The Church started in the wilderness

[Bro.T]

Truth oftentimes, to many seems stranger then fiction. Such is the case when it comes, to the observance of God’s 7th Day Sabbath. Each Sunday millions of people attend church services for the purpose of worshiping the Lord. Most not realizing they can’t read one time in the Holy Bible to attend church on the first day of the week Sunday. This is second nature to most requiring no thought. They are simply following the tradition that has been set forth by man. Many believe that New Testament Christians worshiped on Sunday the 1st day of the week, and that the 7th day Sabbath is a Jewish institution, which started with Moses.

We understand that Peter said in 2Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Peter is letting us know that prophecy, from Genesis to Malachi is more surer then the New Testament. Let see how Paul word it in Ephesians 2: 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

So is Paul telling the Gentiles how important the old testament is, and how they have the same laws as Israel do. In the scriptures it's written in Isaiah 8: 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Now any Christian in their right mind wouldn’t dare say that it’s okay to steal, kill or commit adultery or break any of the other seven commandments. But when it comes to the fourth commandment, people avoid it like a plague! They are either uninformed about which day is the Sabbath day of the God of the Bible or they are just following the tradition of religion that was passed down through the family or maybe they have let some preacher give them other excuses for ignoring God’s true day of worship.

The Sabbath Day of the Lord -God of the Bible. (Gen.2:2-5) (v.2) 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. (v.3) And God blessed the seventh day (every seventh day of the week is a blessed and holy day) and sanctified it (it is a day that is separated (sanctified) for a purpose) because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (v.5) “and there was not a man to till the ground.” There was not a Jew, Catholic, Baptist, or Seventh Day Adventist; in fact, there was not a Christian when He constituted the Sabbath Day!

Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3, 10-14) 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

He is the one who rested on the Sabbath day and commanded that you do the same. If you really understood the scriptures you would realize that He was the one who became known as Jesus who gave you the Ten Commandments. So not only did He command you to cease from your work on that day He also commanded you to. (Lev.23:3) “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation;” He said on the Sabbath day that you should also have an holy convocation, which means holy gathering or simply put, go to church. Remember in Acts 7: 38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

He also commanded you to

He commanded that to Israel, not to gentiles. Church is not Israel. We do not have to keep Sabbath

Exodus 31 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

He commanded that to Israel, not to gentiles. Church is not Israel. We do not have to keep Sabbath

Exodus 31 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.

Israel represents God’s church in scripture. It was literal, now it’s spiritual and we are grafted in through faith. Gal 3:26-28 God is a God of love, but He is also a King, and a King has a government and rules- God personally wrote His rules with His own finger Exo 32:16 Exo 31:18 and doesn’t just want to bless and sanctify only Jews, but all mankind - hence why Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, and man does not spell J E W. The Sabbath started at Creation Exo 20:11 Gen 2:1-3 before Jew and is part of God’s perfect plan before sin took over the world. God kept the Sabbath, Jesus kept the Sabbath, the apostles kept the Sabbath, His faithful kept the Sabbath. Sunday is a tradition of man- Jesus told us to keep the commandments of God quoting from the Ten over mans traditions Mat 15:3-14 we ought to obey God over man.

 

[BobRyan]

they can’t read one time in the Holy Bible to attend church on the first day of the week Sunday. This is second nature to most requiring no thought. They are simply following the tradition that has been set forth by man. Many believe that New Testament Christians worshiped on Sunday the 1st day of the week, and that the 7th day Sabbath is a Jewish institution, which started with Moses.

Good point.

In the Bible we have

Mark 2:27 "The Sabbath was made for mankind" instead of "The Sabbath just made for Jews"
Gen 2:2-3 seventh day of creation week for Mankind (not just jews) we see the Sabbath sanctified , set apart for holy use
in Ex 20:11 the Sabbath commandment points directly at Gen 2:2-3 as its origin for mankind.
Is 66:23 "from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all mankind come before Me to worship" - -- instead of "Just Jews"
Acts 13 -- it is gentiles (not Jews) asking for more gospel preaching to be scheduled for them "on the text Sabbath"

So then not one text in all of scripture OT or NT saying
1. We gather every week day 1 - as our New Christian Sabbath, or as our Lord's day
2. We now keep the Lord's day on each week day 1
3. We consider each week-day-1 as the Lord's day
4. We do not keep Sabbath rather we keep the Lord's day each week day 1.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Israel represents God’s church in scripture. It was literal, now it’s spiritual and we are grafted in through faith. Gal 3:26-28 God is a God of love, but He is also a King, and a King has and government and rules- God personally wrote His rules with His own finger Exo 32:16 Exo 31:18 and doesn’t just want to bless and sanctify only Jews, but all mankind - hence why Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, and man does not spell J E W. The Sabbath started at Creation Exo 20:11 Gen 2:1-3 before Jew and is part of God’s perfect plan before sin took over the world. God kept the Sabbath, Jesus kept the Sabbath, the apostles kept the Sabbath, His faithful kept the Sabbath. Sunday is a tradition of man- Jesus told us to keep the commandments of God quoting from the Ten over mans traditions Mat 15:3-14 we ought to obey God over man.

