Many of our Christian beliefs have no scriptural foundation. One such belief is that Sunday should be our day of rest and worship. Why would there be 137 Biblical scriptures containing the word sabbath if it is not important? We read in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 that God worked his wonders of creation on days one through six, and sanctified the seventh or ‘sabbath’ day as a day for rest. We read over and over such verses as these in both the Old and New Testament:
…Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord who doth sanctify you. Exodus 31:13 (Old Testament)
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day (sabbath) he rested, and was refreshed. Exodus 31:17 (Old Testament)
Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Isaiah 56:2 (Old Testament)
And he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Acts 18:4 (New Testament)
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day; for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of this world to this time, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:20 (New Testament)
“Let us labour therefore…to enter into that Rest (sabbath) lest any man fall after the example of unbelief.” Hebrews 4:11 (New Testament)
Not following Sabbath is a sign of unbelief? This appears serious, so how can we not ask questions? We should follow the example of the Bereans, who Paul said in Acts 17 “…received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so”.
We may not be asking questions because of our education. We are educated into a paradigm, boxed in our thinking to not see what is there. I have seen a person in hypnosis be given the suggestion that when he heard a horn outside in the traffic, he would feel thirsty and go for water. He was told that upon return, he would see everyone gone but the hypnotist/instructor. This indeed happened, and when the person entered back into the room, he appeared startled and asked the instructor “Where did everyone go?” Everyone was still there, but despite his senses telling him we were there, his mind did not recognize or accept it. Perhaps we have been trained to ignore things like this, so that the erroneous teaching remains accepted. Seminary error flows through ministers and teachers to individual Christians. I know as a child I thought something was not right about Sunday observance; and when I questioned, the answers I got were with a shrug of the shoulders. ‘Just accept it’, ‘that’s how it is’, ‘there has to be a good reason’. There is a reason why Jesus told his disciples “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
In John 14:15, Jesus said “If you love Me, keep my commandments”. What if we do not care to study scripture and follow his commandments? Is it still possible to be close to Him? After all we can feel close, especially at times. 1 John 1:6 says: If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. We may feel an error is not so important, but feelings cannot be trusted so much as scripture. We should take pleasure in pleasing God by following His commandments. Let’s examine what scripture says about God’s 4th commandment concerning the Sabbath: (Note that the word ‘work’ in Hebrew is the word malakah, defined as employment (not servile) or work. It is what you do for your occupation or business.)
The 4th commandment: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the sabbath to the Lord your God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11
About the commandments, Moses said “The Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly”. Deuteronomy 9:10
Moses also said, “These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more.” Deuteronomy 5:22
Moses adds that God said, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish anything from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you”. Deuteronomy 4:2
From these verses we see that God, not man, spoke and wrote the Ten Commandments, including the fourth one that concerned the sabbath. Starting from this framework, the Levitical priests added ordinances or statutes for regulation, getting more and more specific as to what could and couldn’t be done. They added consequences that should be given to those who violated these ordinances. The regulations addressed how far a person could walk on the sabbath, coining the phrase ‘a sabbath day’s journey’. When Jesus healed a man of an infirmity of 38 years on the sabbath, he told the man to take up his bed and walk. However, legalistic Jews found fault with Jesus performing healings, and also with the man carrying his bed on that day. The ordinances controlled even more than the following verse shows, such as a mandate for sacred assembly not here listed:
“…And every man who does any work therein, or goes on a journey, or tills his farm, whether in his house or any other place, and whoever lights a fire, or rides on any beast, or travels by ship on the sea, and whoever strikes or kills anything, or slaughters a beast or a bird, or whoever catches an animal or a bird or fish, or whoever fasts or makes war on sabbaths: the man who does any of these things on the sabbath shall die…” Jubilees 50:12-13
The burdensome statutes and ordinances were a reaction to how the children of Israel repeatedly wandered from God, becoming like their pagan neighbors. As things got out of hand, regulations tightened in an attempt to keep them in the Hebrew faith. Note this verse from Isaiah, and the one following from Ezekiel:
Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Isaiah 1:4
I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and laws they could not live by. Eze.20:25:
To the statutes and ordinances above were added statutes and ordinances concerning temple sacrifices and feasts. These legal statutes and also early history became known as the Law of Moses, or Torah. This Law should be considered separate from the Commandments which were given to us in love. The death and resurrection of Christ brought a new covenant of freedom in which temple sacrifices and the need for the Law is past. While the Law was strict and burdensome, now it is replaced by the decree to follow only the Commandments. On the sabbath we are to rest-or enter into His rest-as God rested and refreshed on the seventh day. On that day we are to put away the cares and concerns and problems associated with making a living, and remember our Creator. We may meet in a sacred assembly on that day, or another day, or not at all if an assembly is not convenient. Examine the following:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him: and without him was not anything made that was made. John 1:1
And He (Jesus) said unto them, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore, the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28
Jesus was present and helped in creation. He helped make the sabbath as a day of rest. He said He was Lord of the sabbath, and affirmed that by rising from the grave at the end of the Sabbath day. Jesus did not nullify everything before him with his physical appearance, death, and resurrection. Jesus was there when the Ten Commandments were given, and he affirmed them in his example and teaching. Consider the following:
If you love Me (Jesus), keep my Commandments. John 14:15
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 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
Legalistic Jews accused Jesus of breaking sabbath when he healed on the sabbath, and also when He and his hungry disciples gathered grain to eat on a sabbath. However, Jesus established that it was permissible to minister and do good on the sabbath. When the apostles also struggled with similar accusations, they followed Jesus’ example of condemning the legalism and affirming the commandments by keeping and teaching them. The apostles are recorded keeping sabbath 85 times in Acts alone. I give many of them here, and I hope you can see how arguments for Sunday worship are not based on scripture but misinterpretations of scripture to support pagan influences that worshipped the sun god.
