The Purpose of the Sabbath

God gave man His Sabbath to keep mankind in the right knowledge and proper worship of the true God. But how does the Sabbath identify God? How does it point to the true God, rather than a false one? Would not Sunday work just as well?

Notice Exodus 31:17: "It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed." God rested from the work of creation on the seventh day of creation week. Not on Sunday, the first day of the week—only the seventh day of the week points back to Creation.

Creation is the proof of God's existence. The act of creating identifies the Creator. God set aside as holy the only day that is a memorial of the act of creating. He appropriated the only day that points, constantly, every seventh day of the week, to the existence of the Creator.

God set that particular day apart from others as His day. He made that particular day sacred and holy to Him, designating it as the very day on which He commands His people to assemble for worship. It is the day man is commanded to rest from his own work and activities, and to be refreshed by assembling with other obedient worshippers in spiritual fellowship.

No other day is a memorial and reminder of the original creation. True, Satan has deceived this world into supposing Christ's resurrection occurred on Sunday morning at sunrise—the very time that has always been the time of pagan sun-worship. The truth is, however, that the resurrection of Jesus Christ actually occurred on the Sabbath, not on Sunday! Additionally, nowhere in the Bible does God tell us to celebrate the day of Christ's resurrection. Instead, Christ tells us to celebrate His death through the observance of Passover (I Corinthians 11:23-26).

So here we find a main purpose in the Sabbath: It identifies God! The very day which God set aside for assembly and worship points as a memorial to whom we are to worship—the Creator and Ruler of all that exists!

The Sabbath also was given as a sign that identifies who the people of God are. Not only does this special covenant say, "that you may know that I am the Lord," but it also says, "that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you" (Exodus 31:13).

Sanctify means "to set apart for holy use or purpose." On the seventh day of creation week, God sanctified the Sabbath day—He set it apart for holy use. By adding the phrase "who sanctifies you," God says the Sabbath is a sign that He also sanctifies those who are His people. He sets them apart from other people as His, for His holy purpose.

So the Sabbath identifies both who God is and who God's people are!

 

Join our Biblical discussions on:

 

Black Christian Women

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BlackChristianWomen/

Views: 101

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Being a S.D.A. I do whole heartly agree with you on the Correct day of  worship.

The Sword explains the Sabbath very well, why is it the Sunday keepers keep

rejecting our true Sabbath? I know the answer, why does not these so called

pastors, minister, or what ever their titles are tell the truth from Gods words.

They need to read Matthew 5: 17-19.and tell me what is it about this scripture

they do not understand. Better yet they the Sunday keeper, need to read isaiah

chapter 58: 13. God also .said, I am the way the truth and the life. He also said, if you

love me keep my commandments. That again reminds me of Matt. 5: 19. If I am wrong.

I stand to be corrected along with Gods own words. (REMEMBER THE SABBATH).

We must not forget Malach 3: 6, which says, For I am the Lord, I CHANGE NOT.

Your friend in Christ Deacon Brown. may God bless.

One correction to be made, it it Gods true Sabbath.

Deacon Brown

TRUTH IS NOT WHAT I BELIEVE. TRUTH IS A FACT. I MAY NOT BELIEVE IT.

THAT DOES NOT CHANGE IT. IT IS THERE NEVERTHELESS, WAITING TO

BE DISCOVERED AND BELIEVED.

TRUTH DOES NOT DEPEND ON THE UNSETTLED AND CHANGING OPINIONS

OF MEN.

IT WAS TRUTH BEFORE IT WAS BELIEVED.

IT WILL REMAIN, TRUTH, WHETHER IT IS BELIEVED OR NOT.

