could have a vital study on this and talk about it and whatever, but I would ask everyone read that paper, read that paper, and then let's talk about that. But let's, you know, yeah, let's look at this because I know this is something that's been studied many, many, many times, right? And I've looked at it many, many times.

We just have to let God lead us to the conviction, but always with the idea that we want to please him and do him and always ask him, lead us into what you want us to do. I think all of us do that. I know, I know at the home office we do that. What is God's will in this? And that's, that's what we, that's what we're doing. And we don't want to, well, let me just leave it at that. Okay, Sherry, Sherry, do you have a comment? I was just going to say that there's many people that have been asking about it recently a lot. And I remember I talked to you about it already. And I know that I keep hearing people say it's got to be your own conscience. What if it's wrong for you, then it's wrong for you. If it's right for somebody else, it's okay for them. But I think a lot of people are asking that question right now. Yes, I would agree. But maybe we need to, maybe we need to have a conversation on that and put something out on that as well. So yes, I think if there are a lot of people talking about it, maybe it's time to address it. So okay, good point. Becky? Hello, I'm here. I just I wanted to throw out there just it's just my opinion, but sometimes it helps to hear somebody else's thoughts. You know, well, I haven't thought of that.

I agree with you. I mean, the Amaya, that's definitely like, to me, I don't go to the grocery store. I don't go to the farmer's market on the Sabbath. That's that type of situation. But when it comes to the part of paying for your food, I kind of like to think in terms like I have to pay for electricity that day, I can't keep those people from working at the power plant. Or I kind of think in terms like that there are people working in a restaurant, but they're working regardless, they don't know it's the Sabbath. So that's just something I like to keep in mind when it comes to.

Whether or not I decide to do that, I thought it might be helpful.

I will. I probably should keep my mouth shut, but I hear what you're saying, and I agree. Where I have drawn the line is, you know, if we were going to cater something on the Sabbath day, and there were other options other than catering, where we're hiring the people to come and serve us and pay for them to set all that up on, that's where I think we would be violating the Sabbath. Right?

I know when I was in Orlando, we would cater like night to be much observed, but we always made sure the people were there before Sabbath. They were gone before Sabbath. We had all paid for Sabbath before it began, and everything was done at that point. I think that's when we're hiring someone to work specifically for us, to me that would be a violation of it. The restaurant people, they're there anyway. We're not making them work. We're not causing them to work. Yeah, let me put it that way. This is a long discussion if we get into every nuance of it. Hey, Fred.

Yes, there's one thing that hasn't been brought up, and that we have to be careful about. The Pharisees made the Sabbath a burden by adding all these little rules, and as you said earlier, it is a matter of your heart and of the conscience. So that's all I have to say.

Don't ever say that. Mr. Shavey. Yes. So do we have the prerogative? It's Debbie. Yes. I said I wasn't going to say anything. So do we have the prerogative to decide what we can do on the Sabbath depending on our conscience? Or should we go by what God says? If you go to a restaurant and you sit there, and they're going to be working anyway, they're preparing that food, that's fine. So we can sit there, and we can eat and enjoy it. And if we can get up and walk out without pulling out our wallet, then that's fine, too. But do you think they will let us do that? No. We have to pay for that food. But is it so conscious? So do we have the prerogative to say, okay, well, I'm going to eat unclean meat. So I'm going to know the 10 commandments. The Sabbath is the 10 commandments. If that's what's serious, do we have the prerogative to say, well, this doesn't bother my conscience, so I'm going to do this, breaking one of the 10 commandments. We do not. We have to go by God's word. He says, do no work, do not profane it. There are examples about manna. I mean, and I know I've read all the information about reasoning, man's reasoning to enjoy something pleasurable. I like sitting down with it, you know, but not on the Sabbath. I just can't do it. And conscience, no, I don't have that prerogative. That's God saying it, not me. Go against God or go against man. But do remember that God says, in your own interest, in your own pleasure, it doesn't mean you're not to enjoy the Sabbath. He just gave the example of walking through the field, and shredding the heads of wheat and having something to eat. But she said that was no different than going to your refrigerator. That's what she said. Yeah, okay, but it's not being phariserical. It is not being phariserical. It's a burning bond.

