| Remember The Sabbath Day |
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The institution and observance of God's Sabbath is recorded in Genesis 2:1-3. The Sabbath was established long before Moses in no special connection with the Hebrews, but as an institution for all mankind. Not one of the Ten Commandments is of merely racial significance. The seventh day was observed from creation. The seventh day is the ONLY Sabbath day commanded, and God never repealed that command. Nowhere in the New Testament is there the least indication that God's holy Sabbath day was set aside. Even after Jesus Christ was risen from the dead the Bible tells us that the sabbath day is the seventh day of the week -- Saturday (Mark 16:1,2). Nowhere in the Bible is the first day of the week referred to as being the Lord's day. This expression "Lord's Day" points to the seventh-day Sabbath in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 20:10,11; Isaiah 58:13; Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28). Even after Jesus' death his disciples rested the sabbath day (the seventh day) according to the commandment (Luke 23:56; Exodus 20:10). John chapter 20 states that Jesus' disciples were assembled on the first day of the week for fear of the Jews. They were not there to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord even though they knew he was not in the tomb. They did not believe he had risen (Mark 16:11-14). Acts 20:7 is the only record of the disciples breaking bread on the first day of the week. According to Acts 2:46 the disciples broke bread every day of the week. You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. However rigidly or devoutly we may spend Sunday, we are not keeping the Sabbath. The Bible is quite silent on Sunday sacredness, so "Bible Only" Protestants contradict themselves by observing it as a replacement for the Sabbath. There is no Scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week. The Sabbath was founded on a specific, divine command. We can plead no such command for the obligation to observe Sunday. The reason for which the commandment itself was originally given, namely, as a memorial of God having rested from the creation of the world, cannot be transferred from the seventh day to the first; nor can any new motive be substituted in its place, whether the resurrection of our Lord or any other. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.“ (Rev. 22:14) |
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It has been said 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). Paul said 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). 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). But some might ask, “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.” This mind-set goes back to the confusing of the two distinct sets of Old Testament laws. 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, his 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. 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). Again, some might ask, “Doesn't first Corinthians chapter sixteen verses one through three instruct us to have church meetings on the first day of the week?” No, these scripture verses say no such thing. In first Corinthians chapter sixteen Paul is telling the Christians at Corinth to collect money and necessities which were to be sent to the poor saints who were in Jerusalem. It was not a collection for the visiting or presiding pastor. Paul speaks on this same subject again in second Corinthians chapter nine where he referred to the distributing to the necessity of saints as “the experiment of this ministration” (see 2nd Corinthians 9:1-13). 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’. But some might 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). These scriptures have nothing whatsoever to do with the seventh day sabbath or the authorization of the first day of the week as a holy day. (See Confessions About Sunday, & Is Sunday Sacred and Holy?). Acts 20:7 is the only New Testament record of a religious meeting held on the first day of the week. Notice these five important points:
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). 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. So, the question is not whether or not the ten commandments have been done away with; and not whether or not the sabbath still stands. The question is, “Are you going to be obedient and keep God's ten commandments?” The Old Testament contained two distinct sets of laws — the ceremonial and purification laws contained in ordinances; and the judicial and moral laws of the ten commandments. The ceremonial and purification laws included the feast of trumpets (Lev. 23:24), the feast of tabernacles (Lev. 23:34-37), the new moons (II Chron. 8:13; Psa. 81:3), the ceremonial sabbath days (Lev. 16:29-31; 23:24,37,39), the purification ordinances (Num. 19:9,17; Luke 2:22), the law of clean and unclean foods (Lev. 11:1-47). The judicial moral laws were the ten commandments which were written with the very finger of God himself (Ex. 31:18). The ten commandments were the only set of laws placed “in the ark” of the covenant because it is the very foundation of God's moral laws (Ex. 25:21). |
1. THE MAKING OF THE SABBATHA Sabbath of rest is one of God's greatest gifts to mankind. Most Christians agree that the observance of a Sabbath is an essential part of the worship of God. Much was involved in the making of the Sabbath.
1. Who made the Sabbath?
It was Jesus Christ. Read John I: 1-3,10,14.
Note: It is evident according to Hebrews 1: 1,2 that God created the world through Christ. Since Christ was the active agent, He made the Sabbath.2. When was the Sabbath made?
At the time of creation. Read Genesis 2: 1-3 and Exodus 20:8-11.3. How was the Sabbath made?
"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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." Genesis 2: 1-3.4. Of what was the Sabbath made?
God made the Sabbath out of a day. The day He used was the seventh day. Read Genesis 2:2,3.5. When did the days of creation week begin and end?
Read Genesis 1:5,8,13, etc. Each day of creation week began at sunset with the dark part, since darkness was here first, and ended with the following sunset. Therefore, the seventh-day Sabbath is to be observed from sunset to sunset. Evidently all days were reckoned from sunset to sunset.6. For whom was the Sabbath made?
"He said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." Mark 2:27.7. Who is Lord of the Sabbath?
"Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." Mark 2:28.8. For how long was the Sabbath intended to be kept?
