Truth Magazine

By Larry Ray Hafley

The terms of our topic and title need little, if any, definition. The word, “sufficient,” means, “enough; equal to the end proposed; adequate to wants; as much as is needed” (Webster). The “Scriptures” are the sixty-six books of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Actually, our heading could read, “The Sufficiency of the Scriptures.” “All-Sufficiency” represents a “double affirmative,” an attempt to stress the adequacy, efficiency, and competency of the Bible. That is our theme in this brief essay.

Sufficient For What?

Road maps are “all sufficient” in making out one’s route to a specific destination, but they cannot tell one how to make and bake a cake. The Scriptures are complete for their intended purposes. However, the Scriptures are not sufficient for the following:

1. To Teach One How To Be A Protestant Or Catholic. They were not designed for that goal. One will not learn how to be a Protestant by studying the Scriptures. One will not become a “good Catholic” by searching the Sacred Volume. Why not? Because the Bible was not written for those reasons.

2. To Teach One How To Be A Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Etc. Many honest, sincere, but mistaken people want to please God in a denominational church. The doctrines and instructions that “confirm” one in the Lutheran Church do not make that person a Baptist. If one follows and obeys Baptist doctrine, he does not become a Methodist. Methodist doctrine makes Methodists. Baptist doctrine begets Baptists. Presbyterian doctrine produces Presbyterians. How could one learn to become a “Southern” or a “Missionary Baptist” by reading only the Bible? Could one take the Bible alone and find out how to become a member of the United Pentecostal Church? No, the Bible is not sufficient for those ends. It is not written to teach one how to be a member of any denominational church.

3. To Teach One How To Be A Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, or Christian Scientist. One will not discover how to become a member of any modern cult by, reading the word of God. To be a Mormon, you must follow the doctrines of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon. It requires Studies in the Scriptures and the doctrines of the Watchtower Society to make one a Jehovah’s Witness. One must accept something in addition to the Bible in order to be what they are. These groups do not believe the Bible is sufficient or complete. Thus, they deny the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures.

The Scriptures Are Sufficient

1. To Teach One How To Be Saved. One can be saved by reading the Bible only. If he never reads the creeds or catechisms of men, he can find what he must do to be saved by reading the Scriptures. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved” (Acts 16:30,31). “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37,38).

John wrote “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (Jn. 20:30,31). Are the Scriptures sufficient to that end? Or did John fail? Further, Peter said that God “hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). So, one can be saved by taking the Bible alone. One can be saved without ever hearing of Joseph Smith or Ellen G. White. Can the same be said about the Bible?

2. To Teach One How To Be Faithful Unto Death. The apostle Peter tells the Christian to add to his faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. He then commands him to “give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (2 Pet. 1:5-10). The Scriptures, therefore, are complete; they are all that is essential for the child of God to continue in a saved condition.

3. To Equip One Completely Unto Every Good Work. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16,17). Surely, no comment is needed on this passage.

The Scriptures Claim To Be Sufficient

If there were no passages that directly affirmed the completeness of the Scriptures, we would be assured by the material above that the Scriptures assume their own innate finality, authority, and sufficiency. The sufficiency of the Bible is necessarily implied and directly stated.

1. Necessary Implication: “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it” (Deut. 12:32). “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Prov. 30:6). “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). Also, see Revelation 22:18,19. These statements imply the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures. If the word of God was not enough, the admonitions and prohibitions in the verses above would not have been uttered. The fact that God forbids addition or subtraction relative to His word indicates that it is all that is required.

2. Direct Statement: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul” (Psa. 19:7). “Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”, hide 3). See 2 Timothy 3:16,17, quoted above. The word, “once,” in Jude 3 denotes that which is of perpetual validity. The same term is used in Hebrews 9:26,28; 10:10. Jesus suffered “once,” one time for all time. He was “once offered to bear the sins of many,” i.e., one time for all time. His sacrifice was once for all. It needs no repetition or addition. It is final, complete, sufficient. Just so, the faith, the gospel, has been once for all delivered.

In John 16:13, Jesus promised the apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them into “all truth.” That truth is the word of God (Jn. 17:17). The Spirit delivered all the truth. If He did not, Jesus was wrong, and the Spirit failed His mission. If He did guide them “into all the truth” (American Standard Version of Jn. 16:13), we have it in the Scriptures and alleged latter day revelations are falsehoods. (Cf. Gal. 1:8,9). As a corollary to this, Peter’s affirmation that we have been given “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3) shows that latter day revelations pertain unto death and ungodliness. If there is another revelation today that has to do with life and godliness, Peter was wrong when he said God “hath given” (past perfect tense) it all.

