Isaiah 66: 23 And it shall be that from one New Moon to another New Moon and from one Sabbath to another Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord.

Isaiah 58: 13 If you hold back your foot on Shabbat from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call Shabbat a delight, ADONAI'S holy day, worth honoring; then honor it by not doing your usual things or pursuing your interests or speaking about them. If you do, you will find delight in ADONAI - I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Ya'akov, for the mouth of ADONAI has spoken."

Messianic Rabbi Simon Altaf recently wrote the following challenge to an article by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtembaum entitled, "Sabbath Observance":

Rabbi Simon Altaf responds:

Such questions (as the above) are asked all the time and I find some Jewish believers such as Arnold Fruchtenbaum answer the questions from a hellenistic and dispensationalistic point of view, completely ignoring the conditions of the past and the journey of Israel. Their answers are usually full of theological holes, yet they call this "rightly dividing the word of truth". Let's examine some of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's assertions:

Arnold writes:

If you look up every passage on the Sabbath in the Mosaic Torah, the one thing you will not find is Moses commanding the people to gather together for corporate worship on the Sabbath day. What Moses did tell people to do is to stay home and rest on the Sabbath day. In fact, it was forbidden to travel more than a Sabbath day’s journey from your home, which was roughly one kilometer (.62 miles). The only ones commanded to meet regularly for corporate worship on the Sabbath day was the priesthood, and that was for the purpose of offering special Passover blood sacrifices. However, for the rest of the Jewish people, they were simply to stay at home and rest.

Simon's response:

Here Dr. Fruchtenbaum assumes and reads into scripture what is clearly not there. Not only that but he stretches the argument and fails to take into consideration the use of such words as "told to stay at home to rest" - what does that mean? What Arnold defines as home actually did not exist at that time. The setting was a desert, a wilderness where Israel was tented temporarily, and continuously moving. Upon request from Moses, they unfolded the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:9) which was carried with them. Therefore, one could could say they carried their "church" - more correctly referred to as "tabernacle of the congregation". Their worship habits thus were according to YHWH and not the desires of the traveling Israelites.

Exodus 27: 20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. 21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute forever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Construction of the Menorah: Exodus 25: 31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

In order for Israel to burn the menorah they had to erect the Tabernacle and this was commanded to be done daily morning and nightly. This was the pattern of daily worship and thanksgiving to Yahweh for His provision for Israel. The priest would put twelve loaves of unleavened bread on the table to be replaced every Sabbath; therefore the priest's job would be exempt from Sabbath violations because essentially, he was "doing work".

Leviticus 24: 5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. 6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.

Exodus 25: 30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me always.

The question that Arnold needs to answer is this: Why place the bread there, and why were the priests doing this? Was it to show themselves how hard they worked, or was it to DEMONSTRATE to the people who were present? Scripture beautifully answers this proposition for us!

Leviticus 24: 8 Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

Here Arnold's argument is soundly defeated. The children of Israel were to be present while this whole show was being played out by the priests so they could repeat this throughout their generations. How would they repeat something if they did not see it being rehearsed in real life?

Furthermore, this means that: In order for the priests to have possession of this bread in the first place, the Israelites had to give the flour to the priests before the Sabbath, which was then prepared to replace the bread in the Tabernacle once a week - which was pitched amidst the Israeli tents. It would be like a 10-15 minute walk to church as the church was so close that it would hardly be an effort to gather together for corporate worship. Amazingly simple.

How can we be sure that the Israelites were out of their so-called homes on the Sabbath for worship? Let's check it out:

Leviticus 23: 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an HOLY CONVOCATION; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

This Scripture contains two important words: "Holy" and "Convocation", which, in Hebrew, have the following meanings:

Holy: Kodesh means sacred, set apart, dedicated, sanctuary.

Convocation: Miqra means meeting, assembly, rehearsal, public meeting, etc.

Clearly, "a Holy Convocation" cannot be without a people - so, this is clear injunction to meet and study His words on the Sabbath; a view that is strengthened by the words of the prophet Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 46: 1 Thus saith the Lord God; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. 3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the Lord in the sabbaths and in the new moons.

Clearly our view is correct since Ezekiel reinforces the fact that there will be millennial worship in the third Temple - and guess what friends: it will be on the SABBATH, the seventh day of the week.

