The Sabbath and Service We live today in a most exciting and yet paradoxical age. We can tune our radio and TV receivers to sounds and pictures coming from outer space or across the ocean, and yet many persons fail to tune their souls to God and to hear His voice. We can race the sun across the sky with supersonic jets, and yet we often fail to reach the needy across the street. We live and move among large crowds, and yet many persons are afflicted by a deep sense of loneliness or by an identity crisis. Many seek for rest and inner peace by taking vacations, tranquilizers, drugs, alcohol; and yet often restlessness, tension, and anxiety remain in their inner souls. We can dial a few numbers and talk instantly with someone living in the farthest continent, and yet we sometimes fail to communicate with our closest kin: our husband, wife, and children. We can harness many types of natural resources to ensure our modern comforts, and yet our very existence is being threatened today by the depletion and pollution of the natural resources. To sum it all up, we might say that we live today in a paradoxical age where on the one hand we enjoy increased knowledge, goods, communication, and comforts, while on the other hand many are experiencing increased physical exhaustion, emotional frustration, social neglect, inner restlessness, and loss of assurance in God's existence and in a divine solution to the problems that afflict this world and our personal lives. In the light of this existing dilemma, it is well for us to consider what contribution the values and the celebration of the Sabbath can make toward solving some of these pressing human problems. To guide our reflections on the vital function of this divine institution for contemporary human needs, I invite you to consider with me four specific areas of service which the Sabbath is designed to provide to us as individual believers and to our society as a whole. We shall call these four areas of service (1) service to God, (2) service to ourselves, (3) service to others, and (4) service to our habitat. I. The Sabbath As Service To God The Sabbath is first of all designed to provide us with time and opportunities for serving God. Repeatedly the Scriptures remind us that the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord (Exodus 31:15; 16:23; Leviticus 23:3; c.f. Exodus 20:10; Mark 2:28). Obviously we serve God every day of our life. But our everyday service to God differs from the Sabbath service. Why? Primarily because during the week we offer to God what may be called the Martha type of service, in which we acknowledge our Savior while serving an employer and meeting the many demands of life. On the Sabbath, however, we offer to God what may be called the Mary type of service, in which we desist from gainful employment and from secular pursuits in order to fully and wholly honor our Savior. The deliberate act of resting on the Sabbath for God is a most meaningful act of worship because it signifies our total response to God. It is an act of worship that is not exhausted in the one-hour attendance at the divine service but lasts twenty-four hours. In a sense, here lies the basic difference between Sabbath keeping and Sunday keeping, namely, in the understanding of the value, significance, and validity of resting as an act of worship to God. Sunday keeping originated primarily as an hour of worship followed by ordinary activities. In spite of later attempts made by church councils and Puritans to make Sunday into a holy day of rest, Sunday has remained essentially an hour of worship. The recognition of this historical reality has led religious leaders such as Christopher Kiesling, a leading Catholic liturgist, to urge in his book The Future of the Christian Sunday, "the abandonment of rest on Sunday as a Christian practice," and the retaining of Sunday as an hour of worship. Some even propose shifting the hour of Sunday worship to a more convenient time of the week that would not interfere with Sunday leisure. On the contrary, Sabbath keeping is presented in the Scriptures as service rendered to God through the consecration of the 24 hours of the seventh-day Sabbath. It is noteworthy that the Fourth Commandment does not say, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy by attending Sabbath School and church Service," but rather, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" by working six days and resting on the seventh day for the Lord your God. What this means is that the essence of Sabbath keeping is the consecration of time, the act of resting for God on the seventh day. This act of resting for God on the Sabbath is most important because it makes all the activities of this day -- whether they be the formal divine service or the informal fellowship and recreation -- a worship offering to God, because they spring from a heart which has deliberately decided to honor God on His holy day. To worship means basically to acknowledge the worthiness of God by offering Him our prayers, praises, adoration. The act of resting for God on the Sabbath represents our tangible recognition and acknowledgment of God's worthiness, and thus it is a most meaningful expression and experience of worship. To appreciate the profound religious significance of the Sabbath rest as service to God, we need to remind ourselves that our life is a measure of time, and the way we spend our time is indicative of our priorities. We have not time for those toward whom we feel indifferent, but we find time for those whom we love. To be willing on the seventh day to withdraw from the world of things in order to meet the invisible God in the quietness of our souls means to show in a tangible way our love, loyalty, and devotion to God. It means to be willing to tune out the hundreds of voices and noises that clamor for attention, in order to tune our souls to God and to hear His voice. It means not merely to sandwich in one hour of worship for God in a hectic day spent seeking for selfish pleasure or profit but rather to serve God wholly during the Sabbath; it means to offer to God not only lip service but the service of our total being. II. The Sabbath As Service To Ourselves Sabbath keeping means not only service to God but also service to ourselves, because the very service we offer God on the Sabbath by resting and worshiping Him is designed not to add strength or power to God but to enable God to strengthen and empower our personal lives. God does not need our Sabbath rest and worship, nor does He need our weekday work. What He wants is a receptive heart, mind, and soul, willing to receive and experience His peace and rest that only can fulfill the deepest longing of our hearts. A vital function of the Sabbath is indeed to provide us this opportunity to find rest in God. We read in Hebrews 4:10 that on the Sabbath we are to cease from our daily work in order to enter God's rest. In other words, we stop doing our work on the Sabbath in order to allow God to work in us more freely and fully and thus to enrich us with His peace and rest. How can we on the Sabbath enter into God's rest and experience divine rest and peace in our lives? For the sake of brevity, let us focus briefly on only two significant ways in which the Sabbath can enrich our life with divine rest and peace, namely, through the time and opportunity it offers us for meditation and renewal. 1. Sabbath Meditation On the Sabbath we can experience divine peace and rest by taking time to meditate in the climate of stillness and free reception the day provides. According to some social analysts, the lack of reflection is a fundamental cause of our restless culture. Many live today intensively active, restless lives without understanding their true selves, and thus they are ever sensing an inner emptiness and disillusionment. Some will often go from one round of activities to another in an attempt to find peace and joy by forgetting their inner tensions. But inner peace and harmony are to be found not in forgetting oneself by doing an endless round of activities, but rather in discovering ourselves by being still. The psalmist expresses this truth eloquently when he says: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). For many of us this ideal remains largely unfulfilled during the week. The Sabbath, however, by releasing us from the pressure of our daily work, provides us with time and opportunities for meaningful reflection, and meditation. Harvey Cox, a distinguished Harvard University theologian, tells in his book Turning East how he discovered the Sabbath meditation in Boulder, Colorado, while researching on Eastern meditation at the Buddhist center. While there, he accepted an invitation from a rabbi to celebrate with him "a genuine, old-fashioned Sabbath, . . . appreciating the world rather than fixing it, . . . just savoring being rather than doing." Through this experience he discovered that "meditation is in essence a miniature Sabbath." In other words, he found that what Eastern meditation promised to offer, namely an experience of divine realities, could readily be experienced by observing another Eastern-Biblical institution, an old-fashioned Sabbath: experiencing being rather than doing, appreciating God's world rather than fixing it up. He noticed, however, that Sabbath meditation is superior to Oriental meditation, because it does not encourage detachment from the realities of this world (a contemplative life instead of an active life), but rather it provides a one-day interlude that enables a person to live in this world while looking forward to the better world to come. I firmly believe that we need to discover more fully the Sabbath as a time for reflection and meditation. We tend to fill the Sabbath with so many programs and activities that little time is left for enriching reflection and meditation that can give texture and quality to our life. I would like to propose to all of us to include a time for meditation in our Sabbath planning. Some of you may wish to meditate by yourselves; others may wish to join in a group meditation. Others may prefer to meditate while reading devotional literature or while contemplating the beauty of nature. We must allow for diversity in our spiritual exercises because we do not all experience divine realities in the same way. The important thing is to take some time out during the Sabbath to meditate, to let our mind dwell upon spiritual realities. The time spent in thoughtful meditation enriches our moral and spiritual perceptions, more so perhaps than, for example, the time spent on Sabbath afternoon listening to a panel discussing a controversial theological topic. Chances are, in fact, that listening to a polemical discussion may trouble our mind and thus destroy the very peace and rest of the Sabbath. I was impressed while studying in Rome to see the impact of prayer and meditation on some of my professors and classmates. I saw them taking time for prayer and meditation not only in the early morning but also during the 15-minute interval between classes. Some of them would take advantage of those few minutes to withdraw into the little chapel for a few moments of prayer and meditation. The effect of these spiritual exercises could be seen in their peaceful and serene dispositions. While prayer and meditation is possible and necessary every day, it is the climate of stillness and free reception provided by the Sabbath that enables us to truly meditate, that is, to discover God and ourselves; to truly experience an awareness of God's presence; to freely "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). The time we spend on the Sabbath resting, worshiping, and meditating enables us to restore order and harmony to our fragmented lives. It enables us to restore equilibrium between our bodies and our souls, between the material and spiritual components of our being. During the week as we work to produce, to sell, to buy, and to enjoy things, we tend to become materially conscious, to view our material wants as more important than our spiritual needs. Our bodies seem to become more important than our souls. The Sabbath is designed to restore the equilibrium between bodies and our souls. The story is told of some African workers who were hired to carry pieces of heavy equipment on their backs to a remote post in the interior of Africa. After several days of marching, one day they refused to pick up their burdens and go any further. They sat by the side of the road turning a deaf ear to the appeals of the man in charge. Exasperated, the leader of the expedition asked them: "But why you don't want to go on?" One of the workers replied: "Sir, we are waiting for our souls to catch up with our bodies." This story well illustrates the function of the Sabbath, which is to give a chance to our souls to catch up with our bodies; to give a chance to our souls, through worship and meditation, to be enriched with new moral and spiritual values. This spiritual renewal that comes to us on the Sabbath through worship and meditation enables us to turn a new page in our life, to start a new week with a fresh provision of divine wisdom and grace. 