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“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. ” (Exodus 20:8-11).
It has been said by some that “Christians don't have to keep the seventh day sabbath because Exodus chapter 31 and Ezekiel chapter 20 says that the sabbath was a sign only between God and the children of Israel.” Well, aren't Christians the children of Israel by grace through faith? The apostle Paul said, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” (Gal. 3:7). Jacob, whom God named Israel, called Abraham “my father Abraham” (Gen. 32:9). The children of Israel are the children “of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob” (Ex. 3:16). The Bible says that we were “graffed in among them” (Rom. 11:17) as “heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him” (Jam. 2:5). And we also read where the church of God is called “the Israel of God” in the New Testament (Gal. 6:16). The Lord said, “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever” (Ex. 31:17). This extends to the New Testament believer, because Paul said, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.... And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:26,29).
It is asserted by some that the fourth commandment seventh day sabbath is no different from the annual ceremonial sabbaths of the Mosaic or Levitical law. They believe that the seventh day sabbath was fulfilled in Jesus Christ and abolished at Calvary, and that as Christians we now rest from, or discontinue, good works, or the works of the law. They assert that of the ten commandments only one was abolished, leaving the other nine intact and binding. This hypothesis is not only self contradicting it is also dangerously flawed. This type of hermeneutics, or methods of interpreting Scripture, is not based on sound doctrine, but on un-sound reasoning of carnal minded men. These “wise and prudent” Bible interpreters assert that the seventh day sabbath was only a type and shadow of a rest from sins that man would enter into upon his conversion to Christianity. But we see in Genesis chapter two before sin ever entered into the world God himself is keeping the seventh day sabbath: “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Gen. 2:2,3). The apostle Paul said, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.... For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.” (Heb. 4:1,4). Clearly Paul is speaking of the seventh day sabbath: “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day....” God established a pattern for us when he ceased creating. Paul continues, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” (Heb. 4:9). The word “remaineth” means “4.To continue unchanged,” “5.Not to be forgotten.” “8.To continue in the same state.” (An American Dictionary of The English Language, Noah Webster, 1828)
“This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.” (Isaiah 30:15)
The Jewish festivals, new-moons and sabbaths, as they were shadows and figures of good things to come under the Gospel, our Lord did abolish. When the substance was come, the shadow vanished. And it is of sabbaths in this sense the Apostle speaks, Col. 2:16 “Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy-day, or of the new-moon, or of the sabbath days.” But the seventh day Sabbath was no part of the Levitical law, it existed long before that, and therefore was not abolished with it. On the contrary, our Lord claims dominion over the Sabbath. “And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” (Luke 6:5). Therefore the Sabbath must be an ordinance belonging to our Lord's kingdom, otherwise he could not be Lord of it. He never pretended to be Lord of circumcision, or of sacrifices; these belonged to a dispensation of which he was not Lord. But he is Lord of the Christian dispensation, and its ordinances, and among the rest of the seventh day Sabbath. In consequence of which Lordship he rectified the superstitious abuse of the Sabbath, and reduced it to the original standard. He reformed the traditionary corruptions of several of the commandments of moral and eternal obligation. But of all others, most signally, remarkably, and constantly, by words and by deeds, at the hazard of his life, he reformed the abuse of the fourth commandment; which he never would have done, had the Sabbath been an ordinance, that was to die in a little time with the Jewish dispensation. On the contrary, this demonstrates, that he regarded the just sanctification of the Sabbath as of perpetual obligation, and as of very great importance in pure religion undefiled before God (James 1:27). (See The Abrahamic Mosaic Law)
Attempting to rationalize their opinions some have said, “It doesn't matter what day we set aside as a day of rest as long as we keep at least one day out of seven.” But where does it say that in the Bible? It is nowhere in the Bible. In fact the Bible makes it clear that God sanctified the day, not the rest. “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” (Gen. 2:3); “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy....the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God...wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Ex. 20:8-11). Unto every born again faithful disciple of Christ who will “hear the word of God, and do it,” the seventh day sabbath affords a physical rest for the body as well as a spiritual refreshing for the soul (Luke 8:21). Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest....and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt. 11:28). The apostle Paul warned, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” (Heb. 3:12).
