"O No" some might say, Not again! but as long as I chose to remain on this site I will write about what is important to many Christians,
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."
We observe that in the book of John, Jesus tells us that in order to bear fruit we must abide in him. John 15:1-11,He goes on to tell us that the way we abide in him is to keep His commandments. The instruction to keep the Sabbath day holy is one of those commandments. Jesus said If you love Me keep My commandments,John 14:15,To Love Him is to abide in Him,To Obey His Word!
The Sabbath described in Genesis 2 is definitely the seventh day, Saturday, and not the first day, Sunday.
There is no way to avoid this truth.No way, because we can't decieve God, only ourselves!
The fourth commandment was established at the creation of the world as a memorial of honoring Yahveh God, as Creator and later reconfirmed to Moses in the wilderness by Jesus. Ex.20:8,
The Sabbath was very important to people of the Bible and even though calendars may have changed, it would be inconceivable for the Sabbath day to have been confused with any other day. Chronologist are in agreement that the order of days is the same today as at the beginning of history. In addition, Jesus recognized the Sabbath and would have certainly known which day He had commanded to be kept holy.
ONE MIGHT ASK: IS THE SABBATH REALLY THAT IMPORTANT? Be honest,Have you ever though that?
Is God really serious about the observance of the sabbath day? Numbers 15: 32-40 answers this question without any doubt. "And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day, And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation, And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses."
We find in Nehemiah Chapter 13, that the people of Jerusalem and Tyre were profaning the Sabbath. Nehemiah contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, "What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?"
Has something evil become good?
Let us heed the warning of Isaiah: 5:20,
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."
Again, in Isaiah chapter 58, we are told that Israel forsook the ordinances of God. Verse 13 tells them how to correct their ways and honor God, "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
In chapter 66 we find that the Sabbath will be recognized in the future "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 on sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord."
There is no doubt that all flesh includes everyone, Jews (Judaean) by birth and Gentiles (nations). At the time of the new heaven and the new earth, a time when all things are made perfect, the sabbath will be universally recognized and observed.
THERE ARE SEVERE PENALTIES FOR DISOBEYING THE SABBATH COMMANDMENT.
In Jeremiah 17, the Lord says "hallow ye the Sabbath" He goes on to say "But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. He continues on to tell about the rewards for obeying Him and in verse 27, He warns, "But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and it shall not be quenched."
In 586 B.C. and in 70 A.D. Jerusalem was overthrown. Why? The Bible says it was because the people did not keep God's commandments.
History reveals that the New testiment Church during the first century A.D. rested on the Sabbath day, Saturday.including Paul and the Apostles, The question is not: "did the believers meet on Sunday" but rather: "what did believers do on Saturday, the Sabbath day"?
"One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God."
"You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgement seat."
But what day does God esteem? That's my question...does it matter? Should we observe what God deems holy? Or do we get to choose what is holy? Do the "early church fathers"? Anyway...I believe Romans 14 is talking about ceremonial laws, but like I said, if you're fully convinced that it's ok to pick what day to keep holy, then that's fine. I'm of the belief that the bible says it's the last day of the week. That's the day God/Jesus/Paul kept, I'll stick with that one. Seems safer...or something...and just to clarify, it's not "Ellen White". The early adventists were convinced of their "7th day" beliefs from 7th-day baptists. Anyway...I'm not trying to prove myself right. This is what I believe. I just think this is an important message for last days Christians...
Rev. 14:6And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Verse 7 is telling us to worship the One that created everything...and what is the one thing that God asks us to do that glorifies His creative power?
"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."
I really don't know. Personally? Yes, I think it will, but let each be fully convinced in his own mind. I just hope we don't forget to listen if God lets us know otherwise.
I have been drawn into debates about the Fourth Commandment again, not just on CDFF, but on another group and something just dawned on me about this command.
I have said for a LONG time, that the fourth commandment is the most UNCLEAR commandment. I have said this to Reformed pastors and Reformed Christians, just waiting for them to tell me I am wrong, and so far no one has said a word to me on this!
It just dawned on me that both Seventh Day Adventists AND the ultra Reformed, are both really into obsessing on this command, and talking about it.
In other words, since the command IS the most unclear, it makes sense that we have at least two very different groups having the SAME concern.
The ultra reformed really make the Doctrines of Grace a side issue, because they are mainly concerned with Worship, and THAT means HOW to obey the fourth commandment.
The followers of Ellen White, are mainly concerned with WHAT DAY the fourth commandment is talking about.
It all clicks to me, because the Ellen white followers are just in a shallow way concerned about which day it is, and the ultra Reformed have WENT TOO FAR, and become legalistic about HOW to obey it, and fallen into strict Sabbatarianism.
And then you have yours truly, who is suffering from analysis paralysis, about how to obey the command!!!
It is possible I will have a dream tonight in which I am walking over this giant hill trying to discover how to obey the fourth commandment, and if I walk over the hill just over the crest, there will be John Calvin sitting there, and I will walk up to him, and he will say, "you need to lighten up, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
hi.. I was not always a sabbath keeper yet 30 yrs ago God brought me out of false worship (Babylon)... God is Clear in His Word that His People keep His Commands, if you dig deep you will see how the sabbath will be the seal of God where sunday worship will be the mark of the beast.. pray over these things and see if they are of Gods or of the devils.. blessings
Okay, we have done the 7th Day Adventist thing of just being concerned with Saturday only, including saying worshiping on any other day is "the Mark of the Beast". So......lets do the Reformed thing and talk about HOW to obey the command.
