Is Sunday the Sabbath?

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Amos 8:11 declared long ago an end time warning - "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:"

As prophesied, most Christians refuse to open Bibles today to verify what their pastors say. In this age of convenience, they have been conditioned to trust the pastors without question. This prophesied "lukewarm" mindset, as Revelation 3:16 calls it, has given rise to false preachers all around the world. These wolves in sheep's clothing can easily lie to their congregations knowing with absolute confidence that the majority of their victims will never check up on them. As for the small number of Christians that do investigate their false message using the Bible, they are quickly kicked out of the churches so as to prevent the truth from spreading. To keep those remaining in the church happy, they now preach prosperity messages on how to gain wealth, amusing sermons, and even rock music mixed with Gospel lyrics to keep the people entertained. As prophesied, they then use false doctrines that all the world agrees with to make their flock feel they are safe and doing the right thing with the thought that since everyone else believes in this way it must be right. Case in point, one of the oldest and most successfully evangelized false doctrines has to be the so-called Sunday sabbath. In this tract we will look at the verses they claim are saying the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week.

CLAIM #1. Acts 20:7 "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."

This meeting was held at night. If you read on you also find in the next verse it mentions the "many lights in the upper chamber."  Later in verse 11 it also states after they ate, Paul "talked a long while, even till break of day." The question then is, are they saying this a church service because they broke bread, and since it was on the "first day" it must mean the Sabbath was changed? Problem with that thought is, in Acts 2:46 it says that they normally continued ".daily .breaking bread from house to house." Since they define this is a church service, this must be the format the church must emulate today. If Acts 20:7 is the definitive proof we need to validate Sabbath being changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week, then all Sunday keeping churches must...

Hold church at NIGHT

Hold church EVERY NIGHT

Hold church TILL THE BREAK OF DAY

CLAIM #2. I Corinthians 16:2 "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."

There is absolutely no reference whatsoever of a public meeting, or church service mentioned here for when Paul arrives. Some declare this to be a church service because Paul is gathering what they call "tithes." But if you read past the verse they give out of context, you find the word "liberality" is actually used to describe this offering in verse #3 of that same chapter. That word defined is "monetary gift" in Strong's Bible Concordance. (#5485) Also notice Paul is asking for that to be given from what "God hath prospered" in the passage given to sanction Sunday as sabbath. I ask, is this normal tithing practices of a church service to give from what God has prospered which is now stored in savings? Is not Luke 18:12 rather plain wherein it says, "I give tithes of all that I possess."

Biblical truth is, it's not a church service because first and foremost it's never declared as such. Nor is it tithing that Paul is gathering, which for some reason they claim makes it a church service. Paul was gathering what we call "love offerings" today. Finally, if the entire passage is read in context, it's discovered the passage is actually about Paul stopping by on his way to Jerusalem to pick up financial relief for the Christians in financial distress in Jerusalem. (See Romans 15:26, & Acts 11:26-30 which also confirm this as fact.)

CLAIM #3. Revelation 1:10 "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet"

Some use this verse to declare Sunday is now Sabbath simply because John uses the term "the Lord's day." Truth is, the Scriptures already define the seventh day Sabbath as the Lord's day thousands of years prior in Isaiah 58:13 wherein we find the Lord calling, ".the sabbath, .my holy day;" quite bluntly. Even Jesus Himself stated in the New Testament Scriptures in Matthew 12:8 that, ".the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day."

Many forget the very first thing recorded in the Bible itself is work being done on Sunday in Genesis 1:1-5. God in point of fact commands all men to work upon the first day of the week in the heart of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:8-11. He specifically says in verse nine of that Commandment that, "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:" Is it wrong for us to obey God? Did not the apostles state in Acts 5:29 that, ".we ought to obey God rather than men." God calls Sunday a work day in Exodus 23:12; 31:15; 34:21; 35:2, Leviticus 23:3, Deuteronomy 5:13, Ezekiel 46:1 and Luke 13:14 as well.

