Which is the Sabbath Day?
Introduction
For many, the Sabbath is a relic of the Old Testament, replaced by Sunday worship in the centuries after Yahshua’s death and resurrection. They say He rose again on Sunday, the first day of the week and therefore it has been superseded by the ‘Lord’s day’. Of course, today even Sundays are treated much like any other day of work or pleasure and certainly has no resemblance to the commandment given to keep the Sabbath day holy as a day of rest.
But are they right? Has the Sabbath indeed been transferred from the seventh day of the week ‘Saturday’ to the first day of the week ‘Sunday’ and if so do we still need to keep it holy as a day of rest? Or was the forth commandment also changed meaning we are now free to do as we please any day of the week? Let’s study the scriptures to see what they say on this important matter and look to history to understand how any change took place.
The Sabbath Established at Creation
While many will likely assume the Sabbath day was first given as one of the ‘Ten Commandments’, it was actually established at creation by the Elohim (God) themselves:
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Gen 2:1-3)
After the Elohim had finished all their work they blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day since they rested from all their work on it. This was to be a pattern for us. After Israel had been delivered from the Egyptians, Yahweh instructs them to keep the seventh day holy and cease from all work:
“And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.” (Ex 12:16)
Later, when giving instructions to the Israelites regarding the gathering of the mana they were told the seventh day was the Sabbath and on this day they were not to gather it:
“Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And Yahweh said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that Yahweh hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.” (Ex 16:26-30)
Notice, Yahweh states the Sabbath day was part of His “commandments and my laws” before He had even given the ‘ten commandments’ to Israel. In other words, the Sabbath day of rest (along with His other commandments) had been in place since the beginning of creation.
Noah kept His laws and was found "righteous" before Yahweh (Gen 7:1) “for all thy commandments are righteousness.” (Ps 119:172).
As further proof of this, Abraham is said to have been obeying the commandments hundreds of years before they were ever given to Israel through Moses at Mt Sinai. Abraham is said to have been blessed "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Gen 26:5)
The Hebrew words used here are very important as The Expositor's Bible Commentary explains: "The Lord then added a remarkable note: Abraham 'kept my requirements [ mismarti ], my commands [ miswotay ], my decrees [ huqqotay ] and my laws [ wetorotay ]' (v. 5).
"It is remarkable that this is precisely the way in which obedience to the Sinai Covenant is expressed in Deuteronomy 11:1: 'Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements [ mismarto ], his decrees [ huqqotayw ], his laws [ mispatayw ] and his commands [ miswotayw ]'…
“Thus Abraham is an example of one who shows the law written on his heart (Jeremiah 31:33) But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, said the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (American King James Version). He is the writer’s ultimate example of true obedience to the law, the one about whom the Lord could say, ‘Abraham obeyed me’ (v. 5). Thus, by showing Abraham to be an example of ‘keeping the law,’ the writer has shown the nature of the relationship between the law and faith. Abraham, a man who lived in faith, could be described as one who kept the law” (Vol. 2, 1990, pp. 186-187, emphasis added).
Ten Commandments
Later, Yahweh reminds Israel of His commandment to rest and keep the seventh day holy when giving the ‘ten commandments’:
“And God spake all these words, saying…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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Ex 20:1-11)
Notice, the Sabbath day is linked back to creation when Yahweh rested on the seventh day.
Later in Deuteronomy when the commandments are again given, the Israelites are called upon to “remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore Yahweh thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day”:
“I am Yahweh thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. …Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as Yahweh thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of Yahweh thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore Yahweh thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” (Deu 5:6-15)
In other words, the Israelites are reminded they too were once ‘strangers’ in the land of Egypt, but unlike the Egyptians who enslaved them they are to be merciful and give rest to all including the ‘stranger’ or foreigner living in the land of Israel.
How are we to Keep the Sabbath?
The commandment is clear. No one was to do any work on this day. It was to be a day of rest. Not even the animals or foreigners in the land were to work as it was to be a blessing for all. Yet today almost nobody keeps it. Even Christians act as if this commandment has been abolished and instead of resting will go out and do whatever pleases them. As long as they are happy, then it is ok as “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). However, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but Yahweh pondereth the hearts.” (Pr 21:2) Why, because “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9)
The scriptures are clear:
“And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt” (Neh 10:31)
“In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. (Neh 13:15-22)
There were no excuses for not keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest and not even the foreigners were exempted. The entire nation was to keep it holy and this included cessation of all work and the buying and selling of anything.
The Promise of Blessing if we Keep the Sabbath
Some argue that modern day businesses and economies can’t afford to be closed for one day a week or suggest consumers need to be able to shop or go out every day of the week, yet Yahweh promises we will actually be more blessed if we only obeyed Him and kept His Sabbath:
“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 Yahweh, 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 Yahweh; 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 Yahweh hath spoken it.” (Isa 58:13-14)
Yahweh does not ask for much. We have six days in which to do our own thing and we are only asked to set aside one day to rest and honour Him. Even then it’s for our own good and if we stop seeking our own pleasure on His Sabbath, then we will be more than compensated.
Sabbath to be Kept Forever Throughout All Our Generations
Yahweh commands Israel to keep the Sabbath “throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever”:
“Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” (Ex 31:14-18)
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt 24:15-21)
“And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Yahweh.” (Isa 66:23)
The Sabbath day was commanded to be kept not only throughout Old Testament times, but also after Christ’s death and resurrection and even after He returns to establish His rule upon the earth!
Did Yahshua and the Disciples Keep the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament 55 times and it is clear Yahshua, His disciples and the ‘Jews’ all certainly kept the Sabbath day:
“For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” (Matt 12:8)
“And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.” (Mark 1:21)
“And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?” (Mark 6:2)
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” (Luke 4:16)
“And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.” (Luke 4:31)
“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” (John 19:31)
Did the Disciples Keep the Sabbath after Yahshua had Died and Risen Again?
Even after Yahshua had died and rose again, His disciples and followers continued to keep the Sabbath. Clearly, they had not been instructed by Yahshua to stop after His resurrection:
“Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.” (Acts 1:12)
“But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.” (Act 13:14)
“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath…And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” (Act 13:42-44)
“For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.” (Acts 15:21)
“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures” (Acts 17:2)
“And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” (Acts 18:4)
Did Yahshua Rise on the First Day of the Week?
Putting the above scriptures aside for a moment, most today still believe that because Yahshua rose of the first day of the week (Sunday) this automatically changed the Sabbath to Sunday. Or they say the Sabbath was abolished and the ‘Lord’s Day’ created. But did he really rise on the first day of the week?
