David C. Pack
vs
A Sabbath Test
Thirty Deceptions
"The Second Five Lies"
The Sixth RCG Deception:
“This particular false doctrine is already resulting in the “fruits” of division within various groups and congregations, creating factions within the two largest splinters, and among other segments of God’s people. While the book’s authors feel thrilled by this “progress,” and feel validated as a result of this growing turmoil, seeing it as more coming to the truth of their thinking, they are actually sowing division and bringing an ocean of blood on their own heads.”
Response from Dennis Fischer:
This is an extraordinary accusation. It is even more so in light of the fact that the team of RCG writers making it wouldn’t know me if I shared a taxi with them. Although I know Mr. Pack, I have never spoken to the men now claiming credit for the RCG essay. Quite frankly, I am mystified as to how they could possibly know what thrills me or my co-author.
Furthermore, contrary to what they wish to believe, my validation comes from something far greater than any book I could write or any cause I could engage in. The fact of the matter is that I come from a spiritual bloodline of Kings. My brother is Jesus Christ and my father is His Father. These are not just fancy words. I know them to be undeniably correct. To think that any true Christian needs to be validated by a community of followers is simply immature. I am amazed that true Christians would actually advance such an accusation.
With respect to causing division I am once again stunned by the source of this comment. There isn’t a COG on earth that should understand more about division than the Restored Church of God. I actually mean this in a good way. Mr. Pack caused enormous division when he spoke out powerfully against the WWCG and their apostasy. What is apparently lost on these RCG writers is that down through the ages truth has often been a great divider in God’s Church. Whether it was the first century under the apostles, or the last era of God’s work, the truth has always been a line in the sand. When it comes to this line, the RCG stands on one side and I stand on the other. However, I am confident this will not always be the case. I changed—so can they.
The Seventh RCG Deception:
“Let’s pull no punches. This problem illustrates why Christ told the Pharisees that they were in danger of the unpardonable sin—of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Regarding misguided teachers, to be Laodicean involves lethargy, but it also indicates that one has God’s Spirit—and thus at least a degree of sound mindedness (II Tim. 1:7). Yet, Christ also said that by their fruits you know them! The thinking that assigns the Mark of the Beast to dining out on the Sabbath is so wrong—so alien—so unrelated to God’s true test at the end of the age—so confusing to His great purpose—so far from biblical reality!—that it is in the same category as the mindset of the apostates who left God’s way completely. To call such teachers “Laodicean” is to pay them an unmerited compliment.”
Response From Dennis Fischer:
It is clear from the tone of this accusation that one particular chapter of A Sabbath Test cuts these writers deeply. Therefore, they resort to name calling and insults when expressing their rage. This isn't a Biblical fact, it is a childish tantrum. Furthermore, what they fail to do is accurately represent our words concerning the Mark of the Beast. In truth we do not believe dining out on the Sabbath is the mark of the beast. However, it is a symptom of that mark in that such a practice brings commerce and labor into God's day. Here is what we wrote on this subject, and what the RCG authors found so objectionable.
A Sabbath Test
"The book of Revelation describes an event in which a powerful political leader known as the “beast” and an apostate religious figure known as the “false prophet” cause the vast majority of people on earth to receive a special mark (Rev.13: 16). Those who refuse will suffer great persecution and even death (verse 15). However, those who receive this mark will suffer the wrath of Almighty God" (Rev. 14:9-10).
"God’s church has rightly understood this mark to be a rejection of the true Sabbath and holy days and the embracing of false religious customs and festivals. This understanding is drawn in part because of the remarkable contrast that can be drawn between God’s Sabbath and this “mark.” The mark of the beast even has the appearance of being a counterfeit Sabbath."
"To illustrate this point, consider the following: one is called a mark (Rev. 13:16), the other is called a “sign” (Ex. 31:13,17). The mark of the beast is placed in the right hand and the forehead (Rev. 13:16). The Sabbath, which is a part of God’s law, is placed in the right hand and as frontlets between the eyes (Dt. 6:6-8). The mark of the beast is very popular: “all received it.” The Sabbath is very unpopular, almost all reject it. Those who refuse the mark will be persecuted by the Beast. Those who receive the Mark of the Beast will be punished by God. But there is more. Perhaps the most unique quality of the mark of the beast, is its connection to buying and selling. Notice what the apostle John writes when describing this “mark.”
"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark..." (Rev. 13:17).
