What does the Bible say about the Shabbath day?

Messianic Homeschooling & Hebrew Roots Homeschool Curriculum 0 What does the Bible say about the Sabbath day? Posted on February 24, 2015 by Joel Allen 24 FEB What is the Sabbath? Sabbath is the Hebrew word SHABBATH which is a holy rest day unto Yahweh. It is the seventh day of every week (Gen. 2:2-3, Exo. 16:23-29) as well as the seven festivals of Yahweh (Lev. 23). The Sabbath began with Yahweh in Genesis 2:2-3 ending his work of creating the earth and the heavens and resting on the seventh day. The Sabbath was observed and kept by every believer that desired to please Yahweh and keep His commandments from Adam to Moses, all of the Kings and Prophets, the Messiah and His disciples. So integral was this day that Yahweh included this as the fourth of the Ten Commandments given at Mount Sinai (Exo. 20:8). There are three things that Yahweh commands to do on the weekly seventh day Sabbath: 1. We are commanded to rest (Exo. 23:12) 2. We are commanded to keep this day Holy (Exo. 20:8, Deu. 5:12) 3. We are commanded to have a Holy convocation or calling together of likeminded believers (Lev. 23:3) There are five things that Yahweh commands us not to do on the weekly seventh day Sabbath: 1. Do no customary or servile work/ for you and your animals and servants (Exo. 31:14, Exo. 35:2, Deu. 5:14) 2. Do not bake or boil (Exo. 16:23) 3. Do not kindle a fire in your home (Exo. 35:3) 4. Do not take a long journey outside of your place (home, community, etc.)(Exo. 16:29) 5. Do not buy or sell (Neh. 10:31, Neh. 13:15-19) Common arguments against the Seventh day Sabbath: 1. Jesus was the Lord of the Sabbath so we no longer have to keep the Sabbath. 2. The Sabbath is for the Jews only. 3. The Sabbath can be any day of the week as long as you rest one day out of seven. 4. Since Jesus died on the cross those that believe in Him will have rest in Him all of the time. 5. Keeping the Sabbath is part of the Law and therefore if you say that I have to observe it on the seventh day then it is legalism and bondage because we (the church) are under grace. 6. The Sabbath is now on Sunday and that is the “Lord’s Day” when I go to church. 7. The early apostles and believers of the Messiah met on the first day of the week and that shows us that they were not strict on meeting on the seventh day sabbath and therefore we can pick whatever day we want, to have a convocation or church gathering. 8. Since Jesus arose on the first day of the week (Sunday morning) then we gather in celebration of his resurrection on Sunday morning and not the seventh day Sabbath. Facts about the Seventh day Sabbath: 1. Jesus was the Lord of the Sabbath so we no longer have to keep the Sabbath. This is really a ridiculous statement. If Yeshua (Jesus) came to destroy or do away with the Sabbath along with the rest of the Law then what is He the Lord of? NOTHING!? This term Lord of the Sabbath is mentioned in Matthew, Mark and Luke. In context he is speaking against the Pharisees that believed that the disciples were breaking the Sabbath by plucking off the heads of corn in the fields and somehow breaking Torah law as a result. Yeshua rebukes the Pharisees and reminds them that the Sabbath was created for man and not the reverse. Was the Sabbath something that was under the control of the Pharisees or was it the Lord’s Sabbath after all. Look at the corresponding verses in the Torah(First five books of the Bible): (Exo. 16:29) “See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath…” (Exo. 20:10) “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God:” By telling the Pharisees that He was the Lord of the Sabbath He was simply reminding them that He was the Lord that gave them the Sabbath and to not try to make it a man made set of do’s and don’ts. This was not some strange admission that somehow revoked the seventh day observance or fourth commandment set into motion from the beginning of creation. How could the Messiah admit this? He was there at creation and at Mount Sinai when the Sabbath was instituted and reconfirmed to His covenant people.  2. Is the Sabbath just for the Jews? This is a very simple question to answer. (Gen. 2:2-3) “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. (3) 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.” Here we can clearly see that the Sabbath was created and instituted by Yahweh Himself and for all of creation and not some man-made observance of the Jews. (Exo. 20:10) “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: (Not the Sabbath of the Jews) in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: (Gentiles or Non-Jews)” You mean that the Sabbath was also meant for the Gentiles/Nations or Non-Jews as well? (Isa. 56:6-7) “Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD,(Gentiles/Nations/Non-Jews) to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath (that means EVERYONE) from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;(7) Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” Gentiles, grab hold of His covenant and keep the Sabbath!  