The shadows, as they pertain to God's plan for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, are very important to understand because they teach us God's plan and timeline. Many of today's churches have done away with the shadows thinking that they have no value for us today. The truth of the matter is this. We don't have to literally perform all the ceremonial acts but we must understand what they mean and what they represent or we will be in danger of being led astray from truth. This is what has happened in today's mainline church.
Let me give you just one example.
Just about all mainline churches teach and believe that Jesus died on Friday and resurrected on Sunday when Jesus Himself said He would be three days and three nights in the tomb. Friday night to Sunday morning is not three days and three nights. Because of this they have a whole system of beliefs that are wrong. In order to understand the details of crucifixion week we must understand the shadows that teach us. We find this in Leviticus 23, listen.
Leviticus 23:5-7 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a sacred assembly, it shall be a sabbath day.
The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a Sabbath and because it only came once a year it was a high Sabbath.
John 19:31 The Jews, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was a high day,).
Mary bought spices on Friday, which was the day after the high Sabbath. She prepared the spices all day Friday and then rested on the seventh day Sabbath, which is Saturday. Listen. Notice how she bought spices after the Sabbath had passed and then she rested on the Sabbath. This is because there were two Sabbaths that week.
Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
Luke 23:56 They returned, and prepared the spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.
The Passover began on Tuesday at sunset, this is when Jesus gave the bread and the wine as the Lord's supper. Judas betrays Jesus Tuesday night. Wednesday Jesus is crucified and is placed in the tomb at evening. It is now Thursday, which begins the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This day was a high Sabbath. The high Sabbath ended Friday morning at sunrise, Mary then buys the spices and prepares them all day Friday, then she rests on the Sabbath, which is Saturday. She goes to the tomb at sunrise Sabbath morning and Jesus is gone because it is now the third day.
Mary went to the tomb at sunrise on Sabbath morning, not Sunday morning. Listen.
Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.
These four words, "day of the week" is the Strong's number g4521 and is actually one word in the Greek and it's the word, Sabbath. The verse should read like this. "Very early in the morning on the first Sabbath". Why was it called the first Sabbath? Because they were counting the Sabbaths that followed the high Sabbath. According to Lev. they had to count seven Sabbaths. Listen.
Leviticus 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the high Sabbath,...seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.
This is why it was on the first Sabbath, not the first day of the week, that Mary went to the tomb. Notice how the Sabbaths were counted.
Luke 6:1 It came to pass on the second Sabbath after the first...
The early church never gathered on Sunday nor does the Bible ever call Sunday the Lord's day. So how did we go from keeping the seventh day holy to honoring the first day?
Sunday observance has its origin with the sun god of Babylon and has replaced God's seventh day Sabbath. Sunday is known by sun worshipers as the, Venerable Day of the Sun.
Worshiping the sun is nothing new to God's people. Even in ancient times the people of God were being led astray by sun worship.
Ezekiel 8:15-16 Then the Lord said to me, Turn and you will see a great abomination. He brought me into the Lord's house and there were about twenty-five men with their faces toward the east and they were worshiping the sun.
So who changed the Sabbath day from the seventh day to the first day?
"Sunday is our mark of authority...The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact." The Catholic Record, London, Ontario, September 1, 1923.
Jesus never once talked about Sunday. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, which makes Saturday the Lord's day, not Sunday.
Join with me as we remember to keep the seventh day holy because we love God and desire to keep His commandments.
Let me give you just one example.
Just about all mainline churches teach and believe that Jesus died on Friday and resurrected on Sunday when Jesus Himself said He would be three days and three nights in the tomb. Friday night to Sunday morning is not three days and three nights. Because of this they have a whole system of beliefs that are wrong. In order to understand the details of crucifixion week we must understand the shadows that teach us. We find this in Leviticus 23, listen.
Leviticus 23:5-7 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a sacred assembly, it shall be a sabbath day.
The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a Sabbath and because it only came once a year it was a high Sabbath.
John 19:31 The Jews, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was a high day,).
Mary bought spices on Friday, which was the day after the high Sabbath. She prepared the spices all day Friday and then rested on the seventh day Sabbath, which is Saturday. Listen. Notice how she bought spices after the Sabbath had passed and then she rested on the Sabbath. This is because there were two Sabbaths that week.
Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
Luke 23:56 They returned, and prepared the spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.
The Passover began on Tuesday at sunset, this is when Jesus gave the bread and the wine as the Lord's supper. Judas betrays Jesus Tuesday night. Wednesday Jesus is crucified and is placed in the tomb at evening. It is now Thursday, which begins the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This day was a high Sabbath. The high Sabbath ended Friday morning at sunrise, Mary then buys the spices and prepares them all day Friday, then she rests on the Sabbath, which is Saturday. She goes to the tomb at sunrise Sabbath morning and Jesus is gone because it is now the third day.
Mary went to the tomb at sunrise on Sabbath morning, not Sunday morning. Listen.
Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.
These four words, "day of the week" is the Strong's number g4521 and is actually one word in the Greek and it's the word, Sabbath. The verse should read like this. "Very early in the morning on the first Sabbath". Why was it called the first Sabbath? Because they were counting the Sabbaths that followed the high Sabbath. According to Lev. they had to count seven Sabbaths. Listen.
Leviticus 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the high Sabbath,...seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.
This is why it was on the first Sabbath, not the first day of the week, that Mary went to the tomb. Notice how the Sabbaths were counted.
Luke 6:1 It came to pass on the second Sabbath after the first...
The early church never gathered on Sunday nor does the Bible ever call Sunday the Lord's day. So how did we go from keeping the seventh day holy to honoring the first day?
Sunday observance has its origin with the sun god of Babylon and has replaced God's seventh day Sabbath. Sunday is known by sun worshipers as the, Venerable Day of the Sun.
Worshiping the sun is nothing new to God's people. Even in ancient times the people of God were being led astray by sun worship.
Ezekiel 8:15-16 Then the Lord said to me, Turn and you will see a great abomination. He brought me into the Lord's house and there were about twenty-five men with their faces toward the east and they were worshiping the sun.
So who changed the Sabbath day from the seventh day to the first day?
"Sunday is our mark of authority...The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact." The Catholic Record, London, Ontario, September 1, 1923.
Question - Which is the Sabbath day?
Answer - Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Question - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
Answer - Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Question - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
Answer - We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 364), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday. The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, 3rd ed.
Jesus never once talked about Sunday. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, which makes Saturday the Lord's day, not Sunday.
Join with me as we remember to keep the seventh day holy because we love God and desire to keep His commandments.