2. Sabbath Physical Renewal A second way in which the Sabbath enables us to experience divine rest and peace in our lives is through the time and opportunities it provides for physical renewal. We experience physical renewal on the Sabbath, first of all through the special rest the Sabbath offers to our bodies; that is, rest not only from work but even from the thought of work. On the Sabbath our bodies can rest better than during the weekdays, because our mind is at rest, and our mind is at rest because it rests in God. Second, physical renewal comes to us on the Sabbath not only by resting but also by engaging in joyful activities. A question members often ask me during the Festival of the Sabbath seminars, is, "What do you consider appropriate or inappropriate Sabbath activities?" I always refrain from offering a standard formula for two reasons. First, because physical needs vary considerably according to age and profession. For example, the physical Sabbath needs and activities of a teenager bubbling over with energy are likely to be different from those of a middle-age bricklayer. Second, I believe that any attempt to classify or specify "legitimate" Sabbath activities may encourage legalistic attitudes that stifle the very spirit of freedom and joy of the Sabbath. Thus, rather than classifying appropriate or inappropriate Sabbath activities, I will venture to suggest three basic principles to guide us in selecting suitable Sabbath activities. First, our Sabbath activities should be God-centered rather than self-centered. They should be not an end in themselves but rather a means, as explained in Isaiah 58:13, 14, to express the delight in the Lord, to celebrate the goodness of God's creation and redemption. Personally, I feel that in our fear to break the Sabbath, we tend to discourage our children and youth from engaging in any form of activity on the Sabbath. I hardly believe that the Lord is more delighted in seeing our youth sitting still on the Sabbath rather than in being engaged in some activity. It would seem to me that what honors God on the Sabbath is not the action or inaction of our young people, but rather the intent and purpose behind their Sabbath activities or inactivities. A Bible game can be played on the Sabbath for the sake of scoring and winning or for the sake of fellowshipping together in honor of the Lord of the Sabbath. The challenge that I see is to teach our youth not how to be paralytic on the Sabbath, but rather how to choose and to engage in Sabbath activities in a way that will enable them to express delight in the Lord, appreciation for His creative and redemptive love commemorated on this day. Second, Sabbath activities should promote freedom and joy. They should contribute to celebrating and experiencing the redemptive freedom offered to us by the Savior on and through this day. Sometimes the same activity can be an experience of freedom or of restraint. For example, a Sabbath picnic in our backyard or in a park can be a joyful and delightful celebration of the goodness of God's creation if adequate preparations have been made before the Sabbath so that everyone can participate freely in it. On the other hand, if some persons have to spend hours preparing the food, the picnic becomes an expression of selfishness, since it deprives some persons of the freedom and joy of the Sabbath. Third, Sabbath activities should encourage fellowship and communion and not competition. A complaint that I often hear from our young people, especially in our colleges and large churches, goes something like this: "It is very difficult to make new friends in this place." Apparently one reason for this problem seems to be that the school program offers limited opportunities for informal group fellowship. Most social events seem to be so structured as to presuppose a date, even though it may be blind. If a young man or young lady does not have a date, he or she may feel left out and thus may choose not to attend the program. The celebration of the Sabbath should encourage informal group-fellowship. I treasure the pleasant memory of the many joyful Sabbath afternoons I spent as a teenager with the young people of our church in Rome or of our school in Florence. I always looked forward to Sabbath afternoon, when as a group we would go out to a park or hike to the mountain behind the school. We would stop in a convenient spot to sing, to discuss a relevant topic, to listen to stories and experiences, and to play and pray together. This informal group-fellowship inspired by the celebration of the Sabbath gave us a chance to get to know better one another and thus to establish lasting friendships. I believe that more can be done to encourage informal group-fellowship of our young people on Sabbath afternoon. These group-fellowships may be organized in a home, in the lounges of the residence halls or of the student center, or outdoors when the weather permits. These group-fellowships occasioned by the celebration of the Sabbath provide a welcome opportunity to our young people to share together their talents, experiences, and concerns and to establish lasting friendship. III. The Sabbath As Service To Others The Sabbath provides precious opportunities to serve not only God and ourselves but also others. After helping us to find God and ourselves, the Sabbath helps us to find others. After renewing us with a fresh understanding and experience of God's creative and redemptive love, the Sabbath challenges us to reach out unto others, to respond to human needs. To help us in remembering others, the Fourth Commandment gives quite an inclusive list of persons to be remembered on the Sabbath. The list goes from the son to the manservant, from the daughter to the maidservant, and it includes also the sojourner and the animals. This humanitarian function of the Sabbath tends to be neglected. We prefer to think of the Sabbath in terms of service to ourselves rather than service to others. Thus Christ took pains through His Sabbath teaching and ministry to clarify and emphasize the function of the Sabbath commandment. The Savior proclaimed the Sabbath to be a day "to do good" (Matthew 12:12), "to save" (Mark 3:4), to loose men and women from physical and spiritual bonds (Luke 13:12), a day to show mercy rather than religiosity (Matthew 12:7, 8). Let us consider briefly how the celebration of the Sabbath can be shared with others. Time for the Family. First of all, the Sabbath provides time and opportunities for the immediate members of the family. The daily work scatters the family members in different directions: husband and wife to their respective work, and children to school. The rest of the Sabbath day brings us together by giving us time for God, for ourselves, for our families, and for others. The pressure of the weekdays can make even father a stranger to his family members. It is not uncommon to hear children say: "We hardly ever see Daddy. He is always away." On the Sabbath, free from the pressure of work, father has the opportunity to become attuned again to his children. A most welcome moment in our home is Friday evening, when after the hustling and bustling of the week, our family of five gathers to welcome the Lord of the Sabbath by singing, reading, praying, and listening to one another. The arrival of the Sabbath serves to re-knit the family bonds of sympathy and affection. The challenge that we face as parents is to make the Sabbath for our children a day of joyful celebration instead of gloomy frustration. Adventist writer Ellen White tells us on this regard that "parents can make the Sabbath, as it should be, the most joyful day of the week. They can lead their children to regard it as a delight, the day of days, the holy of the Lord, honorable." Time for One's Partner. The Sabbath provides time and opportunities to come close to one special person -- one's marital partner. The rapid pace of modern life, punctuated by different professional and social interests, contributes to the estrangement between husbands and wives and to an ever-increasing number of broken marriages. The Sabbath can function as a catalyst to solidify and strengthen marital relationships in at least two ways: theologically and practically. Theologically, the sanctity of the Sabbath serves to safeguard the sacredness of marriage, because the Sabbath teaches that relationships are sacred. A Christian couple who take time on the Sabbath to renew their commitment to God through the consecration of the Sabbath time to Him, will inevitably renew also their commitment to each other. On the other hand, if a person willfully ignores the Sabbath, symbol of commitment to God, he or she will not hesitate, if the occasion arises, to ignore his or her marital vows of faithfulness to the marriage partner or to anyone else. Practically, the Sabbath contributes to solidify marital relationships by providing husbands and wives with the time and inspiration to come closer and listen to each other. The celebration of God's creative and redemptive love motivates husbands and wives to give themselves unselfishly to each other by sharing together thoughts, concerns, joys, and necessary duties. My wife tells me that when I am away she misses me more on the Sabbath than on any other day. Obviously the same holds true for me, because the Sabbath is the day when we find time to worship, to walk, to visit, to play, to relax together. The togetherness and closeness of body and soul that husbands and wives experience on the Sabbath enable them to overcome any estrangement caused by the tension of the past week and thus to experience a renewed sense of unity and commitment to God and each other. Time for the Needy. The Sabbath is the day to serve God by taking time to show concern not only toward our immediate family members but also toward the needy. It is noteworthy that the "stranger," or the alien, are specifically mentioned in the Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:10; 23:12; Deuteronomy 5:14) as a beneficiary of our Sabbath concern. Jesus also, through His Sabbath ministry, taught that the Sabbath is not rules to obey but people to love; it is the day to share God's blessings with others. An important aspect of the preparation for Sabbath in the Jewish home was planning for possible visitors. Similarly, in the Christian home we should prepare for the Sabbath, planning to share our food and our friendship with the visitor, the orphan, the single parent, the elderly, the estranged and discouraged, who are present in our church and in our community. During the week the many pressures may cause us to neglect needy persons. On the Sabbath, as we celebrate God's love and care we are motivated to share our concern and friendship with the needy. The service we render on the Sabbath to needy persons not only honors God but also enriches our lives with a sense of joy and satisfaction. IV. The Sabbath As Service To Our Habitat A fourth area of service provided by the Sabbath may be called service to our habitat. There is great concern today over the precarious ecological balance of our environment. Some social analysts regard the irresponsible exploitation of our natural resources as a major threat to the survival of life on this planet. As Christians, we share in this concern because we believe that God has placed us in this world as stewards of His good creation. The Sabbath offers us both theological incentives and practical opportunities to be good stewards of God's creation, to develop an ecological conscience. Theologically, the Sabbath reminds us that we share with nature in God's creation, redemption, and ultimate restoration. It tells us that nature is our worthy partner not only in this present world but also in the earth made new (Isaiah 66:22, 23). Practically, the Sabbath teaches us not to exploit but to admire nature as an expression of the beauty and glory of God's handiwork (Psalm 19:1). When nature ceases to be an object of contemplation and admiration, it easily becomes an object of exploitation. If a person believes that this world is not God's creation but the product of spontaneous generation, there is little to stop such a person from exploiting its resources irresponsibly to ensure immediate comforts. The Sabbath teaches us to acknowledge God's ownership of this world ("The land is mine and you are . . . my tenants" -- Leviticus 25:23), by enjoining us to surrender the right to us gainfully on this day the land, people, and even animals. On the Sabbath we do not go to the forest to cut trees into firewood, but to admire the trees, the flowers, the birds, as expression of God's handiwork. By teaching us to admire nature as an expression of divine revelation, the Sabbath challenges us to act as curators, rather than an predators of God's creation. Our brief meditation has reminded us how vital are the values and celebration of the Sabbath for our contemporary human needs. We have found that the celebration of the Sabbath provides us the opportunity to serve God by consecrating our time and life to Him, to serve ourselves through the experience of spiritual and physical renewal, to serve others by coming closer to our family members and needy persons, and to serve our habitat by becoming responsible stewards of God's creation. May these unique opportunities the Sabbath offers us to serve God, ourselves, others, and our habitat help each one of us to experience a larger measure of the Savior's rest in our lives. -- written by Samuele Bacchiocchiê The Truth About Sabbath and Sunday Most Christians now believe that Sunday is the real day of worship as ordained by the Creator of the universe. They are ignorant of what the Holy Bible teaches regarding the Sabbath and what the leaders who observe Sunday declare about it. The priests and pastors have not revealed to them the difference between the Sabbath, the seventh day, and Sunday, the first day of the week. Consider what the Holy Scriptures say: "Her priests have violated My law, and have profaned Mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them," (Ezekiel 22:26, Holy Name Bible). In this article I have tried to show the difference between these two days. It is arranged to show in one column what the Holy Scriptures teach about the Sabbath and in another column what prominent leaders of Sunday keepers define and pronounce about Sunday so that readers can judge for themselves which day is holy, and which is unholy, or profane; which day is the true Sabbath and day of worship, and which is the false Sabbath and not the real day of worship. Sabbath 1. Sabbath is the seventh day of the Creation week (Genesis 2:2). 2. It is the day of Sabbath rest (Genesis 2:2; Exodus 34:21). 3. "Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it" (Genesis 2:3). 4. "Yahweh blessed the sabbath-day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:11). He called it "my holy day" (Isaiah 58:13). 5. "The seventh day is the sabbath of Yahweh, thy Elohim" (Exodus 20:10). Sunday 1. Sunday is the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1). 2. It is the first day of six working days (Exodus 20:9; 34:21). Sunday is a man-made day of rest. "Constantine the Great made a law for the whole empire (A.D. 321) that Sunday should be kept as a day of rest" (Encyclopedia Americana, article "Sabbath"). 3. Sunday is a working day, a secular day (Exodus 20:9). "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 which we never sanctify" (Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, page 111). 4. Sunday is not a holy day. "The Catholic Church of its own infallible authority created Sunday a holy day to take the place of the Sabbath of the old law" (Kansas City Catholic, February 9, 1893). 5. Sunday was originally kept in honor of the sun god. "Let all judges and town people, and the occupation of all trades rest on the venerable day of the Sun" (Constantine's Law). Sabbath 6. Sabbath was instituted by Yahweh in the beginning of Creation (Genesis 2:3). 7. Sabbath stands as a memorial of the great creation work of the first week of time and pays homage to the Creator (Exodus 20:11). 8. "And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am Yahweh your Elohim" (Ezekiel 20:20; see also Exodus 31:17). 