“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Yahshua, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.” (Matt 28:1 – 7)
According to the above account, the two Marys visited Christ’s tomb at “the end of the Sabbath” before it was yet “the first day of the week”. The phase “in the end” used here according to Strong’s Concordance can also be translated “late in the day”. Accordingly, if the two Marys discovered the tomb was empty at the end of the Sabbath then Yahshua must have risen from the dead on the seventh day. The Sabbath!
However, when reading the other accounts of the same event, there appears to be a contradiction since they seem to be saying He rose on “the first day of the week”:
“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun…Now when Yahshua was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” (Mark 16:1-9)
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.’ (Luke 24:1)
“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” (John 20:1)
“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.” (John 20:19)
Thankfully, there are no contradictions in the scriptures and anyone looking out a Strong’s Concordance will see the phrase “first day of the week” is a mistranslation. Firstly, if you look up the word translated ‘week’ you find it comes from the Greek word ‘sabbaton’ which means ‘sabbath’ in Hebrew.
“sabbaton…Of Hebrew origin [H7676]; the Sabbath…or day of weekly repose from secular avocations” (Strongs Concordance G4521)
Secondly, because the word ‘day’ is italicized it means this word was not in the original text, but added by the translators. If we put these two facts together, the above phase should have simply read “the first Sabbath” or “the first of the Sabbaths”. Accordingly, every event described in the scriptures above occurred on the Sabbath! Not only did Yahshua rise on the Sabbath, but the disciples continued to meet on the Sabbath as we will study in more detail shortly.
One possible reason why these mistranslations occurred was although the translators were no doubt wanting to stay true to the original text, they were also bound by the doctrines of their day which had long held that ‘Yahshua had risen on the first day of the week”. The pressure to conform to the doctrines of the established church would have been very powerful or maybe they just saw what they expected to see.
The other possible reason was the difference in how the day is determined. While our day starts and finishes at midnight, Yahweh established from the very beginning that the day begin at sunset and finish at the following sunset:
“And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen 1:5)
Accordingly, when reading passages about the evening of a particular day we mustn’t assume the following day is not the next day but a continuation of the same day.
First of the Sabbaths?
According to the Old Testament, the day after the Sabbath (during Passover) was the festival of ‘First Fruits’ and then counting “seven Sabbaths”, the day after being 50 days later was to be the festival of the ‘Feast of Weeks’ or what we now call Pentecost. Understanding this truth is the key to unlocking what the phase “first of the Sabbaths” actually means:
“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto Yahweh. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto Yahweh…And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before Yahweh… And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.” (Lev 23:15-21)
Accordingly, the phase ‘first of the Sabbaths’ refers to it being the first Sabbath in the week of Sabbaths (or 7 Sabbaths) which were to be counted till Pentecost! All the disciples and ‘Jews’ would have understood exactly what this phase meant.
Other Verses used to Justify the Change in Day
Some refer to Paul instructing the ‘church’ at Corinth to take a collection on the ‘first day of the week’ as justification for replacing the Sabbath with Sunday (first day) worship:
“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come…And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me. Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia…I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit. But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.” (1 Cor 16:1-8)
However, again as before the word above translated ‘week’ is from the Greek word for Sabbath. Therefore, Paul was actually instructing them to set aside (“lay by him in store”) money on the ‘first of the Sabbaths’ which would have been on the ‘Feast of First Fruits’ (a day an offering was always made). Then he writes about arranging for someone approved by them to go and collect their offering (“liberality”) so it could be taken to Jerusalem in time for the day of Pentecost which would be 7 Sabbaths later.
Others refer to the disciples coming together on the first day of the week to ‘break bread’ as evidence of their tradition in keeping the ‘Lord’s Day’:
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.” (Acts 20:7-11)
Yet again the word above translated ‘week’ comes from the Greek word for Sabbath. Therefore, this verse teaches us again that the disciples actually meet on the ‘first of the Sabbaths’ (Saturday) to ‘break bread’ which is simply an expression for a common meal. Note they ‘broke bread’ twice in one evening and departed “on the morrow” (Sunday) to start a long journey.
When did the Keeping of the Sabbath Change to Keeping the Sunday?
If Yahshua kept the Sabbath; the disciples continued to keep the Sabbath long after Yahshua had died and rose again and it is both commanded and prophesied the Sabbath will be kept forever what caused the change in day?
It was Constantine who is credited with creating the earliest Sunday law known to history in AD 321 when he made the following edict:
“On the venerable Day of the sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed...” (Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p. 380, note 1)
Chamber’s Encyclopedia says this:
“Unquestionably the first law, either ecclesiastical or civil, by which the Sabbatical observance of that Day is known to have been ordained, is the edict of Constantine, 321 A.D.”
“The gradual process towards Christian tradition and ritual was underscored in 321, when, on the 7th of March, Constantine decreed that dies Solis, or "the day of the sun," should be observed as a universal day of rest…The decree was far-reaching, stating that numerous activities should be avoided on Sunday. Merchants were forbidden to trade, and administrative establishments were closed, apart from those that dealt with the freeing of slaves. Farmers alone were permitted to continue working on the Sabbath, in recognition that some farm activity was impossible to defer.
Constantine chose Sunday to be the day for Christian worship as it already enjoyed special status in the Roman week. Named after the Pagan Sun God Invictus, Sunday had become the day when wages were traditionally paid to workers, leading it to be seen as a day of celebration and thanks. In corresponding the Christian Sabbath with an already established day of rest, Constantine ensured that his decree would be accepted swiftly and harmoniously.” (http://www.historychannel.com.au/classroom/
day-in-history/473/constantine-decrees-sun-day-as-day-of-rest)
Constantine “by publishing in the same year two edicts; the first of which enjoined the solemn observance of Sunday…But the devotion of Constantine was more peculiarly directed to the genius of the Sun, the Apollo of Greek and Roman mythology.” (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, 1961, Pg. 285)
Following this initial legislation, both emperors and Popes in succeeding centuries added other laws to strengthen Sunday observance. What began as a pagan ordinance ended as a Christian regulation. Close on the heels of the Edict of Constantine followed the Catholic Church Council of Laodicea (circa 364 AD):
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.”
Some will still argue that the early church fathers and Christians alike observed Sunday in place of the Sabbath from the resurrection forward. However, if this was true then why was it necessary for the Catholic Church in the 4th century to make ecclesiastical laws to enforce Sunday worship as the day of rest? The simple answer is, because the true Christians continued to keep the Sabbath!
Why is the Sabbath so Important?