It will be kept throughout eternity. Read Isaiah 66:22,23.Conclusion
The seventh-day Sabbath was made by Jesus Christ at creation. It was to be kept throughout all time, and was to be observed from sunset to sunset. Leviticus 23:32 mentions the observance of one of the ceremonial sabbaths, the Day of Atonement, and says it was to be kept "from even unto even."2. THE SABBATH COMMANDMENT
1. What is the first word of the fourth commandment?
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8. This is the only commandment prefaced by the word "remember." When God gave the Sabbath He knew its value and He also knew that it would be disregarded by many. He knew how the devil would do everything possible to lead men to forget the Sabbath. He knew that men in time would ignore the binding obligations of this commandment. For these reasons God calls special attention to this commandment and urges by the use of the word "remember" that it be kept in mind. It is not to be forgotten.2. What is God's reason given in the commandment for observing the Sabbath?
The reason given is the example of God. "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God:... for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,... and rested the seventh day." Exodus 20:9-11.3. Must a man work six days of every week? May he never take a vacation?
The commandment does not end with the command "Six days shalt thou labor" but it goes on and says "and do all thy work." Exodus 20:9.
Note: If the work can be done in less than six there is no question. The point is we are to get our work done in six days. And we must never shirk our responsibility while enjoying wholesome recreation. Getting our work done in six days would always make the Sabbath available for rest and communion with God.4. How is the Sabbath to be kept?
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words." Isaiah 58:13.
Note: God's Sabbath day is holy. We must not trample it underfoot. We are not to do our own pleasure on it. We are not to pollute it (Ezekiel 20:13,21).5. What is the chief demand of the Sabbath commandment?
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8. Note: Cessation from our gainful employment is commanded but this is not all. The day is to be kept holy. Man is to cease "from his own works, as God did from his." Hebrews 4:10. When a person ceases from his own works he will cease from sin. It is only such a person who can keep the Sabbath as God expects. This commandment does not suggest idleness on the Sabbath for there are proper activities which are in keeping with its spirit.Conclusion
Sabbath keeping is more than the mere observance of a day; it is living a life for God. God [commands] us to keep the Sabbath for Him; to cease from sin; to do that which is good; to meet for worship and to follow the example of Jesus by going about doing good. Cease from your own works and enter into God's rest. "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." (Isaiah 58:13). What a blessing such Sabbath keeping affords!3. THE SABBATH AT SINAI
Attention is next focused on the Sabbath in the experiences of Israel in Egypt and at Mount Sinai. The institution of the Sabbath and God's observance of the Sabbath are recorded in Genesis 2:1-3.
1. What was Pharaoh's complaint to Moses?
"The king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens." Exodus 5:4,5.
Note: Pharaoh accused Moses of making the people rest. Why did they stop working? The word used in the Hebrew for rest is the word for the Sabbath rest. Moses was calling for a Sabbath reform.2. After God brought Israel out of Egypt what conditions did God lay down if they expected His continued protection?
"If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee." Exodus 15:26.3. In the raining of bread from heaven what was God going to prove?
"Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no." Exodus 16:4.4. What instruction did God give relative to their food on the day before the Sabbath?
"And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning." Exodus 16:23.
Note: All the baking and cooking for the Sabbath was to be done the day before. Then on the Sabbath read what Moses said to them in Exodus 16:25,26.5. Did all the people do what God had said through Moses?
"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?" Exodus 16:27,28.6. Was the Sabbath a new institution and was God's law something they were unfamiliar with?
The words of Exodus 15:26 are similar to those spoken to Abraham many years previously when God had said: "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." Genesis 26:5.
Note: In arranging that the manna should fall six days and none on the Sabbath God taught Israel two important lessons: to depend on God and to obey Him.Conclusion
The Sabbath was commanded in God's law and proclaimed on Sinai. Prior to this God had given Israel a visual demonstration of His regard for the Sabbath. One purpose for the Sabbath commandment was so that Israel would have time to instruct their children in the ways of the Lord. The keeping of this commandment affects the keeping of all the others.4. THE SABBATH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Did God give the Sabbath on Mount Sinai for the Jews only and not for Christians? If so, then the commandment "Thou shalt not steal" as well as the others were for the Jews only. All of these commandments would be Jewish if the Sabbath is Jewish. The Bible says, "The sabbath was made for man." Mark 2:27.
1. What was the regulation in Israel during their wilderness journey regarding breaking the Sabbath?
The general law which had to do with the breaking or any of the commandments read, "But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him." Numbers 15:30,31.
Note: The marginal reference for "presumptuously" reads with a "high hand." And it has the meaning of knowingly, obstinately, or defiantly. This way of dealing with those who broke the law applied to any of the commandments. At this time Israel was a theocracy which meant the church and the government were one and God was the direct ruler. Hence, moral as well as civil violations were punished directly. This helps us to see God's attitude toward sin and what the ultimate judgment on sin will be.2. Was Sabbath breaking as serious as breaking any of the other commandments?
"And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses." Numbers 15:32-36.