3. The Sabbath can be any day of the week as long as you rest one day out of seven. The problem with this argument is that you have to show that scripture supports one of two conclusions as to what the Sabbath is really signifying. Is it that the Sabbath is about a day, specifically the seventh day of the week; or is it really about the rest and not the day in which you rest. Fortunately, scriptures are very clear on what the conclusion must be and really does not leave a whole lot of room for interpretation. (Gen 2:2-3) “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.(3) 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.” Yahweh blessed and sanctified what??? Those that claim to keep a Sabbath one day out of seven would like this scripture to read… “and God blessed a time of rest within the seven days of His work and sanctified the rest.” It just doesn’t say that does it?! Well, perhaps we are just reading this incorrectly. Let’s look at other scriptures that support this as well…(Exo. 16:29) “See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” Yahweh is very specific in His instructions to the Israelites as they gathered His provided Mannah or bread. Six days they will gather the bread and on the sixth day they will gather enough for two days so that they can rest and stay in their tents on the seventh day so that the weekly Sabbath or seventh day would be sanctified or set apart as Holy. Again is the emphasis on the rest or the day in which you are supposed to rest? (Exo. 20:8) “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Now this is the fourth commandment of the ten commandments of Yahweh Himself. Does He say remember the Sabbath rest or does He say remember the Sabbath day? He says remember the Sabbath DAY because He knew it would be forgotten or treated as any other day (the definition of profane is to make ordinary or plain) and reinforces it by saying to KEEP IT (THE DAY) HOLY (or set apart as special and not ordinary). This is certainly speaking of a specific seventh day Sabbath and not some haphazard day of the week to rest.  4. Since Jesus died on the cross those that believe in Him will have rest in Him all of the time. This definition or use of the Sabbath is very complex and almost mystical in nature. One would really have to twist a lot of scripture to make this explanation make sense at all. I will try my best: OK, the Pharisees (erroneously looked at as representing ALL of Israel) had a “works mentality” and placed burdens on people using the Law of Moses to put people into bondage because after all it is impossible to keep the Law of Moses, right? Jesus came to do away with this binding Law and said stuff like, “take my burden because it is easy and light,” and after all He did break the Sabbath on many occasions to prove that it was bondage and when He died on the cross this bondage of the Law was nailed to the cross and crucified with Him. Now those that believe in Him don’t have to keep a literal seventh day Sabbath but will find rest in Jesus all of the time if and only if you truly have enough faith in Him. Does this sound familiar? The problem with this explanation is that Jesus or I like to refer to His Hebrew name, Yeshua, did not come to do away with the Law of Moses but He came by His own admission to fulfill or fill it up full of meaning (Matt. 5:17-19). The Pharisees and Sadducees were sects of Judaism that did not follow the Law of Moses but added thousands of man-made rules and laws to the Law of Moses to make it impossible to keep. Yeshua even rebukes these Pharisees saying that they do not even follow their own laws. Furthermore, Yeshua goes out of His way in many instances to break these added commandments of men and to bring true clarity to the commandments of Yahweh just as He spoke them on Mount Sinai. For example; Yeshua heals a blind man by making a mud salve to cover a blind man’s eyes. This was breaking an added commandment and not the Law of Moses. Yeshua also tells the crippled man to take up his bed (a thin mat, easily rolled up and carried under the arm) and walk, again breaking an added Law. You will find that Yeshua is adamant on showing that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath and to bring clarity and truth to a confused and burdened people. The “rest” He brought was leading people away from man-made religious systems and back to the Torah or Law of Yahweh as it was originally given. The other problem with this is that Yeshua and His disciples kept the seventh day Sabbath (Mar. 1:21, Mar 6:2, Luk 4:16, Luk 4:31, Luk 6:6, Luk 13:10) as was done by all of Israel and even after His death and resurrection the apostles still kept the seventh day Sabbath (Act. 13:14, Act. 13:42, 13:44, Act. 15:21, Act. 16:13, Act. 18:4, Col. 2:16). Remember that one of the commandments to do on the seventh day Sabbath is to “convocate” or call together the community of like-minded believers. The Jews have always done this by gathering every Sabbath in what was called Synagogues to read portions of the Torah scroll and teach the Law of Moses. Why would they do this if they had rest every day of the week? Didn’t