Sabbath
Please also see: ‘Sun Worship.’ ‘The Ten Commandments.’
Please see: sabbathtruth.com
Seek the Truth with all your heart.
The question has always been in my mind from a very young age, and in many people’s minds, as to why the fourth commandment, to keep holy the ‘seventh day’ Sabbath as a day of rest, is not observed by everyone, or even acknowledged, as were the principles of the remainder of the commandments.
The Sabbath is a memorial of Creation – GOD’s power as Creator – a celebration of HIS power as our Creator - and power to deliver us from the power of sin.
Seven is the number of GOD. It represents perfection, fullness, and completion.
GOD rested on the seventh day, after HIS six days of creating order, and all life on Earth; so the Sabbath is the fullness of GOD.
GOD’s holy day cannot possibly be just any day or every day, it is a particular day – the seventh day.
Satan wants to destroy anything that is of GOD.
Most sincere seekers become convinced of the significance of honouring the seventh day - Saturday – The Sabbath, and keeping it holy. There have been many discussions, debates, and much reasoning, with people who see it differently, who justify their choice as a result of misunderstandings, and using scriptures incorrectly to justify their argument.
Keeping GOD’s true seventh day, Sabbath day of rest, instead of Sunday, (‘The Day of the Sun,’) points to GOD as the Creator, setting HIM apart from all other ‘gods’ which humanity has created in one form or another, in many different ways.
In Hebrew:
‘Sha’ means ‘Eternal One.’
‘Ab’ from Abba means ‘Father.’
‘Bath’ or ‘Beth’ means ‘house of’ or ‘sign of.’
Combined as ‘Shabbath’ which means ‘Sign of the Eternal Father’
Expressed in Hebrew as ‘Shabbat,’ which in English is ‘Sabbath.’
GOD referred to THE Sabbath, not A Sabbath.
Many people believe that it does not matter which day of the week they choose as the day of rest. Using this type of thinking is similar to celebrating your own birthday on any day of the year, and that the correct day is irrelevant.
Keep Sabbath because you love Jesus. Churches, by meeting on Sundays - the counterfeit Sabbath set up by Constantine in 321 AD, - without realizing it, are unconsciously, by default, acknowledging – bowing down – pledging allegiance - to Rome - The Vatican - who claim false authority for having changed the true Seventh Day Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, the first day of the week, which was the day of Pagan worship of the sun.
Matthew 12:8 ‘Jesus said “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27-28 “Then He (Jesus) said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
As the Sabbath was made for man, it was made for us to observe and enjoy, not to ignore and consider to be now irrelevant or replaced.
Jesus confirms without question that Sabbath keeping still stands. He is the LORD who rested on the seventh day and declared it a perpetual Sabbath, never to be changed, replaced, or ignored.
Isaiah 66:22-23 “As the new heavens and the new Earth that I make will endure before ME,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before ME,” says the LORD.’
Colossians 2:14 & 16-17 refers to shadows of things to come which were nailed to the cross; and refers to a Sabbath Day, not the Sabbath Day. The fourth commandment was NOT referring to it as a shadow of things to come. It was no such thing. It is a day to be acknowledged eternally. The seventh day Sabbath is mentioned 59 times in the New Testament.
Please do not destroy number four of the ten. Keeping the Sabbath is acknowledging GOD as the Creator. It is worshipping HIM, and appreciating HIM for having made and given us the seventh day as a day of rest.
The significance of the Sabbath was transferred to Sunday by the Catholic Church of Rome, which they acknowledge was by their own self-assumed authority. (Ref. ‘The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.’ Vol. 1, p. 599.)
An excerpt from ‘The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine.’ Question: Which day is the Sabbath Day.? Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day. They claim authority because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (ca. 364 AD) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday (3rd ed., p 50.)
Such a change, or any variation at all, is absolute contradiction to GOD’s command and is not authorised or justified anywhere in the Bible.
Matthew 5:16-20 “In the same way let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your FATHER in heaven.
Do not think that I (Jesus) have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and Earth disappear, not the smallest letter (a jot,) not the least stroke of a pen (a tittle,) will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Verses 21- 48 … continue on to qualify further aspects of the commandments.
In Hebrew ‘jot’ is the dot on an 'i', and ‘tittle’ is the cross on a 't', which highlights the meaning of the ‘tiniest detail,’ as said in some versions.
If fulfil meant to ‘replace or do away with,’ then the words would had to have been:
“I did not come to ‘abolish’ the Law but to ‘abolish’ it,” - which would be ridiculous. ‘Fulfil’ in this context, could not have meant anything other than ‘giving the full meaning’ – complete the meaning and significance.
The Greek word ‘pleroo’ for ‘fulfill’ in the above passage means ‘to give a perfect example’ or ‘to make full.’ The same word ‘pleroo’ in John 15:11, &16:24, and Philippians 2:2, is used to say ‘... that your joy may be full.’ So ‘fulfil’ means to bring into fullness of meaning, completeness of meaning, and fullness of value, It does NOT mean to replace it with something of different significance, or to bring it to an end.
If Jesus meant to give ‘new meaning,’ or ‘replaced significance,’ then that would be a far greater change than ‘the tiniest detail.’
If Jesus meant to give ‘added meaning’ then that would leave the original law completely intact, and now having ‘added meaning’ or ‘greater significance.’
Some people say that it was for the Jews. The Sabbath came into existence 1,500 years before the Jews did. It was for everyone. It just happens that the Orthodox Jews only use the Old Testament, so of course they honour the Sabbath. The Sabbath stands for us also because its significance stands eternally.
