Articles on the Sabbath
Grafted-In Ministries
The Purpose of the Sabbath
Written by Robin SampsonGod sanctifies places and things to communicate to His people. He set apart the ark of the covenant and tabernacle. He set apart His holy book -the Bible. He set apart His Holy Son - Yeshua, and He set apart a holy day - the Sabbath. God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it...(Gen. 2:3). The Sabbath is the celebration of God's complete and perfect creation. As Judah Halevi explains, "The observance of the Sabbath is in itself an acknowledgment of His omnipotence, and at the same time an acknowledgment of the creation in His divine word."
The fourth commandment instructing us to keep the Sabbath day holy is thirty percent of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments contain 322 words. 98 of those words are are about the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was held in high esteem in both in Jewish circles and in early Christianity. The Sabbath was made at creation, two thousand years before there were any Jews. After Abraham's time the Sabbath applied to all people, aliens, and animals within the gates of the Israelites. (An alien is someone who is not a native of the land. This is the Hebrew "ger," a righteous non-Hebrew who has been grafted into Israel. See Romans 11:13-21.) ...
The Sabbath Day
Written by David B LoughranT he seventh day of the week, the day commonly known as Saturday, is the Sabbath day of Yehovah the Almighty God of Israel. It was ordained of God as a day of physical rest for all mankind, and the obligation to observe it arises from:
Yehovah's own example
His act of blessing the seventh day
And His explicit command to keep it holy.
The word Sabbath implies rest, peace, tranquillity and refreshment. And who will doubt but that in this turbulent and confused world every soul on earth is in need of spiritual rest and refreshment. Consequently, those who faithfully remember the Sabbath of the Most High and draw apart from the world each weekend to worship Him on His holy day, will receive the spiritual blessings promised in His Holy Word; blessings that will find full scope in the ages to come. ...
Sabbath Rest For All
Rav Yeshayahu HeiliczerIsaiah 56:1-8: This is what Lord says: "maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." Let no foreigner who has bound himself to Lord say, "Lord will surely exclude me from his people." And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." For this is what Lord says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant -- to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. And foreigners who bind themselves to Lord to serve him, to love the name of Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant -- these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." The Sovereign Lord declares -- he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered."
Who are these "foreigners" that God is speaking about through the Prophet Yeshayah? "Foreigners who bind themselves to Lord" are Non-Jewish Believers! Nevermind about those who claim that Believers in Yeshua have accepted another religion - that is nonsense! God only created one "religion" for His children -- Judaism -- and Messianic belief in Yeshua is the full-flowering of that faith and practice. This Scripture is the answer to the age-old question about how Non-Jews who consider themselves to be "grafted on" to the Jewish olive tree through trust in Messiah Yeshua should, in God's own words, honor the Sabbath! What a powerful Scripture! In the NIV this part has been labeled "Salvation for Others." Other than who? Other than the Jewish people! This is the Scripture in which God answers the question of the duty of a Non-Jewish believer to follow the laws of God's covenant - and especially His laws of the Sabbath. Those who keep His Sabbaths, including the Sabbath, the seventh day, and "hold fast" to His covenant will be gathered into those he considers His people and their sacrifices will be allowed on His altar.....
Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath?
Is Sunday, the first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath? Did it replace the seventh day (Saturday) as the rest day of Yehovah the Almighty God of Israel? Has the fourth of the Ten Commandments as recorded in Exodus 20:8-11 been changed or done away with? If all the praiseworthy characters mentioned in the Bible - including Yeshua and His disciples - kept the seventh day Sabbath, then why are the majority of Christians keeping Sunday?
These and similar questions are being asked today by believers all over the globe and the answers to them fall into three distinct categories.
"The days of the week are all alike," say some believers, "so there is no need to become emotionally polarized about any particular one. Saturday, Sunday or even Friday for that matter, they are all the same to God. The important thing is to keep yourself holy every day of the week and forget about a weekly Sabbath, because it no longer exists. The Sabbath commandment has been fulfilled, superseded, done away with and nailed to the cross. Christians meet for worship on Sunday, not because it is the Sabbath of the ten Commandments, but because it is convenient. The law has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ and is now obsolete: so there is no longer a Sabbath commandment to observe. It is the Spirit that matters, not the day of the week on which you choose to rest."
