The Sabbath Day

By: Ron Harmon

Sabbath……one word that has caused countless wars and controversy throughout time, built nations, and ended countless lives. The average church-going person on the street may not be aware, but the word Sabbath is probably the most misunderstood doctrine in the whole bible. It is also the one doctrine that directly leads a person to God. It is the core doctrine; it’s the beginning of all knowledge and biblical understanding. It is the guiding principle for God’s people and the beginning of everyone’s journey to find God.

What a statement you might be saying to yourself right about now, and you may ask,   “Can I prove it?” In going forward with that singular question in mind, it could be the beginning of your enlightenment and a journey you may not be able to turn back from. It is a doctrine that can change your life, literally. Worshiping on the Sabbath has the ability to change the way you think, act, and go forward with your future. But it has to be revealed to a person through scripture and that person has to accept the gift of knowledge the Sabbath offers before the truth of this day can truly be revealed.

What we must strive to prove is our first issue and the answer is simple. Do we call ourselves God’s people and worship God on Sunday, or do we call ourselves God’s people and worship on the 7^th day (Sabbath)? It’s easy to prove that Sunday is the day Christians are supposed to worship God on! Everyone knows that, right? Then, why they’re so much controversy over this easy to prove doctrine? Why is there so much dislike over one day or another? Why do people scorn those that worship on Saturday, and demonize them by calling them hateful names and excluding them from functions and events?

It must have dawned on you somewhere down the line there may be a problem or you are just curious as to why some folk are different and go to church on Saturday. Either way, you’ve picked up this booklet for research, curiosity, or maybe you were just bored and didn’t have anything else to read, but you’re reading it now.

In the beginning of Genesis, God created all things in six days. Day one, God created light made night and day. Day two, God separated the firmament and made the sky and oceans. Day three, God made dry land appear and created plants on the earth. Day four, the Bible says that God created two great lights, one to rule the day and the other to rule the night.  It says that He created the stars also. Day Five, God created the water animals (fish) and the air animals (birds). Day six, God created all land animals, which includes Adam and Eve.

Day seven, God’s creation was done and so He made a special day, as a memorial for all of eternity, so that we will remember this week of creation.  He called it the “Sabbath”.  God rested on this day, and blessed this specific day above all the others. Why?   Was it because God was tired? He had just created a world! Does God need rest or was it an example for all humankind to follow? Sabbath, the 7^th day, was it the only day God named throughout all his wondrous process of creation. One might think if God wanted the first six days to have names, he might take a minute out of his busy schedule and give them to Adam so to be memorialized throughout time. He would have done us a great favor had God done so.

The creator didn’t because they were days meant for work, not rest, not worship, and they are certainly not holy, (set apart). But the seventh day, the Sabbath day, and the one-day God gave a name, are all of these things and more. Man gave names to the months and days, not God, and man created the clock, not the creator. Time is exclusive to mankind as a reminder who and what we are temporary beings.

Monday: The name Monday comes from the Old English Monandæg, meaning “day of the Moon”.Tuesday: Tuesday comes from the Old English Tiwesdæg, meaning “Tyr’s day.” Tyr was the Norse god of combat. In countries that didn’t have a Norse influence it is the “Day of Mars” (the Roman war god); In French this translates as mardi and in Spanish martes. Wednesday: This name comes from the Old English Wodnesdæg meaning the day of the Woden or Odin, the father of the Gods. It is based on Latin dies Mercurii, “Day of Mercury”; in French mercredi and Spanish miércoles. The Germans have renamed this day as Mittwoch, which simply means middle of the week. Thursday: The original meaning of Thursday comes from the Old English Þunresdæg, or Thor’s day. Thor was the Germanic and Norse god of thunder. In Germany the same route leads to Donnerstag. Donner can be directly translated as thunder. In Latin countries Thursday was the “Day of Jupiter”; which becomes the French jeudi and Spanish jueves. Friday: The name Friday celebrates the Norse goddess of beauty Frigg, In Latin the “Day of Venus” (also the goddess of beauty); leads to vendredi and Spanish viernes.

Saturday: Saturday is the only English day of the week to retain its Roman origin. Saturday “Day of Saturn”; In southern Europe, the catholic church remembers the Jewish Sabbath in the names (French samedi and Spanish sábado).

Sunday: The name is quite literally the Sun’s Day. Attempts by the church to replace this remnant of pagan worship with ‘The Lords Day’ failed in northern Europe but succeeded in southern Europe where Dimanche (French) and Domingo (Spanish) have their routes in the Latin dies Dominica which is literally “the Lord’s day”.

