The Sabbath

Part One

Israel and the Sabbath

If the Scriptures are indeed true, then we must at once conclude the Sabbath is to be observed today, at least by Israel, as indicated by Scripture:

Exodus 31:12-17
"And Yahweh said to Moses, 'Say to the people of Israel, You shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, Yahweh, sanctify you.  You shall keep my Sabbath, because it is holy for you; Every one who profanes it shall be put to death; who-ever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

"Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Yahweh; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.  Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant.   It is a sign for ever between me and the people of Israel that in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed'".

The Sabbath is to be observed

• As a perpetual covenant,
• Throughout Israel's generations,
• As a sign for ever.

How long is for ever?  How long is perpetual?  Are the people of Israel still having generations today?  Indeed they are. Therefore the Sabbath should be observed today, at least by Israel.  True, most Americans are not Jewish, so someone will ask why it is necessary for Gentiles to observe the Sabbath.  None other than the great Apostle Paul explained:

Ephesians 2:11-13
"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles ... were ... separated from Messiah, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without Yahweh in the world.  But now in Messiah Yahshua you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of [the] Messiah".

We were once aliens; strangers to the covenants of promise.  Now, however, we have been brought near.  Near to whom?  To Yahweh, the Mighty Creator.   How?  By joining the commonwealth of Israel.  And how is this done?  By the blood of the Messiah (Yahshua), who is Israel's Number One Citizen.

If the Savior accepts us, we are indeed members of Israel's commonwealth.  Once we are members of this commonwealth (by faith, repentance, confession and baptism), we are no longer strangers to the covenants of promise made to Israel.  The Apostle Paul continued:

Ephesians 2:19, 20
"So then you [Gentiles] are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of Yahweh, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Messiah Yahshua himself being the cornerstone..."

Some believe the "household of Yahweh" is the assembly of the saints.  It is true that we, the saints, are included, but the "household" refers especially to Israel; the commonwealth of Israel.

Paul spoke of apostles, prophets, and Yahshua the Messiah.  Too many people forget that the apostles were Jewish, the prophets were Jewish, and Yahshua himself was Jewish.*  In addition to this, all the early believers in Yahshua were Jewish.

Therefore when Paul wrote that the believing Gentiles are now fellow citizens "with the saints," he identified "the saints" as the commonwealth of Israel.  By baptism into Yahshua, we are adopted into this commonwealth and become a part of the Commonwealth by our faith in Yahshua.

Please keep in mind that no covenants of promise (except the rainbow) have been made with the Gentiles.  All covenants of promise have been made with and through Israel, including those made with Abraham.  Scriptures emphasize this in the following words:

Romans 9:4,5
"They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, ...is the Messiah".

This is a very powerful statement, to be sure. To the commonwealth of Israel belongs the following:

• The sonship.
• The covenants.
• The giving of the law.
• The glory.
• The worship.
• The promises.
• The patriarchs.
• The Messiah.

To Israel belongs the Messiah.  Let me ask: Is there anything of eternal value which can be added?  Nothing.  Everything of lasting value is included.  To Israel belongs everything, including the Messiah.   To the Gentiles, nothing; except as we draw near to Yahweh by the blood of the Messiah.  Only then do we become eligible to be partakers with Israel of the blessings and promises made to Abraham and the descendants of Isaac (Rom. 9:7; Gal. 3:29).

Since we must join the Commonwealth of Israel in order to be recipients of Yahweh's blessings (his everlasting promises made to Abraham and to Israel) then the requirements stated in Exodus 31:16,17 apply to us as well as to the native born Israelites.  The Sabbath is to be observed for ever by Gentiles as well as by the Jewish people. Furthermore, the Sabbath is a sign:

• That Yahweh sanctifies us, indicating we belong to Him.
• And that Yahweh created the heavens and the earth in six days.  Keeping the Sabbath shows our faith in Yahweh, the Creator, rather than in evolution as the Cause for everything which exists.