"The law of God still stands" say others "but Sunday, the first day of the week, is the new Christian Sabbath. It commemorates the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Lord's Day and has replaced the seventh-day Sabbath by the authority of the inspired Apostles and, therefore, by Christ himself. Christians are certainly under obligation to observe it."...
Why did Yehovah reveal the Sabbath before the Sinai revelation?
Written by Rick Spurlock
T
he common complaint against the Torah, by otherwise well-meaning evangelicals, is that believers are no longer "under the Sinai covenant" which of course raises many questions for the ardent student of the Word.
What do they mean by the word "under"? Are we "under" any instructions from God, and if so, which ones? Or course when someone brings up the "which ones" argument, you should immediately know the outcome of the conversation. To such a person, the problem is not the God-given revelation of right and wrong (i.e., the commandments), their problem is what they perceive as the "Jewish" ones. Hint: there is no such thing as "Jewish commandments," and anyone claiming such is directly (and possibly intentionally) contradicting numerous passages in Scripture.
What is meant by "Sinai Covenant"? Is this to be differentiated from the covenant that follows the Sin of the Golden Calf? Or the covenant made on the plains of Moab (from which we get the name "Deuteronomy" [second law])? Clearly, this kind of theology may be deeply invested, but it is not well-thought out. It is no small matter to convince such folks that defining the "Sinai Covenant" as the "Old Covenant" is simply a theological machination.
But a bigger problem for the whole argument about being "under the Sinai covenant" is this: what about the Sabbath? The Sabbath is only reiterated in the Ten Words uttered at Sinai; but that is not where it is first found. It is of course found first in Genesis 2:2. As all Sabbath-keepers know, the Sabbath first relates to Yehovah's work of creation. But the first commandments associated with Sabbath-keeping are given in Exodus 16, where the Sabbath is connected to the daily provision of manna.
So they gathered it [manna] every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted. And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, "This is what Yehovah has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to Yehovah. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'"
Exodus 16:21-23
It seems pretty simple. It is a sad thing that this lesson is lost on so many who claim to know Messiah. Incidentally, this passage shows clearly that merely "having services on Saturday" is not "keeping the Sabbath." Weeks before the revelation at Sinai, Yehovah gave us a very simple commandment. But we failed and continue to fail to listen....
No Fire on the Sabbath?
Have you ever been told that there is not to be any fire on the Sabbath?
Exodus 35:2-3 (NKJV)For those studying the commandments of God with a desire to apply its truth, and not forsake truth, this commandment can often result in some understandable confusion. Quite often we witness the House of Judah, or Jews, applying this commandment in certain circumstances and in such a way that appears rather extreme. On the flip side, those in mainstream Christianity witness and study what orthodox Jews have done with this verse, and immediately demand the same application from anyone teaching obedience to all of God’s commandments. As if, the Jews understand everything about God’s Word, perfectly. Supposedly implying that if one believes all of the Old Testament to still be true, then, the Jews are the perfect example to emulate. Sadly, this often is done in order to supposedly prove the futility of applying God’s commandments for today. That any attempt to keep Yehovah’s commandments is obviously absurd and that men have clearly evolved beyond such outdated commandments. In such an approach, other commandments are discarded as well...lumping them into one convenient outdated basket...all because it is understood that one of the supposed purposes of the Messiah was to change the law of God as taught by Paul.
Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to Yehovah. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.
It can all quickly become a mess. The over-the-top Jewish interpretation of this verse then becomes an obstacle for mainstream Christians in understanding the whole truth of the Word. Likewise, it is also often an obstacle for the House of Judah (Jews) as a doctrinal distraction from the true intent, purpose, and wonderful joy of the Sabbath that has been given to us. Some of the traditional “Jewish” practices as it relates to Exodus 35:3 would appear rather odd to many. How can we, or do we, make sense of this?
Some of those odd practices include only using special elevators that do not create a spark, the refusing to drive cars, or the avoiding many of other such things that can be even loosely interpreted as involving a fire on the Sabbath. While it must be admitted that such restraint and prohibitions are certainly affording parameter guidelines that prevent the breaking of this commandment in the literal or even beyond, at the same time, the entire point and obedience to this commandment is simply being missed. In reality, that can become the larger issue. We should consider the teachings of our Lord Yeshua (Jesus) in Mark 7:5-16.....
The Sabbath A Memorial Unto the Creator!