 

                                                   -Carlye B. Haynes

Bro Anthony:   I find it interesting that you cannot see the example of our Savior and His apostles, who by example kept the Sabbath as ordained by the 10 Commandments.  Regarding your requirement that a commandment be stated AFTER the crucifixion to be incumbent upon us, there are many commandments not mentioned, such as not marrying one's mother or father, or men and women wearing clothes of the other gender.   A covenant, like your last will and testament, CANNOT BE CHANGED after the death of the Testator.   So I in turn ask you, WHEN DID JESUS GIVE US ANOTHER DAY TO BE KEPT HOLY, OTHER THAN THE SABBATH, or when did he tell us to stop keeping the 7th Day Sabbath.   For it to be part of the New Covenant, it has to be written in His testimony to be incumbent upon us.   If you cannot find it, you are guilty of inserting something into Jesus/Yahshua's last will and testament that HE never meant to be included.

You also differ from ALL the major denominational leaders in their archives ADMIT that the Sabbath of the 10 commandments was not changed by the death of Christ, but by the Roman Catholic church, who takes full responsibility for that change. They even question WHY protestants do not keep the Seventh Day Sabbath since Jesus/Yahshua NEVER AUTHORIZED THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH to another day.

 

    In case you don't have time to read the whole article, it concludes with these 3 key questions:

    1st.  Which day of the week does the Bible enjoin to be kept holy?
   2nd. Has the New Testament modified by precept or practice the original command?
   3rd.  Have Protestants, since the sixteenth century, obeyed the command of God by keeping "holy" the day enjoined by their infallible guide and teacher, the Bible? and if not, why not?

Here is the article called

 

ROME'S CHALLENGE, dated Sept 1893:

 

Our attention has been called to the above subject in the past week by the receipt of a brochure of twenty-one pages, published by the International Religious Liberty Association, entitled, "Appeal and Remonstrance," embodying resolutions adopted the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists (February 24th, '93). The resolutions criticize and censure, with much acerbity, the action of the United States Congress, and of the Supreme Court, for the invading the rights of the people by closing the World's Fair on Sunday.

The Adventists are the only body of Christians with the Bible as their teacher, who can find no warrant in its pages for the change of the day from the seventh to the first. Hence their appellation, "Seventh-day Adventists." Their cardinal principle consists in setting apart Saturday for the exclusive worship of God, in conformity with the positive command of God himself, repeatedly reiterated in the sacred books of the Old and New Testaments, literally obeyed by the children of Israel for thousands of years to this day, and endorsed by the teaching and practice of the Son of God whilst on earth.

 Per contra, the Protestants of the world, the Adventists excepted, with the same Bible as their cherished and sole infallible teacher, by their practice, since their appearance in the sixteenth century, with the time-honored practice of the Jewish people before their eyes, have rejected the day named for His worship by God, and assumed, in apparent contradiction of His command, a day for His worship never once referred to for that purpose, in the pages of that Sacred Volume.

What Protestant pulpit does not ring almost every Sunday with loud and impassioned invectives against Sabbath violation? Who can forget the fanatical clamor of the Protestant ministers throughout the length and breadth of the land against opening the gates of the World's Fair on Sunday? the thousands of petitions, signed by millions, to save the Lord's Day from desecration? Surely, such general and widespread excitement and noisy remonstrance could not have existed without the strongest grounds for such animated protests.

And when quarters were assigned at the World's fair to the various sects of Protestantism for the exhibition of articles, who can forget the emphatic expressions of virtuous and conscientious indignation exhibited by our Presbyterian brethren, as soon as they learned of the decision of the Supreme Court not to interfere in the Sunday opening? The newspapers informed us that they flatly refused to utilize the space accorded them, or open their boxes, demanding the right to withdraw the articles, in rigid adherence to their principles, and thus decline all contact with the sacrilegious and Sabbath-breaking Exhibition.

 Doubtless, our Calvinistic brethren deserved and shared the sympathy of all the other sects, who, however, lost the opportunity of posing as martyrs in vindication of the Sabbath observance.

They thus became a "spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men," although their Protestant brethren, who failed to share the monopoly, were uncharitably and enviously disposed to attribute their steadfast adherence to religious principle, to Pharisaical pride and dogged obstinacy.
  