Yeah, and there are, okay, yeah, there are matters of conscience, right? God doesn't go against your conscience, right? So, and the thing is, I know that God is going to lead us to what He wants on this. Today, He hasn't, and it may be looking at our hearts to see where we are, but if it bothers, there are things, if they bother me, they may not bother someone else. I don't do them, because I think that's God's spirit saying, that shouldn't be who what you're doing, right? So, you know when you're going against your conscience, if, and I don't know, I mean, we've got to lead God, and He's going to bring us to what this is. He's going to clear all this up for us. We just have to continually look for Him and do, but you know, I think you're putting too much, when you look at Nehemiah, when you're looking at Lehaniah, you're putting all the focus on money, and it's what they're doing there. They're at Kroger's or Publix or whatever your grocery store is. They're out shopping for that day's meals, and that is clearly, clearly, a wrong. That is preparation ahead of time. You don't go out shopping for your meal on the Sabbath day, and that's where I think, that's where I look at the emphasis, right? So, let's just leave it there. I think this is a good discussion, but I also realize that we're not going, I don't want to force someone into it, Debbie, the way you said it, that we should do it. No, that isn't at all what I'm saying, or we should say. There are matters of conscience. You let the Spirit lead you, and you let the Spirit lead you. Don't let me talk you into things. You let God lead you into what is right. I mentioned something about the Feast of Tabernacles in Panama City Beach, Florida, where on the Sabbath, both Sabbaths, we had to pay to park. We couldn't pay in advance. We had to pay that day on the Sabbath, on the first day, and on the last day, to park. I refused to do it, and I told the coordinator, I said, you know, I guess I don't come, or some other arrangements, or whatever. And so, he did say, we'll come the next day and pay. So, that's what I did, and I paid before the Sabbath on the last Holy Day, too. I mean, are we not getting too lax? Is that not getting close to... I don't know the situation in Panama City. I don't know about... do they pay for parking every day, or just on the Holy Days? Every day, on the Holy Days, every day. Do we not have some clout that we could have rearranged that? I mean, is it okay to pay on the Sabbath when the market, the beast comes? We can't even... we can't buy food unless we get the mark? Is that not to me? Yeah, we're getting off in an angle. I don't know anything about that, unless any of you may be able to look at that when we look at that B-site experience. I thought I didn't hear anything about parking things or anything like that. Okay, let me... Dale?

Dale, did you hear me? Oh, yes, Mr. Shavey. Yeah, just briefly, I just saw for the example of David the showbread. You know, we're at... it was lawful as false lead to eat on the Sabbath, but he profane the Sabbath, but he was blameless, because he was, you know, he was hungry. He was on a journey, and it was all bread replaced by the fresh bread by the priests, you know. And God's eyes, I think, in Jesus Christ even quoted that story, how David did, you know, eat the showbread. So anyway, I just thought I'd offer that as another example of judgment on the Sabbath about what we do. That's a good example. Ayl, this again. Yeah, Mr. Shavey, thank you very much. I have read the paper on principles of observing the service. I've read it, and I think that solves a lot of problems. If we take our time to read it spiritually, read carefully, and read prayerfully, I think we will not be having this discussion. Now, in Exodus, where God says to do no work, the Hebrew word translated as work is melaka. Melaka means regular work, occupation, your business, something you do regularly. And the children of Israel, they were mainly farmers, agriculturalists. Either they were keeping animals or cultivating the land. There were no computer scientists among them. They didn't even have other professions. It was just agriculture. So God instructed them, don't do regular work. Don't do your regular occupation on the Sabbath. I think our love for God will lead us to do what honors God.

I opened a can of worms for sure.

I think if you have your microphone on, I think that's causing some interference.

If you're not speaking, if you can turn your microphone off.

My submission is that we should find time to have a better study on this.

I don't disagree. I think we might want to do that. Just talk these things out. Lucica, what I'm going to say is, yes, I agree with you. Certainly, not our typical work that we would go to work every day, but it's talking about every work, too. I wouldn't go out and loom my lawn, for instance, on the Sabbath. That's not my profession. I wouldn't go out and weed my garden. So it's any kind of manner of regular servile work that you do. You dedicate that day to God to do the things that he wants to do, and any of that chore-type stuff would not be done on that day. So, okay. Becky? This is just a thought. Not a stance either way. Maybe someone else has something to help me answer this question for me. I'm thinking about Christ and the disciples, and they're traveling. They traveled a lot. I'm sure that they would try to buy bread on Friday. They would prepare. They would make provisions. But I know there are no known examples right in the Bible of them being out on the Sabbath and having to get bread or anything like that that you know of.

