Jonathan: “Dad, where are we going?”
Father: “Son, we’re going to the Johnsons’ house.”
Jonathan: “What? Why aren’t we going to church?”
Father: “We are, Jonathan. We’re going to church at the Johnsons’ today.”1
Jonathan: “But why, Dad? Why aren’t we going to the same church where we’ve always gone?”
Father: “It’s closed today, Son. They will be having services there tomorrow, on Sunday.”
Could such a scenario actually take place for Adventist believers? Believe it or not, this is the very situation now confronting many Seventh-day Adventist believers in the independent state of Samoa. How did such a state of affairs ever come about? Well, it all revolves around an imaginary boundary commonly known as the “international date line.”
What is the international date line, and how does it affect Sabbath keepers?
Of course, most people are aware that there is such a line, roughly following 180 degrees longitude, where on one side of the line it is considered to be one day, while on the other side it is already the next day. When you really stop and think about it, you realize that some such line, though necessarily arbitrary in nature, must exist somewhere on the globe if there is to be any kind of uniformity in determining what day it is at any given time and place.
How is the “international date line” determined? Is there some kind of international treaty in place?
Interestingly enough, there is not. The “line,” as we call it, is the result of the collective decisions of the various governmental jurisdictions of the world. There is sufficient agreement among these various entities to form a somewhat convoluted line, but which can nevertheless be drawn on a map.
What theory or convention is being followed, in order to achieve this degree of uniformity?
Well, I find that it is commonly believed, among both the religious and the secular, that Mesopotamia is the cradle of civilization. That’s also where the Garden of Eden is considered to have been. So, it would stand to reason that any date line should be somewhere close to halfway around the world from that location. However, the actual international convention for keeping time is a mean time based at an observatory in Greenwich, England. Apparently, this came about just because the English were the first to exert a sufficient global influence. This is what defines 180 degrees longitude, a line which the various governments may or may not follow exactly.
Sabbath keepers have generally not questioned such decisions made by government. However, things can get interesting when one government or another decides to make a change. One could say that the people of any given country used to consider themselves to be in the Far West of the world, but now they will be in the Far East – or vice versa. Independent Samoa (as opposed to American Samoa) is not the first country to make such a change. Many such revisions have been made, from time to time, among the islands of the Pacific. At one time, the date line ran to the east of Alaska. Again, it once ran to the west of the Philippines. In 1892, Samoa made a change. In 2011, the government of independent Samoa decided to reverse the previous move.
All of this begs the question: The Sabbath is holy time. Does any government really have the right to make a decision affecting the observance of God’s holy Sabbath day? We read the following in Genesis 2:3 (NKJV):
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
What is the meaning of the Sabbath blessing of Genesis 2:3?
Here, one is faced with a deeper question. In blessing the seventh day, was God infusing the day itself with a special quality, or was He rather promising to bless those who would observe the seventh day in obedience and sincerity of purpose? The former seems to be an appealing concept to many, but just how is one to picture this in one’s mind? Did this blessing commence in Mesopotamia, spreading at a uniform rate of speed around the circumference of the earth, until it bumped into itself at a line exactly equidistant from its origin? If this were the case, it seems to me that the Sabbath blessing could only be realized by celebrating the day according to an exact comparison of the distance from where one is to the longitude of where the Garden of Eden was, by going either eastward or westward.
What would be the implications of such an approach? Well, for one thing, all generally accepted ideas of what day it is, at any given location, would have to be ignored. From sunset to sunset, one would necessarily end up observing the Sabbath on what the general public is calling Friday, or Saturday, or Sunday! In addition, we Sabbath keepers would have to draw our own Sabbath-keeping “date line,” running straight north and south, and dividing continents, countries, states or provinces, and perhaps even local communities. I write from British Columbia, and I realize that this line would necessarily run somewhere between here and Alaska. Can anyone really believe that this is the way God wants us to honour His holy day? The world would think we were crazy!
Therefore, I cannot escape the conclusion that the promised Sabbath blessing is bestowed on the basis of our willingness to obey and our sincerity of purpose. Hence, I believe that we need to follow the principles of Romans 13, going along with the government as long as they are not asking us to do anything wrong. In a location roughly halfway around the world from the cradle of civilization, could anyone seriously suggest that there are any moral implications (of right and wrong) involved in the decision of whether to consider one’s country to be in the Far West verses the Far East? I think not.
The Samoan Sabbath Dilemma
So, what has actually happened in Samoa, anyway? Following Thursday, December 29, 2011, the independent state of Samoa skipped Friday the 30th and moved directly into Saturday, December 31. The result is that, in this location, what would have been called Saturday, had the change not been enacted, will now be called Sunday. The Samoan government has cited a number of economic and logistical reasons for making the change, but it seems to have thrown the local Sabbath keepers into confusion.