they have enough faith or were they living under the “Great Old Testament Bondage?” Read all of the accounts in the New Testament of what transpired on the Sabbath. You will find miracles, healings, visitations of Angels, the spoken voice of Yahweh, many gentiles repenting, the word of Yahweh taught and demonstrated in power and authority, and powerful acts of kindness and charity. I do not see a day of bondage and legalism, do you? 5. Keeping the Sabbath is part of the Law and therefore if you say that I have to observe it on the seventh day then it is legalism and bondage because we (the church) are under grace. Grace. What is grace and does it mean that it gives someone a license to commit sin or break the commandments of Yahweh? Do you believe that the Ten Commandments are still valid today after the redemptive work of the Messiah or do you believe that these commandments are outdated or somehow governed in a different way today? I am certain that most people in the Christian church would agree that murder is still breaking the commandments of Yahweh. Even bearing false witness or committing adultery would still stand as unacceptable in the Christian’s walk and breaking the commandments of Yahweh. These are all listed as parts of the Ten Commandments but the moment you say that the seventh day Sabbath (the 4th commandment) is something to remember and keep as Holy you will be viewed as a heretic and under “legalism.” If grace came through the Messiah does it allow a murderer or adulterer to break Yahweh’s commandments? The obvious answer is NO! Then why should grace allow the followers of the Messiah to profane (or make ordinary) the seventh day Sabbath? Did you know that the Hebrew word for grace is used staggeringly more in the Old Testament than the Greek equivalent in the New Testament. Did grace only come through the Messiah or has Yahweh always given His people many chances to repent and get back on track before impending judgment? I think that the main confusion comes from a passage of scripture found in Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Again this is a case of taking a small set of verses and pulling together doctrine that does not uphold the true context of what Shaul (Paul) was saying. Look at the whole chapter and you will very easily find that Shaul was equating “the law” with sin and death. He was not talking about the Law of God (Torah). Therefore it makes sense that we are not UNDER THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH but UNDER GRACE because of the atoning work of the Messiah. Romans 6:12 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. ” The Lamb of God did not lay down His life for believers to be FREE from the Law of God but from the law of sin and death. 6. The Sabbath is now on Sunday and that is the “Lord’s Day” when I go to church. Oh yes, the “Lord’s Day.” Where did this term come from? It comes from one verse in the Book of Revelation. (Rev. 1:10) “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.” This is John (Yochanan was his Hebrew name), a Jewish apostle who was in a time of tribulation on the Island of Patmos. He was dipped in burning oil, beaten and imprisoned for life because of sharing the Gospel of Yeshua. He was praying while in exile and a vision comes to him that shows him the events that would unfold to bring about the Great Tribulation on the whole Earth and the return of the Messiah for His faithful bride. The entire scriptures do not speak of the “Lord’s Day” as being Sunday observance of the Sabbath but speak of the Day of the Lord (Act. 2:20, ICor. 1:8, ICor. 5:5, etc.) when He comes to bring judgment on the whole Earth and the resurrection of the dead in Messiah. An understanding of the Day of the Lord is needed in order to comprehend what Yochanan was referring to. The answer can be read in the writings of Simon Keefa (Peter). (IPet. 3:8) “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” In the book of Genesis we read that all of creation was created in 6 days and on the seventh day Yahweh rested and ceased from all of His work. If a day to Yahweh is a thousand years then that would make the total plan of Yahweh to be 7,000 years or 7 days. Theologians and Bible scholars agree that the Messiah came around 4,000 years from creation and we are already in the 7th day or 7th millennium. This is the time that the end is prophesied and the Messiah will come making an end to iniquity in one day (1,000 years) and to setup His kingdom to rule and reign for 1,000 years in the New Jerusalem. Yochanan saw this in his vision and penned down this vision in the Book of the Revelation of the Messiah and alluded to this seventh day mystery by mentioning that he was on the Lord’s Day or Day of the Lord. This is not somehow a changing of the Sabbath from the seventh day Saturday to the first day Sunday! Not even close! So how did this seventh day Sabbath get twisted into a first day Sunday observance? The answer may shock you! It was changed solely on the authority of the Catholic Papacy and reinforced in many writings. The Catholic priest, Father T. Enright, C. SS.R. of