Sunday is often referred to as the Lord’s Day because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. The Bible only refers once to the Lord’s Day and that is in Revelation 1:10 where it refers to the time of John being on Patmos Island, and of Jesus’ presence, Revelation 1:12-18 refers to His return to raise up and gather GOD’s children.
Only the true owner of something can redeem it back into their possession. So only by the fact that Jesus is our Creator could He also be our Redeemer; and the seventh-day Sabbath is a symbol of this. According to Deuteronomy 5:15 the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt is also symbolic of the salvation we have through Christ. Hence the Sabbath is also a symbol of Redemption.
Jesus went to the synagogue every Sabbath. He showed how the Sabbath should be observed; what one could and could not do. If it was about to pass away, why did He bother teaching these things. Jesus said that He was and is the Lord of the Sabbath, therefore we should honour the Sabbath. He set many examples for us to follow. Isaiah 66:23 clearly shows that the Sabbath will be observed in the new heaven and new Earth. Jesus said He came to fulfil not to abolish; and He himself is not a replacement for or of, the Sabbath; He is the Lord of it; which is saying that He is the Creator and that He is affirming and re-affirming that He is the Lord who created the Sabbath, about whom the Sabbath in turn confirms who He is. Jesus is confirming that He is the very reason for the Sabbath. Therefore not keeping (observing) and honouring the Sabbath, and even ignoring or rejecting it, is rejecting Who He is. Jesus was saying the exact opposite of relationship with Him being a replacement of the seventh day Sabbath day.
The significance of the Sabbath was transferred to Sunday by the Catholic Church of Rome, which they acknowledge was by their own self assumed authority. (Ref. ‘The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.’ Vol. 1, p. 599.)
An excerpt from ‘The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine.’ Question: Which day is the Sabbath Day.? Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day. The Roman Catholic Church claim authority for having changed the day to Sunday, because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (ca. 364 AD) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday (3rd ed., p 50.) and people blindly followed in acceptance. When in 321AD Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it ‘the venerable day of the sun’ = Sunday.
The Christian church took over many pagan ideas and images. The day of sun-worship led to the pagan celebration of the birthday of the sun which was considered to be during the winter solstice on 25th December, which then became the celebration of Christ’s birthday, to keep the Christians happy. Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival of 17-21 – December, which included merriment, gift-giving, and the rest of the paraphernalia, became typical of Christmas. Constantine was almost certainly a Mithraic = a sun-worshipper.
The Vatican’s claim to have received the people’s approval of accepting Sunday as the Sabbath, after Constantine had already converted it to be the ‘new’ Sabbath, to suit his own compromising plans.
Such a change, or any variation at all to any of the commandments, is an absolute contradiction to GOD’s command and is not authorised or justified anywhere in the Bible. GOD’s instructions are unchangeable.
Vatican interference.
Noted Roman Catholic theologian James Cardinal Gibbons wrote the following in his book ‘Faith of Our Fathers:’ ‘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 never sanctify.’
Gibbons admits that if the Bible is your authority, you have no basis for observing Sunday. Scripture enforces ‘the religious observance of Saturday.’ He acknowledges that it was the Council of Laodicea in the fourth century AD, not the Bible that caused the professing Christian world to change from the seventh day Sabbath to a Sunday observance.
There are many other Roman Catholic officials who have made statements indicating the correctness and significance of the seventh day, Saturday Sabbath -- the true Sabbath of GOD, quoted in ‘Sabbath – Catholic and Protestant statements’ as follows:
References:
‘Catholic Record,’ September 1893.
Anglican Archbishop of Quebec, ‘Toronto Daily Star,’ October 26, 1949.
Saint Catherine, ‘Catholic Church Sentinel’ May 21, 1995. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Volume XXIII, page 654. Hutton Webster Phd.,’Rest Days,’ pages 220-221.
Euse3bius, fourth century Bishop of the Emperor Constantine, ‘Commentary on the Psalms.’ James Cardinal Gibbons, ‘Catholic Mirror,’ December 23, 1983. ‘Question Box,’ by Conway, 1903 edition, pages 254-255. Stephen Keenan, ‘A Doctrinal Catechism,’ page 174.
Bishop Jeremy Taylor, ‘Ductor Dubitantium,’ Part 1, Book 2, Chapter 2, Rule 6, Section 51 & 59.
Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of ‘The Baptist Manual,’ in a paper read before a New York ministries conference November 1893.
T. Enright, C.S.S.R. in a lecture delivered in 1893.
Southern Baptist minister Harold Lindsell, a former editor of ‘Christianity Today’ magazine, November 5, 1976, page 42, ‘Consider the Case for Quiet Saturdays.’
Galatians 1:8 ‘But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.’
The Sabbath ‘The Mark or Seal of GOD.’
The following is a lengthy analysis of Sabbath scriptures.
From a very young age, I thought that if the Sabbath day is Saturday (the seventh day) and not Sunday, something was wrong about people not observing it. Even though I spent years arguing that we did not have to keep it any more, I kept being confronted with the significance of it, together with the deep down feeling that it needed to be respected.
GOD did not instruct people to construct holy ‘buildings or places;’ instead He created holy ‘time’ as a memorial of His creation, so that He could connect with people wherever they are throughout the earth. By remembering the Sabbath each week, we are acknowledging the GOD of creation, His holy time and His saving grace through Jesus death and resurrection. We are also being mindful of our relationship with GOD and Jesus, and our future eternal life with Him in the kingdom to come, where the Sabbath will continue to be respected. Ref. Isaiah 66:22-23.
The following analysis is the result of having investigated the subject extensively in length, breadth and depth.