Grayfels is the one that comes to mind. So, where they were the only one. I just, in my mind, I'm trying to put myself in their shoes, and I'm thinking, would they stop somewhere and eat? I don't know. If there wasn't anybody available who said, here's some food that I made and it's free, would they stop and eat? I guess we don't know then.

Sherri and then Zayash.

Yes, I'm not going to keep it long. But when we were younger, and the ones of us that grew up being God's church, when God, when the Bible says, go back to what you first learned. And I remember when I was in the church as a younger person, we did indeed out, we cooked everything. We hadn't made it. I think I've talked to you about this before, but people, they didn't do it then, as far as I've ever heard. But, I mean, did something change in the meantime? I mean, this was back in worldwide days, but I mean, it just, let's go to what you first learned.

That's all I'll say about that.

Xavier.

Hi, hi, brother, sheba. Hi, everyone. Just to one point and one question. The first question is, in the nation of Israel, at the time of our Lord, or even before and after, when they were at least having the commandments and they were doing that, did anyone have a restaurant open on the Sabbath?

Okay, the point now is, there are certain situations, like when our Lord was walking, they weren't harvesting, but that wasn't work. David, he couldn't prepare, he was fleeing.

So, in those situations, God said, you're fine. Mercy over judgment. But if you have, we have six days looking forward to something. I know everybody has work and all that stuff. But everything must be, as we just heard, who's this sister, Cherri said, what we heard from the beginning. And it must be biblical. It must not just be, according to our conscience, it must be biblical, meaning what does the word of God say? And look at all the examples in their context and use that spirit to be thinking and concerning. And not just follow our conscience, because we know God is desperate and deceptive above all things, if we're not dealing to God's Spirit and doing it according to His Word, rightly, straightly cooked. And I'm just, oh, I'm vastly, what's the word, jumping all over the place? Or as I feel, that's what most of us today, I feel, I think, we try best to be biblical and some logic, logical. Okay, Susan? Is it possible that this is what Christ Jesus wanted us to talk about tonight? It's possible. We're talking about it. So anyway, talking about the Sabbath day. So it is a subject that comes up. Yes, we want to diligently do what God wants us to do and not defile it. Yeah, Susan? I thought that I remembered from Mr. Armstrong that he viewed it as an administrative decision that it was okay for us to eat out on the Sabbath. And it was based on what was already brought up about those people would already be in the restaurant and would already be working and our being there isn't having an effect on them. But I thought it was under Mr. Armstrong that that was when that changed. I would agree with you. I don't remember. I remember it from as long back as I can. I can remember. So I don't know what a determination it was exactly made on it. So we'll look into it. We'll look into it more just to, but I think it's been a good conversation. It's good to see. Here are the arguments on both sides, but you know, it's just something we I think we just need to continue to ask God, what is your will? What do you want to do? And when that is revealed, we will do it. We will simply do what he says to do.

Hey, Becky. Just one more scripture came to mind, and I hope it's not too pushy, but the scripture to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling just popped into my head. And I really think it comes down to our heart and our intentions, and God is the judge of that.

There are gray areas, right? There are gray areas. 1 Corinthians 8, you know, when with the meat sacrifice to idols, that was the big issue back in that day. Some people was like, no, you can't eat that unless you ask specifically, was it ever a sacrifice to idols? Paul said it doesn't bother him. It's not a matter of conscience on his. And that's the similar thing that we look at here. For some people, it really bothered them. They would not eat that meat unless they specifically asked, was this ever offered to idols? And Paul said, well, don't judge them. But you know, if it bothers them, I'm not going to. I'm not going to eat. I'm going to do what I'm not going to alter their faith at all or whatever. I'm not going to do something to offend them. But to Paul, it was like, you know, meat is meat that means no difference to me. That sounds a little flippant the way I said it, but I don't mean it that way. So I think some of those things are really important to some people. That's fine. That's what God has led you to. And others, it's like, you know, I'm not going to ever call Debbie and say, Debbie, I want you to go out to dinner with me at a restaurant on Sabbath right after services, because I know that would offend her. And that's fine. I would never do that. And I think we just need to be aware of those things, just like Paul was back in the day, you know, of the meat sacrifice to idols issues that were that was the issue back then. So, but I do think God gives us those gray areas that we really seek him, and he's looking to see, are we doing, are we really seeking our own pleasure? And I think that's where we have to analyze it. Am I doing it because I want to, even though I really kind of know it's against God's will, or am I doing it simply because it is an enhancement to the Sabbath day on those occasions where you do go out with someone and the fellowship is able to to continue. So let's, let's leave it at that. But I think it's a good go ahead. Someone has something to say.