Ten commandments were given to Jews only. When Lord Jesus came, the law changed. And Jesus was of the order of Melchizedek, who was greater than Abraham from whom Levi came. Jesus commanded us nine of the ten commandments, Sabbath was not one of them.

The various elements of the Sabbath symbolized the coming of the Messiah, who would provide a permanent rest for His people. If you are a Christian, your rest is in Christ.

As Paul writes in Colossians 2:16-17 “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

In the early chapters of the book of Acts, the first Christians were predominantly Jews. When Gentiles began to receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Jewish Christians had a dilemma. What aspects of the Mosaic Law and Jewish tradition should Gentile Christians be instructed to obey? The apostles met and discussed the issue in the Jerusalem council. The decision was, “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood”. Sabbath-keeping was not one of the commands the apostles felt was necessary to force on Gentile believers. It is inconceivable that the apostles would neglect to include Sabbath-keeping if it was God’s command for Christians to observe the Sabbath day.

Christians meet on Sunday to worship the Lord, because that was the resurrection day. It has nothing to do with Sabbath, even though some tragically call the Lord's day the new Sabbath, it is not the case.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Ten commandments were given to Jews only. When Lord Jesus came, the law changed. And Jesus was of the order of Melchizedek, who was greater than Abraham from whom Levi came. Jesus commanded us nine of the ten commandments, Sabbath was not one of them.

The various elements of the Sabbath symbolized the coming of the Messiah, who would provide a permanent rest for His people. If you are a Christian, your rest is in Christ.

As Paul writes in Colossians 2:16-17 “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

In the early chapters of the book of Acts, the first Christians were predominantly Jews. When Gentiles began to receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Jewish Christians had a dilemma. What aspects of the Mosaic Law and Jewish tradition should Gentile Christians be instructed to obey? The apostles met and discussed the issue in the Jerusalem council. The decision was, “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood”. Sabbath-keeping was not one of the commands the apostles felt was necessary to force on Gentile believers. It is inconceivable that the apostles would neglect to include Sabbath-keeping if it was God’s command for Christians to observe the Sabbath day.

Christians meet on Sunday to worship the Lord, because that was the resurrection day. It has nothing to do with Sabbath, even though some tragically call the Lord's day the new Sabbath, it is not the case.

I would not use Paul against Jesus, because Col 2:16-17 is not referring to the weekly Sabbath, the context starts in Col 2:14KJV which is about ordinances, handwritten and are against. If one were honest about the scriptures, it doesn’t fit the weekly Sabbath at all- which is a commandment- finger-written by God and is holy and blessed by God. Hard to make that one fit. There is more than one sabbath in scripture and Paul was abundently clear not to confuse the weekly Sabbath, with the annual sabbath(s) that are about food, drink, ordinances, handwritten by Moses that were shadow sabbaths fulfilled in Christ-1 Cor 5:7 Heb 10:1-22 the weekly Sabbath is part of God’s eternal law that defines sin Rom 7:7 1 John 3:4 James 2:10-12 and Jesus doesn't want us to sin. 1 John 2:1-6

Did Jesus take away the law? That’s not what he taught at all, let’s take a look. . ..

He condemned those who kept their traditions over obeying the commandments of God quoting right from the Ten Commandments

Matt 15:3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; (found in the Ten Exo 20:12) and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother,“Whatever profit you might have received from me isa gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father[a]or mother.’ Thus you have made the[b]commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Jesus in His own Words said our hearts are far from Him when we keep our rules over God’s commandments- which is opposite of the New Covenant- God’s law written in our hearts. Heb 8:10 No wonder Jesus taught not to break or teach others to break the least of these commandments again quoting from the Ten Commandments Mat 5:19-30. If we have faith in Jesus, we need to trust His teachings and follow the example He left for us. Jesus kept all the commandments including the Sabbath Luke 4:16 He died to take the penalty of sin, but lived to show us the WAY and led by example, our example Heb 4:15 1 Peter 2:21-22 1 John 2:6 We need the faith in Jesus and the faith of Jesus- how did He live, what did He teach. Did Jesus ever teach we could break the 4th commandment- not once.

 

[BobRyan]

Ten commandments were given to Jews only.

In the Bible we have

Mark 2:27 "The Sabbath was made for mankind" instead of "The Sabbath just made for Jews"
Gen 2:2-3 seventh day of creation week for Mankind (not just jews) we see the Sabbath sanctified , set apart for holy use
in Ex 20:11 the Sabbath commandment points directly at Gen 2:2-3 as its origin for mankind.
Is 66:23 "from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all mankind come before Me to worship" - -- instead of "Just Jews"
Acts 13 -- it is gentiles (not Jews) asking for more gospel preaching to be scheduled for them "on the text Sabbath"

So then not one text in all of scripture OT or NT saying
1. We gather every week day 1 - as our New Christian Sabbath, or as our Lord's day
2. We now keep the Lord's day on each week day 1
3. We consider each week-day-1 as the Lord's day
4. We do not keep Sabbath rather we keep the Lord's day each week day 1.