Some people say that Saturday as the seventh day became changed by the change in calendars from Gregorian to Julian. This is not so because the change was in the dating system, not in the days per week. A research of the days of the week throughout all history, has revealed that there have always been seven days per week, and this has never varied. Some cultures tried to change the week to six or eight days, with disastrous results, which they had to admit to, and revert to the correct seven day week.
Most true searchers have found that understanding, appreciating and observing the correct seventh day (Saturday) Sabbath is a blessing. It takes on a new meaning; a special feeling of peacefulness, completeness, of being the special set apart day, of being in relationship with GOD and separate from the world on GOD’s special appointed day of rest.
# Genesis 2:2-3 'By the seventh day GOD had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. And GOD blessed the seventh day and made it holy (sanctified it), because on it HE rested from all the work of creating that HE had done.' (To sanctify means to make and set apart as holy, to make sacred, to consecrate, to make inviolate which means sacred and unalterable. GOD has never changed the day, unblessed it, unsanctified it, or made it unholy. Only GOD can make something holy, and mankind is not entitled to change it; in fact to do so is apostasy.)
# Exodus 16: 4-5 & 26-27 ‘Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” Verses 22-30 tell the whole story of how GOD rained down Manna for 6 days in the desert. The double amount on the 6th day enabled the Israelites to not need to gather food on the 7th day.
# Exodus 19:5-6 'Now if you obey ME fully and keep MY covenant, then out of all nations you will be MY treasured possession. Although the whole earth is INE, you will be for ME a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.'
# Exodus 20:8 'Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your GOD. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the Earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but HE re5sted on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.' (HE has never un-blessed it.)
Repeated and enlarged to include the Exodus from Egypt on the seventh day Sabbath, in: Deuteronomy 5:12-15.
The only place in the Bible where GOD's seal can be found is in the words of the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8-11.
The three parts of the seal are:
1. His name --- "the LORD"
2. His title --- "your GOD" (Creator)
3. His territory --- "heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them."
These three parts, or elements, are included in every seal of every national leader in the world. They are the lawful requirements of an official seal.
Refer Ezekiel 20:11-12 & 20 & Romans 4:11
# Exodus 24:7 'Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey." '
# Exodus 31:13-17 "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe MY Sabbaths. This will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the Earth, and on the seventh day HE rested and was refreshed.”
Ezekiel 20:12&20 ‘Also I gave them MY Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy. Keep MY Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your GOD.’
(Christians [saints] have, through Jesus, joined the House of Israel, we are Gentiles who are privileged to be grafted into the olive tree together with the Israelites.)
# Leviticus 19:3 & 30 ‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths, I am the LORD your GOD.’
‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.’
# Deuteronomy 5:29 'Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!'
# Deuteronomy 6:5-6 'Love the Lord your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.' (These did not replace the Ten Commandments, they were in addition to them, and with these in our heart we will automatically live the Ten Commandments.)
# Deuteronomy 7:9 -11 ‘___ keeping HIS covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love HIM and keep HIS commands. ___ etc. therefore take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.'
# Ecclesiastes 12:13 -14 ‘___ Fear GOD and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For GOD will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.'
# Isaiah 1:13 ‘___ New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations -- I cannot bear your evil assemblies.' (This refers to festivals and holidays.)
# Isaiah 42:21 'It pleased the Lord for the sake of His righteousness to make his law great and glorious.' (Jesus' teachings lifted the law beyond the external into the realm of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It was magnified and made honourable.)
# Isaiah 56:2, 4, 6 Various blessings of honouring the Sabbath.
# Isaiah 58:13-14 ' "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honourable, and if you honour it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, ___"
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.' (Surely these two verses are as eternal as the whole meaning of Chapter 58. The Sabbath is to be a delight forever, even as relationship is richer everyday. The Sabbath doesn't get replaced by another day or by becoming spread over every day.)
# Isaiah 66:22-23 "As the new heavens and the new Earth that I will make will endure before Me” declares the Lord, “So will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, All mankind will come and bow down before Me," says the LORD.' (This shows that the Sabbath will still be in the new heavens and the new Earth.)
# Ezekiel 20:11-12 ‘I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.’
# Ezekiel 20:19-20 “I am the LORD your GOD; follow MY decrees and be faithful to keep MY laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your GOD.’
# Daniel 7:25 ---- Read about Daniel's vision of the little horn changing times and law. ----
(This refers to the then future event of the Vatican, in the 4th century, when Emperor Constantine deceptively changing the 4th commandment, which is the only law involving a time, and changing it from Saturday - the seventh day, to Sunday - the first day. The Sabbath is the very day that GOD wants us to treat as a day of rest and a special day of relationship with Him. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Although he lived much of his life as a pagan, and later as a catechumen, he joined the Christian faith on his deathbed, being baptised by Eusebius of Nicomedia.)
Deception of The Roman Catholic Church: (Note this shocking announcement:) 'Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop. Cap.' states: 'The Pope has authority and has often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ. The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ. The Pope has authority and has often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ.' (Many Roman Catholic officials have acknowledged the deception of this and that nowhere in the Bible is it justified.) The Roman Catholic Church claims that the changing of GOD's Sabbath from Saturday (the 7th day) to Sunday (the 1st day) was her act and is a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority. (The mark of the beast.)
There is not a single passage in the Bible that warrants the change of the true Sabbath as the day of weekly public worship. Sunday is a deceptive Roman Catholic institution and the Book of Revelation makes it quite clear as to the significance of Rome. Constitution of Constantine in 321AD. The Latin original is in the Codes Justiniani (Codes of Justice) Lib.3, title12, lex.3.
# Malachi 3:6 'I am the Lord I do not change.' (This includes His eternal laws.)
# Matthew 5:17–20 'I came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them --- etc. Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle (dot of an 'i' or cross of a 't' in Hebrew = the tiniest detail) will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.'