It was me. I was just responding. I was just going to say, I think you're absolutely right. That's a great example. And I think that more so when Christ talks about the commandments, but also greater sin. I can't even think of where it's at. I think that more so God wants us to, what you're talking about, not put a stumbling block in front of our brother. Like, like you said, I can't remember where that scripture is. And it would be so important to him to not be judgmental, but also be supportive of those different views. Right. Exactly. Even if we don't agree to show love. Yeah. And not let them separate us. Right. Not let them separate us because we're here. We all, God has called us all.

And we, these things will, we stay one and we just work with the other. Interesting that you mentioned stumbling block because in Isaiah 57 we talk about stumbling blocks a little bit. But let's go back to Isaiah. Go ahead. Greatest commandment is to love each other. It's the greatest. All that other stuff for me comes underneath of that. Okay. Want to move on a little bit? Okay. Then let's talk about the Sabbath. We'll reserve that. And you know, we can come back and talk about some of those things. And if you, anyone wants to ever talk about those things privately, too, you know, some email, we can set up a time to talk whatever you want to do and reason together. Right. And go back to the Bible. The Bible is the final, the final source of truth that we obey. Always keep that in mind. None of us, none of us are here to do anything. Our will, we always have to be looking for God's will. And He will lead us to that. We'll find things about ourselves that we come to the point where, oh, that isn't what God wanted us to do. And I'm looking at it the wrong way. And then we repent and do it His way.

Okay, so let's go on in chapter 56. Maybe we won't get all through 57 today, but I think, I think chapter, again, this is the Sabbath day is such an important command to God as all of them are, right? Keeping no other gods before Him, no idols before Him, honoring His name, not taking His name in vain, and keeping His Sabbath day. That is so important as a sign, God says, between Him and His people. And it's one of those things that the world has just taken away and said, we don't need to do that. Indeed, we do need to do that if we honor God. So when we get into verses three down here through eight, we see God talking about the Sabbath day and talking about people keeping the Sabbath day that weren't part of ancient Israel. And verse three there says, don't let the Son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord. Okay, that means He is following God's way. It's kind of like the people from Egypt who might have gone with Israel because they believed in that God. They were called strangers, right? They weren't native Israelites, but back in Exodus 12 it talks about there's one law for the native Israelites as well as the stranger, right? We obey God. There's only one law. There's not two laws for native Israelites, and there's one law that God has given us to live by. Don't let the Son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak saying, the eternal has utterly separated me from His people. Now back in ancient times, in the Old Testament, it was the physical people of Israel, but even God allowed some Gentiles, if we will, to be part of that. You know, you can look at Rahab, you could look at Ruth. They weren't native-born Israelites, and yet God joined themselves to God. And God says, no, no, don't say God has separated me from His people. He isn't the God who has partial and only working with one people. He has His people, but Christ died for all of mankind. And then he says in verse 3, don't let the eunuch say, here I am a dry tree.

Okay, for thus says the Lord to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths and choose what pleases me and hold fast my covenant. Okay, so these are people who are converted. They know God, they want to please God, they plead, they do what pleases God. They keep His Sabbaths, He says, even to them I will give in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. I mean, the eunuchs, right, and if we go back to Deuteronomy 23, you know, this verse here is talking about New Testament times because in Deuteronomy 23 and in verse 1, you know, this is Moses speaking before his death, he says, 23 verse 1, he who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the Lord.