Our purpose in throwing off this article, is to shed such light on this all-important question (for were the Sabbath question to be removed from the Protestant pulpit, the sects would feel lost, and the preachers be deprived of their "Cheshire cheese") that our readers may be able to comprehend the question in all its bearings, and thus reach a clear conviction.

The Christian world is, morally speaking, united on the question and practice of worshiping God on the first day of the week.

The Israelites, scattered all over the earth, keep the last day of the week sacred to the worship of the Deity. In this particular, the Seventh-day Adventists (a sect of Christians numerically few) have also selected the same day.

 Israelites and Adventists both appeal to the Bible for the divine command, persistently obliging the strict observance of Saturday.

The Israelite respects the authority of the Old Testament only, but the Adventist, who is a Christian, accepts the New Testament on the same ground as the Old: viz., an inspired record also. He finds that the Bible, his teacher, is consistent in both parts, that the Redeemer, during His mortal life, never kept any other day than Saturday. The Gospels plainly evince to him this fact; whilst, in the pages of the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Apocalypse, not the vestige of an act canceling the Saturday arrangement can be found.

 The Adventists, therefore, in common with Israelites, derive their belief from the Old Testament, which position is confirmed by the New Testament, endorsing fully by the life and practice of the Redeemer and His apostles the teaching of the Sacred Word for nearly a century of the Christian era.

Numerically considered, the Seventh-day Adventists form an insignificant portion of the Protestants population of the earth, but, as the question is not one of numbers, but of truth, and right, a strict sense of justice forbids the condemnation of this little sect without a calm and unbiased investigation; this is none of our funeral. 

The Protestant world has been, from its infancy, in the sixteenth century, in thorough accord with the Catholic Church, in keeping "holy," not Saturday, but Sunday. The discussion of the grounds that led to this unanimity of sentiment and practice of over 300 years, must help toward placing Protestantism on a solid basis in this particular, should the arguments in favor of its position overcome those furnished by the Israelites and Adventists, the Bible, the sole recognized teacher of both litigants, being the umpire and witness. If however, on the other hand, the latter furnish arguments, incontrovertible by the great mass of Protestants, both cases of litigants, appealing to their common teacher, the Bible, the great body of Protestants, so far from clamoring, as they do with vigorous pertinacity for the strict keeping of Sunday, have no other resource [recourse] left than the admission that they have been teaching and practicing what is Scripturally false for over three centuries, by adopting the teaching and practice of what they have always pretended to believe an apostate church, contrary to every warrant and teaching of sacred Scripture. To add to the intensity of this Scriptural and unpardonable blunder, it involves one of the most positive and emphatic commands of God to His servant, man: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." 

 No Protestant living today has ever yet obeyed that command, preferring to follow the apostate church referred to than his teacher the Bible, which, from Genesis to Revelation, teaches no other doctrine, should the Israelites and Seventh-day Adventists be correct. Both sides appeal to the Bible as their "infallible" teacher. Let the Bible decide whether Saturday or Sunday be the day enjoined by God. One of the two bodies must be wrong, and, whereas a false position on this all-important question involves terrible penalties, threatened by God Himself, against the transgressor of this "perpetual covenant," we shall enter on the discussion of the merits of the arguments wielded by both sides. Neither is the discussion of this paramount subject above the capacity of ordinary minds, nor does it involve extraordinary study. It resolves itself into a few plain questions easy of solution:
  

   1st. Which day of the week does the Bible enjoin to be kept holy?
   2nd. Has the New Testament modified by precept or practice the original command?
   3rd. Have Protestants, since the sixteenth century, obeyed the command of God by keeping "holy" the day enjoined by their infallible guide and teacher, the Bible? and if not, why not?
   

  To the above three questions we pledge ourselves to furnish as many intelligent answers, which cannot fail to vindicate the truth and uphold the deformity of error.

 

PS.   Please provide ONE TEXT stating that the 7th Day Sabbath is the JEWISH SABBATH.

 
Bro Anthony:
    When our Savior gave His last message in Matt. 28:19 - 23, He told His disciples to teach "whatsoever HE commanded" to the nations, both Jew and Gentile.