9. "The Son of Man [Messiah] is Master also of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28). 10. Yahweh declared that the Sabbath is "my holy day" (Isaiah 58:13), and John the Revelator said the Sabbath is Yahweh's day (Revelation 1:10). 11. "The Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27) and not for Jews only. It is given for heathen too (Isaiah 56:2-8). It is the Sabbath rest for man and beast (Exodus 20:10). 12. "Remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). 13. Sabbath was kept by Yahowah (Genesis 2:3, Hebrews 4:4); by Yahshua (Luke 4:16); women believers (Luke 23:55-56); apostles and early believers (Acts 15:21): the apostle Paul for the gentiles (Acts 17:2, Romans 11:13). Sunday 6. The first Sunday law was passed by Emperor Constantine on March 7, A.D. 321. 7. "The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] Church" (Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, by Mgr. Segur, page 213). 8. Observing Sunday as the day of worship, acknowledges papal authority instead of the authority of Yahweh. 9. Sunday observance indicates the authority of the pope, who thought "to change times and laws" (Daniel 7:25, KJV) and "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called Elohim . . . so that he as the Almighty sitteth in the temple of Yahweh showing himself that he is the Mighty One" (II Thessalonians 2:3-4). 10. Sunday is a Catholic institution and so the Roman Church and Protestants claim it as their own day of worship. 11. Sunday observance is meant only for the Catholic Church and her daughters, the Protestants, according to their claim. 12. Sunday is kept not as a holy day but as a holiday. Catholics are restricted only to attend mass on Sunday, after which they may spend the rest of the day as they wish. "Constantine the Great made a law for the whole empire (A.D. 321) that Sunday should be kept as a rest day in all cities and towns; but he allowed the country people to follow their work" (Encyclopedia Americana, article "Sabbath"). 13. "Is there no express commandment for observing the first day of the week as Sabbath, instead of the seventh day? None whatever. Neither [Messiah] nor the apostles nor the first Christians celebrated the first day of the week" (New York Weekly Tribune, May 24, 1900). Sabbath 14. When Jerusalem and the temple had to be destroyed by the Romans as prophesied by the Messiah, and the believers had to flee from there, He said, "Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath" (Matthew 24:20). Why? 15. "There remaineth therefore the keeping of the Sabbath to the people of Elohim" (Hebrews 4:9). 16. "Two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of Elohim" contain the Decalogue, of which the fourth commandment pertains to the keeping of the Sabbath (Exodus 31:18). 17. On the new earth "from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith Yahweh" (Isaiah 66:22-23). "There remaineth therefore the keeping of the Sabbath to the people of Elohim" (Hebrews 4:9). Sunday 14. The temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by General Titus in A.D. 70, almost 40 years after Messiah's resurrection and ascension. So the disciples were praying and keeping the Sabbath for these 40 years after the Messiah's resurrection and ascension. Messiah did not ask the believers to pray that their flight would not be on Sunday, neither did the disciples pray or keep Sunday all the 40 years after His resurrection. 15. Sunday is meant for the exclusive observance of the Roman Catholic Church and her daughters, whereas the Sabbath remains for the keeping of the people of Elohim only. 16. "The observance of the first, instead of the seventh, day rests on the testimony of the [Roman] Church and the Church alone" (Hobart Church News [Episcopalian] July 2, 1894). 17. What will be the fate of the followers of Sunday keeping in the new earth? What will happen to the observance of Sunday then? Let the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants answer for themselves. -- written by Pastor Alex D. Ratnamê This article was originally published as Study No. 44. THE GOOD NEWS OF THE SABBATH The Sabbath means different things to different people. To the legalist, the Sabbath is primarily a commandment that must be observed in order for him to be saved. He views the interruption that the Sabbath brings to his life like a bitter medicine that must be swallowed in order to get well. Consequently, to the legalist the Sabbath is not a day of gladness and exultation because of the divine accomplishments memorialized by this day, but rather a day of gloom and frustration because of the things that cannot be done. He counts the hours of the Sabbath like the astronaut counts the seconds preceding the firing of his spacecraft: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. Sunset! -- Take off to some exciting activity to burn up the energy repressed during the Sabbath. To the materialist the Sabbath (or Sunday for that matter) is a day of "solemn" rest, not to the Lord but to himself. It is a day to seek personal pleasure rather than divine presence. The story is told of a pastor calling upon a materialistic member who had missed church services for several weeks. The pastor asked him, "What keeps you away, friend?" To this the member replied: "I'd rather be in bed on Sabbath morning thinking about church than in church thinking about bed. At least my mind is in the right place." For the materialist, the right place to be on Sabbath is not in God's sanctuary, but in the sanctuary of a bed, a boat, a car, a recreational park in order to relax. The sad reality, however, is that such leisure per se fails to regenerate the total being. At best, it provides a temporary evasion, but leaves an internal spiritual emptiness which is at the very root of much exhaustion and tension. To the antinomian, Sabbath-keeping is a sign of bondage to the law. He interprets the freedom of the Gospel as freedom to keep the Sabbath on any weekday (pan-Sabbathism). But the theory that each weekday is a Sabbath in practice results in each Sabbath being a weekday. Ultimately no real worship is offered to God because nothing really matters. To the Christian who loves the Saviour, His Sabbath is a day of joyful celebration. It is a day to celebrate the goodness of God's marvelous accomplishments both in the world and in one's personal life. It is a human desire to wish to celebrate and share with others the good news of unusual achievements. Players and fans celebrate the winning of a game. A father celebrates the birth of his newborn. Students celebrate their graduation. A couple celebrates with their friends their engagement or wedding. A Christian celebrates on the Sabbath the good news of what God has done, of what He is doing and of what He will do for His people. In Hebrews 4:2-6 twice the Sabbath rest is presented as the "Good News" or the Gospel (same verb -- evangelizo) of God's rest for His people. Yet for some persons the Sabbath is not good news but bad news. It is not a day of celebration but of frustration. Why? Why is the Sabbath viewed and experienced differently by different persons? Principally it is because of different understanding and acceptance of the message of the Sabbath. Obviously a person cannot joyfully celebrate the Sabbath if he or she does not know what there is to celebrate. I landed in the United States on July 4, the day when Americans celebrate the signing of their Declaration of Independence. I needed to clear my car through customs but everything was closed. I spent that day in a motel not enjoying the spirit of celebration but rather in a mood of frustration. Why? Primarily because I did not fully understand and accept the significance of the event. Frankly, I was more interested in the signing of my customs declaration than in the American Declaration of Independence. In the same way, to a person who does not understand and accept the good news of the Sabbath, the day will not bring rest, peace and jubilation. Rather, it will bring restlessness, tension and frustration. It is needful therefore to grasp and accept the good news of the Sabbath in order to celebrate joyfully and meaningfully the divine accomplishments memorialized by this day. For the sake of clarity and brevity mention will be made of three basic glad tidings of the Sabbath. The reader is referred to my newly published book, Divine Rest for Human Restlessness, for a more comprehensive study of the good news of the Sabbath. The Lord Created This World Perfectly The first good news the Sabbath proclaims is that God has originally created this world and its creatures in a perfect and complete manner. This message is declared in a most emphatic way in the creation story, Genesis 1:2-2:3, by means of three effective literary devices: (1) the use of the number seven, (2) the use of forceful verbs and (3) the imagery of God at rest. The number seven is used both to structure the creation story in seven parts, that is, according to the seven days of creation, and to relate many of the details of the story. For example, in Hebrew there are seven words in Genesis 1:1 and fourteen -- twice seven -- in verse two. The name of God (Elohim) occurs 35 times, that is five times seven; earth (Ceres) 21 times, that is, three times seven; light occurs seven times in the account of the fourth day, Genesis 1:14-18; the expression, "it was good," also occurs seven times (the last time is "very good" -- Genesis 1:31). Why are the structures as well as many of the details of the creation story based upon the number seven? The reason is simple: Both for the Israelites and for many ancient people, the number seven signified totality, completion and perfection. Thus its repeated use heightens the role of the seventh day as the memorial of God's complete and perfect creation. The same meaning and function of the Sabbath is emphasized by the verbs used to describe what God said and did to establish the Sabbath, Genesis 2:2,3. The story states that "once" God created all His works, "once" He finished all His works on the seventh day, and three times it is stated that all His work was done. Through these emphatic verbs the seventh day proclaims the good news that God's original creation was finished and completely done. To dramatize the importance of this good news, the Scripture tells us that God did something also. Twice it says in Genesis 2:2,3 that God rested. Why? Was God tired? Obviously not! God "does not faint or grow weary," Isaiah 40:28. In fact, the Hebrew verb (shabbat) does not mean that God took a rest to recover from exhaustion but rather that "He stopped or ceased creating." Why? To testify by this dramatic action -- by desisting from creating -- that God regarded His creation "very good" and perfectly satisfying. There was no need of additional touches to improve His workmanship, because all came up to His expectations. This is then the first glad tidings the Sabbath proclaims. It is a message of reassurance from God telling us that this world and all its creatures came into existence, not in a deformed state by chance but in a perfect way by the personal act of God. Is this message of the Sabbath good news? Thousands of Americans, captivated by the book and film, Roots, by Alex Haley, are searching for their ancestral roots in counties and libraries' archives across the country. Such a search could well reflect the need to overcome the inner sense of disillusionment and meaninglessness through the reassurance that one's ancestral roots are good. The Sabbath provides us such an assurance each week! It reminds us that our ancestral roots are indeed good and noble because they are rooted in God from creation to eternity. How are we to celebrate on the Sabbath this first good news of God, our perfect Creator? Let us consider two suggestions. This celebration involves first of all a renewing, each Sabbath, of our faith in God as our perfect Creator. Faith in God as Creator is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. It constitutes the first article of the "Creed" that most Christians accept: "I believe in God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth," as well as the opening declaration of the Bible, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Why is such a belief so fundamental to the Christian faith? Basically because it is only to the extent that we are able to accept God as our perfect Creator that we rightfully can worship Him. To worship basically means to acknowledge and praise the worthiness of God. Would God really be worthy to be praised if He had created us and this world by means of an impersonal process of spontaneous generation left to the survival of the fittest? Do we praise a company that produced a defective product without offering assistance and warranty? In the same way it would be impossible to find reasons to praise God if His original workmanship had not been perfect. The Sabbath invites us weekly to renew this faith in our perfect Creator. By surrendering for one day our right to gainful employment we acknowledge God's claim over our lives and thus renew our faith in Him as our perfect Creator. A renewed faith in our perfect Creator makes it possible to celebrate the Sabbath in a second way -- by taking delight, Isaiah 58:13,14, in the beauty and perfection of God to be found in the worship experience, in our lives, in the lives of others and in the world around us. It is difficult for the members of one church to understand the joys, the intimacies and paradoxes experienced by those of another. To a true Sabbath-keeper, on the Sabbath, as expressed by Maltbie D. Babcock, "All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres." The divine service seems richer; the people seem friendlier; the food tastes more delicious; the ladies, gentlemen and children seem more beautiful, internally and externally. Why? Basically it is because the Sabbath offers not only the time but also the spiritual resources to enjoy God, people and things perceptibly. By renewing faith in a perfect Creator and Redeemer, the Sabbath enables the believer to view things not merely as they are, but as they will be again ultimately. It is like putting on for 24 hours a pair of those spectacles that make flat pictures look three-dimensional. The Sabbath offers the opportunity to look at the world through the window of eternity. The first glad tidings, then, that the Sabbath proclaims, is that God is our perfect Creator. We celebrate this good news by renewing our faith in Him and by taking delight in the beauty and perfection of God's creation. The Lord Cares