When Lord Jesus came, the law changed.

Not the TEN. As Paul reminds us in Eph 6:1-2 and James reminds us in James 2 and Christ reminds us in Matt 19

And Jesus was of the order of Melchizedek

True - the Law regarding the priesthood and sacrifices changed as Heb 7 and Heb 10 point out.
But no change in the Ten Commandments. So it is still a sin to "take God's name in vain" for example Ex 20:7 even for Christians.

Christians meet on Sunday to worship the Lord, because that was the resurrection day

No NT text says that NT Christians met every week day for worship or in memorial of the resurrection. But it is true that Christ was resurrected on Sunday - called "week day 1" in the NT.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Romans 14:5 “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” These Scriptures make it clear that, for the Christian, Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom, not a command from God. Sabbath-keeping is an issue on which God’s Word instructs us not to judge each other. Sabbath-keeping is a matter about which each Christian needs to be fully convinced in his/her own mind. So if you guys want to keep Sabbath, it's up to you, but do not force it on others, and do not call it sin when it's not.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Romans 14:5 “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” These Scriptures make it clear that, for the Christian, Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom, not a command from God. Sabbath-keeping is an issue on which God’s Word instructs us not to judge each other. Sabbath-keeping is a matter about which each Christian needs to be fully convinced in his/her own mind. So if you guys want to keep Sabbath, it's up to you, but do not force it on others, and do not call it sin when it's not.

It says what man esteems, not what God esteems - the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God Exo 20:10 My holy day, the holy day of the Lord Isa 58:13 that is a commandment Exo 20:8-11- not a suggestion

The Sabbath isn’t mentioned in this whole chapter because the apostles are not disputing if they should obey one of God’s commandments that they kept every Sabbath faithfully Acts 18:4.

It would be like the equivalent of us disputing if Christmas or Easter is sacred.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

It says what man esteems, not what God esteems - the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God Exo 20:10 My holy day, the holy day of the Lord Isa 58:13 that is a commandment Exo 20:8-11- not a suggestion

The Sabbath isn’t mentioned in this whole chapter because the apostles are not disputing if they should obey one of God’s commandments that they kept every Sabbath faithfully Acts 18:4.

It would be like the equivalent of us disputing if Christmas or Easter is sacred.

We find no hint in OT that God expected the Gentile nations to observe the Sabbath, nor are they ever condemned for failing to do so. That is certainly strange if He expected all peoples to observe the Sabbath. There is also no evidence of anyone’s keeping the Sabbath before the time of Moses, nor are there any commands to keep the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.

NT nowhere commands Christians to observe the Sabbath. Paul warned the Gentiles about many different sins in his epistles, but never about breaking the Sabbath. As I said, in Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council did not impose Sabbath keeping on the Gentile believers

From Acts 20:7 we see that church was meeting on Sunday, not the Sabbath day. 'On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.' Even the early church Fathers, from Ignitions to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship.

The Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Old Covenant. Because we are now under the New Covenant, we are no longer required to keep the sign of the Old Covenant.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

We find no hint in OT that God expected the Gentile nations to observe the Sabbath, nor are they ever condemned for failing to do so. That is certainly strange if He expected all peoples to observe the Sabbath.

Sure we do right in the Ten Commandments

Exodus 20: 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lordmade the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

And if that wasn’t clear enough- Christ makes it abundently clear the Sabbath is for everyone, hence why He said the Sabbath was made for man Mark 2:27


Isa 56:1 Thus says the Lord:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

6 “Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant

When does God ever want us to not do what is justice or righteous, or not join ourselves to Him, to be His servant or break His covenant. Seems like a terrible idea to me.

There is also no evidence of anyone’s keeping the Sabbath before the time of Moses, nor are there any commands to keep the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.

The Sabbath was given at Creation Exo 20:11 Gen 2:1-3. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man Mark 2:27 Man was made in the image of God to follow Him Gen 1:26 man came first, than the Sabbath. Gen 2:1-3 God rested on the seventh day Sabbath at Creation Exo 20:11 after creating man- of course man observed and rested the Sabbath with God at Creation instead of rebelling against Him right after they were made in His image. They eventually rebelled but not at Creation week.

NT nowhere commands Christians to observe the Sabbath. Paul warned the Gentiles about many different sins in his epistles, but never about breaking the Sabbath.

Paul said what matters is keeping the commandments of God 1 Cor 7:19. The Sabbath is a commandment of God- written and spoken personally by God- which there is no greater Authority

As I said, in Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council did not impose Sabbath keeping on the Gentile believers

Acts is about circumcision Acts 15:1. They were keeping every Sabbath in Acts 15:21 and Paul did not say in Acts 15 to only worship God or to love thy neighbor- does that mean these get deleted too?

From Acts 20:7 we see that church was meeting on Sunday, not the Sabbath day. 'On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.' Even the early church Fathers, from Ignitions to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship.