    Jesus commanded men to "keep his Father's Commandments".


    Jesus's lifestyle was to "keep His Father's commandments."


    In another article I posted today, I demonstrated that the Apostles continued to "keep the 7th Day Sabbath" throughout the Book of Acts.


     I ask you to show us where Jesus, who said all authority was given to Him, gave that authority to Paul, who is the one from whom you primarily quote, apparently not remembering the warning by Peter in 2 Pet. 3:16  to be careful regarding Paul's writings, to not twist them to your own destruction =  G 684 apōleia which means "damnation".

    Can you even show where Paul, or any of the Apostles, violated the 7th day Sabbath?


     Paul's testimony from his own mouth was, that he believed in and kept all of the laws of God, as written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets:

     Act 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:


     Act 25:8 While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.


       Was Paul a liar?  If Paul was breaking the Sabbath as you claim he gave permission to, why would he say that he had not broken any of God's or the Jew's laws?


       Paul in these two verses confessed near the end of his ministry his positive view and observance of the Law of God, the law of the Jews and Rome.   The Sabbath was a Law of God, severly enforced by the Jews.   He knew the example of Jesus and admonished us to in

1 Cor. 11:1- "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." 

    Don't you think that Paul imitated Jesus as well?  If he didn't wouldn't the Apostles have castigated him for it?


   Wouldn't during his trial, have been accused of Sabbath breaking?   No he was not.
    Therefore you do not have any example of the Sabbath breaking which you allege Paul's writings give you permission.


    We should be as the Bereans, who checked Paul's teaching according to the Scriptures.   If he had told them to brake the Sabbath, they would certainly would have shown him where he erred.  Once again, the Bible is silent on that.


    So unless you have a text demonstating Jesus breaking or instructing others to break the Sabbath, or the Apostles teaching or breaking the Sabbath, in your position against keeping the Sabbath, you are leaning  on misinterpreted texts from Paul, which have been interpreted contrary to the word of God and the teaching and example of Jesus.    Jesus said if you don't build upon HIS words, you are building upon sand.

Matt.7: Jesus said:
 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who  built his house on the sand. 27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Matt. 7:  Jesus also said:
 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work lawlessness.

Bro Anthony:


    Is breaking the Sabbath part of the will of God in Heaven?
 
Eccl. 12:13
    Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

   The will of God that we keep His commandments is restated in the Book of Revelation:

Rev. 14:12
 Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Rev. 22:14 
 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Bro Anthony the final word in the Bible is that we are to keep God's commandments which include the 7th Day Sabbath.  There is no requirement set up in the scriptures that a commandment has to be mentioned in the NT to be valid for us today.  These verses in Revelation, should make it clear for those who don't have their own agenda toward "lawlessness".  The commandments of God are written in stone, and in the New Testament should be written in your heart.

 

    For the Sabbath to have been left out of the New Testament as you understand it, it would have to have been removed BEFORE Jesus's death.

    No one after a person's death who is not in the will, can come after the death and expect to be added to the will.   Any addition or exclusion to the will has to be made BEFORE the testator dies.

   Jesus never mentioned removing or changing, His Father's law,  regarding the Sabbath after His death.   What you posit is merely a doctrine of men.  We should worship on any and all days, but the Sabbath remains as the only weekly Holy Day on which we are given Jesus and the Apostles example to worship, to hold our Holy Convocations.






 

You mentioned that the Sabbath was given to Israel alone?

So was the law regarding TITHING.  Most preachers don't teach that the law of TITHING was nailed to the cross!  But the truth is ONLY the LEVITES and SONS OF AARON, could collect a tithe.  Those who ask  for a tithe according to the Bible prescription are actually STEALING since the Bible never ordained a Tithe for them.

 

Jesus never collected a tithe, neither did he command people to tithe.  So tell us do you tithe or teach tithing, and if so based upon what texts?

 

Is tithing commanded AFTER THE CROSS?

