Sabbath Justified

There are many people all around the World that claim Jesus Christ is Lord, but is He really their Lord? Or is it they only claim to be Christians so as to look good to themselves and others they strive to impress? (Isaiah 4:1)

Being a Christian means we are followers of Jesus the Christ. This is where the title “Christian” comes from. The Dictionary’s first definition of the word “Christian” is “Professing belief in Jesus as Christ, or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.” In other words, whatever Jesus did was to be an example unto us to follow. Now there are many things Jesus did that most Christians do in fact emulate. But what many are unaware of is there is one thing they have been taught to forget for almost 2000 years. In fact, this was prophecied to occur long ago. The fourth commandment says,

Exodus 20:8-11, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 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."

The Creator God is the one speaking here. He is the one that wrote this Law in Stone in ancient times. After He wrote it “…he gave unto Moses, (the) tables of stone, written with the finger of God." (Exodus 31:18) This is the very same God wherein "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:3) This includes language, as well as the individual words in languages. The Lord knew exactly what the word “remember” meant when He etched it in that stone long ago. He used it to both prophecy and illustrate we will forget His Sabbath in the future.

Daniel the prophet pointed out that there will be a beast in the last days that will "…think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25) of the Creator God. Did this really happen? Is there evidence today that Christians have been taught to forget the Sabbath of the God they worship?

In order to find out if this has happened. We need to find out what the Word of God says about the Sabbath. We also need to find out how Jesus Himself, our true and only example, walked when He visited us 2000 years ago. Did He keep the seventh day Sabbath? Or did He worship on a different day of the week? Speaking of Jesus, the Apostle Luke says…

Luke 4:16, "…as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read."

According to the infallible Word of God, Jesus’ custom, or weekly habit, was in fact to keep Sabbath holy by entering into the church for worship each and every seventh day. Still, many have been taught that when Jesus died it would then be necessary to keep a different day holy in remembrance of His resurrection. It’s true we should acknowledge His death and resurrection. But according to the Apostle Paul, this is done by baptism.

Romans 6:3-5, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"

In other words, when you go under the water, you symbolize His death and burial. When you come out of the water, you symbolize His resurrection. Merely stepping into a church on the day He arose each week simply cannot do this. In fact, if His resurrection was really the reason for going to church on Sunday, why is it no one goes to church every Friday? Isn’t that the day He died?

Is there biblical evidence Jesus taught His followers that after His death they would still be keeping the seventh day Sabbath? In Matthew 24:15-22 Jesus prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem. Almost 40 years after He died and resurrected, this historic event did in fact take place just as He predicted it would.

In A.D.66 when Cestius came against the city, but unaccountably withdrew, the Christians discerned in this the sign foretold by Christ, and fled while 1,100,000 Jews are said to have been killed in the terrible siege in A.D. 70. -Eusebius, Church History, book 3, chap. 5

70AD is most assuredly after the cross of Christ when most believe the Sabbath was changed to a new day. Yet notice what Jesus tells His apostles in Matthew 24:20 when He prophecied about the destruction of Jerusalem.

Matthew 24:20, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:"

Jesus was unmistakably teaching them that they would still be keeping the seventh day Sabbath as Christians almost 40 years after He returned to His heavenly kingdom. In fact, directly after His death, when most believe the day was changed, we see New Testament Christians keeping the Sabbath holy according to the commandment. After Jesus died, the custom of the day was to anoint the body with spices and ointments for burial. But it was running late that Friday afternoon, and Sabbath was drawing near. When the women that were called to anoint our Saviour’s body finally made it to the tomb He was laid in, it was too late. Sabbath had already come, and they were unable to anoint Him. Instead these New Testament Christians, “…rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." - Luke 23:56

Some may ask, is there any other evidence that Christians kept the Sabbath holy after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Yes there is. On the island of Patmos, around 95AD, which is just over 60 years after Christ’s death and resurrection, we find the Apostle John declaring that he “…was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." (Revelation 1:10) However, many claim he is speaking of Sunday because most churches today call Sunday the Lords day. Is there biblical evidence the Lord’s day is actually Sabbath and not Sunday? Isaiah the prophet said the Lord calls “…the sabbath, …my holy day,” He also said the Lord calls “…the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD” (Isaiah 58:13) So yes, the Lord’s day that John the Apostle was resting on was in fact the Sabbath day. Moreover, Jesus Himself said that, "The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." in Matthew 12:8.

For some, the Apostle Paul’s writings are sought out because he was so prolific in his writings. One must also keep in mind that everything Paul ever wrote was written after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the question is, did Paul ever teach on this subject of resting on the Seventh day Sabbath in his Epistles to the New Testament Christian church?

Hebrews 4:4,8,9 "For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."