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” (Jer. 6:16)
“We will not walk therein” has been the mantra of the Romanized Christian world since the time of the great apostasy in the fourth century when the so called “Christian” Emperor Constantine formed a union between church and state and officially decreed the pagan “venerable day of the sun” to be the Christian Sabbath. For more than a thousand years during the Dark Ages (circa 500-1500 A.D.) many attempts were made by the Papacy to eradicate the seventh day sabbath from all of its dominions but were never wholly successful. Historian Albert N. Rogers wrote,
“There is much evidence showing that as the Roman church gradually expelled the Sabbath, those who were loyal to the law of God and the practices of the apostolic church, stood firm, regardless of excommunication and persecution. Dissenters who kept the Sabbath, existed under different names from the time of the Pope to the Reformation. They were either the descendants of those who fled from the heathen persecutions previous to the time of Constantine, or else those who, when he began to rule the church and force false practices upon it, refused submission, and sought seclusion and freedom to obey God. In their earlier history they were known as Nazarenes, Cerinthians and Hypsistarii, and later, as Vaudois, Cathari, Toulousians, Albigenses, Petrobrusians, Passagii, and Waldenses.... The reigning church hated and followed them with its persecutions. In consequence of this unscrupulous opposition, it is difficult to learn all the facts concerning them, since the only available accounts have come to us through the hands of their enemies. Before the age of printing, their books were few, and from time to time these were destroyed by their persecutors, so that we have only fragments from their own writers. At the beginning of the twelfth century they had grown in strength and numbers to such an extent as to call forth earnest opposition and bloody persecution from the Papal power. Their enemies have made many unreasonable and false charges concerning their doctrines and practices, but all agree that they rejected the doctrine of “church authority,” and appealed to the Bible as their only rule of faith and practice.” (Seventh Day Baptists in Europe and America, Vol. 1, 1910, pp. 15, 16)
The observance of the seventh-day sabbath has never wholly ceased in the Christian church. Thomas Morer, a clergyman of the Church of England, wrote in 1701 that “the Primitive Christians had a great veneration for the Sabbath, and spent the Day in Devotion and Sermons. And 'tis not to be doubted but they derived this Practice from the Apostles themselves.” (A Discourse in Six Dialogues, Thomas Morer, 1701, p. 189). “For nearly 2,000 years in Scripture and in history it is always ‘the seventh day is the sabbath,’—never Sunday. The Israelites of the New Covenant, under various names in history, from the time of the Messiah until now, have been witnesses also that ‘the seventh day is the sabbath.’” (The Sabbath Recorder, 1911, p. 294).
“For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” (Isaiah 30:15)
It has been said by some that the seventh day sabbath was “nailed to the cross” because it was only in force under the Mosaic law. But the scriptures reveal that the seventh day sabbath was observed from creation: it was established long before Moses in no special connection with the Hebrews, but as an institution for all mankind. Long before the Jewish nation came into existence, and long after the garden of Eden where the seventh day sabbath was sanctified (Gen. 2:3; Ex. 20:11; Heb. 4:4), we see Abraham keeping the commandments of God: “Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Gen. 26:5). What laws of God did Abraham obey centuries before Moses? The ten commandments, God's eternal spiritual law (Rom. 7:14). Long before the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai they broke the fourth commandment seventh day sabbath that God commanded them to keep: “And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath... the seventh day.” (Ex. 16:27-29). The laws of God contained in the ten commandments were in effect prior to the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai. The second commandment prohibits the worship of images and bowing before a statue. Long before Moses' time Genesis 31:19 records that Rachel, Jacob's wife, stole the graven images from the home of her idolatrous father. Genesis 35:2 is evidence the patriarchs knew idol worship was sin. In Genesis chapter 39, we see where adultery, which the seventh commandment prohibits, is recognized as “great wickedness, and sin against God” (Gen. 39:9). Abraham and the other patriarchs confirmed that “The sabbath was made for man,” just as Jesus said it was (Mark 2:27). Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt. 11:29). The New Testament has numerous references to the seventh day sabbath. We see, for instance, “the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.” (Acts 13:42); and the apostle Paul “reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” (Acts 18:4).