"With these words you almost get the impression that while God is commanding His people to refrain from buying and selling on the Sabbath, the beast, under the direct authority of Satan the devil (Rev. 13:2), is doing the very opposite. He is declaring that unless you reject the Sabbath, he will make it impossible for you to ever buy and sell. With this in mind, is it possible that the rejection of God’s Sabbath is defined more by engaging in business on this day than any other activity? After all, commerce drives so much of man’s physical existence. A leading industrialist once put it this way, “nothing happens in this world until something gets sold.” The point here is that the exchange of money represents a huge part of man’s profane existence. This practice touches virtually everyone on earth."
"This is a fact that is undoubtedly not lost on Satan the devil. He knows all too well what makes the world go round. This being the case, it is almost certain that this great deceiver (Rev. 12:9) will use commerce to persuade God’s people to reject their Creator. In essence, he will attempt to seduce them into profaning the Sabbath by buying and selling on that day. If they refuse, they will never be able to buy and sell. What an incredible test of faith that would be! It is true that Satan will use the beast to deceive all the people on earth to accept his mark, but the real target will be God’s people." (A Sabbath Test pp. 47-48)
The Eighth RCG Deception:
“Consider. In many of the world’s larger cities, such as London and New York, brethren must ride metro trains to get to services. This sometimes means having to invest hours traveling to and from services, and riding two or more separate trains. And of course, none of this is free! Yet, those brethren who pay these transactions—in order to obey God’s Sabbath command and attend His service—are condemned by critics who forbid dining out on the Sabbath. In their minds, no exceptions are allowed.”
Response from Dennis Fischer:
This accusation is categorically false. There is not one syllable in A Sabbath Test that remotely hints of such a thing. However, despite this fact, these RCG writers make this claim anyway. Now for the REAL TRUTH.
My co-author and I are well aware that certain unique circumstances may require spending money on God’s Sabbath. In other words, there ARE exceptions. An entire chapter of our book is actually dedicated to this very issue. Despite this fact, the RCG writers continue to demonstrate a flagrant disregard for honesty. In essence they are attempting to buttress their argument with a bald faced lie. At the risk of sounding redundant I would once again like the RCG writers to ponder the following: If God were to ask if you would be willing to stake His judgment on the claim you made in this paragraph, would you do it? Once again, I would stake eternity that the RCG claim is totally inconsistent with A Sabbath Test.
Furthermore, neither Mr. Braidic or myself condemn anybody. It is the RCG writers that do. Our entire approach in A Sabbath Test was to address a practice that is totally antithetical to God's law. At no time do we attack God's people. I challenge anyone to find one sentence in A Sabbath Test that judges anybody. What these writers are doing is called "transference." They are making an accusation that actually describes their approach in this issue.
On a personal note, it is enormously frustrating to see your words twisted like this. But it is absolutely heartbreaking to see this done by a brother in Christ. Personally, I have no idea why anyone would do such a thing.
The Ninth RCG Deception:
“The Pharisees of today see only two alternatives: Keep the “letter of the law” or abandon it. They mistakenly view “the spirit of the law” as a Protestant platitude translated “the law is done away.”
Response from Dennis Fischer:
The key to this deception is to call people names—in this case the queen mother of all epithets in a believer’s lexicon—PHARISEE.
It is interesting that this same assertion has been used prolifically by the Protestant world when condemning God’s people for keeping the Sabbath and holy days at all. It is also ironic that many of the leaders who systematically corrupted the doctrines of God’s Church now regard those who held fast to the truth as “self-righteous Pharisee-types.”
However, this time it is being leveled against those who dare to think that buying and selling on the Sabbath goes contrary to God’s great law. But is this true? Are we Pharisees? Or, is this just one more deception masked as truth? Furthermore, is it possible that the real Pharisees are the ones making the accusations? Notice the very clear words expressed by my co-author and me in A Sabbath Test under the heading “Strict Obedience is Pharisaical.”
A Sabbath Test
"One of the greatest indictments ever leveled by Jesus Christ against the religious leaders of His day was that these learned men embraced traditions they thought possessed greater moral weight than God’s law. Imagine having such arrogance! These men actually thought they knew better than God Himself when it came to how the GREAT CREATOR should be worshiped. Jesus saw this attitude as repugnant and He did not mince words when condemning it. He began by blasting their hypocrisy."
"Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." (Mk. 7:6)
"Jesus then exposed their faith as worthless. It was void of any substance because it was driven by the contrivances of man. It was not God’s law they loved. It was their traditions."
"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the traditions of men... "(Mk: 7:7-8)
"At this point Jesus thundered a crushing indictment against these spiritual leaders for their attempt at refashioning God’s law. He put their behavior in God’s perspective and the picture was not pleasant."
"Full well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition." (Mk.7: 9)
"It is important to understand that Jesus was NOT excoriating the Pharisees for being too careful in keeping God’s law. His condemnation was that they rejected that law. Here are His exact words."