The Seventh-day Adventist church in independent Samoa is administered by the Samoa-Tokelau Mission. The Mission administration, after considering the matter, had decided to begin observing Sunday (from sunset to sunset, of course) as the Sabbath. Their stated purpose was to continue observing every seventh day as the Sabbath, regardless of what the general public might call it.2 According to one news article, Samoan S.D.A. ministers were brought in from other countries.3 These visiting ministers made a presentation, advising the Samoa Mission administration against the decision which they had made – but to no avail. The local leaders were well-intentioned, no doubt, but they could not be persuaded to change their purpose.
The leadership of the Samatau S.D.A. church has decided to continue observing Saturday as the Sabbath. Within the rest of the Samoa Mission, on the other hand, there are many families and individuals who cannot conscientiously go along with the decision of the church leadership to observe what is now Sunday. Thus, confusion has been the result.
It has been urged by some that there may be cultural issues involved, of which we may be unaware. It has been said that this problem needs to be sorted out locally. I can certainly agree that a local solution would be ideal, and I share the hope that this will be achieved over time. Meanwhile, can we leave our Samoan brothers and sisters, who find that they cannot go along with the decision of their church leaders, to struggle along as best they can without any indication of support from the rest of us in the world church?
I hope and pray that they will find this article here, and that they will know that there are others who understand their plight.
————————
This post was edited on 2 February, 2012 to correct two factual errors regarding the Samatau SDA Church.
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It must be mentioned that Alaska used to be on Asian dating (during Russian administration), and the Philippines used to be on American dating (before Mexican independence which cut off Spaniards traveling through America). French Polynesia was on Asian dating. In a modern world this would be chaotic. So when transpacific travel/trade became developed in the 19th century, there needed to be a common longitude for changing dates. Many nations came together to recognize the 180th, just like the Council of Jerusalem, a gathering of everyone involved. The IDL is not an international agreement, but the reckoning of longitude is. We as a body of worldwide believers should be in harmony amongst ourselves regarding where to draw the line, not blindly submitting loyalty to any one nation’s government. Date change decisions are simply the act of politicians, not a referendum or international conference.
Talofa Lance & All,
I commend you & the believers who have made a stand for God in Samoa
Most folks only talk but dont walk the talk.
If God is with you who can be against you.
At the end of the day its between you & God, none else.
Just reading through some of the posts, no wonder people are lost with all these theories that are not biblical .
I also read the SPD & SM’s official releases & their reasons are very weak. Im thankful that people like yourselves have made a stand.
Rest assured it will only be a matter of time before more folks both from the SDA’s & other christians will join you.
Samoa’s case is not the same as Tonga & other Pacific countries
& as Samoans we not only talk but we are doing something about it.
Join the Sabbath Keepers Network.
Thanks for your support Jenkins, and Samoans do stand up and walk the talk.
When a person as an individual or with their family is traveling and crosses the date line, they don’t worry that they have 6 or 8 days in their week, they worship on the Sabbath as it is where ever they are at. Why not think likewise of this situation as if the whole nation of Samoa has “traveled” or “moved” (in an odd sense it sort of has, hasn’t it?) and treat it likewise?
Makes sense to me…
Lately, a couple of folks here have talked about the 180th meridian as an international convention, as derived from the prime meridian running through Greenwich. These have suggested that there is an international consensus that should carry more weight with us than the decisions of individual governments. My research does not show any real international consensus, except for having a standard way of measuring time.
It is true that, for the sake of comparison, time is generally kept in relation to GMT. However, we have all kinds of time zones in this world, and they don’t usually follow the meridians that one sees on a globe, every 15 degrees around the world. An extreme example would be China, which is all in one time zone. Malaysia is too, although Borneo is far to the east of the Malay peninsula. Even North American time zones are marked out with strange lines, according to local choices and custom.
We see the same thing with the so-called International Dateline. I say “so-called” because this is generally regarded as having been a misnomer from the start. There was one international convention in regard to a date line, in 1884. At that time, no exact line was marked out for dividing one day from another. Individual governments were explicitly allowed the right to affect (and to collectively determine) where the date line would actually end up. So it would seem that, while the 180th meridian may have seemed ideal as a date line, to many minds, it never actually became an international convention. The best I can determine, the date line has always passed to the east of Tonga, for instance, putting Tonga on the same day as New Zealand.