Note: It was not merely for gathering sticks on the Sabbath that the man was punished; it was "because he hath despised the word of the LORD." Numbers 15:31. His gathering of the sticks showed his contempt for God. Moses, however, put the man in a "ward" until a decision should be made. Much was at stake. Would the Sabbath take its place with the other commandments? God gave the decision. The Sabbath was as important as the other commandments. What a lesson for us! May we never speak lightly of or defiantly break God's Sabbath!3. For what did Ezekiel say God had given the Sabbath?
"Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them." Ezekiel 20:10-12.
Note: There is great significance in Ezekiel's statement that the Sabbath is a sign of sanctification. Breaking the Sabbath is a symptom which reveals an attitude toward all the commandments. It is a rejection of or rebellion against God. The proper observance of it is the sign of obedience to God.4. What was one reason Judah was taken into captivity for seventy years?
"Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD. But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." Jeremiah 17:21-27.5. Subsequent to their return from Assyrian-Babylonian captivity, what was the attitude of God's people toward the Sabbath?
"In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy." Nehemiah 13: 15-22.
Note: Nehemiah did not force those outside the walls to keep the Sabbath. He simply exerted his responsibility to keep them away and to let them know they could not do business in the city on God's holy day. Forced Sabbath keeping is never after God's order. Since it is a sign of sanctification, without a life of holiness the Sabbath is an empty ceremony that can never substitute for genuine sanctification.Conclusion
After the Babylonian captivity was over the Jews began to realize that their failure to keep the Sabbath had been one of the causes of their calamities. So after Nehemiah's time no more did they make the Sabbath a common working day. But their mistake now was as seriously fatal as their former mistake. They began to consider the Sabbath a means of salvation instead of a sign of sanctification. The Sabbath is of little value without the reality of holiness.5. THE SABBATH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus said, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." Mark 2:27. It was to be a blessing to the human family. Jesus showed by His manner of observing the Sabbath that it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath day. Read Matthew 12:10-12; Mark 2:23-28; 3:1-5; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 5; John 9. Nowhere in the New Testament is there the least indication that God's holy Sabbath day was set aside. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus left no doubt as to His position relative to the Ten Commandments. Read Matthew 5:17-19.
1. Did Christ have anything to do with making the Sabbath?
"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. " John 1:3. Read Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2.
Note: Since Christ was the active agent in creation the Sabbath was made by Him at the end of creation week. Read Genesis 2: 1-3.2. Upon which day did Christ worship?
"He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read." Luke 4:163. Did Christ expect the Sabbath to be abolished?
He recognized it would still be in existence long after His ascension, at the time of the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, for He said to His disciples, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day." Matthew 24:20.4. Which day comes before the first day of the week?
"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." Matthew 28:1.5. Which day of the week did the women keep after the crucifixion?
"And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment." Luke 23:56. Note: The Sabbath day "according to the commandment" is the seventh day. (Read Exodus 20:10). Jesus' disciples rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.6. What was Paul's example - which day did he observe as the Sabbath?
"But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. . . And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. . . 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 13:14,42; 16:13.
Note: It was Paul's custom to attend religious services on the Sabbath.7. What did Paul do on the working days as compared to the Sabbath?
"And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." Acts 18:3,4.
Note: Paul's manner as well as Christ's custom was to worship on the seventh-day Sabbath.8. On which day was John in the Spirit?
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet." Revelation 1:10.
Note: This expression "Lord's Day" points to the seventh-day Sabbath in both the Old and New Testaments. He says, "But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God." Exodus 20:10. In Isaiah 58:13 He 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. (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28). Read Exodus 20:11.Conclusion
Christ did all He could to restore to Israel the Bible Sabbath as it had been given to them. It was intended to be a blessing rather than a burden. Christ attempted to show that the Sabbath's real purpose was doing good, healing the sick, and performing acts of mercy. The book of Hebrews mentions the seventh-day Sabbath. "God did rest the seventh day from all his works." Hebrews 4:4. "He that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." Hebrews 4:10. God calls His people into a spiritual rest, a rest from their own works, a ceasing from sin. The keeping of the Sabbath is a symbol of this rest. God demands holiness of life. Of this the Sabbath is a sign. Let us not reject the sign, much less reject that for which it stands.6. SUNDAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Sabbath and the first day of the week are both mentioned in the New Testament. However, the names of the days such as Saturday or Sunday are never mentioned because at the time the New Testament was written these names had not yet been given to these days. Each time the Sabbath is mentioned it has reference to the seventh day or Saturday. Each time the first day is mentioned it has reference to the day known now as Sunday.
1. How many times is the first day mentioned in the New Testament?
The first day of the week is mentioned eight times but at no time is it called the Sabbath. Here are the eight texts:
Matthew 28:1
Mark 16:1, 2
Mark 16:9
Luke 24:1John 20:1
John 20:19
Acts 20:7
I Cor. 16:22. Which text records the only religious meeting in the New Testament that was held on the first day of the week?
"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." Acts 20:7.
Note: This meeting was held in the evening for there "were many lights in the chamber" and Paul not only preached till midnight but he continued "even till break of day." In the Bible the day was reckoned from sunset to sunset. Strictly speaking a meeting held in the evening of the first day of the week would be what is known as Saturday night (Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23,31; 2:2,3; Lev. 23:32; Heb. 4:4-11).