Someone has said, “I have a good memory, but an even better forgettery.” In our sinfulness and frailty, we human beings are subject to forgetting things in the process of time, including the things of Elohim. Psalm 78:39 says He remembered them, but verse 42 says they remembered not Him. Scripture therefore is filled with many things that were done or made to be memorials.
The Sabbath was given to mankind at the close of creation by Yehovah Elohim as a memorial of His creative power (Genesis 2:1-3). That is, He sovereignly chose it to be the thing whereby man would be linked to Elohim by a weekly day of rest. And not just any day, but the seventh day, whereby man’s loyalty to his Creator would be tested, and as a mark of man’s sanctification (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12). It begins at sunset on Friday, and ends Saturday evening (Genesis 1:5; Leviticus 23:32).
The Sabbath is not Jewish! The Messiah did not say it was made for the Jew; He said it was made for MAN! (Mark 2:27) It was made for man 2000 years before the first Israelite was born! The Sabbath was observed by the faithful prior to Sinai (Exodus 16:27-30). The phrase, “son of man” in Isaiah 56:2 , literally reads in the Hebrew text “the son of Adam.” Further proof that Elohim intended that all men should keep the Sabbath is seen in verses 6-8 . This passage indicates that Adam enjoyed Elohim’s Sabbath along with his family. Did not the patriarchs need a day so they could rest just like anyone else, and for worship, too? Who is there that would say they believe Noah and his family worked on building the ark seven days a week? No, Elohim did not sanctify the Sabbath for his own benefit.
The Sabbath was then reiterated by Elohim to Moses as a part of His moral law, written in stone with His finger, with a specific penalty imposed for disobedience (Exodus 31:14-15). A very few specific restrictions were added concerning gathering manna and sticks to kindle fires, which we observe by ceasing from our usual daily labors, but do not enforce in the literal sense with penalties (Hebrews 7:12). These added laws could not give life ( Galatians 3:21). From the law we are therefore able to learn that Sabbath-keeping itself cannot bring salvation to anyone.
In the heart of the Ten Commandments we read, “Remember the Sabbath….” Not something new, for how could they recall what they had never heard of before? This is a two-fold command for both rest and work, with an explanation attached. It lets us know that to disparage it or to observe some other day instead of the seventh, is to move us away from the only foundation to protect us from the onslaughts of atheistic, humanistic, evolutionary, thinking in denying the Creator Elohim.
The Fourth Commandment was NOT changed at Calvary, the resurrection, or any other time! Nor do we now have “The Nine Commandments,” as some seem to be teaching. (If only nine were perpetual, why were ten graven in stone?) Under the New Covenant with “separation of Church and state,” the death penalty for Sabbath-breaking (along with blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, and often even murder, too) is not enforced today. Nevertheless, the divine penalties are still in force, and will be meted out to the Romish whore and her Protestant daughters (Revelations 17:5) for adultery with the world, names of blasphemy against Yehovah, murder of His saints, and for laying impious hands on the Fourth Commandment, as well! (Ezekiel 22:26, 31). .....
From Sunset to Sunset:Elohim's Sabbath Rest
Society has undergone astonishing changes in recent decades. Everyone, it seems, lives at a breakneck pace, constantly rushing here and there to get everything done. Technological advances that once promised more leisure time now seem only to push us further behind, making it ever more difficult to catch up.
So we frantically scramble. We feel out of touch—out of touch with our spouse, out of touch with our families, out of touch with the world around us and, perhaps most of all, out of touch with Elohim.
This very Being who created the universe, including every one of us, did not leave us to grope in the dark to understand His intent for our lives. Rather, through inspiration, He caused His instruction and truth to be written down for us (2 Timothy 3:15-17; John 17:17). His revelation, the set-apart Bible, tells us what we need to know about life's purpose, why we are here and where we are headed. Most important, it tells us how to live.
It tells us that thousands of years ago Elohim gave a people a set of laws, promising the recipients that they would be blessed if they obeyed them. "You shall walk in all the ways which Yehovah your Elohim has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you," He told them (Deuteronomy 5:33, emphasis added throughout).
The law Elohim revealed is summed up in the Ten Commandments. They are our basic guide for living, showing us how to have a proper relationship with our Creator and fellow man.
Among those commandments, the one most universally misunderstood and misapplied is Elohim's instruction to "remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it set-apart" (Exodus 20:8). Many people view the Sabbath as a quaint relic of history, perhaps a nice idea at some time in the past but altogether impractical in today's busy world. Some think the Sabbath is Sunday and that spending an hour or two at church on Sunday morning fulfills the intent of the Sabbath commandment.