But someone responds, "I am unconvinced.  The Sabbath was made only for the Jews."  But keep in mind, Yahshua the Messiah was well qualified to instruct us.   He said the Sabbath was made for man (Mk. 2:27).  Does man include only the Jew?  All must agree that man includes each and every nationality of people.  When the Sabbath was made for man, there was only one man on earth - Adam.

Was Adam a Jew?  All will agree that he was not.  This was approximately 2,500 years before the first Jew was born.  This seems to indicate the Sabbath was made for man, including all the human race, Adam being our first representative.   This agrees with the words of Yahweh to Ezekiel the prophet:

Ezekiel 20:11, 12, 18-21
"I gave them my statutes and showed them my ordinances, by whose observance man shall live. Moreover I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I, Yahweh, sanc-tify them".

Some sincere people have objected to keeping the Sabbath because they feel this is "going back under the old covenant."  Let me point out that the Sabbath was given to man when he had lived less than 24 hours, before sin and death entered the world, therefore this was long before the old covenant was given.  The Sabbath and its blessings predate the old covenant, so the Sabbath stands separate and apart from the old covenant.  Yes, the Sabbath was given on the seventh day of creation week as a blessing to all mankind.

Did Yahshua the Messiah observe the Sabbath? Yes.  It was his custom to do so (Lk. 4:16).  Scripture instructs us to "follow in his steps" (1 Pet. 2:20,21).

Did the Apostle Paul observe the seventh day Sabbath?  Yes.  It was his custom to do so (Acts 17:2,3; 18:1-4).

• Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and six months observing the Sabbath (Acts 18:11).
• After this Paul stayed on at Corinth many more days observing the Sabbath.
• Paul observed the Sabbath during a three months stay in Ephesus, then continued his stay, keeping the Sabbath for more than two years (Acts 19:8-10).
• On another occasion, the Apostle Paul and his party went into the synagogue on the Sabbath to worship. Paul was asked to preach (Acts 13:13,14). After the service ended, the people begged to hear these things again the next Sabbath (verse 42).

If the Sabbath was no longer to be kept, never was there a better time for the Apostle Paul to announce to the people:

"Dear friends and brethren, there is no need to wait until next Sabbath to hear again the message of salvation.  Tomorrow, Sunday, the first day of the week, come to the true church down the street where I'll be preaching.  There you will again hear the Good News!  We as true believers in the Messiah are no longer obligated to keep the seventh day Sabbath.  Instead, we must keep Sunday, the first day of the week.  Come tomorrow, and learn all about it!"

Please notice: Paul did not say this.  Instead, he and all the people waited until the next Sabbath, at which time Paul again lectured (Acts 13: 44).  During the six working days between those two Sabbaths, Paul evidently worked with his hands so that he could provide for himself and his party (Acts 18:1-3; 20:33-35).

The book of Acts is a biography of Paul and the other apostles.  If, as some believe, the Apostle Paul worshiped on the first day of the week, does it not seem strange that Luke never once reported this in the history noted above?  Paul was at Corinth for almost two years, even so there is only silence (silence) about Paul's worship on the first day.  Again, he was at Ephesus for more than two years.   Again, we have no report of 1st day worship.  Instead, in every community, he attended the synagogue service (always on the Sabbath) never on the 1st day.  Does this indicate Sabbath observance?  Indeed yes.

Scriptures reveal that the law of Yahweh had not been abolished in Paul's day, which means it is still in force today.  The Sabbath, then, being a part of this law, is also binding upon the believers at the present time.  Of the many Scriptures available, only a few are listed here, some from the writings of Paul.

• We do not make void the law. Instead we establish it more firmly (Rom. 3:31).
• The law is binding on a man as long as he lives (Rom. 7:1).
• The law is holy, just, good, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12-20).
• The word of Yahweh abides forever (1 Pet. 1:25; Isa. 40:8).
• There is only one lawgiver, not two or three (James 4:12).  This one lawgiver is Yahweh, the Father of Yahshua the Messiah (Isa. 33:22).

