THE SABBATH

... AN EXAMINATION OF 40 ALLEGED REASONS WHY THE 7TH DAY SABBATH SHOULD BE KEPT.

1. Mark 2-27 "And He said unto them...'The Sabbath was made for man, AND NOT MAN FOR THE SABBATH'..... However verse 28 carries on..."Therefore the Son of Man is LORD ALSO OF THE SABBATH".

2. It was made for Man. The Diaglott disagrees and says ..."THE SABBATH BECAUSE OF MAN WAS MADE"

3. Since humanity is composed of men and women, the Sabbath was made for all mankind. Gen 2-3/3. "And on the 7th day God ended His work, which He had made and He rested on the 7th day from all His work which He had made...3. And God blessed the 7th day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made."  
   
   No where in these verses or in Genesis, is the 7th day called the Sabbath and nor is there any commandment for mankind to keep the 7th day Holy or the Sabbath. The First mention of the Sabbath and the keeping of it , is recorded in Ex 16-23 when they were provided with the MANNA and told to collect enough on the 6th day so they would not have to collect it on the 7th

4. God rested on the 7th day from His labours. So He did but until the day that the Children of Israel were given the MANNA in the wilderness, there was no commandment to them or anyone else, to keep the Sabbath.

5. Many years after creation, God commanded that the Sabbath be kept. Ex 16-26 "Six days ye shall gather it (MANNA): but on the 7th day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none."....v.29. "See...for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath". That the Children of Israel were surprised at this new thing is evident for they came and told Moses.(Ez 16-22) However, the Sabbath was given to the Children of Israel, NOT to all mankind....Ez 31-17'....."IT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOR EVER". At this stage, or any other, it was not a commandment that applied to all mankind.

6. God blessed the 7th Day.........Gen 20-11......"For in 6 days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the 7th day: where fore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." Verses 9 and 10 show conclusively that the 10 Commandments included the instruction to the Children of Israel to keep the Sabbath, but this was not an instruction to all mankind.

7. God sanctified it, apart from all others. Gen 2-3. At this stage God gave no instruction to anyone to keep the Sabbath.

8. There is no record of God having removed His blessing from the Sabbath. This can be argued for there is NO instruction in the New Testament for any Gentile to keep the Sabbath and, whereas all of the other 9 of the 10 Commandments are confirmed in the New Testament, the Commandment to keep the Sabbath IS NOT CONFIRMED.

9. The Sabbath was a memorial of creation.....Ez 31-17..."IT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOR EVER: FOR IN 6 DAYS THE LORD MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH, AND ON THE 7th DAY HE RESTED, AND WAS REFRESHED".. Whilst the first statement is not correct and yet the verse is, or was correct for Israel, there is no commandment within it for anyone to keep the Sabbath and no such commandment was given until the Children of Israel were in the wilderness.

10. God ordained that men should keep the Sabbath....Ex 20-8.."Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy..".....Heb 4-3/4..."For we which have believed do enter into rest as He said...'As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4. For he spake in a certain place of the 7th day on this wise..'And God did rest the 7th day from all His works'...."  
    
    Firstly it must be noted from both of these quotations, that God did not ordain that ALL: men and women should keep the Sabbath. That commandment has to be READ INTO THE VERSES TO BE READ OUT OF THEM. As well, further on in the Chapter the writer explains that not only God entered His rest but all that are His can also enter his rest, the Kingdom, when his works are completed....see v.8-11.

11. God forbade work even in harvest time on Sabbath...Ez 34-21..."Six days thou shalt work, but on the 7th day thou shalt rest: in shearing time and in harvest thou shalt rest." This is very true but it does not alter the fact that the Sabbath was given to Israel and not to all mankind. Paul write these significant words to the Galations..3-18...."IF THE INHERITANCE BE OF THE LAW (Including keeping the Sabbath), it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. v.19. Wherefore then serveth the Law....IT WAS ADDED BECAUSE OF TRANSGRESSION, TILL THE SEED SHOULD COME TO WHOM THE PROMISE WAS MADE" If it was added only til the SEED should come, and we know the SEED DID COME, then we also know it is finished.

12. God promised that Jerusalem would stand for ever IF His people would keep the Sabbath Holy....Jer 17-24/25. That this quote is true cannot be denied, BUT....v 27 records..." But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath......then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and it shall not be quenched." We know His people DID NOT hallow the Sabbath and thus the City was destroyed One promise was not kept but the Father's promise was... Babylon first destroyed the City and then the Romans. Then the Islamites fulfilled Scripture..."AHA EVEN THE ANCIENT HIGH PLACES ARE OURS IN POSSESSION...(Ex 36)" from AD 632. When Rome finished with God's punishments on Jerusalem, no Jew as allowed into the City to keep the Sabbath.