for His Creatures A second significant message of glad tidings the Sabbath proclaims is that God constantly cares for His creatures. A basic human concern is, "Does God really care for me?" "How can I know that God is really interested in me?" The Sabbath is designed to help us overcome the sense of God's absence from the world and from our life, and to experience the reassurance of God's care. How? First, by reassuring us that God is available for us. The Scripture tells us that the last creative act of God was the creation of His rest for mankind, Genesis 2:2,3. We noted that with regard to humanity, however, God's rest symbolized His commitment to be available to His creatures. By taking time out on the first Sabbath to bless the first couple with His holy presence, God gave through this day a reassurance to His creatures of His availability to them. One of the finest compliments anyone can receive is, "He/she took time for me." The Sabbath represents God's commitment to have time for us and to sanctify us by His holy presence, Exodus 31:13. It is this divine commitment that makes prayer possible. Second, the Sabbath expresses God's concern for us through the ordained pattern of six days of work and the seventh for rest, Exodus 20:8-11. Both work and rest correspond to two genuine human needs. A workless person feels worthless. We need work to experience self worth, to develop our creative abilities, to reflect the image of our active Creator. But if work is not balanced by rest, it degrades human personality, it destroys the equilibrium between body and spirit, it turns a person into a brute, into a slave of greater personal gain. Because God cares for our physical and spiritual well being, through the Sabbath He has given us both work and rest. How did God establish this human pattern of work and rest? Was it through a divine command? No, it was through a divine example. Why did our omnipotent God who could have spoken this world into existence in a moment, choose to create it according to the seven-day week established for His creatures? The answer is to be found in God's concern to give a divine perspective, quality and dimension to all our work and rest. One of our greatest satisfactions is to be the imitators of great masters. The Sabbath reminds us that when we work and rest we are imitating the greatest Master Craftsman of the universe. We are doing in a small scale what God has done and is doing on a greater scale. By giving us as a model His own divine example, God enables us to identify with Him. We then are able to view our work and rest as a reflection of His. Through this divine perspective, the Sabbath enables the believer to perform even menial tasks, not grudgingly but joyfully. A third way in which the Sabbath expresses God's care is through the blessing and sanctification promised to God's people through this day. The Scriptures say: "God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it", Genesis 2:3. God's blessing is not just a good wish -- like our human blessing -- but a concrete assurance of a happy and abundant life. For example, God blessed the first couple, saying: "Be fruitful and multiply," Genesis 1:28; cf. Numbers 6:24. God's blessings assured them of fullness of life. Similarly, by blessing the Sabbath God made this day a permanent symbol of His commitment to give abundant life to His creatures. To substantiate such a promise, the Scriptures tell us that God did something dramatic. He "hallowed" or "sanctified" the seventh day by entering into this world with His glorious presence, the very source of life. For six days God filled this world with delightful creations. On the Sabbath He filled it with His glorious and life-giving presence. As a result of disobedience, our first parents found themselves separated from the presence of God, their life source. But when Eden was lost, the Sabbath remained as the good news of God's assurance to restore to His creatures full and abundant life. From the symbol of God's initial entrance into human time, the Sabbath became a symbol of God's future entrance into human flesh to become "Emmanuel -- God with us." In the fifth chapter of Divine Rest for Human Restlessness we have shown that both in the Old Testament and in later Jewish literature the experience of rest and liberation provided by the weekly and annual Sabbaths, served to nourish the hope in the future rest and redemption to be brought by the Messiah. This helps us understand and appreciate why Christ's saving ministry in the Gospels frequently is associated with the redemption promised through the Sabbath. It was on a Sabbath day that Christ inaugurated His public ministry in the synagogue of Nazareth by quoting a sabbatical release and liberty to the oppressed. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to preach deliverance to the captives, . . . to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord," Luke 4:18, 19. Most commentators rightly recognize that "acceptable year of the Lord" refers to the sabbatical (7th year) or jubilee year (49th year). At those times the Sabbath became in a real sense the liberator of the Hebrew society by granting freedom and release to slaves, debtors and land, Deuteronomy 15; Leviticus 25. Christ astonished the congregation of Nazareth, Luke 4:22, when He affirmed briefly but emphatically: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears," Luke 4:21. This means that Christ presented Himself to the people as the very fulfillment of their Messianic expectations which had been nourished by the vision of the Sabbath years. In His subsequent Sabbath ministry Christ confirmed His inaugural proclamation, liberating on this day those whom Satan had bound physically and spiritually, Luke 13:16; 4:35; 6:6-11; John 5:2-18; 9:1-38. A careful study of Christ's Sabbath ministry reveals how the Saviour made the Sabbath a memorial of His redemption -- the day on which believers can experience through physical rest the greater spiritual rest of forgiveness, peace and communion. How shall we celebrate this amazing good news of the Sabbath? The example of Christ suggests at least two appropriate responses to this manifestation of God's love; that is, (1) service to God and (2) service to needy fellow-beings. In the first place, the Sabbath is the day on which we celebrate the good news of creation and redemption by serving God. This service is rendered through the participation in the communal worship, as exemplified by Christ, Luke 4:16, 31; 6:6; Matthew 12:9-14. In a wider sense we serve the Lord on the Sabbath by living like Mary did on this day, as if Christ is our honored Guest. To enter into the sacred hours of the Sabbath means, in a special sense, to invite Christ's presence in our lives. It means to acknowledge His presence in all our activities: while worshiping, fellowshipping, and talking, walking, reading or sharing in wholesome, restful activities. In a world where material and secular values tend to overshadow spiritual realities, the Sabbath offers the opportunity to rediscover the sense of the sacred by inviting us weekly to meet God in time. The Sabbath is also the day when we celebrate the love and the presence of Christ, not merely by seeking personal delights but especially by providing a living, loving service to needy fellow humans. Christ's example teaches us that the Sabbath is the day "to do good," Matthew 12:12, "to save," Mark 3:4, "to loose" physical and spiritual bonds, Luke 13:13, a day to show mercy rather than religiosity, Matthew 12:7-8. The service that we render to others on the Sabbath will enable us to celebrate the good news of salvation in our own lives. The Lord Will Restore This World to Its Original Perfection A third significant message of glad tidings the Sabbath proclaims is that God "is working until now," John 5:17, to restore this world to its original perfection. Christ declared this good news emphatically when healing on a Sabbath day a paralytic at the pool of Bethesda. He explained to those who charged Him of Sabbath-breaking, that God on the Sabbath ended His act of creation but not His action in general. In fact, Christ said, because of sin, God "is working until now," John 5:17, on the Sabbath to restore this world to its original perfection. Later, in another significant Sabbath pronouncement, Christ invites His followers to become participants in this divine restoration program, saying: "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work," John 9:4. On the Sabbath God not only reassures us that He is working for the restoration of this world, but He also invites us to participate in accomplishing His restoration in our lives and in the lives of others. In an age when the forces of chaos and disorder appear to prevail, when injustice, greed, violence, corruption, suffering and death seem to dominate, God through the Sabbath reassures us that we need not fear these destructive forces, because, as written in Hebrews 4:9, "there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God." God's people need not fear the threat of nuclear or population explosion because the Sabbath reassures us that God is still in control of this world, working out His ultimate purpose. The Sabbath tells us that God has conquered death at the cross and that now He is working to establish a new world where "from Sabbath to Sabbath all flesh shall come to worship before God," Isaiah 66:23. In that final Sabbath, as eloquently expressed by Augustine, "we shall rest and see, see and love, love and praise." Today we have been offered the opportunity to celebrate the good news of that eternal Sabbath by experiencing a foretaste of its peace, happiness and rest on each Sabbath. Is the Sabbath then good news or bad news? Is it a day of celebration or frustration? We have found in the Scriptures that the Sabbath expresses not just good news but God's best news to the human family. The glad tidings is that the Lord has created us perfectly, that He has redeemed us completely, that He loves us immensely and that He will restore us ultimately. Today is offered, to each of us, the opportunity to celebrate and to share joyfully the good news of the Sabbath -- the good news of life, peace and rest the Son of man offers us now and, in a greater measure, in the world to come. -- written by Samuele Bacchiocchiê Originally published as Study No. 9. Sabbath Facts Search the Scriptures, Can You Find One Text...[1] 1. That says the Sabbath (seventh day) was ever changed from the seventh to the first day of the week? 2. Where the first day of the week (Sunday) is ever called a holy day? 3. Where we are told to keep the first day of the week holy? 4. That says that Jesus ever kept the first day (Sunday)? 5. Where the first day is ever given any sacred name? 6. That tells us to keep the first day in honor of the resurrection of Christ? 7. That affirms that any of the apostles ever kept the first day as the Sabbath? 8. From any apostolic writings that authorizes Sunday observance as the Sabbath of God? 9. Where it says it was for the Church to observe, or to meet on, the first day of the week? 10. Where we are told not to work on the first day of the week? 11. Where any blessings are promised for observing Sunday? 12. Where any punishment is threatened for working on Sunday? 13. That says the seventh day is not now God's Sabbath day? 14. Where the apostles ever taught their converts to keep the first day of the week as a Sabbath? 15. That says the seventh-day Sabbath is ABOLISHED? 16. Where the first day is ever called the Lord's Day? 17. Where the first day was ever appointed to be kept as the Lord's Day? 18. That says that the Father or the Son (Jesus) rested on the first day of the week? 19. That says that the first day of the week was ever sanctified and hallowed as a day of rest? 20. That says that Jesus, Paul or any other of the apostles taught anyone to observe the first day of the week as the Sabbath? 21. That calls the seventh day the "Jewish Sabbath" or one text that calls Sunday the "Christian Sabbath"? 22. Authorizing anyone to set aside God's Sabbath and observe any other day? ________________________________________________________________ Sabbath and Sunday in Your Bible[2] What do the scriptures say about Sabbath and Sunday? Did the Creator bless the Sabbath? Yes! Genesis 2:3. Did He bless Sunday? No! Did He hallow the Sabbath? Yes! Exodus 20:11. Did He allow Sunday? No! Did He command the keeping of Sabbath? Yes! Exodus 20:8-11. Did He command the keeping of Sunday? No! Did He rest on the Sabbath? Yes! Exodus 20:11. Did He rest on Sunday? No! Did He call the Sabbath His Holy Day? Yes! Isaiah 58:13. Did He call Sunday His Holy Day? No! Does He offer great reward to you for keeping holy the Sabbath? Yes! Isaiah 58:13-14. Does He offer great reward for keeping holy Sunday? No! Will the Sabbath be kept in the New Earth? Yes! Isaiah 66:23. Will Sunday be kept in the New Earth? No! Should the saints pray about the Sabbath? Yes! Matthew 24:20. Should the saints pray about Sunday? No! Did holy women keep the Sabbath according to the commandments? Yes! Luke 23:56. Did holy women keep Sunday according to any commandment? No! Was it the Savior's custom to keep the Sabbath? Yes! Luke 4:16. Was it the Savior's custom to keep Sunday? No! Was it Paul's "manner" to worship on Sabbath? Yes! Acts 17:2. Was it Paul's "manner" to worship on Sunday? No! Were people punished by God for Sabbath breaking? Yes! Jeremiah 17:27. Were people punished by God for Sunday breaking? No! Will some evil power think to change Divine time? Yes! Daniel 7:25. Will the Almighty ever change? No! Malachi 3:6. Are those who keep the commandments of the Almighty blessed? Yes! Revelation 22:14. Are those who keep the traditions of men blessed? No! Matthew 15:3. Do scriptures say that the Law would NOT be abolished by Messiah? Yes! Matthew 5:17. Do they say that Messiah would abolish His laws? No! Are there six working days? Yes! Ezekiel 46:1. Is the Sabbath one of these working days? No! Exodus 20:8-11. Did Paul make tents on the six working days? Yes! Acts 18:3. Did Paul make tents on the Sabbath? No! Acts 18:4. Is the Sabbath a sign of our sanctification? Yes! Ezekiel 20:12. Is Sunday a sign of our sanctification? No! Does scripture say that the Savior is the Ruler, Master, Owner of the Sabbath? Yes! Mark 2:28. Do they say that the Savior is the Ruler or Master or Sunday? No! Is teaching for doctrines the commandments of men vain worship? Yes! Matthew 15:9. Is teaching for doctrines the commandments of the Almighty vain worship? No! Matthew 19:17. Are we not under the Law, but under Grace? Yes! Romans 6:14. Does Grace allow us to transgress the Law? No! Romans 6:15, 3:20. Does Faith establish the Law? Yes! Romans 3:31. Does Faith annul the Law? No! Did Jesus say that we should teach others to observe the Law? Yes! Matthew 5:19. Did He say that we should teach others to break the Law? No! To this day, Saturday is still named 'Sabbath' in the Greek language (Sabato) as well as in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and others! What are you personally going to do about it! ________________________________________________________________ 100 Bible Facts on the Sabbath and Sunday[3] WHY keep the Sabbath day? What is the object of the Sabbath? Who made it? When was it made, and for whom? Which day is the true Sabbath? Many keep the first day of the week, or Sunday. What Bible authority have they for this? Some keep the seventh day, or Saturday. What Scripture have they for that? Here are the facts about both days, as plainly stated in the Word of God: Sixty Bible Facts Concerning the Seventh Day 1. After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day, Genesis 2:1-3. 