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Sabbath or Sunday?

Did you know what day will be observed in the New Heavens and the New Earth?

Isaiah 66:22-23 reads, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain v.23 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.”

In fact, the Sabbath was not only instituted as a memorial of Creation from the beginning, but also to remind you that you are a created being, which of course bears the need for us to accept God’s Word at face value—that God created the Heaven’s and the Earth in a literal week of Creation. God spoke the Heaven’s and the Earth into existence in six days, then rested on the seventh day or Sabbath.

And if the memoir of Creation weren’t enough, where God instituted a day of rest for Adam and his descendants to rest from their labors and have fellowship with their Creator, God also repeated the Sabbath as a commandment on Mt. Sinai and then reemphasized it numerous times in the book of Deuteronomy, which literally means “second law” or the restating of the first, as a reminder of Israel’s deliverance from the slavery of Egypt.

In essence, the Sabbath is more than just a memorial of Creation, it also a symbol of deliverance from the “slavery” of sin. Furthermore, it is a symbol of Grace and the redemptive work of Christ himself.

When we accept God’s plan of redemption through faith in Jesus, we enter His “rest”. This is the true rest the Sabbath is pointing us to. Christ himself said, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29. Please note the two operative words in this passage, “all ye who labour” and “rest”. Ultimately the “rest” spoken of here, is the “rest for your souls” and freedom for our weary souls from the bondage of slavery—or slavery to sin and its ultimate consequence, death.

Egypt symbolically represents sin, the world and ultimately death. We are born into slavery unto this world. As David the psalmist stated in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me”. We are “conceived in sin” and we are born unto this world as members of the fallen race under Adam’s curse. God’s redemptive work in Christ represents freedom from sin and death, so Christ is our true “Sabbath” or “rest” under the covenant of His “Grace” which we enter through faith.

This is not to say, as some would like us to believe that under the freedom of God’s grace, that we are loosed from observance of the Sabbath. There are many passages that point to the Sabbath or Seventh Day as a “perpetual” covenant, Exodus 31:16. Quite on the contrary, the redemptive work of Christ, and the “rest” that we gain from it are all the more reason for us to want to fully comprehend and appreciate God’s gift of the Sabbath. Both Christ and the Sabbath are God’s gifts to man. Christ himself again said, “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” Mark 2:27 and again Jesus said in Luke 6:25, “That the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath”.

Another interesting parallel, is that both Christ and the Sabbath were rejected by men. Jesus came to His own, and “His own did not receive Him” John 1:11. In the same manner, Sabbath observance is not considered as a current mandate in mainstream Christianity. Rather the Fourth Commandment is arbitrarily singled out and rejected; while on the other hand, the other nine commandments, it is said, still need to be observed.

There are many parallels between Christ and the Sabbath and there is one more that needs to be considered. When Christ was crucified, He was hung between two thieves, Matthew 27:38; one robber on the left, who despised Christ and mocked him; and one on the right, who pleaded for His remembrance of him in His Kingdom. You might ask yourself at this point what does this have to do with the Sabbath? The point is the following; what two other “holy days” exist in two major monotheistic religions in the world? The fact is that there is but two other major weekly holy days. Friday is a high holy day for Muslims and as is Sunday for mainstream Christianity, which includes Catholics and major Protestant denominations. It would be well to afford oneself the opportunity to consider that indeed the Sabbath or Saturday falls between two false—one mock and one substituted worship day, not as prescribed by Jehovah, but by the traditions of men. If you look at these days on a calendar in a linear fashion, Friday falls on the left of Saturday and Sunday on the right. Think about it just for a moment, and you can draw your own conclusion...

Now going back to our thieves on the cross, the robber on the left rejected Christ. Muslims reject Christ as their Messiah and the Quran speaks of an “al-Mahdi” who will grant Islam world domination over other religions. In contrast, the thief on the right accepted Christ, and Jesus assured him at that hour, the gift of His Salvation. Mainstream Christianity accepts the view that the thief on the right side of Jesus was saved, as is anyone who accepts Christ by faith. Please bear in mind, Sabbath observance is not a requisite for Salvation; rather it is our goal and destiny to enter God’s true “rest” under His Grace, through faith in Jesus. The fact that Christians were saved throughout history by professing faith in Jesus, whether they observed the Sabbath or worshiped God on Sunday, does not make void God’s institution of the perpetual covenant of the Sabbath, Exodus 31:16; Leviticus 16:31.

The Lord, in one of His discourses also noted that not one “jot or tittle would in no way pass from the law”, even more so, one could easily speculate the unlikelihood of the Lord voiding the entire 4th Commandment to “remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy”. The Lord said elsewhere, “That the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:8, and then; “And he said unto them, And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17

Would the Lord do away with such an important memorial and most enduring monument of His work, the work of Creation and the work of Redemption? Hardly so, as both Creation and the redemptive work of Christ are to be perpetually commemorated through the Sabbath. This conmemoration is stressed after God inscribed the Ten Commandments with His finger, on stone, Exodus 31:18.

