THE SABBATH QUESTION
FOR many years the subject of the “Sabbath”, and the correct day on which to celebrate it, has been the subject of many writings. Comment has ranged from earnest Christian endeavour to establish truth, presented with a true Christian spirit, to downright offensiveness whereby it is claimed that anyone who upholds the Sunday Sabbath, among other things, is hated by God. Personally, I do not consider that there is any place in Christian ministry for this type of behaviour. The Spirit of God, promises to lead us into truth, not shame us into accepting something by the use of insults. Over recent months I have received several items of literature presented in a true Christian manner, from good- intentioned people trying to convince me of the truth of their belief in the Saturday Sabbath, and the error of my own ways in worshipping on Sundays. I appreciate their sincerity, and respect their right to their convictions. But sincerity does not necessarily mean correctness. Many articles have been published in support of the Saturday Sabbath, but I note that articles in support of the Sunday Sabbath seem to be not so prevalent. Thus, the purpose of this article is to present the point of view in favour of the Sunday Sabbath. Readers can then decide for themselves as to which position is correct. Let me add that I do not consider this matter to be some ‘throwaway’ question. It is a matter which I believe requires serious consideration, I trust that what I have to say will not be taken as offensive by those of an opposite belief. My remarks are directed to doctrine, not people.
The first question which we should establish is the meaning of the word “Sabbath”. It means, “rest, an intermission, a ceasing from labour”. It is positively NOT an alternative word for Saturday, Sunday, or any other named day. Applying the principle of ‘the law of first mention’, we find the word “Sabbath’ first mentioned in Exodus 16:23;
“And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. ”
So we see that the initial, and in fact the only, meaning of the word is that it is a day of rest, or cessation from labour. This rest day was not optional. It was compulsory, being a cornmandment from God Himself. We also note that this rest day is holy, or set apart. By observing this rest day, we show our commitment to set ourselves apart from the world and its activities, in obedience to God. God never fails to bless obedience. So if you feel that you are not experiencing the full blessings of God, or that somehow, your relationship with Him is not what you would wish, then I suggest that this is the very first place that you should look for the answer.
The second point to note is that this ‘rest’ day is to be held on a cyclical basis. It was to be observed every seventh day. We read of this in Exodus 16:26 and Leviticus 23:3 as follows;
“Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none, “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.”
To illustrate the position, we might look at our system regarding pay day. Generally speaking, the financial week ends on Wednesday, every Wednesday. Pay day then occurs every Thursday, or Friday, depending on the employer’s method of operation. But the principle is the same. Each of these operations occurs every seventh day on the nominated day. They are not stated to occur on the fourth, fifth, or sixth day of the week.
Which brings us to the important fact that there is no such phrase in the entire Bible as “the seventh day of the week’. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have asked advocates of the Saturday Sabbath to show me this phrase just once in the Bible. No one has yet showed me such a reference. Let me reiterate the fact that the Sabbath occurred, and was to be observed on a regular cycle of every seventh day. You worked for six days, and then you rested on the seventh day. The Bible is entirely silent on the matter as to which day of the week this cycle commenced. It simply sets forth the principle of one day’s rest in every seven. I have seen books where the writer has gone to extraordinary lengths to try to trace the present Saturday back to being the day that the system started. How can this be possibly achieved when there were no named days at the time to which we can relate? It strikes me that our time and resources could be very much better spent on exhorting people as to the necessity to observe this Sabbath, rather than creating factions and frictions surrounding which actual day ‘of the week’ is supposed to be the actual day. God never mentioned a particular day. He mentioned only the principle.
But think also of this. From about the year 200 B.C. to 396 A. D., when the emperor Theodosius was executed, both the Roman and Greek empires observed an eight-day week. Furthermore, at the time of the early Egyptians, especially during the time when Israel was under captivity to them, they, the Egyptians, were the only nation to observe a seven day week. The other nations observed an eight, nine, ten or even twelve day week. This seven day cycle was naturally kept by the captive Israelites, and it is of considerable importance to note that this agreed completely with the seven day cycle subsequently given to Israel at Mount Sinai. This year contained 12 months of 30 days each, giving a total of 360 days to the year, and ever since has been the basis of prophetic time cycles. However, this was 5 days short of the true length of the year. This was overcome by adding five days, called supplementary days, to the year at several set times, thus extending the year to the true 365 days, with no doubt the addition of the extra day each fourth year as we still observe to make up for the quarter of a day each year. These extra days were observed as ‘sabbaths’. That is, at several times during the year, the seventh day sabbath lasted for two days instead of one, thus retaining the required six days of work between each sabbath period. The effect of this quite excellent arrangement was that whilst the sabbath fell on the same date each year, it fell on a different day. One can easily understand this principle by looking at your own birthday. It falls on the same date every year, but on a different day of the week. For those who might he sceptical regarding the above statements, they are derived from the “Encyclopedia Britannica ninth edition of 1903″, and “The Dead Sea Scrolls After 40 Years” by Hershal Shanks and James C. Vandercamp. It is interesting to note that after that year, that is 1903, Jewish companies bought out most of the publishing and printing establishments that printed encyclopedias, historical and educational books. After this date, true unadulterated history is hard to find.