I sincerely hope that difference can be resolved, but in case it is not, I strongly don’t want to see any “disfellowshipping” like the SDARM fiasco that started in Germany. May I suggest a back-up solution of dual missions, like black conferences in the U.S. which share overlapping geographic area as “white” conferences. It can be a solution so anyone could follow their conscience and where unity remains outside of this issue.
There are continued references to the original Creation Week series of seven days as it relates to Samoa. All scriptural references to Sabbath or the 7th day where we can place the location are based around what is now Israel, Palestine or Egypt.
We do not know how the original Creation week relates to post flood week except for a reference to manna not falling on that day pre-Sinai.
History does indicate that the Jews have kept a standard 7 day week cycle ever since the Babylonian captivity. That cycle of days was accepted by Jesus as he worshiped on the 7th day “as His custom was.” That implies that we must accept that God agreed that their 7th day of the 1st century was the “correct” one. Other than that, we have no knowledge of how it relates to the original week of Creation. But, believing that God does not change lends credibility to an unchanged cycle of 7 day weeks from Creation to the time of Christ.
Our problem is that the 7 day cycle of Sunday through Saturday did not come into common usage until early in the fourth century A.D. That is the same time-frame in which the Catholic church claims to have the authority to change the day of worship from the 7th day to Sunday.
However, there is a large body of evidence that the 7 day cycle we call Sunday through Saturday is in sync (as practiced in Israel and Egypt) with the Jewish cycle of the 7-day week of Christ’s time. That is, the day we call Saturday (in Israel/Palestine) is the same day the Jews identify as the 7th day Sabbath.
Returning to Genesis we find that the first sunset would have happened at the end of the 4th day and heralding in the 5th day (since days are “evening and morning”). Therefore, it is the sunset of the 6th day that is of most interest to this discussion since that would have heralded in the 7th day.
But that is in Israel/Palestine. How to we translate this to what happens in Samoa? I know of two ways and it boils down to a simple decision – but I don’t know the correct answer and see nothing in scripture to use as a guide. Sunset in Samoa either happens before or after sunset in Palestine. I don’t know when during that 4th day of creation week that the sun and moon came into existence. Nor do I know what part of the sky they would occupy when created.
Does anybody else have evidence to indicate whether the first sunset in Samoa happened before or after the first sunset in Israel/Palestine?
If the first sunset happened before, that would correspond to Sabbath (7th day) corresponding to Saturday as practiced to the east side of what we currently call the IDL. This is the same day called Friday to the west of the IDL (the “American” side).
If the first sunset happened after, that would correspond to Sabbath (7th day) corresponding to Saturday as practiced to the west of what we currently call the IDL This would be the same day called Sunday to those east of the IDL.
I just check the local sunset time and GMT offset for Jerusalem, New Zealand, Samoa, and my location (near Seattle, WA, USA).
Jerusalem – sunset 5:23 PM local Time Zone: GMT+2
Seattle – sunset 5:22 PM local Time Zone: GMT-8 (or 10 hours behind Jerusalem or 14 hrs ahead!)
Apia Samoa – sunset 7:59 PM local Time Zone: GMT+14 (12 hours ahead of or 12 hrs behind Jerusalem)
Auckland, New Zealand – sunset 8:22 PM local GMT+13 (11 hours ahead of or 13 hrs behind Jerusalem
Is Samoa 12 hrs ahead of or 12 hrs behind Jerusalem for the first sunset of the 4th day of Creation week?
Well, I forgot to adjust for the actual sunset times and used only the GMT offsets. Probably not that critical as sunset here in Seattle varies by several hours. Earliest if 4:18 pm and latest is 9:11 PM.
The main question is whether the first sunset happened in Samoa before or after the sunset in Jersusalem. [Which according to Revelation will be God's throne in the new earth.]
The Sabbath, according to Scripture, is the day between Friday and Sunday (Luke 23:52-24:1)
The Samoan Mission leadership decision to keep Sunday and the Division recommendations in favour of that are both based on the false premise that there has been a calendar change in Samoa resulting in the renaming of the days of the week. This is not true. The nation will use the same calendar as it did before. The change is in their relationship to the dateline. People are ignoring the fact that each day is observed around the globe covering a period of 48 hours. From the time the Adventists in New Zealand open the Sabbath till the time the Adventists in Tahiti close it, the earth has been through almost two complete rotations. All that Samoa has done is to move their time reckoning from the last to the first part of the 48 hours, which requires the so-called “skipping a day.” This is no different to what travellers do when they cross the dateline.