(NIV) 'Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.'
(Jesus was meaning by 'fulfill', to now keep the 'spirit' of the Ten Commandments which would naturally embrace the physical aspect. If the spirit leads, the physical must follow. Fulfillment in the spiritual does not replace the physical, it adds to it. Heaven and Earth have not passed away, so GOD's law is still in force, which includes the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and the spirit means the intent. In Rabbinic understanding, to fulfill or complete, meant to bring a deeper, correct and complete understanding.)
# Matthew 7:21 'Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My FATHER in heaven.'
# Matthew 12:1-14 --- All pertaining to the Sabbath ---
# Matthew 12:1-5; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1-2 'Jesus and His disciples were going through the cornfields on the Sabbath and the disciples, being hungry, began picking corn and the Pharisees got upset.' (Jesus was referring to the ways in which the Pharisees had become legalistic about many things, including how the Sabbath should be observed and the burden they had made of it by the ridiculous conditions they had attached to it. Jesus was also showing mercy, which the Pharisees fanaticism would not allow for.
This teaching refers to what is acceptable to be done on the Sabbath not whether it should be kept, there was no question about that. This does not mean it is acceptable to desecrate or profane the Sabbath or that the Sabbath does not matter. Jesus was showing the Pharisees how hypocritical they were with their double standards of condemning others for doing certain things on the Sabbath while tolerating the unreasonable behaviour of their own priests who ate the showbread and yet were not condemned for doing so. The priests were the 'religious' people who were always a problem to Jesus. The Sabbath itself still stood in all the fullness of its own meaning and importance.)
# Mat.12:8; Luke 6:5 'For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.'
Jesus is stating His authority to instruct as to how the Sabbath should be kept. This makes the Sabbath more important than ever. Jesus created the Sabbath, the most sacred of religious institutions, and He showed us how it should be kept. When Jesus is Lord of our lives we should live as He lived which includes keeping the Sabbath. Jesus was the Creator therefore He established the Sabbath, it was the day He rested after the six days of creation.
As in Isaiah 66:22-23 the Sabbath will still be acknowledged in the new heaven and new earth, therefore it is continuous, it has not been temporarily interrupted, or replaced.
# Matthew 12:11-12 'He (Jesus) said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out.? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep. Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.'
# Matthew. 12:14 'But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Him.'
(Jesus becomes our primary model for Sabbath keeping over the interpretation of any Old Testament injunction. It was His Sabbath keeping and teaching, as much as anything else, that drove the Pharisees to plot how they might kill Him. He would never have put His ministry on the line for something that was about to be done away with.)
# Matthew 15:9 (NIV) 'They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' (NKJ) 'And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'
# Matthew 19:17-19 '___ Jesus replied "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." Jesus then proceeded to name six of the Ten Commandments to indicate which commandments He meant.
# Matthew 22:36-40 ' "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your GOD with all your heart and with all Your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law (Torah) and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." '
(Once again, the Law hangs on love, it is not replaced by it.)
# Matthew 23:23 'Keep the spiritual and the physical law.'
# Matthew 24:20 'Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.'
This refers to events that took place 40 years after Jesus ascended, and to the last days, and clearly shows that honouring the Sabbath was to continue, therefore GOD's people will always be keeping the Sabbath.
# Matthew 28:1 'After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week ___' (Acknowledges the Sabbath.)
# Mark 1:21 ‘Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath, He entered the synagogue and taught.’
# Mark 2:27-28 “The He (Jesus) said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
See Luke 6:5 8th scripture below.
# Mark 3:1-6 Healing on the Sabbath: Jesus is showing what is acceptable on the Sabbath, if the Sabbath was unimportant or about to become irrelevant or to be treated differently, then this example would have been pointless.
# Mark 3:1-2 ‘And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.’
# Mark 6:2 'When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. ___’
# Mark 7:6-8 ‘Jesus replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of GOD and are holding on to human traditions.”
# Luke 4:16 '___ And as His (Jesus) custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, ___'
# Luke 4:31 'Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people.'
# Luke 6:1-2 Jesus plucked grain to eat on the Sabbath day, as part of showing people what was acceptable on the Sabbath. He was showing how to keep the Sabbath, not whether to.
# Luke 6:5 Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man (Jesus Himself the Messiah) is Lord of the Sabbath."
So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (The Sabbath came into being for man’s sake.) The Sabbath was made especially to meet man's needs and GOD's requirements, a special day of relationship, not as an optional choice but as part of GOD's eternal plan. He knew our need and how to satisfy it. The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath, Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, and if He is Lord of our lives, we most certainly should be keeping the Sabbath.
# Luke 6:9 ‘Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
(This would have been pointless if the Sabbath was not to be of further significance and was to pass away. If this was so, surely he would have said "The Sabbath is now in the Son of Man and he who has relationship with Me is fulfilling the requirements of the Sabbath." He did not say this, so if Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, that makes it clear as to how important an institution it is, and how important it is that we honour it. We should be following His example and doing what He did. As Lord of the Sabbath He alone has the authority to say how it should be treated. The law is magnified in Jesus and therefore is even more meaningful.) Only the ceremonial law was abolished in Christ Jesus, and there is nowhere in the scriptures to show that the moral law was abolished.
The born again person is now required to keep the spiritual meaning in their mind and spirit of each of the ten commandments, which fulfills the complete meaning of each commandment.
The ceremonial law was done away with when Christ fulfilled its types (shadows), but the Moral Law was written by the finger of GOD Himself upon tables of stone, to signify its permanent nature.
