Issued: 4/28/24

“Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death.”

Exodus 31:14-15

  PLEASE NOTE:  Because Bible versions sometimes differ from each other in crucial ways, the version quoted here will be the one that best clarifies the point being made.  For a quick comparison between versions, please go to: http://www.biblehub.com.

   All bracketed material may be authorial comments, attempts at proper syntax, or minimal rewordings of Scripture for the sake of clarity and continuity.  These emendations will not be italicized.

   The “/” will be used to signify “and/or.”  The symbol “↔” is used to connect verses corroborating each other and so establishing doctrinal truths (Matthew 18:16↔2Corinthians 13:1).

   In differentiating between Yahweh Son [Jesus] and Yahweh Father [the Most High God], lower case letters have been used when discussing the former; upper case letters are reserved for the Only and Most High God.  Since Jesus was at pains to differentiate himself from Father, we have followed his lead here.

   The term neo-Christians will be used to differentiate between false Christians and Jesus’ true followers.

   Let us do things in reverse order by starting with conclusions rather than Scriptures leading up to them.    If we look at any calendar, it is apparent that Sunday is the first day of the week; it is called so in the Bible with respect to Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24:1; John 20:1) commemorated at Easter; and it is the day Paul had in mind when suggesting collections for the needy (1Corinthians 16:2). Please note that “first day” is not called by any name given it in any human language: It is called “first” in order to link it to Genesis’ First Day, when Yahweh Son, later to incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth, was called into being by Father (Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14).¹ The same principle applies to Seventh Day (Genesis 2:2-3), which exalts both Father as Ultimate Creator and Son as His proxy Creator [↔John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2-3]; for which reason Jesus called himself “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8)—not Resurrection Sunday but “the day of the Lord” when John received the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:10).

   Technically, though, Genesis’ First Day was reckoned from evening to morning (Genesis 1:5); but more specifically from “sunset to sunset” (Leviticus 23:32). Please note these are arbitrary/deliberate terms, for sun and moon were not created until Fourth Day. Therefore the Biblical Sunday, or first day, begins on Saturday sunset and extends to Sunday sunset. This is why when Jesus was crucified on Sixth Day Friday and died close to the beginning of Seventh Day Saturday, he had to be hastily placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s burial site-to-be [not necessarily the tourist site in Jerusalem] (Matthew 27:59-60; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42).²

The Sabbath Jesus observed and taught to observe.

   There is absolutely no question that Jesus’ observed the Seventh Day of the Commandment (Luke 4:16): Jews knew of no other day of rest. What he did, straddling as he was the Mosaic Covenant and the Covenant of Faith, was to teach a more flexible day of rest. Whereas before prohibitions were iron-clad, Jesus taught that necessary and humane things done in the spirit of love/faith superseded strict adherence to the letter of the law (Matthew 12:1-5, 15:1-20, 23:16-26↔Romans 9:30-32). Work was still forbidden (Exodus 35:2); as were daily routines (Exodus 16:23,29↔cooking), priorities (Exodus 34:21↔harvest), and business dealings (Nehemiah 13:15-18; Jeremiah 17:21-22). But whereas Deuteronomy 5:14 forbade involving animals in any type of work (Leviticus 19:18, Jesus argued it was permissible to tend to animals’ needs↔Matthew 12:11-12; Luke 13:15); and if people doing Father‘s work were not carrying prepackaged meals, it was alright to gather food from the field or even partake of holy offerings otherwise forbidden (Matthew 12:1-7). And he, being the Lord of the Seventh Day Sabbath, had the authority to do so (Matthew 12:8).

   By the same token, there is absolutely no evidence in Scripture that Jesus changed the Sabbath from Seventh to First Day of the week—regardless of misinterpretations of Acts 2:1 and 1Corinthians 16:2. What these Scriptures are telling us if that following the Seventh Day of rest, early Christians gathered on first day Sunday to deal with evangelical/church matters which could not be done on the Sabbath. This harks back to the Passover in Exodus 12, when the nation of Israel was freed from slavery and bondage under an unnamed Pharaoh [stand-in for Satan↔Ezekiel 29:3].

   If we then connect the dots—eating non-leavened bread [v. 8,19↔Matthew 16:11; Luke 12:1; Galatians 5:9]; an unflawed lamb to be eaten whose bones could not be broken [v. 3-5,46↔John 19:36; 1Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 7:26-27]; and blood to safeguard the chosen from the Destroying Angel [v. 23↔1Chronicles 21:15; Isaiah 14:4,12-4,16-17,20; Ezekiel 21:11,13,19; Revelation 6:8, 7:14], it does not take rocket science to realize that Old Testament events foreshadow Christian themes. Our Passover is two-fold: Symbolically, as part of Jesus’ body (Ephesians 5:30), we have crossed-over spiritually with him into Heaven; literally, we will be taken there as immortal bodies and souls following the first resurrection (1Corinthians 15:51-55↔Job 19:26/Psalms 17:15/1John 3:2/Revelation 22:4; 1Thessalonians 4:15-17).