Let us at this time make a comparison between these two days: the Sabbath, and the first day of the week.

I Corinthians 16:2
The first day of the week, a day for tending to business.  Every first day the Corinthians were instructed to reckon their income for the previous week, then collect and store some of it until Paul's arrival, to later be sent to the poor saints at Jerusalem.  The collections were to be made ready in advance, "that no gatherings be made when I come."  The "gatherings" refer to the goods they planned to send, not to the people.  He planned to stay with them for months, but no gatherings once he arrived (I Cor. 16:2,6).  No worship service is mentioned.

Paul's "orders" in I Cor. 16:1 sound very commanding, as if he were giving a lasting ordinance, but he was very conciliatory in his second letter to the Corinthians.   (Please consult chapters eight and nine).

Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John. 20:1,19.

These Scriptures tell of the exciting things which happened on the day after Yahshua arose from the grave.  He arose late on the Sabbath, just before sunset (Matthew 28:1).  Ask for more information.

The first day of the week is mentioned eight times in the New Testament, and never once designated as the day of rest and worship.

The Sabbath day is mentioned in the New Testament about 59 times, always as a special day.  An impressive Scripture which states that believers are to keep the Sabbath is as follows:

"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of Yahweh; for whoever enters Yahweh's rest also ceases from his labors as Yahweh did from his" (Heb. 4:9,10 RSV).

Two Sabbath rests are spoken of here. Verse 9 speaks of our hope, the future rest. Verse 10 tells what our custom should be today.  If we expect to enter the future rest (verse 9), we must rest today as Yahweh rested (verse 10).  When did he rest?   On the seventh day (Gen. 2:1-3).

At least 26 English versions agree that we should rest as did the Creator, on the seventh day.  It is interesting to note that most if not all these translators worshiped on the first day.  Even so, they tell us to rest on the seventh day.   Since this is contrary to their own religious customs, we can with full confidence accept their translation of Heb. 4:9,10.  The Lamsa version puts it the most powerful of any, perhaps.

"It is therefore the duty of the people of God to keep the Sabbath."

A Universal Ordinance

There are a number of objections to the observance of the seventh day Sabbath, and they are quite sincerely made. One of these objections is that the Sabbath of the seventh day was never given to the Gentiles, only to the Jews (to Israel), therefore the Sabbath was never intended as a universal ordinance. But please keep in mind: being sincere in this belief has no bearing on whether it is true or false.

Remember Jonah? He was swallowed by a big fish be-cause he ran from his obligation to preach to the people of Nineveh. Were these people Jewish? No, they were Assyrians, often the enemies of Israel and Judah, yet Yahweh required Jonah to go and preach; "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed" (Jonah 3:4).

Surprisingly the people of Nineveh repented (Jonah 3:5-10).  Repented?  Of what?  It seems reasonable to suppose they repented of their sins.  And what is sin?  Sin is transgression of the law - Yahweh's law (1 Jn. 3:4).  Since the Decalogue is the most important portion of Yahweh's law, then we can assume the people of Nineveh repented of breaking the Decalogue, the ten commandments.  Included in the Decalogue is the commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Ex. 20:8).  This, it would seem, makes the Sabbath a universal ordinance.  Nineveh, a Gentile city, was almost destroyed for not keeping the Law of Yahweh.

Later there was Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian.  On behalf of the Most High, Daniel the Prophet spoke to this Gentile king as follows:

Daniel 4:27
"... Break off your sins by practicing righteousness. and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed...".

Sin?  Sin is transgression of Yahweh's law (1 John 3:4).

Righteousness?  "...all thy commandments are righteousness (Ps. 19:9; 119:172).

Thus, it appears that Yahweh's law is a universal law.