 

Well in case you do not remember, there were MANY NON ISRAELITES, who came out of Egypt, who upon accepting the Covenant of God,  they were "adopted" into the House of Israel.

 

The original Covenant repeated on Mt Sinai, and the New Covenant was also ONLY MADE WITH ISRAEL AND JUDAH.

 

So Bro Anthony, what makes you think, if you are not of Israel, that the New Covenant applies to you?

 

   Where do the texts describing the "testament" regarding the New Covenant, embrace those who are not of the House of Israel and Judah.   After Jesus' death, no other entities/names, can be added to those already in the texts.  Israel and Judah are the only heirs of the New Testament.  Or do you have a  verse which includes other groups?

    Here are the two texts defining to whom the New Testament is to be given/made/ratified:

 Jer.31

  1. [31] Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Heb.8

  1. [8] For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

 

Brother Anthony, something to remember. Read Matthew 5:17-19

 

 

bro.watson ,it is good to see you again this is great. i see that you hav slightly changed your veiws, i can recall many threads trying to get you to see that christ ended only the sacrificial law ,my question to you is, Has All been forfiled???

 

 

Brother Watson you said "Biblical fact that "all" of the Law of Moses was abolished and nailed to the Cross". Are you sure about that. If thats the case are you saying that we don't need the OT any longer. One more thing if all of Moses laws are abolished that means we can do all the things God told him to tell the the people not to do including the Ten Commandments. Now you know as I do there were many commands God gave through Moses and your saying we don't have to submit to those any longer.

Thank you for your response to my question and being specific on what laws you were saying that were abolished. I am very aware of those text you gave to support your answer.

I truly have to say I do disagree with you. I am not here to debate as you mentioned at one point so in saying that thank you for letting me know where you stand on this matter.

 

Which I have found to be a huge debate within the church God will make everything clear for all to know one day in the meantime pray for me as I pray for you my brother. God bless

grace & peace Bro.Watson, again it great to see you still seeking to serve the LORD & though i earnestly believe you seek to serve the LORD i sometimes wonder what are your motives and what does it profit you to teach men to go against any of the law of the MostHigh, knowing that in order to recieve the reward of eterenal life, we hav to sho we will be obedient to the voice of the LORD(the Holy Scripture) matt 5:19 

You said- Therefore, all of the sabbaths of the law of Moses, including the regular weekly sabbath were done away. All of them are now abolished with the law thus fulfilling prophecy (see: Isaiah 1:13-15; Hosea 2:11)

did you not post isa.1:12 intentionally, and is it not clear in vs 13 that he is saying i can not change or take away my sabbaths and feast it is sin(iniquity)

if the feast were done away with why were the disiples still keeping them after Yahshua(jesus) asended unto the father

ex23:14Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.

 15Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)

 16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

 17Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the LORD God

This was the law, feast of unleaven, feast of harvest(or feast of weeks, or in greek the day of pentacost) and the feast of ingathering all males had to come to these feast

now lets look at the disiples 

acts2:1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

acts2:5And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

acts2:14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

coicider by them being where they were commanded to be, they recieve the gift of the Holy spirit, had they not been keeping the commandment of the LORD,would they have got it???(kinda make ya go hmmmmm)

now i can clearly see that your entire doctrine is based on pauls writings,in the which i caution you as did peter who walked with christ

2peter3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

 

because paul him self kept the feast ,but somehow has lead you to believe that you don't have to.

Acts 18:20When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;  21But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

 

so even for the word sake paul would not forsake the keeping of the commandment that all male had to show up 3x a yr

in all i do understand your stand point in the matter ,as sista Tara i seek not to debate, merly to to have you concider the matter....

as always my brutha ~LuvNoMalice2TheNcrease Of Knowledge&Truth~ Your BruthaPharoah

Jeremiah 31:31-33

King James Version (KJV)

 31Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

 32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

 33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith 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.

 

he never said he would disannual the law neverrrrrr, the new covenant is

I will put "my law" in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts

RSS

© 2024   Created by Raliegh Jones Jr..   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service