The leaders’ decision is a double standard. These same leaders do not observe the so-called “original seven day time sequence” when they fly across the dateline to another country but they expect the Samoan Adventist Church to do it when their government moves the whole country to the other side of the dateline. It has made a mockery of our beliefs and it reflects on the whole church. The implications are very wide ranging: Does this mean the rest of the nations in the Eastern hemisphere are out of sync and should now keep Sunday? Can the same day have two different names? On whose authority? Should a person studying with a Samoan or Tongan person in Australia or New Zealand recommend that they keep Sunday? Is Samoa the place to move to when Sunday laws are introduced in America? How will our evangelists in Samoa preach about the mark of the beast? Will Samoan SDAs follow a different day sequence to the rest of Samoa when they do business, fill out forms, record their births and celebrate their birthdays, etc? Of course they won’t. So they have only made themselves look foolish in the eyes of the world by carrying on life as usual for the rest of the week, but calling Sunday the Sabbath, while the rest of the nation call it Sunday. Sunday keepers are not now keeping the Sabbath; Adventists are now keeping Sunday. Incredible!
How disappointing that the wider church was not invited into the dateline discussion that leaders have been having over the past few years. Did they think the lay people have no good ideas or did they think it was a Samoan problem? This may be a result of so-called “multi-culturalism” which is dividing the church into racial groups.
The Sabbath School lessons for the first quarter, 2012, are very timely.
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your input. You have pointed out that the time difference between Apia and Jerusalem is 12 hours. I’ve checked on this information, and found it to be true but incomplete. Apia and Jerusalem are actually only 11 time zones apart. The 12-hour time difference is due to the fact that Apia is on daylight saving time, which does not affect the actual setting of the sun. Thus, Apia’s current sunset-Friday-to-sunset-Saturday Sabbath has more hours in common with Jerusalem’s Sabbath than does Apia’s current Sunday “Sabbath.”
I believe that the teachings of Jesus have the answer to this whole question. As an illustration of how we should observe the Sabbath, He used the example of David and his men unlawfully, but correctly, eating the showbread.
Jesus’ disciples had been harvesting, threshing, and winnowing grain in their hands, in order to satisfy their hunger. According to the scribes, if that wasn’t work, what is? True, it wasn’t much work. Would a violation of the Sabbath commandment be O.K. just because it was a small one? Jesus pointed out that “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” In other words, when it comes to Sabbath keeping, human necessity trumps technical correctness. The disciples had not violated the true intent of the law, and the Pharisees had condemned the guiltless.
I see nothing in these teachings of Jesus to flatter human pride. In any given society, is it not a necessity that Seventh-day Adventist Christians observe Saturday (the generally accepted 7th day of the week) rather than Sunday (the generally accepted 1st day)?
So, if we are going to listen to Jesus, I have concluded that we must conform our Sabbath observance to the weekly cycle recognised by our local government and society, within reason. Someone has privately suggested that I may need to explain more clearly what I mean by “within reason.”
In Syria, for instance, no change in the weekly cycle would be within reason. So near the true Orient, where man and the Sabbath were created, only one day could be traced back to the Sabbath of creation in an unbroken weekly cycle.
Not so in British Columbia, where I live. Here we can trace our weekly cycle back to creation in either of two ways, depending on our choice of orientation. Do we look eastward, following the European week, or westward, following the Asian week? Either choice would seem to be within reason. The British Columbia government could put us on the Asian week tomorrow, turning our current Friday into Saturday, and my conscience would require adjusting my personal Sabbath observance with a one-time 6-day week (“which is not lawful” — Mark 2:26), because it is imperative that my fellow British Columbians see me keeping Sabbath on what they regard as the 7th day of the week, not on what they call Sunday. After all, the Sabbath was made for their benefit, too! I believe that Samoa’s Sabbath Keepers are following the true intent of the Sabbath commandment.
Hi Mr. White,
I have recently been having discussions with a face book friend in America about whether Christians should have guns. To me, I could never imagine Jesus owning a gun. Yet in America the gun lobby is so strong that even Christians believe they need them. In truth, death has no sting because when we are in Christ and are killed the next thing we will see is Christ returning, and to own a gun and actually kill some one (even in self defence) would be a big hurdle for our eternal marriage to Jesus Christ.
Then a few months ago a mate of mine was telling me that it is okay to watch porn and have an affair because King Solomon had 700 wives, not to mention the concubines. He felt that as long as he had his faith in God it didn’t matter.
Our God is an amazing God, and when we live our lives in human nature and understanding we cherish our favourite sins and the sins of the community that we live in. Satan knows that he can’t get most christians to leave the light and live in the dark, so he is quite happy to create situations where we live in the grey — where in living our lives, our actions can’t be seen as salvation destroying, yet they place us in situations not out of reach of the adversary. How do you stand for Christ when there is no difference between you and the world?