Ezekiel 20:10-13, 21
"I gave them my statues and showed them my ordinances, by whose observance MAN shall live.  Moreover I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I, Yahweh, sanctify them.  But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not walking in my statues but rejected my ordinances, by whose observance MAN shall live;

"And my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.  ...they ... did not walk in my statues, and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance MAN shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths".

Three times in these verses the Mighty Yahweh declares that man should live by his laws; for our good.

The Sabbath especially is mentioned because of its great importance.  The profaning of the Sabbath is the only named sin in the verses just quoted.   Since MAN, not just the Jew, must observe Yahweh's statues and ordinances, does this not make the Sabbath ordinance of universal importance?

The Sabbath was given to man, namely Adam, your ancestor and mine; long before there were any Jews.  This indicates the Sabbath ordinance applies to Israel and to all mankind, including the Gentiles: a universal ordinance.

All flesh (Gentile as well as Jewish) will worship the Creator each and every Sabbath.  This speaks of the future, indicating a universal application of the Sabbath ordinance.

Isaiah 56:2-7
"Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing evil.  Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh say, 'Yahweh will surely separate me from his people;' and let not the eunuch say, 'Behold I am a dry tree.'  For thus says Yahweh: 'To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbath, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house ... a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.'

"And the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, to minister to him, to love the name Yahweh, and to be his servant, every one who keeps the Sabbath, and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant; these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; ... for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples".

Peoples (plural).  In both Hebrew and English, peoples is a plural word, indicating citizens of Israel AND other nations as well: foreign nationalities who gladly accept the Mighty One of Israel, and who love his Sabbaths; a universal blessing.

Perhaps the blessings extended in Isaiah 56 explain why the redeemed will one day sing "The Song of Moses," as well as "The Song of the Lamb" (Rev. 15:3).

Exodus 20:8-11
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your Mighty One; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your man servant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; FOR in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Ex. 20:8-11).

Remember the Sabbath day as a memorial of his creation.  Are Gentiles a part of Yahweh's creation?  Are we to believe the Creator wants Israel to remember a six day creation, but has no desire for other nationalities to remember this?  I cannot believe it.

The Sabbath was given to man(kind) in the very beginning as a universal ordinance, a blessing, a weekly reminder of the Creator's great work in only six days.

According to the passage above (and in Deut. 5:13,14), even the cattle were to rest on the Sabbath.  This would be the work stock, of course; the oxen and the donkeys which pulled the plow.  Were they Jewish?  Check with any biologist and you will find that these creatures come from a different blood line than does the Jew, yet they were privileged to rest on the seventh day.  Are we to believe our heavenly Father is more concerned about the welfare of animals than with that of the Gentile?

In view of the high regard which Yahshua held for the law of his Father, it is amazing that many Pharisees of his day, and many today, believe(d) that he came to abolish his Father's law, including the Sabbath commandment.  He was often accused of breaking the law of Moses (that is, Yahweh's law).  To those who falsely accused him, Yahshua said,

Matthew 5:17, 19
"Think not that I am come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. ...Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven".

If the Church and the Kingdom are one and the same, as some believe, then those in the Church should be teaching observance of the law, including the Sabbath.  This is the way to become great in the Kingdom.

Want to be least in the Kingdom of heaven?  Then do not teach the Sabbath and the Law of Yahweh.

The Savior's own testimony was that he upheld the law.  Should we accept his testimony, or that of his accusers?  Yahshua fulfilled the law, which means he complied with its every precept.  We too must fulfill the law (Rom. 8:4).   Again, do you wish to be great in the kingdom of heaven?  Then teach and keep the commandments of Yahweh. The Sabbath ordinance is one of those commandments.

The reply: "On one side (for first day worship) there are popes, cardinals, priests, prelates, and the Protestants who follow them, often in complete sincerity.