If We Need More

First, if revelation apart from the Bible is necessary, to whom should we go? Should we listen to the Pope and follow the traditions of Catholicism? Should-we follow Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon? Should we receive the doctrines of Ellen G. White and Seventh Day Adventism? Should we seek revelation from the “prophets” of Pentecostalism? Should we follow Mohammed and receive the Koran? “Lord, to whom shall we go?” Once one turns from the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures, he is obligated to prove to us where we can obtain true revelation.

Second, if the Bible is not sufficient, it is not even a good book because it claims to be all that is necessary.

Third, if we need latter day revelation to be saved, what happened to all who died in centuries past without these modern revelations?

Fourth, if latter day revelations are of God, why do present day prophets, speaking, as they claim they do, by the Spirit contradict the words of the Spirit in the Bible? Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16). Some today who claim to speak by the Spirit deny this (cf. Acts 2:38). The Bible says there is “but one body” or church of Christ (1 Cor. 12:20; Eph. 1:22,23; 2:16; 4:4; Col. 1:18,24). Yet, most all modern day “prophets” and revelators tell us that one can join the church of his choice. Some women preachers say they speak as the Spirit leads them as the apostles did. When they preach, they do the very thing the Spirit in the Bible tells them not to do (1 Tim. 2:11,12; 1 Cor. 14:34,35)! If

they speak by the Spirit of Christ, why do they contradict the Spirit in the Bible?

Fifth, if latter day revelations are being given, why do the speakers contradict one another? Paul, Peter and the other apostles and prophets of the Bible taught the same things (1 Cor. 15:11; Eph. 3:3-6). Can one imagine Peter contradicting Paul, or James denying Matthew, or Luke teaching the opposite of John? No, the Spirit who spoke through them was consistent. However, Pentecostal prophets and others contradict one another. Some say there is one person in the Godhead (United Pentecostals). Others (Assembly of God) say there are three persons. Some say they can and should “take up serpents.” Others say it is wrong to “tempt God” by doing so. If all these folks are speaking by the same Spirit, why do they contradict one another? Is God the author of confusion?

Sixth, if there are inspired prophets today, should we not paste their words in our Bibles and use them as we do the Scriptures?

Conclusion

The Scriptures are all-sufficient. Men who alter or amend them in any manner are accursed. They are the word of God, and, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Pet. 4:11).

Truth Magazine XXI: 30, pp. 470-471
August 4, 1977

By Irvin Himmel

For centuries the book called the Bible has been in circulation. It has been translated into hundreds of tongues and dialects. It is read and studied, memorized and preached, discussed and debated, revered and despised. Regardless of one’s personal evaluation of the Bible, it is here and continues to influence thousands of lives in lands far and near. How was this book produced?

The Bible is either the product of the intellect of man or else it came from God. If God had nothing to do with the origin of the Bible, it is strictly a human literary work. If the Bible reflects no greater wisdom than human ingenuity could devise, we must credit it to either good men or bad men. It is absolutely incredible that wicked men could invent a Being so infinitely pure and good as God, or truth so sublime as that which Jesus taught, or a book to exert such wholesome and transforming influence as the Bible wields. On the other hand, honest and good men would not write a work that is fraudulent and then trick innocent souls into thinking’ that it is of divine origin. If how did it come?

The Bible Claims For Itself Divine Inspiration

Paul wrote to Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness . . . .” (2 Tim. 3:16). This passage(1) teaches that all scripture is God-breathed.

Peter wrote, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” The prophets did not speak or write out of their own impulse to give their human interpretation of things.”For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:20,21). This is an assertion that the prophets of old who wrote scripture were moved by God’s Spirit, not their own wills. Speaking as moved by the Holy Spirit is inspiration.

The apostles claimed to speak and write under supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit. John testified that Jesus promised them that the Spirit would guide them into “all truth” (John 16:13). On Pentecost they spoke “as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). Paul affirmed, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Cor. 2:12). Paul commended the Thessalonians for receiving the apostolic word “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). The apostles taught both by word (orally) and by epistle (writing) (2 Thess. 2:15).

Legally, a man may testify in court in his own behalf. When we allow the Bible to speak for itself, it points to inspiration of God as its true origin.