Yahweh not only established the Sabbath as a day of rest, but also as a “sign between me and you throughout your generations…for a perpetual covenant…a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever”:
“Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am Yahweh that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” (Ex 31:13-17)
It was to be “a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes” “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes”:
“Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Yahweh. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which Yahweh did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that Yahweh’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath Yahweh brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.” (Ex 13:6-10)
“Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God is one Yahweh: And thou shalt love Yahweh thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates...Thou shalt fear Yahweh thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you…Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of Yahweh: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which Yahweh sware unto thy fathers,” (Deut 6:4-18)
“Therefore thou shalt love Yahweh thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway…Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which Yahweh sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey…Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Yahweh sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth…Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I command you this day:” (Deut 11:1-27)
Satan also has his own Mark or Sign
Throughout the scriptures and history Satan has been counterfeiting what Yahweh has been doing in order to deceive. Just as Yahweh made the keeping of his laws, including the Sabbath a “sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes”; “a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes…” Satan has his own ‘mark’ which is also to be received “in their right hand, or in their foreheads”.
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed…And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Rev 13:11-18)
“And 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. And 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, The 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: And 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. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev 14:8-12)
If Yahweh’s sign was the keeping of His good and perfect laws, including the Sabbath, then surely Satan’s ‘mark’ would be the keeping of his (Satan’s) laws?
In the book of Daniel the coming of a ‘beast’ is prophesied who had “ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell” for he “shall subdue three kings”; “shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth”; having “a mouth that spake very great things…against the most High”; shall make “war with the saints, and prevailed against them” and shall “think to change times and laws”:
“…the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. (Dan 7:19-26)
If we read Yahweh’s Word and compare these prophetic words (i.e. Dan 7, Rev 13 and 2 Thes) with history, it’s understandable why the great reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox and translators like William Tyndale saw in the above scriptures a perfect description of the Roman Catholic Church and the papacy which they associated with the ‘Mystery of Babylon’, beast of Daniel and dragon of Revelation. Luther himself wrote:
“the papacy is identical with the kingdom of Babylon and the real Antichrist. For who else is the “man of sin” and the “son of perdition” (2 Thess 2:3) than he who, by his doctrines and statutes, increases sin and multiplies the loss of souls in Christendom, while himself enthroned in the church as if he were God?” (Martin Luther, Selections from his writings, by John Dillenberger, 1961, Pg 306-307)
“I do not expect even the Antichrist to exhibit contempt of God like that. But that is the pope for you!” (Ibid. Pg 425)
“This ultra-excessive, arrogant, and frivolous presumption of the pope’s is a device of the devil’s to be used betimes as a cover for introducing the Antichrist, and raising the pope above God, as many have already done and are doing.” (Ibid. Pg 439)
“If there were no other insidious device making it clear that the pope was the true Antichrist, this particular example would prove it. Do you hear that, O pope, you are not most holy, but most sinful?...Who is it that gave you power to exalt yourself above your God? to relax and break His commandments…Satan , the Evil One, uses you as his mouthpiece and scribe to lie as he never lied before…There sits the man of whom St. Paul said, “The Man of Sin and the son of perdition shall exalt himself over thee, and sit in thy church setting himself up as God (2 Thes 2:3)” (Ibid. Pg 425)
The Presbyterian and Anglican Westminster Confession also states, "There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ; nor can the pope of Rome in any sense be the head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and that son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God".
They were able to make this connection because after the Roman Empire collapsed, 10 kingdoms arose in its place (the ten toes and horns). Papal Rome (the small horn) rose among them, conquered 3 of those kingdoms (Vandals, Ostrogoths and Alemannian) and continued to grow until it exercised all the power and authority Imperial Rome had once exercised. Thus reviving the Roman Empire (the deadly wound healed), but remaining diverse from all other empires before it, since it combined both civil and religious authority in one. It also incorporated many traditions originating from the Babylonians, thus becoming the Holy Roman Empire, false prophet, ‘mystery’, universal deception and church, which all nations and peoples worshipped.
This same “little horn”…”made war with the saints, and prevailed against them” (Dan 7:21) persecuting and putting to death millions of Christians who refused to bow down to the Pope. One need only read about the Spanish Inquisition, the extermination of the Vaudoi, Waldeneses, Albigenses and Huguenots Christians, or the many accounts of suffering, torture and death of all those who resisted in the Foxes Book of Martyrs to understand the fulfilment of this prophesy. Let us remember too, most of the reformers and bible translators were also put to death by the Catholic Church.
Is it that surprising that after Satan failed to destroy the early church, the great deceiver and ‘angel of light’ would then try a different tack and set up a counterfeit of Yahweh’s true church and completely fool almost the entire world? Paul warned us in Acts 13 that the deceiver would not come from outside the church, but from within the church, while 2 Thes 2:4 stated the ‘Man of Sin’ would give the appearance of being Christian by establishing himself in the temple of God (church) and making himself out to be God. Unfortunately, the term ‘Anti-Christ’ is not well understood and has caused much confusion. While most believe it to mean someone completely ‘opposite’ to Christ in every way, it more correctly translates as someone acting “instead of” or in “substitution” of Christ with the opposition being far more subtle. With this corrected understanding, Satan’s old and canning ways and plan are revealed.
In confirmation of this, the Pope is called the ‘Lord God, the Pope’, ‘His Holiness’, ‘The Holy Father’ and ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’. He is hailed as the 'Head of the Church' in place of Christ and has the official title of ‘Vicar of the Son of God’ which translates as “one serving as a substitute” or in place of the Son of God! If these blasphemies weren’t enough, the ‘man of sin’ did away with Christ’s sacrifice and transferred the power to forgive sins to himself, basing it not on free grace, but ‘good works’, favours and ‘donations’. With basic education withheld from the masses; almost all books including the bible banned and all services held in Latin, few could understand the truth and the deception was made complete.
Sadly, most have forgotten the utter power the Catholic Church once held, with almost the entire known world worshipping and following the Pope. Not only because most were deceived or didn’t know any better, but because this became the only way to receive the “mark” or certificate to carry on trade within the empire. Whereas all ‘heretics” (those who disobeyed) were excommunicated with no one allowed to give them shelter; allow them in their territory or trade with them. In other words, one had to obey his laws to receive his ‘mark’ and therefore live.
The Lateran Council under Pope Alexander III, sentenced certain heretics, "their defenders and harborers, to an anathema, and forbid, under an anathema, that any should presume to keep them in their house, or on their lands, sustain them, or transact any business with them." - Lord. (Hard, vi. it. 1684) The synod of Tours, under the same Pope Alexander, passed the law that no man should presume to receive or assist the heretics, no, not so much as to exercise commerce with them in selling or buying. And so, too, the Constance council, as expressed in Pope Martin's bull (Elliott, iii. 220, 221) "It was just the same fearful penalty of interdict from buying and selling, traffic and intercourse that had been inculcated long before by the Pagan Dragon's representative Diocletian, against the early Christians." - Elliott.