The Fourth Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day... is the only commandment that is prophetic and begins with “remember”. In His foreknowledge, God foresaw the present-day foresaking, by His people, of the Seventh-Day Sabbath, except for a “Remnant”, Revelation 14:12

Another point is that there is not even an astrological reason for the enduring existence of the 7-day week. For example, consider the following:

- The 24-hour day is comprised of the rotation of the Earth on its own axis

- The 30-day monthly cycle is comprised of the moon’s rotation around the Earth

- The 365-day yearly cycle is comprised of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun.

So why the 7-day week? The answer is this, that God himself perpetually instituted it at Creation.

Now let’s summarize the important points in relation to true Sabbath observance:

Creation– God’s purpose is to remind you on a weekly basis, since the Garden of Eden, that you are a created being. – Genesis 2:2-3

Freedom from slavery – Through faith in Jesus, God has freed and delivered you from sin and death, just like He freed Israel from slavery in Egypt which was a precursor of grander things to come, namely the redemptive work of Christ. “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and [that] the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day”. Deutoronomy 5:15

Christ represents our true Sabbath – “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29. And Christ is not a “fulfillment” as in the doing away of the former Sabbath, but is as the rising “Sun of Righteousness”, Malachi 4:2; that reaches its full shine or full measure at noon; so is the “fulfillment” of God’s Plan of Salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, revealed through the exact fulfilling of His Word.

Our conclusion is this:

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience”. Hebrews 4:9-11. This interesting passage begins with “there remains”, hmm… Remember the “remember” in the Fourth Commandment, Exodus 20:8; to keep the Sabbath Day holy? You may now be asking, how can you bridge “there remains” in Hebrews with “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”, right? Hold on; let’s look more carefully at the fact that Hebrews 4:9-11 begins with the words, “there remains”. This means that something big has taken place and that after the fact, “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God”.

The event that took place, dear friend, was the Crucixion, Burial and Resurrection of Christ... Jesus, The “Lamb of God”, slain from the “Foundation of the World”, was led to the Cross of Calvary, “as a sheep led to the slaughter” “. The Foundation of the World” spoken of here is none other than “Creation”. Evidently, this is reaffirming our belief that since Creation, God’s redemptive work has been unfolding. God is extending His Grace to us, His Creation, until the appointed time when His perfect work will be restored.

“Remember” what took place at the end of that first week of Creation? “...and on the Seventh Day God RESTED”. God’s emblem of the Plan of Salvation, or the “Sabbath” had been set as the “cornerstone” of God’s continuing labour of LOVE. Christ declared himself to be the “Rock of Salvation”, spoken of in Psalms 89:26 & 95:1; upon which He would build his Church, Matthew 16:18. This “Rock” had been founded at Creation when God instituted the Sabbath, even before Adam sinned and God declared the “enmity between the seed of Eve and the seed of the serpent” Genesis 3:15, which is actually the second reference to the Cross after God instituted the Sabbath, which was the first inference to Calvary.

Lastly, may we please note that after His burial, Christ “rested” in the tomb; after having been buried on the eve of the Sabbath and then rising to a Glorious Resurection on Sunday. Even at this momentous consummation of God’s redemption of humanity, where Jesus experienced the second death on behalf of His redeemed, Christ rested on the Sabbath in the Tomb.

And furthermore, found in the last book of the Bible is this very candid declaration: “Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12

Worship Him, “Who made the Heavens and Earth” (Revelation 14:7) “…in Spirit and in Truth”…(John 4:24)

21. Why do we worship on Sunday?

Chris: John, the Catholic Church has defied God’s commandment to keep holy the Sabbath by worshiping on Sunday. This was an evil invention of Constantine in the fourth century to copy the worship of the pagans. The Bible teaches us that we must worship God on Saturday, not Sunday. You are promoting lies.

J.Salza: Chris, first, the requirement to worship on Saturday was a law of the Old Covenant. The New Covenant has abolished the Old Covenant including all of its moral, ceremonial and judicial laws. See 2Cor 3:14; Heb 7:12,18; 8:7,13; 9:15; 10:9. So the worship laws of the Old Covenant no longer apply (unless you claim they do because you are a Jew and not a Christian).