Notice these points:
a. This is the only record of the disciples breaking bread on the first day.
b. They broke bread every day of the week according to Acts 2:46.
c. The account of this meeting says nothing about the Sabbath.
d. This was a special meeting held because Paul was about to leave on a journey.
e. The meeting is mentioned by Luke because of the restoration of a young man who fell and was killed.
f. The meeting was held on Saturday night.3. Is there a text where Paul says a collection should be taken in the church on Sunday?
There is a text which says, "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." I Corinthians 16:1 ,2.
Note: Notice that neither church nor meeting is mentioned as Paul exhorts the saints to lay by on the first day a sum proportionate to the prospering hand of God. Each was to lay "by him in store." This would mean by himself at home and he was to keep it until it was called for. Paul was encouraging systematic giving. This text does not support Sunday sacredness. Paul did not mention a public collection. He is not speaking of a church service. This was not a "regular" weekly collection, but was a special gift being made up by Gentile churches for the poor saints at Jerusalem. Paul was taking the gifts with certain representatives from each group who would present the token of love. Read 1 Corinthians 16:3,4; Romans 15:24-28. This is also referred to again in 2 Corinthians 8: 1-4 and 2 Corinthians 9:1-5.4. According to Matthew what is the relationship between the Sabbath day and the first day of the week?
"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." Matthew 28:1. Note: Matthew mentions two days: the one is called the Sabbath; the other is called the first day of the week. The Sabbath comes before the first day. No change of the Sabbath is even suggested. The Gospel of Matthew is generally supposed to have been written about thirty years after the crucifixion and Matthew still calls the seventh day the Sabbath.5. What is the testimony of Mark concerning the first day of the week?
Mark mentions the first day twice. He says, "And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. . . Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. " Mark. 16:1,2,9.
Note: The same first day is mentioned in verses 2 and 9. Verse 9 merely affirms Christ arose on the first day and met Mary Magdalene. Verse 2 tells that the women came to anoint Christ on the first day and that the Sabbath was past when they started on this errand. Mark indicates that the Sabbath comes just before the first day. They would have further embalmed Christ's body on the first day, a service they did not even attempt to do on the Sabbath.6. How does Luke make the distinction between Sabbath and Sunday clear?
"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them." Luke 24:1.
Note: This is the same event recorded by the other writers with some added information. Read Luke 23:54-56. The Saturday after Christ was crucified his disciples rested "according to the commandment." They worked on the preparation day, Friday, and on the first day of the week, Sunday, but they rested on the Sabbath day, Saturday.7. Why did the disciples assemble together on the evening of the first day?
The last two places where the first day is mentioned is in John 20:1,19 which says, "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre... 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."
Note: In the first verse John merely repeats what the other evangelists have written. Verse nineteen points out that the disciples assembled and that the doors were shut and bolted "for fear of the Jews." They were not there to celebrate the resurrection even though they knew He was not in the tomb. They did not believe He had risen.Conclusion
Every text in the New Testament that mentions the first day of the week has now been considered. Not one of them is favorable to the first day of the week as the Sabbath. But there is in these texts strong evidence for the sacredness of the seventh-day Sabbath. It is interesting to notice that when the Bible mentions the first day of the week that it usually does so by contrasting it with the Sabbath. Sometimes the text in Revelation 1:10 which says, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet" is used as having reference to Sunday. However, nowhere in the Bible is the first day referred to as being the Lord's day. Much to the contrary, the Lord's day is the seventh day. Read Mark 2:28. We can believe only what God's Word says. "Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar" Romans 3:4.7. THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH
There is in the Bible a divine command to observe the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. Read Exodus 20:8-11. Since God's Sabbath commandment is so plain, why do so many who believe in the Bible keep an entirely different day from the one God mentions in the commandment? This is truly a puzzling situation. Many claim the Sabbath was changed by Christ when He was crucified and that the new Sabbath was established by the same event. We ought to know how the change was brought about. We can know what the Bible said concerning this question of the Sabbath day. Read Psalm 119:18.
1. Upon what fact does our duty to worship God depend?
Wherever God makes a claim to reverence and worship above the gods of the heathen He usually cites evidence of His creative power. Read Psalm 96:5; Isaiah 40: 25,26; 45:18; Psalm 100:3; 95:6. The reason given by heavenly beings for their worship of God is, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for thou hast created all things. " Revelation 4:11.
Note: The Sabbath as a memorial of creation keeps ever before us why worship is due to God: He is the creator, and we are His creatures. Just as long as God as our creator continues to be a valid reason for divine worship the Sabbath will remain as a memorial to that fact.2. Did Christ change the Sabbath?
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfll. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5:17,18.
Note: Jesus kept the same day the Jews observed which everyone knows was the seventh day. This was His custom. Read Luke 4:16. He also indicated the disciples would be keeping it after His ascension (Matthew 24:20).3. Did the apostles make the change from the seventh to the first?
The Bible records them as always keeping the same seventh-day Sabbath that the Jews observed. Read Acts 13:14,42,44; 17:1-3; 18:4.4. Did God know that a power would arise that would claim the right to change His law? If so, how did He make this known?
"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." Daniel 7 :25.