Do those pastors and preachers who believe that the seventh day sabbath was nailed to the cross believe that the “commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law” was also nailed to the cross (Heb. 7:5)? The apostle Paul said that “Abraham gave a tenth part of all;” and that “Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.” (Heb. 7:2,9). But then Paul said that “the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.” (Heb. 7:12). To be consistent, pastors and preachers who teach their congregations that the seventh day sabbath was done away with at Calvary must also teach their congregations that the paying of tithes is no longer required. To teach otherwise would be most hypocritical.
To surmise that one of the ten commandments was abolished while the other nine are still binding is nothing more than speculative folly. Again, some might say, “If we have to keep the fourth commandment, the seventh day sabbath, then that would mean that we have to keep it exactly as it was kept in the Old Testament, 'let no man go out of his place,' 'kindle no fire,' etc.” Again, this mind-set goes back to the confusing of the two distinct sets of Old Testament laws (the carnal ordinances written by Moses; the spiritual ordinances written with the finger of God Heb. 9:1,10; 10:11; Col. 2:14; Deut. 31:24-26; Ex. 31:18; Deut. 9:10; Heb. 10:1; 8:10 see WHAT LAW WAS NAILED TO THE CROSS?). The ten commandments were in effect in the days of Jesus and in the days of the apostles. Luke tells us that after Jesus Christ was crucified, the disciples “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.” (Luke 23:56). The disciples kept the seventh day sabbath after Jesus said “It is finished” and he died on the cross and “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom”, meaning that the old covenant has past away and the new covenant is begun and “the way into the holiest of all” is now “made manifest” “by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” (John 19:30; Matt. 27:51; Heb. 9:8; Luke 23:56; II Tim. 1:10). When Jesus came on the scene he explained the ten commandments in a more perfect manner, as did his apostles. Jesus Christ did not diminish any of the ten commandments in any way. On the contrary, he elevated and magnified the ten commandments. The almost universal, popular error concerning the Sabbath under the Christian Dispensation has come because men have assumed that Christ discarded the Sabbath instead of cleansing and uplifting it:
“The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.” (Isaiah 42:21)
In the Old Testament, both the man and the woman who committed adultery were punished with death (Lev. 20:10). A man was not put to death for simply looking on a woman with lust. In the New Testament, however, Jesus tells us “That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matt. 5:28). Does this mean that the seventh commandment was abolished? No. In the Old Testament, when someone committed murder they were put to death (Lev. 24:17). People were not put to death if they simply hated someone. In the New Testament, however, the apostle John tells us that “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer” (I John 3:15). Does this mean that the sixth commandment was abolished? No. In the Old Testament, every one that defiled the seventh day sabbath was put to death (Ex. 31:14). In the New Testament, however, Jesus and his disciples did things that were considered unlawful to do on the sabbath day, such as healing the sick and plucking ears of corn (Matt. 12:1-14; ). Does this mean that the fourth commandment was abolished? No. Jesus and his apostles did not abolish these commandments. They simply shed more light on them. The acts of healing the sick and plucking ears of corn on the sabbath day were allowed because Jesus said “That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” (Luke 6:5), and “it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.” (Matt. 12:12).
But some might ask, “Doesn't Revelation chapter one verse ten tell us that the Lord's Day is the first day of the week?” No, it does not say that at all. Nowhere in this verse, nor in any other verse in the Bible, is the first day of the week referred to as ‘the Lord's day’. This expression, “Lord's Day,” points to the seventh-day Sabbath in both the Old and New Testaments. “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God.” (Ex. 20:10). In Isaiah chapter fifty-eight verse thirteen the Lord calls the Sabbath “my holy day.” The Lord's day is the day of which Christ is the Lord: He says He is Lord of the Sabbath day (Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28). “There is not one instance in the so-called Fathers, Clement, Justin Martyr, or any other writer before the end of the second century, that Sunday was called the Lord's day, or that the Lord's day was called Sunday.” (The Sabbath Recorder, 1911, p. 294).