Philip Schaff the great church historian who wrote volumes of church history said:
"It is incorporated in the Decalogue (The Ten Commandments), the moral law, which Christ did not come to destroy, but to fulfill, and which cannot be robbed of one commandment without injury to all the rest." (Taken from the eight volume History of the Christian Church by Philip Schaff; volume 1, pages 476-480.) Also he said, " Next to the Church and the Bible, the Lord's Day is the chief pillar of Christian society."
'On another Sabbath He (Jesus) went into the synagogue and was teaching, ___'
(Many other scriptures also refer to Jesus and Paul preaching in synagogues on the Sabbath. People say that they only went into the synagogue to teach and preach on the Sabbath because they knew that was the day people would be there. However they never tried to change that. In reference to verses 10 and 11 where Jesus' healing of people made the Pharisees furious, He was not showing that the Sabbath did not matter, He was using it as an example to show the ridiculously legalistic Pharisees [ref. Luke 11:46] what is and is not in keeping with decency and common sense and what is permissible on the Sabbath. Jesus was encouraging us to a deeper understanding of it, including God's intent.) Jesus honoured the Sabbath, and if one reads:
Isaiah 66:22-23 and Hebrews 13:8 and links them together, it confirms that there is not to be a break in keeping the Sabbath The disciples and the church that existed for many years after Jesus ascended continued keeping the Sabbath..
# Luke 13:10-17 ___ Healing on the Sabbath ___ (Jesus is clearly teaching here that of course there are certain things which you can and should do on the Sabbath. This clearly upholds the Sabbath itself.)
# Luke 14:1-6 ___ Healing on the Sabbath ___ (Once again Jesus is not teaching us to do away with the Sabbath, but to use our brains as to what is acceptable and sheer common sense and decency to do on the Sabbath as one would do on any other day.)
# Luke 16:17 'It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.'
# Luke 23:54 'It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.'
# Luke 23:56 '___ But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.'
# Luke 24:1 'On the first day of the week ___' (This day followed the Sabbath).
# John 7:23-24 "Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement."
(Once again Jesus is clearly upholding the Sabbath and teaching what is, and is not, permissible on the Sabbath.)
# John 13:34 - 35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another".
(This does not replace or take anything away, it is a new command showing us how to love and why.)
# John 14:6 'Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".'
(His example stands and He kept the Sabbath).
# John 14:15 'If you love Me, keep My commandments.' (no exceptions).
# John 14:21 “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love them and manifest Myself to them.”
# John 15:10 'If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love.'
# John 23:56 'Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.'
# Acts 20:30 'Even from your own number men will arise and distort the Truth in order to draw away disciples after them.'
# Acts 13:14 '___ On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.'
# Acts 13:42 '___ the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.'
# Acts 13:44 'On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the Word of the Lord.'
# Acts 16:13 'On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. ___'
# Acts 17:2 'As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the scriptures, ___'
# Acts 18:4 'Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, ___'
# Acts 20:7 'On the first day of the week we came together ___'
(If the first day of the week was the Sabbath, it would have been described as such, and not described as the 'first day'.)
(Christ, His apostles and the whole church at that time, met regularly on the seventh - day Sabbath. The Sabbath points to GOD as the Creator of all that is.)
# Acts 20:28-30 '___ Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.'
# Romans 2:13 ‘For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in GOD's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.’
# Romans 2:23 'You who brag about the law, do you dishonour GOD by breaking the law.'
# Romans 3:31 'Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all. Rather, we uphold the law.' No exceptions, the same principles must apply equally to each of the ten commandments. We do not keep the law to be saved, we keep the law because we are saved, and if we stumble and repent, and do not say the law does not matter any more, we are forgiven.
# Romans 4:11 'And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness ------'
Could this indicate that as a sign, the Sabbath is also a seal?
# Romans 7:12 'So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.'
# Romans 10:4 ‘Christ is the end of the law, so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.’
The word ‘end’ is from the Greek word ‘telos’ which means ‘purpose’, ‘goal’, or ‘end in view’. End here did not mean cessation.
# Romans 11 (whole chapter) = Jew and Gentile are grafted in together.
# Romans 13:8 -10 'Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. "The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," etc ___ and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one rule: Love your neighbour as yourself." ___ Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.'
Love obviously encompasses the Ten Commandments because they are included as part of love. Love does not replace the law of the ten commandments, it fulfils it and sums it up, meaning that if you love GOD and your neighbour, keeping the law follows naturally.
# Romans 14:5 'One man esteems one day above another etc.'
This clearly refers to the ceremonial law and the movable feasts, not the eternal, moral law of the Ten Commandments. In context it is discussed along with matters of food and judging each other, and not of the Ten Commandments. It was dealing with the fact that many had difficulty in relinquishing the ceremonial days, high Sabbaths (not the seventh day Sabbath), Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Trumpets etc. They were no longer required to keep them, but they could if they chose to, and if they exercised this freedom then they did it to the Lord. It is entirely optional and up to each person as to whether they wish to celebrate certain feasts and certain days but this does not refer to the eternal Sabbath day. The first day of the week (Sunday) worship which started, was an optional extra, it should never have been a Sabbath replacement. If Paul had been referring to 'The Sabbath' we would have heard much more about it because the Jews were very forceful about Sabbath keeping. When Paul spoke against circumcision (Romans 2:25-29 and Galatians 5:2-11) he was attacked by the Jews, imagine the opposition if he had spoken similarly about the Sabbath.
# 1 Cor. 7:19 'Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping GOD's commands is what counts.'
# 2 Cor. 3:6 '___ for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.'
This is saying that whatever we do, we must do it from our spirit, which is doing it from our heart, it is pointless doing it out of theoretical or legalistic commitment.
# 1 Corinthians 16:2 'On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.'
This was for GOD's people, the poor. There was no reference to any public meeting or Sabbath day.
