DO WE HONOR SABBATH TODAY?
Can God lie? If we see the answer to this as being no, and we trust that the Bible is God's inspired Word, then we should have a problem with the "Sunday Sabbath". Let's look for a moment at Exodus 20:10-11 & 31:16-17:
20:10) But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work .... 11) For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. 31:16) Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a PERPETUAL COVENANT. 17) It is a sign between me and the children of Israel FOREVER: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
Exodus 20:10-11 & 31:16-17
Now some would say that the "church" is different than the children of Israel here. Maybe we should take another look at Galatians 3:29, which tells us that IF we are Christ's we ARE ABRAHAM'S SEED! You see, we have been GRAFTED INTO THE OLIVE TREE of the Hebrew elect per Romans 11:13-24. So, we are seen by God AS BEING children of Israel, and should observe the seventh day Sabbath. Now, if God cannot lie, this is to be a PERPETUAL observation for ever! It is NOT subject to cancellation. It has been permanently HALLOWED for observance by His elect. Thus, any other Scriptural reference which appears to nullify it, must be misunderstood, and we must seek to understand what the reference really intends.
Let's look for a moment at the life of Yeshua. He was constantly in trouble with the Jews of His day because He was seen by them as breaking the law of the Sabbath. If we look at the manner in which He supposedly "broke" these laws, we see that He was doing the Lord's Work. It was their interpretation of the law that caused them to accuse Him of breaking the law. Yeshua was establishing liberty WITHIN the law, and discouraging all the technicalities that the Jews had attached to the observance of Sabbath. He further clarified in Matthew 12:5 that "on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless". Thus we see that doing the Lord's work is exempted from what is considered to be "work" in God's eyes.
We must emphasize that Yeshua came "not to destroy the law ... but to fulfill" it per Matthew 5:17. Nowhere does the Bible indicate that Yeshua did not rightly observe the seventh day Sabbath. We see also Colossians 2:16, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days". The next verse emphasizes again that these things are shadows, and says "but the body is of Christ". Does this verse exempt the body of Christ from the perpetual observance of the seventh day Sabbath hallowed by God for ever in Exodus? Can God lie? This verse in Colossians could not do so. It is said in this passage that Yeshua triumphed over principalities and powers, making a show of them openly. Thus, He had freed mankind from the "Pharisaical" interpretation of the law, and given him liberty to live within it properly, and mankind is NOT to judge any other man regarding the manner in which he observes God's mandates. That is for God alone to do. It was God alone in the form of the Son who paid the penalty for our past (i.e. before our Belief) disobedience to all parts of the "law" per Romans 3:25, but we are still expected to honor the law with our observance of it in the future (i.e. after our Belief).
Some would say, but the early church met on Sunday. Does the Bible ever INSTRUCT the "church" to meet on Sunday? Does it ever say "I hereby change the day of Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?" If a group of Christians meets on Wednesday to study God's Word or break bread together does that make Wednesday the new Sabbath? The disciples/apostles most likely met together on the first of the week because they had been actively preaching on the Sabbath per Acts 17:1-2 and numerous other references. It would be somewhat like a gathering of pastors to fellowship and commune together when they were not otherwise occupied with their duties in service to the Lord. The Bible NEVER indicates that the disciples STOPPED honoring the seventh day Sabbath, nor does it say that they acknowledge that Sunday had replaced the seventh day Sabbath. There are only three references to such meetings or activities, and each time the word : "day" was added to the text (as denoted by italicized print in the KJV). The three references are John 20:19, Acts 20:7, and I Corinthians 16:2. In each one we find "the first day of the week" in the KJV, which actually was "the first of the week" per the Greek. Even if this DID happen to be the first "day" of the week, it would not constitute a change of the irrevocable day designated as Sabbath by God.