The apostles broke bread daily Acts 2:46. Acts 20:7 does not say day 1 is a new day of worship or the new Sabbath and we can rebel against one of God’s commanemnts. That would be important to have in the Text. The meeting prolonged on Saturday night (day 1) because days begin in the evenings in the scriptures.

The Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Old Covenant. Because we are now under the New Covenant, we are no longer required to keep the sign of the Old Covenant.

There is no scripture that says this, always best not to add what’s not there. The New Covenant is established on better promises Heb 8:6 not better or new laws- it still has God’s law written in our hearts Heb 8:10 but God is the one doing which makes it a better promise all we need to do is not rebel against what God placed in our hearts Rom 8:7-8 I already provided scriptures where Jesus taught not to break or teach others to break the least of these commandments- Mat 5:19-30 because in doing so ones heart is far from God Mat 15:3-14. The apostles kept every Sabbath Acts 13:42 Acts 13:44 Acts 18:4 Jesus kept every Sabbath Luke 4:16 John 15:10 and Jesus is our example to follow 1 John 2:6 so you’re disagreement on God’s Sabbath is not really with me.

Guess we will have to agree to disagree and all will get sorted out soon enough. I wish you well in seeking Truth to God’s Word.

 

[BobRyan]

Romans 14:5 “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

Rom 14 never mentions the weekly Sabbath at all.

It is speaking of the Lev 23 annual holy days and it says this "one man observes one day above another - while another man observes them all".

Now notice that in Gal 4 - Paul flat out condemns anyone who observes a pagan holy day.

So clearly Rom 14 can't be used to cancel Gal 4. In other words the annual holy days of Lev 23 being observed in Rom 14 - are not pagan days. Which means Rom 14 is not talking about "observing all days" of the year - as if not working even one day a year would be approved of or defended in any way by Paul

And of course no mention at all of the weekly Sabbath in Rom 14.

These Scriptures make it clear that, for the Christian, Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom, not a command from God.

The Commandments of God make it clear that God's Sabbath commandment - is the fourth commandment.

 

[Bro.T]

Israel represents God’s church in scripture. It was literal, now it’s spiritual and we are grafted in through faith. Gal 3:26-28 God is a God of love, but He is also a King, and a King has a government and rules- God personally wrote His rules with His own finger Exo 32:16 Exo 31:18 and doesn’t just want to bless and sanctify only Jews, but all mankind - hence why Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, and man does not spell J E W. The Sabbath started at Creation Exo 20:11 Gen 2:1-3 before Jew and is part of God’s perfect plan before sin took over the world. God kept the Sabbath, Jesus kept the Sabbath, the apostles kept the Sabbath, His faithful kept the Sabbath. Sunday is a tradition of man- Jesus told us to keep the commandments of God quoting from the Ten over mans traditions Mat 15:3-14 we ought to obey God over man.

I agree, but Israel still represent God's church. The book sat in Hebrews 13: 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Let's look at the 5th & 6th vs.; "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6th vs.) and ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priest, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." Take a look at what Peter was telling the Jews, quoting Moses in 1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

 

[Bro.T]

We find no hint in OT that God expected the Gentile nations to observe the Sabbath, nor are they ever condemned for failing to do so. That is certainly strange if He expected all peoples to observe the Sabbath. There is also no evidence of anyone’s keeping the Sabbath before the time of Moses, nor are there any commands to keep the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.

NT nowhere commands Christians to observe the Sabbath. Paul warned the Gentiles about many different sins in his epistles, but never about breaking the Sabbath. As I said, in Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council did not impose Sabbath keeping on the Gentile believers

From Acts 20:7 we see that church was meeting on Sunday, not the Sabbath day. 'On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.' Even the early church Fathers, from Ignitions to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship.

The Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Old Covenant. Because we are now under the New Covenant, we are no longer required to keep the sign of the Old Covenant.

The Acts of the Apostles is the second book attributed to Luke, I believe written about 80-90 A.D., we now come to one of the most frequently quoted verses of Paul to support the false teaching of the sacredness of Sunday: (Acts: 20: 7) 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. Now let’s take a close look at this verse and dissect it a little. Notice Paul continued his speech until midnight! It was after sunset, but prior to midnight. The first day of the week in biblical times did not begin at midnight, as men begin it today.

The Lord’s days begin and end at evening (sunset). (Gen. 1:5) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first. All biblical days began and ended at sunset. Throughout the Roman world at that time, and for a few hundred years afterward, days began and ended at sunset. The practice of beginning the new day at midnight was started much later.