This passage clearly speaks of the seventh day as the day to rest. It also connects it with the same day God rested. In so doing it is twice confirming it is the Sabbath Paul is teaching on. In addition to that, in verse nine the word “rest” is used by Paul here which is actually a translation of the Hebrew word “Sabbatismo,” which in English is defined, “a keeping Sabbath. “

STRONG’S #4520 sabbatismos {sab-bat-is-mos'}
from a derivative of 4521; TDNT - 7:34,989; n m

AV - rest 1; 1

1) a keeping Sabbath
2) the blessed rest from toils and troubles looked for in the age to come by the true worshippers of God and true Christians

So, yes, Paul did in fact teach that all New Testament Christians should keep the seventh day Sabbath holy unto the Lord.

Another misconception is that the entire Law of God itself was somehow abolished at the cross, thereby making the Sabbath a day long forgotten. But did Jesus agree with such a thing? No He did not. Jesus plainly says in Matthew 5:18, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." In other words, not one speck of the Law will be done away with. In fact, John the Apostle many years after the cross of Christ said, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." -1 John 2:4

Some churches teach the Sabbath was only made for the Jews. Is this true? Or was it made for all of man? Jesus clears up that misunderstanding when He says in Mark 2:27 that "..The Sabbath was made for man." Had it been only for the Jew, He would have said so plainly. In fact, at the end of creation week we find that God "…blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” (Genesis 2:3) Historic fact is, He did this upwards of 2500 years before a Jew was ever born. If the Sabbath was made only for Jews, why is it no Jew was alive when the Sabbath was made? Still, some wonder if there is Scriptural evidence people kept the Commandments before the Jews arrived, because most feel the Law wasn’t active until God wrote it with His finger on Mount Sinai in the presence of the Jewish nation. In spite of this wide spread misconception we see that Scripture directly confirms, “…Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." - Genesis 26:5

Long before the Jewish nation came into existence, and long after the Garden of Eden where the Sabbath was sanctified, we see Abraham keeping the Commandments of God. So yes, people other then the Jewish nation kept the Sabbath long before the Jews came into existence. Abraham then confirms that Sabbath was made for man, just as Jesus said it was in Mark 2:27.

Some churches even go so far as to teach the Word of God is some how incomplete in regards to all the Christian duty, and therefore up to the leaders of the church to command holy traditions upon believers necessary to gain eternal life. However the Apostle Paul stated clearly in Acts 20:20 that he has "…kept back nothing that was profitable unto you.” He also says in Acts 20:27 that he has, "…not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." In other words, we already have all we need in the Scriptures to teach us how to gain Heaven.

Truth is, in the New Testament of the Christian Bible you will find 59 references to the Sabbath by name. Amazingly enough, the book of Acts alone records 84 separate Sabbaths on which the Apostle Paul and his associates held religious services for the newly formed Christian church. Incidentally, the book of Acts was written anywhere from 33 to 37 years after the ascension of Jesus Christ. Had the Sabbath truly been changed to Sunday as some believe is the case, why is it this book speaks of Sabbath as the seventh day in such great detail, yet never once associates Sunday, the first day of the week, with the title of Sabbath?

Another fact that becomes apparent through all this is the fact that the Sabbath was created by the Lord who stated in Malachi 3:6, "I am the Lord, I change not." Jesus Christ, who we learned earlier is Lord of the Sabbath is “…the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8) Jesus never changed, nor will He ever change, forever. In reality, Scripture declares that all believers in Jesus Christ will be keeping His Sabbath throughout eternity in the city of Heaven. His prophet Isaiah proclaimed long ago that, "…from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD." -Isaiah 66:23

Our Christian Bible says "…God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it." (Genesis 2:3) It also says in this same bible that what this God has blessed, even He “…cannot reverse it.” (Numbers 23:20) "For Thou blessest, O Lord, and it shall be blessed for ever." -1 Chronicles 17:27

Since we already know that “…we ought to obey God rather then man.” (Acts 5:29) Why, as Christians, would we want to do anything but obey God? Both the Old and New Testaments agree that the children of God "…shall keep the Sabbath, …throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant." (Exodus 31:16) That is as permanent a command as it gets. The Lord has told us long ago that "…I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.” (Ezekiel 20:12) He also stated through His prophet Ezekiel the Sabbath “…shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God." -Ezekiel 20:20

Keeping the Sabbath proves we are God’s people. When we keep the Sabbath sanctified in creation week, we acknowledge the Lord as our Creator God. When we obey our Lord we recognize Him as Lord. "Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16) When we keep the Sabbath holy, we testify to all in the World that He is God, and there is no other. Simple reality confirms that no other god can truthfully be called Creator but the Christian God. Keeping a Sabbath created by man means we are obeying man over and above the Creator. Keeping the Sabbath of the God of all creation means we are obeying, worshiping and testifying of our faith in that same Creator God. Truth be known, "…the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD." -Psalms 102:18