[MODERATOR Note: Replies to this comment should address the Samoan problem as Lance does in discussing the gray areas between right and wrong with respect to the main issues raised under this topic, not the issues of gun ownership or sexual sins.]
Dear Lance,
I hear you. I’ve been thinking similar thoughts lately, myself. We certainly know that professing Sabbath keepers are to be tested, but we may not know just how things are going to play out. It appears most of us know that, if we were to leave Adventism to join a Sunday keeping church, that would be tantamount to apostasy. So, it seems that Sunday keeping has come to us instead.
Of course, we have no interest in judging the sincerity or Christian experience of anyone. However, we certainly do know our own duty in this matter. Who would ever have thought it would come to this? One comment on this post actually suggested that, since God is in control of His church, we had better not differ with its official course of action. I had heard of the “infallible” church before, but this was never a part of Seventh-day Adventist doctrine!
I believe that those who wish to follow a particular course of action will be furnished with plausible excuses to do so. God knows those who are His, and no one can snatch them out of His hand. Those who are honestly deceived by the enemy of souls will have opportunity to see the light. Those who are maligned will be kept under the shadow of His wing.
As for grey areas, I don’t think it’s as hard to determine the true Sabbath day as some would have us believe.
By the way, is Noeline a relative of yours?
Hi Mr. White,
Yes Noeline is my mum, and she was living with us over here in paradise, but sadly she could not handle us going against the change of date decision. The church is everything to her, so I can understand that!
Thanks for being gracious, Lance. The church will never get one soul into heaven; only the Lord can do that. (See Psalm 49:7)
Could someone please send me a photograph or give me a link to pictures of the old calendar and the new calendar so I can compare them?
Dear RG,
Your comments regarding Christ’s statement in Matthew 12 are interesting given this week’s SS Lessons. The conclusion reached is the same I reached via a different route. We can’t know whether Samoan sunsets precede or follow the sunset in Jerusalem. Therefore either one should satisfy the demands of the fourth commandment.
But, having half the members following the 7th day that precedes Jerusalem and the other half following the 7th day that follows is a recipe for disharmony. We must dig deeper into the scriptures (as you have done).
I found that scripture holds that all the commandments are summed up into two –“Love to God and Love to Fellow Man.” [Luke 10:26-28] Paul goes even further and claims the whole law is all about Love [Romans 13:10]. He also indicates that doing something for the right reason isn’t enough if it causes a fellow member to stumble [Romans 14:13]. Peter also indicates that interpretation of scripture is not a private/personal matter [2 Peter 1:20].
Finally, Paul indicates that wherever possible we should obey the local authorities [Titus 3:1] and Peter agrees [1 Peter 2:13]. So long as their authority doesn’t force disobedience to God.
To my mind, the Samoan government didn’t change the weekly cycle nor did they change the names of the days in the week. They simply decided to be the start of the day (begin it for the entire globe) rather than the end of the day (end it for the entire globe).
Yes, the Sabbath was made to meet the needs of man. Man was not made to meet the needs of the Sabbath.
Does the sun rise in Samoa at the same time it rises in New Zealand?
Yes
Are New Zealand and Australia worshiping within the creation week cycle?
Yes
Why was Samoa 24 hrs. away from New Zealand?
Because an extra Monday was added in 1892
Wouldn’t adding a Monday in 1892 put Samoa outside the 7 day creation cycle?
Yes
Why do a majority of Samoans believe that by keeping the Sabbath on Sunday they are staying with the 7 day creation cycle?
Because a task force of learned scholars told them so
Didn’t they tell them about the extra day added at the instigation of the dateline?
No
If a day was added, wouldn’t a day subtracted in Dec. 2011 put Samoa back in line with the 7 day creation week?
Yes
Why did the church stick with worshiping on Saturday in 1892?
Maybe because the church was in its infancy back then
Was the Samoan church in error for the last 120 years?
No
Being aware now of this error, what should be done????
…………..
Dear Brethren,
I am a 1st generation New Zealand born Samoan and through the SSNET website, I came across the ‘The Samoan Sabbath Dilemma’. I have family living in Samoa whose lives are impacted by this situation, not to mention those of us outside of Samoa, trying to make sense of living in Samoa, practising Seventh Day Adventism but worshipping on Sunday, and the wider implications of this situation.
The International Dateline in the context of ‘The Samoan Sabbath Dilemma’.
I have closely followed the subject and sought to understand the ‘The Samoan Sabbath Dilemma’ caused by the Samoan Government decision on the 30 December 2011, to align Samoa time-zone west of the IDL, whereas prior to the change, it was east of the IDL since 4 July 1892. However, it is very important to note that before this period, Samoa original time-zone was west of the IDL. So, I completed some online research to learn about the IDL and also to understand the reason for Samoa decision to change the time-zone in July 1892 and then again in December 2011.