   In point of fact, early Christians kept observing Seventh Day Sabbaths (Acts 13:14,42, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4) until Constantine’s decision in 321 CE to make Sunday “a venerable day of rest.” Let us not forget about Constantine’s dream/vision(?) involving the sun. Keeping in mind that each of the men [i.e., Lactantius and Eusebius] chronicling versions of the following events were exalting their emperor, Constantine is reported to have had a vision, prior to a decisive battle at Milvian Bridge in Rome on October 27, 312, involving a cross of light over the setting sun bearing the inscription, “By this symbol you will conquer.” That sign, much disputed amongst historians [after the fashion of ancient Athenians↔Acts 17:21], was propagandized as Christ’s personal endorsement of Constantine’s imperialistic agenda, an idolatrous man who worshipped the sun god, Sol Invictus, commemorated on Sundays and whose birthday fell on December 25.³ Nothing unusual in any of this: The typical campaign via misguided men by the anti-Christ who dresses as an angel of light (2Corinthians 11:14) to re-direct worship from Father (Hosea 11:7) and Son (Hosea 7:13) to himself.

The Meaning of the Sabbath

   So do Christians observing Sunday worship Father and Son? They do not, for it is in violation of the Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) and violating any of the Ten violates them all (James 2:10); it is not the day the pre-existent Jesus (John 17:5; John 5:22↔Genesis 18:25; Acts 17:31) instituted at the completion of Father‘s directives during Creation (Genesis 2:2-3), of which he called himself “Lord” (Matthew 12:8); and it is not the sign Father instituted between Himself and everyone the world over He chose to sanctify (Exodus 31:13; Deuteronomy 29:14-15; Acts 2:39, 10:34-35; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 1:3-10, 4:5-6). That nation of holy priests (1Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 5:9-10) is the true Israel foreshadowed by its Jewish counterpart; and that Israel is a great portion of people to be saved at end-times by invoking Jesus’ name during the Great Tribulation (Isaiah 59:20-21; Romans 10:10-13; Revelation 7:9,13-14↔Deuteronomy 30:1-10; 1Kings 8:47-53; Jeremiah 29:12-13).

   Do we sound like doomsayers and alarmists? Not really if we apply Isaiah’s 8:20 golden standard: If it is written in Scripture, however unwelcomed and inconvenient, it is the Gospel truth. Father is not to be messed around with; and when Scripture warns us that ‘if anyone turns a deaf ear to His instruction, his/her prayers to Him are detestable’ (Proverbs 28:9), He means that even if our hallelujahs peel the paint off the walls of our places of worship on Sundays, they are not being heard by Him (Isaiah 1:15; Ezekiel 8:18; Zechariah 7:12-13), for He only listens to those Who fear and obey Him (Isaiah 66:2; John 9:31). It behooves us all to shift focus from comforting notions like John 3:16 to the stark reality that Father‘s love is predicated on unconditional obedience to His will; as well as acknowledging that though being the quintessence of Love, He will destroy those He probably loves but have transgressed against Him (Deuteronomy 32:35; 1Samuel 2:30↔John 14:21; Ezra 8:22; Isaiah 1:28; Jeremiah 17:13; Hebrews 10:26-27,31; Revelation 20:7-10, 21:8). Like Paul put it, “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29); not our re-configured, benevolent Daddy-in-the-sky Who forgives all unconditionally (Jeremiah 46:28).⁴

   Will Sunday-worshipping Christians listen? Heck no (Ezekiel 3:7, 22:26-30; Zechariah 7:11-12)! We have become too invested in TGIF happy hours, going shopping or having fun activities on Saturdays to do for Father the only thing He asks from us for all His bounties: To spend time with Him so that we show our love for and appreciation of Him on the day He has chosen for that purpose. He is not asking for anything more than what we are willing to do for our loved ones on a daily basis; only that we get a buzz from the latter and He, being Invisible, is well…out of sight, out of mind. And because Reformation leaders had not the good sense to preach reverence for Father‘s Sabbath, they mindlessly institutionalized Roman Catholic Sunday worship despite Daniel 7:25’s pointed prophecy—which is the gist in the profiling of Revelation 17:5: “Babylon the Great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” These “prostitutes,” by the way, are houses of worship (Jeremiah 5:7), be them synagogues, temples, or Christian churches ‘adulterating’ with false gods.