13. God sent Israel into captivity for Sabbath breaking. Neh 13-17/17. This cannot be denied, but this simple and clear fact cannot be used to claim that everyone should keep the Sabbath for it was given to the Children of Israel.

14. God promised the Gentiles if they kept it.....Isaiah 56-6..."Also , the sons of strangers that join themselves to the Lord, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it ....even them shall I bring to my Holy mountain". That this also is true, there can be no argument. All that joined Israel and kept the commandments were eligible to inherit whatever the Law promised. However, the Children of Israel perished under the Law and thus so much more those who were joined with them, until Jesus came and fulfilled the Law and the Prophets.

15. God promised to bless any man who keeps the Sabbath.Is 56-2...Blessed is the man.....that keepeth the Sabbath....". Again this was true until the man who was the rest appeared and fulfilled the Law which pointed forward to His coming.

16. God's people are to call it honourable....Isaiah 58-13...."If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on the Sabbath day: and call the Sabbath a delight, the Holy of the Lord, honourable, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words....Then shall thou delight thyself in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob the Father etc...." They DIDN'T AND HE DIDN'T. They were made slaves and thus were not allowed to keep the Sabbath. and the Roman church at length changed the Sabbath day to Sunday and murdered as many as they willed who would not worship on Sunday.

17. God called it His Holy day...Isaiah 58-13....'.....on my Holy Day......the Sabbath". No argument about that. But it does not prove it is still a commandment and indeed in the New Testament, there is NOT ONE COMMAND for the new Gentile converts, to keep the Sabbath.

18. It was a sign between God and His people....Ez 31-17...."It is a sign between me and the Children of Israel for ever" ......No argument about this. The promise was made that Israel would be blessed if they kept the Sabbath....they didn't...they weren't. It was part of the Law that also was to last for ever IF Israel remained faithful...they didn't....it didn't.

19. It was one of the ten commandments which God gave unto His people, to be observed....Ez 20-8/11...."Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy............". No argument. It was given to Israel and to those who became Israelites UNDER THE LAW. But Paul tells us that the Law "was our Schoolmaster to bring us UNTO CHRIST..that we might be justified BY FAITH (not the law)....But after THAT FAITH IS COME....we are LONGER UNDER A SCHOOLMASTER (The Law).....For ye are (then) all the Children of God BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS". The simplicity of the Bible teaching in these words surely impresses us with the truth that the Law was added UNTIL THE SEED SHOULD COME. Obviously, once the "seed " was come there was no use for the Law and thus it was abolished. NINE of the ten commandments were confirmed after Christ came BUT NOT THE SABBATH., for those who were baptised into His name, commenced the process of entering into their rest, without the need to keep the Sabbath rest. The final Sabbath rest is the Kingdom of God.

20. All of His commandments are to stand fast for ever....Ps.111-7/8...." .....all His commandments are sure....They stand fast for ever...". The Scriptures are always sure and perfect, but men who do not keep His commandments thus incur His wrath, as did Israel when they did not. His commandment was to keep the Sabbath...they didn't and thus were cast aside til the one who His commandments under the Law foretold. Once that one came, His commandments under the Law were fulfilled...those commandments were His "schoolmaster" to bring us to Christ. Nine of His commandments in the 10 commandments were confirmed in the New Testament and became part of the Law of Christ, but the keeping of the Sabbath WAS NOT ...NEVER CONFIRMED.

21. Jesus kept the Sabbath during His ministry... Luke 4-16....."AND HE CAME TO NAZARETH, WHERE HE HAD BEEN BROUGHT UP : AND AS HIS CUSTOM WAS , HE WENT INTO THE SYNAGOGUE ON THE SABBATH DAY". Of course He did. He was required, as a Jew, to keep the Law and He had to keep it until He indeed fulfilled it as the final and greatest and complete sacrifice under the Law....."Think ye not that I an come to destroy the Law or the Prophets....I am not come to destroy BUT FULFIL...". Paul tells us that Christ..."appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself"......He was the final sacrifice under the Law and thus the Law had fulfilled it's purpose.

22. (Apologies – There was an error in transferring from the original manuscript. This will be updated as soon as possible.)

23. Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath, therefore it is the Lord's Day. ...Mark 2-28..."The Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath". The reasoning behind these remarks is a slightly faulty and one cannot readily discern what the writer is speaking of. However, to investigate this we turn to the Hebrews where we find that the true Sabbath rest is obtained only through Jesus Christ BY FAITH..(Heb 4-2/6, and is also by promise.!. Chapter 3-17/18 shows that although the Hebrews outwardly kept the Sabbath during every week during the whole period of forty years, that they sojourned in the wilderness, yet they did not and could not keep the TRUE SABBATH: for God had sworn that they should not enter into His REST, or Sabbath and v.19 tells us why. It says they COULD NOT ENTER IN BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF. Chapter 4/6 says the same thing: this verse also says that "some must enter in', and v.9. tells us that those that do enter in are the PEOPLE OF GOD, WHO ENTER IN BY FAITH..V.3. In Verse 10, Paul says that, he that has entered into God's rest through Jesus, "MUST FIRST HAVE CEASED FROM HIS WORKS"...(E.G. TRYING TO KEEP THE LAW), as God ceased from His works in the 7th day of Creation....(compare Romans 10-1/4). Romans 10-4 says that " CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH. Jesus also says...."COME UNTO ME YE THAT LABOUR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST". SO we see that the true Sabbath is the REST AND PEACE WE GET BY EXERCISING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, and NOT the keeping of any DAY OR DAYS...  
    
    Paul writing to the Galations, new Brethren and Sisters who were being hounded by the orthodox Jews to keep the Law, wrote..." But now, after that ye have known God or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements (the Law) whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage.? Ye observe DAYS....(SABBATH DAYS AND HOLY DAYS) AND MONTHS AND TIMES AND YEARS. I AM AFRAID OF (FOR ) YOU LEST I HAVE BESTOWED UPON YOU LABOUR IN VAIN".( See also Rom. 14-5).....Colossians 2-16...."Let no man judge (rule) you in meat or in drink or in respect of an HOLY DAY, OR OF THE NEW MOON.....OR OF THE SABBATH DAYS.  
    
    Thus, studying all of the above, one can readily discern what is meant by the expression...CHRIST IS THE LORD OF THE SABBATH.

24. Christ taught His disciples how to keep it.....the Sabbath. Matt 12-1/13. Of course He did and it was mandatory for all Jews to keep it until Christ was crucified. See items 21-22 and 23.

25. Christ warned His people not to violate it when fleeing from Jerusalem, which occurred in AD 70...Matt 24-20...."Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter neither on the Sabbath day". In fact He was NOT warning them against violating the Sabbath at all, and THE Sabbath should be expressed as it is in the Greek manuscripts as A SABBATH DAY, and the Jews had other Sabbaths besides the 7th day Sabbath.

26. The "Holy Women" kept it, the Sabbath, after the Crucifixion....Luke 23-56...." They returned and prepared spices and ointments , and rested the Sabbath day, according to the commandment.". Under the Law of Moses, the sacrifices in the Temple were not complete until all of the sacrificial Lamb had been consumed and the sins of the people were not covered until the day AFTER the FIRST SABBATH AFTER THE 14 th DAY OF THE MONTH. The completion of the Lord's sacrifice did NOT eventuate until He rose at the end of the third day. Thus until that time , the Law of Moses was still in force.

27. The Holy Spirit, by inspiration, still called it the Sabbath 22 years after the Cross....Acts 17-2...."And Paul, as his manner was went in unto them, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. Firstly, as the word "sabbath" is not capitalised, it is doubtful whether these were the weekly Sabbaths or, other Holy days. However, even if they were Sabbaths, there is nothing in the verse to prove that, by going into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day, Paul endorsed the keeping of the Sabbath. One perfectly good reason for him to go into the Synagogue ON the Sabbath Day, was that this is where the leaders and the teachers of the Jews were to be found on the Sabbath and thus he could reach more of them in the one place.

28. Paul still recognised it as the Sabbath after His conversion.....Acts 13-27...."For, they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their RULERS, BECAUSE THEY KNEW HIM NOT, nor yet the voices of the Prophets which are read every sabbath day, and they fulfilled them in condemning Him". Again the word "sabbath' is not capitalised and could mean any other Holy day and not necessarily the 7th day Sabbath.  
    
    Paul was NOT recognising the need to keep the Sabbath at all, but was merely stating a fact that "those that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers," did not KNOW God even though they listened to His word being read in the Synagogue every Sabbath To claim that this verse proves Paul's recognition of the need to keep the Sabbath, is twisting the word to mean something it does not say.