2. This stamped that day as God's rest day, or sabbath day, as Sabbath day means rest day. 3. Therefore the seventh day must always be God's Sabbath day. Can you change your birthday from the day on which you were born to one on which you were not born? No. Neither can you change God's rest day to a day on which He did not rest. Hence the seventh day is still God's Sabbath day. 4. The Creator blessed the seventh day. Genesis 2:3. 5. He sanctified the seventh day. Exodus 20:11. 6. He made it the Sabbath day in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:1-3. 7. It was made before man sinned; hence it is not a type; for types were not introduced until after man sinned. 8. Jesus says, it was made for man, Mark 2:27, that is, for mankind, hence for the Gentile as well as for the Jews. 9. It is a memorial of creation, Exodus 20:11, 31:17. Every time we rest upon the seventh day, as God did at creation, we commemorate that grand event. 10. It was given to Adam, the head of the human race, Mark 2:27, Genesis 2:1-3. 11. Hence through him, as our representative, to all nations, Acts 17:26. 12. It is not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2,300 years before there was ever a Jew. 13. The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God's holy rest day. 14. Evident reference is made to all Sabbaths and the seven-day week all through the patriarchal age, Genesis 2:1-3, 8:10, 12, 29:27, 28, etc. 15. It was a part of God's law before Sinai, Exodus 16:4, 27-29. 16. Then God placed it in the heart of His Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:1-17. Why did He place it there if it was not like the other nine precepts, which all admit to be immutable? 17. The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God, Deuteronomy 4:12, 13. 18. Then He wrote the commandment with His own finger, Exodus 31:18. 19. He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature, Deuteronomy 5:22. 20. It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the holy of holies, Deuteronomy 10:1-5. 21. God forbade work upon the Sabbath, even in the most hurrying times, Exodus 34:21. 22. God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath, Ezekiel 20:12, 13. 23. It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know him from false gods, Ezekiel 20:20. 24. God promised that Jerusalem should stand forever if the Jews would keep the Sabbath, Jeremiah 17:24, 25. 25. He sent them into the Babylonish captivity for breaking it, Nehemiah 13:18. 26. He destroyed Jerusalem for its violation, Jeremiah 17:27. 27. God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who will keep it, Isaiah 56:6, 7. 28. This is in the prophecy which refers wholly to the New Covenant period, see Isaiah 56. 29. God has promised to bless all who keep the Sabbath, Isaiah 56:2. 30. The Lord requires us to call it "honourable," Isaiah 58:13. Beware, ye who take delight in calling it the "old Jewish Sabbath," or "a yoke of bondage," etc. 31. After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down "many generations," it is to be restored in the last days, Isaiah 58:12, 13. 32. All the holy prophets kept the seventh day. 33. When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life on earth, Luke 4:16, John 15:10. Thus He followed His Father's example at creation. Shall we not be safe in following the example of both the Father and the Son? 34. The seventh day is the Lord's day. See Revelation 1:10, Mark 2:28, Isaiah 58:13, Exodus 20:10. 35. Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath, Mark 2:28, that is, to love and protect it, as the husband is the lord of the wife, to love and cherish her, I Peter 3:6. 36. He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man's good, Mark 2:23-28. 37. Instead of abolishing the Sabbath, He carefully taught how it should be observed, Matthew 12:1-13. 38. He taught His disciples that they should do nothing upon the Sabbath day but what was "lawful," Matthew 12:12. 39. He instructed His apostles that the Sabbath should be prayerfully regarded, Matthew 24:20. 40. The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day Sabbath when He was in the grave, Luke 23:56. 41. Thirty years after Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit expressly calls it "the sabbath day," Acts 13:14. 42. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it the "sabbath day" about A.D. 45, Acts 13:27. Did not Paul know? Or shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ? 43. Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62, calls it the "sabbath day," Acts 13:44. 44. The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath, Acts 13:42. 45. In the great Christian council, A.D. 49, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James calls it the "sabbath day," Acts 15:21. 46. It was customary to hold prayer meetings upon that day, Acts 16:13. 47. Paul read the Scriptures in public meetings on that day, Acts 17:2, 3. 48. It was his custom to preach upon that day, Acts 17:2, 3. 49. The Book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day. See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2, 3. 50. There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day. This is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that the Jews did. 51. In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day. Why did they not, if he did not keep it? 52. But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended anything at all," Acts 25:8. How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath? 53. The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament fifty-nine or sixty times, and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, "the sabbath day." 54. Not a word is said anywhere in the New Testament about the Sabbath's being abolished, done away, changed, or anything of the kind. 55. God has never given permission to any man to work upon it. By what authority does anyone use the seventh day for common labor? 56. No Christian of the New Testament, either before or after the resurrection, ever did ordinary work upon the seventh day. Why should modern Christians do differently from Bible Christians? 57. There is no record that God has ever removed His blessing or sanctification from the seventh day. 58. As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before Adam and Eve sinned, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the resurrection, Isaiah 66:22, 23. 59. The seventh day Sabbath was an important part of the law of God, as it came from His own mouth, and was written by His own finger upon stone at Sinai, Exodus 20. When Jesus began His work, He expressly declared that He had not come to destroy the law. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets," Matthew 5:17. 60. Jesus severely condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites for pretending to love God, while at the same time they made void one of the Ten Commandments by their tradition. The keeping of Sunday is only a tradition of men. Forty Bible Facts Concerning the First Day of the Week 1. The very first thing recorded in the Bible is work done on Sunday, the first day of the week, Genesis 1:1-5. This was done by the Creator Himself. If God made the earth on Sunday, can it be wicked for us to work on Sunday? 2. God commands men to work upon the first day of the week, Exodus 20:8-11. Is it wrong to obey God? 3.None of the patriarchs ever kept it. 4. None of the holy prophets ever kept it. 5. By the express command of god, His holy people used the first day of the week as a common working day for at least 4,000 years. 6. God Himself calls it a "working" day, Ezekiel 46:1. 7.God did not rest upon it. 8.He never blessed it. 9.Christ did not rest upon it. 10. Jesus was a carpenter, Mark 6:3, and worked at His trade until He was thirty years old. He kept the Sabbath and worked six days in the week, as all admit. Hence He did many a hard day's work on Sunday. 11. The apostles worked upon it during the same time. 12.The apostles never rested upon it. 13.Christ never blessed it. 14. It has never been blessed by any divine authority. 15. It has never been sanctified. 16. No law was ever given to enforce the keeping of it, hence it is no transgression to work upon it. "Where no law is, there is no transgression," Romans 4:15. See also I John 3:4. 17. The New Testament nowhere forbids work to be done on it. 18. No penalty is provided for its violation. 19. No blessing is promised for its observance. 20. No regulation is given as to how it ought to be observed. Would this be so if the Lord wished us to keep it? 21. In the Bible, it is never called the Christian Sabbath. 22. It is never called the Sabbath day at all. 23.It is never called the Lord's Day. 24.It is never called even a rest day. 25. No sacred title whatever is applied to it. Then why should we call it holy? 26. It is simply called "first day of the week." 27. Jesus never mentioned it in any way, never took its name upon His lips, so far as the Bible record shows. 28. The word Sunday never occurs in the Bible at all. 29. Neither God, Christ, nor inspired men ever said one word in favor of Sunday as a holy day. 30. The first day of the week is mentioned only eight times in all the New Testament, Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2. 31. Six of these texts refer to the same first day of the week. 32. Paul directed the saints to look over their secular affairs on that day, I Corinthians 16:2. 33. In all the New Testament we have a record of only one religious meeting held upon that day, and even this was a night meeting, Acts 20:5-12. 34. There is not an intimation that they ever held a meeting upon it before or after that. 35. It was not their custom to meet on that day. 36. There was no requirement to break bread on that day. 37. We have an account of only one instance in which it was done, Acts 20:7. 38. That was done in the night, after midnight, verses 7-11. 39. The Bible nowhere says that the first day of the week commemorates the resurrection of Christ. This is a tradition of men, which contradicts the law of God, Matthew 15:1-9. Baptism commemorates the burial and resurrection of Jesus, Romans 6:3-5. 40. The New Testament is totally silent with regard to any change of the Sabbath day or any sacredness for the first day. ___________________________________________________________________________ Can You Find . . . ?[4] Can you find one scripture . . . . Telling man to keep the first day of the week holy or to worship or rest on the first day of the week? Showing any of the apostles keeping the first day of the week as the Sabbath? Declaring that the seventh day is no longer the Eternal's Sabbath day? That calls the seventh day the "Jewish" sabbath or one that calls the first day the "Christian" sabbath? Calling the first day a holy day? That says the Sabbath was changed from the seventh to the first day of the week? That says the Sabbath has been done away? That tells us to keep the first day in honor of the resurrection of the Savior? Authorizing someone to set aside the Fourth Commandment and observe any other day of the week? Promising blessings for observing Sunday as the Sabbath? Where an apostle taught us to keep the first day of the week as the Sabbath? Where punishment or cursing is threatened for not observing Sunday? Where Sunday is now appointed to be kept as the New Testament Sabbath or holy day? All of these facts point conclusively to the fact that the Bible Sabbath should still be kept today. ________________________________________________________________ The Sabbath Has Never Been Lost[5] 4004 B.C. Genesis 2:1-3: God hallowed. 1950 B.C. Genesis 26:5: Abraham kept. 1491 B.C.Exodus 16:25, 26, 28: Israel kept law and the Sabbath. 1491 B.C.Exodus 20:8-11: God gave from Sinai. 1491 B.C.Exodus 31:13-17: A perpetual covenant. 1451 B.C.Deuteronomy 5:12-15: To Israel beyond the Jordan. 1042 B.C.Psalm 92 (title): "A . . . song for the sabbath." 1004 B.C.II Chronicles 8:13, 14: In Solomon's day. 712 B.C.Isaiah 56:1-8, The Sabbath -- a blessing! 594 B.C.Ezekiel 20:11-13, 19, 20: God displeased because Sabbath was broken. 445 B.C.Nehemiah 13:15-20, The governor commands Sabbath to be observed! A.D. 26Luke 23:56, After Jesus died on the cross. A.D. 53 Acts 17:2, Paul's custom. A.D. 64Hebrews 4:9-10, (See R.S.V. and Lamsa version). A.D. 90I John 2:3-5, (The fourth commandment also). A.D. 96Revelation 14:12: (Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments). Future: Isaiah 66:22, 23, To be observed in the new earth. This means that the people of God knew when the Sabbath was for 4,100 years, although during this time most people could not read. How could we (in the twentieth century) fail to know what day the Sabbath is? The first of the week is mentioned only eight times in the New Testament. The Sabbath is mentioned about 59 times. ________________________________________________________________ Reasons Why The Seventh-Day Sabbath Should Be Observed The question is frequently asked, "Why do some people observe a day of rest on Saturday instead of Sunday?" The most casual reader of the Scriptures will not find Saturday or Sunday mentioned by those names in the Bible. Actually, these two days of the Roman Calendar are referred to in the Bible as the Sabbath and as the first day of the week. The Bible says, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God . . . " (Exodus 20:8-10). This verse identifies the seventh day of the week as the sabbath. The seventh day of the week, or the day just preceding the first day of the week, is commonly referred to as the Sabbath in the Bible. In Matthew 28:1, the Sabbath is clearly identified as the day which falls before the first day of the week. The verse says, "In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week . . . ." On our calendar Saturday is the seventh day of the week. Many people attend church services on that day because they believe Saturday is the Bible Sabbath and should yet be observed. There are many reasons why the Sabbath should be observed. Here is a list of some of those reasons: 1. God made the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3). 