Why the seventh day Sabbath?
Because when God finished His work of creation, He blessed the seventh day, and declared it holy as part of creation itself.
Genesis 2:1-3 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation.
When God "declares" something it means He makes it known openly or officially. When He "blesses" something it means it's divinely or supremely favored by Him, and when He declares something "holy" it means it's dedicated or consecrated to Him for His purpose. This means the seventh day Sabbath is special and important to God, so it should be special and important to His people. Things that are blessed by God, and declared holy, are pure and righteous to God so they help us to understand what God is like in His holiness, and can help us to draw near to Him through our holiness.
1 Peter 1:15-16 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
Hebrews 12:14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
The seventh day is Saturday, not Sunday.
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Sat-ur-day: the seventh day of the week. The day preceding Sunday and following Friday.
Sun-day: the first day of the week.
The seventh day was declared holy and blessed before sin, before death, before there was a law, and even before there was ever a Jew. Some people say the seventh day Sabbath is a Jewish holiday, but Messiah says the seventh day Sabbath was made for all mankind, not just Jewish people and remember, when the Sabbath was created, there were no Jews in existence.
Mark 2:27 And Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for mankind, and not mankind for the Sabbath.
Even the working animals get the Sabbath day off from work, this tells us that the Sabbath day is not just a spiritual rest for sinners.
Exodus 20:8-11 Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your animals, and any foreigners living among you. Because in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
We take the seventh day Sabbath off from work because the Sabbath is a memorial that testifies of creation, and God as Creator. Having a seven day week, with the seventh day as a Sabbath, memorializes creation and acts as a powerful testimony of creation and God as Creator. The seventh day Sabbath is like a bookmarker that marks the seven day week. Every seven days is a Sabbath rest.
Exodus 20:8-11 Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy...Because in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
The reason the seven day week is a powerful testimony and memorial of creation is because the sun determines the 24 hour day, and the moon determines the 30 day month, but the only reason why we have a seven day week is because that's the way God created it, and the whole world honors it. Every sunrise and sunset equals a 24 hour day, every new moon equals a 30 day month, and every seventh day Sabbath equals a seven day week.
Genesis 2:1-3 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation.
Memorials can't be changed because they testify of a special event in time, we do the same thing with the Fourth of July. We take off from work every Fourth of July as a memorial because of what the day represents. A memorial can't be changed, the Fourth of July will always be on the fourth of July, and the seventh day Sabbath will always be on the seventh day. If the whole world kept the seventh day holy, in light of what it represents, it would be hard pressed to teach children the theory of evolution.
The seventh day Sabbath is special to God, and is protected time. The Sabbath is to be used by God's people to come together as a body of believers, as an expression of faith, love and as an act of worship.
Leviticus 23:3 You have six days in which to do your work, but remember that the seventh day Sabbath, On that day do not work, but gather for worship. The Sabbath belongs to the Lord, no matter where you live.
Messiah honored every Sabbath by gathering with His people, and He's our example.
Luke 4:16 When Jesus came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He always did and stood up to read the Scriptures.
1 John 2:6 The one who says he abides in God must himself also walk just as Jesus walked.
The Apostle Paul gathered every Sabbath, because he followed Messiah.
Acts 17:2 Paul went into the synagogue, as he always did. The next three weeks, on each Sabbath day, he discussed the Scriptures with them.
1 Corinthians 11:1 You must follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
The early church, of which we are part of, gathered every Sabbath.
Acts 13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.
Paul taught the Corinthian church (Jew and Gentile) every Sabbath, for a year and a half, before leaving for his next missionary journey.
Acts 18:1-4 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tent makers. And Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Gentiles.
Acts 18:11 And Paul continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
They gathered every Sabbath for a year and six months, that equals 78 Sabbaths. The Corinthian church was Sabbath keeping church.
Some people say the early church changed the Sabbath to Sunday, this is not true. Messiah once prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem, which was to take place 40 years after His resurrection, and He was still confirming the Sabbath.
Matthew 24:15-20 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
Some will say the Sabbath was never given to the Gentiles, this too is not true. Remember, the Sabbath was given to all mankind, even the working animals.
Isaiah 56:6-8 As for the Gentiles, the outsiders who join the people of the Lord and serve him and love his name, who are his servants and don’t desecrate the Sabbath, and have accepted his covenant and promises, I will bring them also to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and make them full of joy within my House of Prayer. I will accept their sacrifices and offerings, for my Temple shall be called “A House of Prayer for All People”! For the Lord God who brings back the outcasts of Israel says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.
Even in the new heavens, and the new earth, the Sabbath is mentioned.
Isaiah 66:22-23 “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and worship before me,” says the Lord.
Some people will say the early church gathered on the first day of the week, this is not true. They say the first day of the week because there are a couple of verses that say the first day of the week, but the words "day of the week" are a mistranslation. For example, pastors use 1 Corinthians 16:2 to say the early church gathered on the first day because they took up a church offering on the first day.
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
When you read the context of 1 Corinthians 16, you will find that Paul was passing through their area on his way to bring supplies to the suffering churches in Jerusalem. He was telling them that he would be in their area on the first Sabbath on that particular month. Why the first Sabbath? Because in those days they would use the Sabbath to determine which week they were on in any particular month because each month had four Sabbaths. Paul was telling them that he would be in their area on the first Sabbath, not the first day of the week.