29. Gentile converts recognised it as the Sabbath.....AD 45....Acts 13-42...."When the Jews were gone out of the Synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them THE NEXT SABBATH. The verse does not say that about "such converts" at all. All it says is the Gentiles wanted to hear Paul's message. They were not allowed into the Synagogue and thus they followed Paul after He came out of the Synagogue. No where does the verse say , or others near it, that the Gentiles who wanted to hear Paul were "CONVERTS" as the statement claims. Nor does it say that such "converts" recognised the 7th Day Sabbath. All it infers is that the Gentiles knew that a certain message was being taught to the Jews by Paul on the Jewish Sabbath and it was so interesting that, when he next spoke to the Jews, which would naturally be on another Sabbath as the Jews still considered themselves to be under the Law, they also wanted to hear the same message.

30. Luke called it the Sabbath....Acts 13-44....."And the next Sabbath day , they came, almost the whole City." Of course he called it the Sabbath. It was recognised by every Jew that the 7th Day was the Sabbath so naturally he would describe that day on which the Gentiles flocked to see and hear Paul on the 7th day, as the Sabbath, but this does not in any way prove that Luke taught that people should keep the Sabbath. Many people in our days refer to GOOD FRIDAY without believing that this was the day Jesus was crucified. To a Jew anywhere, the 7th day was the Sabbath, no matter whether they believed it necessary to keep it as such or not....it was the name of a day.

31. James called it the Sabbath day, in AD 51/...Acts 15-21....."For Moses of old time, hath in EVERY CITY them that preach him, being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day." In this instance, James was speaking at length about the Judaisers, the Jews who were trying to enforce the Law of Moses in the Matter of circumcision, upon the new converts, and it is interesting to read what he said about the conditions which the leading Brethren taught should be imposed upon the new Gentile converts....you can read this in the previous verses, and it is blatantly clear that the keeping of the Sabbath was not one of them. But what he did say was an accusation AGAINST the Jews for he says that Moses has staunch disciples, even in the day of James, who were teaching in the Synagogues by reading the Law of Moses. In verse 24 we read the "clincher" which proves that James and the other Brethren DID NOT BELIEVE IN KEEPING THE LAW, WHICH INCLUDED KEEPING THE SABBATH....we read....."Forsamuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us, have troubled you with words, subverting your souls saying...'ye MUST be circumcised and KEEP THE LAW....TO WHOM WE GAVE NO SUCH COMMANDMENT."

32. Paul held prayer meeting on the Sabbath out by the river when no synagogue was available...Acts 16-13.... Again Paul was merely going to a place where Jews congregated on the Sabbath, the Jews being oblivious to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and thus still keeping the Sabbath. By Paul speaking at this place of prayer on the Sabbath does not prove he recognised the Jewish Sabbath at all. To say he did and thus "KEPT" the Sabbath is adding to the word.

33. It was Paul's' custom to preach on the Sabbath Day.....Acts 17-2/3....And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days, reasoned with them out of the Scriptures." Now its obvious that some Jews believed the Gospel Paul taught and some did not, but the point to absorb is that before he preached, obviously NONE of the Jews "believed" or knew of the Gospel message and thus were ALL STILL KEEPING THE SABBATH THROUGH IGNORANCE of the fact that Jesus came to "fulfil the law and the prophets.

34. At Corinth, Paul; worked through the week but preached every Sabbath to the people, for 18 months.....Acts 18-1/4 and verse 11. The same explanations is valid for this claim as for those which have gone before.

35. The "first day of the week' is NOT the Sabbath. Sabbath comes just before the first day, hence on the 7th day.(Matthew 28-1) This is no starling revelation and many religious people still speak of the 7th day being the Sabbath However, because Sabbath keeping is NOT taught as a compulsion for Gentile converts, ANYWHERE in the Scriptures, we find that many gentile converts celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, on the first day of the week, looking on it as a symbol of a new beginning.

36. The Sabbath will be 'kept' in the 'new earth.....Is 66-22....."For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, so shall YOUR SEED AND YOUR NAME REMAIN... and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another,, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.". That this chapter has mostly to do with Israel and as we are told that "all Israel shall be saved' and there is nothing in the chapter which says that all gentiles will keep the Sabbath, then it can hardly be said that the verse in question teaches that idea. Again, in this instance and in many others, the word "sabbath" becomes the name of a day, without any mention of the people or any people keeping the day holy as a "Sabbath".