"...as a solar festival, Sunday was the sacred day of Mithra; and it is interesting to notice that since Mithra was addressed, as Dominus, 'Lord," Sunday must have been 'the Lord's Day' long before Christian times." -The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p136

The term "The Lord's day" was first coined by John in the book of Revelation for the New Testament Christian church, yes. But the Pagans of old used that term to describe their "lord's day" as well. When Constantine demanded all Christians keep Sunday holy in 321AD, he also called it the "lord's day" at that time. The warped history being preached by pastors today, wherein they changed what John referred to as "Sabbath" to what the Pagan's referred to as "Sunday" proves the Vatican was involved in this prophesied end time agenda. For they have admitted time and time again the following for all the world to see.

"The [Catholic] Church took the pagan philosophy and made it the buckler of faith against the heathen. She took the pagan Roman Pantheon, temple of all the gods, and made it sacred to all the martyrs; so it stands to this day. She took the pagan Sunday and made it the Christian Sunday.    .The sun has worshipers at this hour in Persia and other lands . . . Hence the Church would seem to say, 'Keep that old pagan name [Sunday]. It shall remain consecrated, sanctified.' And thus the pagan Sunday, dedicated to Balder, became the Christian Sunday, sacred to Jesus"--William L. Gildea, "Paschale Gaudium," in The Catholic World, 58, March, 1894, p. 809 [A Roman Catholic weekly].

As prophesied by Daniel 7:25, this church has most assuredly tried to change the "times and laws" of the Creator God.

CLAIM #4. Mark 2:23-28 "And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.  And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?  And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?  How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?  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."

Some have recently started using this passage to say the Sabbath is no longer valid because Jesus broke it, or disregarded it when He was walking among us. First of all, nowhere in this passage does it say Jesus abolished or broke the Sabbath. What it does say here is the Pharisees assumed Jesus and the apostles were breaking the commandment by picking corn to eat. Yet Jesus proves with Scriptural facts regarding King David, whom the Jews respected, that He and His apostles were not breaking Sabbath at all. Jesus clearly corrected the false teachings of the Pharisees here. If it was ok for David to relieve his hunger and the hunger of those with him by eating bread that had been consecrated and set apart for holy use, then it was perfectly ok for the disciples of Christ to satisfy their hunger by plucking the corn on Sabbath day as well. Both David and the Apostles were in God's employment. Basic reality dictates the temple priests, and even pastors today, perform greater labors on each Sabbath as they do God's work, do they not? The same type of labor in secular business would in fact be considered sinful. However, the work of the priests was in the service of God. The labors they performed each Sabbath pointed to the redeeming power of Christ. Their labor was in perfect harmony with the object of the Sabbath day so as to get the work done that brought souls into the truth. But now, Christ Himself had come, and was walking among them. As all Christians will agree, the disciples, were employed by God to do a holy and sanctified work. They were merely doing that which was necessary for the achievement of their Heavenly appointed work on Sabbath day.  Jesus confirmed this truth by stating He is "Lord of the Sabbath." Seeing how His apostles followed and emulated Him, this proves they are employed to do His work and therefore free from guilt. Just because the Pharisees didn't see them as men employed by God doesn't make it true.

Jesus or His apostles didn't break the Sabbath here at all. Biblical truth is, "sin is the transgression of the law" according to 1John 3:4. In other words, breaking the Law of God is how sin is committed. Commandment #4 concerns the Sabbath day. To say Jesus broke Sabbath, is to say Jesus sinned by breaking God's Law. This is exactly what the Pharisees are trying to declare here because they hated Him and His message. Yet as Christians we know Christ never sinned. Truth is, if He did commit sin, He would never have been that spotless Lamb of God, and Saviour to you and me. Jesus proved in Mark chapter two that the Pharisees were in error regarding a sin they invented about plucking corn on Sabbath day for Gospel workers. Yes, it would be sin for those that harvested corn for a living if done so on the Sabbath. But Jesus and His apostles were not employed as farmers. They were simply hungry men employed of God.