Just for starters, I am not a strict Sabbatarian. Some Reformed believers are and I call them the Ultra-Reformed. I am also not antinomian about it either. I take the command seriously, just like I take all the commands seriously.
Lets look at the command:
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and Earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it Holy."
Ex.20:8-11 (ESV)
So looking at how to obey it, I think we can see the REST is the first thing.
Yes, that is the undeniable center of the command, and that is to rest from our labors.
I personally try to get all housework done, and any chores that might need it, by Saturday, so that on Sunday, I have no chores that need done.
Now the Strict Sabbatarians will not be happy with just that, of course, but that IS the center of the command.
I have even read of "six days shall you labor" meaning that you have to work six days and week and not five. No laying around the house on Saturdays! And of course "To Keep it Holy" means No recreation of any kind on the Lord's Day.
I am not a Strict sabbatarian so recreation after church, is not that big of a deal. I understand the Strict Sabbatarians complaints that Sunday is now sports day in America, and I agree with them that most Christians do not even think about the command, and some of them will literally put sports ahead of worship. I also agree that the Sabbath should have a strong family component to it, and if there is recreation on the Sabbath, it should be the family TOGETHER, and not everyone splitting up on their own.
One way you can know that you are at least trying to obey this command is to make sure that this day is NOT like the others!
It is supposed to be a special day, a day set apart for the Lord, and for His mercy towards you, by RESTING.
This commandment is the LEAST clear, and it is EASY to fall into a legalistic mindset on this one. So, try not to, and be in the middle about it. don't be like most American Christians and just ignore the command. Study it, and try to obey it, and on the other hand, don't become legalistic about it, and make a bunch of rules for it that are not in the command.
Maybe a kind of Hierarchy?
1. Rest/Worship God Publicly with other Believers
2. Don't cause anyone else to work
3. Study of God's Word, reading a good Christian book, or watching a movie with a solid Christian message.
5. Acts of Charity, visiting Family etc.
These are just my thoughts on a command that I have struggled with.
The most unclear? God started the weekly cycle with creation. At the end of it, on the 7th day...not "a" seventh day...He rested, made it holy, and asked us to remember it by observing it the same way as He did...by not working. Simple. Jesus clarified it when He was here, after the Jews had turned it into a self-righteous law ridden mess. "It is lawful to do good on the sabbath". So when you combine what God asks, and what Jesus said...I believe we should keep the 7th day of the week holy by not being selfish...spending time with God and serving others. Why change what God made holy? God didn't say to. Jesus didn't say to. The apostles didn't say to. I just don't understand what the problem is. I can see "not wanting to be under law"...but we don't claim that for any other commandment...so why not do this command out of love like we do the other commands? And why don't we do it the way God prescribes? Just seems simple to me. I suppose was raised in it...so I guess I might not really understand the issue...but it just kinda gets me when I see people say "it doesn't matter, whatever day you want to keep holy is fine", because it's not about what "we" want...we're supposed to be trying to serve God, right? I'll concede the point that we can go to church on whatever day we want...we can worship God everyday...but the 7th day is especially holy to God, and I believe we should keep the fourth commandment just like we keep the other nine.
hi... in Noahs day there was a message and it was from God, in the end days there is a message and it is from God.. had the people in noahs day asked God if the message was His more would have been saved.... hopefully the people in the last days will take all messages to God before they scoff and ridicule and think themselves above Spiritual Discernment and Enlightenment... blessings
The text clearly states that the Sabbath is a sign of God's covenant with Israel. From the beginning Christians have met on Sunday, not the seventh day of the week. While the Sabbath commemorates Creation (v. 17), the first day of the week commemorates Jesus' resurrection (Matt. 28:1; Acts 20:7). What links the two is that each is a day of rest and worship. And each serves as a weekly reminder to believers of their personal relationship with God.
An examination of New Testament passages shows us four important points:
1) Whenever Christ appears in His resurrected form and the day is mentioned, it is always the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1, 9, 10; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1, 13, 15; John 20:19, 26).
2) The only time the Sabbath is mentioned from Acts through Revelation it is for evangelistic purposes to the Jews and the setting is usually in a synagogue (Acts chapters 13�18). Paul wrote, �to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews� (1 Corinthians 9:20). Paul did not go to the synagogue to fellowship with and edify the saints, but to convict and save the lost.
3) Once Paul states �from now on I will go to the Gentiles� (Acts 18:6), the Sabbath is never again mentioned.
And 4) instead of suggesting adherence to the Sabbath day, the remainder of the New Testament implies the opposite (including the one exception to point 3 above, found in Colossians 2:16).
Colossians 2:16 (NASB)
16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day�
The Sabbath was clearly established for Jews only in the OT.
Observing the Sabbath is the only one of the ten commandments not repeated by Jesus in the NT. We are no longer under the Law but under Grace.
And, sorry to say, but the 7th Day Adventist Church is a cult and known as one by mainstream Christendom. Look it up.
John 9:16 (NASB)
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them.
If there was a Sabbath to observe, Jesus would have followed it but He did not. Jesus said to not hold any day above the other. He did not affirm the Commandment to observe the Sabbath and keep it Holy. It was the Father Himself that said, "You shall be Holy for I am Holy."