# Galatians 3:19-25 'What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. ___ 24-25 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.'
This does not refer to the Ten Commandments. The ceremonial law was added as a tutor to bring us to Christ, after faith we are no longer under a tutor. None of the Ten Commandments were added, they were and are the original and eternal laws to which GOD needed to add these ceremonial laws pointing towards the Messiah, after which they would not be required. They were shadows of things to come.
# Ephesians 2:8-9 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ___ and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of GOD ___ not by works, so that no one can boast.'
Grace does not do away with the commandments, it covers us if we stumble in any one of them, but not if we blatantly ignore them.
# Colossians 2: 9-17 '___ having cancelled the written code ___ nailing it to the cross.'
This does not refer to the Ten Commandments. It refers to the ceremonial laws as explained above.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, 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.'
This is not a discussion of the Ten Commandments. The seventh day Sabbath was not a shadow of anything. None of the Ten Commandments were shadows so none could change at the cross. Changes could only apply to the other sabbaths, Moses law, which was comprised of the moveable feasts, the ceremonial law.) Refer to Galatians 4:9 -11 '___ enslaved by observing special days and months and seasons and years _'
This does not include the seventh day Sabbath, which was not a shadow of anything. GOD gave Moses 2 sets of laws: The ceremonial law which pointed forward to the sacrifice of the Son of GOD on the cross, is no longer needed, and the law of the Ten Commandments which stands forever.
# Hebrews 4:1-11 These verses, which should be read in the context of the previous 3 verses (Hebrews 3:16-19), are often used to indicate that we no longer need to keep the seventh day (Saturday) Sabbath. In fact these verses use the Sabbath as an example of our rest, in trusting in Jesus, not like the children of Israel who did not enter into rest in (Canaan) Palestine, because they did not have faith that GOD was able to subdue their enemies. They were only looking to their own resources after GOD had promised them rest in that land. So this is likened to spiritual Israel and how we should enter into God's rest by faith in, and obedience to GOD, not looking to our own strengths. Verse 7, 'Therefore GOD again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later He spoke through David, as was said before: "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." '
# Hebrews 9-11 These verses make it clear that they are referring to a particular day, the seventh day Sabbath. GOD rested from his work on the seventh day and we are to do the same. Some churches say this refers to entering into the rest of a continuous relationship with GOD, which does not make sense because it also says to rest from one’s work, and we cannot do that every day.
This means 'now' (today) is the time to seek salvation, not tomorrow when it might be too late. Rest in Jesus does not become a Sabbath replacement but the Sabbath 'rest' becomes an example of when Jesus is Lord of our life and living in us, we have spiritual rest in Him, rest from the futility of trying to 'get right' by our own works and efforts. This rest is something added, it is supplementary and complementary. GOD spent five days creating everything needed for human existence, the sixth day creating Adam and Eve and the seventh day was His day of rest and their first full day spent in fellowship with Him, just as He wants us to keep it as a special, blessed and holy day of relationship. So in relationship with Jesus we also enter into the 'rest' of His finished work for us and the Sabbath becomes the consummate way of celebrating creation, redemption and Jesus second coming. Unbelief, absence of faith and not turning away from our own works prevents us from entering GOD's rest which involves entering into full dependence on and relationship with GOD through Jesus. GOD's grace was established before sin entered the world.
So under the new covenant we can only 'get right' by entering Jesus' rest which gives us GOD's grace to cover us when we stumble in any of the Ten Commandments. Jesus never observed a Sunday or suggested that another day could be the Sabbath.
Rest = salvation, peace, security, quietness, stillness, consolation, comfort, soothing and settling.
Our faith must be absolute = 100%.
Unfaithfulness = unbelief = disobedience = sin. refer Romans 14:23
# Hebrews 8:10 Same as Jeremiah 31:33-34 'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their GOD, and they will be my people.'
We, the saints, are the Gentiles who are grafted into the House of Israel.
This fulfills the Ten Commandments inasmuch that they are not only in our minds in a physical sense but also in our hearts in a spiritual sense so that we keep them in thought, word and deed, having an automatic, natural desire to think, speak and do only 'right things'. In Malachi 3:1 Christ is referred to as the 'Messenger of the covenant' ---- a new relationship between GOD and man. The new covenant was established on better promises not on better laws.)
# Hebrews 9:19-20 'When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, etc ___ He said "This is the blood of the covenant, which GOD has commanded you to keep." '
# Hebrews 10:16 'This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.'
# Hebrews 10:26 'If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.'
# Hebrews 13:8 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.'
# James 2:10-11 'For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.'
These scriptures clearly show that all of the commandments are of equal importance and if any one of them is ignored, then we have failed in all of them.
# James 2:26 '___ faith without works is dead.'
# 1 Peter 2:21 '___ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.'
# 1 John 2:3-4 & 5:1-3 '___ this is the love of GOD that we keep His commandments.'
# 1 John 3:4 '___ Sin is lawlessness ___' (therefore: no law = no sin = no need for grace).
# 1 John 5:3 'This is love for GOD: to obey HIS commands. And HIS commands are not burdensome, ___'
# 1 John 2:3 ‘Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.’
# 2 John 6 ‘And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.’
Revelation 11:19 ‘Then GOD’s temple in heaven was opened, and within HIS temple was seen the ark of the covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.’ This surely shows that the contents of the Ark of the Covenant, being the Ten Commandments, still stand in effectiveness and power.
# Revelation 12:17 'And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of GOD and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.'
(Jesus kept the Sabbath, so that is part of His testimony).
# Revelation 13:11-12 & 15-17 The mark won't officially be received until it is enforced by the 'two horned beast'. Could the following be true?
The first beast = the Papacy.