Many would say that Christ arose on Sunday, so they worship on that day in honor of His resurrection. They base this on John 20:1, Luke 24:1, Mark 16:9, and Matthew 28:1 because it was on the first "day" of the week when the empty tomb was found. (Actually again the word "day" is italicized in all four instances here as well, meaning that it was added). Does this mean the Christ arose on Sunday? Absolutely not. The empty tomb was FOUND on the first of the week, and He was ALREADY GONE! The reference in Mark 16:9 seems to be the most confusing here. A comma in the text makes it appear that Yeshua actually arose the first of the week, but there WERE NO commas in the original text, and the transliteration of the Greek reads, "Having risen And early on the first of the week, He appeared first to Mary the Magdalene ..." The word "And" here is capitalized, indicating the start of a whole new thought. Thus His having risen PRECEDED it. More can be studied regarding the actual time of His resurrection in Breaking Spiritual Strongholds, but if we are going to honor His resurrection on a weekly basis, we should do so on Saturday, the seventh day Sabbath!
How do we show God we love Him? John 14:15 tells us that we do so by keeping His commandments. What was the fourth commandment? Exodus 20:8-11 says it is, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God ... the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it." Now some would say that the ten commandments were turned into two via Mark 12:29-31, where we read, 'The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Does this three verse passage negate the ten commandments of the Old Testament? No, it simply summarizes them. As we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we will honor the first four of these ten commandments. AS we love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we will honor the last six. The original ten commandments are never negated in the entirety of God's Word, and they still stand. Maybe it is necessary to think through this issue to its only possible conclusion in order to love God with all of our mind. If we do not engage in an honest attempt to study to show ourselves approved here (as we are told to do in II Timothy 2:15), maybe we have fallen short of loving Him with all of our mind and heart (?). I find it very interesting that the word "ABBA" (as found in Galatians 4:6) is found in the heart of the word "SABBATH". It means Father, and in Galatians 4:6 it says "Abba Father", meaning "Father my Father". The double expression would indicate exaltation. Might we not exalt God more if we kept the Sabbath as we are told to do?
Some would say that the observance of Sabbath is no longer necessary, just as the sacrifice of animals is a thing of the past. That simply is not what God told us in Exodus. "Perpetual" and "for ever" just do not point to its end upon the death and resurrection of Yeshua. The old testament indicates that sacrifices will cease, and Yeshua has already fulfilled the sacrificial shadow. His sacrifice now provides the cleansing these sacrificed animals once provided. The Sabbath, however, is not observed to atone for our sins. It is observed as obedience to honor and exalt our Lord for the provision of a day of rest after the six days of work. It is a shadow of the seventh day Millennial Kingdom rest which we as Believers hope to find awaiting us at the conclusion of the six days of work (life) here in the world, and this has NOT YET BEEN fulfilled! Genesis 1:3 tells us that at the completion of the sixth day God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good ...." Thus we find in Genesis 2:2-3 that on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested .... And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." We need to note here His choice to rest on the seventh day seemed to be linked to His satisfaction with what He had accomplished during His work the first six days. Will He be satisfied with our work of the six days, and grant us rest in the Millennial Kingdom? Will He be pleased that we have honored Him through the keeping of the shadow He gave us to keep by observing the seventh day Sabbath? Jeremiah 17:19-27 indicates that to God the keeping of the Sabbath is NOT a light matter. He clearly states that the Hebrew people would be punished for not observing His Sabbath when He states in verse 17, "But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day ... then I will kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." Because He works in shadows, could this be telling us of the judgment to come upon this country if we continue in disobedience to the seventh day Sabbath?
This ministry does not judge the "church" today for observing a Sunday Sabbath. This ministry loves the "church" today, and it is because of that love that we reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ with a plea to consider the validity of the perpetual Saturday Sabbath hallowed by God. Will we be held blameless if we honor another day of the week as Sabbath or ignore it totally? No man can say, but only God. We can but warn our brothers and sisters to prepare for His judgment on the matter. May He speak to your heart boldly and conclusively as you seek His face.