By the way, for those who assume it is ok to break Sabbath by using this passage, you are in reality trusting the word of a non-believing Pharisee, who was just corrected and exposed as in error by Jesus Christ Himself. In other words, those that believe the Jews were correct in their assumptions, and ignore how Jesus defended the Sabbath truth, and corrected the lying Pharisees, are in fact taking the word of the Pharisees as truth over Christ. As we all know, the Pharisees deny Christ as Lord to this day. Who then is telling the Truth? The ones who know not the Word? Of the one who wrote the Word Himself?

CLAIM #5. Colossians 2:16-17  "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."

Simple truth here is, the "sabbaths" mentioned here are not the weekly Sabbath of the Lord. Please read Leviticus 23:23-38 and you will find that the sabbaths mentioned in Colossians chapter 2 are the annual sabbaths, or what most today refer to as "feast days" that acknowledged certain events that would be fulfilled in the future when Christ came as Messiah. This is why Paul referred to them as "a shadow of things to come" in this passage.  Make special note that after it lists the annual sabbaths in Leviticus 23:23-37 that it says in Verse 38 that these annual sabbaths are "besides the Sabbath of the Lord." In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." No one can "fulfill" a weekly Sabbath because it points all the way back to creation. That is why the 4th Commandment starts with the word "Remember" when speaking of Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath is a day to worship the Creator of all things. You simply cannot "fulfill" an event that has already passed. When those annual sabbaths were instituted, it was thousands of years before Jesus would come to fulfill all that the annual sabbaths were pointing to. The children of God were symbolically keeping the feast days back then as a way to look forward to the prophesied arrival Messiah when He would actually fulfill them in reality. For example, even the lamb sacrifice they offered for their sins back then was a "shadow of things to come,"  which was fulfilled when ".the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) actually died on the cross. This is why Jesus said "it is finished" just before He died in John 19:30.

Please read Leviticus 23:23-38 and you will find FIVE annual "sabbaths" are defined as "feast days" of the Lord within a 15 day period. This means they can in no way be considered the weekly Sabbath when 5 are kept within 15 days.

By the way, this is not the only reason the sabbaths in Colossians 2:14-17 can't possibly be weekly Sabbaths. When you read Leviticus 23:23-38 you will notice it talks about the meat and drink offerings mentioned in the same way they are spoken of in Colossians 2:14-17. If these annual sabbaths are the same as the Sabbath mentioned in the Law of God, then I must ask all that use this passage to preach Sunday as the Christian Sabbath to please share with me where in the Ten Commandments they see "meat, drink, holydays,  or new moons" as we see Colossians chapter 2 speaking of. I must also ask if they do believe this verse preaches such a thing, why don't their Sunday keeping churches honor "meat, drink, holydays, or new moons" today?

The Law of God is not the same as the law of Moses that Leviticus and Colossians are obviously referring to here. Moses law, or "commandments contained in ordinances"  ended at the cross as Ephesians 2:15 proved. And God's Law stands forever as Luke 16:17 proclaimed.

Hebrews 9:1,10 says, "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation."

CLAIM #6. Galatians 4:9-11, "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Some believe this is speaking of Sabbaths because the word "days" in a way that suggests religious observance. However, again we find that the weekly Sabbath is not mentioned here at all. If this is read in context, we find that Paul knew how the Galatians were at one time Pagans, and therefore used to ritualistic forms of worship. The Jewish converts to Christianity, like those in the book of Colossians, wanted to continue on with their feast days. Their legalistic form of worship appealed to the Galatians because of their Pagan roots, and had to be dealt with by Paul because he hoped to prevent what we now see happening today. Like today's feast day movement, they sought to mix the annual Sabbaths into New Testament church worship. This carnal law was only "until the time of reformation" as we learned earlier. By causing the Galatians to fall for this error they were able to eclipse the atoning work of Christ on Calvary just as the enemy of souls planned. By observing these "days and months" they were declaring their own abilities, rather than Christ's sacrifice suitable for salvation. But the truth is it's "Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:9) This is also why Paul was concerned his preaching to them was a "labour in vain" because they were showing signs of desiring to "be in bondage"  to the annual sabbaths Jesus already declared were "finished" at the cross. If you notice, this is the same method of twisting the false preachers used with Colossians 2:16-17. Therefore the same method of revelation can be used to expose it. Where I ask in the Commandments does it speak of "days,  months, times, & years" as we see it doing in Galatians? Since it doesn't, this passage can't possibly be speaking of the Sabbath.

