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Chapter Nine

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER TWO

Let us take a look at Colossians chapter two. Different versions say different things. Integrity demands that we look at several of them:

Colossians 2: Jewish New Testament
Jewish New Testament Publications
78 Manahat
96901 Jerusalem, Israel Verses 8-17:

Watch out, so that no one will take you captive by means of philosophy and empty deceit, following human traditions which accords with the elemental spirits of the world but does not accord with the Messiah. You were dead because of your sins, that is, because of your ‘foreskin,’ your old nature. But God made you alive with the Messiah by forgiving you all your sin. He wiped away the bill of charges against us. Because of the regulations, it stood as a testimony against us; but he removed it by nailing it to the execution stake. Stripping the rulers and authorities of their power he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by means of the stake. So don’t let any one pass judgment of you in connection with eating and drinking, or in regard to a Jewish festival or Rosh-Chodesh or Shabbath. These are a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of Christ.”

Note: In the above text, the civil powers could still judge for murder, stealing, etc., but were stripped of their power to judge regarding festivals, Rosh-Chodesh (new moon), and the Shabbat. Do not let anyone, no matter who he is, or what his position on earth, judge you in these matters.

“God shall judge His people.” Hebrews 10:30

Note: The shadows are not eliminated; in fact, this version says they “are” (present tense), and that all of these shadows have yet a future fulfillment.

Colossians 2: Holy Bible, from the ancient Eastern text
From the Aramaic of the Peshitta
Harper, San Francisco

History: From the Aramaic came the Textus Receptus. From the Textus Receptus came the King James Version.

Verse 16, 17:

“Let no man therefore create a disturbance among you about eating and drinking, or about the division of the feast days, the beginning of the months and the day of the Sabbath. These are shadows of things to come; but the main objective is Christ.”

(Do not keep the feasts just for the sake of keeping them. Remember, the main objective is Christ!)

Rather than eliminating the feast days, eating and drinking, the new moons or the 7th Day Sabbath, the apostle Paul says not to let any man create a disturbance regarding them. It appears that there was a problem over being disturbed for observing the feast days, rather than whether or not they should be kept.

Once again, this version states that the feast days still “are” and that they do indeed “have” a future fulfillment, which means that they were not nailed to the cross. Modern versions change the tense to read these things “were” shadows of things to come. But, in the King James version, and going back a little further to the Geneva, or even back to the Douay version, the texts read that these things still “are” shadows of things to come.

Recall that Ellen White refers to several things as “types,” such as the Old Testament sacrificial system and priesthood (see PP 365). In the context of the next paragraph, she also includes Passover, which takes place on the fourteenth of Nisan; the Wavesheaf, which takes place on the sixteenth of Nisan; and the Day of Atonement, which takes place on the tenth day of Tishri, as types. Referring to these special days as types, she stressed that they point forward to things that are yet to come in the final events of earth’s history.

“In like manner, the types which relate to the second advent must be fulfilled at the time pointed out in the symbolic service.” GC 399,400

Question: Can you name the types?

If these types are to be fulfilled in our day, should we not know their names and their times as pointed out in their symbolic services? Otherwise, why would she so clearly have told us that it must be so?

Colossians 2: New American Standard, verses 14-16:

“Having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us: and He had taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.”

If people, friends, relatives, church members, priests, preachers, civil rulers, or anyone else, judge you for keeping any of God’s ways, just remember, in God’s court, they have no such right. Let your authority rest in the example of Christ and your supreme ruler be God alone.

No more animal sacrificing on Sabbath

Some are wondering if God’s 144,000 might keep the annual Sabbaths mentioned in Leviticus just like we keep the Seventh-day Sabbath. Would the 144,000 honor the days but rightly ignore the sacrificing of animals that was originally prescribed for those days?

The original observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath did also involve the sacrificing of animals (see 1 Chron. 23:31; 2 Chron. 2:4; 2 Chron. 8:13; 2 Chron. 31:3; Neh. 10:33; Eze. 45:17).

Example:

“And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the Sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord.” 1 Chron. 23:31

Colossians 2:14 in the New American Standard version text spoke of a certificate of debt being nailed to the cross. The Feast of Pentecost could hardly be considered a “certificate of our debt.” On the other hand, Pentecost is most certainly a “shadow of things to come!” Joel 2:28 refers to the final fulfillment of Pentecost just before the second coming of Christ.

In the above text the festivals, new moons, or the holy Sabbaths were not nailed to the cross; rather a certain “certificate of debt” was nailed to the cross. That certificate of debt carried the death penalty!

Verse 17 says, “Things which are a mere shadow of what is to come: but the substance belongs to Christ.”

Note: Also, the “are” is again used as a present tense word, as well as the promise of a fulfillment “to come.”

Colossians 2: New Revised Standard Version: Verses 14-16:

“Erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come...”

Picture three things: the law of God, the sinner, and the record of transgressions demanding death. Only one of these things can be nailed to the cross. The word “it” is singular. “Nailing it to His cross.”

