| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
The Sabbath: Saturday or Sunday?
Monday, August 13, 2012 3:01
% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.
Almost all Christians refer to the Sabbath as “a Jewish day” thus actually saying that Yahweh has two sets of rules, one for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. The Scriptures present the Sabbath as a universal day in both the Old and New Testament. The Sabbath is a blessed inheritance from Yahweh given at the beginning of time, a rich legacy for all people of the world, not just for the Jewish nation. Yahweh established the seventh day alone as the weekly day of physical rest, worship, and spiritual renewal, and set it apart from the other days of the week. Yahweh has never designated any other day of the week to take the place of the Sabbath, nor has He cancelled or changed the command to observe the Sabbath.
The weekly rest day and the seven day week were created by Yahweh for our existence on earth. The creative genius of Yahweh is captured in Genesis 1, from the formation of light on day one through His ultimate creation of humanity on day six. The Sabbath originated in Eden, not in Sinai, when Yahweh finished and rested from His creation works and blessed and sanctified the seventh day. In Scripture the number seven implies perfection and symbolize perpetuity.
Genesis 2:2-3 describes the origin of our seven day week and how Yahweh established the seventh day Sabbath: “By the seventh day Yahweh completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then Yahweh blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and made.”
These two verses in Genesis 2 also highlight the fact that our seven day week, still observed around the world, came into existence at creation. Its origin and sacredness are found in the act of Yahweh himself resting from His work on the seventh day of the week, then blessing it and declaring it Holy. Yahweh treated the seventh day differently than the first six days of the week. On days one through six He completed His creative work but on the seventh day He rested from all his work, thus setting the seventh day apart from the first six days as a day of rest which He Himself followed as an example to us. By blessing the seventh day, Yahweh proclaimed the Sabbath to be His special day. By honouring the Sabbath we will share in the blessings it brings forth.
Yahweh made the seventh day a Holy day. He sanctified it and set it apart from all other days of the week. The seventh day alone is Holy, it is Yahweh’s day. It is a religious day. He consecrated the seventh day of the week to Himself, it belongs to Him. In Leviticus 23:3 Yahweh calls the Sabbath a sacred assembly, a corporate day of worship. We cannot nullify Yahweh’s act of sanctifying the seventh day of the week.
The fact that the Sabbath is a creation order dispels the idea that the weekly Sabbath is part of the ceremonial law and thus has been abolished by the death of Yeshua. This statement cannot be true because the Sabbath was instituted before the fall of Adam into sin and consequently there was no need of a saviour. Therefore, the weekly Sabbath is not, and cannot be, ceremonial.The setting apart of one day in seven for a holy convocation was a divine appointment ever since Yahweh created man upon the earth, and the most ancient of affirmative laws. The Bible never refers to any other day of the week as the Sabbath.
Yeshua’s observance of the Sabbath set an example for us. Luke writes in Luke 4:16…“On the Sabbath day he [Yeshua] went into the synagogue, as was his custom” Again in Luke 13:10 …“On a Sabbath Yeshua was teaching in one of the synagogues”. Not only did Luke confirm Yeshua’s observance of the Sabbath, he reported that Yeshua began His ministry after His baptism, desert fast and temptation on the Sabbath in Nazareth…“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” . . . 21And he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-19, 21).
Yeshua’s observance of the Sabbath reinforces the practice of Sabbath observance for the New Testament church. Almost all Christians attach great importance to the New Testament ordinances of Baptism and Holy Communion established through Yeshua’s example, but the Sabbath which He lead by example is excluded. How is that justified?
The church needs to seriously consider that Yeshua, by His own example and instruction prior to His crucifixion, demonstrated what He continued to expect of His followers. Yeshua’s example and teachings regarding proper Sabbath observance should carry the same weight as His instruction on baptism, communion, prayer, worship, and obedience to the Word of Yahweh. Yeshua gave us some clear instruction on how we are to regard the Sabbath when He said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Yahweh bestowed His blessing on man by providing a regular, established time to rest and to experience spiritual renewal through worship. The Sabbath is Yahweh’s gift to man. This instruction would have no value or consequence if Yeshua had intended the Sabbath to be discontinued immediately after His crucifixion. If the Sabbath had not been important to Yeshua, He would not have created so much hatred toward Himself by correcting the traditional practices of the ‘Jews’ Sabbath observance. His actions were not intended to revoke the Sabbath, but to give proper perspective in its observance.