So this meeting, and Paul’s preaching, took place during the time that we now call Saturday night. Remember when dealing with the Lord’s days the evening comes first. If you read more than just that one verse you would see what actually happen. Paul’s companions were engaged in the labor of rowing and sailing a boat while Paul was preaching that Saturday night and early Sunday. They had set sail Saturday night, after the sabbath had ended. Paul remained behind for one more farewell sermon. Then at day break Sunday morning, Paul set afoot, walking from Tro’-as to As’-sos to meet the ship. So actually Paul left Sunday Morning, but this verse (Acts: 20:7) says nothing about a change of the Lord’s holy sabbath day.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

I agree, but Israel still represent God's church. The book sat in Hebrews 13: 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Let's look at the 5th & 6th vs.; "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6th vs.) and ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priest, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." Take a look at what Peter was telling the Jews, quoting Moses in 1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Yes I agree, but its not literal Israel that is God’s Church, Romans 9:6 its not Jew or Gentile its those who are grafted in through faith Gal 3:26-28 its spiritual Israel.

 

[Bro.T]

Let’s take a look and see what Jesus did when he came in the flesh, And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And 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 4:14-16)

Jesus made it clear that the seventh day was made for mankind. (Mark 2:27-28) (v.27) And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Do we understand that, the Sabbath was made for us, not us for the Sabbath. (v.28) Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. The Son of man (Jesus) is the Lord God of the seventh day Sabbath (Saturday). In (Ex.31:16-17) (v.16) Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. (v.17) It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. You see that the Sabbath day is a sign between God and His people forever. Israel was His people then and whoever chooses to obey Him now are His people. God intended for the weekly Sabbath (this word means rest in Hebrew) to be a refreshing blessing for mankind. God knew that human beings would need periodic rest and change from work. But the purpose for keeping God's Sabbath goes far beyond simply resting on that day.

 

[Bro.T]

Romans 14:5 “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” These Scriptures make it clear that, for the Christian, Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom, not a command from God. Sabbath-keeping is an issue on which God’s Word instructs us not to judge each other. Sabbath-keeping is a matter about which each Christian needs to be fully convinced in his/her own mind. So if you guys want to keep Sabbath, it's up to you, but do not force it on others, and do not call it sin when it's not.

Romans 14: chapter is just referring to the weak and the strong in the faith of serving God (Jesus). These verses are not be use in any way to sin. Now what is sin; Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (1John 3:4). Now we have just read the biblical definition of sin, the transgression (breaking) of the law (commandments.) It doesn’t matter what you or I think sin is, it’s what God says sin is that counts. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)

The sad part of this mind set is that people use the Bible and these verses to keep the first day of the week Sunday, which is not written in the Bible to do. Also they use this chapter to do away with God's dietary law. But the keeping of Sunday as the Christian sabbath is not of God but of Man. If you are a true Christian, which means a follower of Christ or to be Christ like; then why are you following a day set up by man? Paul kept the Lord’s Sabbath well after the death and resurrection of Christ. So why are people going to church on the first day of the week? Well if you don’t know history will tell you why.

ORIGIN OF SUNDAY WORSHIP

Ample evidence from history shows that the celebration of Sunday originated from pagan practices of SUN WORSHIP. In March of 321 A.D., the Roman Emperor Constantine, who was at first a sun-worshiper and later a Christian convert, issued the first decree declaring Sunday to be a legal day of rest. In 336 A.D., the Roman Catholic Church officially changed the observance of Sabbath to Sunday for political and economic expediency. Since then, the original Sabbath gradually gave way to Sunday observance and the practice remains to this day.

Now lets take a look at; (Acts 13:13-15, 42, 44) (v.13) Now when Paul and his company loosed from Pa’-phus, they came to Per’-ga in Pam-phyl’-I-a: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. (v.14) But when they departed from Per’-ga, they came to An’-ti-och in Pi-sid’-I-a, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Paul went into the church (synagogue) on the sabbath day the seventh day not the first day (Sunday). (v.15) And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. (v.42) And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

The Gentiles didn’t asked Paul to come preach us something different next Sunday. They wanted Paul to preach to them the same thing that he taught the Jews, the next sabbath. Even the Gentiles knew that if they were going to serve the same God that Paul and the Jews (Israelites) served that they would have to serve him on the day that God had set up. (v.42) And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Not the next Sunday but the next sabbath.

 

[Bro.T]

Ten commandments were given to Jews only. When Lord Jesus came, the law changed. And Jesus was of the order of Melchizedek, who was greater than Abraham from whom Levi came. Jesus commanded us nine of the ten commandments, Sabbath was not one of them.

The various elements of the Sabbath symbolized the coming of the Messiah, who would provide a permanent rest for His people. If you are a Christian, your rest is in Christ.

As Paul writes in Colossians 2:16-17 “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

In Leviticus, 23rd Chapter the sabbath day and the High Holy Days which begin I believe on the new moon. Are the feast of the Lord's. These days are to be observe in their season. In Colossians 2:16-17, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. These feast days are the plans of God, they represent the future, with example from the past. All Holy Days are not to eat or drink, such as the atonement, but still to be observe. So this is actually what a person would say to someone who do not keep these feast day of the Lord, if they were judging them on those High and Holy Sabbath days, they were keeping. They would quoted Colossians 2: 16-17. So if you keep the first day of the week, Sunday, then it makes no sense to use this verse. You cannot worship other days that’s not written in the Bible to do, and then use the Bible to justify it. So if you keep another day thats not written in the Bible, then you are doing something on your own, thus it would really be contradictorily.