I mean, there's, you know, there's a that verse there that is, you know, but here God specifically mentions eunuchs and the next one he talks about sons of the foreigners and whatever. God says they won't be at the assembly, but here he says to the eunuchs who keep my name, who do what pleases me, who keep my Sabbaths, who hold fast my covenant. I'm going to give them a name better than sons and daughters. They're following God. They are truly sons of God. And of course, in Galatians 3 and verse 28, I believe it's verse 28, you know, God says there is neither slave nor free. There isn't either Jew nor Greek. Everyone that God calls, everyone who follows his way, who gives his heart to God is of the seed of Abraham, is a son of God, and called the child of God. So here, you know, here we have God saying in this time of salvation that he talks about, my salvation is about to come, verse 1, my righteousness is about to be revealed.

To those who do these, even these people who in the Old Testament, in the Old Covenant times, there were some comments made about them. They will be part. They will be part of who salvation is for. He goes on in verse 6 and says, the sons of the foreigner who joined themselves to the Lord, to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, not taking his name in vain, but who do the things that God said, and don't just say, I know God, but actually do the things that God asks us to do. Those who love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast my covenant, even them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. These are millennial verses here, right? I'm sure we harken back to Isaiah 2. Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. It's clear what God is talking about. I will bring them to my mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. I will accept their sacrifices of praise and the sacrifices that we give to God today. I will accept those, to those who keep my word, to do the things that I say. The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says these people who, Israel would have said, you're not one of us, right? You're not one of us. But God says, no, if you obey me, if you love me, if you show you love me by doing the things that I say and reject what you want and do what I want, then you know you will be part of my house of prayer. The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, yet I will gather. Well, let you know what, I didn't read the last part of verse 7, which is significant too. It says, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. That's exactly exactly what Christ said back in Matthew 21. Matthew 21 and verse 13, where the incident where he comes, they've got the marketplace set out outside of the temple, and Christ, in righteous anger, overturns all those tables and drives out the people who bought and sold in the temple. And he said to them, verse 13, it's written, my house, this Christ speaking, my house shall be called a house of prayer. You've made it in the thieves. And so he says here, my house is a house of prayer for all nations, Gentiles, as well as Israel's every nation, tribe, tongue, not just one. In old Testament times, physical Israel was the people that God created. He said, I've made you. And they were to be the model nation that if they would obey God, the rest of the world would have witness of the way and the goodness of living God's way of life. They failed. Today he gives you and me that opportunity. He calls us his special people. We've been called to live his way, to be an example and a light to the world of the goodness of living his way of life. We have God's Holy Spirit. We'd better not fail. We'd better take it very seriously and live by every word of God and continually be looking at our lives to be yielding to him. Yeah, Xavier. Yeah, brother Shaby, that verse, here's God. We went back to the discussion earlier. This is where it would help a lot. Pray for one another. If one brother does this this way or this way, as long as you're not condemning your brother, if your brother invites you out, you can say no. If they act, you know, then you give them an answer.

Instead of, if we can make righteous judgment, but the same thing, we're not supposed to condemn one another. Pray for each other. Our Father and our Lord knows best all to deal with each one of us so that we can own the conviction of their entire world, which is really caught and put together.

And this right here is very, very, very important that we are a house of prayer and we don't put stumbling blocks in front of each other. We don't condemn. We work out our demons. We get God's movements so we can help each other with our respects. God opens our minds at the time. He's going to continue. He's continually working with us to purify us and make us blameless, right? So one side or the other may be, but it may be in God's time when we come to realize that. But when we come to realize what we've been doing isn't right, we do repent and don't do it anymore, right? We cut it out of our lives and don't justify. Yeah. Okay. So we're in verse...

What time is it here? Okay. Well, we'll finish. We'll finish chapter 56 here. Okay. Let's look at verse 9 here. Yeah. All you beasts of the field come to devour. All you beasts in the forest.

And then verse 10, God's talking about really the shepherds or those who are supposed to be watching over the spiritual welfare of the people, right? And verse 10, he makes some statements there that would well define shepherds in the world who are teaching people, not teaching people, the truth of God. His watchmen, he say, are blind. They don't know. They don't know what people need. They don't know the truth. His watchmen are blind. They are ignorant. They are dumb dogs. He doesn't mince any words here.