The third point to note is that this “seventh day sabbath” is one of, in fact the first, of Jehovah’s Feast Days. Leviticus 23:2-3 reads;
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.”
I never cease to be amazed by those who fanatically adhere to the necessity to observe the “sabbath”, the first of the Feast Days, but who just as fanatically deny and reject the necessity to obey the remainder of the Feast Days. To me, this constitutes a great inconsistency in our understanding of the entire subject.
The fourth point is that when this “Sabbath” day of rest was instituted by God, there were no such things as named days of the week. The days of the week, as we now know them, were only instituted during the first century B.C. Up to that time, and certainly at the time the Sabbaths were formally instituted, the days were numbered as a particular day of the month, such as ‘the first day of the month’, or ‘the twentieth day of the month’. There was no such day as Saturday, Sunday, or any other day. And when these names were given, the days were ALL named after pagan gods. To read and hear the statements of the Saturday Sabbatarians, one would think that Saturday was the only day exempt from this situation. Many times I have been denounced by these people as being in gross error because, according to them, I keep a day named after the sun. This is, apparently, almost an unforgivable sin. Yet they never seem to acknowledge that they uphold the day named after Saturn, who, in Roman Mythology, is the god of agriculture, the father of Jupiter, and the chief god of the whole pantheon of gods. It is interesting to note that the planet of that name in our solar system is the sixth from the sun, six being the number of the beast system. (See Rev. 13: 18). One also reads with interest the following definitions contained in the Larousse International Encyclopedia. Under the heading “Saturday” it reads, “Saturday, the day of Saturn”. The very next entry is: “Saturnalia: A period of orgiastic revelry, the Festival of Saturn, held in December in ancient Rome and characterised by unrestrained revelry”. So if we wish to base our argument on this particular factor, we would be far better off to choose what appears to be the lesser of two evils. Considering that Jehovah based His unbreakable covenants with Israel, as set forth in Jeremiah chapters 31 and 33, upon the sun and the moon, I know which day I would rather settle on. For the benefit of those who are not aware of the meaning of our week days, here is where they were derived. Sunday – the sun. Monday – the moon. Tuesday – after the god Tiw, the god of war. Wednesday – after Woden. Thursday – after Thor. Friday after the goddess Frigga, and Saturday, as we have seen – after Saturn.
The fifth point to note is that the Sabbath was given as a special sign between Israel and Jehovah. We read in Exodus 31:15-17;
“Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”
It is important to realise that the Sabbath was a national requirement. Nowhere in the Scriptures is there any authority given for individuals or churches to make decisions regarding when it should, or should not, be observed. Israel, as a nation, was never commanded to rest every Saturday, or every Sunday. The command was for the entire nation to have one national rest day in every seven days. When this cycle was to commence was a national decision, and not subject to individual fancies. Some of you may remember that as a result of this principle, it was illegal not so many years ago to sign a contract on a Sunday. Even cheques dated on a Sunday were dishonoured by the banks.
Finally, we should look at the first mention of the ‘day of rest’ in the. Bible. It is found in Genesis 2:1-3;
“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 had 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. ”
This ‘rest-on-the-seventh-day principle’ thus began at the very time of creation. Discounting the absurd theory of evolution, there are two major points of view regarding the time factor associated with the creation. One, the ‘creationist theory’, ascribes the entire creation process to a literal period of six days of twenty four hours each. The other is that of the ‘long creation’ where the days are understood as being ages, each of indefinite length. The difference of opinion stems from the particular application used of the word “day”. In the Hebrew, the word is ‘yowm’, which according to Strong’s Concordance, #3117, can mean ‘the hours of daylight’, ‘the period of twenty four hours’, or ‘an age.’ The usage is, defined by the context. It is not the purpose of this writing to go into any depth on this subject, but two things need to be observed. In Genesis 2:4 we read;
“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. ”
Here we find the six days of chapter one referred to as a single day. Again, in 2 Peter 3:8 we are told;
“One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day.”
Now the question that has to be decided is this. If we follow the creationist theory of six twenty-four hour days, then to be consistent, we must accept that the LORD rested on the seventh day for a period of just twenty four hours. I’m sure that in the context of eternity in which God dwells that this must have been a really meaningful and useful break. The point is, on which day, relative to our present named-day system, did God’s twenty four hour rest-day occur? If anyone is brilliant enough to work this out without any possibility of error, then they should do so, and let everyone see the proof. Otherwise the whole exercise becomes pointless. On the other hand, if we accept the long-day theory of creation occurring over a period of six ages of indeterminate length, then trying to relate this to a twenty-four hour day some time in the dim, dark past would be totally ridiculous, making the entire exercise quite irrelevant.
