COLOSSIANS 2:16 Colossians 2:16 is one of the most quoted verses people use against the Sabbath. Yet, Paul was not talking about the weekly Sabbath from the Ten Commandments. Paul said: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days” [Colossians 2:16]. Some people see the word sabbath and immediately think Paul is talking about the seventh day Sabbath. But he is not. The seventh day Sabbath is not what the passage is about at all. Paul lists: 1. Holyday 2. New moon 3. Sabbaths This order is shown many times in the Old Testament. It is a common Hebrew way of describing the ceremonial feast system tied to the sanctuary. Example: “Burnt offerings unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the solemn feasts” [1 Chronicles 23:31]. “For the burnt offerings of the sabbaths, the new moons, and the set feasts” [2 Chronicles 2:4]. “The sabbaths, the new moons, and the solemn feasts” [Ezekiel 45:17]. It is the same pattern every time. These were ceremonial worship days connected to Israel’s feast calendar, not the weekly Sabbath of the Ten Commandments. The Bible actually had two kinds of Sabbaths. 1. The weekly Sabbath. 2. The annual sabbaths. The weekly Sabbath came from Creation itself. God rested on the seventh day, blessed it, and made it holy [Genesis 2:2–3]. Later it was codified and placed directly inside the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11). It was not part of the sacrificial system. It existed long before Israel ever became a nation. However, the ceremonial Sabbaths were different. They were special yearly festival days connected to the sanctuary and sacrifices. Days like the Day of Atonement, the first day of Unleavened Bread, and others. These were called sabbaths because people rested on them, but they did not always fall on the seventh day of the week. Leviticus explains it. Leviticus said: “These are the feasts of the Lord… beside the sabbaths of the Lord” [Leviticus 23:37–38]. Leviticus separated the feasts from the Lord’s Sabbath. That means they are not the same thing. Paul explained why those ceremonial days are no longer binding. Right after Colossians 2:16 he says they were “a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” [Colossians 2:17]. The feast days pointed forward to Jesus and His work of salvation. They were symbols. Once Christ came and fulfilled those symbols, the shadow was no longer needed. The weekly Sabbath was never a shadow of the cross. It points back to Creation, not forward to Calvary. If Paul were saying the Ten Commandments Sabbath was abolished, he would be contradicting Jesus. Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for man” [Mark 2:27]. The Sabbath was not just for Jews, but for mankind (anthropos). Anthropos does not mean Jew, it means human being, mankind, humanity in general. The Bible, also says Jesus Himself kept it. “As His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day” [Luke 4:16]. Another important point. If you read the weekly Sabbath commandment [fourth command], food and drink are not even mentioned, at all. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy… the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work” [Exodus 20:8–10]. The command is about rest, and not about diet. Read it again. Nothing is said about meat, drink, offerings, or ceremonies. The command just says stop working, worship, focus and remembering that God created the world. Compare that with Colossians 2:16. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.” The difference ought to be obvious. Paul is talking about things connected to food, drink, and festival observances. Those were part of the ceremonial system tied to the sanctuary and sacrifices. The weekly Sabbath in the Ten Commandments has nothing to do with food or drink regulations. If Paul were talking about the fourth commandment, why would he connect it to meat and drink laws that are never mentioned in the Sabbath command itself? Paul was obviously talking about the ceremonial feast system, which included special [annual] sabbath days tied to sacrifices and ritual observances. The weekly Sabbath is different. It comes from Creation, it is written in the Ten Commandments, and it is about resting in honor of the Creator. Therefore, Colossians 2:16 is not removing God’s seventh day Sabbath. Paul is talking about the ceremonial feast Sabbaths that were tied to sacrifices and temple rituals. Those were shadows that pointed to Christ. The weekly Sabbath is different. It was established at Creation, written by God’s own finger in the Ten Commandments, and kept by Jesus Himself.

Here are the thinking questions about the Mark that people keep skipping. And once you actually stop and think about them, you see that the “chip and tattoo” theory is not even logical. 1. If the mark of the beast is a physical mark, how would babies be damned? Revelation says anyone who receives it is lost. Are newborns going to be chipped and condemned too? Because the Bible says nobody gets a free pass. 2. If the mark of the beast is a visible mark, why would anyone need scanners or systems? You could literally just look at someone’s hand or face and know instantly. So why all the talk about systems, control, and authority? 3. If the mark of the beast is a tattoo or chip, why does the Bible say people are judged for worship? You do not worship with your skin. You worship with your choices. 4. If the mark of the beast is a physical mark, why does Revelation say God seals His people in the forehead too? Is God placing markings on the skin now, when the Bible speaks out against markings on the skin? 5. If the mark of the beast is a gadget, why does the Bible say it is connected to commandments? You cannot obey a commandment with a microchip. You obey with your will. 6. If the mark of the beast is a literal object, how does a poor man in a village with no tech get it? The prophecy says everyone will be pressured. That includes places with no digital systems. 7. If the mark of the beast is a mark you “take,” why does Revelation say people are deceived into receiving it? Nobody is deceived into getting a barcode. They are deceived into accepting a lie. 8. What about Cain? The Bible says Cain received a mark too. So was Cain walking around with a barcode, a chip, or a tattoo on his face, or was his “mark” something God placed on him for protection and identification? 9. If you do not know who the beast is, how would you possibly know what his mark is? You cannot identify a mark if you do not even know the authority behind it. The Bible has always tied marks to allegiance and authority, and not to technology. Once you slow down and actually think it through, you would see the Stephen Spielberg sci-fi version makes no sense. Your forehead is your mind. Your hand is your actions.