International Date Line – Definition (source Wikipedia).
An imaginary line on the Earth’s surface that is internationally agreed upon as the place where each new calendar day begins. The line extends from the North to the South Pole through the Pacific Ocean, roughly along the 180th meridian. The calendar day to the east of the line is one day earlier than it is to the west of the line. The International Date Line was established at the International Meridian Conference in 1884 in order to standardize time, especially for the purpose of travel.
A traveler crossing the International Date Line eastbound subtracts one day, or 24 hours, so that the calendar date to the west of the line is repeated. Crossing the IDL westbound results in 24 hours being added, advancing the calendar date by one day. The International Date Line is necessary in order to have a fixed, albeit arbitrary, boundary on the globe where the calendar date advances in the westbound direction.
Samoa International Date Line Changed in 1892 – Samoa and American Samoa aligned with California (source Wikipedia).
The Samoan Islands today divided into Samoa and American Samoa —were west of the date line until 1892, when King Malietoa Laupepa was persuaded by American traders to adopt the American date, being three hours behind California, to replace the former Asian date, being four hours ahead of Japan. The change was made by repeating Monday 4 July 1892, American Independence, (therefore an 8day week, to align the time-zone east of the IDL).
Samoa International Date Line Changed Back in 2011 – Samoa and American Samoa Separated again (source Wikipedia).
In 2011, more than 119 years after that change was made, Samoa shifted back to west of the date line by skipping Friday 30 December 2011, (therefore a 6day week, to align the time-zone west of the IDL). The International Date Line now passes between Samoa and American Samoa, with American Samoa remaining aligned with the American date.
Samoa Government Reason for the Change of the Date Line, (source Wikipedia).
Samoa made the change because Australia and New Zealand have become its biggest trading partners, and also have large communities of expatriates. Being 21 hours behind made business difficult because having weekends on different days meant only four days of the week were shared.
My Conclusion.
Based on these facts, I have come to the conclusion that before the decision to change Samoa time-zone on July 1892, from west to east of the IDL, adhering to the 7day cycle principle, the Sabbath fell on Saturday. If, I accept the logic of the 7day cycle and remain consistent to its application east of the IDL, this would have resulted with Friday being the 7th day and therefore the Sabbath Day. However we know this was not the case, because Sabbath worship from July 1892 until 30 December 2011, was on Saturday. I cannot confirm when the Seventh Day Adventist movement started in Samoa but assuming it was active from 1892, they would have had to accept a one-time 8day week to align Sabbath worship with Saturday. To remain consistent with the 7day cycle principle after the 30 December 2011 time-zone change west of the IDL, would require a one-time 6day week to align Sabbath worship with Saturday; please bear in mind that this was Samoa original time-zone before King Malietoa Laupepa decision to change it.
I accept the Scriptures as my guide, 2 Timothy 3:16, and so as a Seventh Day Adventist, the Sabbath Day is central to my relationship with God. It is also a material difference that sets me apart from Christians and non-believers that do not accept His instruction and purpose for the Sabbath, and to those who choose to worship on the Sunday. Therefore, I believe my worshipping on the Sabbath, the 7th Day (and according to the IDL), is Saturday. It is a powerful witness to those that have yet to come to know Him and within the context of the 7day week as we know it today, Sunday – Saturday and wherever we live according to the IDL, the Sabbath has always been on the 7th day of the week, Saturday, (the only exception I am aware of is Tonga).
Unless you do not accept the principle of the International Dateline, a Samoan Seventh Day Adventist travelling abroad, using their prevailing 7day cycle as the reference point, their Sabbath observance would fall on any day of the week depending on which country they are in, to be consistent with this principle. Conversely, any Seventh Day Adventist foreigner visiting Samoa that accepts the principle of the International Dateline, would not worship on Saturday with other Samoan Seventh Day Adventists, because it is not recognised by the Samoa Seventh Day Adventist Conference as the Sabbath Day.
Given that the IDL was established in 1884 as the global benchmark for the calendar and time for each country in the western and eastern hemisphere, it does call into question the validity of the Samoa Seventh Day Adventist Conference decision to apply quite correctly a 7day cycle, but that which is not aligned to the IDL, which is contradictory and undermines the fundamental of the order of day and time that the IDL was designed to accomplish globally.
Finally, my understanding of the Samoa Government reason for making the time-zone change, Samoa predominant trading partners and related commercial activity is west of the IDL, Australia and New Zealand, therefore it is a logical commercial decision to promote the country where it will receive the most economic benefit. I do not believe it is a cynical attempt to undermine 7th Day Sabbath worship.