"FULL WELL YOU REJECT THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD THAT YOUMAY KEEP YOUR OWN TRADITION."
A Sabbath Test pp. 92-93
The RCG writers who excoriate A Sabbath Test should be in fear of those words. They are dreadful indeed and reflect the judgement of God Himself. If man embraces traditions instead of honoring God’s law, he makes the law of none effect. When it comes to dining out on the Sabbath versus refraining from such a practice, which is driven by tradition? In another section of their essay the RCG writers actually argue that dining out on the Sabbath is a tradition they have the authority to establish and uphold in the church.
Suffice it to say, we don’t agree
The Tenth RCG Deception
The Pharisees were smart enough not to cite the Exodus 16 prohibition to condemn Christ and the disciples for Sabbath gleaning. Do any doubt that they would have overlooked this point, had it applied? The modern critics who use Exodus 16 reveal themselves to be uneducated. Outdoing their counterparts, these modern Pharisees “rush in” where even the original Pharisees would have “feared to tread.”
Response from Dennis Fischer:
I wonder how many people will read the words just cited and actually believe them. After all, these men are Christians, why would they lie about such a thing? Here is the answer. They made this up in order to rebut it. In other words, they created a point that doesn’t exist in A Sabbath Test and then attributed it to the book. They then show how “uneducated” the book’s authors really are for suggesting it in the first place.. Sadly, this style of deception is woven throughout the RCG essay.
The statement these RCG writers attributed to us is not only untrue but also reveals a huge contempt for the ninth commandment. In four sentences these church leaders have attributed words to my co-author and me that were never even implied, let alone uttered. Here they claim that we have accused the Savior of the world of breaking His Sabbath, and that we have invoked Exodus 16 in doing so. This is beyond deception. It is a cynical attempt to manipulate God’s people into believing something that isn’t true in order for them to reject something that is. This is not only a mockery to God’s people but also a mockery to God and His law.
Here is exactly what we said in A Sabbath Test with respect to Jesus' disciples picking grain on the Sabbath. As you read it ask yourself if our words sound like those implied by the RCG writers. In reality we are defending Jesus and His disciples, not condemning them. What we were indicting was the notion that Jesus' disciples picking a handful of grain once in their lives was no different than God's people going to a restaurant on the Sabbath, which tragically is exactly what the RCG writers believe.
A Sabbath Test
"It is true that Jesus’ apostles picked corn on the Sabbath (Mt.12: 1-8), but noticeably absent from this act was any attempt by Jesus or the apostles to buy it. Furthermore, at no time did they try to hire others to pick it for them and prepare it. What the disciples were doing was tantamount to plucking an apple from a tree and enjoying a piece of fruit during a Sabbath walk. This act may have offended the Pharisees but it did not offend the scriptures. To compare this to going to a restaurant on the Sabbath is like comparing it to harvesting crops on the Sabbath. It simply is not what happened." (A Sabbath Test p. 87)
We did however employ Ex 16 when demonstrating why the RCG endorsement of dining out at restaurants on the Sabbath went contrary to the scriptures. Here are God's words.
“How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place. Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” (Ex. 16:28)
We then put these words in context. He is how we explained them in A Sabbath Test.
A Sabbath Test
"Here, God is rebuking the children of Israel for their failure to honor His Sabbath. Specifically, He was condemning their lack of preparation. In essence, God was conveying to His people three critical elements concerning eating on the Sabbath. These elements were as follows.
1) Food was not to be acquired on the Sabbath
2) Food was not to be prepared on the Sabbath
3) His people were not to leave “their place” on the Sabbath."
" Notice that God said, “let no man go out of his place” on the Sabbath. With these words, He did not mean that individuals could not leave their tent for any reason as evidenced by the fact that they left their tents when Moses assembled them on the Sabbath and holy days. Additionally, Jesus Himself dined at the homes of others on the Sabbath" (Lk. 14:1-6).
"The point God was making with these instructions was that the Israelites were not to leave the community where God’s people were camped. Furthermore, they had no need to do so. God had already provided food on the sixth day. Now consider this. If God prohibited the Israelites to go outside their camp to acquire food on the Sabbath, why would He permit that practice today? The answer is HE WOULDN’T!"
"In reality, those who dine out on the Sabbath are breaking every aspect of God’s command with respect to eating. Consider what they do. They acquire food on the Sabbath. They have it prepared for them on the Sabbath. And they go outside the community of faith to procure the food as well as to consume it. Tragically, many of God’s people rationalize every one of these practices. Even more tragic is the fate that awaits them if they fail to repent of this sin."
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