Sabbath Question

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Scripture references are from the New King James Version, following the style of most versions of the Bible, Jesus's words are in red. Our comments about each passage will follow that passage.

We have not been able to find any scripture passages that indicate that the Sabbath was changed from the 7^th day (Saturday) to the 1^st day (Sunday). We have discussed this with a lot of people. Their opinions vary among:

the Sabbath was/is/always will be the 7^th day,

Jesus changed the Sabbath to the 1^st day,

early Christians changed the Sabbath to the 1^st day by God's will,

it does not matter which day you observe as the Sabbath or even if you bother to observe one.
The only one of these that is supported by scripture is that the 7^th day is the Sabbath and we are still to keep that day holy.

Does God Expect Us to Keep The Sabbath?
Proof That The Sabbath Was Changed By Jesus?
Links To Other Sites That Discuss The Sabbath Question

Does God Expect Us To Keep The Sabbath?

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
Six days you shall labor and do all your work
but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servent, nor your female servent, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath.

This is a direct commandment from God written in stone by God Himself.
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Then he said to them "This is what the LORD has said: 'Tommorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil, and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'"
So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it.
Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.
Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.
Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.
And the LORD said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?"
"See, for the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two dyas. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."
So the people rested on the seventh day.

God has given us the law about keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day even before writing the 10 Commandments in stone with his own hand.
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"For as the new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me." says the LORD
"So shall your descendants and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
and from one Sabbath to another,
All flesh shall come to worship before Me." says the LORD

God expects that after Jesus has returned and God has remade the earth and He is living with His people on the new earth that the Sabbath will still be observed.
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"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand).
"then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
"Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.
"And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
"But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are mursing babies in those days!
"And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

Jesus describes what is to happen at the end and tells His followers to pray that their flight is not on the Sabbath. He fully expects us to still be observing the Sabbath to the end.
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Proof That The Sabbath Was Changed By Jesus?

Some of the passages used by people to "prove" that the Sabbath was changed: John 20:19, Acts 20:7

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, Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said to them "Peace be with you"
When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
So Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! As the Father sent me I also send you."
And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
Now Thomas, called the twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand in His side, I will not believe."
And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came the doors being shut and stood in their midst, and said, "Peace to you."
Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands, and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."
And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God."
Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Passage 19: the disciples were gathered together in a locked room "out of fear of the Jews". They were in fear of the Jews from the time Jesus was taken prisoner. The fact that they were gathered and though it does not say so, probably praying does not mean they were having a formal Sabbath worship service. Jesus did his teaching to the common people every day of the week gathering thousands together. He used the Sabbath to teach in the temple trying to reach the Jewish leaders.

Passage 26: The disciples are gathered in a locked room again, this time on a Monday (8 days after the previous Sunday). If John 20:19 proves the Sabbath was changed to Sunday then John 20:26 proves it was changed to Monday.

What is going on in this chapter? Jesus has died and has been risen from the dead by God. From His earthly birth to His earthly death Jesus was totally human He would have had to enter a room through an open door. In both of the passages it is emphasized that he appeared in a locked room proving he has risen from the dead and is now a spirit being.

Passages 29-31: This is one of the few places in the Bible where it is clearly explained what you have just read. The purpose these passages were written were to encourage you to believe that Jesus was truly the Messiah and that He died an earthly death and was risen by God. The reason this is important is so we may have eternal life.
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Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.
And in a window sat a certain young man named Euthychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep: and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.
But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him."
Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while even to daybreak, he departed.
And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.
Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot.
And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.

Passages 7-8: Paul is gathered with other disciples on the first day. Since there is a mention of many lamps being in the room it is generally agreed that the reference is to the evening of the first day. Some passages refer to the evening of a day as the beginning of the day (after sundown on Saturday) and some as the end of the day (after sundown on Sunday). All references to the start of the Sabbath are after sundown.
If it is after sundown on Sunday and this passage supports the change of the Sabbath then the new Sabbath is Monday.
Whichever, day that it is there is no reference to this being a Sabbath gathering. Paul, as Jesus did, gathered and taught disciples everyday. The fact that they broke bread does nothing to show that this is a Sabbath, the first time Jesus performed the special breaking of bread was on a Thursday after sundown (beginning of Friday). There is no mention in scripture of when we are suppose to do this only that "When" we do it we do so in memory of Jesus.

Passages 11, 13-14: Paul teaches until daybreak, if he started on the evening beginning the Sabbath it is still the Sabbath. These passages talk about him immediately leaving on a journey. Paul was a keeper of the Sabbath and would not have walked to Assos on the Sabbath nor would he have boarded a ship to start a journey on the Sabbath.

Passages 9, 10, and 12 are a side story about a disciple who goes to sleep and falls out a window to the ground 3 floors below. Paul resurrects him and the other disciples are encouraged by this act. These passages have nothing to do with the Sabbath question.

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Links To Other Sites That Discuss The Sabbath Question

Each link will open in a new window:

Catholic When you get to this site: click LIBRARY in the menu on the left, enter Sabbath in search box and click Find, then click The Question Box: The Sabbath - Refers to the third commandment as the Sabbath commandment, because the Catholic church abolished the second commandment and split the tenth into two commandments. Refers to Dan 7: 23-26 as giving the Pope the right to change the Sabbath, this passage describes what the fourth beast is and does.

Christian Churches - Comments by clergy and other writers from most of the major Christian churches.

Weekly Sabbath - Using scripture references explains, the differences between the weekly Sabbath and other sabbaths described in the Bible, when/how man changed the Sabbath, who is to observe the Sabbath, if Jesus and His early disciples kept the Sabbath, and does God still expect us to keep the 7^th day as the Sabbath.

Sacred Calendar - A comprehensive look at the Sabbath and God's calendar in general.

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