Inspiration Explained

Not wishing to bore the reader with technical theological definitions, I want to explain inspiration in three simple steps. Please study these three points carefully!

1. God is the cause of inspiration. No prophecy of the scripture “came from private interpretation” (2 Pet. 1:20, H. T. Anderson’s translation). “In other words, God moved and the prophet mouthed these truths; God revealed and man recorded His word.”(2) Similarly, God gave the Spirit to Christ’s apostles that they might know His mind. God is the prime mover in inspiration.

2. Men of God are the agents, of inspiration. God spoke .to the fathers by the prophets (Heb. 1:1); “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21). God spoke by means of men. He spoke to the prophets and through the prophets. David said, for example, “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). Jeremiah wrote, “And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth” (Jer. 1:9).

3. God’s word in human language is the result of inspiration. The total process of inspiration includes both the speaker and his speech, the writer and his writings. When the prophets and apostles spoke or wrote as inspired of God, the word of God was produced in human language. When the Hebrew writer quoted from Psa. 95:7,8, he credited the quotation to the Holy Spirit (Heb. 3:7,8). What the apostles taught by inspiration was labeled “the word of God” (Acts 4:31). Since all scripture is given by inspiration of God, the Bible is the word of God.

God caused inspiration, holy men of God were the agents of inspiration, and the word of God in human language is the product of inspiration.

Extent of Inspiration

Some people think the Bible contains the word of God, but they flatly reject certain parts of it. This view invariably takes away the authority of the Bible and exalts human wisdom. It denies that all scripture is inspired of God and makes the mind of man the final court of appeal. Man sits in judgment on the Bible to accept the part that he wants and to reject the remainder as myth.

It is a popular view that the Spirit inspired the thoughts but not the words of the holy men who penned scripture. As one preacher put it, “Some people say they believe the Bible is inspired in the sense, but not in the sentence. . .”(3) Such a view leaves us with a serious problem. Since words are the vehicles that convey thoughts, if God did no more in inspiration than to give the thoughts, how do we know that the men who received those thoughts selected the right words to convey them? “Words are the clothes of concepts, and ‘naked notions’ are nonentities when one is giving ex pression to his thoughts.”(4)

Paul made it clear that the Holy Spirit taught the words that he and the other apostles used. “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:12, 13). Jesus told the apostles not to be anxious how or what they would speak, “for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you” (Matt. 10:20).

The Holy Spirit exercised miraculous influence over both the words and the thoughts of the writers of the Bible. The God-breathed words fully expressed the thoughts which God wanted to convey to the mind of man. He chose words to fit the personality(5) and style of each writer-words in the language and according to the culture of the people to whom His will was being revealed. Inspiration did not exclude factual information. Paul quoted a heathen poet (Acts 17:28). Luke had investigated before writing (Lk. 1:1-3). Inspiration did not exclude personal references. Paul often sent his warm personal regards to his brethren through his epistles. And inspiration did not exclude different literary approaches-some books of the Bible are historical, some poetical, some biographical, etc.

Importance of Inspiration

Certain questions about the mode of inspiration may remain unanswered, but one thing is certain-the Holy Spirit inspired holy men to convey in words intelligible to man the will of God. It is because the Bible is a God-breathed book that it is authoritative and inerrant. Its divine inspiration puts the Bible in a unique position; there is no other book comparable to it in all the world

Man’s whole attitude toward the Bible turns on whether or not he accepts its divine inspiration. The true Christian molds his life by the scriptures because of his strong belief that the scriptures are in fact the word of God.

Truth Magazine XXI: 30, pp. 467-469
August 4, 1977

By Mike Willis

Though many people have a high regard for the Bible, the greater majority still believes that the Bible is a book so filled with mystery that it cannot be understood. Even in reading simple verses, some have a tendency to look for hidden meanings. Because of the belief that the Bible is a mysterious book which cannot be understood, some people have just given up any hope of comprehending the Bible and do not even attempt to read it.

In addition to this, some men attribute our religious divisions to the inability of men to understand the Bible or to understand it alike. Consequently, there has grown up a disposition in religion which states that if a person thinks something is right for him to do, it is right for him. Each person is entitled to his own belief and no one should try to persuade any other person that what he believes is wrong.

My friends, these sentiments are not so. The Bible is not a mysterious book which cannot be understood; a thing is not right just because a man believes that it is right; God is not obligated to accept a man’s religion just because he is sincere and honest; our religious divisions do not come as a result of man’s inability to understand the Bible. We need to back up and consider some of the very basic facts revealed to us by God in His holy Word.