Notice how the early church would use the Sabbath to determine which week they were in.
Luke 6:1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grain fields. and His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.
On the second Sabbath after the first means it was the second week on that particular month. Now let's go back to 1 Corinthians 16:2 to see it in its original language.
The four words, "day of the week" are actually one word in the Greek, and it's the Strong's number G4521, and it means, Sabbaton, which is the seventh day Sabbath.
"Strong's Concordance"
Strong's day of the week: G4521 = σάββατον sabbaton
1. the seventh day of each week which was a sacred festival on which the Israelites were required to abstain from all work.
2. the institution of the sabbath, the law for keeping holy every seventh day of the week,
3. a single sabbath, sabbath day, week.
The verse should actually read like this:
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first Sabbath let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
Why the first Sabbath? Because that's when Paul was planning on being in their area, as he was passing through on his way to Jerusalem.
Some people say Messiah never taught about the Sabbath, this is not true. Messiah taught many times on how to honor the Sabbath, in light of the New Covenant, and not once did He ever talk about Sunday or the first day of the week being special.
Matthew 12:9-12 Now when Jesus had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” that they might accuse Him. Then Jesus said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Luke 13:10-17 Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
Mark 3:4 Then Jesus turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.
Matthew 12:12 Then Jesus said, "Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
Here are some facts about the Sabbath that most people don't know.
How many times is the word, "Sabbath" mentioned in the New Testament?
Answer: 60 times.
How many times is Sunday mentioned in the New Testament?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times did the early church gather on the Sabbath in the book of Acts alone?
Answer: 85 times.
How many times did Messiah say Sunday is now the Lord's Day?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times did the Apostles say Sunday is the Lord's Day?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times, in the New Testament, did the early church gather on Sunday, the first day of the week?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times did Messiah talk about Sunday or the first day of the week being special?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the New Testament say to keep Sunday holy, in light of Messiah's resurrection?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the New Testament say Sunday is the Lord's Day?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the New Testament say, Sunday is the Lord's Day because of the resurrection?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the New Testament say the Sabbath was changed to Sunday?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the New Testament say the rest we have in Jesus does away with the seventh day Sabbath?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the New Testament say the law was nailed to the cross?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the New Testament say Jesus obeyed the law so we don't have to?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the New Testament say there is one law for the Jew, and one law for the Gentile?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the Old or New Testament say the seventh day Sabbath is a Jewish holiday?
Answer: 0 times.
How many times does the Old or New Testament say the Sabbath was never given to the Gentiles?
Answer: 0 times.
If the Sabbath was created as a blessed and holy day for all mankind, and it's part of creation itself, and Messiah honored it, Paul honored it and the early church honored it, then who changed it to Sunday, the first day? The seventh day Sabbath was changed to Sunday, 364 years after Messiah and His Apostles, and it was done by the Roman Catholic Church, without God's approval.
"Statements of the Catholic Church"
"Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday (Sabbath), but shall work on that Day: but the Lord’s Day, they shall especially honour; and as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ." The Catholic Church at the Council of Laodicea circa 364 AD
"The Council of Laodicea ... forbids Christians from judaizing and resting on the Sabbath day, preferring the Lord's day, and so far as possible resting as Christians." Encyclopedia Britannica, 1899 Edition, Vol. XXIII, page 654.
Question - Which is the Sabbath day?
Answer - Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Question - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
Answer - We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 364), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, 3rd ed.
“The Bible says, Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. The Catholic church says, No! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep the first day of the week. And lo, the entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic church!” Father Enright, C.S.S.R. of the Redemptoral College, Kansas City, History of the Sabbath, p. 802
“Sunday is our mark of authority… the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact” Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1, 1923
Island Christian Fellowship chooses to honor the seventh day Sabbath, just as Messiah did, Paul did and the early church did. We honor the Sabbath because, just like the early followers of Messiah, we love God and want to keep His commandments.
1 John 5:3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
Obeying God in things like, keeping the Sabbath holy, testifies that we are God's people.
Ezekiel 20:12 And I gave them the Sabbath—a day of rest every seventh day—as a symbol between them and me, to remind them that it is I, the Lord, who sanctifies them—that they are truly my people.
Ezekiel 20:20 Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.
Exodus 31:13 Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who makes you holy.
Keeping the Sabbath holy is not the means to earn salvation, it's the fruit of salvation, and is an expression of our faith, love and is an act of true worship. Honoring the seventh day Sabbath is a commandment of God, honoring Sunday is not. When we honor Sunday, as opposed to the Sabbath, we are following a man-made commandment, which causes our worship to be in vain, and worthless to God. It's like telling your spouse you love them, all while you're seeing someone else on the side.
Matthew 15:9 Their worship is worthless, for they teach their man-made laws instead of those from God.
Mark 7:7 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
We can say we know God, and yet deny Him by how we live our lives.
Titus 1:16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.
Keeping the Sabbath holy is not the means to earn salvation, it's the fruit of it because spiritually dead people, who are not saved, have no desire to follow the ways of God, including keeping the Sabbath holy.
Romans 8:6-8 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.