Accordingly, the Anti-Christ was established in power in the 5th century with the line of Popes appearing like lambs, but speaking like dragons. Each one declaring “I am Christ” (Matt 24), while making many other boasts and blasphemies. They spoke “great words against the most high” (Dan 7:25) and opposed and exalted themselves “over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thes 2:4-5). They also did “change the set times and the laws” and used “all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing” (2 Thes 2:9-10).
For example, Pope Nicholas wrote “I then, being above all prelates, seem by this reason to be above all gods. Wherefore, no marvel if it be in my power to change time and times, to alter and abrogate laws, to dispense with all things, yea, with the precepts of Christ...” and “The Roman Pontiff judges all men, but is judged by no one. We declare, assert, define and pronounce: to be subject to the Roman Pontiff is to every human creature altogether necessary for salvation…That which was spoken of Christ ‘Thou hast subdued all things under His feet’, may well seem verified to me… I have the authority of the King of Kings. I am all in all and above all, so that God Himself and I, the Vicar of God, have but one consistory, and I am able to do almost all that God can do. What can you make of me but God?” (Boniface VIII, Bull Unum Sanctum, 16 Nov 1302)
Pope Pius IX when Archbishop of Venice stated “the pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ Himself, hidden under the veil of the flesh. Does the pope speak? It is Jesus Christ who speaks. Does the pope accord a favor or pronounce an anathema? It is Jesus Christ who accords the favor or pronounces that anathema. So that when the pope speaks we have no business to examine.”
Is it a coincidence the Pope is “arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls” (Rev 17:14) and has the official title ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’ which adds up to 666 in Latin? No, Yahweh always fulfils His prophesies exactly as He says and we must be careful not to be like the Jews who couldn’t see prophesy fulfilled even when He stood before them in flesh and blood.
Returning to the fact they would “think to change times and laws” and its relation to the ‘mark’:
"Of course the change (from Sabbath to Sunday) was her act…and the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters." (signed by H.F.Thomas, Chancellor for Cardinal Gibbons, in a letter dated Nov. 11, 1895)
"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)
"Sunday is a time when all Christians discover the Eucharist form that their life is called to have ... the Cardinal stressed how the way in which we celebrate Sunday determines the way in which we live the rest of the week, since it is the mark of Christian identity." (Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, Sanctifying celebration, the family in the Lord’s Day, 1st June 2012)
There is a very interesting connection here many miss. If you read Revelation 13:16-17, you will see the mark of the beast is connected with "buying and selling. If you keep this "law" of Satan and receive the mark, then you will be able to "buy and sell". But Yahweh commands us on the Sabbath day, "buying and selling" and work is forbidden. So Satan has introduced a counterfeit Sabbath day through the Roman Catholic Church (Sunday), and when the time is right, he may have the Sunday law enforced, so that only those who accept the false sabbath can continue to "buy and sell".
What the Modern Day Churches Once Taught
Baptist: "There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday…It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week…Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament - absolutely not. There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week." (Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual, in a paper read before a New York ministers' conference held Nov. 13, 1893)
Catholic: "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we [Catholics] never sanctify." (James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, 16th edition, 1880, p. 111)
Church of Christ: "Finally, we have the testimony of Christ on this subject. In Mark 2:27, he says: 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.' From this passage it is evident that the Sabbath was made not merely for the Israelites, as Paley and Hengstenberg would have us believe, but for man ... that is, for the race. Hence we conclude that the Sabbath was sanctified from the beginning, and that it was given to Adam, even in Eden, as one of those primeval institutions that God ordained for the happiness of all men." (Robert Milligan, Scheme of Redemption, St. Louis, The Bethany Press, 1962, p. 165)
Congregationalist: "The Christian Sabbath [Sunday] is not in the Scriptures, and was not by the primitive church called the Sabbath." (Dwight's Theology, Vol. 4, p. 401)
Episcopal: "Sunday (Dies Solis, of the Roman calendar, 'day of the sun', because dedicated to the sun), the first day of the week, was adopted by the early Christians as a day of worship…No regulations for its observance are laid down in the New Testament, nor, indeed, is its observance even enjoined." ("Sunday," A Religious Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, (New York, Funk and Wagnalls, 1883) p. 2259)
Lutheran: "The observance of the Lord's day [Sunday] is founded not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church." (Augsburg Confession of Faith, quoted in Catholic Sabbath Manual, Part 2, Chapter 1, Section) 10.
Methodist: "Take the matter of Sunday. There are indications in the New Testament as to how the church came to keep the first day of the week as its day of worship, but there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day." (Harris Franklin Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942)
Moody Bible Institute: "The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word 'remember,' showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote the law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?" (D. L. Moody, Weighed and Wanting, p. 47)
Presbyterian: "Until, therefore, it can be shown that the whole moral law has been repealed, the Sabbath will stand…The teaching of Christ confirms the perpetuity of the Sabbath." (T. C. Blake, D.D., Theology Condensed, pp. 474, 475)
Pentecostal: "'Why do we worship on Sunday? Doesn't the Bible teach us that Saturday should be the Lord's Day? '…Apparently we will have to seek the answer from some other source than the New Testament." (David A. Womack, "Is Sunday the Lord's Day?" The Pentecostal Evangel, Aug. 9, 1959, No. 2361, p. 3)
Encyclopedia: "Sunday was a name given by the heathen to the first day of the week, because it was the day on which they worshiped the sun…the seventh day was blessed and hallowed by God Himself, and…He requires His creatures to keep it holy to Him. This commandment is of universal and perpetual obligation." (Eadie's Biblical Cyclopedia, 1872 ed., p. 561)
What Will You Do?
Before reading this study you may have believed the Sabbath day was a relic of the past. Maybe you didn’t think it mattered and you were free to do whatever you liked any day of the week. You might have been going to ‘church’ most Sundays never giving it a thought and “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30)
Why, because the Sabbath was set aside from the beginning of creation as a day of rest and a sign for ever and although a false day of worship has been established long ago, we are not to be “…conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Rom 12:2) We must trust His Word and follows His ways so we might not be deceived and receive Satan’s mark, but rather believe that we might instead receive Yahweh’s seal and blessing.