Those who believe in the Sunday Sabbath as the national day of rest DO believe in the Sabbath. We DO uphold the Sabbath, and the practice of some Saturday Sabbath teachers accusing us of not observing the Sabbath is at the very least quite dishonest. Offensive attitudes and comments are quite unnecessary.
So having followed through the teaching of the “seventh day Sabbath’ as expressed in the Old Testament, let us turn now to what the New Testament has to say. The first thing we discover is that for the first time in the entire Bible, the phrase ‘the first day of the week’ occurs. What is more, it appears only eight times, which is a significant feature in itself. The first five of these references are related to the resurrection of our Lord, and read as follows;
“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” (Matt. 28: 1).
“And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. ” (Mark 16:2).
“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” (Mark 16:9).
“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.” (Luke 24: 1).
“The first day of the week, cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” (John 20: 1).
But it is the final three references which are of particular relevance to our subject. The first of these three is found in John 20:19 where we read;
“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ”
Is, it not rather significant that the very first Christian, or should we say non-Jewish, gathering or assembly that our Lord Himself attended was on ‘the first day of the week’? Why would He put His seal on the meeting held on this day if the disciples, or someone else, had changed the day, and were now meeting on, and observing, the wrong day? But it did not stop here. We read in Acts 20:7;
“And upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. ”
Here is another paradox. Why did the disciples now meet together to break bread and listen to the preaching of the Word of God on the first day of the week, and not the seventh day of the week as observed in the synagogue by the Jews? Let us turn to the third of these references as found in I Corinthians 16:2;
“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings (or offerings taken up for his expenses) when I come. ”
It is plainly obvious that following our Lord’s death and resurrection, the day that was set aside for worship and separated or made holy unto God was still every seventh day, but now held on the first day of the week. We need to ask ourselves why this change was made.
Prior to His death and resurrection, our Lord preached in the synagogues, as these were the only officially recognised religious services held. They were held on the seventh day of the week. They were Jewish services, replete with Babylonian customs and the ‘traditions of the elders’, so vigorously condemned by our Lord. But after His resurrection, which the Jews denied, those who were the beneficiaries of the New Covenant which was ratified on Calvary separated themselves from Babylonian Jewry and began assembling on what was then referred to as ‘the first day of the week’, that is, our Sunday. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the ridiculous claim by certain Saturday Sabbatarians that this amounted to worshipping on the day dedicated to the sun or sun-god. To think, or even suggest that our Lord would countenance such a thing is an insult to His majesty. If the Lord put His seal upon the first day of the week as the day on which we worship and honour Him, as He obviously did, then that should be, in my estimation, the end of the argument. So why was the change of day made necessary? Let’s face it. If there was no necessity for a change, then why did Jesus not correct His disciples when they met on the day following the usually held Sabbath by the Jews? There must have been a very valid reason for this change, and that reason could not possibly have, been for the worse.
Let us not overlook the fact that because of the deportations of the entire Israel nations over a period of some one hundred and twenty years, centuries before, there had been no national assemblies or observance of the Sabbath Day for a very long time. There was thus no way of accurately determining the actual day on which they should be resumed. But when the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity, they brought back with them what we now know as the Babylonian Talmud, complete with its anti-God teachings, referred to as ‘the traditions of the elders’. There is no doubt in my mind that one of the teachings which they then introduced with these traditions was the celebration of the “day of Saturn”. If you don’t think that this is possible, then just take a look at the successful introduction in more recent times, and from the very same source, of our present Christrnas and Easter celebrations. It is my firm conviction that our Lord sanctioned the observance of the first day of the week, that is, our Sunday, as a deliberate act of separation from the Babylonian Saturn worship perpetuated by the Jews. No doubt, only time, and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, will reveal the full truth of this subject.
But irrespective of the arguments as to which day is correct, there can be no argument about the necessity to observe the Sabbath Day as a day of rest and cessation from our normal labours every seventh day. The blessings for obedience to this command are enormous. Let us read then as expressed in Isaiah 58:13-14;
“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and 1 will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. ”
The first requirement is for us to make a deliberate personal decision to obey and honour God and to put Him before anything else. We have to decide that we are not going to continue doing our own thing, whether for pleasure or monetary gain. We have to decide that we are not going to spend the day talking or worrying about politics, work, the difficulties of everyday life, our family problems, or anything else which is not uplifting to us. We are to concentrate on God’s Words. A regular dose of this therapy will bring about miracles in our individual lives, to say nothing of the overall difference it would make to the nation in general. We are to put God first and delight ourselves in a complete restful condition for the entire day which He has appointed for us. Our body needs it, our soul needs it, our spirit needs it, and God commands it. God’s pleading, as recorded in Isaiah 48:18, is just as relevant today as it was when He first made it;
“O that thou hadst hearkened to my ommandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.”