When man chooses to disobey God and keep a Sabbath made by man, Jesus said they will be making, "…the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition... But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." -Matthew 15:6,9

Some may declare this a foolish message because so called men of the cloth keep a different day holy other than the seventh day Sabbath of the Bible. Does this make them correct simply because they appear well learned? "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." (1 Corinthians 1:26,27) They may call us unlearned, and even fools. But the Lord is very capable of using our testimony to confound those that claim to be wise. If truth is what you seek, historic fact is, the supposed religious teachers in Christ's day also rejected many of His truths. The Apostles themselves were not considered men of the cloth by educational standards of the day, yet they too confounded the wise. Some were fishermen, tentmakers or even tax collectors. Yet we all base our religion on their inspired testimony and we ignore the proven unwise testimony of the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees to this day.

If we choose to follow educated men, we will always fall short. "…let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4) It can’t be said any plainer than, “we ought to obey God rather then man.” (Acts 5:29) Yes, they usually appear godly, but the Word says they are only “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (-2 Timothy 3:5) If these men, with their various educational degrees and years of book knowledge continue to ignore straightforward Bible truths regarding the Sabbath, they have already proven themselves confounded, for they are, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." -2 Timothy 3:7

I understand this truth I am sharing at this moment can cause some to fear the wrath of God for sins committed in years past. Or worse yet, what of their loved ones that went to their graves truly believing a different day of the week was the Sabbath of God. The Word says, at the “…time of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30) In other words, you are not held accountable for things you truly never knew were sin. However now that you do understand the truth regarding Sabbath, you are called to repent this day. If you truly are a Christian, then you would prefer to please the Lord you love. And He does declare, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments." In John 14:15.

As Christians we strive to gain eternal life. But the enemy of souls has devised a plan wherein obedience becomes a chore. Even though we know it is written that "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:17) Yes some believe they keep them, but when it comes to the fourth commandment they are taught it is acceptable to break it. They fail to realize that, "…whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10) They also fail to realize they “…shall be judged by the law.” (James 2:12) For hundreds of years Christians have been taught it is sin to worship false gods, bow down before idols, take the Lord’s name in vain, dishonor their parents, kill their fellow man, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness and covet their neighbors goods. For it is plainly written in both the Old and New Testaments that, "…sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4) But they look upon the fourth commandment as somehow acceptable to ignore. One of the reasons they do this is because the enemy of souls has taught them that they would be seeking Heaven by their own abilities or works. They know that it is "Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:9) So they fall for the lie that to obey the Law is man’s desire to create his own path to Heaven. But the Lord that never changes has given us "…the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Some have stated quite effectively over the years that all they need to do is believe in Jesus Christ and they will achieve Heaven. Many essentially feel there is no need to follow His teachings. Simply wearing a cross on their body becomes all they feel is necessary. If that’s the case, then Satan will also gain Heaven. For it is written in James 2:19 that, "…the devils also believe, and tremble." Anyone can believe. But "…faith without works is dead" -James 2:20

Look to Adam and Eve for a moment. Did they not believe in God? Pretty hard not to one would think seeing how each day they "…heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8) They had no problem whatsoever believing in Him because they saw Him with their very own eyes. If just believing God exists will gain you Heaven, why were they kicked from the Garden? It was because they disobeyed the Lord that created them.

Jesus is our Creator, "And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him." (Hebrews 5:9) Still some feel that if they keep one day in seven each week, that will somehow be sufficient and satisfactory to God. Unfortunately, this happens to be a common deception among Christians today. Their assumption becomes their undoing, because the Word plainly says "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 16:25) One of the main reasons they miss this simple truth is because "Spiritual things...are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:13,14) Even though they go through life claiming Christ Lord, they ignore the fact that once this truth is brought to them, and they reject it, all their preaching, all their praising, and all their testifying of the Lord throughout the entire world won’t change a thing in regards to their eternal destination. For Jesus Himself said "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

Even those that pray without ceasing, if they ignore this simple truth, they will find their prayers falling on deaf ears, because the Lord God already declared long ago that "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." (Proverbs 28:9)

A decision has to be made in the Christian heart. They need to look at what’s more important. Their love for God, or their love for the world. The enemy of souls has made it not only convenient to work on Sabbath day, he has made it appear a necessity if the Christian wants to be able to keep their job and care for their families. But I ask, “…what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) Truth is, “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things; but seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:32,33) For it is a well known biblical, and modern day fact that Christians “…have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." (Psalm 37:25) So please, do as your Lord commands, so that when you walk towards Him on that first day of eternity you will hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." -Matthew 25:21