The two horned beast = the USA.
The 'image of the beast' = Protestant America and Sunday keeping by law. (In the state of Virginia the Sunday law of 1610 still stands, it is unconstitutional but it's still there; as though waiting to be drawn upon and applied far more widely.)
# Revelation 14:12 'This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.'
I have heard people use verse 13 as an indication that we do not now need to keep the Sabbath. Apart from this being quite wrong, it would contradict verse 12.
# Revelation 22:14 'Blessed are those who do His commandments ___' (NKJ)
# Revelation 22:14 'Blessed are those who wash their robes ___' (NIV)
# Revelation 1:10 'On the Lord's Day ___'
# Isaiah 58:13 confirms the 'day of the Lord' as the 7th day Sabbath ___
COMMENTS:
# GOD gave the Sabbath as a memorial of His creation of the world, and the fourth commandment is the only one that tells us who GOD really is, the creator of 'Heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is.' To keep the fourth commandment involves worshiping the Creator of the universe who Himself rested on the seventh day and commanded His people to do the same in a love relationship with Himself.
# People say "The Sabbath is not an issue." Would they say that about any of the other 9 commandments, or about baptism which is not even one of the ten commandments. An equivalent treatment of baptism would be to say "Do not get hung up about whether baptism is by full immersion or sprinkling, it still represents the same thing, it's still a symbol and the intent is still the same."
GOD speaks of the seventh day 126 times in the Old Testament and 62 times in the New Testament.
# The New Testament, ‘born again’, treatment of each of the Ten Commandments must be consistent:
We not only do not murder but nor do we hate.
We not only do not commit adultery but nor do we think lustfully, and if we begin to do so then we arrest the thought and don’t continue entertaining it. Matthew 5:27-28
Therefore, even though we are, hopefully, in relationship with GOD every moment, we keep the seventh day Sabbath, as a special day, set apart from the working week, to be in relationship with GOD in obedient rest and worshipful time spent with HIM. Christians are strangers in this world anyway, so what we do in relationship with, and pleasing to, GOD is different from human tradition.
Being in relationship with GOD every day does not replace the Sabbath, it adds to it. We cannot abolish a commandment and fulfil it at the same time. We cannot even change it even the tiniest bit, not one jot or tittle. Jesus certainly kept the Sabbath and set the example and pattern for us to follow.
The disciples - followers - believers - GOD’s people - clearly kept the seventh day Sabbath until Constantine compromisingly interfered by changing it to Sunday to keep the Pagans happy; on the 7th of March AD321.
Murder, idolatry, adultery etc. are always wrong, therefore so is not keeping the Sabbath.
# Being in relationship with GOD every day does not replace 'keeping the Sabbath' any more than not thinking lustfully replaces 'not committing adultery,' or not hating replaces 'not committing murder.'
# People say the Sabbath was and is a Jewish institution, but this ignores the fact that the Sabbath was established before the Jews existed. It stood from the very beginning and GOD said to remember the seventh day.
# We have to be in relationship with GOD every day to be able to correctly keep the Sabbath.
# The Sabbath (seventh day) was established before sin entered the world, the cross was all about sin and shadows, it did not change GOD's eternal law. The Sabbath day did not change at the cross. The seventh day Sabbath was not and is not a shadow of anything that replaces it.
# Love allows us to lift the law to a higher plane, to take it to a spiritual plane which automatically / naturally includes the physical. The law is now not only in our mind but in our heart, and our mind is now led by our heart.
Our desire to honour each of the ten commandments is now driven by love, from our heart.
# Saying, that for Christians, the Sabbath is replaced by our being in relationship with GOD ('in His rest') every day, is changing far more than a jot or tittle, and is totally ignoring the unchangeable seventh day and it's significance; as is also saying that it has now been replaced by Sunday, irrespective of our reasoning for, or convenience, in doing so. Both are misunderstandings of GOD's eternal law, and the Vatican's deceptive changing of it. Constantine used the 'Christian significance' of the first day of the week, the day Christ rose from the dead, and the Pagans' worshipping of the Sun on that day, to justify changing the Sabbath to Sunday, in trying to please everyone and blend Paganism and Christianity together.
There is not one verse in the Bible which tells us to keep Sunday instead of Saturday. Even though Jesus rose from the dead and the early disciples had been meeting on the first day of the week, these facts do not change GOD's seventh day Sabbath to Sunday.
# The old covenant law consisting of rules and regulations, brings bondage, but we are now free from that. The Ten Commandments are GOD's eternal laws which set us free.
# Yes, we are under GOD's grace and not under the law. We are changed and the law is now written in our hearts. So now we keep the Ten Commandments law out of love, not legalism, and if we stumble in any of them and are repentant, we are not condemned, we are forgiven. GOD's treatment of us has changed, but the law itself has not. Grace does not allow us to say that any part of this law does now not exist for us. If we knowingly change or exclude any of them we are answerable to GOD.
# The remnant church must be identical in every way to the original church. (A remnant is a remaining piece of the original, to which it is obviously identical). The original church kept the Sabbath, spoke in tongues, received visions and dreams etc.
# The very commandment which involves close relationship with GOD and is a seal between us and GOD, is the very law which Satan attacks, distorts and manipulates even to the extent of confusing Christians' understanding of the difference between GOD's ten commandments (the moral law) and Moses ceremonial law. Some calendars and diaries now even show Monday as the first day of the week and Sunday as the seventh. Saturday has always been, and will remain, the seventh day of the week.
# GOD personally engraved the 10 Commandments, the eternal moral law, with HIS own finger, into tablets of stone. Each one is eternal and unchangeable. If idolatry and adultery etc. are wrong, so is not keeping the 'seventh day' Sabbath. With not one jot (dot on an i) or tittle (stroke or cross on a t) missing.