In the early chapters of the book of Acts, the first Christians were predominantly Jews. When Gentiles began to receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Jewish Christians had a dilemma. What aspects of the Mosaic Law and Jewish tradition should Gentile Christians be instructed to obey? The apostles met and discussed the issue in the Jerusalem council. The decision was, “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood”. Sabbath-keeping was not one of the commands the apostles felt was necessary to force on Gentile believers. It is inconceivable that the apostles would neglect to include Sabbath-keeping if it was God’s command for Christians to observe the Sabbath day.

Well let's take a look at what happen before the council at Jerusalem and see why.

Now lets take a look at; (Acts 13:13-15, 42, 44) (v.13) Now when Paul and his company loosed from Pa’-phus, they came to Per’-ga in Pam-phyl’-I-a: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. (v.14) But when they departed from Per’-ga, they came to An’-ti-och in Pi-sid’-I-a, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Paul went into the church (synagogue) on the sabbath day the seventh day not the first day (Sunday). (v.15) And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. (v.42) And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

The Gentiles didn’t asked Paul to come preach us something different next Sunday. They wanted Paul to preach to them the same thing that he taught the Jews, the next sabbath. Even the Gentiles knew that if they were going to serve the same God that Paul and the Jews (Israelites) served that they would have to serve him on the day that God had set up. (v.42) And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Not the next Sunday but the next sabbath.

This is the part where the other brothers (Israelites) had a problem with Paul and Barnabas, but this was commanded from the Lord to teach the Gentiles, and teach them on the Sabbath day. So later down the Chapters there was a council at Jerusalem.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, That thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.

Nowa days the Gentiles are not glad, but continue to fight and hold up the first day of the week Sunday. But this was prophesy written in Isaiah 49: 6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Christians meet on Sunday to worship the Lord, because that was the resurrection day. It has nothing to do with Sabbath, even though some tragically call the Lord's day the new Sabbath, it is not the case.

In Mark 16: 1 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. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

Jesus been risen, Mary and Jesus mother got their first and Jesus was gone. Jesus didn't rise Sunday Morning!

 

[HIM]

When Lord Jesus came, the law changed. And Jesus was of the order of Melchizedek,

Hi there,
All you are doing is saying it is so. Prove the Law changed, in that it is only 9 of the ten within the passage and it's context in Hebrews 7-10 .

Incidentally Matthew 24 shows us that our Lord Jesus Christ expects us to be keeping the Sabbath up to His second coming. Please follow along.
There are three questions asked by the Apostles in verse 3. First is when shall the Temple be destroyed. The second is when shall be the sign of Jesus' coming. And the third is when shall be the end of the world.
.
Matt 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Matt 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

All three questions are answered as one. Everything Jesus says is connected to what is previously stated by the use of particles, conjunctive particles and adverbs. These conjunctive particles are "and" which is copulative and sometimes culminative in nature. "For", which assigns a reason to what was previously stated. "But" which is adversative or continuative in nature.

Verse 9 starts with the adverb then. Everything previously stated leads up to this point by the use of the particles, for in verse 5 and in verse 6, and for in verse 7. And all this is said in direct context to verse 6 in respect to the end being not yet.


Matt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Matt 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matt 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Matt 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matt 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

But that is not the end of it. Jesus continues in verses 10-14 with the conjunctive particle and, and, and, but respectively. Which means he is continuing, adding on to what He had already said.

In this respect he continues to tie everything he is about to say to what was previously stated in verse 6, that the end not yet. There is not a break. It is the same context. And that context is in respect the end not yet being.


Matt 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matt 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matt 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matt 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Verses 15-20 are a little different in the words being used. Verse 15 starts off with two conjunctive particles. These words as you can see are when and therefore. And the word "see" is being said in the second person. So we get, "when you therefore see". The words "when ye therefore" tie into what Jesus already said to what he is about to say. So the proceeding text adds to what was said in respect to what will occur before the end that is not yet. It says when you shall see the abomination of desolations spoken by Daniel standing in the Holy Place.

The abomination of desolation is the culmination of the signs in which we will see in relation to the question as to when the end is. Verses 6 and 13 solidify this context in that they mention the end. When we see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place we are instructed, if in Judea to flee into the Mountains quickly. And to pray that our flight not be in the winter nor on the Sabbath Day. Since we see that this prophecy is about when the end is, we see that this is speaking of the time right before Jesus, coming and the end of this world. As was said, verses 6 and 13 have set the context to which Jesus is speaking. And the context is the answer as to when the end would be. Keep in mind Jesus is talking to His Apostles, the first Christians. Therefore He is speaking to us.

