All Bible texts are from the King James Version
There are those who claim that over the years since Creation we have lost time and therefore really don't know which is the seventh day of the week or the Sabbath. But is this claim true?
"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." Genesis 2:2, 3.
"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 the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." Exodus 31:16, 17.
"For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works." Hebrews 4:4.
"For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth." Genesis 7:4.
"And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;. . . And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more." Genesis 8:10, 12.
"Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also." Genesis 29:27, 28.
The lives of the patriarchs over lapped:-
Adam died when Methuselah was 243 years.
Methuselah died when Shem was 98 years.
Shem died when Abraham was 150 years.
The weekly cycle of time could not have been lost from the time of Adam to Abraham.
"Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily." Exodus 16:4, 5.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."
Exodus 20:8 - 11.
"And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.
And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD."
Jeremiah 17:24-26.
"Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?"
Amos 8:4 - 6.
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:" Isaiah 58:13.
"And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well." 2 Kings 4:23.
"And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the showbread, to prepare it every sabbath." 1 Chronicles 9:32.
"Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;"
Isaiah 56:2 - 6.
"At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days."
Matthew 12:1 - 12.
"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." Mark 2:27, 28 .
"And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on." Luke 23:54
From Genesis to Christ a period of 4,000 years the Sabbath has not been lost.
When we follow the work of the disciples we find that they were still keeping the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath.
"But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on." Acts 13:14, 15.
"And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither." Acts 16:13.
"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.
"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day." Matthew 24:20.
This was Christ talking to His disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Jesus
intended that his followers would still to be keeping the Sabbath.
The calendar we use today has had only minor alterations that have affected the date of the not but not the day of the week.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet," Revelation 1:10.
"For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."
Hebrews 4:4 - 11.
We can see from all these Scriptures that God made everything through Jesus Christ, His son, including the Sabbath day. It was made and sanctified by Jesus Christ from Genesis right through to Revelation and He is Lord of the Sabbath day (Mark 2:28). If time has really been lost, then why do most Christians go to church on Sunday in claiming it is in commemoration of Christ's resurrection, which was on the first day of the week?
© S. D. Goeldner, February, 2011. Last updated November, 2019.
www.vineyardlabourer.info
Mobile, tablet, laptop, desktop, etc. friendly webpage design. Powered by w3.css