Others think Yeshua Messiah did away with any specific day of rest, or the need to worship on a particular day, and that whatever time we choose to dedicate to Elohim is set-apart.
The questions and opinions about this commandment, it seems, are endless. Did Yeshua keep the Sabbath because He was Jewish, or did He actually break the Sabbath command to demonstrate our freedom from Old Testament law, leading the religious leaders of His day to want to kill Him? Did the apostle Paul, in writing more books of the New Testament than any other writer, show that the Sabbath is no longer necessary for Christians, or did he uphold it?
Was the Sabbath condemned and changed in the early New Testament Church, or was it confirmed? Did Elohim sanctify the Sabbath at the time He created Adam and Eve, or did He first set it apart as set-apart time at the Exodus more than 2,000 years later? Was the Sabbath changed from the seventh day of the week to another day, and if so, when did this happen?
Why did Elohim command a day of rest to begin with? Did He have a purpose for it, and if so, what is that purpose? Is the Sabbath at all relevant for humankind today? Does it make sense in today's world? The questions go on and on.
Why should there be such confusion about one of the 10 basic guiding principles and laws Elohim gave mankind? Why is there such controversy and confusion over this one commandment when most people, including religious leaders and their churches, have little quarrel with the other nine?
You don't have to look far to discover the answers to these questions. They can be found in the pages of the Bible and history. And we address these basic questions in this booklet. Join us now for a journey through the Bible to discover Elohim's Sabbath Rest.
The Sabbath: In the Beginning
"And on the sixth day Elohim ended His work . . . and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which Elohim had created and made" (Genesis 2:2-3).
When we think of the Sabbath, we often think of the Ten Commandments, which Elohim revealed when the ancient Israelites left Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The events of that period of Israel's history—the Exodus—were extraordinary. The plagues on Egypt, the death of all Egypt's firstborn, the parting of the Red Sea, manna coming from heaven for food in the desert and Elohim giving Moses the Ten Commandments on stone tablets were all miraculous occurrences.
These events were dramatic testimony to the birth of a new nation. And in the midst of these incredible beginnings, Elohim told His new nation to remember something. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it set-apart," He commanded His people (Exodus 20:8).
He pointed them back to His role as Creator, reminding them that "in six days Yehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Yehovah blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (verse 11).
The Sabbath commandment had an important spiritual purpose. It pointed Elohim's people to Him as the supreme Maker of all things. It was a required weekly remembrance that a higher power and authority is at work in our lives and the lives of all humanity. Elohim intended that the Sabbath be observed as a reminder of that fact.
Elohim revealed the Sabbath day by miracles
The significance of the Sabbath was evident before Elohim gave the Ten Commandments to the nation of Israel. For example, a few weeks earlier, after the crossing of the Red Sea, when the Israelites witnessed the destruction of Pharaoh's armies, Israel entered the vast desert wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. Within a few days the Israelites' food supplies, brought with them from Egypt, were exhausted. "You have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger," they cried to Moses (Exodus 16:3).
However, Elohim was already a step ahead of them. He promised to send manna, a miraculous substance to nourish and sustain them for as long as they were in the wilderness (verses 4, 15-18).
But Elohim imposed a condition. He would provide the manna only six days out of every seven. On the sixth day there would be twice as much as usual, but none on the seventh day (verses 5, 22). Moses explained to the people what Elohim had told him: "Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a set-apart Sabbath to Yehovah . . . Lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning . . . Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none" (verses 23, 26). But some didn't listen and "went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none" (verse 27).
What was Elohim's reaction? He said: "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For Yehovah has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day" (verses 28-29).
Here, several weeks before He spoke the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, Elohim said the Israelites were refusing to keep His commandments and laws! He also said, "Yehovah has given you the Sabbath." He didn't say "is giving" or "will give"; He had already given them the Sabbath, to be observed every seventh day!
When Elohim commanded Israel, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it set-apart" (Exodus 20:8), and told the Israelites they were refusing to keep His commandments and laws by violating the Sabbath before they arrived at Mount Sinai (Exodus 16:28), He pointed them back to the original creation week.