Note: Daniel was shown in vision a power that would arise called a "little horn" which as it came on the scene of action would pluck "up by the roots" three other powers. In this little horn "were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things." Read Daniel 7:8. This "same horn made war with the saints." Read Daniel 7:21.5. What power is represented by the little horn?
In verse 25 of Daniel 7 the prophet was shown three characteristics of this power and the length of time it would be supreme. Its characteristics are:a. It would "speak great words against" God - blasphemy.
Note: To the Pope are given titles that belong only to the Godhead. Pope Leo XIll wrote, “We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” - Encyclical letter, June 20, 1894, in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, p. 304. “This judicial authority will even include the power to pardon sin.” - The Catholic Encyclopedia, VoL XII, art. "Pope," p. 265. The Pope of Rome claims the title of “the Holy Father”, a title mentioned only once in Scripture referring not to any man, but to God Almighty alone (John 17:11). Pope Innocent III (circa 1198 A.D.) declared himself “the bridegroom”, a title belonging exclusively to our Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 9:15; 25:1-13). Innocent III declared, “Yea, I am the bridegroom; for I have the noble, rich, and high exalted, yea, the honorable, pure, gracious, and holy Roman church for my bride.... I have espoused her sacramentally.” (Innocent. 3, in Consecra. Pontif., Serm. 3, page 19).
b. It would "wear out" God's people - persecution.
Note: Pope Innocent III wrote, “This bride [the holy Roman church] has not been wedded to me portionless, but has given me her rich dowry, namely, the fullness of spiritual and of temporal power.” (Pope Innocent III was the first who instituted the office of the inquisition: the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent Bible believing Christians was the result of this ‘holy’ inquisition). (Innocent. 3, in Consecra. Pontif., Serm. 3, page 19)
c. It would "think to change times and laws" - a disregard for God's authority.The length of time allotted for this power to be supreme was "a time and times and the dividing of time." This same period of time is mentioned in Revelation 12:14 and is interpreted in Revelation 12:6 to be "a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Since this is prophetic time we apply the principle of prophetic interpretation - each day stands for one year (Ezekiel 4:6). This power was to endure then for 1260 years. The Papacy fits every part of this prophecy. She arose to supremacy in A.D. 538 after destroying three Arian powers, namely the Heruli, the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. And she remained supreme for 1260 years until in 1798 her power was finally broken when General Berthier went to Rome and took the Pope prisoner. There was no Pope for two years. Even though another Pope was elected in 1800 yet she had been divested of her civil power and therefore from that day to this her power to persecute has not been restored. John spoke of this same power having received a deadly wound in Revelation 13:3.
[The Bible also reveals that in time “his deadly wound was healed” (Rev. 13:3). In the 1920's the Vatican was restored to the Roman Catholic church and in recent decades her power and influence is increasing at an alarming rate. The apostle John said that he “saw a beast rise up out of the sea”, and “his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” (Rev. 13:2,3,12). And the angel of the Lord spoke to John about “the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.... and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.... The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth [the seven mountains mentioned refer to the seven hills of Rome: the footnotes of Revelation 17 in the New American Bible and the Jerusalem Bible, which are both Catholic translations, say that the “seven hills” in this chapter are the seven hills of Rome].... And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” (Rev. 17:1-15). The power of the “holy mother church” of Rome is being restored, in part by the ecumenical movement that is sweeping across the globe like a plague, joining hands with Rome and setting the stage for the final apostasy of the last days: “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.... And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.” (Rev. 13:4,5,7,8,9).]6. Does the Papacy claim that it has power to change the law of God, and in particular the right to change the Sabbath day?
We shall notice now the claims of the Papacy:"Question. - Which is the Sabbath day?
"Answer. - Saturday is the Sabbath day."Question. - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
"Answer. - We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because of the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." -Rev. Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, 2d edition, 1910."Question. - Has the [Catholic] church power to make any alterations in the commandments of God?
"Answer. -. . . Instead of the seventh day, and other festivals appointed by the old law, the church has prescribed the Sundays and holy days to be set apart for God's worship; and these we are now obliged to keep in consequence of God's commandment, instead of the ancient Sabbath."-Rt. Rev. Dr. Challoner, Catholic Christian Instructed, p. 211.
"We Catholics, then, have precisely the same authority for keeping Sunday holy, instead of Saturday, as we have for every other article of our creed: namely, the authority of 'the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth' (1 Tim. 3:15); whereas, you who are Protestants have really no authority for it whatever; for there is no authority for it in the Bible, and you will not allow that there can be authority for it anywhere else. Both you and we do, in fact, follow tradition in this matter; but we follow it, believing it to be a part of God's word and the church to be its divinely appointed guardian and interpreter; you follow it, denouncing it all the time as a fallible and treacherous guide, which often 'makes the commandment of God of none effect.' " -Clifton Tracts, vol. 4, article, "A Question for All Bible Christians," p. 15."Question. - Have you any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals or precepts?
"Answer. - Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her, -she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority." -Rev. Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism, p. 174. New York: Edward Dunigan and Brothers, 1851."Question. - By whom was it [the Sabbath] changed?