Keywords: Anglo, Saxon, Celts, Celtic, Israel, Israelites, Britain, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, truth, bible, God, Yahweh, Yahshua, Jesus, truth, british, sabbath, sunday, rest, testament, old, new, commandments, saturday, Lord`s, day, seventh
For many, the Sabbath is a relic of the Old Testament, replaced by Sunday worship in the centuries after Yahshua’s death and resurrection. They say He rose again on Sunday, the first day of the week and therefore it has been superseded by the ‘Lord’s day’. Of course, today even Sundays are treated much like any other day of work or pleasure and certainly has no resemblance to the commandment given to keep the Sabbath day holy as a day of rest.
But are they right? Has the Sabbath indeed been transferred from the seventh day of the week ‘Saturday’ to the first day of the week ‘Sunday’ and if so do we still need to keep it holy as a day of rest? Or was the forth commandment also changed meaning we are now free to do as we please any day of the week? Let’s study the scriptures to see what they say on this important matter and look to history to understand how any change took place.
The Sabbath Established at Creation
While many will likely assume the Sabbath day was first given as one of the ‘Ten Commandments’, it was actually established at creation by the Elohim (God) themselves:
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Gen 2:1-3)
After the Elohim had finished all their work they blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day since they rested from all their work on it. This was to be a pattern for us. After Israel had been delivered from the Egyptians, Yahweh instructs them to keep the seventh day holy and cease from all work:
“And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.” (Ex 12:16)
Later, when giving instructions to the Israelites regarding the gathering of the mana they were told the seventh day was the Sabbath and on this day they were not to gather it:
“Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And Yahweh said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that Yahweh hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.” (Ex 16:26-30)
Notice, Yahweh states the Sabbath day was part of His “commandments and my laws” before He had even given the ‘ten commandments’ to Israel. In other words, the Sabbath day of rest (along with His other commandments) had been in place since the beginning of creation.
Noah kept His laws and was found "righteous" before Yahweh (Gen 7:1) “for all thy commandments are righteousness.” (Ps 119:172).
As further proof of this, Abraham is said to have been obeying the commandments hundreds of years before they were ever given to Israel through Moses at Mt Sinai. Abraham is said to have been blessed "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Gen 26:5)
The Hebrew words used here are very important as The Expositor's Bible Commentary explains: "The Lord then added a remarkable note: Abraham 'kept my requirements [ mismarti ], my commands [ miswotay ], my decrees [ huqqotay ] and my laws [ wetorotay ]' (v. 5).
"It is remarkable that this is precisely the way in which obedience to the Sinai Covenant is expressed in Deuteronomy 11:1: 'Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements [ mismarto ], his decrees [ huqqotayw ], his laws [ mispatayw ] and his commands [ miswotayw ]'…
“Thus Abraham is an example of one who shows the law written on his heart (Jeremiah 31:33) But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, said the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (American King James Version). He is the writer’s ultimate example of true obedience to the law, the one about whom the Lord could say, ‘Abraham obeyed me’ (v. 5). Thus, by showing Abraham to be an example of ‘keeping the law,’ the writer has shown the nature of the relationship between the law and faith. Abraham, a man who lived in faith, could be described as one who kept the law” (Vol. 2, 1990, pp. 186-187, emphasis added).
Ten Commandments
Later, Yahweh reminds Israel of His commandment to rest and keep the seventh day holy when giving the ‘ten commandments’:
“And God spake all these words, saying…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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Ex 20:1-11)
Notice, the Sabbath day is linked back to creation when Yahweh rested on the seventh day.
Later in Deuteronomy when the commandments are again given, the Israelites are called upon to “remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore Yahweh thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day”:
“I am Yahweh thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. …Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as Yahweh thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of Yahweh thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore Yahweh thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” (Deu 5:6-15)
In other words, the Israelites are reminded they too were once ‘strangers’ in the land of Egypt, but unlike the Egyptians who enslaved them they are to be merciful and give rest to all including the ‘stranger’ or foreigner living in the land of Israel.
How are we to Keep the Sabbath?
The commandment is clear. No one was to do any work on this day. It was to be a day of rest. Not even the animals or foreigners in the land were to work as it was to be a blessing for all. Yet today almost nobody keeps it. Even Christians act as if this commandment has been abolished and instead of resting will go out and do whatever pleases them. As long as they are happy, then it is ok as “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). However, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but Yahweh pondereth the hearts.” (Pr 21:2) Why, because “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9)
The scriptures are clear:
“And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt” (Neh 10:31)
“In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. (Neh 13:15-22)
There were no excuses for not keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest and not even the foreigners were exempted. The entire nation was to keep it holy and this included cessation of all work and the buying and selling of anything.
The Promise of Blessing if we Keep the Sabbath
Some argue that modern day businesses and economies can’t afford to be closed for one day a week or suggest consumers need to be able to shop or go out every day of the week, yet Yahweh promises we will actually be more blessed if we only obeyed Him and kept His Sabbath:
“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 Yahweh, 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 Yahweh; 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 Yahweh hath spoken it.” (Isa 58:13-14)
Yahweh does not ask for much. We have six days in which to do our own thing and we are only asked to set aside one day to rest and honour Him. Even then it’s for our own good and if we stop seeking our own pleasure on His Sabbath, then we will be more than compensated.
Sabbath to be Kept Forever Throughout All Our Generations
Yahweh commands Israel to keep the Sabbath “throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever”:
“Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” (Ex 31:14-18)
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt 24:15-21)
“And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Yahweh.” (Isa 66:23)
The Sabbath day was commanded to be kept not only throughout Old Testament times, but also after Christ’s death and resurrection and even after He returns to establish His rule upon the earth!
Did Yahshua and the Disciples Keep the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament 55 times and it is clear Yahshua, His disciples and the ‘Jews’ all certainly kept the Sabbath day:
“For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” (Matt 12:8)
“And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.” (Mark 1:21)
“And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?” (Mark 6:2)
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” (Luke 4:16)
“And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.” (Luke 4:31)
“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” (John 19:31)
Did the Disciples Keep the Sabbath after Yahshua had Died and Risen Again?
Even after Yahshua had died and rose again, His disciples and followers continued to keep the Sabbath. Clearly, they had not been instructed by Yahshua to stop after His resurrection:
“Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.” (Acts 1:12)
“But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.” (Act 13:14)
“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath…And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” (Act 13:42-44)
“For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.” (Acts 15:21)
“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures” (Acts 17:2)
“And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” (Acts 18:4)
Did Yahshua Rise on the First Day of the Week?
Putting the above scriptures aside for a moment, most today still believe that because Yahshua rose of the first day of the week (Sunday) this automatically changed the Sabbath to Sunday. Or they say the Sabbath was abolished and the ‘Lord’s Day’ created. But did he really rise on the first day of the week?
