“What happens to those who refuse to obey the Seventh Day Sabbath command?”

Someone recently asked a great question about what happens to those who refuse to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath – either due to ignorance or deliberate disobedience.

The only logical response for those who honestly have no clue that ALL are to be Torah observant (Numbers 15:13-16), which includes the Sabbath day - which is a SIGN between YHWH and His people - Exodus 31:16-17; Ezekiel 20: 11) is that we really can't be sure "what happens" to them.

All we can do is conclude from Scripture that, since YHWH wants "none to perish" (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Tim. 2:4), He would show mercy and allow them to "squeak into Heaven" for doing the best they could, according to their knowledge.

Why? Well, because, thanks to Matthew 5, we do know there is a "hierarchy in heaven:

Matthew 5: 17 Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah – not until everything that must happen has happened.

19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven! (CJB)

Has everything that "must happen" happened yet? Have "heaven and earth passed away? If not, then it seems believers are supposed to BE Torah observant today! Unfortunately, many simply don’t know, and even when told, it doesn’t sink in because they are under the erroneous impression that Christians don’t have bother with “that old Jewish stuff.” HUGE mistake!

Notice that Matthew 5:17-20 says: "So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.” This key, because it is talking about YHWH's commands!

What commands are they? TORAH commands - which still stand today ... and WE are obligated, as believers, to keep those that we can! We need to pay special attention to those that have the word "forever" or "throughout your generations" attached to them, because "forever" hasn't ended yet! Not to mention, "fulfill" never meant "to put an end to." It means, Yeshua came to do His Father's will and to fulfill "the next thing on the agenda".....

Now, please pay close attention to this next part:

IF someone KNEW they were supposed to be Torah observant, yet chose to ignore the command, for whatever reason, their salvation may be in jeopardy because, according to Torah (i.e, scriptures such as Numbers 15:13-16) ALL who accept YHWH as their Elohim, are to OBEY His Torah. We're also told that there is no Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave nor free in His Kingdom (Galatians 3:28) and that we are all ONE in Messiah (Romans 12:5).

So, clearly, YHWH expects ALL to obey His Mitzvot/Commands! Same God, same rules. WHY would He have different rules for His natural and adopted children?

Please think about this: If we don't obey YHWH's Torah, then WHOM are we worshiping? NOTHING in Scripture suggests Torah was ever abolished. Nothing - including those often-misunderstood writings of Paul!

If someone attempts to point you to the writings of Paul which sometimes seem to negate Torah (which they DON'T!), then simply tell them this:

"Paul was a mere man who didn't have any right to (nor did he ever attempt to) negate ANYTHING YHWH ever commanded, or what Yeshua taught. TORAH contains all of YHWH's original, divine instructions in righteousness, and THAT is what you should be paying attention to; rather than to try to figure out ways to weasel out of obedience.

"Your status as a Gentile was negated once you "crossed over" to accept YHWH as your God and Yeshua as His Divine Messiah - which made you a HEBREW. You are now part of ISRAEL, which means you must follow YHWH's Divine Rules. Once you begin to obey, your relationship with YHWH/Yeshua will change and grow exponentially!"