37. Christ made it obligatory for us to keep the commandments in order to inherit eternal life....Matt 19-17......."If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments..."................Rev 22-14....."Blessed are they that do His commandments that they may have right to the tree of life". It is indeed strange that this passage should be used to "prove" the argument that we must keep the Sabbath because it does no such thing. In Math 19-18, the man who asked Jesus what he should to have eternal life, was told by Jesus to keep the commandments and the man asked...WHICH ONES....Good question. The Master replied....' 1.THOU SHALT DO NO MURDER....2.THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY....3.THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.....4.THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS....5.HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER.....6.THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF,. NO MENTION IS MADE AT ALL ABOUT KEEPING THE SABBATH. Jesus then added.....IF THOU WILT BE PERFECT....GO AND SELL THAT THOU HAST AND GIVE TO THE POOR AND THOU SHALT HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN. So....being perfect DID NOT include keeping the Sabbath. Here is irrefutable evidence of the fact.

38. Jesus gave us no other day to take the place of the 7th day Sabbath....Heb 4-8...."For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day". It is strange that many men who want to prove a point do not pay close attention to the word of Scripture.. This passage is rendered in most other Bibles as...." For if Joshua had given them rest etc...." We have dealt with the matter of "REST" in foregoing passages and refer the reader to them.

39. Therefore the Sabbath remains....Hebrew 4-9....see margin..."of keeping of the Sabbath". However, the verse in question reads as we saw in the above section...."For if Jesus (Joshua) had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another rest....v.9 ....there remaineth therefore a rest....( keeping of a sabbath) to the people of God" However, this is not the true rendering of the verse at all, as can be shown from other translations......"There remains then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God". Experience in rightly dividing the word of God and sheer diligence towards learning the truths of Scripture, will point the earnest seeker after truth in the right direction.. In all the discussions concerning THE REST for the true servants of the Lord, the REST is obviously that rest in the Kingdom of God on the earth, thus the passage is not talking about keeping the Sabbath at all..

40. Jesus rose from the grave on the Sabbath Day...Matt 28-1/6....."IN the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week...."( Diaglott Greek..."Now, AFTER the Sabbath, as it was dawning etc".) Mark 16-1...."And when the Sabbath was past..."....(Greek Diaglott...."And the Sabbath being past..."........Luke 23-56...."They rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment...now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning...etc". (Diaglott the same) John 20-1..."The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene EARLY, when it was yet dark unto the sepulchre...." Greek Diaglott the same.  
    
    It is clear from the Law of Moses that Mary would not have dared to enter the tomb whilst the Sabbath was still in effect, to anoint the body of Jesus, therefore whilst she might have arrived at the tomb while it was still dark, she would not have dared to enter it until the first rays of Sunlight heralded the new day.  
    
    However, as the Lord Jesus was to be in the grave...THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS,....Matt 12-40...."For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly SO SHALL THE SON OF MAN BE THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH.".....there is NO possibility that He arose on the Sabbath at all.  
    
    The first night was Wednesday night, which lasted til Thursday sunup....the second was Thursday night which lasted till Friday sunup and the third was Friday night which lasted til Saturday sunup. The days were Thursday from sunrise to sunset, Friday from sunrise til sunset, and Saturday, from SUNRISE TIL SUNSET. Saturday was the Sabbath and that commenced at sunset on Friday and lasted til sunset on Saturday. Thus Jesus rose from the dead AFTER SUNSET ON SATURDAY NIGHT, WHICH THEN BECAME THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK.  
    
    This is known as the "8th day" and it is no co-incidence that the Name of Jesus in the Greek is IESOUS, and thus the "number of His Name' is the total of the Greek numerals in His Name. This total is 888, which quite clearly associates Him with a NEW BEGINNING and that new beginning was on the first day of the week.  
    
    Most Gentile converts thus meet on the first day of the week to remember their risen Lord.

For those who desire to keep the Law or any part of the Law as in keeping the Sabbath, it is incumbent upon them then to keep all the requirements of the Law concerning the Sabbath.

In Numbers 15-33 we are told that the Lord told Moses than anyone caught even gathering sticks on the Sabbath was to be put to death. Do Sabbath keepers insist on the same measures now.

In Exodus 2-3 we are told that anyone who does any work of any kind on the Sabbath even the kindling of a fire or thus the turning on of a stove or cooking of any nature or causing an oxen to work or a car to labour should be put to death. Do Sabbath keepers insist that these measures be followed. If not...why ?

C.FRENCH....2/95