2. God rested from His labors on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). 3. The Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27). 4. God blessed the seventh day and named it Sabbath (Exodus 20:10, 11). 5. God blessed the seventh day because on it He rested from the work of creation (Genesis 2:2; Exodus 20:11). 6. God not only blessed the seventh day, but He also sanctified it (Genesis 2:3). 7. There is no record in all the Scriptures that God ever removed His blessing from the Sabbath and placed it upon another day of the week. 8. God's people kept the Sabbath before the Ten Commandments were given on Mount Sinai (Exodus 16:22-26). 9. God ordained that man should keep the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8; Hebrews 4:3, 4). 10. God forbade work on the Sabbath day even in harvest time (Exodus 34:21). 11. God promised the Gentiles (strangers) a blessing if they joined His people and kept the Sabbath (Isaiah 56:6,7). 12. God promised to bless any man who keeps the Sabbath (Isaiah 56:2). 13. Nowhere in the Bible do we find a command to keep any other day in place of the seventh-day Sabbath. 14. God called the Sabbath His holy day (Isaiah 58:13). 15. The Sabbath is a sign between God and His people (Exodus 31:17). 16. The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments which God gave unto His people to observe (Exodus 20:8-11). 17. Jesus kept the Sabbath during His ministry on earth (Luke 4:16). 18. Christ is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; and Matthew 12:8). 19. Christ recognized the Sabbath law as binding (Matthew 12:12; 5:17,18). 20. Christ kept His Father's commandments which included the seventh-day Sabbath (John 8:12). 21. The Sabbath was observed at the time of the crucifixion (Luke 23:56). 22. By inspiration, the writer of the book of Acts speaks of the observance of Sabbath after the cross (Acts 17:2). 23. Paul recognized the Sabbath after his conversion, about 45 A.D. (Acts 13:27). 24. Gentiles asked Paul to preach to them on the seventh-day Sabbath (Acts 13:42). 25. Paul held a city-wide gospel meeting on the seventh-day Sabbath (Acts 13:44). 26. Paul attended prayer meeting on the Sabbath day by the river side, when no synagogue was available (Acts 16:13). 27. It was Paul's custom to preach Christ on the seventh-day Sabbath (Acts 17:2, 3). 28. At Corinth, Paul preached every Sabbath for eighteen months (Acts 18:1-4, 11). 29. James recognized the seventh-day Sabbath many years after Christ (Acts 15:21). 30. The seventh-day Sabbath will be kept during the time of the millennium (Isaiah 66:23). 31. No other day is given by Christ but the seventh-day Sabbath to be observed as an holy day (Hebrews 4:4). 32. The sanctity of the seventh day was never changed to the first day of the week, neither by the resurrection of Christ nor otherwise. Christ rose "IN THE END of the Sabbath" (Matthew 28:1-6). 33. Christ made it obligatory for us to keep all Ten Commandments in order to obtain eternal life (Matthew 19:17; Revelation 22:14). 34. The seventh-day Sabbath remains the day of rest for God's people (Hebrews 4:9). 35. There is no indication in all the Scriptures that the first day of the week, known as Sunday, is to be observed as a day of rest or a day of worship. The Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath were a part of creation and existed before the time the tables of stone were given on Mount Sinai (Exodus 16:23, 29). God desires the worship of His people, and it is reasonable to say that He gave the Sabbath at creation for the good of mankind, that they might enjoy blessed fellowship on His holy day. Jesus referred to the Sabbath in that way when He said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27, 28). In the book of Genesis, God's will for man is evident, and while the Ten Commandments were not recorded on tables of stone, we find they were recorded (Exodus 16:28). God instructed the patriarchs of old what was required of them. It is said of Abraham: "Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws" (Genesis 26:5). The tables of stone were given to Moses on Mount Sinai six hundred and fifteen years after Abraham kept the commandments, statutes, and laws of God, thus they had to be in existence before Mount Sinai. If the commandments had not been in existence, it is doubtful that God would have punished Cain for killing Abel. If Cain had no knowledge that it was wrong to kill (Genesis 4:8), he would not have been punished. Thou shalt not kill is the sixth of the Ten Commandments. James tells us if we break one of the commandments, we are guilty of breaking all of them. He writes, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law" (James 2:10, 11). The same principle holds true with all the commandments. If we do not steal, yet if we dishonor our parents, we become transgressors of the law. If we do not kill, yet if we break the seventh-day Sabbath and do not observe it as an holy day unto the Lord, we become a transgressor of the whole law. Honor God and keep His commandments, and be among those of whom it is said, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12), and you shall inherit eternal life. ________________________________________________________________ The Ten Commandments -- As Found in the Old and New Testaments The New Testament restates each of the Ten Commandments, either in exact words or in words conveying the same meaning. These inspired writers understood that the law given on Mt. Sinai and "written with the finger of God" (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10) was not abrogated or abolished at the time Christ died on the cross. Following are the Ten Commandments as recorded in Exodus 20:3-17 with the New Testament version (or equivalent) of each one printed immediately afterward. A comparison will reveal that the entire Decalogue has been carried over into the New Testament after the cross and, that it was intended to be in force during the new dispensation, which includes the present time and until Christ returns to establish His eternal Kingdom. I Old: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." New: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:10; I Corinthians 8:6). II Old: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." New: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device" (I John 5:21; Acts 17:29). III Old: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." New: " . . . that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed" (I Timothy 6:1). IV Old: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: 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: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." New: " . . . The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." "For he spake in certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works." "For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth . . . " (Mark 2:27-28; Hebrews 4:4,10; Colossians 1:16). V Old: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord giveth thee." New: "Honour thy father and thy mother . . . " (Matthew 19:19). VI Old: "Thou shalt not kill." New: "Thou shalt not kill . . . " (Romans 13:9). VII Old: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." New: "Thou shalt not commit adultery . . . " (Romans 13:9). VIII Old: "Thou shalt not steal." New: "Thou shalt not steal . . . " (Romans 13:9). IX Old: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." New: "Thou shalt not bear false witness . . . " (Romans 13:9). X Old: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." New: " . . . Thou shalt not covet" (Romans 7:7). Facts You Should Know Concerning the Ten Commandments While it is true that we are saved by grace through faith, it is very evident that something besides grace is necessary, for James said: "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20), and " . . . faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6) obeys Jesus in that Jesus stated: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). The Author and Finisher of our faith (Jesus) plainly said: " . . . if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17). ENDNOTES Jubilee and the Sabbath Year Not only is there a weekly Sabbath, there is an annual Sabbath every seven years, and every fifty years there is a Jubilee Sabbath. Let us take a ook at the Jubilee and Sabbatical Years. Land Sabbath Law Similar to the Weekly Sabbath In Exodus 23:10-12, we are told that the purpose of the seventh year is so that the poor and the animals shall eat. This applies also to the vineyard and olive trees. The law has no limit to a specific time or a specific land. It is not limited to Palestine. The Land Sabbath Law would be in force along with the weekly Sabbath. Fruit Trees Have Slightly Different Statutes Leviticus 19:23-25 shows that the first three year's fruit shall be considered "uncircumcised," and not eaten. The fruit of the fourth year is all holy to the Eternal. You may eat the fruit in the fifth year. The Land Must Keep a Sabbath Leviticus 25:1-7 describes the Land Sabbath. Sowing is not permitted in the seventh year, neither is pruning of the vineyard. You cannot reap nor gather to store up that which grows of itself. Yet you can consume fresh anything that grows of itself for the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you, your servants, the stranger and the beasts and cattle. It is a year of rest for the land (not for you). If we observe the seventh year, God promises we will dwell in the land safely, and have plenty of food to eat, Leviticus 25:18-19. God promises a blessing in the sixth year, Leviticus 25:20-22. Seventh Year Also Called "Year of Release" In Deuteronomy 15:1-18, the seventh year is called the LORD'S release, and all debts are to be forgiven. The reason for this law is to relieve the poor. Exodus 21:1-6 describes how Hebrew servants were to be released in the seventh year, unless they voluntarily desired to be lifelong servants. Deuteronomy 31:9-13 says that the Law is to be read at the end of the seventh year, at the Feast of Tabernacles. This would ensure that former debtors and servants were properly taught God's Law so they might not have to become poor again. The Fiftieth Year is the Jubilee Leviticus 25:8-55 describes the fiftieth, or Jubilee, year. "Jubilee" means "liberty." God owns the land, and in the Jubilee, He wants the return of every man to his possession. The land must be redeemed. Men must be returned to their land, their family. Beginning on the Day of Atonement with the sound of a trumpet, the Jubilee is a "holy" year, verse 12. Leviticus 27:14-34 describes the redemption of gifts and tithes, which are calculated based on the number of years to Jubilee. Numbers 36:1-9 says that the purpose of Jubilee is to keep the inheritances separate, preventing dispossession. Ezekiel 46:16-18 states that even the prince of Israel is not to dispossess people of their inheritance. Gifts from the prince shall revert back to the family of the prince at the year of liberty. Why Did Israel Go Into Captivity? Leviticus 26:23-24, 32-35, 43 tell us plainly that one of the main reasons Israel went into captivity was for not letting the land rest. Jeremiah 34:8-17 informs us that because Israel reneged and did not free their Hebrew servants, God would proclaim "liberty" unto these cruel taskmasters to the sword, pestilence, famine and captivity. II Chronicles 36:14-21 describes how Judah mocked God's prophets and so were carried away captive to Babylon, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths. Israel rested seventy years before the Jews returned from captivity. The Ministry of Jesus Christ and Jubilee Isaiah 61:1-11 compares the Millennium with the Sabbatical or Jubilee years. See also Isaiah 58:6. In Luke 4:16-21, the Savior began His ministry by preaching a "Jubilee" message. Although some have erroneously said that this sermon was on Pentecost as claimed by proponents of the "Sabbaton Theory," the Jubilee message, and not a Pentecost message, was clearly given. Since Jubilee began on the Day of Atonement, it is most likely the Sabbath on which this message was given, was Atonement, and not Pentecost. True liberty can only be had by accepting our Savior as Master and Lord. Since it is likely that Jesus gave this sermon in A.D. 27 some have concluded thereby that A.D. 27 was a Jubilee year. A Sign of Modern Israel Cast in the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is a part of the Jubilee call: " . . . Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." On July 8th, 1776, the bell rang out summoning the people to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence. Our nation did not obey the Law of Jubilee, and about fifty years after the War of Independence, the bell cracked and has not been rung since! Periodic depressions have occurred about every fifty years -- from The Digest of Divine Law, pages 109-110. Josephus Mentions Sabbatical Year and Jubilee In Josephus' book, Antiquities of the Jews, 3:12:3, he describes Biblical laws relative to the Sabbatical year and Jubilee. Antiochus besieged Judas Maccabeus and the Temple during a Sabbatical year, 12:9:5. During the war between Ptolomy and Hyercanus, it was a sabbatical year, 13:8:1. Taxes were not paid to Caesar during the seventh year, 14:10:6. In 15:1:2, Josephus says when Herod the Great plundered the wealthy and even robbed the dead for silver and gold to give to Anthony, that it was a Sabbatical year. In the thirteenth year of Herod the Great, there was a great famine and pestilence (15:9:1). In Whiston's footnotes to Josephus, he says this famine was worse than the famine of the days of Ahab, and even worse than the days of Jacob, and that this was a Sabbatical or Jubilee year. Meaning of Sabbatical and Jubilee Year The significance of the Sabbatical and Jubilee year is not limited to the rest of the land and rejuvenation of the soil. It is to remind us, as does the weekly Sabbath, that the Eternal is the Creator. Just as it took faith for Israelites not to farm on the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, so today it takes faith to trust Him for sustenance. Man is not the sole owner of the soil, and he does not hold property in perpetuity but only under the Almighty's trust, Leviticus 25:23. We own nothing by inherent right, for like the children of Israel, we were slaves in spiritual "Egypt," Deuteronomy 15:15. Out of gratitude to the Eternal for our liberation, we must extend liberty to our debtors and servants. The word translated "release" in Deuteronomy 15:1 can also mean "dropping." The seventh year is a year of dropping, or cancellation, of debts. What better time than the seventh year to settle old scores with people, to "bury the hatchet." We were on spiritual death row, waiting for execution in the lake of fire. Then, the Almighty in His great mercy, called us and forgave us. Through His Son the Messiah, all charges were dropped against us. This should be a cause for rejoicing. If our nation observed the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, it would be tremendously blessed, instead of cursed like it is now. There would be no crushing debt nor an imbalance of the very rich and the very poor. Land values would be relatively stable, and inflation and depressions would not occur. The Law of God would be taught in detail every seventh year, which would result in good government and prosperity. But we will have to wait for the millennium for the good results of national obedience to the Almighty's laws. When Is the Jubilee Year? According to William Whiston's footnotes to Josephus, 24 B.C. was a Sabbatical year, and 23 B.C. was a Jubilee year. This would mean that A.D. 27 was a Sabbatical year, and A.D. 28 was a Jubilee year. If this is true, then 1977 was a Sabbatical year and 1978 a Jubilee year. Sabbatical years would occur in 1985, 1992, 1999, 2006, 2013, 2020 and 2027, with the next Jubilee in 2028. The Jews today are in confusion as to Sabbatical years and Jubilee years. True fifty-year Jubilee years were only counted during Temple times. Some Jews believe that every 15th and 65th years of the world era are Jubilee years. Thus, 1955 and 2005 would be Jubilee years. And 1976 and 1983 would have been Sabbatical years. The year A.D. 1979 equals 5739 A.M. (anno mundi, year of the world, Jewish year computation) or 3,760 years difference. However, Sabbatical years are counted from 3829 A.M. on, the year of the destruction of the Second Temple which was a Sabbatical year (A.D. 69). Whiston's schedule would have A.D. 70 as a Sabbatical year. This means that the Jewish shemittah is every seventh year, without a separate 50th year. The year 1980 would be a seventh year (5740 divides evenly by 7). Why are the Jews confused? Because they did not obey God. They admit that when the First Temple stood, full fifty-year cycles were used. The next year after the Jubilee was the first year of the next fifty-year cycle of seven seven-year cycles. Because the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh were exiled, tradition says, the Jubilee was no longer in effect, because it was for " . . . all the inhabitants thereof," Leviticus 25:10. The Jubilees were not properly calculated, and a 49-year cycle was instituted where the "Jubilee" year was also the beginning year of the next seven year cycle. Jubilee is counted by the Jews exactly as they count Pentecost. Hence, Jews observe Sivan 6 as Pentecost (see Encyclopedia Judaica, article "Sabbatical Year and Jubilee," pages 579-580). Around 153-105 B.C., an apocryphal book, the Book of Jubilees, was written. It divides the history of the world into "Jubilees" of 49-year periods, seven weeks of years. The biblical idea of the Jubilee year, the 50th year following the seven weeks of years (Leviticus 25:8-12) is ignored. Thus, the Jews accepted this erroneous idea and are confused as to the true Jubilee. As the Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1962), article "Jubilee, Year of," admits, the so-called Book of Jubilees completely disregards the original and true Jubilee Year: . . . in the official count of Sabbatical Years in the Maccabean and post-Maccabean periods the Jubilee Year was omitted entirely and the Sabbatical Years followed each other in uninterrupted succession every seven years. Moreover, certain later, rabbinic authorities likewise reckoned a Jubilee period as of only forty-nine years, although a majority adhered, quite naturally, to the biblical reckoning of the period as of fifty years. Jews began to believe that the Law of Jubilee did not apply to them, because the land of Israel was not fully occupied by them. Today, Rabbis have relaxed the Sabbatical year because of "economic hardship." Land is "sold" to Moslems, and leased back. It is observed only ceremonially, not in reality, in order to perpetuate the memory of the Sabbatical year. Yet Jews believe the Son of David will come on the last Jubilee. "The precept of the Jubilee is often regarded as one of the basic precepts of the Torah! There are seven basic precepts: offerings, tithes, shemittot, Jubilees, circumcision, honor of father and mother, and study of the Torah (Judaica, page 582)." An article written by an unknown Radio Church of God author in the 1950's agrees with the Jewish concept, that Jubilee years cannot be kept, because upon the Jews' return from captivity, there was no divinely appointed inheritance. Jews were living on land of other tribes which never returned from captivity. The article states that Jeremiah 34:1, 8-16, shows that October 586 B.C. to October 585 was a Sabbatical year. The author states that the seven-year cycles were observed after the return, with no intervening 50th Jubilee year. The year A.D. 69 was said to be a seventh year. And 1952, 1959, 1966, 1973, 1980, 1987, 1994 and 2001 were thought to be Sabbatical years. You can examine various sources, and see that there are different ideas of when the Sabbatical and Jubilee years occur. The third tithe year depends upon the seven year cycle, Deuteronomy 14:28-29. The Church's administration, or more properly, adaptation, of the third tithe law is pragmatic, not Biblical. They said that since we cannot determine when the Biblical Sabbatical year occurs, then each member was to figure his seven-year cycles from the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Unleavened Bread) nearest his baptism. The third and sixth years in each seven-year cycle would be third tithe years. I was baptized in March of 1969, and figure my seven-year cycles from the Feast of Tabernacles of 1968. For me, then, the years (beginning at the Feast of Tabernacles) of 1974, 1981, 1988, 1995, and 2002 would be Sabbatical years. A person baptized at some other time would have a different seven-year cycle. In the early 1970s, the Worldwide Church of God excused most people from paying third tithe, saying that their taxes paid for government welfare programs which are intended to alleviate the poor. Likewise, in 1973, the Worldwide Church of God issued a policy on Land Sabbath, stating that it is only a principle. Their new teaching is that the Land Sabbath is not a binding law for which the transgression is sin. Thus, they acceded to the Jewish idea of watering down the Land Sabbath. Jewish Rabbis have abrogated the land rest law. Worldwide Church leaders have loosed members from obeying this law. When is the Jubilee year? When is the Sabbatical year? The issue is of major importance. Israel went into captivity for not obeying this law. This is a major area Herbert W. Armstrong never understood. Neither do we understand when we are to begin the Jubilee count. If God will send modern Israel into captivity for the same reason as ancient Israel, knowledge must be increased, and Israel must be warned, Amos 3:7, Daniel 12:4, John 7:17. We look forward to the time when we will understand, and witness the fulfillment, of the Land Sabbath and Jubilee year.ê Originally published as Study No. 40. Beware of Modern Paganism Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except that man of sin be revealed (exposed)," II Thessalonians 2:3. "Every plant which my heavenly Father had not planted, shall be rooted up," Matthew 15:13. 1. Tell me, Lord, do you have a special day of rest for your followers or is every day alike? "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day," Revelation 1:1. The "Lord's day" in this verse does not refer to a day of worship, but "the day of the Lord" the return of the Messiah to the earth. This day is called "the day of Christ," II Thessalonians 2:2, "his day," Luke 17:24. "The day of the Lord" will come as a thief in the night," I Thessalonians 5:2 and II Peter 3:10. It will be "the day," when every man's work will be revealed (judged), I Corinthians 3:13. That day is approaching and we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, Hebrews 10:25. 2 .Does it make any difference which day we assemble ourselves to worship you, Lord? Which day is the Lord's Day of worship? Which day are you Lord of? Is there a commanded day of worship? "The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day," Matthew 12:8. 3. There are seven days in the week, which day is the Sabbath day? "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God . . . ." This is the fourth commandment, Exodus 20:10. 4. Which day according to our reckoning is the seventh day, Saturday or Sunday? "And when the Sabbath was past Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James . . . very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun . . . . And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man . . . . And he saith unto them, be not affrighted: He is risen," Mark 16:1-6. 5. But Lord didn't you abolish the law which contains the Sabbath commandment? "Do not suppose that, I have come to do away with the law or the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to enforce them," Matthew 5:17. (Goodspeed translation) 6. Well, at least, didn't you change the fourth commandment so that today your followers may keep another day? "I tell you, as long as heaven and earth endure, not one dotting of an `i' or crossing of a `t' will be dropped from the law until it is all observed," Matthew 5:18 (Goodspeed translation) 7. But Lord isn't Saturday Jewish? Isn't the Seventh day the Sabbath of the Jews? "The Sabbath was made for man," Mark 2:27. The Sabbath was made and given to man 2,500 years before the existence of a Jew. See Genesis 2:1-3. 8. Some preachers told us that after your Crucifixion, your followers no longer kept the seventh day Sabbath according to the commandment. Is this True? "And that day was the preparation (day) 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 23:54-56. 9. Will the Sabbath continue to be in force and practicable till the last days tribulation which will usher in Christ and His Kingdom on earth? "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter neither on the sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even into the west; so shall also the coming of the son of man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from four winds, from one end of heaven to the other," Matthew 24:20-31. NOTE: The Sabbath continues to be strict to the end time when tribulation will begin. By this, Jesus warns us that temptation will not be an excuse for breaking the Sabbath in that he had told us to pray that we be not tempted to break it. If the Sabbath had been done away with after His death, He would not have warned us to pray that our tribulation begin not on the Sabbath. 10. But didn't the Apostle Paul always meet with the early Christians on Sunday in honor of your Resurrection? "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures," Acts 17:2. 10a. Perhaps he met with the Jews on the Sabbath, and Gentiles on Sunday. What about that? "And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and Greeks," Acts 18:4. See also Acts 13:42,44. 11. What did Paul teach in regard to Sabbath keeping? "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way nailing it to his cross; . . . let not man therefore judge you in meat or in drink [margin: for eating and drinking] or in respect of an holyday, or of the moon, or of the Sabbath days . . . which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ," Colossians 2:14-17. 11a. Under the Old Testament, meat and drink offerings were eaten on these days. They pointed to the body of Christ. (Jesus said unto them) "my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed," John 6:55. 11b. Where were meat and drink offering demanded by law? On Sabbaths, new moons, and festival periods? Numbers 28:1-8 shows two lambs as meat offering and a quart of wine for drink offering in respect of a daily sacrifice. Then, there were two lambs as meat offering in respect of every Sabbath day, verses 9-10. Also two cows, one ram, seven lambs for meat offering and one and one half gallons of wine as drink offering in respect of New Moon, verses 11-15. Numbers 28:16, through 29:40 deals with meat and drink offerings in respect of annual festival Sabbaths. 12. How did some of the Kings of Israel handle this? "(Hezekiah) from his own flocks and herds he provided animals for the burnt offering each morning and evening, and for those offered on the Sabbath, at the New moon festivals, and at the other festival which are required by the law of the Lord," II Chronicles 31:3 (Good News Bible translation). "Solomon offered burnt offerings . . . on the altar of the Lord . . . . Even after a certain rate as everyday offering, . . . on the Sabbaths, and on the New Moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and in the feast of Tabernacles," II Chronicles 8:12-13. NOTE: New Testament believers do not offer burnt offerings on these days because the sacrificial offerings were fulfilled in Christ. However, they do have enjoyable festival meals, in moderation. Some will criticize believers for their eating and drinking on Sabbaths, feast days and New Moons, saying "touch not, taste not, handle not," Colossians 2:21. In departing from the true Sabbath observed by the early church of the original apostles, the apostates who became Catholics made the weekly Sabbath into a fast day. In other words, Colossians 2:14-17 says to let no man judge you regarding eating and drinking on these appointed days: Holy Days, Sabbaths and New Moons. Don't listen to what men say, listen to the body of Christ -- the church. The Colossians were not offering burnt offerings, yet they were criticized for observing the Sabbaths and Holy Days of God. This is positive proof that these sacred times are still to be observed. 