Again, some might ask, “Doesn't 1st Corinthians chapter 16 verses 1 through 3 instruct us to have church meetings on the first day of the week?” No, these scripture verses say no such thing. Here Paul is speaking “concerning the collection for the saints” and is telling the Christians at Corinth to collect money and necessities which were to be sent to the poor saints who were in Jerusalem (I Cor. 16:1; Acts 11:28,29). It was not a tithe or collection for the visiting or presiding pastor. The subject matter of 1st Corinthians chapter 16 verses 1 through 3 is charity; not the first day of the week. These verses are not instructions nor even suggestions for us to have church meetings on the first day of the week. Paul is encouraging the disciples to keep God's commandments “in deed and in truth” as Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (I John 3:18; Matt. 25:40). Paul speaks on this same subject in 2nd Corinthians chapter 8 and again in chapter 9 where he referred to the “distributing to the necessity of saints” (Rom. 12:13) as “the experiment of this ministration” (II Cor. 9:13). And also in Romans chapter 15 verse 26 Paul wrote, “For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.” Read 2nd Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 in their entirety and context and you'll see that Paul was not speaking about giving to certain churches or pastors perse, but of “the fellowship of the ministering to the saints” (II Cor. 8:4) as in Acts chapter 4 verse 35 when “distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” and chapter 20 verse 35 “how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (see also Deuteronomy 15:11; Proverbs 19:17; Matthew 19:21; Mark 10:21; John 13:35; 15:17; Romans 15:27; Galatians 2:10; 5:13; 6:10; Hebrews 6:10; James 2:14-20; I John 3:17,18)
It is claimed by some that the early church Fathers gave testimonies in support of Sunday sacredness. But history does not bear this out. The following excerpts are from the third edition of History of The Sabbath and The First Day of The Week published in 1887:
“The Ante-Nicene Fathers are those Christian writers who flourished after the time of the apostles, and before the council of Nice, A.D. 325. Those who govern their lives by the volume of inspiration [the Bible] do not recognize any authority in these Fathers to change any precept of that book, nor to add any new precepts to it. But those whose rule of life is the Bible as modified by tradition, regard the early Fathers of the church as nearly or quite equal in authority to the inspired writers." "The people who trust in the Fathers as their authority for departing from God's commandment, are miserably deceived as to what the Fathers teach.
1. The Fathers are so far from testifying that the apostles told them Christ changed the Sabbath, that not even one of them ever alludes to such a change.
2. No one of them ever calls the first day the Christian Sabbath, nor, indeed, ever calls it a Sabbath of any kind.
3. They never represent it as a day on which ordinary labor was sinful; nor do they represent the observance of Sunday as an act of obedience to the fourth commandment.
4. The modern doctrine of the change of the Sabbath was therefore absolutely unknown in the first centuries of the Christian church.”“The truth is, no writer of the first century, and no one of the second, prior to A.D. 194, who is known to speak of the first day of the week, ever calls it the Lord's day!” (History of The Sabbath and The First Day of The Week, John Andrews, 1887, pp. 205,206,207,208)
The disciples did not stop keeping the sabbath after Jesus died, nor did they transfer it to another day. There is not a single verse in the New Testament authorizing the transfer of the sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. This popular belief was gradually introduced into Christianity early in the history of the church, beginning sometime around A.D. 150, and officially sanctioned by the paganized Roman church at the Council of Laodicea in the fourth century. Many of the Reformation Protestants who came out of the church of Rome (which is spiritual Babylon) refused to abandon the Sunday (Sun Day) ‘sabbath’. Some people use Acts chapter 20 verse 7, at least in part, as the basis of their authority to make Sunday a holy day. They say, “In Acts 20:7 it says the disciples broke bread on the first day of the week.” Yes, but according to Acts 2:46 the disciples broke bread every day of the week. In the New Testament the first day of the week is mentioned a total of eight times, but at no time is it called the Sabbath (Matt. 28:1, Mark 16:1, 2, Mark 16:9, Luke 24:1, John 20:1, John 20:19, Acts 20:7, I Cor. 16:2). Note that the first 5 verses refer to the same event, when certain disciples “came unto the sepulchre” “after he was risen” (Mark 16:14). And the last 3 verses are all unrelated. These verses have nothing whatsoever to do with amending the seventh day sabbath or with the authorization of the first day of the week as a holy day. (See Confessions About Sunday, & Is Sunday Sacred and Holy?). In fact Acts 20:7 is the only New Testament record of a religious meeting held on the first day of the week. Moreover, notice these five important points:
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1) This is the only record of the disciples breaking bread on the first day.