CLAIM #7. Romans 14:5 "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Again, nowhere in this passage does it say we should keep Sunday as Sabbath. This is again speaking of the annual holy-days that some of the Jews still felt compelled to keep. Most Gentile converts to Christianity were not compelled to keep such feast days. Many of the Jews had difficulty in giving up their life long traditions. A good way to compare this with today's Christian church is where some keep Pagan holidays like Christmas and Easter, where others prefer not partake in such celebrations and merrymaking. If they truly see no wrong in this act, we are not to judge them. We can try to warn them of course, but that's where our job ends. That's why it clearly states, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind" here. We cannot force any man to believe anything we believe. By the way, if you read all of Romans 14, you will discover the true topic and find it was again taken completely out of context.

God never rested on the first day of the week. He never blessed it, nor did His Son Jesus ever acknowledge the first day of the week in any way shape or form. The Apostles never rested on it either. In fact, the New Testament Christians were never recorded as being at rest on the first day of the week in any historic reference, or bible Scripture known to man. If those that believe such things would have researched their own church history they would have found that in 321AD Constantine made the Pagan Sunday sabbath law of the land. Historic fact is, all Christians kept Sabbath for hundreds of years after Jesus ascended. Think about that fact for a moment. Had you known that, you would have known before your pastors spoke that every verse ever used to suggest the Apostles were part of, or even alive during the Sabbath to Sunday change was a bold faced lie because it was never suggested to be changed until 321AD, hundreds of years after they died. When 321AD came, only those Christians that feared Roman rule and failed to trust God kept Sunday as sabbath. The lying preachers of today would have you believe the Sabbath was changed during the time the Bible was penned. Historic, and biblical fact is, they lied.

You cannot find one single line of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation that proclaims Sunday to be blessed, sanctified, made holy, or even enforced! Think about that for a moment. NO LAW was ever made by the God of creation to enforce the first day of the week. Romans 4:15, says "...where no law is, there is no transgression." You cannot commit sin unless there is a law being broken. Would not our Lord and Saviour at least given us one simple verse to proclaim Sunday as the Sabbath if in fact He meant to do such a thing? Why should we as His followers consider something holy that He never considered to be holy? The reality here is that it is simply called. "The first day of the week" in all Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.

One more thing should be mentioned here. Many do claim that the day Jesus rose from the dead is the reason all should keep Sunday holy. However, the Word of God is quite clear about how we as Christians are to acknowledge the death and resurrection of Christ. It is not as all the Sunday preachers suggest by going to church on Sunday. It is done by baptism.

Romans 6:3-5, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"

In other words, when you go under the water, you symbolize and acknowledge His death and burial. When you come out of the water, you symbolize and acknowledge His resurrection. Merely stepping into a church on the day He arose each week simply cannot do this. In fact, if His death and resurrection was really the reason for going to church on Sunday, why is it no one goes to church every Friday? Isn't that the day He died?