“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Yahshua, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.” (Matt 28:1 – 7)
According to the above account, the two Marys visited Christ’s tomb at “the end of the Sabbath” before it was yet “the first day of the week”. The phase “in the end” used here according to Strong’s Concordance can also be translated “late in the day”. Accordingly, if the two Marys discovered the tomb was empty at the end of the Sabbath then Yahshua must have risen from the dead on the seventh day. The Sabbath!
However, when reading the other accounts of the same event, there appears to be a contradiction since they seem to be saying He rose on “the first day of the week”:
“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun…Now when Yahshua was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” (Mark 16:1-9)
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.’ (Luke 24:1)
“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” (John 20:1)
“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.” (John 20:19)
Thankfully, there are no contradictions in the scriptures and anyone looking out a Strong’s Concordance will see the phrase “first day of the week” is a mistranslation. Firstly, if you look up the word translated ‘week’ you find it comes from the Greek word ‘sabbaton’ which means ‘sabbath’ in Hebrew.
“sabbaton…Of Hebrew origin [H7676]; the Sabbath…or day of weekly repose from secular avocations” (Strongs Concordance G4521)
Secondly, because the word ‘day’ is italicized it means this word was not in the original text, but added by the translators. If we put these two facts together, the above phase should have simply read “the first Sabbath” or “the first of the Sabbaths”. Accordingly, every event described in the scriptures above occurred on the Sabbath! Not only did Yahshua rise on the Sabbath, but the disciples continued to meet on the Sabbath as we will study in more detail shortly.
One possible reason why these mistranslations occurred was although the translators were no doubt wanting to stay true to the original text, they were also bound by the doctrines of their day which had long held that ‘Yahshua had risen on the first day of the week”. The pressure to conform to the doctrines of the established church would have been very powerful or maybe they just saw what they expected to see.
The other possible reason was the difference in how the day is determined. While our day starts and finishes at midnight, Yahweh established from the very beginning that the day begin at sunset and finish at the following sunset:
“And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen 1:5)
Accordingly, when reading passages about the evening of a particular day we mustn’t assume the following day is not the next day but a continuation of the same day.
First of the Sabbaths?
According to the Old Testament, the day after the Sabbath (during Passover) was the festival of ‘First Fruits’ and then counting “seven Sabbaths”, the day after being 50 days later was to be the festival of the ‘Feast of Weeks’ or what we now call Pentecost. Understanding this truth is the key to unlocking what the phase “first of the Sabbaths” actually means:
“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto Yahweh. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto Yahweh…And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before Yahweh… And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.” (Lev 23:15-21)
Accordingly, the phase ‘first of the Sabbaths’ refers to it being the first Sabbath in the week of Sabbaths (or 7 Sabbaths) which were to be counted till Pentecost! All the disciples and ‘Jews’ would have understood exactly what this phase meant.
Other Verses used to Justify the Change in Day
Some refer to Paul instructing the ‘church’ at Corinth to take a collection on the ‘first day of the week’ as justification for replacing the Sabbath with Sunday (first day) worship:
“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come…And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me. Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia…I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit. But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.” (1 Cor 16:1-8)
However, again as before the word above translated ‘week’ is from the Greek word for Sabbath. Therefore, Paul was actually instructing them to set aside (“lay by him in store”) money on the ‘first of the Sabbaths’ which would have been on the ‘Feast of First Fruits’ (a day an offering was always made). Then he writes about arranging for someone approved by them to go and collect their offering (“liberality”) so it could be taken to Jerusalem in time for the day of Pentecost which would be 7 Sabbaths later.
Others refer to the disciples coming together on the first day of the week to ‘break bread’ as evidence of their tradition in keeping the ‘Lord’s Day’:
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.” (Acts 20:7-11)
Yet again the word above translated ‘week’ comes from the Greek word for Sabbath. Therefore, this verse teaches us again that the disciples actually meet on the ‘first of the Sabbaths’ (Saturday) to ‘break bread’ which is simply an expression for a common meal. Note they ‘broke bread’ twice in one evening and departed “on the morrow” (Sunday) to start a long journey.
When did the Keeping of the Sabbath Change to Keeping the Sunday?
If Yahshua kept the Sabbath; the disciples continued to keep the Sabbath long after Yahshua had died and rose again and it is both commanded and prophesied the Sabbath will be kept forever what caused the change in day?
It was Constantine who is credited with creating the earliest Sunday law known to history in AD 321 when he made the following edict:
“On the venerable Day of the sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed...” (Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p. 380, note 1)
Chamber’s Encyclopedia says this:
“Unquestionably the first law, either ecclesiastical or civil, by which the Sabbatical observance of that Day is known to have been ordained, is the edict of Constantine, 321 A.D.”
“The gradual process towards Christian tradition and ritual was underscored in 321, when, on the 7th of March, Constantine decreed that dies Solis, or "the day of the sun," should be observed as a universal day of rest…The decree was far-reaching, stating that numerous activities should be avoided on Sunday. Merchants were forbidden to trade, and administrative establishments were closed, apart from those that dealt with the freeing of slaves. Farmers alone were permitted to continue working on the Sabbath, in recognition that some farm activity was impossible to defer.
Constantine chose Sunday to be the day for Christian worship as it already enjoyed special status in the Roman week. Named after the Pagan Sun God Invictus, Sunday had become the day when wages were traditionally paid to workers, leading it to be seen as a day of celebration and thanks. In corresponding the Christian Sabbath with an already established day of rest, Constantine ensured that his decree would be accepted swiftly and harmoniously.” (http://www.historychannel.com.au/classroom/
day-in-history/473/constantine-decrees-sun-day-as-day-of-rest)
Constantine “by publishing in the same year two edicts; the first of which enjoined the solemn observance of Sunday…But the devotion of Constantine was more peculiarly directed to the genius of the Sun, the Apollo of Greek and Roman mythology.” (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, 1961, Pg. 285)
Following this initial legislation, both emperors and Popes in succeeding centuries added other laws to strengthen Sunday observance. What began as a pagan ordinance ended as a Christian regulation. Close on the heels of the Edict of Constantine followed the Catholic Church Council of Laodicea (circa 364 AD):
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.”
Some will still argue that the early church fathers and Christians alike observed Sunday in place of the Sabbath from the resurrection forward. However, if this was true then why was it necessary for the Catholic Church in the 4th century to make ecclesiastical laws to enforce Sunday worship as the day of rest? The simple answer is, because the true Christians continued to keep the Sabbath!
Why is the Sabbath so Important?