God Made Man As He Is

Maybe this seems ridiculous to state at this point in this discussion of this subject but it is necessary. We must begin with this fact: God created man. The early chapters of Genesis state, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them . . . . Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7).

In this discussion, we must begin with the proposition that man is a product of divine creation. He is not the product of billions of years of chance evolution; he is the product of divine creation. Hence, God made man as he is. The way we think, eat, sleep, drink, etc. were all designed by God.

God Made The Bible As It Is

The second point which we need to carefully remember is that God made the Bible as it is. The writers of the Bible were working under divine inspiration when they penned their words. Speaking of how Scripture originated, Peter said, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:20-21). The Bible came into being because God wanted it written and not because some men decided that religion should have a holy book.

“The Old Testament alone affirms 3,808 times that it is transmitting the very words of God” (Rene Pache, The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture, p. 37). On countless occasions, the prophet would begin by saying, “The word of the Lord came to me saying… ” If the Bible is not the product of divine inspiration, it is literally filled with lies. There can be no middle ground; the Bible is either the word of God Almighty or it is a book of lies.

Hence, we are forced to the conclusion that God made the Bible as it is. The Bible is not the chance development of years of religious evolution; it is not a cunningly devised fable. It is the work of God; He made the Bible just as it is.

The Bible and Man

The Bible which was made by God was prepared for man who was created by God. It is designed to be man’s compass to find his way through life (Jer. 10:23; Psa. 119:105); it contains all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3-4); it is man’s complete and final guide in all religious matters (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Inasmuch as God is the author of the Bible and the creator of man, if the two do not fit each other the fault lies with God. Either one of two things is true if man cannot understand the Bible. Either, God was not able to make the Bible understandable to man, in which case He is not omnipotent or He chose not to make the Bible understandable to man, in which case He is not good. Because God has conditioned salvation upon a knowledge of the truth (Jn. 8:32), He is not a good God if man cannot understand the truth. Because I am unwilling to admit either of these propositions about God, I am forced to conclude that man can understand God’s divine revelation.

This is perfectly consistent with the claims of the Bible. Paul said, “. . . understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). Earlier, he told the Ephesians that they could understand God’s revelation by reading what he had written (Eph. 3:1-5). Hence, one can understand God’s revelation if he will read and study it. I would like to demonstrate that man can understand the Bible by considering some of the facts, promises and commandments of the Bible which are easily understood. Consider the following:

1. Facts to be believed. The author of the book of Hebrews wrote, “And without faith it is impossible to please’ Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (11:6). Faith is the belief of certain facts. First, one must believe that God is. That is not hard to understand or incomprehensible. Anybody can believe that fact. Other simple facts which everyone must believe include the following: (a) God created all of this world (Gen. 1); (b) Jesus is the Son of God (Mt. 16:16); (c) Jesus died for our sins (Mt. 26:28); (d) He was raised from the dead on the third day following His death and burial. No one has any trouble comprehending these propositions; he may not believe them but he has no trouble understanding them. Hence, man can understand the facts which he must believe in order to be saved.

2. Promises to be enjoyed. The promises of the gospel induce men to believe and obey it: The promises of the gospel are easily understood. Jesus said, “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mk. 16:16). The promise is easily understood; Jesus promised to save every man who believes and is baptized. The salvation which he promised is from our sins (Mt. 1:21). Furthermore, He has promised everlasting life (Jn. 3:16) in which we will dwell with the Father to the obedient believer (Rev. 21:3). These promises are not hard to understand. Admittedly, many do not believe them but that has nothing to do with their ability to understand them.

3. Commands to obey. The gospel also contains some commandments which must be obeyed. For example, Peter told those believing Jews on the day of Pentecost that there were some commandments which they had to obey in order to be saved; he said, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Who can misunderstand these commandments? Repentance and baptism are commandments from God which must be obeyed before the individual can receive the forgiveness of his sins.

Here is another sampling of Christ’s commandments: “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:25-29).

From these examples, we can easily see that the Bible is easily understood by any man who wants to obey the Father in Heaven. The problems which confront men religiously have nothing whatsoever to do with his inability to understand what God demands of him. Rather, the problems of men religiously stem from lack of faith rather than a lack of understanding. Men simply lack sufficient faith to do what God says.