The etymology of the names of the days of the weeks gives us insights into the political and social history of our nations. The southern Europeans and northern Europeans have different conventions for naming the days of the week due to the differing influences of the Romans, Saxon and Norsemen and later the Catholic and Protestant churches. This is where the names of days come from, but you don’t see Sabbath mentioned anywhere in man’s list, why? Was it because of tradition, or because we don’t want to look Jewish? Look at what God says about the Sabbath in Leviticus 23:1

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.

God starts out the conversation telling the world who the Sabbaths belongs to, he leaves absolutely no question as to their authorship. You can call them Hebrew, Jewish, weird, funny, and anything else you can think of, but in the end, they all belong to God. And just so you have all the information correct, God’s holy days throughout the year are Sabbaths as well; they’re called Sabbaths and are treated as such. They have preparation days just as the weekly Sabbath the day prior and are holy days or high days as some like to refer to them. The author continues in Leviticus by listing all the Sabbaths; the first one enumerated is the weekly Sabbath, surprise! It’s the first one God gave to man, why wouldn’t it be the first one on the list?

The Sabbath

³ ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

Once again, the author elaborates on who the Sabbath belongs to, and once again, it isn’t the Jews. These days were created by God for instructions to man and they show God’s plan for man. As you go through the year and worship God on each of the holy days, God’s will becomes clear to you and what He is accomplishing here on earth. The Sabbath does belong to certain people, but it is His people they belong to Americans, English, African, or any other nations or peoples that follow the messiah ways.

In Exodus 31:12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹³ “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ¹⁴ You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, 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. ¹⁵ Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. ¹⁶ Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”

You say “I’m not an Israelite, it doesn’t pertain to me“. You’re right, if you’re not one of God’s children, you’re not an Israelite, and you’ve gotten that one hundred percent correct. But, we want to belong to God, don’t we? Isn’t the whole reason for religion to belong to God, to join God after this life is over?   Aren’t these the lessons we receive from churches all over this world?

Also, In Romans 2:28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ²⁹ No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

Saying one isn’t an Israelite and wanting to belong to God, is an option. We are a people bonded by spirit and the blood of Christ; this is what makes us Israelites, not because we were born into a physical family with a certain lineage. It also states in Romans 9:6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. ⁷ Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^{[b] 8} In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring

Who are the children of promise, none other but those with circumcised hearts, those who will follow God and do His bidding? You, if you’re willing if you can put aside old traditions and beliefs and follow God. Put aside those teachings that say Christians aren’t like the Jews or the Israelites and needn’t follow God’s word. Romans has one more lesson on this matter. Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[d] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of^[e] his Spirit who lives in you. ¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[g] Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

What a great promise, how did we miss this all the years we spent in Sunday school. You see, we do belong to God and we are His people, we are Israel and we need His mark upon us.

Jesus Christ obeyed the Sabbath and kept it faithfully, the holy days as well. The question becomes, are we any better than Christ, the creator of this world, this universe, I think not. But you say Paul changed the day we worship on according to Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

First off, who is Paul that his word should be taken over Christ? I have a boss, but the people that work where I do don’t call me and ask what they should do, they call him. It should be the same with Christians, they should never take the word of a man, they should verify their beliefs with scripture. But was Paul really changing the date of worship? Lets take a look at scripture once more and see what took place; it says on the first day of the week they came together to break bread. Okay, fair enough, what does it mean to break bread; it means to have a meal, and every place in scripture it says to break bread it means to have a meal. There are those that want to say this is the only place what that phrase means something totally different, I would ask them “why?”

It also says the first day of the week they came together, when does the first day of the week start? We have clocks that give us time and we as a culture have determined the day’s ends and begins a midnight but it wasn’t like that before the invention of clocks. The days in Christ day and Paul’s day, started and ended at sunset. So, as soon as the Sabbath (7^th day) ended the 1^st day of the week began at sunset. Paul most likely taught all that Sabbath day on into the evening, which was the beginning of the 1^st day of the week breaking only to eat.

The last thing that gives us a clue as to the reason Paul was teaching on the 1^st day of the week is the following statement “because he intended to leave the next day”. Paul was on a schedule and was going to get as much direct time with the people as possible answering all there concerns as best he could in a short amount of time he had. This is something that is done all the time in the corporate world and even in the privet sector, CEO’s and folks with information will spend time outside of normal meeting parameters to fill in any possible blanks and getting as much information disseminated as possible. Why on earth would it be any different in the case of a religious leader two thousand years ago? The short answer is, it wouldn’t be, and Paul probably left on the 1^st day of the week at daylight.