The ‘Jewish’ Label

   One of Satan’s greatest successes amongst Christians has been propagandizing the Old Testament as books written strictly for Jews. Not only would it not be possible to understand and corroborate Jesus’ role as Messiah—indeed all of his testimony and deeds (Matthew 18:16; John 5:31-32, 8:17-18, 18:14-18↔Deuteronomy 19:15), but the Apostles followed his lead: Paul in Acts 26:22-23, 2Corinthians 13:1, 1Timothy 5:19; and Peter in 1Peter 1:10-12. It is safe to say that were it not for the Old Testament, Christians would not know their God, their Savior, or have a preview of future events to befall them [↔Ecclesiastes 1:9-10].

   It is also true that some Mosaic laws and rituals were superseded with Jesus’ death on the cross (Galatians 3:13,24-25; Hebrews 9:10); for which reason Ezekiel 20:25 speaks of laws and statutes by which men could not live because it was impossible to observe them all and so be justified (Acts 15:10; Romans 10:5), nor live as immortal bodies/souls because only faith accomplished that (Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11 Hebrews 10:38-39). But this is not to say that the greater surplus of Mosaic teachings were binding upon Christians until end-times, summed up by Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40 and Luke 18:20: Keep the Commandments and love thy neighbor as yourself [↔Galatians 5:14], for all the Law and the Prophet depend on these things—including keeping the Sabbath holy. To which he added, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:21), via the Holy Spirit without Whom no human being is firmly rooted in Father and Jesus (1John 3:24).

   Thus substituting Sunday for Seventh Day Sabbath is akin to throwing away the baby with the bathwater: The baby is what counts, not the water. It is also negating the specific bond Father established between Himself and His people (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12), which will continue to be observed throughout eternity in His Kingdom (Isaiah 66:22-23). So whoever thinks any religious leader has been empowered to make the switcheroo from Seventh Day Sabbath to First Day Sunday, be prepared for the consequences, for “the servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows” (Luke 12:47). Father will not spare the rod on those He loves (Proverbs 13:24; Hebrews 12:5-10); and those who disobey Him will be fodder for heavenly fire (Matthew 10:28; 2Peter 2:6; Revelation 20:9).

   Do not tempt Father by resisting Him (Job 40:2↔1Corinthians 10:22; Hebrews 12:25; 1Peter 5-6↔Ezekiel 21:26); rather give way to His reasoning and objectives (Jeremiah 29:11; Ezekiel 33:11).

Other Pertinent Scriptures

Nehemiah 13:15-22: “In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of
loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day
when they sold food. Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods
and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! Then I confronted
the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the
Sabbath day? Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster
on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath” [↔Jeremiah 17:21-22].

Isaiah 56:2: “Blessed is the one who…keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hands from doing any evil.”

Isaiah 58:13-14: “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going
your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the
Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of
Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

   The choice is ours; and whatever we shall reap, we will have sown.

¹ While it is an article of Trinitarian Dogma that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are bundled up into One, consubstantial Person, the Holy Spirit through Paul (Colossians 1:15) and Jesus himself (Revelation 3:14) attest to Son‘s creation at the very beginning of time [the “today” of Psalms 2:7]. Thus whatever our preconceptions or religious sacred cows, we should acknowledge that Holy Spirit and Son, having been there, know better that human beings who were not.

² The Shroud of Turin, currently in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, is purported to be Jesus’ burial cloth, left behind after his resurrection (John 20:6-7). However unexplainable the negative image imprinted on it, it could not possibly depict Jesus’ image, for the Second Commandment forbids objects like it and, more to the point, their veneration (Exodus 20:4-5). Like the Guadalupe Tilma, readers should consider that since Father never contradicts Himself (Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17), such images must be products of the Great Deceiver to foster the idolatry Father despises.

³ A 312 CE panegyric alleges Constantine had had a previous vision while travelling between Marseille and Trier. In that vision the sun-god Apollo, in the company of Victoria [the Greek Nike], presented him with three wreaths symbolizing thirty years of power. The polemicist/historian Eusebius, responsible for the alleged vision at Milvian Bridge, gave the panegyric his own spin by linking the number of wreaths to “tricennial crowns“; thus laying the groundwork for the eventual re-configuration of the Papal Tiara circa 1314 CE, symbolizing papal powers as father of kings, governor of the world and Vicar of Christ. From the XVIII Century on, Peter’s bronze statue at St. Peter’s was crowned with the re-configured tiara during his feast day of June 29th. Use of this tiara in solemn ceremonies was abandoned during the Papacy of Paul VI.

⁴ The “Jacob” being referred to [↔Genesis 32:28] symbolizes the Judeo-Christian Israel of Isaiah 59:20-21; Romans 10:10-13; Revelation 7:9,13-14, from which the 144,00 will be “first-fruits” (Revelation 7:4-8, 14:3-5).