Second, Scripture teaches that God revealed to the apostles to change the principal day of worshiping God from Saturday to Sunday (hence, it is not a Catholic invention in the fourth century; it is a commandment of God revealed in Scripture and given by God to the Church). For example, in reference to the “day of rest,” St. Paul writes to the Hebrews that “if Jesus had given them rest, he would never have afterwards spoken of another day” (Heb 4:8). That is, St. Paul reveals that Jesus spoke to His apostles of another day of rest, which is Sunday. Paul confirms in the next verse that “There remaineth therefore a day of rest for the people of God” (v.9). The “people of God” are the Church, the Christians of the New Covenant, not the Jews of the Old Covenant. This “day of rest” is the “another day” of verse 8, which reveals that the Old Testament day of worship was changed; it is no longer Saturday.

The Scriptures reveal that this “day of rest” is the first day of the week for Christians, or Sunday. For example, see Acts 20:7 which reveals that the apostles gathered on Sunday as the principal day of worship. In 1Cor 16:2, Paul instructions the Church to make contributions to the churches “on the first day of the week” which is Sunday. That is because the people would gather for Mass on Sunday and the church would take a collection, just as it happens today. There is also a reason why the gospel writers emphasize Jesus’ resurrection and appearances occurred on Sunday Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; John 20:1,19. In Rev 1:10, the apostle John also notes that he witnesses the heavenly liturgy on Sunday, the first day of the week. In Col 2:16-17, St. Paul reveals that the Sabbath was only a shadow of what was fulfilled in Christ, and says “let no one pass judgment any more over a Sabbath.” Why? Because the Sabbath day obligation, which was only a shadow of what was to be fulfilled in Christ, has been transformed into the Lord’s Day, which is Sunday. Thus, we are not to judge people by the Old Sabbath anymore, because God has made it obsolete.

If these Scriptures are not enough, you should also read the following writings from the early Christians, who also reveal that the Church’s principal day of worship was changed from the “Sabbath” to the “Lord’s Day,” which is Sunday.

On the Lord’s own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks, but first confess your sins so that your sacrifice may be pure.” Didache, 14 (A.D. 90).

“If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death—whom some deny, by which mystery we have obtained faith, and therefore endure, that we may be found the disciples of Jesus Christ, our only Master.” Ignatius, To the Magnesians, 9:1 (A.D. 110).

“The seventh day, therefore, is proclaimed a rest—abstraction from ills—preparing for the Primal Day,[The Lord’s Day] our true rest; which, in truth, is the first creation of light, in which all things are viewed and possessed. From this day the first wisdom and knowledge illuminate us. For the light of truth—a light true, casting no shadow, is the Spirit of God indivisibly divided to all, who are sanctified by faith, holding the place of a luminary, in order to the knowledge of real existences. By following Him, therefore, through our whole life, we become impossible; and this is to rest.” Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, 6:16 (A.D. 202).

“In fine, let him who contends that the Sabbath is still to be observed as a balm of salvation, and circumcision on the eighth day because of the threat of death, teach us that, for the time past, righteous men kept the Sabbath, or practiced circumcision, and were thus rendered “friends of God.” For if circumcision purges a man since God made Adam uncircumcised, why did He not circumcise him, even after his sinning, if circumcision purges? At all events, in settling him in paradise, He appointed one uncircumcised as colonist of paradise. Therefore, since God originated Adam uncircumcised, and inobservant of the Sabbath, consequently his offspring also, Abel, offering Him sacrifices, uncircumcised and inobservant of the Sabbath, was by Him commended; while He accepted what he was offering in simplicity of heart, and reprobated the sacrifice of his brother Cain, who was not rightly dividing what he was offering. Noah also, uncircumcised—yes, and inobservant of the Sabbath—God freed from the deluge. For Enoch, too, most righteous man, uncircumcised and in-observant of the Sabbath, He translated from this world; who did not first taste death, in order that, being a candidate for eternal life, he might by this time show us that we also may, without the burden of the law of Moses, please God.” Tertullian, An answer to the Jews, 2 (A.D. 203).

“The apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let there be service, and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and the oblation: because on the first day of the week our Lord rose from the lace of the dead and on the first day of the week He arose upon the world, and on the first day of the week He ascended up to heaven, and on the first day of the week He will appear at last with the angels of heaven.” Teaching of the Apostles, 2 (A.D. 225).

“Hence it is not possible that the rest after the Sabbath should have come into existence from the seventh of our God; on the contrary, it is our Saviour who, after the pattern of His own rest, caused us to be made in the likeness of His death, and hence also of His resurrection.” Origen, Commentary on John, 2:27 (A.D. 229).

“On the seventh day He rested from all His works, and blessed it, and sanctified it. On the former day we are accustomed to fast rigorously, that on the Lord’s day we may go forth to our bread with giving of thanks. And let the parasceve become a rigorous fast, lest we should appear to observe any Sabbath with the Jews, which Christ Himself, the Lord of the Sabbath, says by His prophets that ‘His soul hateth;’ which Sabbath He in His body abolished.” Victorinus, On the Creation of the World (A.D. 300).