They cannot bark. They can't sound a warning message. You know, later on in chapter 58, it's going to cry aloud, Spare not, tell my people their sin, right? But he's saying they can't. They don't know the truth. They're ignorant. They don't get... They're blind. They don't know what the truth is. They don't understand the Bible. They can't bark. Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. They just want to take it easy. There isn't any hard work among them to get out and do what God wants to do, and even to dig into the scriptures.

You know, God uses that word diligently, right? Diligently obey him. But diligently dig into the scriptures, too. Know what is in there. Know the truth. Understand the truth. Apply the truth. That takes diligence in our lives to make it happen. They can't bark. Yes, verse 11, yes, they are greedy dogs.

They are in it for the money. They just want to see how much money can they make out of what they're doing. They are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds who cannot understand. They just don't know what God's will is. They don't get the Bible.

They teach something that's completely different than that. They all look to their own way. And boy, that is just one of the things that Mark, you know, not God's way of what's God's way, is what we live by. Whether it, you know, when we yield ourselves to God, we yield ourselves to God. The world is about their way. You know, I'm going to do it my way, right? There's that old song that's there, my way. It's a testament to man's way.

And so the religions of the world, they do it their own way. This is what we want to believe. This is what we do. They are looking for their own way. Everyone for his own gain from his own territory. So you have a picture there of what God is saying, and that leads people astray.

It's going to lead into chapter 57, where he talks about spiritual adultery, right? But here he's talking about these people in the first part of 56 here, he's talking about those who yield themselves to God, who do things my way, who hold on to my covenant, who keep my law, who keep the Sabbath. But those watchmen, those beasts to the field, they don't. Come, one says, verse 12, I will bring wine, and we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink. Tomorrow will be as today, and much more abundant. Oh, all things go on always as they have.

Everything is fine. Don't worry about it. It all works out. That's the message of the world to kind of remind you of 2 Peter 3, where it says, oh, we've been talking, people have been talking about the return of Jesus Christ for as long as I can remember.

Tomorrow is going to be just the same as it was today. We're going through a little blip in time, and it all go back to the way it was before. And that's kind of the message that's out there. Don't worry about it. And as we look at so many of the world's religions today, they're all caving in into this same-sex marriage stuff, to this transgender stuff. And even I read a report on the Pope that it looks like he's about ready to sanction some of that stuff. They're all caving into the ways of the world. And God's church can never do that.

We can never do that. We live by the Bible. We don't hate the people that commit these sins, but we do hate the sin. And we cannot ever compromise on God's way with that. Yet the world does. And so let me just go through a few verses here, just so that we set the tone for next week. We should be able to get through 57. 58 is about fasting. God is showing that as a spiritual tool when we get into that next week, too. It is a part of our lives.

But in 57, then he leads right into what he's coming out of. They're blind. They're ignorant. They don't know what to do. They're telling you everything's going to be okay. They don't see the signs of the times. In 57, he says, the righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart. Merciful men are taken away. No one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. God does deliver us from evil.

Part of that model prayer Christ gave us was deliver us from evil. Sometimes we say deliver us from the evil one, but deliver us from evil. We should pray that. As the days become more and more evil, we will be looking to God to deliver us from evil. And no one pays any attention to that.

Righteous perishes. Oh, well. You know, whatever. It was interesting. Some commentaries make the comment that this is even God allowing righteous people to die early. One even made the comment that the grave was like a place of peace and safety until Christ returns. I thought it was interesting that they did that and applied that to this verse. It may be what God is showing, that he may allow some to die early. So because they don't need that further character development, he already knows where their heart is. Verse 2 says, "...he shall enter into peace, and they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness." But then in verse 3, he talks about, we get into the spiritual adultery part of it, the sons of the sorceress, you offspring of the adult are in there and the harlot. So we will pick that. That is in direct contrast to what God has talked about in chapter 56 of those who follow him. So then in 57, we have the opposite of those who commit spiritual adultery and just enhance and increase their sins in getting further and further away from him. So let me, I know we've had a lot of questions and everything already, but let me end there since we've been going for an hour and take any other questions or comments. Betsy? I noticed that today on the Beyond Today website, Scott Ashley had written an article about what's behind the Hamas attack.