I trust my understanding based on the aforementioned facts will help clarify your thoughts about the situation, as it has done for me personally. Praise God for His Everlasting Love and Mercy. May the Holy Spirit continue to agitate within us and may His will prevail resolving The Samoan Sabbath Dilemma.
L Manu O’Uiha,
I am in New Zealand but believe me, we share the pain our Samoan brethren feel. There is some Scripture many seem to be ignoring – Luke 23:52-24:1 where the time for Sabbath is most clearly defined in Scripture as the day between Friday (Preparation) and Sunday (First day/Resurrection Day). Your Sabbath School lesson and your calendar clearly say that this Sunday is Feb 19, yet you will observe it as Sabbath, Feb 18. How will you record this in historical documents?
Could someone please let us know what the non-Adventists in Samoa are saying about all of this?
RG. Remember that it took a decade for the church to resolve the sunset versus 6 pm issue. Even EGW was in the 6 pm camp for a long period of time (while serving as a prophet). It was not until Andrews published a research paper that EGW changed positions on the subject.
To expect a quick resolution on the IDL issue will lead to frustration for some and may be a stumbling block for others. I see how each reached their decision. While I disagree with their conclusions I understand their convictions and must respect them for their position. The Lord let the SDA church wrestle with Friday sundown versus 6 pm for many years.
I do appreciate Ian’s first-hand comments and research. It is presented very thoughtfully and thoroughly.
On a side note — this morning the sunrise happened @ 7:16 AM (PST) in Seattle. If I’m doing my conversion correctly that would make it 3:16 PM UTC on Wednesday 2/15/2012. At that time it was 4:16 AM in Auckland, NZ. But their date was already Thursday 2/16/2012. That same sun rose for them just 2 hrs and 36 minutes later.
It is now noon in Seattle on Wednesday the 15th. I’m looking at the same sun that the folks in NZ are seeing but for them it is 9 AM on Thursday the 16th. This is a “benefit” of living on a round planet.
In just over 3 weeks I’ll travel to the Philippines and will experience a 6 day week followed 2 weeks later by an 8 day week. This is so I can worship with my brethern in Pagudpud, Philippines for those two Sabbaths. It is now 4 AM on Thursday the 16th and the sun will rise for them in 2 hours and 21 minutes from when this was written.
Good Morning Steve,
I am sitting here in Malaysia and reading your side note comments and they illustrate the point of the effect the IDL has on the fundemental order of day and time in different time-zones according to whether one is either located in the western or eastern time-zone. I travel frequently on business across the IDL and as you mention, you will soon experience, an adjustment of 6 day week travelling from east (USA) to west (Philippines) of the IDL and then when you return home 2 weeks later, make another adjustment of an 8day week, why, to get into sync with the prevailing 7day cycle in that hemisphere. The other important to note here is, the 7day cycle remains unbroken, the adjustment is the time-zone according to the IDL, to whichever side you are on.
Upholding the guidance of the Scripture, I do not believe any one of the contributors to this subject are disagreeing with God’s commandment regarding the Sabbath Day, the 7th day cycle and that the Sabbath is recorded in His word between Friday and Sunday. So we know, the Sabbath is God’s sacred day of rest, it was on the 7th day and it is Saturday, as we know it to be called today. We also know that the world is round and therefore depending wherever you find yourself in the world, if it is sunrise where you are, it is going to be sunset at the opposite side of the world. Herein lies the function of the IDL that provides the fundemental order of day and time and the impact it has on our global calendar and time.
When I consider this in the context of keeping the Sabbath Day as I understand the Lord God has instructed me through scripture, it does provide me with a peace and joy that my God is a God of Order and Purpose. This is the reason why I believe the IDL and 7day cycle are linked as it provides logical order to Sabbath keeping whether I am located west or east of the IDL and as it relates to the global time-zone. To isolate a time-zone from the rest of the world results with the situation now experienced by the Samoa Seventh Day Adventists that live west of the IDL but choose to remain on east of the IDL and worship on Sunday, when in fact is should be Saturday.
I pray the Lord continues to agitate within us to seek His Light and His will prevail. God Bless.
Although we have been offered the Gov’t prayer house for another few weeks, the Lighthouse group have decided to move to home base. This Saturday we will be worshiping at Moanamo Okasene’s house in Vailima, the big new house oppisite Norman Paul’s house. If you reach the 3 Sisters Catholic Church you have gone to far.
Next week we move to Tulaele Rd., Vailoa Faleata. Look for the blue marquee inside the big rock wall in behind Westend Motors.