# Scriptures must be read in the correct context and interpreted correctly. Some may need to be understood in the light of other scriptures, but scriptures must not be wrongly applied to suffocate other scriptures which clearly mean what they say.
# Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath so enter into the fullness of it and honour the physical and spiritual fulfilment of it.
# The Sabbath is the expression of a redeemed people.
# The Sabbath is an ordinance forever.
# There are ways that might seem right to man, but are not the will of GOD. It appears that man has assumed inferences in certain texts, to change many scriptures which are eminently clear in what they say.
# There are none so blind as those who cannot see.
# The art of living is in the pausing and reflecting, and the Sabbath is a special day of this and relationship with GOD.
# From the book 'How to read the Bible for all it's Worth', by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, P139 2nd para '___ The Ten Commandments are cited in various ways in the New Testament as still binding upon Christians. Mat. 5:17-48
John 7:23-24 ‘Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with Me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.’
The two great commandments to love:
Leviticus 19:18 ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.’
Deuteronomy 6:5-6 ‘Love the LORD Your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.’
# Truth is not defined by the majority, Jesus represented Truth and the majority put Him to death.
# The word Sunday is not found in the Bible, but the term 'first day of the week, is found eight times. Six references are from the Gospels and are connected with Christ's resurrection. None of the eight texts attribute sacredness to any day except the seventh day Sabbath.
# If our interpretation of the Ten Commandments is to be consistent, then we cannot change any of them.
For example: We certainly do not murder, but now, nor do we even hate. We certainly do not commit adultery, but now, nor do we even think lustfully, and if we do, then we arrest the thought. So in the same way, we should now not only keep holy the seventh day as a day of great intimacy with GOD, but also be in relationship with Him every day.
# When Jesus said he came to fulfil the law, he meant that he was adding the ‘missing dimension’, not replacing the law. Fulfilling cannot mean abolishing, it means ‘adding to’ or ‘expanding’ or giving ‘added significance’ or ‘added dimension’.
Fulfilling the commandments is adding the spiritual dimension, which could be said to be like the flower, which does not replace the stem or the plant, it fulfils the whole plant and its purpose, making it complete.
Jesus came to magnify the law by adding the spiritual dimension. He also came to restore integrity to the Sabbath and free it from the Pharisees burdensome requirements, so once again it could become a blessing and a delight. Jesus even chose to heal the chronically sick man at the Bethesda pool on the Sabbath so that the Pharisees could make an issue of it, giving him the opportunity he desired.
Satan used Constantine to establish a counterfeit Sabbath.
# The Jewish Pharisees had so perverted the law, that they made the one commandment which involved weekly set apart intimate relationship with GOD, into a yoke of bondage by adding many ridiculous conditions and restrictions to it. Because it is so crucial to the relationship GOD wants us to have with HIM, Satan attacked the Sabbath destroying it as a delight and making it a bondage. When the bondage conditions had later faded away, Satan used Constantine in the fourth century to change it to Sunday, making Sunday the counterfeit Sabbath.
It seems clear to me, and logical, that Jesus confirmed the legitimacy of the Sabbath and clarified as to how it should be observed without the added complications, clutter and legalisms of the Pharisees, showing that it should be kept and observed as a day of rest and delight in relationship with GOD.
Many people use scriptures such as the following to reason that keeping the Sabbath is now unnecessary: Galatians 5:1 ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.’
Also Hebrews 4 is wrongly applied in justifying that keeping the seventh day Sabbath rest is now not necessary.
I say that the Sabbath is not ‘a burden of slavery’, it is ‘a delight and a blessing.’ The many extra conditions and rules which the Pharisees added to it, made it a burden. Keeping the Sabbath in the way that GOD instructed, is acknowledging GOD as the Creator, and respecting and keeping the pattern HE set at creation.
Isaiah 58:13-14a ‘If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honourable, and if you honour it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD.’
Revelation 1:10 ‘On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit,’ ---
Many wrongly believe that ‘the Lord's day’ refers to the day that Jesus rose from the dead, paraphrased as ‘the first day of the week’ Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; 16:9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, and thus taken to be Sunday. Even though there is not even one scripture to support the idea that "the Lord's day" is Sunday, this still seems to be the most common interpretation; following on from Constantine’s interfering manipulation of it in 321 AD. This study has shown that Jesus did not rise on Sunday anyway, He rose sometime between sunset on Saturday and sunrise on Sunday. (In Hebrew culture the day did not start until sunrise.) He appeared to his disciples on Sunday.
There are others who believe that it refers to the Sabbath, and they use scripture wrongly to support their case. GOD Himself instituted the Sabbath by sanctifying the seventh day for his own rest after creation Genesis 2:2-3. GOD sometimes calls the Sabbath, "the Sabbath of the LORD" (Leviticus 23:3, 38), "the Sabbath of the LORD your GOD" Exodus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:14, "the holy Sabbath" Exodus 16:23, "My holy day" Isaiah 58:13, and "My Sabbaths" Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 19:3,30; 26:2; Isaiah 56:4; Ezekiel 20:12; 20:13; 20:16; 20:20; 20:21; 20:24; 22:8; 22:26; 23:38; 44:24, thus making it His day. Jesus declared Himself to be "Lord of the Sabbath" Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5, so indicating that He was the Creator and it was He who rested on the seventh day.
I repeat: The disciples - followers - believers - GOD’s people - clearly kept the seventh day Sabbath until Constantine compromisingly interfered by changing it to Sunday to keep the Pagans happy; on the 7th of March AD321.
For those who enjoy a very long in-depth analysis. http://biblelight.net/seal.htm