“They did not care about circumcision of the body, neither do we. They did not care about observing Sabbaths, nor do we.” Eusebius, Church History, 1:4,8 (A.D. 312).

“Also that day which is holy and blessed in everything, which possesses the name of Christ, namely the Lord’s day, having risen upon us on the fourth of Pharmuthi (Mar. 30), let us afterwards keep the holy feast of Pentecost.” Athanasius, Epistle 9:11 (A.D. 335).

“Fall not away either into the sect of the Samaritans, or into Judaism: for Jesus Christ henceforth hath ransomed thee. Stand aloof from all observance of Sabbaths, and from calling any indifferent meats common or unclean.” Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 4:37 (A.D. 350).

“Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” Council of Laodicea, Canon 29 (A.D. 360).

“For many other observances of the Churches, which are due to tradition, have acquired the authority of the written law, as for instance the practice of dipping the head three times in the layer, and then, after leaving the water, of tasting mingled milk and honey in representation of infancy; and, again, the practices of standing up in worship on the Lord’s day, and ceasing from fasting every Pentecost; and there are many other unwritten practices which have won their place through reason and custom. So you see we follow the practice of the Church, although it may be clear that a person was baptized before the Spirit was invoked.” Jerome, Dialogue against the Luciferians, 8 (A.D. 382).

“Then as one whom they must respect, there will be the presbyter among them and this will contribute to the security of the estate. There will be constant prayers there through thee hymns and Communions through thee; the Oblation on each Lord’s Day.” John Chrysostom, Acts of the Apostles, Homily 18 (A.D. 388).

“And on the day of our Lord’s resurrection, which is the Lord’s day, meet more diligently, sending praise to God that made the universe by Jesus, and sent Him to us, and condescended to let Him suffer, and raised Him from the dead. Otherwise what apology will he make to God who does not assemble on that day to hear the saving word concerning the resurrection, on which we pray thrice standing in memory of Him who arose in three days, in which is performed the reading of the prophets, the preaching of the Gospel, the oblation of the sacrifice, the gift of the holy food?” Apostolic Constitutions, 2,7:59 (A.D. 400).

“Well, now, I should like to be told what there is in these ten commandments, except the observance of the Sabbath, which ought not to be kept by a Christian,—whether it prohibit the making and worshipping of idols and of any other gods than the one true God, or the taking of God’s name in vain; or prescribe honour to parents; or give warning against fornication, murder, theft, false witness, adultery, or coveting other men’s property? Which of these commandments would any one say that the Christian ought not to keep? Is it possible to contend that it is not the law which was written on those two tables that the apostle describes as ‘the letter that killeth,’ but the law of circumcision and the other sacred rites which are now abolished? But then how can we think so, when in the law occurs this precept, ‘Thou shall not covet,’ by which very commandment, notwithstanding its being holy, just, and good, ‘sin,’ says the apostle, ‘deceived me, and by it slew me?’ What else can this be than ‘the letter’ that ‘killeth’?” Augustine, Spirit and the Letter, 23:14 (A.D. 412).

“He [Constantine] also enjoined the observance of the day termed the Lord’s day, which the Jews call the first day of the week, and which the pagans dedicate to the sun, as likewise the day before the seventh, and commanded that no judicial or other business should be transacted on those days, but that God should be served with prayers and supplications. He honored the Lord’s day, because on it Christ arose from the dead, and the day above mentioned, because on it he was crucified.” Sozomon, Ecclesiastical History, 1:8 (A.D. 443).

“It has come to my ears that certain men of perverse spirit have sown among you some things that are wrong and opposed to the holy faith, so as to forbid any work being done on the Sabbath day. What else can I call these but preachers of Antichrist, who, when he comes, will cause the Sabbath day as well as the Lord’s day to be kept free from all work. For, because he pretends to die and rise again, he wishes the Lord’s day to be had in reverence; and, because he compels the people to judaize that he may bring back the outward rite of the law, and subject the per-tidy of the Jews to himself, he wishes the Sabbath to be observed. For this which is said by the prophet, ‘Ye shall bring in no burden through your gates on the Sabbath day’, could be held to as long as it was lawful for the law to be observed according to the letter. But after that the grace of Almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ has appeared, the commandments of the law which were spoken figuratively cannot be kept according to the letter. For, if any one says that this about the Sabbath is to be kept, he must needs say that carnal sacrifices are to be offered: he must say too that the commandment about the circumcision of the body is still to be retained. But let him hear the Apostle Paul saying in opposition to him, ‘If ye be circumcised, Christ profiteth you nothing.’” Pope Gregory the Great [regn. A.D. 590-604], To the Roman Citizens, Epistle