Everyone is welcome. Just bring a plate as we have combined lunch every week. If you wish, come for the day and spend Bible studies at 2 pm after lunch and stay for closing Sabbath from 6:30.
We have plenty of spaces to have a nap when the sun gets too hot, come as you are and share Sabbath blessings with us!
If anyone requires a ride up the hill, this Sabbath, contact Merita at 7598629.
Kiaora All,
Talofa, Ian Letele or (shall I say?) Big Chief Leiataua of Samoa, thanks for your easy to understand research & it will be very helpful for our Samoan folks in Samoa & abroad as a lot of our people are confused.
Brother Lance Cutts, we pray for you & the team at the Lighthouse faamalosi. I have a suggestion. Why not request the Samoa Mission to make the Youth Hall available for your meetings on Sabbath? After all, your offerings & tithes are still going to the Samoa Mission, & besides, the facilities belong to the people (members) and you are Seventh – Day Adventists, whereas the SM is First Day Adventists.
Talofa Lance n Merita,
It’s been great knowing that you are still standing firm in regards to our Creator’s 7th day Sabbath. We are with you all and praying for God’s interceding Power to break thru’ and reveal His Mighty ways to your faithful group. Don’t give up, Jesus is coming soon!
I agree with Bro. Tesese’s suggestion, if Samoa Mission won’t let you use the hall then there’s a lot of Sunday Churches that will let you use theirs on Sabbath for a love offering…and it’s a good way to reach out.
Regards…
I have really appreciated reading through the various posts to this discussion as we have for a long time been on a journey as a denomination to grow in our understanding of Sabbath.
Personally, to have experienced the gradual transition from Sabbath being a rigid letter-of-the-law matter to one of responding to the incredible grace and mercy of God with “How can I best respond, Lord, in a way that is meaningful to You?” has been a life-changing blessing.
The Sabbath, as I have been coming to understand it, is more about engaging honestly and vulnerably with God on His terms. In approaching the question faced by our precious Samoan brothers and sisters, it seems that key issues revolve around what best honours God.
Choices that result in a clearer, worldwide recognition of the “Saturday” Sabbath (sunset to sunset of course) would reflect God’s Unity of purpose more than a letter-of-the-law response.
The whole issue of keeping Sabbath on a round world has challenged us for a long time. For example, those who live closest to the North and South poles, face the challenge of 6 mths of twilight and 6 mths of daylight, and have to define Sabbath by their clocks rather than by a visible sunset. Yet their honouring of God is the best option thanks to the possibility of flexibility. If they were to be bound by Sabbath being each 7 sunsets, it would be a very different outcome.
I know this is very different to what is being faced in Samoa, however, the challenge to be adaptable so that the best outcomes can be reached is similar.
I hope that pride will not get in the way of a resolution that will have to involve a recognition of a mistake having been made – “Sorry, we made an ill-informed choice. Let’s make the change that will be for the better outcome for all concerned, including God.”
May the Lord give those involved the necessary courage…
Beloved,
This morning God let me open my Bible to John 1:51, where Jesus said a few words to a man he had never before met re direct one to one communication between heaven and each one among His People. I then noticed, at the top of the page, the words “Christ purgeth the temple.”
What message(s) of truth do I perceive in those words that I myself just read? Do I allow myself to listen to God Himself talking to me through those words? When God speaks to me, should I expect that His words to me make sense to me? Or, should I satisfy myself that God’s Word is beyond my understanding in the sense that it is forever impossible for me to make sense out of God’s still voice to me personally? That is, to the effect that I must rely on some recognized authority among men to interpret the Word of God for me? If so, which authority among men? My local pastor? The GC of SDA? The Government of my chosen nation? The One World Government of the New World Order? Or perhaps even whatever is being sanctioned by the Pope? Can God speak to me through any one of those? If so, how do I know whether the message I am hearing is from God, or else from an authority approved by men alone?
Does God allow me to make my own choice of authority?
Did God allow Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit?
Did God recommend Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit?
Or, did God warn Adam not to eat of the forbidden fruit?
Do I dare to stand up and be counted as the only one, that first one who is willing to listen and heed a certain specific message of God? Do I dare to be one among the remnant few who dare to be one among the peculiar people of God who is not yet being appreciated among his brethren for his stand?
My thoughts are going back to that most beautiful picture being painted by Ellen White in Early Writings 54.2-56.1.
Do I dare to stand up and follow my Redeemer?
Am I willing to sit still and do nothing so long as the pillar of fire and the cloud over the throne of God is not making clear to His People that it is time to move on?
How do I know to whom I am listening? How do I know to whom the still small voice that I am hearing belong?
Should I expect God to be able to meet even me where I am?
Consider it! Selah!
Andy ©