Elohim set apart the Sabbath day
In the book of Genesis we read of Elohim creating the earth, then filling it with plants and animals and forming it into a dazzlingly beautiful home for the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. Here we read of the real origin of the Sabbath: "And on the seventh day Elohim ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which Elohim had created and made" (Genesis 2:2-3)......
Sunday, Saturday — What Difference Does It Make?
Some Christians observe Saturday as the Sabbath, while others, the majority, observe Sunday, claiming it is the “Lord's Day.” But does it really matter which day one keeps? Can we know for sure which day is the seventh day? Is there any evidence that the weekly cycle has continued intact throughout all these centuries?
It was a glorious day for the people of Israel. David, their king, had proved himself a courageous leader, and was now taking steps to fully revive the nation's allegiance to Elohim. David's plan—to transport the all-but-forgotten ark of the covenant from the house of Abinadab to the king's home city—was pleasing to the people, who had come out by the thousands to take part in the procession.
“So they carried the ark of Elohim on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. Then David and all Israel played music before Elohim with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets” (1 Chronicles 13:7,8, New King James Version throughout).
Things couldn't have been better. The men, the women, even the youth, were overflowing with joy. After all, this was not just any old ark; it was the ark of Elohim!
But the day did not end the way it began. A single incident, and the jubilation was over. Tears of joy became tears of sorrow. Rejoicing was replaced with mourning.
Had the oxen not stumbled, perhaps it would not have happened. But the oxen did stumble, and Uzzah, who was helping drive the cart, reached out to stabilize the shaken ark. “Then the anger of Yehovah was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he had put his hand to the ark; and he died there before Elohim” (verse 10).
You see, the ark was Elohim's ark—not David's, not Uzzah's. And being Elohim's ark, it had to be handled according to Elohim's specifications. Uzzah had touched the ark, an act contrary to Elohim's instructions (Numbers 4:15)—and Elohim killed him!
But the law forbidding touching the ark seems so minor, so trivial. Did it really matter that Uzzah disobeyed this seemingly minor commandment?
It mattered to Elohim!
At an earlier date, before Israel had a king, a judge named Samson began delivering Israel from the Philistines. Samson, with the incredible strength Elohim had given him, accomplished some amazing feats. On one occasion, for example, he killed a lion with his bare hands. At another time, he slew a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass.
Samson was a Nazarite from birth, and one of the things Nazarites were not permitted to do was cut their hair. So a razor never came upon Samson's head, until...
You know the rest of the story: Delilah's enticement led to the cutting of Samson's hair, which left him without his unusual strength. He then fell into the hands of the Philistines; his eyes were put out, and he was bound with brass fetters and put in prison, where his time was spent grinding at the mill—all this because his hair had been cut. (Read Samson's story in Judges 13-16.)
Sure, Samson had been told not to permit the cutting of his hair, but let's face it, hair is hair—what's the big deal? Did it really matter that Samson was careless in this seemingly minor bit of Elohim's instruction? It mattered to Elohim!
And then there was the unnamed prophet known as “the man of Elohim.” His title, “man of Elohim,” was not without good reason, for we see in him an excellent example of faith. For instance, he boldly cried against the altar of Bethel, and didn't seem to feel threatened by the presence of the wicked king Jeroboam. On the same occasion, he prayed for the restoration of the king's withered hand, and Elohim answered his prayer—an indication of strong faith. Indeed, this prophet had all the markings of a genuine “man of Elohim.” But failure to comply with a seemingly minor technicality brought the prophet's career to an end. Elohim had commanded him to neither eat nor drink while in Bethel, and apparently the man of Elohim fully intended to obey. With the deceptive influence of another prophet, however, the man of Elohim did eat and drink in Bethel. For his disobedience, Elohim sent a lion to kill him (1 Kings 13:24).
Did it really matter that the man of Elohim failed to obey some seemingly minor technicalities of Elohim's instructions?
It mattered to Elohim!
Now, let's consider another “technicality.”......
Roman Catholic and Protestant Confessions about Sunday
The vast majority of Christian churches today teach the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, as a time for rest and worship. Yet it is generally known and freely admitted that the early Christians observed the seventh day as the Sabbath. How did this change come about?
History reveals that it was decades after the death of the apostles that a politico-religious system repudiated the Sabbath of Scripture and substituted the observance of the first day of the week. The following quotations, all from Roman Catholic sources, freely acknowledge that there is no Biblical authority for the observance of Sunday, that it was the Roman Church that changed the Sabbath to the first day of the week.