A $10,000.00 CHALLENGE
Some years ago I posted on the ministry website a challenge for all pastors, preachers and even bible studying Christians to find a verse that declares God changed the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. If they were able to send the verse, I promised (and still do) to send them $10,000.00 cash! Since then I have received quite a few attempts from people using the verses I shared in this tract. Not a single pastor, preacher, or bible teacher have ever been able to find that verse. What most people are unaware of is, all of the religious leaders have already agreed in writing there is no such verse in the Bible wherein it says God changed the Sabbath from the day seven to day one. This Sunday sabbath is nothing more than a "TRADITION OF MEN." (Mark 7:8)

Think about this as well. The Lord thy God worked on that day when He started creation. He even worked on this day when He rose Jesus from the dead 2000 years ago. Biblical and historic fact is, He actually rested and left His Son in the tomb on the Sabbath day. Even the New Testament Christian women who went to anoint the body of Jesus, stopped in their tracks and decided not to anoint Him because the Sabbath was drawing near. Luke 23:56 tells us that those women, "rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment"

Without getting too technical. It's easy to see that the Lord's day is in fact the 7th day. This same God that said in Malachi 3:6 "For I [am] the Lord, I change not... " also said in Psalms 89:34 regarding this covenant that we should ".not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." The Sabbath is important because ".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 20:11) And I Chronicles 17:27  says "...it shall be blessed for ever."

If your church uses the scriptures shared here to say Sunday is the Sabbath, then the Lord plainly says in Revelation 18:4 that you should ".Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

After all is said and done, if you just read this entire tract, you know that you just discovered Biblical evidence that absolutely every single verse every used to claim Sunday is the Sabbath was done so in a deceptive manner to make Scripture appear to say something it never said. Some will ask why have all the churches done such an evil act as this? In Daniel 7:25 we find it prophesied that a beast would "think to change" the Sabbath so as to get "all the world" to wonder after him as Revelation 13:3 predicts happens right before the end of the World. Look around. Do you see it fulfilled? All Christian churches now keep Sunday as Sabbath, even though you now know for a fact there is not a single verse in the Christian Bible to warrant such change as this. In case you missed the hint as to who it is that changed the Sabbath earlier. Perhaps the following will help.

Notice the following documented statements of the Vatican and its prelates.

"Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (Saturday Sabbath to Sunday) was her act... And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things." -H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons. Nov. 11, 1895

"Sunday is our MARK of authority. . .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.

"The Bible says, Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. The Catholic church says, No! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep the first day of the week. And lo, the entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic church!" -Fr Enright, C.S.S.R. History of the Sabbath, p. 802

"Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her; --she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority." -Rev. Stephan Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism, "On the Obedience Due to the Church," chap. 2, p. 174. (Imprimatur, John Cardinal McCloskey, archbishop of New York.)

"Is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But 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 never sanctify." -James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 ed.), pp. 72, 73.

"Is not yet too late for Protestants to redeem themselves. Will they do it?... will they indeed take the written word only, the Scripture alone, as their sole authority and their sole standard? Or will they still hold the indefensible, self contradictory, and suicidal doctrine and practice of following the authority of the Catholic church and wear the SIGN of her authority? Will they keep the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day, according to Scripture? Or will they keep the Sunday according to the tradition of the Catholic church, - Rome's Challenge, (Why do Protestants keep Sunday?) page 31

ON LAST THING...

"On every page of God's word the injunction to obedience is plainly written, and yet how often His commands are lightly regarded or wholly set aside! The command for the observance of the holy Sabbath of the Lord is placed in the very bosom of the decalogue, and is so plain that none need err as to its import, and yet it is treated with as great profanation as were the sacred vessels at the feast of Belshazzar. The condemnation of those who trample upon God's holy Sabbath will not come because they have conscientiously observed the first day of the week, but because they neglected opportunities for searching the Scriptures and learning, not what man has said, not what the ministers say, not what the fathers have said, but what saith the infinite God! What day has God specified as His holy day? What did He command men to honour when He spoke with an audible voice from Sinai? That voice is to be obeyed above every other; the edicts of kings and nations are void before a command of God. The Lord of hosts commands our obedience." -Bible Echo September 17, 1894 par. 6