"Answer. - By the governors of the church, the apostles, who also kept it; for St. John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day (which was Sunday). Apoc.1:10."[Reminder: the Lord's day in reality is Saturday, the 7th day of the week – “Remember” (Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:28)]
"Question.- How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?
"Answer. - By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same church.""Question. - How prove you that?
"Answer. - Because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church's power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin; and by not keeping the rest [of the feasts] by her commanded, they again deny, in fact, the same power." -Rev. Henry Tuberville, D.D.R.C., An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine, p. 58. New York: Edward Dunigan and Brothers, approved 1833.How will a Protestant answer this challenge?
"You will tell me that Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath, but that the Christian Sabbath has been changed to Sunday! but by whom? Who has authority to change an express commandment of Almighty God? When God has spoken and said, Thou shalt keep holy the seventh day, who shall dare to say, Nay, thou mayest work and do all manner of worldly business on the seventh day; but thou shalt keep holy the first day in its stead? This is a most important question, which I know not how you can answer.
"You are a Protestant, and you profess to go by the Bible and the Bible only; and yet in so important a matter as the observance of one day in seven as a holy day, you go against the plain letter of the Bible, and put another day in the place of that day which the Bible has commanded. The command to keep holy the seventh day is one of the ten commandments; you believe that the other nine are still binding; who gave you authority to tamper with the fourth? If you are consistant with your own principles, if you really follow the Bible and the Bible only, you ought to be able to produce some portion of the New Testament in which this fourth commandment is expressly altered." -Library -Christian Doctrine: Why Don't You Keep Holy the Sabbath Day? pp. 3,4. London: Burns and Oats (R.C.).And here is another challenge:
The catholic Church for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday. We say by virtue of her divine mission, because He who called Himself the 'Lord of the Sabbath,' endowed her with His own power to teach, 'he that heareth you, heareth Me'; commanded all who believe in Him to hear her, under penalty of being placed with the 'heathen and publican'; and promised to be with her to the end of the world. She holds her charter as teacher from Him - a charter as infallible as perpetual. The Protestant world at its birth [in the Reformation of the sixteenth century] found the Christian Sabbath too strongly entrenched to run counter to its existence; it was therefore placed under the necessity of acquiescing in the arrangement, thus implying the church's right to change the day, for over three hundred years. The Christian Sabbath is therefore to this day the acknowledged offspring of the Catholic Church as spouse of the Holy Ghost, without a word of remonstrance from the Protestant world." -The Catholic Mirror (Baltimore), Sept. 23, 1893.Note: "On March 7, 321 A.D., the first National Sunday Law in history was issued by the Pagan/Christian Emperor Constantine the "Great". This was the first "blue law" to be issued by a civil government. Here is the text of Constantine's first Sunday law decree: "Let all judges and townspeople and occupations of all trades rest on the venerable day of the Sun [Sunday]; nevertheless, let those who are situated in the rural districts freely and with full liberty attend to the cultivation of the fields, because it so frequently happens that no other day may be so fitting for ploughing grains or trenching vineyards, lest at the time the advantage of the moment granted by the provision of heaven may be lost. Given on the Nones [seventh] of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls, each of them, for the second time." (The Code of Justinian, Book 3, title 12, law 3). And then in 538 A.D. a decree was made at the third Council of Orleans which enforced Sunday worship on the entire Roman empire and forbade all field work under pain of censure.
If as many suppose, Christians as a whole observed Sunday in place of the "Jewish" Sabbath from resurrection Sunday forward, then why was it necessary for the church to enact ecclesiastical laws to enforce Sunday worship as a day of rest? Simply put, the issue to the Catholic Church has always been one of authority, authority to declare binding holy festival days. It is a mark of their authority to institute such days, even appropriating previously pagan days and declaring them obligatory, and that one commits a sin if you do not attend services on those days. The Bible is quite silent on Sunday sacredness, so the "Bible Only" Protestants contradict themselves by observing it as a replacement for the Sabbath.7. Do Protestants recognize the Papal claims and do they acknowledge them?
Note: Although the following writers kept Sunday for a variety of reasons, they acknowledge it has no Biblical basis.‡ "They [Catholics] allege the Sabbath changed into Sunday, the Lord's day [erroneously called], contrary to the decalogue, as it appears; neither is there any example more boasted of than the changing of the Sabbath day. Great, say they, is the power and authority of the church, since it [the Roman Catholic church] dispensed with one of the ten commandments." -Augsburg Confession, Art. XXVIII.
‡ "It is quite clear that, however rigidly or devoutly we may spend Sunday, we are not keeping the Sabbath. . . The Sabbath was founded on a specific, divine command. We can plead no such command for the obligation to observe Sunday... There is not a single sentence in the New Testament to suggest that we incur any penalty by violating the supposed sanctity of Sunday." -R. W. Dale, M.A. (Congregationalist), The Ten Commandments, pp. 106,107. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1871.
‡ "There is no word, no hint, in the New Testament about abstaining from work on Sunday. . . Into the rest of Sunday no divine law enters. . . The observance of Ash Wednesday or Lent stands upon exactly the same footing as the observance of Sunday. " -Canon Eyton (Church of England), The Ten Commandments, pp. 62,63,65. London: Trubner & Co., 1894.