Truth Magazine XXI: 30, pp. 466-467
August 4, 1977

By Lewis Willis

For some reason I suspect “prolepsis” is a new term to many. Some might wonder if they had “prolepsis” for breakfast. Hardly! I was introduced to “prolepsis” as a means of revelation in Sermon Outlines On Acts, by C. C. Crawford, published in 1919. Webster defines “prolepsis” as “anticipation.” A failure to recognize this approach to revelation is the , explanation for the existence of a modern denomination we know as the Seventh Day Adventists. In this article I am seeking to show the presence of prolepsis in revelation, so that specific application of its force might be realized.

Some Examples

When Eve was created, “Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20). However, at that moment in time only Adam and Eve comprised the race. It would be some time before she mothered the first person in perpetuation of man upon the earth. So, in anticipation (prolepsis) of that fact, Moses reveals her relation to future descendants. There was a time differential involved.

Matthew 10:2-4 is another case of prolepsis. “And Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him . . . .” Matthew wrote his record of the Gospel over thirty years after the calling of the twelve apostles. In this passage, he connects the sending out of Judas and the betrayal of Christ by Judas in one passage, as if the two events happened at the same time. In reality, they happened three years apart. In anticipation (prolepsis) of his betrayal of Christ, Matthew tells us of the ultimate end of Judas’ acts (Crawford, p. 208).

Application

Now, here is the point I wish to make. In Gen. 2:2-3, Moses reveals that God ended His work of creation and rested on the seventh day. “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it . . .” The conclusion of the modern Sabbatarian is that the resting and the sanctifying occurred at the same time. This simply is not so! From the time of God’s rest day, to the sanctification of the Sabbath, centuries passed. If this were all we knew about the consecration of the Sabbath, people in 1976 would be bound by the Scriptures to faithfully observe that day, instead of the first day of the week. However, Moses, who gave us the Genesis 2 revelation (many years after the event, incidentally), also reveals to us when the Sabbath was sanctified and for whom.

Nehemiah, the prophet, said that God came down to Mt. Sinai and inadest known unto them thy holy Sabbath” (Neh. 9:13-14). It was on this occasion that the Ten Commandments were given, one of which is “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.” When He said remember the Sabbath, it is apparent that they had some knowledge of the day. Where did that knowledge come from? Why would the Jews in Exodus 20 have occasion to remember this day? Is that remembrance traceable to Genesis 2?

The first introduction the Jews had to the Sabbath was only a few weeks earlier (Exod. 16). When they murmured for food, God sent manna from Heaven to provide their need. At that time, He also gave exact instructions concerning gathering of the manna in anticipation of “the holy sabbath” (Exod. 16:23). In this context, we see at a glance that they knew nothing about the Sabbath, for with the explanation Moses gave them, some still did not understand how God intended it as a Jewish day of rest. When finally reaching Mt. Sinai, God gave them the law of the Sabbath, written on tables of stone. This positive, written law was their guide throughout their generations. It was needed because they knew nothing about the day till then!

In Deuteronomy, the restatement of the Law, Moses pointed out that this law was not given to their fathers, but to those to whom he was then speaking (Deut. 5:13). The purpose of the Sabbath was that they might remember their Egyptian bondage and their deliverance therefrom “through the mighty hand and stretched out arm” of God. Hence, as it was to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from bondage, it has no meaning whatsoever to those of us who are Gentiles (Dent. 5:15). Thus, Moses assures them that the Sabbath was a sign between the Lord and one nation-the Jews (Exod. 31:12-17).

In Hosea 2:11, God said that He would cause Israel’s Sabbath to cease. There would come a time when men would not be bound by the Sabbath Law. But when was this done? Quite simply, the Sabbath and all the rest of the Jewish law came to its conclusion when Jesus Christ died and nailed the law to the cross (Col. 2:13-17).

Conclusion

Therefore, when Moses revealed that the creation ended, and that God rested on the seventh day, and sanctified it, he referred to the time lapse between creation and the events of Mt. Sinai. He anticipated the conclusion of the matter. This is an example of prolepsis. It is precisely the same as when God announced, in driving man from the Garden of Eden, that the seed of woman would bruise the serpent’s head. It was four thousand years later before Christ overthrew the power of Satan in His resurrection from the dead (Gen. 3:15; Matt. 28:lff). “Prolepsis” has been used by the Divine Writers throughout the giving of the Biblical record.

Truth Magazine XXI; 29, p. 461
July 28, 1977