Yeshua claimed ownership of the Sabbath. “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). Yeshua knew from Creation how the Sabbath was intended to be observed. He proclaimed it! “By him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16). Whether Yeshua performed miracles, attended the synagogue, or whether He preached and taught on the Sabbath, His action reflected the manner in which the Sabbath was intended to be observed. His example of Sabbath observance and His proclamation regarding its purpose support the Sabbath’s ongoing sacredness for the Christian era. In exercising His lordship over the Sabbath, Yeshua denounced the hypocrisy with which the Jews of His time observed it (Luke 13:14-16). He never devalued the Sabbath as a blessing to man. In His lordship, He claimed the Sabbath as His own and promoted its blessedness.
There is no biblical evidence that the seventh day Sabbath observance was ever changed by Yeshua to the first day. The fact that He chose to meet with His disciples on the first day of the week to strengthen their faith, instruct them in doctrine and engage in fellowship is not a indication that He changed the Sabbath to a Sunday (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:15-31, 36; John 20:19, 26).
Another so called reason why Christians observe the first day of the week as the Sabbath is because Christian Theology teaches that Yeshua rose from the dead on the Sunday, the first day. This teaching is incorrect. The only part that Christian Theology has correct is that the Two Mary’s went to Yeshua’s grave early on Sunday morning (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). The fact that they went to Yeshua’s grave early on Sunday morning, the first day of the week does not mean that our Messiah rose from the dead on Sunday.
There is no question that Yeshua was in the tomb for “three days and three nights” — beginning at sunset on Thursday, Nisan 15, the High Sabbath, the first day of “the feast of unleavened bread”, and ending at sunset on the weekly Sabbath (Saturday), Nisan 17. Yeshua was resurrected on the Saturday evening after sunset, not Sunday morning as generally accepted by the Christian Church.
You can read a complete account of the true facts as detailed in an exposition on my “Coming Prince of Peace” Blog with Title: “Was Jesus’ crucifixion on a Friday as per Church tradition?”
The book of Acts reports that the early Christians were still meeting on the Sabbath for worship and Bible teaching many years after the death and resurrection of Yeshua. Sabbath worship in a synagogue is mentioned four times in Acts 13. Three of these references state that Jews and Gentile converts were present. In verse 14 Paul and his companions went to a synagogue in Antioch, where Paul preached the gospel of Yeshua, the Messiah to the people of Israel and the Gentiles (Acts 13:16). The Gentiles who worshipped Yeshua commonly joined in synagogue worship where the words of the prophets were read every Sabbath (Acts 13: 27). In Acts 13:42 we read that as Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath”. In Acts 13:44 we read that on the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
In addressing the elders in Jerusalem concerning the matter of how Gentile converts should be received into the fellowship of the church, James refers to the Sabbath (Acts 15:21).
Acts 16:13-15 gives the account of a Sabbath gathering when Lydia, a Gentile woman, was converted. Paul’s custom was to go to a synagogue on the Sabbath day regardless where he traveled. Acts 17:1- 4 recount that Paul attended the synagogue service in Thessalonica three Sabbath days and that his preaching brought results: “Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of worshipping Greeks and not a few prominent women” (Acts 17:4).
In Acts 18: 4 – 8 we read that when Paul was in Corinth he went to the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade Jews and Gentiles that Yeshua is the Messiah. As opposition arose, Paul and his interested listeners had to leave the synagogue and move to a house next door to hold services. All these accounts illustrate that Paul and the first century church made the Sabbath the principal day to congregate for worship and preaching of the Word of Yahweh. While evangelism and Bible teaching occurred other days of the week, the New Testament church honored the Sabbath day as their weekly assembly day.
There is no record of the first century church honoring any other day of the week for assembly and worship as they did the Sabbath. Neither is there biblical instruction to honor any other day in the manner the Sabbath was observed in the New Testament. The biblical record shows continuity of the church’s Sabbath observance and regular assembly on the Sabbath after the resurrection of Yeshua.