‡ "And where are we told in Scripture that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day. . . The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the [Roman Catholic] church, has enjoined it." -Rev. Isaac Williams, B.D. (Church of England), Plain Sermons on the Catechism, vol. 1, pp. 334-336. London: Rivingtons, 1882.
‡ "It is impossible to extort such a sense from the words of the commandment; seeing that the reason for which the commandment itself was originally given, namely, as a memorial of God's having rested from the creation of the world, cannot be transferred from the seventh day to the first; nor can any new motive be substituted in its place, whether the resurrection of our Lord or any other, without the sanction of a divine commandment." -The Christian Doctrine, book 2, chap. 7, in Prose Works of John Milton, vol. 5, p. 70. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853.Clearly, the observance of Sunday in place of Saturday is a man-made doctrine. Colossians 2:20-22 says, "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?"
Jesus said, "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Matt. 15:9). "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." (Mark 7:9).The following writers also concur:
‡ "There is no direct scriptural authority for designating the first day the Lord's day." -Dr. D. H. Lucas, Christian Oracle, Jan. 23, 1890. (Col. 2:18-22)
‡ "Is Saturday the seventh day according to the Bible and the Ten Commandments? I answer yes. Is Sunday the first day of the week and did the [Roman Catholic] Church change the seventh day -Saturday - for Sunday, the first day? I answer yes. Did Christ change the day'? I answer no! -James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore (1877-1921), in a signed letter, "Faithfully yours, J. Card. Gibbons"
‡ "Nowhere in the Bible is it stated that worship should be changed from Saturday to Sunday .... Now the [Roman Catholic] Church ... instituted, by God's authority [supposedly], Sunday as the day of worship. This same Church, by the same divine authority, taught the doctrine of Purgatory long before the Bible was made. We have, therefore, the same authority for Purgatory as we have for Sunday." -Martin J. Scott, Things Catholics Are Asked About (1927), p. 136.
‡ "But we do not find any direct command from God, or instruction from the risen Christ, or admonition from the early apostles, that the first day is to be substituted for the seventh day Sabbath." "Let us be clear on this point. Though to the Christian 'that day, the first day of the week' is the most memorable of all days ... there is no command or warrant in the New Testament for observing it as a holy day." "The Roman [Catholic] Church selected the first day of the week in honour of the resurrection of Christ. ..." -Bible Standard, May, 1916, Auckland, New Zealand.
‡ "For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find that Christ or the Apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed from Saturday to Sunday. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday. Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Catholic] church outside the Bible." -Catholic Virginian Oct. 3, 1947, p. 9, art. "To Tell You the Truth."
‡ "But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we [Catholics] never sanctify." -James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of our Fathers, 88th ed., pp. 89.
‡ "The first four commandments set forth man's obligations directly toward God...The fourth commandment sets forth God's claim on man's time and thought...Not one of the Ten Words (the 10 Commandments) is of merely racial significance...The Sabbath was established originally (long before Moses) in no special connection with the Hebrews, but as an institution for all mankind, in commemoration of God's rest after six days of creation. It was designed for all the descendants of Adam." -Adult Quarterly, Southern Baptist Convention series, Aug. 15, 1937
‡ "The seventh day was observed... from creation." -The evidence of Christianity, Page 302 Saint Louis: Christian Publishing co. 1906, Quoted from a debate between Robert Owen and Alexander Campbell (The founder of the Church of Christ), Saint Louis: Christian Publishing co. 1906.
‡ "... If the fourth command is binding upon us Gentiles by all means keep it. But let those who demand a strict observance of the Sabbath remember that the seventh day is the ONLY Sabbath day commanded, and God never repealed that command. If you would keep the Sabbath, keep it; but Sunday is not the Sabbath. The argument of the 'Seventh-day Adventists' is on one point unassailable. It is the Seventh day not the first day that the command refers to." -G. Alridge, Editor, The Bible Standard, April, 1916.
‡ "There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath was not Sunday. Earnestly desiring information on this subject, which I have studied for many years, I ask, where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament; absolutely not. There is no Scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week ... Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history as a religious day. But what a pity that it comes branded with the mark of paganism and christened with the name of the sun god, when adopted and sanctioned by the papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism." -Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual in a paper read before New York ministers' conference held Nov. 13, 1893Webster's American Dictionary of The English Language defines Sabbath as: “The day which God appointed to be observed as a day of rest from all secular labor and employment, and to be kept holy and consecrated to his service and worship. This was originally the seventh day of the week, the day on which God rested from the work of creation.” (American Dictionary of The English Language, Noah Webster, 1860, 1911). The American Heritage Dictionary defines the Sabbath as “The 7th day of the week. Saturday, observed as the day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians.” (The American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition, 1994). And Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary says of the Sabbath: “the seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians.” (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1999).