Arnold further states:

Corporate worship was required only three times a year: Passover (Pesach), Weeks (Shavuot), and Tabernacles (Sukkoth). Therefore, the Sabbath was simply a day of rest and staying home. Also, there is not a command to have corporate worship on Sunday either. That was the practice of the early church as early as Acts 20:7. That is an example of what they chose to do but no biblical command was given to follow it.

Simon's response:

As I have shown at the outset of the discussion, this is simply not true. When the priests went to the Temple to prepare for the big three feasts, Arnold forgets to take his dispensational glasses off. One should ask him where are the people! In other words, the priests without the people don't make sense as the people were there also to make their offerings; the very people who had to be present in these worship ceremonies (read Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 for a more thorough understanding).

We are not talking about just "three times a year"! What about the Sabbath worship every week? Sure, ALL the priests did not have to be present as in the big three, but someone had to be there to do the Sabbath service. The Bible offers a list of the terms of the priests organized by King David (1 Chronicles 24)- which shows there was never a shortfall of priestly men doing the duty in the Temple - which means corporate worship has nothing do do with it.

Secondly, the meeting of the renewed covenant assembly was not the first day of the week as many like to believe. There is much scriptural evidence to support that they met on the Sabbath (seventh day), yet many Christians wrongly call the Sunday Sabbath and this can be partly blamed on dispensationalists such as Dr. Fruchtenbaum. Even our Lord Yahshua went to synagogues to teach on the Sabbath.

Mark 1: 21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

What was Yahshua doing in the synagogue when, according to Arnold, our Savior should have been at home, resting?

Acts 13: 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. 13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. 14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. 15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. 16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

Hang on a minute! Even Paul is entering the Sabbath day to "TEACH", what's going on? First Yahshua and now Paul....

Arnold writes:

The fact is in the Mosaic Law the Sabbath was strictly a day of rest and to stay home, and for that reason Jewish believers had their corporate worship on Saturday night (which is already the first day of the week), in order to worship with fellow believers. Gentiles also met on the first day of the week but it was Sunday morning. Neither one was commanded so they both are equal options.

Simon's response:

Then why does Arnold not go on to explain why the Jews in Yahshua's time are worshipping on the Sabbath? How come Yahshua does not rebuke them for "profaning" the Sabbath and telling them that they should be home? Yet, Yahshua Himself enters the Synagogue (Mark 1:21, 6:2, Luke 4:16)....

Arnold writes

What the Bible commands is that believers gather together regularly for corporate worship but the day of the week is strictly optional. My messianic congregation chooses to meet on Saturday afternoon, other groups meet on Friday night, and other groups meet on Sunday, and all of these are valid options. One is not more biblical than the other. That is why it is so important to “rightly divide the word of truth”. The Bible definitely provides a valid roadmap, but we have to make sure what commandments are applicable to what group of people. The Mosaic Law was given to Jewish people only, and only until Messiah died. The commandments you are obligated to obey today are the commandments of the Law of the Messiah and that is the law code you need to learn to follow and not the law code that was intended for different people for a different period of time.

Simon's response:

As we can see, Arnold has not rightly divided the word of Truth: the day of worship is not optional. Arnold makes his second serious error by stating that the Mosaic law was for Jewish people only. Where is the Scripture to back up this allegation?

Exodus 12: 49 One law shall be to him that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

Numbers 15: 15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord.

In fact, in the Torah which was given by Messiah Yahshua there is only ONE LAW for both the twelve tribes and the foreigner who lived among, or joined with them. Why would Yahshua give another Torah when He delivered the first one Himself on Mount Sinai?

What Arnold terms the Law of Messiah was actually given at Mount Sinai, not Jerusalem. Secondly, Yahshua reinforced the same commandments, thus citing Matthew 5:17-19 to say He came to protect and make proper understanding of the commandments and not to do away with them.

(KJV) Matthew 5: 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Frankly speaking, in my honest opinion, all dispensational teachings should be left behind (pun intended).

Rabbi Simon Altaf is a prophecy expert and a writer who has debated many people on various aspects of the Bible. He is the author of four books, one that was co-authored with Walid Shoebat who is also a prophecy scholar and Simon's personal friend. Simon has consistently warned the Church of its lax attitude towards Israel and the Jewish people and the dangers posed to the West by Islamists. We must be careful not to reject YHWH's holy commandments or His people Israel as non-essential. This is our call to re-examine our attitudes towards our brothers, the Jews, and repentance of any error in our life for our current and past mistakes before the great King of Israel returns to judge us all.