Redemptor Col¬lege, quotes in The American Sentinel as follows: “I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to any one who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the Holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says: “Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.” The Catholic Church says: “No by my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.” And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the Holy Catholic church.” James Cardinal Gibbons declared: “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day that we (Catholics) never sanctify.” Not only does the Catholic Church not sanctify the seventh day Sabbath as instructed in the scriptures but the Protestant church (Protesting Catholics) also do not sanctify this day and continue to hold onto a first day observance that is riddled with Pagan influences of Sun God worship instituted by Constantine in the Roman Empire; thus the name Sun-Day after the day declared by Constantine under penalty of torture and death to worship Mithras, the Roman god of the sun. Why hold on to this Pagan tradition reinforced by the Catholic Church? What is so dreadful about keeping the day scripture declares as Holy?!  7. The early apostles and believers of the Messiah met on the first day of the week and that shows us that they were not strict on meeting on the seventh day sabbath and therefore we can pick whatever day we want, to have a convocation or church gathering. In Acts chapter 20:7 there is a recorded passage that seems to read that the disciples, after the resurrection of the Messiah, came together on the first day of the week and Shaul (Paul) preached unto them until midnight. This is one of the key versus that is used to try to twist and produce precedence for a first day gathering or Sunday worship. First let’s take a look at the proceeding verse and get some context as to what is happening: Acts 20:6 “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.” Now first of all these were Jewish apostles and believers in the Messiah. The Messiah clearly did not teach them to cease from keeping the feasts, like Unleavened Bread, or the seventh day Sabbath. Shaul abides for seven days before he leaves again. Well what day does he leave again? 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.” Shaul and his companions celebrate the feast of Unleavened Bread in Philippi and then sail to Troas where they stay until the seventh day or Sabbath. Why does it say the first day of the week if it was the Sabbath? In the Greek compilation where our English translation is from (Stephen’s Textus Receptus) the Greek word Sabbaton is used where it says, the “first day of the week.” So the original text reads, “And upon the Sabbath day, when the disciples came together to break bread…” It does not say the first day of the week at all. This is either a mistranslation of the scriptures or a blatant cover-up to erase the significance of the seventh day Sabbath in the New Testament. These followers of the Messiah were gathering on the Sabbath at what is traditionally called a Hav Dilah service, where Shaul preached until midnight and was going to make his journey from Troas early in the morning. The Jewish disciples of the Messiah kept the feasts of Yahweh such as Unleavened Bread and also kept the seventh day Sabbath holy just as they had done for thousands of years prior. 8. Since Jesus arose on the first day of the week (Sunday morning) then we gather in celebration of his resurrection on Sunday morning and not the seventh day Sabbath. Did Yeshua rise from the dead on Sunday morning as has been taught for decades in the church? This is a basic mathematical solution that somehow escapes the attention of those reading and teaching from the Gospel records. If he indeed was crucified on “Good Friday” and arose on Sunday morning how can He line up with the only sign that He gave to testify of his resurrection. Matt. 12:39-40 “But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” How can you get 3 days and 3 nights from Friday to Sunday morning? YOU CAN’T! Careful study will show that the Messiah was taken on a Tuesday evening, the day before the 14th of Aviv (Pesach or Passover) and was beaten and questioned and finally hung on the tree in the afternoon of the 14th (Wednesday) and was dead and in the grave by 4pm on the same day. Now let’s pause for a minute to lay a foundation of how the Hebrews reckon time. The next day starts at sundown and ends the following sundown as outlined in Genesis chapter 1. So Wednesday afternoon to sundown is a ½ day, Wednesday sundown to Thursday sundown is 1 day. Thursday sundown to Friday sundown is another day and Friday sundown to Saturday sundown is yet another day. This totals 3 days and 3 nights just like the Prophet Jonah in the belly of the great fish. So what about Mary coming to the tomb early on Sunday morning? Notice that the tomb was empty (Matt. 28:1). The Messiah had already risen as was the words of the Angel that greeted her. The Lord of the Sabbath arose on the Sabbath just as the scriptures convey. <