"On the other side (for the seventh day worship) are millions who keep the Sabbath. To name only a few on our team, there is Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Ruth, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Job, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, the twelve apostles, Mary the Messiah's mother, the whole apostolic assembly and, towering above all stands Yahshua the Messiah, and the Creator himself - Yahweh, the Most High El. Care to join us?" **

II Timothy. 3:16 (KJV)
"All Scripture given by inspiration of Yahweh is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness ..."

In speaking of "Scriptures" Paul did not refer to New Testament writings, but to the Old Testament; the writings of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets.  These teach righteousness and correct doctrine.  We can now better understand the angel's encouraging message when he said to John:

Revelation 14:12
"Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the COMMANDMENTS of Yahweh AND the faith of Yahshua".

To have faith in Yahshua is not enough.  We must also keep the Father's commandments.  The Sabbath command is one of the lively oracles of Yahweh, a universal ordinance.

On the other hand, there are a number of Scriptures in which the weekly Sabbath is commanded to be observed as a day of rest and worship.  Several versions of the Scriptures state that the Troas meeting was on the Sabbath, or "Saturday night."  Why?  Because the Greek New Testament says this meeting occurred "on one of the Sabbaths."   The word is one, a cardinal number; not protos, an ordinal number meaning first.  Here is a partial list of those versions which indicate Acts 20:7 occurred on Sabbath, or Saturday night.

1. Good News Bible
2. Barclay Version
3. Concordant Version
4. New English Bible
5. The Jewish New Testament
6. Diaglott: Greek\English Interlinear N.T.
7. Kingdom Interlinear Greek\English N.T.
8. NIV Greek\English Interlinear N.T.
9. Green's Greek\English Interlinear N.T.

Above, we assumed a meeting on Sunday morning. Since the Greek N.T. tells us this meeting was on "one of the Sabbaths," and continued into the night, it is more reasonable to assume the disciples met for worship, not on Sunday morning, but on Sabbath morning (in obedience to the fourth commandment), and continued in fellowship throughout the day and into the night - Saturday night.

Indications are, the saints dispersed at daybreak (Sunday morning), at which time Paul began his 30 mile walk to the city of Assos where he boarded the ship.

The food eaten by the disciples was not the Communion Service, indicated by the fact that Paul did not eat with the others, but ate separately at a later time.

Actually, it was after the days of unleavened bread that they left Philippi and came to Troas (Acts 20:6), therefore they had already observed Passover; that is, the Communion Service.

Following the worship service on the Sabbath, the disciples at Troas evidently held a banquet in Paul's honor. The following considerations should be carefully noted:

• No where in the Bible are we commanded to keep holy the first day of the week.
• No where in the Bible are we commanded to observe the Communion on the first day of the week.
• Instead, there is the example of the Last Supper to be observed once each year at Passover (Abib 14th).
• The Messiah did not keep the Communion on the first day of the week, but on Tuesday night, the 14th of Abib.
• We are to observe the day of the Savior's death (Abib 14th), not the day of his resurrection (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
• Abib 14th had already past at the time of the Troas meeting as recorded in Acts 20:6,7.
• Several versions state that Acts 20:7 was a common meal, not a holy one.
• Why observe the L-rd's Supper in the morning?   Yahshua observed it as an evening meal (Mt. 26:26; Lk. 22:20).
• As long as the Assembly was directed by Jewish elders and Bishops, the saints in Jerusalem continued to rest and worship on the seventh day of the week. When Hadrian expelled all Jews from Jerusalem (about 135 C.E.), Sunday worship came in with the Gentile bishops who replaced Jewish Bishops.
• Truly, "It is the duty of the people of God to keep the Sabbath" (Heb. 4:9,10 Lamsa Version).

The Scriptural evidence given above indicates the Sabbath (the seventh day of the week) is to be observed today.  It is a Universal ordinance.

Halleluyah!

* Originally, the term Jew referred only to those of the tribe of Judah, but later became interchangeable with Israelite.  See the Book of Acts, Romans, encyclopedias, and Bible dictionaries. (Return to Article)