And Paul, as his manner was, went unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures. Acts 17:2
But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Psidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Acts 13:13
And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Acts 13:42
And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Acts18:3
Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath day they rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:56
And after they had held their peace James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15:13,18 -The apostles did not disregard the Law and prophets.
Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:38-39
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we may be justified by faith. But after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galations 3:23-26
Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galations 5:1
Sabbath and all commandments will be observed by Christians at the end of the age, despite how Pharisees took from the scriptures Enoch, Estras and Jubilees, and made changes in other scripture. Jesus and the apostles were familiar with these removed books as shown by their references to them. We have them now because temple priests at the time of the Hasmonaean revolt hid them in Qumran when they fled the temple. We are getting close to the tribulation, since the information lost in the books is now being restored for those who will accept it. There will be a returning to it by the faithful. Examine these verses:
And he shall speak great works against 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 times. (3 ½ years). Daniel 7:25
…tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Matthew 24:3 Jesus answered this question: …But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:20 -This speaks of the final 3 ½ years of tribulation before the day of judgment.
Isaiah said, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord”. Isaiah 66:22-23
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12-13
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. Revelation 22:14
When the Catholic Church justifies its change of the 4th commandment by saying it’s a commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday, it is in error. Jesus was resurrected on Saturday after 3 days as prophesied.
Perhaps the most common objection to Sabbath observance instead of Sunday in the modern church is Acts 20:7:
And we sailed away from Philippi (after the days of unleavened bread), and came unto them to Troas in five days, where we abode seven days; 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 next day, and continued his speech until midnight. Acts 20:6-7
This is most likely a corrupted passage, with the words in parenthesis above inserted. Best reading is that the feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread is coming, not in the past. Paul met with the group on the first day of the seven day (week) feast of unleavened bread. They observed Passover that evening, breaking bread. Paul preached until midnight, which is when the children of Israel was told the feast had to be over and the death angel came. Paul was ready to depart at daybreak, which is when the children of Israel was told to be ready to leave. There are too many parallels to ignore. On another note, Strong’s Concordance gives that this word ‘day’ has no particular rendering in the original, having been supplied by translators for the purpose of greater clarity. It is usually translated as “first day of the week”, but some translate it ‘sabbath’. It is postulated that those translating as first day of the week did so using a bias as to what they thought was the reasonable day for them, wanting it to be worshipping on the first day of the week.
1 Corinthians 16:2 is cited often also:
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 1 Corinthians 16:2
This verse says that everyone was to lay in store or put aside their offerings the first day, before he came. This was preoccupation and work not only for people bringing it, but also for those involved in the collection of it. This work shouldn’t be done on the Sabbath, so another day was designated. This verse does not say that there was an assembly that day. Nowhere here or anywhere does it say the day of rest and assembly was moved from the sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday.
It is easiest to observe Sunday as the day of rest and sacred assembly, because we are in sync with the world. However, Christians are to be different from the world. That is part of our witness to the world. Many Christians do not observe Sunday as the day of rest any more than non-believers except for church attendance. They enjoy recreational activities, take trips, shop, spend the day doing chores. Observing Saturday as a day of rest would be for most simply a matter of making sure to spend that day focused on God in study, prayer, and contemplation of all God has done for us. Doing so would reap unbelievable blessings. We should not forsake assembling with others in Christian fellowship, but it does not have to be done on Saturday. A home fellowship or Sunday church attendance could be fit in the schedule. There are those whose work and other necessities would not permit Saturday observance, but service and ministry to others is not counted as against observance. The important thing is to try for Saturday observance, and spend the day observed in fellowship with God. Of what value is our Christian faith, if we do not care to follow God’s commandments and dare to be different from unbelievers?
*I encourage further study of the Ten Commandments, by examining the below links to excellent articles on the subject by Clay Willis.
Introduction https://claywillis.substack.com/p/introduction-to-the-10-commandments?s=w
Understanding the Ten Commandments vs. The Law https://claywillis.substack.com/p/ten-commandments-versus-the-law-of?s=w
Examination of each Commandment https://claywillis.substack.com/p/ten-commandments-versus-the-law-of?s=w