Matt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
Matt 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Matt 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Matt 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Matt 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Matt 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

As you can see in respect to when the end shall be, our Lord and Savior councils us in verse 20 to flee when we see the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place, and to pray that our flight not be in the winter nor on the Sabbath Day. Which means prior to the end Jesus expected His followers, us to be resting on the Sabbath and keeping the day Holy. The fact that Judea is mentioned means that the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place is tied to that region. Whether it is being said in respect to the destruction of the Temple or something else is subject to debate. Most believe it is. We would teach the abomination of desolation would be the building of it in the name of our God and Father rather than the destruction. Even the very site in which it was is nothing since we are now the Temple and God's Spirit dwells in us through Christ. A building of a third Temple would be a direct affront unto our God and all He did for us in Christ.

As He continues, He tells us why we should flee by using the word "for" in verse 21. He says, for then shall be great tribulation as never was. And then as He proceeds, He uses the word "and" connecting what is about to be said to what was previously stated in relation to when the end would be. He says unless this tribulation be shorten there would be none of us left. And at this time when He explains the tribulation is shortened, He uses the word then. He says at the end of this tribulation, then at this moment, many false Christs shall arrive showing great signs and wonders. And if it were possible they would deceive the very elect, us. He says Believe it not. For behold as I have told you before. As lighten cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west so also shall be the coming of the Son of man be.

Matt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matt 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Matt 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Matt 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matt 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Matt 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Matt 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

So with that, what we see so far is the signs as to when the end will be close. And as we see these signs we are called to flee and hope that are flight not be in the winter neither the Sabbath day. In that we see that Jesus expects His follows to still be resting on the Sabbath Day and keeping it Holy. And at this that we are fleeing there shall be tribulation as there has never been before. And after this tribulation is shortened for our sake we shall also start seeing incredible, miraculous signs and wonders being done by those whom profess to be Christ. Saying He is here and there. Believe it not For as lightening cometh from the east and shineth even unto the west even so shall the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcass is due to the tribulation that is shortened, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Then immediately after these days of tribulation the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, the stars shall fall from heaven and the very powers of heaven shall be shaken. And THEN shall appear the Son of man in Heaven immediately after the tribulation. And all the tribes of the earth shall morn as they see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great Glory. And at this time He shall send His Angels with the sound of a great Trumpet. And they shall gather together the elect who were not deceived. From one end of heaven unto another. Amen



Matt 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Matt 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matt 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matt 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Several people replied to me, brought some points and asked some questions. I'll post my answers on here so I do not have to reply everyone with the same stuff.

Let's start at genesis 2. Chapter 2 starts with the indication that creation is over, 'And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them' Then verse 2 'And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.' The word holy means 'separate' or 'elevate' it is a separation that elevates.

God designates this seventh day as an exalted day, a day lifted above all other days, and He has done so for 3 different reasons. First, the seventh day is unique because the heavens and earth were completed. Creation was finished, creation ceased on the sixth day (apart from miracles one can argue). So the 7th day is a special day, because it signals that God’s entire creation is finished. Second reason why the 7th day is special is because God rested. Resting here does not imply weariness ofc, He rested only in the sense that He ceased from work, not that He had to replenish His energy. But what it tells us when He rested is really that He was satisfied, and that takes you back to verse 31 of chapter 1: “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” It was a perfect work, and it was the rest of utter satisfaction. And by the way, there would be no more creation, and for a little while, there was no more work for God to do. God didn’t go to work again until the third chapter of genesis after the fall. Because there now was sin, God's creation was subject to decay so God started to work again.

We do not read in those three verses anything about people resting; there’s nothing here about man resting, nothing here about Adam resting. Because he was without sin and a perfect man in every sense, there was no depletion of his energies when he was doing whatever the simple tending of the garden called for. There’s no need to have a day of rest for man; what would he rest from? He’s living in a paradise, with no labour, and no sweat, and no expended and lost energy.

There’s no Sabbath law given here for Adam, none at all. Nothing is said about this day being a day of worship. It doesn’t say anything about that. It doesn’t prescribe anything for anyone. It is isolated completely to God. He completed His creation; satisfied with it, He ceased, which is constituting rest; and the third verb, in verse 3 “He blessed the seventh day.” He designed that that seventh day would be a special memorial to His creation and its original perfection. The 7th day is a day to be elevated above all other days as a memorial to remember the glory of God’s perfection in creation. Every seventh day from here on out would be a reminder that God in six days created the universe in perfection. There’s a reason why we live in seven-day units - and man has always done so - and it is because every seventh day provides for us a reminder that God is the Creator, who created in six days the entire universe. When we go back to genesis chapter 2, there’s no mention of Sabbath being a law, no mention of Sabbath being a day of worship.

The next time we run into the word Sabbath, is in Exodus 16. Hundreds of years have passed, the patriarchs have come and gone - none of them worshiped, far as we know, on the Sabbath. That was designated for them. It was not prescribed for them. It was not mandated for them - not Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the rest of the people of God.

This is very important so that we understand that the Sabbath was not instituted for man in genesis. It was instituted officially in exodus, in the law of Moses. A further understanding of that comes from exodus chapter 31, verse 12 “As for you, speak to the sons of Israel saying, ‘You shall surely observe My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
“‘Therefore you are to observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. For six days work may be done but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death. So the sons of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.

