Have you ever stopped to think why Christians keep Sunday? Did they get it out of the Bible? Is there a clear command that says, “You shall keep Sunday”? Why did Jesus worship on the Sabbath? Was it just because he was a good Jew? Or does he go beyond that?
Does it make any difference which day we observe, as long as we keep one day out of seven? What does the Bible really say? “And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and rested on the seventh day… Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work that he had created and made. (Gen. 2:2-3).
What day is the Christian Sabbath?? Go find a calendar. See which day is the seventh day and then you will know the Biblical Sabbath. And remember, GOD GAVE MANKIND the gift of the Sabbath from creation. Adam and Eve were not Jews! And yet, God expected them to remember the seventh-day Sabbath as a memorial of creation.
When we gather together on our God-given Sabbath, we know that we are worshiping the King of Creation. Any other “Saturday” is simply man-made. The Great Creator God only blessed the seventh day with His Presence, and therefore set it apart as special. We should not accept imitations or cheap substitutes, be it Muslim Friday or traditional Sunday.
Since mankind lost or neglected the truth about God’s Sabbath, the Creator chose to reveal it again when He was in the process of making Israel His Servant-Nation. God instructed them, so that they could teach others: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall work and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. On it do no work…For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex. 20:8-11) .
Note: God claims the Sabbath as His. He does not refer to it as the “Jewish Sabbath.” Although it became known as such to distinguish it from the various pagan days of worship (Gal. 4:10). “The Lord’s day” was meant to be enjoyed and appreciated by all mankind (Matt. 12:8; Isa. 56:6). And the early Church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles, kept the proper Sabbath together for over THREE HUNDRED YEARS! That is longer than the United States has known independence.
When God restored the Sabbath to Israel, it was the same seventh day saturday instituted at creation. It was not changed to a different day. And the purpose of it remained the same: to reveal the CREATOR and commemorate his majestic works of art.
Jesus honored His Father by keeping God’s commandments. The fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath day. Christ did not forget the importance of attending services on Saturday (Luke 4:16) – NEVER ON SUNDAY – and the apostle Paul encourages us to avoid the habit of skipping church services (Heb. 10:25). After all, it is an orderly assembly (Lev. 23:3) that offers us the opportunity to better understand the Scriptures (Acts 19:8). Why get lost?
In addition to reminding us of God’s amazing ability, the Sabbath is a memorial of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15). It also foreshadows our future redemption from European tyranny and describes our continuing deliverance from sin (Isaiah 14:3; Gal. 5:1). The plagues that God sent against Egypt identified him as the Creator God: One who could control the forces of nature and intervene in the affairs of nations. When God pours out the seven last plagues on the Babylonian system of Europe, bringing it to its knees, He will reveal Him alone as the Most High God and Holy Father (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 14:7).
The Sabbath, a memorial of Israel’s creation and deliverance, reminds us that relief from sin is drawing near. We can finally rest from temptation and enjoy righteousness (II Peter 3:13). When we are truly born again we will be free from sin; it will be a thing of the past (I Jn. 3:9). This serenity awaits us in the Promised Land of the Kingdom of God (Heb. 4:1-11). God is reproducing himself – Christ in us – and will add the “finishing touch” in our resurrection (Rom. 8:21-23). We are God-Beings in formation!
Jesus eliminated all the bureaucracy of tangled human traditions and kept the Sabbath as God intended (Mark 7:7). However, it was prophesied that some would alter how and when we should observe God’s Sabbath, and attempt to forcibly replace it with their own (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 17:5).
This Sabbath question is bound to become a bloody affair again (Rev. 13:17; 14:13). But for those who really want to know the truth, God has entrusted the Jews to guard the knowledge of the true Sabbath (Rom. 9:4). And the Jews don’t worship on Sunday! They follow the biblical practice of celebrating the Sabbath: from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. God even pronounces a blessing on all who correctly keep the Sabbath just before Christ returns, despite political pressure not to do so (Isaiah 56:1-2).
Why not take some time to get to know God? Although He enjoys our daily contact, God sets aside every seven days as a special opportunity to learn more about Him and life. He does not settle for counterfeits or try to adopt days copied from others (Deut. 12:30).
God has reserved the Sabbath for His People. It was a regular part of the life of Jesus and the custom of the early Church. In fact, all the righteous priests and prophets, patriarchs and kings, throughout biblical history, have kept God’s holy Sabbath. Why not follow his example? N’oubliez pas!