2) They broke bread every day of the week according to Acts 2:46. 3) The account of this meeting says nothing about the Sabbath. 4) This was a special meeting held because Paul was about to leave on a journey. 5) The meeting is mentioned by Luke because of the restoration of a young man who fell and was killed. |
Are there any New Testament verses enjoining the commemoration of Christ's resurrection on the actual day on which it occurred? No! Is Sunday ever called in the New Testament the “Day of Resurrection” No! It is consistently denominated “the first day of the week.” Was the “Lord's Supper” celebrated exclusively on Sunday “in remembrance” of Christ (Luke 22:19)? No! The New Testament tells us that it was celebrated at intermediate times and on various days and in different locations, “from house to house” (I Cor. 11:18,20,33,34; Acts 2:46). Moreover, the rite proclaims, primarily, “the Lord's death till he come” (I Cor. 11:26). Strictly speaking, the disciples commemorated the Lord's death, not his resurrection.
One of the keys to understanding the scriptures is to pay close attention to context. Taking Bible verses out of context, which is a common practice among many professing Christians today, is one of the main reasons for misunderstanding the scriptures, and is the cause of a number of erroneous beliefs. The scripture verses most often pointed to as “proof” of a first day sabbath are:
“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” (John 20:19)
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.” (Acts 20:7,8)
“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:1,2)
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” (Revelation 1:10)
But notice the reason that John gives for the disciples assembling together in chapter twenty: “the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19); they were not there to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, because at that time they still did not believe he was risen. And regarding the disciples breaking bread on the first day of the week in Acts 20, this was a night-time meal gathering in honor of Paul who was “to depart on the morrow” and was held after the sun had set Saturday evening “even till break of day” Sunday as revealed in verse eleven, and had nothing to do with establishing Sunday as a sabbath. And regarding the collection for the saints “Upon the first day of the week”– notice Paul does not say that the people would be at church on that day, or that these collections were to be made at church, but merely that every man should lay up by himself in store upon that day (I Cor. 16:1,2) for the same reason the disciples waited to anoint Jesus' body with spices upon that day, “when the sabbath was past” so as not to “profane the sabbath day” (Mark 16:1; Nehemiah 13:15-22). And “the Lord’s day” is the day of which Christ is the Lord, the seventh day sabbath, the day the Lord calls “my holy day;” which is revealed in the scriptures and is established by at least three independent witnesses (Isa. 58:13; Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28; Rev. 1:10). All of the verses listed above have been sufficiently explained in this article. If someone is to infer that the verses listed above are in any way suggestive of a first day sabbath, then the verses listed below must be considered as proof that the fourth commandment seventh day sabbath is still in force:
“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.” (Acts 13:42)
“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:44)
“And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.” (Acts 16:13)
“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,” (Acts 17:2)
“And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” (Acts 18:4)
The book of Acts, which provides the earliest historical account of the church, gives no hint that the acceptance of the Messiah caused converted Jews to abandon the regular worship time and places of their own people. Peter and John, for example, after the Pentecost experience, went “into the temple at the hour of prayer” (Acts 3:1). There are ample indications that seventh day sabbath attendance at the temple and synagogue was still continued by Christ's followers, though private meetings were also conducted. The synagogue is, in fact, the place of worship most frequently mentioned as attended not only by Christ and his disciples but also by Christian converts. Paul, for example, met regularly in the synagogue on the Sabbath with “Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:4,19; 13:5,14,42,44; 14:1; 17:1,10,17). Acts 13:42 says that “the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.” Clearly, the apostles regularly observed the seventh day sabbath “according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). The following excerpts are from the fourth edition of History of The Sabbath and The First Day of The Week published in 1912:
“In the ceremonial law given to Israel through the instrumentality of Moses, there were special sacrifices enjoined on the weekly Sabbath, the seven annual sabbaths, and the new moons. The usual continual offering had to be made every day; but these sabbaths were distinguished from the ordinary weekdays by the addition of further offerings. The purpose of an offering is consecration to God in willing obedience; for obedience as the fruit of faith is what God desires. Offerings are acceptable to God only when they are rendered as expressions of faith on the part of a truly repentant sinner, who thus confesses that God has provided a sacrifice as a propitiation for sin, and that he from that time on, as the one atoned for, promises to obey God. Hence, when Israel deviated from this faith and willing obedience, their offerings became an abomination to the Lord. His holy name was disgraced by them; and these feast-days, with their important sacrifices, became mere sacrilegious farces, whereas they should have expressed increased devotion. "The calling of assemblies" and "the solemn meetings" were "an abomination" unto the Lord, and he therefore says to Israel: "Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them." All these festivals were in themselves good, in that they served as an expression of faith in the redemption provided for deliverance from sin.