In fact there are few doctrines and practices as well documented in the Bible as that of the Sabbath, its manner of observance, and its purpose. Yeshua’s own example of Sabbath observance and His teaching was to strengthen and preserve the Sabbath for the Christian era.
The author of the Book of Hebrews identifies Israel’s failure to enter the rest God had provided.The tragic unbelief of the desert generation of Israelites (Hebrews 3:7-19), serves as a warning for believers today to enter into God’s rest, which is still offered to the faithful (Hebrews 4:6-11).
Sunday is not the Sabbath day as generally accepted by Christians today. In fact it is the day on which the ancient pagans assembled at sunrise, faced the east and worshiped the rising sun. Take note, it is a pagan worship day set up by Satan himself. Sunday worship was part of the overall counterfeit plan by Satan to setup another day of worship to deprive Yahweh of His authority and attempt to elevate himself above the most high, Yahweh the creator. In Isaiah 14:13 & 14 we read that the plan was laid out by the boastful words of Satan. He said, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of the most High; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” As he intended to be like God Elohim he would have to have a government, a throne, and a false worship based on a counterfeit religion. It was to be set up on the principle of sun worship. Since the sun was the most potent force in nature and was the source of earthly light and power, it seemed a readymade symbol of Satan himself and what he was seeking to ascribe to himself. If you think this is farfetched, you need to pause and hear what the Bible has to say about Satan’s plans. First of all, notice that Lucifer’s name actually means “day star” (Isaiah 14:12 CJB). Describing Satan the Bible says in Ezekiel 28:17…“thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” The day star of this world is the sun and that is why Satan chose the sun as the object through which he would be worshiped. We read in the Bible about Nimrod, the man who had something to do with the beginning of pagan sun worship. We read about him in Genesis 10:8-10. “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel (Babylon).
Nimrod, one of the great-grandsons of Noah, is accredited with being the originator of sun worship. Nimrod was a great leader, and he was the first empire builder. He was the founder of Babylon. According to history, his wife, Semiramis, was a great and wicked queen. Through Semiramis we find the devil trying to counterfeit Yahweh’s great, wonderful plan of salvation. She was the first sacred queen of Babylon, and Nimrod was the first sacred king. When Nimrod died, the people mourned. They said that he was a god. Semiramis, in order to elevate her own position, said to the people that she was the queen of heaven and that her spirit was that of the moon, and when she died she would dwell in the moon, even as Nimrod was already in the sun.
Satan was laying the foundation for every system of falsehood and wrongness the world has ever known. He took the truth of Word and perverted it, changed it into a lie, thus they “worshipped and served the creature (Satan) more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Let us never forget that this system of religion, while professing to be the true religion, is actually devil worship. It professes and claims to be the truth of Yahweh but in reality it is Satan’s masterpiece. This truth should be deeply imprinted in your minds today: “worshipping the sun is devil worship”
Right through the Old Testament we see how Yahweh had a constant battle with his people in regards to the satanic practice of sun worship. Satan made it so tempting and intriguing that the children of Israel were constantly turning away from true Sabbath in order to keep them from worshipping the Lord. The text in Exodus 32:1-4 describes the golden calf that the Israelites made while Moses was up in the mountain with Yahweh. In Verse 6 we see that “they rose up early in the morning” to worship the golden calf which was coupled with the Egyptian pagan sun worship. That is why they rose up early to worship the sun. Yahweh sent Moses down to apprehend the people who have “corrupted themselves”. No wonder Moses was so outraged that he threw down the tables of stone and broke them to pieces.
Through time Satan continued to cement Sunday as his pagan worship day. In 364BC, Constantine, emperor of the Roman Empire made Sunday the official so called ‘Christian day of rest.’ Although Constantine was the one who instituted this pagan worship day it was the Catholic Church who enforced it. Thus, since this fourth century edict, much of Christianity accepted Sunday as the “Lord’s Day,” or the so called “Christian Sabbath.”
To this day the Roman Catholic Church claims that it had the authority to change Yahweh’s Fourth Commandment and transfer the solemnity of the seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, the first day of the week. This blatant show of authority is directly opposed to the Word of the Lord. Yahweh never relinquished His authority to any man at any time to change His Sabbath commandment, or for that matter, any commandment. You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the dedication of Sunday. Scripture enforce the religious observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a day which the church refuse to sanctify.
