UNQUESTIONABLY- THE CHURCH IN THE APOSTOLIC AGE KEPT THE SABBATH
During the first few decades of the New Testament church, everyone in the church were either Jews or a small number of converts to Judaism. Further, as Jews how did they view the Seventh Day Sabbath? It was unquestionably kept and supported by all sects. Jewish sects had disagreements about various doctrines like the resurrection, see Acts 23:6-8 , but all sects supported the Sabbath. Why? It was the sign signifying who was your God. Were you worshiping the true God of Israel the creator God, or the pagan's sun god. It is the test commandment which they all learned from the first captivity NOT TO BREAK.
Exodus 31:12-13 WEB 12 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 13 "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, 'Most certainly you shall keep my Sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.
The word Yahweh, in English, is Jehovah. All Jews knew all this and that Sabbath breaking was one of the two reasons the nation had been punished with captivity in the past. What else did all the Christians know in the first century?
Exodus 16:4 WEB 4 Then said Yahweh to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, thatI may TEST THEM, whether they will walk in my law, or not.
All the true believers knew that the Seventh Day Sabbath was the test commandment. It answered the question of who was your God? The true creator God or the world's god- which one were you worshiping? Remember also who was the God that led the people thru the Red Sea and worked with Moses?
1 Corinthians 10:2-4 WEB 2 and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
Since Jesus was the God who inspired the Old Testament and the Sabbath law why would He alter something so important to Him?
Exodus 31:17 WEB 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.'"
DID THE GENTILES ENTERING THE CHURCH IN GREAT NUMBERS ALTER THE SIGN?
LOGICALLY ONE WOULD THINK THE ANSWER WOULD BE -NO! Why would God want to drag true believers back into the pagan world they were leaving by using the sun god's day. Paul makes it clear that the true religion was rooted in the Old testament and the God of Israel.
Romans 11:18-19 NKJV 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in."...
The root supporting the newly entered gentiles would include the Old Testament laws and especially the Sabbath. More evidence that these gentile converts were considered worshipers of the Jewish sect of Christ believers:
Romans 2:28-29 NKJV 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
Revelation 3:9 NKJV 9 "Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
When Jesus began His ministry can you imagine what a daunting task it would have been to alter the Seventh Day Sabbath? He gave no hint that He would change it in a few short years. Can you imagine what would happen today if nearly all the denominations today said we are now changing Sunday to Friday? Muslim now outnumber us and we want to join the majority of none pagan worshipers. It would be a huge controversy for years. Why is it never discussed as a doctrinal issue in the New Testament? Because they never made any such change. It was taken for granted as to which day is the Sabbath.
WHO CHANGED THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH ?
The Catholic or universal church after years of controversy decided to make Sunday the day of worship. They say protestant churches that claim they are not following their churches decisions but based Sunday solely on the Bible are wrong. See the article 'Remember Rome's Challenge' in the Twenty-First Watch magazine Vol. 26 No.3 for details. The article goes on to debunk all of the protestants argument for biblical support of the change to the day of the sun god. Most of the weak arguments are based on the resurrection. Several testimonies are mentioned regarding the of the events first day after resurrection but do not state that this is justification for change of the Sabbath. Let us look at these verses.
Mark 16:1-6 NKJV 1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices,...2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen entering the tomb, You seek Jesus of Nazareth,... He is risen! He is not here...
The women came on the first day of the week and Jesus was already gone. He was not there. Therefore this verse does not indicate that Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week.
John 20:1 NKJV 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
Some arrived before the Sun rose, therefore it was actually Saturday night, and Jesus was already risen. THEREFORE JESUS WAS RISEN BEFORE SUNDAY. Days start at sun rise in the Bible period.
Jesus rose from the grave before sunrise and was waiting to fulfill the first of the first fruits offering which was done on the first day after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. It starts the countdown to Pentecost.
Luke 24:1-3 NKJV 1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb.... 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Therefore the evidence points to Jesus being resurrected at the end of the Sabbath but definitely NOT Sunday at sunrise. Jesus gave a sign to help us know for sure.
IMPORTANCE OF THE ONLY SIGN GIVEN BY CHRIST
We should understand the significance of the three days and three nights. This is 72 hours, if Jesus had said just three days, it could leave some wiggle room, but he said three days and three nights.
Matthew 12:38-40 NKJV 38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." 39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The only pattern that fits is the Wednesday, late afternoon, sacrifice of Christ and then the High Holy day of Unleavened Bread, Thursday followed by Friday, the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath, Saturday. This then leaves Jesus' death Wednesday and a rushed burial Wednesday just before sunset.
John 19:31 NKJV 31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that... they might be taken away.
The high day was the first Holy Day of Unleavened Bread. The sign given says Jesus would be in the ground three days so he was buried just before sunset Wednesday, He would have risen approximately just before the end of the Sabbath, Saturday. The women who are the witnesses of the risen Christ saw that He had already rose before the first day of weeks. Therefore this event is not justification for altering the creation based seventh day Sabbath. The other weak excuses to claim that the Bible proves the change in the Sabbath in spite of the lack of debate will be covered in part two.
Do we pass the test ?