And then I phoned the sermon that he gave on Sabbath. And it's really exceptional if people are wanting more background information about what that's all about. It's only 30 minutes. It's excellent. Very good. Yep. Hi Xavier. Hi Betsy. Hey Jamie. You mentioned the Pope. In their case, they're just finally showing their real colors.

Maybe some of them were traditional back in the days, but their true colors is just coming out.

Even some of this God has pedophilia symbols on it. Yeah, so there was some picture that came out, too, that was really kind of strange with the Pope. I think someone sent it to me during the feast. I have to go back and look at it again, but it was just a really strange picture. A powerful? Yeah, yeah. He had some kind of dancing ladies around him, but someone said they were really transgender people. Just like a show in Orlando. Yeah, exactly. I mean, you would never expect him to be part of it. He's 85 years old. That's what the article said, too, and I didn't realize he was that old. So, yeah. Hey, bud, and Gloria, how are you? Interesting, by the way.

Takes me back to the worldwide Church of God days.

There was a time when we didn't celebrate birthdays, and up to this point, I didn't remember even celebrating a birthday, maybe one or two. But I agreed with it. I totally agreed with it.

Nothing comes good from celebrating birthdays. Now, it seems it's okay. I don't...

It could be a very gray area. I don't promote us not keeping birthdays. If it bothers me, I keep it to myself, and I don't celebrate birthdays. I keep it to myself, and I think when it comes to a gray area, that's what we should do. If it bothers us, don't do it.

You're exactly right. That's the conscience you're speaking of, and yes, there's several of those that date back to those times that we don't do, that some people... Yeah. Okay. I should know your first name, Miss Galaxy. Yes, ma'am. Yes, I just want to say thank you for the sermon.

I passed over like none other. I think you did it last year. I passed over like none other. I think that's the title. I'll use it today. We are good. Okay, and we are living in times like no other, right? We're not going to go back to the everywhere it was before. Each one of these holy days are unique. They're bringing us one step closer every step of the way we go.

Okay, anything else anyone? Okay, well hey, it has been great to be here with you tonight.

We'll take it up in chapter 57 and 258. We're coming close to the end of Isaiah. I was looking at my calendar earlier. I think we can complete the book of Isaiah by December. I've got some times for the next five weeks, God willing, I'm home on Wednesday night without any kind of conflict. So we'll have Bible studies for at least the next five weeks, and then I think I've got a council meeting coming up after that. That'll have to be a week. So we should be able to come to the close conclusions of the book of Isaiah, which has been in tremendously interesting studies.

Hi Betsy! Want to say hi to you Betsy? Chuck Zoots here.

Chuck Zoots, are you in Philadelphia? No, my daughter is. Oh yeah, you're in Minnesota, right? Yes, that's great. Yes, okay, yes.

Mr. Shavey, did you see enough elk to satisfy your appetite?

I did. I did. They're all over. They are all over. It was beautiful, Bob, and I just thought they're much bigger than I expected them to be. I kind of just thought they're bigger than deer, but they're pretty impressive creatures.

Did you hear them mating? The calling? The bugle, I guess. Yeah, yeah. The first time I heard it, I thought, what is that? I mean, there's this gigantic many...

So high-pitched for such a big animal. Exactly, exactly. At the end of the night, when I'd sleep there, sometimes we had the window open, I thought, well, there's that elk. He's bawling his harem back, so yeah. Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, it was. It was very good. So I hope everyone's feast is really good. You know, I thought maybe I already said this. Sometimes the environment really does add to the feast, right? Because you had that millennial feel, and as this park was that way, it was just like the mountains right there, and then everything walking around, and just this quaint little village was just really, really nice setting for the feast. Did you try eating any of them? I did not eat... No, I didn't eat elk. I ate venison though, and it was very good. So the only reason I didn't eat elk, because someone said they had an elk burger, and they said they wish they hadn't. So I thought I don't think I want to waste a meal on something that I wished I hadn't, but I did venison instead.

Yeah, Sherry? No? Okay. Okay, well, let's call it a night. Everyone have a very good Sabbath day. We will look... if you're in Cincinnati, we'll see you in Cincinnati. This is coming Sabbath.

Otherwise, we will look forward to seeing everyone next Wednesday night, okay?

Okay, thank you very much. Good night.