In the second portion of this booklet are quotations from Protestants. Undoubtedly all of these noted clergymen, scholars, and writers kept Sunday, but they all frankly admit that there is no Biblical authority for a first-day sabbath.
Roman Catholic Confessions
James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of our Fathers, 88th ed., pp. 89.
“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.”
Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism 3rd ed., p. 174.
“Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?
“Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her-she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.”
John Laux, A Course in Religion for Catholic High Schools and Academies (1 936), vol. 1, P. 51.
“Some theologians have held that God likewise directly determined the Sunday as the day of worship in the New Law, that He Himself has explicitly substituted the Sunday for the Sabbath. But this theory is now entirely abandoned. It is now commonly held that God simply gave His Church the power to set aside whatever day or days she would deem suitable as Holy Days. The Church chose Sunday, the first day of the week, and in the course of time added other days as holy days.”.....
Acts 20:7 Says What About The Biblical Sabbath?
False teaching (through either ignorance or in some cases duplicity) has led to many church doctrines that are–simply put–NOT founded on Scripture. One of these false church doctrines has to do with the biblical Sabbath being changed to Sunday. Many have based this heresy on a mistranslation of Acts 20:7, which in the KJV reads thus:
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them…”
Based on this rendering, they say things like, “See! The disciples gathered for worship on the first day of the week. On Sunday! This proves they changed the Sabbath to Sunday.” Of course, this is not the case. Intentionally or unintentionally, the bias of translators has led many into doctrinal error.
First off, God, Who never changes, and Who commanded hundreds of times throughout Scripture that His people are to keep “holy” His 7th Day Sabbath, would not change this day He set apart on the 7th day of Creation via some spurious mention in the book of Acts. Another pesky fact that shoots holes into this theory that the disciples changed the Sabbath to Sunday is the word the KJV rendered as “day”. It simply does NOT appear in this passage in the Greek manuscripts. “Day” was added by the translators. That is why you will find it italicized in most translations.
The LITV (Literal Version) renders the Greek words “mia ton sab’-bat-on” as: “On the first of the Sabbaths…” This is better, but still misses the mark. For they translated the Greek word “mia” as first, when “mia” (Strong’s G3391) in this case (as I will prove) should have been translated as “one”, as it is translated in Luke 22:59 as “one hour”, in 1st Corinthians 6:16 as “one flesh”, and in 2nd Corinthians 11:24 as “forty stripes plus one.” To build my case, and to fully understand what the writer of Acts meant by “on ONE of the Sabbaths” we must go back and read the previous verse.
“But we sailed along after the days of Unleavened Bread from Philippi, and came to them at Troas in five days, where we stayed seven days. And on “one of the sabbaths” the disciples having assembled to break bread, being about to depart on the morrow (which at sunset would be Sunday), Paul reasoned to them. And he continued his speech until midnight.”
Verses 8-15 then go on to recount how a young man fell asleep then fell out a window, but did not die, etc, etc, then in verses 15-16, we read the key to rightly understanding the phrase “on one of the Sabbaths.”
“And sailing away from there, on the next day we arrived off Chios, and on the next, we crossed to Samos. And remaining at Trogyllium, the next day we came to Miletus. For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not lose time in Asia; for, if it were possible for him, he hastened to be at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
That’s right, Paul, who the unlearned and unstable (2 Peter 3:16) always take out of context, “hastened” to be at the Feast of Shavuot/ Pentecost.The same Paul who elsewhere in Acts 18:21 “took leave of them, saying, I must by all means keep the coming feast at Jerusalem.”
Acts 20:7, you see, has NOTHING at all to do with the disciples changing God’s 7th Day Sabbath to Sunday, the first day of the week. Indeed they were counting the 7th Day Sabbaths. For the phrase “on ONE of the Sabbaths” is in reference to God’s instructions in Leviticus 23 to count the Omer.
Lev 23:15-16 And you shall number to you from the next day after the sabbath, from the day you bring in the sheaf of the wave offering (First Fruits during Passover); they shall be seven complete sabbaths; the next day, after the seventh sabbath, you shall number fifty days, and you shall bring near a new food offering to Jehovah.”
Now, let’s read Acts 20:7 once more. This time I will add brackets based on what we have read in the other passages to make the verse quite clear. Acts 20:7 “And on ONE of the sabbaths [leading up to Shavuot–known as counting the Omer], the disciples assembled to break bread…”