The difference between these seven annual sabbaths of Israel and the weekly Sabbath of the Lord, has been clearly distinguished by God: —
1. The Lord himself made this distinction twice in the enumeration of the feasts as recorded in Lev. 23: 2-4, 37, 38.
2. God rested on the first seventh day, and with the completion of each week comes the recurrence of the divine rest day; the celebration of the annual sabbaths was by man only.
3. The weekly Sabbath was the divine memorial of a finished creation; the annual sabbaths pertained to the plan of redemption, and were instituted after creation was marred by sin.
4. The weekly Sabbath originated in paradise before sin entered the world; the annual sabbaths have reference to the gospel provision for salvation from sin.
5. The one was weekly, a memorial of the Creator's rest; the others were annual, connected with the memorials of the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt.
6. The one was proclaimed by God as one of the ten commandments, was written with his finger, in the midst of the moral law upon the tables of stone, and deposited in the ark beneath the mercy-seat; the others were embodied in that handwriting of ordinances which was a shadow of good things to come.The annual sabbaths were imperfect representations and types of future realities, and were given to Israel through Moses, in the wilderness, to be celebrated first and only in Canaan, until they were superseded by the reality in Christ. They were consequently national, local, and temporary. The weekly Sabbath, however, was the divine rest day, was blessed and sanctified at creation for all men, times, and places.” (History of The Sabbath and The First Day of The Week, John Andrews, 1912, pp. 106,107,108)
After the Old Testament law of Moses was abolished, true Christians in the early church kept the ten commandments and observed the fourth commandment seventh day sabbath. If we would humble our heart as a little child and desire the sincere milk of the word, and compare spiritual things with spiritual, comparing scripture with scripture, allowing the scriptures to interpret themselves, we would lessen our chances of taking verses out of context to justify our private interpretation of scripture, and we would understand that keeping God's “commandments are not grievous”, but are “all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge” (Prov. 8:9; Matt. 18:4; Luke 18:17; I Pet. 2:2; I Cor. 2:13; II Pet. 1:20; I John 5:3). The ten commandments were not abolished in any way, shape or form. Jesus and his apostles expounded unto us the ten commandments more perfectly. And the two distinct sets of laws – the ceremonial laws contained in ordinances; and the judicial laws of the ten commandments – are clearly explained in the scriptures (Ex. 31:18; Lev. 11:1-47; 16:29-31; 23:24,34-37,39; Num. 19:9,17; II Chron. 8:13; Psa. 81:3; Luke 2:22). The judicial laws of the ten commandments written with the very finger of God, “the tables of the covenant,” the “two tables of testimony,” were the only set of laws placed “in the ark” of the covenant, “the ark of the testimony,” because it is the very foundation of God's moral laws (Ex. 9:4; 25:21,22; 31:18; Heb. 9:4). We'll close with this promising scripture:
“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament:” (Revelation 11:19)
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THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1611
Seeing its readings proves to cynics that the KJV's text has never been "revised" and is identical to that used today
(except for the rare 1611 typographical slips which were shortly thereafter fixed by King James translators themselves).
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THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1637
THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1772 |
THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1829
THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1903 | |
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THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 2010 | ||
You can now purchase a 1611 King James Version 400th Anniversary Edition at a very low price. Published by Zondervan this is an exact, page-by-page, digitally re-mastered replica of the original 1611 printing, re-sized to a convenient 8.1 x 5.7 x 3 inches, and contains the original Old English Black Letter font. Click Here