“‘It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever;’” - why? - “‘for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased, and was refreshed,’” - or rested. Here we find that Sabbath is a sign; it is a sign. That is to say, it points to something else. It is a symbol, if you will. When God made a covenant with Noah, He promised Noah that He would never destroy the world again, and God identified a sign. What was the sign of the Noahic covenant? Rainbow. When God made a covenant with Abraham, He made that covenant with Abraham and He designated a sign, and the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, participation among the covenant people Israel, was the sign of circumcision. Here we have in the Mosaic covenant another sign, and the sign this time is the Sabbath.

It was only a sign. Observing it with a duplicitous heart gained nothing. In fact, Isaiah 1:13 says, “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath.” The prophet Hosea pronounces a similar judgment on their hypocritical Sabbaths: “I will put an end to all her gaiety, her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths.” It didn’t mean anything to observe it outwardly without a heart of love and devotion to God. But what was the symbol for? What was the sign for? Why this sign?
The Sabbath was a reminder of creation. The Sabbath was to remind the people of Israel that they had forfeited paradise; that man had forfeited paradise. The law said to them, “Obey this law and you will be blessed.” God said that repeatedly: “Obey this law and you will be blessed,” to show them that righteous behaviour would restore a taste of Eden’s paradise. Righteous behaviour would also point to a future, a future kingdom when paradise would be regained.

So, the Sabbath, every Sabbath that went by, when they rested, they were reminded of a perfect creation, a paradise of God dominated by righteousness, which had been forfeited by sin and could only be regained again by righteousness. God then institutes the seventh-day system - not for everybody in the world; in fact, specifically, it says, for Israel. Verse 17: “A sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever.” Every seventh day was a reminder that they were living in a fallen world. Every seventh day was a reminder that they had lost paradise.

This was unique to Israel.

When Jesus came, He obliterated the sacrificial system, because He brought an end to Judaism - with all its ceremonies, all its rituals, all its sacrifices, all of its external trappings, the temple, the holy of holies, all of it, including the Sabbath. The Sabbath observance went away with all the rest that belonged to Judaism. We begin to understand this by watching Jesus and how He treated the Sabbath. How did Jesus treat the Sabbath? Any way He wanted. Lord Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, a better covenant.

Lord Jesus said: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” He can do anything He wants with the Sabbath. He can institute it. He can make commands for restrictions. He can require death for violation of those commands, as in the Mosaic law. Or He can set it aside, totally. He can abrogate it. He can nullify it. God designed the Sabbath to be a blessing - to bring rest, to bring a day in the week when you could thank God for the glory of His creation, and also be made aware that paradise had been lost. It was a day to show gratitude for the creation, and a day to repent and seek forgiveness. Sabbath wasn’t even given until the time of Moses and abrogated in the time of Christ.

Under the new covenant, we are healed, and washed, and found, and accepted. We have entered into rest with none other than the Creator Himself. We have been given righteousness, and we rejoice in that gift. We cease all effort to earn our salvation. Jesus literally did away with the Sabbath. What about the rest of the New Testament? What does the New Testament say to the church regarding the Sabbath? The rest that the New Testament writers are concerned about - even the emphasis in the book of Hebrews, which is a very Jewish epistle - is not upon a Sabbath observance, but upon a spiritual salvation rest.

There is never a command in the New Testament to keep the Sabbath. All Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament - some numerous times - except the fourth command. It is never repeated in the New Testament, not one single time.

It was, in the midst of the moral law, a sign and a symbol to lead the people to rest and repentance. But when you come to the New Testament, there’s never a repeat of that command. The rest that the New Testament is concerned about is the rest that comes to the soul from hearing and believing the good news preached. That’s the rest the New Testament offers.

There’s only two possible concepts about getting to heaven. You work your way in, or it’s a gift, right? For the Jews, they were working. But when you enter the rest of grace and the rest of faith, works cease. The day you came to Jesus Christ, you ceased trying to earn your salvation, right? You entered into permanent rest. This is just a magnificent New Testament emphasis. The Mosaic Sabbath - the symbol, the sign - was a dim reflection of the true rest.

Colossians 2 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.' Don’t let anybody hold you to a Sabbath. And that’s referring to the weekly Sabbath, because the other festival Sabbaths are covered under the term “festival and new moon.” Don’t let anybody hold you to the Sabbath. It was part of the system that included the temple, the priesthood, the sacrifices. It’s gone. It was only the shadow, not the substance. It only pointed to the fact that God was the Creator, that paradise had been lost, that you had come under the terrifying judgment of the law and needed to repent and come to God and seek righteousness and mercy and grace at His hand.

But it didn’t provide that; that is provided in Jesus Christ. Paul is saying, you no longer need the shadow, you have the substance. You have the rest, the true rest.

We have entered into the rest of the gospel. We have a taste of paradise even now in this rest, and one day we’ll enter into that glory of heavenly paradise. But You’ve given us a taste of it now. Every day for us is a Sabbath because every day we rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. We give Him all the praise.