Noticeable events in this version:

1. A record with legal demands was nailed to the cross.
    
2. Matters of food and drink, festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths still “are,” and are also a shadow of what is to come.
    
3. We are not to be judged regarding the things that still “are.” Once again, the prophet Daniel, in writing about what would be eliminated by the death of Jesus, recorded only that the “sacrifices and oblations” were to cease at the death of Christ (Daniel 9:27). Perhaps Daniel was given the whole truth. In other words, nothing else ceased at the cross beyond what he was told – namely the sacrifice and oblation. We all understand the sacrifice of Jesus, but what was an oblation?

OBLATION: “The act of offering something to a deity.” American Heritage College Dictionary, 3rd Ed. 1993

OBLATION: Cereal offerings; Sacrifices and offerings – 8BC 807. See Numbers chapter 28 for oil and wine.

Jesus offered Himself a sacrifice as a propitiation for our sins, praise God! This is the truth that culminated at the cross. He offered Himself willingly, and His sacrifice was sufficient.

We might be wise, if like Daniel, we do not clutter up this most holy and eternal truth by nailing additional items to the cross. We may be wise if we do not clutter the cross at all. Let the truth that is obviously there take the full rays of light. Let Him and His magnanimous gift, His sacrificial offering, be the central and only theme.

Two Opposing Translations

In all fairness, two translations make it appear that the festivals, etc., were nailed to the cross: Namely the NIV and the Paraphrased Living Bible. Notice how the Living Bible presents an opposite teaching to all the above translations. The author of the Paraphrased Living Bible nails all Ten Commandments, the Seventh-day Sabbath, and the feast days to the cross:

Colossians 2, Living Bible Paraphrased, Verses 14-17:

“And blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of His commandments which you had not obeyed. He took this list of sin and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. In this way God took away Satan’s power to accuse you of sin, and God opening displayed to the whole world Christ’s triumph at the cross where your sins were all taken away. So don’t let anyone criticize you for what you drink or for not celebrating Jewish holidays and feasts or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these were only temporary rules that ended when Christ came. They were only shadows of the real thing – of Christ Himself.”

What about the NIV? We know that sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). The NIV takes the list of commandments that define sin and nails it carte blanche to Christ’s cross. The NIV then explains that since this list is all taken away Satan has nothing on which to base his accusations. The NIV includes in its list of things taken away (1) the Jewish holidays and feasts, (2) new moon ceremonies, and (3) the Sabbaths.

The “Sabbaths” refer to the Seventh-day Sabbaths in the NIV since the Jewish holidays and feasts were referred to in a category of their own. See (1) above. The NIV declares all three items to be temporary that ended when Christ came. I should think all Sabbath keepers today would have a problem with the NIV in this case.

Principalities and Powers

Before reading these Colossians texts from the King James Version, it will prove advantageous to know whom are the “principalities and powers” trying to judge God’s people. The SDA Bible Commentary explains:

“These terms may refer to earthly rulers (Luke 12:11; Titus 3:1) or to supernatural beings... In reality Christ did triumph in a special sense over Satan and his angels.” 7 BC 204

In other literature, the “powers” are explained to be the false Jewish leaders trying to destroy faith in Jesus, and the “principalities” were the Roman civil magistrates such as governors, etc. At any rate, the principalities and powers are the enemies in the following passages: Let no man, regardless of his position as a principality or power, judge you in regard to your religious beliefs.

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Col. 2:8, 13 17

Picture the judgment. See the written record of a person’s sins. See the person. Now look at the law. Two things will remain: the forgiven sinner and the law of God. One thing will be eliminated: the written record, the “bill of charges.”

Two Things Changed

In addition to the written record in the judgment, the Bible points out the circumcision and sacrifices have passed away, but even they have their counterparts beyond the cross.

“Neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh...circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit.” Romans 2:28 29

“He also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5

Benefits

Actually, we have benefited for many years by the observance of some of God’s statutes. Tithing (Numbers 18:19 24) has proven to be a tremendously rewarding statute for all. Abstaining from fermented wine or strong drink (Leviticus 10:9) has saved our families untold expense and misery. The exclusion of unclean meats from our diet (Leviticus 10:10) has saved us from many diseases. Not eating fat or blood (Leviticus 3:17) has also given us many health benefits.

What might it do for our immune system to do without yeast fermenting food in our bodies for seven consecutive days once each year, to permanently exclude all blood and fat of animals, and have fifty-nine days of rest per year rather than just fifty-two?

So, what about Sabbaths and shadows? It is true that Spirit of Prophecy writes of “shadows” that are now passed away, but does she mean all shadows? No. In Hebrews chapter 4, the Seventh-day Sabbath points forward to the final rest in Heaven, and no doubt to the Sabbaths we will enjoy in the new earth. Then again, the Christian home is to be a shadow of what it will be like in Heaven. Paul speaks of the new moons as shadows of things to come. There are many shadows that remain.

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