Yahweh not only established the Sabbath as a day of rest, but also as a “sign between me and you throughout your generations…for a perpetual covenant…a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever”:
“Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am Yahweh that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” (Ex 31:13-17)
It was to be “a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes” “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes”:
“Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Yahweh. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which Yahweh did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that Yahweh’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath Yahweh brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.” (Ex 13:6-10)
“Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God is one Yahweh: And thou shalt love Yahweh thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates...Thou shalt fear Yahweh thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you…Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of Yahweh: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which Yahweh sware unto thy fathers,” (Deut 6:4-18)
“Therefore thou shalt love Yahweh thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway…Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which Yahweh sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey…Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Yahweh sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth…Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I command you this day:” (Deut 11:1-27)
Satan also has his own Mark or Sign
Throughout the scriptures and history Satan has been counterfeiting what Yahweh has been doing in order to deceive. Just as Yahweh made the keeping of his laws, including the Sabbath a “sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes”; “a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes…” Satan has his own ‘mark’ which is also to be received “in their right hand, or in their foreheads”.
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed…And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Rev 13:11-18)
“And 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. And 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, The 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: And 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. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev 14:8-12)
If Yahweh’s sign was the keeping of His good and perfect laws, including the Sabbath, then surely Satan’s ‘mark’ would be the keeping of his (Satan’s) laws?
In the book of Daniel the coming of a ‘beast’ is prophesied who had “ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell” for he “shall subdue three kings”; “shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth”; having “a mouth that spake very great things…against the most High”; shall make “war with the saints, and prevailed against them” and shall “think to change times and laws”:
“…the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. (Dan 7:19-26)
If we read Yahweh’s Word and compare these prophetic words (i.e. Dan 7, Rev 13 and 2 Thes) with history, it’s understandable why the great reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox and translators like William Tyndale saw in the above scriptures a perfect description of the Roman Catholic Church and the papacy which they associated with the ‘Mystery of Babylon’, beast of Daniel and dragon of Revelation. Luther himself wrote:
“the papacy is identical with the kingdom of Babylon and the real Antichrist. For who else is the “man of sin” and the “son of perdition” (2 Thess 2:3) than he who, by his doctrines and statutes, increases sin and multiplies the loss of souls in Christendom, while himself enthroned in the church as if he were God?” (Martin Luther, Selections from his writings, by John Dillenberger, 1961, Pg 306-307)
“I do not expect even the Antichrist to exhibit contempt of God like that. But that is the pope for you!” (Ibid. Pg 425)
“This ultra-excessive, arrogant, and frivolous presumption of the pope’s is a device of the devil’s to be used betimes as a cover for introducing the Antichrist, and raising the pope above God, as many have already done and are doing.” (Ibid. Pg 439)
“If there were no other insidious device making it clear that the pope was the true Antichrist, this particular example would prove it. Do you hear that, O pope, you are not most holy, but most sinful?...Who is it that gave you power to exalt yourself above your God? to relax and break His commandments…Satan , the Evil One, uses you as his mouthpiece and scribe to lie as he never lied before…There sits the man of whom St. Paul said, “The Man of Sin and the son of perdition shall exalt himself over thee, and sit in thy church setting himself up as God (2 Thes 2:3)” (Ibid. Pg 425)
The Presbyterian and Anglican Westminster Confession also states, "There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ; nor can the pope of Rome in any sense be the head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and that son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God".
They were able to make this connection because after the Roman Empire collapsed, 10 kingdoms arose in its place (the ten toes and horns). Papal Rome (the small horn) rose among them, conquered 3 of those kingdoms (Vandals, Ostrogoths and Alemannian) and continued to grow until it exercised all the power and authority Imperial Rome had once exercised. Thus reviving the Roman Empire (the deadly wound healed), but remaining diverse from all other empires before it, since it combined both civil and religious authority in one. It also incorporated many traditions originating from the Babylonians, thus becoming the Holy Roman Empire, false prophet, ‘mystery’, universal deception and church, which all nations and peoples worshipped.
This same “little horn”…”made war with the saints, and prevailed against them” (Dan 7:21) persecuting and putting to death millions of Christians who refused to bow down to the Pope. One need only read about the Spanish Inquisition, the extermination of the Vaudoi, Waldeneses, Albigenses and Huguenots Christians, or the many accounts of suffering, torture and death of all those who resisted in the Foxes Book of Martyrs to understand the fulfilment of this prophesy. Let us remember too, most of the reformers and bible translators were also put to death by the Catholic Church.
Is it that surprising that after Satan failed to destroy the early church, the great deceiver and ‘angel of light’ would then try a different tack and set up a counterfeit of Yahweh’s true church and completely fool almost the entire world? Paul warned us in Acts 13 that the deceiver would not come from outside the church, but from within the church, while 2 Thes 2:4 stated the ‘Man of Sin’ would give the appearance of being Christian by establishing himself in the temple of God (church) and making himself out to be God. Unfortunately, the term ‘Anti-Christ’ is not well understood and has caused much confusion. While most believe it to mean someone completely ‘opposite’ to Christ in every way, it more correctly translates as someone acting “instead of” or in “substitution” of Christ with the opposition being far more subtle. With this corrected understanding, Satan’s old and canning ways and plan are revealed.
In confirmation of this, the Pope is called the ‘Lord God, the Pope’, ‘His Holiness’, ‘The Holy Father’ and ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’. He is hailed as the 'Head of the Church' in place of Christ and has the official title of ‘Vicar of the Son of God’ which translates as “one serving as a substitute” or in place of the Son of God! If these blasphemies weren’t enough, the ‘man of sin’ did away with Christ’s sacrifice and transferred the power to forgive sins to himself, basing it not on free grace, but ‘good works’, favours and ‘donations’. With basic education withheld from the masses; almost all books including the bible banned and all services held in Latin, few could understand the truth and the deception was made complete.
Sadly, most have forgotten the utter power the Catholic Church once held, with almost the entire known world worshipping and following the Pope. Not only because most were deceived or didn’t know any better, but because this became the only way to receive the “mark” or certificate to carry on trade within the empire. Whereas all ‘heretics” (those who disobeyed) were excommunicated with no one allowed to give them shelter; allow them in their territory or trade with them. In other words, one had to obey his laws to receive his ‘mark’ and therefore live.
The Lateran Council under Pope Alexander III, sentenced certain heretics, "their defenders and harborers, to an anathema, and forbid, under an anathema, that any should presume to keep them in their house, or on their lands, sustain them, or transact any business with them." - Lord. (Hard, vi. it. 1684) The synod of Tours, under the same Pope Alexander, passed the law that no man should presume to receive or assist the heretics, no, not so much as to exercise commerce with them in selling or buying. And so, too, the Constance council, as expressed in Pope Martin's bull (Elliott, iii. 220, 221) "It was just the same fearful penalty of interdict from buying and selling, traffic and intercourse that had been inculcated long before by the Pagan Dragon's representative Diocletian, against the early Christians." - Elliott.
