The Institution of the Sabbath was started in the very first week of creation, on the 7th day when all was done.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Genesis 2:1-3 )
Many folks have suggested that overtime the Sabbath day might have changed or that people now have the ‘freedom’ of choice on which day of the seven in a week that they should indeed honor the Sabbath rest. But lets loot at the Bible and instances where Sabbath worship has been mentioned.
Jesus and The Sabbath
“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, and stood up to read.” (Luke 4:16) “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:16,17) “But pray ye that your flight be not in winter, neither on the Sabbath day.” (Matthew 24, 20).
Jesus asked his disciples to pray that in the flight from the doomed city of Jerusalem they would not have to flee on the Sabbath day. This flight took place in 70 A.D. 40 years after the Jesus’ crucifixion and we see here that Jesus fully expected His church to be observing His true seventh day Sabbath that He Himself proclaimed to be the Lord of.
The Apostles and Disciples and The Sabbath
Here we look at the Apostles, disciples and followers of Christ as recorded in the Bible. How was their attitude or relationship with the Lord’s Sabbath?
And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. (Luke 23:84-56.)
Immediately after the death of Christ, which Bible records points to being Friday afternoon, as the Sabbath starts at sunset, the women who came with Christ from Galilee could not clean up the body as the Sabbath hours were about to start. So they chose to go home, rest for the Sabbath and prepare the spices and ointments to be used so they could do this work the first day of the week, after the Sabbath.
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. Luke 24:1-3
Lets look at the disciples too.
“And Paul, as his manner was went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2) Did Christ fail to inform Paul on the road to Damascus that there’s now a new sabbath? Or rather does the silence of Christ speak volumes against the papal sabbath???
“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. And the next Sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of God.” Acts 13:42, 44. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” Rev.1:10 (Mark 2:28, Isa.58:13, Ex.20:10, Clearly show the Sabbath to be the Lord’s day).
The term “Lord’s day” in reference to Sunday came much later. The Biblical meaning for Lord’s day is the day that God calls “My holy day” and the day that Jesus said He is Lord of.
Here are some quotes that show the early Christians too observed God’s Holy Sabbath.
“…The Sabbath was a strong tie which united them with the life of the whole people, and in keeping the Sabbath holy they followed not only the example but also the command of Jesus.” “Geschichte des Sonntags,” pp.13, 14
“…The Sabbath was a strong tie which united them with the life of the whole people, and in keeping the Sabbath holy they followed not only the example but also the command of Jesus.” “Geschichte des Sonntags,” pp.13, 14
“…The Sabbath was a strong tie which united them with the life of the whole people, and in keeping the Sabbath holy they followed not only the example but also the command of Jesus.” “Geschichte des Sonntags,” pp.13, 14
Note: By the “Lord’s day” here the writer means Sunday and not the true Sabbath,” which the Bible says is the Sabbath. This quotation shows Sunday coming into use in the early centuries soon after the death of the Apostles. It illustrates the apostasy that Paul the Apostle foretold of when he spoke about a great “falling away” from the Truth that would take place soon after his death.
“From the apostles’ time until the council of Laodicea, which was about the year 364, the holy observance of the Jews’ Sabbath continued, as may be proved out of many authors: yea, notwithstanding the decree of the council against it.” “Sunday a Sabbath.” John Ley, p.163. London: 1640.
“Ambrose, the celebrated bishop of Milan, said that when he was in Milan he observed Saturday, but when in Rome observed Sunday. This gave rise to the proverb, ‘When you are in Rome, do as Rome does.'” Heylyn, “The History of the Sabbath” (1612)
Pope Sylvester (314-335) was the first to order the churches to fast on Saturday, and Pope Innocent (402-417) made it a binding law in the churches that obeyed him, (In order to bring the Sabbath into disfavour.) “Innocentius did ordain the Saturday or Sabbath to be always fasted.” Dr. Peter Heylyn, “History of the Sabbath, Part 2, p. 44.
“Augustine deplored the fact that in two neighbouring churches in Africa one observes the seventh-day Sabbath, another fasted on it.” Dr. Peter Heylyn, “The History of the Sabbath.” p. 416.
Professor James C. Moffatt, D.D., Professor of Church History at Princeton, says: It seems to have been customary in the Celtic churches of early times, in Ireland as well as Scotland, to keep Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, as a day of rest from labour. They obeyed the fourth commandment literally upon the seventh day of week.” “The Church in Scotland,” p.140.
COUNCIL OF FRIAUL, ITALY-A.D. 791 (CANON 13)
“We command all Christians to observe the Lord’s day to be held not in honour of the past Sabbath, but on account of that holy night of the first of the week called the Lord’s day. When speaking of that Sabbath which the Jews observe, the last day of the week, and which also our peasants observe..” Mansi, 13, 851
PERSIA AND MESOPOTAMIA
“The hills of Persia and the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates reechoed their songs of praise. They reaped their harvests and paid their tithes. They repaired to their churches on the Sabbath day for the worship of God.” “Realencyclopaedie fur Protestatische and Krche,” art. “Nestorianer”; also Yule, “The Book of ser Marco Polo,” Vol.2, p.409.
A lot more examples have been recorded of the early Christians keeping God’s holy Sabbath, Saturday.
We shall be looking at what happened, why do modern Christians not honor the Saturday Sabbath?
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