Sun worship or Sunday worship is a false teaching and a great sin against Yahweh that violates not only the Fourth Commandment, but the creation ordinance of Yahweh. Sunday keeping is part of the Satan’s grand counterfeit that looks Christian and proclaims to be Christian, but is, in fact a blatant lie. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; Revelation 13:11-14). It took thousands of years but Satan eventually scored a strategic victory in his battle for sun worship when he finally got the Roman Catholic Church to substitute Yahweh’s true seventh day Sabbath for the pagan day of sun worship, Sunday. And the greatest tragedy is that millions of modern Christians are unaware that by keeping Sunday, they are rejecting the one great ordinance and blessing Yahweh commanded all of humanity to observe. They do not understand that they are observing a day which was dedicated to sun worship many, many centuries ago.
Consistent evidence throughout the Scriptures supports the seventh day Sabbath observance by Christians. The Bible illustrates that the Sabbath has a special place in the mind of Yahweh. It is an integral part of His creation ordinance. The day was made for mankind as a special time set apart by Yahweh Himself for Holy purposes. A day in which to delight ourselves in the Lord, our Creator and Redeemer.
By Johann Loots
Reference:
1 “Paganism in the church (Part 1)” http://www.remnantofgod.org/paganism.htm (Accessed 13 August, 2012)
2012-08-13 02:51:57
Source: http://thecomingprinceofpeace.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-sabbath-saturday-or-sunday.html
In the early church the day started at twelve noon and went from noon to noon. The day has only two parts an evening and morning and the day started with evening. [Genesis 1] God’s year never started in the middle of winter in the middle of the night. It started on the first day of spring at twelve noon during a time when all things were being renewed. Tampering with God’s calendar has taken us to where we are now. THE JULIAN CALENDAR. We have endured many lies. The earth is not spinning around at 1037 mph daily and is not orbiting the sun yearly. PSALMS 94 says the earth does NOT move. If it did, your satellite would not work. The earth is the center and all space circles the Earth. Nasa knows this. A man named Copernicus came up with the lie that the earth is spinning at 1037 mph 400 years ago in order to make the Bible a lie. He was an atheist. Before him it was taught that the earth did not move and we were not orbiting the sun at 66,600mph. The wind is not blowing now where I am and surely not blowing at over a thousand mph.
Do we know when the Sabbath is? The Roman week had eight days.
Mr. Loots,
I would like you to read Acts 15:1 through Acts 15:35. It explains that the Jeish Christians realizing that the non Jewish Christians(of which I am ) have received the Holy Spirit because of FAITH. In verse 23 a letter is then sent to these non Jewish Christians must now follow the NECESSARY rules that allow them to be accepted as true Christians. Verse 30 through 35 concludes with the relief and joy these non Jewish Christians experienced because they realized the peace of God because they had been accepted because of their FAITH.
Peace to you, gb
The Mark of the Beast, Johann, is the only major point you missed. Otherwise a fine article with only minor errors.
However, missing the connection to the Mark of the Beast is very serious though easy to do. The deception is great.
Search for ‘seal’ in your Bible/Concordance, rather than ‘mark’, and it quickly becomes self explanatory. Rev. 20:3 is very clear on the meaning and application of the word. Several other scriptures clearly support the use of the word ‘seal’ as synonymous with ‘mark’.
The ‘Sabbath’ is a mark upon Yahweh’s people sealing them for a purpose. ‘Sunday’ is a mark upon Satan’s people sealing them also but for a different purpose. The scriptures are very clear on this point.
I bet you are glad I said it and not you.
Christians have their day of worship on the pagan day of worship, Sunday, because Christianity is pagan sun worshipping Mithrasism wearing a new name. The sun is reborn every year on 25th december.
Jesus on the other hand is claimed to be Jewish and said “For I tell you that unless your rightousness SURPASSES (is greater) than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly NOT enter the kingdom of heaven”. Mathew 5. 17-20.
This means the Mitzvot, following all 613 laws in the old testament, including 100 laws on animal sacrifices. So unless you are following these laws better than the law keeprs, you are not following what Jesus said and you won’t enter the kingdom of heaven. The Jewish day of worship is on Saturdays because it is a Saturnalian based religion.
The sabbath is actually on Wednesday…….you heard it here