Accordingly, the Anti-Christ was established in power in the 5th century with the line of Popes appearing like lambs, but speaking like dragons. Each one declaring “I am Christ” (Matt 24), while making many other boasts and blasphemies. They spoke “great words against the most high” (Dan 7:25) and opposed and exalted themselves “over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thes 2:4-5). They also did “change the set times and the laws” and used “all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing” (2 Thes 2:9-10).
For example, Pope Nicholas wrote “I then, being above all prelates, seem by this reason to be above all gods. Wherefore, no marvel if it be in my power to change time and times, to alter and abrogate laws, to dispense with all things, yea, with the precepts of Christ...” and “The Roman Pontiff judges all men, but is judged by no one. We declare, assert, define and pronounce: to be subject to the Roman Pontiff is to every human creature altogether necessary for salvation…That which was spoken of Christ ‘Thou hast subdued all things under His feet’, may well seem verified to me… I have the authority of the King of Kings. I am all in all and above all, so that God Himself and I, the Vicar of God, have but one consistory, and I am able to do almost all that God can do. What can you make of me but God?” (Boniface VIII, Bull Unum Sanctum, 16 Nov 1302)
Pope Pius IX when Archbishop of Venice stated “the pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ Himself, hidden under the veil of the flesh. Does the pope speak? It is Jesus Christ who speaks. Does the pope accord a favor or pronounce an anathema? It is Jesus Christ who accords the favor or pronounces that anathema. So that when the pope speaks we have no business to examine.”
Is it a coincidence the Pope is “arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls” (Rev 17:14) and has the official title ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’ which adds up to 666 in Latin? No, Yahweh always fulfils His prophesies exactly as He says and we must be careful not to be like the Jews who couldn’t see prophesy fulfilled even when He stood before them in flesh and blood.
Returning to the fact they would “think to change times and laws” and its relation to the ‘mark’:
"Of course the change (from Sabbath to Sunday) was her act…and the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters." (signed by H.F.Thomas, Chancellor for Cardinal Gibbons, in a letter dated Nov. 11, 1895)
"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)
"Sunday is a time when all Christians discover the Eucharist form that their life is called to have ... the Cardinal stressed how the way in which we celebrate Sunday determines the way in which we live the rest of the week, since it is the mark of Christian identity." (Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, Sanctifying celebration, the family in the Lord’s Day, 1st June 2012)
There is a very interesting connection here many miss. If you read Revelation 13:16-17, you will see the mark of the beast is connected with "buying and selling. If you keep this "law" of Satan and receive the mark, then you will be able to "buy and sell". But Yahweh commands us on the Sabbath day, "buying and selling" and work is forbidden. So Satan has introduced a counterfeit Sabbath day through the Roman Catholic Church (Sunday), and when the time is right, he may have the Sunday law enforced, so that only those who accept the false sabbath can continue to "buy and sell".
What the Modern Day Churches Once Taught
Baptist: "There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday…It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week…Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament - absolutely not. There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week." (Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual, in a paper read before a New York ministers' conference held Nov. 13, 1893)
Catholic: "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we [Catholics] never sanctify." (James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, 16th edition, 1880, p. 111)
Church of Christ: "Finally, we have the testimony of Christ on this subject. In Mark 2:27, he says: 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.' From this passage it is evident that the Sabbath was made not merely for the Israelites, as Paley and Hengstenberg would have us believe, but for man ... that is, for the race. Hence we conclude that the Sabbath was sanctified from the beginning, and that it was given to Adam, even in Eden, as one of those primeval institutions that God ordained for the happiness of all men." (Robert Milligan, Scheme of Redemption, St. Louis, The Bethany Press, 1962, p. 165)
Congregationalist: "The Christian Sabbath [Sunday] is not in the Scriptures, and was not by the primitive church called the Sabbath." (Dwight's Theology, Vol. 4, p. 401)
Episcopal: "Sunday (Dies Solis, of the Roman calendar, 'day of the sun', because dedicated to the sun), the first day of the week, was adopted by the early Christians as a day of worship…No regulations for its observance are laid down in the New Testament, nor, indeed, is its observance even enjoined." ("Sunday," A Religious Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, (New York, Funk and Wagnalls, 1883) p. 2259)
Lutheran: "The observance of the Lord's day [Sunday] is founded not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church." (Augsburg Confession of Faith, quoted in Catholic Sabbath Manual, Part 2, Chapter 1, Section) 10.
Methodist: "Take the matter of Sunday. There are indications in the New Testament as to how the church came to keep the first day of the week as its day of worship, but there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day." (Harris Franklin Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942)
Moody Bible Institute: "The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word 'remember,' showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote the law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?" (D. L. Moody, Weighed and Wanting, p. 47)
Presbyterian: "Until, therefore, it can be shown that the whole moral law has been repealed, the Sabbath will stand…The teaching of Christ confirms the perpetuity of the Sabbath." (T. C. Blake, D.D., Theology Condensed, pp. 474, 475)
Pentecostal: "'Why do we worship on Sunday? Doesn't the Bible teach us that Saturday should be the Lord's Day? '…Apparently we will have to seek the answer from some other source than the New Testament." (David A. Womack, "Is Sunday the Lord's Day?" The Pentecostal Evangel, Aug. 9, 1959, No. 2361, p. 3)
Encyclopedia: "Sunday was a name given by the heathen to the first day of the week, because it was the day on which they worshiped the sun…the seventh day was blessed and hallowed by God Himself, and…He requires His creatures to keep it holy to Him. This commandment is of universal and perpetual obligation." (Eadie's Biblical Cyclopedia, 1872 ed., p. 561)
What Will You Do?
Before reading this study you may have believed the Sabbath day was a relic of the past. Maybe you didn’t think it mattered and you were free to do whatever you liked any day of the week. You might have been going to ‘church’ most Sundays never giving it a thought and “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30)
Why, because the Sabbath was set aside from the beginning of creation as a day of rest and a sign for ever and although a false day of worship has been established long ago, we are not to be “…conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Rom 12:2) We must trust His Word and follows His ways so we might not be deceived and receive Satan’s mark, but rather believe that we might instead receive Yahweh’s seal and blessing.
Keywords: Anglo, Saxon, Celts, Celtic, Israel, Israelites, Britain, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, truth, bible, God, Yahweh, Yahshua, Jesus, truth, british, sabbath, sunday, rest, testament, old, new, commandments, saturday, Lord`s, day, seventh