I know folks like to say Sunday was enacted because Christ rose on the first day of the week; therefore, we all should now worship on Sunday. To my friends who want to call Sunday “the Sabbath“, take note here as well, you claim Christ rose on the 1^st day of the week and claim that is Sunday; yet, scripture plainly says the Sabbath is the 7^th day of the week, you can’t have it both ways.

Regardless of what day you call it, the scriptures used for proof are the following: Matthew 28:1, Luke 24:1-11, John 20:1-10 and Mark 16:1-8, there is no dispute these verses are occurring on the 1^st day of the week, they plainly state as much. Let’s take a look at one of this set of verses and see what else they say or what they don’t say. John 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

Now let’s look at Luke’s account Luke 24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

The last account we will use is Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” ⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.^[a]

The common theme throughout these verses is underlined and in bold print. “When the Sabbath was over” as it states in Mark, when was that, was it midnight, we’ve already talked about the days starting and ending during the time of Paul and established it was at sunset… so this could only be at sunset on Saturday (7^th day). It was early on the 1^st day of the week, as it says in John, “while it was still dark”, the sun hadn’t even risen yet and they are at the tomb and guess what, no Jesus Christ! When did he rise? Did anyone see him rise up? When they got there, the tomb was empty. It simply states “he has risen“. It does say in Mark 16:9 Now when He early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. ¹¹ And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. The question is this, when did the 1^st day of the week begin, and again it was anytime after sunset of Saturday (7^th day). Combined the verse 1 after the Sabbath was over and verse 9 he rose early on the first day of the week, we can only come to one conclusion. Jesus Christ rose just as the sun set on the 7^th day and the 1^st day was beginning, it is the only logical conclusion one can come to. There is absolutely no written account of any eyewitness seeing Jesus Christ rise and it certainly had already happened before sunrise.

The last but not least is 1^st Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: ² On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. ³ And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. ⁴ But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me. This somehow is supposed to be proof that Paul changed worship from the 7^th day to the 1^st day of the week, once again just in case you missed it the first time, who is Paul! Who is Paul to change set times and days, is he an Anti-Christ as it states in Daniel 7:25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute^[d] the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. Does an apostle have any right to supercede Jesus Christ and the Ten Commandments; I say “No, he does not“. The mainstream world of religion today certainly believes he did; why else throw out ridiculous passages as proof text for unfounded doctrine. The reason he told them to lay something aside on the first day was because it was a work day and they could harvest on that day but they couldn’t on the Sabbath.

Jesus Christ stated in Luke 6:1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first^[a] that He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. ² And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” ³ But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” ⁵ And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Does this mean somehow Jesus advocated disobeying the Sabbath, it certainly did not! What Jesus was conveying was the fact he was the creator of the Sabbath, read the following verses, John 1:1-18, 1 Corinthians 10: 5-20 and Hebrews 1:1-3 and you get a pretty good idea as to who Jesus really was. He was the creator who breathed life into the nostrils of Adam and Eve, he was the God that gave Moses the 10 commandments, including the fourth commandment 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 Lord made 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. He was the God who was in a pillar of fire by night and a column of smoke by day leading Israel into the promised land. Here he makes the statement, I am the master and lord of the Sabbath, and he saw absolutely nothing wrong with what his disciples were doing. But the Pharisees and Sadducees didn’t understand who they were dealing with and conspired to kill Jesus Christ because he dared to correct them in their traditions.

Unfortunately, we have the same situation today; we have a Pharisaical attitude among many church-going Christians who unwittingly think they are doing God a favor by persecuting those that keep the Sabbath and God’s laws. The Sabbath is a thorn that has always been a pain in the side of those that advocate Sunday worship and they can’t seem to shake loose its shadow. That is because Jesus Christ created the Sabbath and it’s here to stay, it will be the day of worship in God’s kingdom and it will be holy. But Sunday will be no more, it will pass away into obscurity and become just another day, but it will always be the first day of the week and the Sabbath will always be the seventh day, a day of rest and a day to be made holy.

Conclusion

The Sabbath has been controversial for the past two thousand years, why? The Sabbath was purely Jewish or Hebrew at the time of Christ, what changed? Is the Sabbath a commandment for all or just a few, and can we obey God and reject only a single portion of his commandments? These are questions we have to ask ourselves in the divine light of scripture and remove the mystery of the Sabbath day.

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