Why is there church on Sunday? Part 2

Having examined the context of Colossians 2:16 to determine there is no validity here for the statement that 'the church is no longer required to keep the Jewish Sabbaths', lets look at some other statements made by the Reformed pastor in his answer to the person asking why we worship on Sunday.

'Remember', he responds, 'before Jesus rose from the dead, the Old Testament legislation was still in effect. Not only did God's people in Jesus day worship on Saturday, they also had priests, offered sacrifices and circumcised believers and their children. Following Jesus resurrection, however, many things changed. The Old Testament priesthood changed because now Jesus is our only High Priest and every believer is a priest (cf. 1 Peter 1). The sacrificial system changed because Jesus was the once-for-all sacrifice for sin and believers now offer their lives and praises to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15). The sacrament of circumcision was changed to baptism because 'bloody' sacraments were no longer appropriate after Jesus' blood was shed (Colossians 2:11-12). We should not be surprised if there were changes not only with respect to the worship, but also to the Sabbath itself.'  

The main assertion in his response is that the Levitical system which is part of the Torah, is ended, changed to a new system. On this he bases an assumption that the Sabbath also has been changed. But are his claims valid? Has the priesthood changed? 

In Exodus 19:6, at Mt Sinai, God tells Israel 'you shall be for me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation'. ALL of them were meant to be a kingdom of priests. In 1 Peter 2:5 and 9, Peter echoes this. 

While the Levitical system remained, believers in Messiah were to consider themselves a SPIRITUAL priesthood. Interestingly, Revelations 5:10 and 20:6 tell us this entire priesthood will reign on the earth! So it does not appear that the spiritual replaces the physical but completes it.  
 Remember that the physical system is a shadow of the spiritual. The written Torah is a shadow of Yeshua, the Living Torah. HE is the Torah we are to follow. The written is valid, but incomplete. Therefore, it is not finished or ended, it exists to point us to the Living Torah. Perfection can't be attained through the written Torah, but it exists for a purpose. If it is indeed overturned, then the words of the prophets such as Isaiah would be false. 

There are many references to continued sacrifices in the days after Messiah returns. Look at these from Isaiah 56:  

1Thus says the LORD:"Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.2Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast,who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." 3Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from his people";and let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."4For thus says the LORD:"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant,5 I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters;I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6"And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants,everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer;their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."8The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,"I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.  

Has the sacrificial system changed? Not if burnt offerings and sacrifices are still to be made after the final gathering (Isaiah 56). 

The pastor cites Romans 12:1. This verse does not say the system has changed. It is instead an explanation of our spiritual worship. The physical system was well explained in the Torah, remember. Hebrews 13 continues the explanation of this spiritual sacrifice. But it too does not say the Levitical system had ended.  

Has circumcision been replaced with baptism? The proof text here is Colossians 2:11-12. This passage speaks, as do the previous passages, of the spiritual Torah of which the written Torah is a shadow. It is further explanation. It does NOT say that circumcision has been changed to baptism. As a matter of fact, that statement in particular is a huge and illogical jump in reasoning.  

Now it bears saying here that the Torah clearly calls for sacrifices to be offered to God at the temple in Jerusalem. And that is no longer possible. But that does not mean the system has necessarily ended. It appears, instead, to be an even greater pointer to the sacrifice Yeshua made. That the Israelites could no longer cover their unintentional sins with animal sacrifices offered in the prescribed manner should have made them even more aware of their need for Messiah. Perhaps had they cried out as a nation, He would have opened their eyes to the truth. Instead, they replaced the Levitical system with one of their own making, called rabbinic Judaism. 
 
All in all, there is not convincing Biblical evidence given, that the statements the pastor makes are valid. If it is not proven that the church is no longer required to keep the Jewish Sabbath, if it is not proven that the Old Testament priesthood changed, that the sacrificial system changed and that circumcision has been replaced with baptism...then what?  

Next in Part 3...the claim that the day of worship has been switched from the seventh to the first.