ITS ORIGIN - ITS SIGNIFICANCE - A CHALLENGE TO
CREATION SKEPTICS
COLLINS DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF “WEEK:” - “PERIOD OF SEVEN DAYS BEGINNING ON SUNDAY; ENDING ON SATURDAY”
The majority of calendars list Sunday as the First day of the week and Saturday as the Seventh day of the week. Occasionally there have been remote calendars showing Monday as the First day and Sunday as the Seventh day but they have not been successful in their attempt to change the weekly cycle. This fact is significant in the light of the Biblical record of the Creation Week found in the book of Genesis chapters 1 & 2, which identifies the First day as the beginning of God’s creation of planet Earth, and the Seventh day as the day when He rested from His work after its completion on the Sixth day.
GOD MEASURES A DAY FROM EVEN UNTO EVEN.
Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
Leviticus 23:32 - "Even unto even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." —Even = going down of sun —Deut.16:6
MAN MEASURES A DAY FROM MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT.
THE SABBATH WAS INSTITUTED BEFORE THERE WERE ANY JEWS.
The Fourth Commandment, recorded in the Book of Exodus chapter 20: verses 8-11 states:- “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.”
Please notice that this commandment specifies “the day” to be kept; it does not state just “a day" or “any day”; but referring back to Creation Week, it specifies “the Seventh Day” as being the Memorial of God's work of Creation.
THE LORD’S DAY.
This commandment also makes it clear that the “Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the LORD” indicating that it is “The LORD’S Day”. There is only one reference in the New Testament of the Bible, to the “LORD’S Day” and the context reveals nothing that would suggest that the LORD’S Day is any other day than the Seventh day Sabbath. —see Rev. 1:10.
Luke 6:5 states “And He said unto them, that the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.”
This is further evidence that the Sabbath is the Lord’s Day when it is understood that Christ and the apostles always upheld the Seventh Day as the Sabbath. Christ never spoke of any other day as being the Sabbath of the Lord.
CEREMONIAL SABBATHS—SHADOWS OF THINGS TO COME.
We should not be confused when the Scriptures refer to Ceremonial Sabbaths which were connected with the Sanctuary services. These are the laws that met their fulfillment in the life and death of Christ. They pointed forward to the coming Redeemer and when this was accomplished they were no longer of any use. This was made clear when the curtain which divided the Holy from the Most Holy Place in the Sanctuary, was torn from top to bottom at the exact time that Christ died. Prior to this time only the high priest was allowed to see into the Most Holy Place.
Colossians 2:14 "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;"
Colossians 2:16-17 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath [days]: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ. "
The Shadow of things to come was referring to the Ceremonial Sabbaths, foods etc., which were part of the Sanctuary service pointing to the first coming of the Messiah. When this had taken place, at the death of Christ, type met anti type and there was no more need for the shadowy things to remind the people of the better sacrifice which now had been offered.
PAUL REFERS TO THE SABBATH AS THE SEVENTH DAY.
Hebrews 4:4 "For he spake in a certain place of the Seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the Seventh day from all his works."
GOD Commanded us to keep the Seventh Day holy. It was to be a sign that we recognise Him as our Creator forever. GOD has never sanctioned any changes to His Ten Commandments. However, GOD did forewarn us that the "Beast" power would think (and attempt) to change TIMES and LAWS (Daniel 7:25.) The complete fulfillment of this prediction will be seen in the very near future, which will be followed by the Seven Last Plagues of Revelation chapter 16.
GOD’S LAWS NEVER TO CHANGE.
Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."
Matthew 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
Matthew 5:18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Isaiah 66:23 - SABBATH will be celebrated in new earth.
Luke 23:56 - Disciples rested the seventh day. Christ rested in the tomb on the seventh day after His life work relating to salvation was accomplished.
Matt. 24:20 “Pray that your flight be not on the SABBATH DAY” - referring to destruction of Jerusalem which took place approx 70 years after the resurrection of Christ. — no changes were mentioned.
Romans 2:12 "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;"
James 2:12 "So speak ye, and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty."
To do away with God's law would result in chaos in the whole universe - the law is a transcript of the character of God. It is as unchangeable as God Himself.
John 20:19 "Then the same day at evening, being the first [day] of the week,when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you."
This did not sanction keeping the first day of the week as the Sabbath.
John 20:26 "And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: [then] came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace [be] unto you."
This did not sanction keeping the second day of the week. If verse 19 was referring to the first day of the week, verse 26 could not be the first day of the week it would be the second day of the week. The disciples were not assembled to celebrate the Sabbath but for fear of the Jews. It would be inconsistent to conclude that this was the Sabbath. The breaking of bread was a term used commonly for eating a meal. It was not only used for referring to the Passover or the last supper celebration.
Luke 16:17 "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail."
Romans 2:13 "(For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."
Romans 3:31 "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
Romans 6:15 "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."
MONARCH’S SEAL FOUND IN THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.
A monarch’s seal must contain His Name, His Domain, and His Authority. As these are all contained in the Fourth Commandment, this would naturally be the place of Satan’s main attack in his effort to take the place of Christ as ruler of this world. No wonder God said “Remember” when He introduced the Seventh day Sabbath.
SATAN’S ATTACK ON GOD’S LAW PROPHESIED.
“He shall think (and attempt) to change TIMES and LAWS” Daniel 7:25, —see 2Thess 2:1-11; Rev. 13; Rev. 22:18,19.
THE DEVIL'S COUNTERFEIT SABBATH IS THE 1ST DAY, SUNDAY. "Sun" Day was the day that the heathen nations worshipped their Sun god. This practice was incorporated into the Christian church which then became apostate. In the light of these facts, it is an abomination to refer to the First Day (Sun Day) as the "LORD'S DAY".
Romans 7:12 "Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."
I John 3:4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
I John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
1 John 2:4 "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Matthew 15:9 "But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men."
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
• The Seventh day Sabbath is a Memorial of God’s creative works.
• It contains God’s seal which the redeemed will receive. — the sign of sanctification.
• The Seventh day Sabbath will be kept for eternity.
• The Seventh Day Sabbath is the Lord’s Day for He is Lord of the Sabbath.
• The Sabbath was never changed by Christ or the apostles.
• Sin is the transgression of the Law of God which is the Ten Commandments including the fourth one.
• The seven day weekly cycle has never changed since it was instituted by God during creation week. It, with the Sabbath, is as unchangeable as the yearly cycle and the Moral Law which is the Ten Commandments. —
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