12a. Where then is Christ's body the fulfillment of these? "For the law having a shadow of good things to come . . . . For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me," Hebrews 10:1-5. 12b. Hence the sacrifices have been done away. Are the days attached to them also done away with? "Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin . . . . Let us hold fast the profession of our faith . . . . Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together . . . as ye see the day [of the Lord] approaching," Hebrews 10:18, 23, 25. 13. Why then do so many people keep Sunday instead of Saturday? If the Bible teaches Sabbath Keeping, how and by whom was Sunday Keeping started? "And he [the `little horn' power, the Beast with 666] shall speak great words against the most High . . . and think to change their religious laws and festivals," Daniel 7:25 (Goodnews Bible). The Roman Catholic Church is the little horn, the Beast with 666, (Ask for our tract, Worship Not the Beast With 666. We will be happy to send you one.) Does the Catholic Church think it has the power to change the laws of God? "Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her; She could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week a change for which there is no Scriptural authority," Stephen Keanan, a Roman Catholic Priest, in Doctrinal Catechism page 174. 13a. From the Roman Catholic Igbo Catechism page 7 question 15. We have these questions and answers: What is a sacred tradition of the Church? Answer: It is such a tradition that was not found written in the Bible, and it goes on from one hand to another and reached us. Question 17 asks: Give us an example of such a tradition. Answer: Some of the traditions are as follows (1) infant baptism, (2) keeping of Sunday holy instead of the Sabbath days. 14. When was this change made? "We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church in the Council of Laodicea (364 A.D.) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday," Peter G. Irman, The Converts Catechism, page 50. This Catechism was blessed by the Pope on January, 25th 1910. At your request we will be happy to send to you our tract titled Worship Not the Beast with 666. 15. Do Protestant Ministers and even the government agree with this? CONGREGATIONIST: "It is quite clear that however rigidly or devotedly we may spend Sunday, we are not keeping the sabbath," Dr. R.W. Dale, The Ten Commandments, page 106. METHODIST: "Sabbath in the Hebrew language signifies rest and on the seventh day of the week . . . and it must be confessed that there is no law in the New Testament concerning the first day," Buck's Theological Dictionary. BAPTIST: "There was and is a command to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. It will however be readily said, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week . . . . Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament. Absolutely not . . . . Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history . . . . But what a pity that it comes branded with the mark of Paganism, and christened with the name of the sun-god, then adopted and sanctified by the Papal apostasy and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism," Dr. E.T. Hiscox, Baptist Manual. BISHOP OF OWERRI, Bishop B.C. Nwankiti: "This sad time [persecution] was changed by Constantine (312-337) who was made emperor . . . . His Edict of Toleration in 313 enabled any one . . . to worship how he liked . . . it was one of the turning points in the history of the world. Sunday became a day of rest throughout the empire," A Short History of the Christian Church, page 15, by Nwankiti. THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT: "Constantine is remembered for another reason. He was the first Roman Emperor to become a Christian . . . . At first, the day set aside for Christian worship had been Saturday. Constantine changed it to Sunday," Page 146 of the History course for junior secondary schools in Nigeria book one by J. E. ADETORO. NOTE: The Nigerian Government upheld this to be truth and that it must be taught to her children. PRESENT DAY CHURCH LEADERS, PASTORS, EVANGELISTS, BISHOPS ETC. confirm that it is true that Saturday is the true Sabbath day. Why don't they keep it? "But I will be put out of a job by my superior officer if I teach the truth to the flock," some say. "I will lose my converts if I teach the Sabbath," others conclude. No wonder God said in Ezekiel 22:26-27 that her leaders hid their eyes from His sabbaths that they may make dishonest gain out of the flock or make money out of the flock. In verse 28, the Bible says they teach falsehood (like Sunday keeping) saying thus says the Lord when the Lord had not spoken. In Micah 3:11 the Bible says again they preach for hire and teach for money. You will be foolish if you allow them to make business out of you, at the same time teaching nothing but an error. 16. What difference does it make; which day I keep? A day is a day, isn't it? "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness," Romans 6:16. NOTE: You either obey the Lord by keeping his Sabbath, or obey the Beast with 666 by keeping his Sunday. Choose ye this day whom ye will obey, Joshua 24:15. 17. Then what shall I do, obey the Sabbath of the Lord's commandment or keep the Sunday of man? "We ought to obey God rather than man," Acts 5:29. 18. Well Lord, what do you think of Sunday keeping? "Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition . . . . But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men," Matthew 15:6,9. 19. But surely the millions of people who keep Sunday can't be wrong, can they? "Enter ye in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat: because straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it," Matthew 7:13, 14. Only a few obeyed God in the days of Noah, in the days of Lot, in the days of Christ. The majority did not obey. "For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without the law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified," Romans 2:11-13. 20. But Dr. So-and-so is a very wise man and a great man of God. Why doesn't he and all other great preachers keep the Sabbath? "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise: and . . . the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty," I Corinthians 1:26, 27. NOTE: The great Religious teachers in Christ's day rejected the truth also. His followers were of the common people. 21. But I have accepted Jesus. He has accepted me and I have been keeping Sunday. Surely I would not be lost if I did not keep the Sabbath now, WOULD I? "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent," Acts 17:30. 22. I know you, Lord, you wouldn't condemn me for breaking the Sabbath (Saturday) would you? "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him," I John 2:4. 23. But isn't it sufficient that I love the Lord and live by the law of love? "If ye love me keep my commandments," John 14:15. 24. Does that mean all ten of them? "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all," James 2:10. 25. Well I think that if we try to follow Jesus, that is all that is necessary. Isn't that right? "He that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked," I John 2:6. 26. Lord, what was your custom regarding the Sabbath (Saturday)? "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 [Saturday] and stood up for to read," Luke 4:16. 27. But, Lord that was over 1,900 years ago. Wouldn't you keep some other day than Saturday if you should come to earth today? "For I am the Lord, I change not," Malachi 3:6. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever," Hebrews 13:8. 28. Does my salvation depend upon my obedience to your commandments? "And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him," Hebrews 5:9. We are saved by grace to obey his law, I Corinthians 10:1-12. 28a. Is it absolutely necessary to keep the commandments to receive eternal life? "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments," Matthew 19:17. 29. But I still can't see why you insist on the Seventh day, Lord. Isn't Sunday as good as Saturday? "And God blessed the Seventh day and sanctified it," Genesis 2:3. "He hath blessed and I cannot reverse it," Numbers 23:20. "For thou blessest, O Lord and it shall be blessed for ever," I Chronicles 17:27. 30. Well, it seems to me that if I keep one day in seven, regardless of which one, that ought to be good enough. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death," Proverbs 16:25. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, I Corinthians 2:13,14. 31. But Lord! Can't I do something else? Won't my prayers and my confession get me salvation? "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven," Matthew 7:21. 32. Ten leprous men prayed and received miraculous healings but only one followed Jesus. Luke 17:11-19. 33. But Lord, look at the people who work miracles. Some heal the sick, others speaking in tongues: yet they do not keep the Sabbath. What about them? "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in Thy name have cast our devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; Depart from me, ye that work iniquity," Matthew 7:22-23. 34. Yes, I know the Sabbath is right but my business would suffer if I close on the Sabbath. I might lose my job. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36. 35. Well for myself I wouldn't care, but what about my family? Wouldn't it be better for me to work on the Sabbath than to let my family starve? "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you," Matthew 6:32-33. "I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread," Psalms 37:25. 36. My friends will laugh and ridicule me. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven," Matthew 5:11-12. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you," John 15:18. 37. But suppose my own family does not agree with me. Should I cause a division in my home? "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me," Matthew 10:37-38. "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple," Luke 14:33. 38. I am afraid I won't be able to withstand all these trials. I am too weak. "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness . . . When I am weak, then am I strong," II Corinthians 12:9-10. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," Philippians 4:13. 39. Then, Lord what is the reward for being faithful to you and the commandment? "There is not man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the Kingdom of God's sake. Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting," Luke 18:29-30. 40. Lord I'm looking forward to a home in the earth made new. Shall we keep the Sabbath there, too? "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. 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," Isaiah 66:22, 23. DECISION: Then, Lord Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. With your help, I will keep the Sabbath. Then may you hear these words "Well done, good and faithful servant," Matthew 25:21. -- written by John I. Ajalli Church of God, PO Box 296, UmuAhia, Imo State, Nigeria W. Africaê This article was originally published as Study No. 101. Sabbath Quiz Answers to the following quiz are given at the end of this section. Try this test "closed book." If you cannot determine the answers, then check your Bible or concordance, as well as other articles in Biblical Holy Days. Matching -- Sabbath 1. Constantine 2. Justin Martyr 3. Kalal Shabbat 4. Marcion 5. "Ox in the ditch" 6. Sabbath day's journey 7. Sabbatarian 8. Sabbatismos 9. Samuele Bacchiocchi 10. Sanctified 11. Sixtus 12. Sun worship 13.What God created on the seventh day of the week. 14. Shomer Shabbat __ a. the worship of Satan, the fiery serpent __ b. Roman emperor who enforced sun worship __ c. Bishop of Rome who began practice of Easter Sunday to counter the Christian Passover __ d. term which could either mean a devout Sunday-keeper or a Sabbath-keeper __ e. Sabbath observer __ f. according to the Jews, 2,000 cubits outside the city walls __ g. set apart for holy use __ h. the Sabbath __ i. Greek word meaning "keeping of a Sabbath" __ j. a Gentile professing Christian who wrote against the Sabbath __ k. a Gnostic who ordered his followers to fast on Saturday to counteract the "Jewish" Sabbath __ l. an unusual, emergency situation requiring work not normally permitted on the Sabbath __ m. Sabbath polluter __ n. the most significant and prolific pro-Sabbath writer of the 20th Century True-False Questions __ 1. On the Sabbath, we can pollute God's creation, because we cannot do any work to preserve it. __ 2. The Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday. __ 3. If you lived above the Arctic Circle during days of total darkness or total sunlight, you should keep the Sabbath from 6:00 PM to 6:00 PM. __ 4. Exodus 35:2-3 says we cannot kindle a fire on the Sabbath, so this means that we cannot run our natural gas furnace on the Sabbath. __ 5. Jesus went out of His way to heal people on the Sabbath, and this demonstrated that the Sabbath is a day of deliverance from bondage. Luke 13:10-17. __ 6. Roman Catholics and Protestants almost unanimously agree that Saturday is the Bible Sabbath, and the Church instituted Sunday-keeping. __ 7. The Sabbath is a sign of God's people, and Sunday-keeping is a sign, or mark, of the Beast power. Exodus 31:12-17, Revelation 13:1-17. Fill in the Blanks 1. Israel went into captivity for __________ breaking. Ezekiel 20. 2. The Sabbath provides us four specific areas of service: service to God, service to ____________, service to _____________, and service to our ___________. (See the article by Samuele Bacchiocchi, "The Sabbath and Service.") 3. Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for _________, and that the Son of Man is _______ of the Sabbath. Mark 2:28. 4. The primary reason why Gentile Christians were motivated to change the Sabbath to Sunday was Roman anti- ___________ bias. 5. The theological basis for Catholics changing the Sabbath to Sunday was their mistaken belief that the resurrection of the Messiah was on ___________. ANSWERS Matching -- Sabbath 12a, 1b, 11c, 7d, 14e, 6f, 10g, 13h, 8i, 2j, 4k, 5l, 3m, 9n. True-False Questions F1, T2, F3, F4, T5, T6, T7. Fill in the Blanks 1. Sabbath. 2. ourselves, others, habitat. 3. man, Lord. 4. Jewish. 5. Sunday.ê ENDNOTES******************************** [1]. From, "Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?" by David J. Smith. [2]. Adapted from The Herald of Truth, Caldwell, Idaho. [3]. "100 Bible Facts on the Sabbath," by David Beattie, The Herald of Truth, October 1984. [4]. "The Sabbath: A Memorial and Promise," by Assemblies of Yahweh in Messiah, 1984 edition. [5]. Written by Voy Wilks