An irony which Catholics are unable to honestly reconcile is found in their own church's contradictory teachings on the Sabbath. Consider the following discrepancy. The Catholic Daily Missal (prayer book) says that all Catholics “are obligated to hear Mass and abstain from all unnecessary servile work on: All Sundays of the year” (Saint Paul Daily Missal, 1966 edition, p.8). But on page 205 of the official Catholic Almanac all Catholics are instructed to “Take care to keep holy the Sabbath day.” – and Sabbath is defined on page 294 of the same Catholic Almanac as “The seventh day of the week, observed by Jews and Sabbtarians as the day of rest and religious observance.” (Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Almanac, 1999 Edition, pp. 205, 294). A Sabbatarian is “One who observes the Sabbath on Saturday in conformity with the letter of the fourth commandment.” (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1999). When historical facts are at odds with the Catholic church's traditions and commandments of men, facts are distorted or altogether discarded in order to justify Catholic teachings. And when the truth of the scriptures contradict the teachings of the Catholic church, truth is rejected in favor of Catholic dogma. “And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (II Tim. 4:4).
The 1904 edition of Webster's Universal Dictionary defines Sabbatarian as: “One who regards the seventh day of the week as holy, in accordance with the letter of the fourth commandment in the decalogue [the 10 commandments]. There were Christians in the early church who held this opinion, as the Seventh-day Baptists and Adventists do now.” (Webster's Universal Dictionary, 1904). The New Century Dictionary of The English Language says that a Sabbatarian is “One who observes the seventh day of the week (Saturday) as the Sabbath, as the Jews do.” (The New Century Dictionary of The English Language, 1952). The 10th Edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary tells us that a Sabbatarian is “One who observes the Sabbath on Saturday in conformity with the letter of the fourth commandment.” (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1999).
Bible translator Martin Luther was one of the early Protestant Reformers.
Notice this quote pertaining to Luther’s commentary on Exodus 16:4, 22-30, regarding the Sabbath: “Hence you can see that the Sabbath was before the Law of Moses came, and has existed from the beginning of the world. Especially have the devout, who have preserved the true faith, met together and called upon God on this day.” —Translated from Auslegung des Alten Testaments (Commentary on the Old Testament), in Sämmtliche Schriften (Collected Writings), edited by J.G. Walch, Vol. 3, col. 950 [St. Louis edition of Luther’s Works, 1880]).
“Luther himself, while it is said believed in and practiced the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, did not prescribe it in his articles of faith for his followers, in the copies that we now have access to. However, it has been said that in his original thesis, Luther advocated the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, but that his colleagues objected on the grounds that it was an unpopular doctrine, which would have a tendency to repulse supporters of the Reformation who were not as pious as they should have been, but were of great assistance against the usurpations of the papacy.” (Dugger and Dodd, A History of the True Religion, pp. 196-197)Conclusion
The transition from the keeping of the Sabbath to observance of Sunday was a gradual process beginning sometime before A.D. 150 and it continued for nearly three centuries. There was an attempt by some Christians to make clear they were not Jews; hence, they abandoned the Sabbath in favor of Sunday. Webster's Dictionary tells us that “The heathen nations in the north of Europe dedicated this day to the sun, and hence their Christian descendants continue to call the day Sunday.” (American Dictionary of The English Language, Noah Webster, 1860, 1911). “Constantine the Great [who greatly corrupted Christianity by merging paganism with Christianity] was the [Roman] empire's first ever ‘Christian’ Pontifex Maximus (the pagan title meant supreme pontiff or chief priest at Rome; this honor was retained by Constantine until his death and perpetuated in our day by... the ‘Holy Father’ himself)” (Grady, Final Authority, p.109). Constantine urged Eusebius, a 4th century scribe, to copy some 50 Greek manuscripts from Alexandria, Egypt using corrupt texts previously translated by Origen the textual critic and heretic who corrupted the Word of God and ran the apostate school in Alexandria for the dissemination of false doctrines. Eusebius wrote in his Commentary on Psalm 92, "All things whatsoever it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord's day, as more appropriately belonging to it, because it has a precedence and is first in rank, and more honorable than the Jewish Sabbath." The first official action of the Catholic Church in favor of Sunday was taken at the Council of Laodicea in the 4th century. However, the law which had to do with the observance of Sunday specified Judaizing (being like the Jews) as the reason for not keeping the Sabbath. At the Council of Laodicea, in A.D. 363, the following edict was passed: “Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath.” The penalty for disobedience was death!
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments:Why did Sunday sacredness develop? First, it was an effort not to be like the Jews and thus avoid persecution. Second, as Rome grew into power she put her influence on the side of Sunday rather than the Sabbath to appease the pagan population and gain the acceptance of the heathen who already regarded the first day of the week as a holy day in honor of the "sun god", a pagan deity. Third, as a result of the Roman influence Sunday was made a matter of church law as with many other unscriptural practices: such as, the worship of Mary, veneration of saints and angels, use of images in worship, praying for the dead, purgatory, Friday abstinence, and also the unmarried priesthood.for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13What should I do about keeping the Sabbath? Allow God's Word to give the answer. Read Acts 5:29; Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21 ; Isaiah 56:1,2.
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (I John 2:4)
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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.
Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. (Jeremiah 6:16,17)Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men. (Hosea 10:12,13)Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (I Timothy 4:1-3)I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Timothy 4:1-4)