First Day of The Week and The Sabbath of The Lord

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First Day of The Week and The Sabbath of The Lord

• Reasoning from the Scriptures

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First Day of The Week
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First Day The Resurrection
Mat 281 Mar 162,9 Luk 241 Joh 201
These four texts refer to the fact that the
resurrection occurred on the first day of the
week. Not a word is said about the first day
becoming the Christian sabbath.
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First Day Jesus Appears
Luk 241,13,15 1 Now upon the first day of the
weekthey came unto the sepulchre 13 And,
behold, two of them went that same day to a
village called Emmaus. 15 And it came to pass,
.Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
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First Day Jesus Appears
Joh 201,19 1 The first day of the week cometh
Mary Magdalene early unto the sepulchre
19 Then the same day at evening, being the
first day of the week, came Jesus and stood in
the midst..
Note. Christ appeared on resurrection day itself.
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First Day Jesus Appears
Sunday keepers claim Sunday is the Christian
sabbath as a memorial of Christs resurrection.
But - Christ appeared twice to His disciples on
the resurrection day, yet said nothing about the
first day becoming the Christian sabbath as a
memorial of His own resurrection.
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First Day Jesus Appears
That Christ said nothing is proof positive that
the Sabbath was not changed by His resurrection.
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First Day Laying By in Store
1Co 162 Upon the first day of the week let
every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath
prospered him .
Sunday keepers claim this was a worship service,
and thus they were keeping the first day as the
Christian sabbath.
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First Day Laying By in Store
But no hint is given here that the first day is
the Christian sabbath.
However, even if this were worship, the holding
of a service does not qualify a day as the
sabbath.
For example, UK cathedrals hold services on every
day which day, then, would be the sabbath?
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First Day Breaking Bread
Act 207 And upon the first day of the week,
when the disciples came together to break bread,
Paul preached unto them .
Sunday keepers claim this was a communion
service on the first day Christian sabbath, But
what is meant here by breaking of bread?
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First Day Breaking Bread
Act 246 . daily in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, did eat their meat.
Act 2011 When he therefore was come up again,
and had broken bread, and eaten
Conclusion Breaking bread refers to a (daily)
meal, not communion
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First Day Breaking Bread
However, even if this were a communion service,
holding communion on a day does not qualify that
day as the sabbath.
For example, UK cathedrals hold communion on
every day which day then would be the sabbath?
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The Lords Day - 1st or 7th ?
Mat 128 For the Son of man is Lord even of the
sabbath day. Also Mar 228 Luk 65
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath Thus the Lords
Day must be the Sabbath day.
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The Sabbath of The Lord
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Sabbath Kept by Paul
Act 172-4 And Paul, as his manner (Greek
habit) was three sabbath days reasoned with
them out of the scriptures. 4 And some of them
believed.
Sunday keepers claim Paul observed Sabbath
merely to preach to the Jews but scripture says
it was his habit
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Sabbath Kept by Paul
Act 184 And he reasoned in the synagogue every
sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks.
Note. Both Jew and Greek observed Sabbath,
together, in the synagogue and There is no
record of any Jews abandoning the Sabbath after
they were persuaded.
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Sabbath Kept by Paul
Acts 13 13 Paul and his company came to
Perga in Pamphylia 14 .. and went into
the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
42 And when the Jews were gone out of the
synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words
might be preached to them the next sabbath. 44
And the next sabbath day came almost the whole
city together .
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Sabbath Kept by Paul
Note. Paul, Jews and Gentiles all observed
Sabbath in the synagogue no conflict.
Also - In Galations, we read of Judaizers
imposing circumcision, but no conflict over the
Sabbath - The Judaizers would surely have imposed
Sabbath if the Galations were observing the first
day.
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Common Arguments
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Common Arguments 1
Col 216,17 16 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 17 Which are a shadow of things to
come..
Sunday keepers claim this passage is proof that
Sabbath is abolished
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Common Arguments 1
But, what is meant by sabbath days?
shadow? There are two options (Note. We must
confine ourselves to Sabbath aspects, and leave
the law for another study)
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Common Arguments 1, Option 1
Option 1 Ceremonial sabbaths
The ceremonial law a shadow Heb 101 the law
having a shadow of good things to come can never
year by year make . perfect.
The shadow could not make perfect, but the good
things to come would
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Common Arguments 1 Option 1
Ceremonial sabbaths Lev 23
24 . In the seventh month, in the first day of
the month. 32 in the ninth day of the
month. 39 the 15th day of the 7th month
Note. Ceremonial Sabbaths occur annually thus
they cannot be the weekly Sabbath.
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Common Arguments 1 Option 1
Ceremonial Sabbaths In addition to (separate
from) the weekly Sabbath
Lev 2338 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD,
and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows,
and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye
give unto the LORD.
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Common Arguments 1, Option 1
Option 1, finally Sabbath days appears in
the same context the same sentence - as new
moons etc. Where are these found in the moral
law? Answer they are not can we then say
safely that Sabbath here refers to ceremonial
Sabbaths?
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Common Arguments 1, Option 2
Option 2 Sabbath of the Lord
When Paul, a Jew, addresses the law, he means the
whole Jewish system, which the Jews had
corrupted. Especially, they had turned the
Sabbath into a burden, a shadow of its true
meaning.
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Common Arguments 1, Option 2
The Jews multiplied the Sabbath and judged by it
they judged Christ for healing on
Sabbath. Thus, is not Paul anticipating the
Kingdom to come, in Christ, when the Sabbath
would be restored to its proper glory, and not be
used as an instrument of judgement?
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Common Arguments 1
Conclusion - whichever option is correct, the
position remains the same Col 216,17 cannot be
used to prove that the Sabbath of the Lord was
abolished.
Rather, Paul is teaching salvation in Christ
alone and that we must not be judged by the old
legalistic ways.
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Common Arguments 2
Sabbath did not exist before Sinai
Examine Exodus 16 the incident of the manna.
Important question when did the manna incident
occur?
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Common Arguments 2
Exo 161 all the congregation . came unto
the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and
Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month
after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
The incident occurred in the second month after
they left Egypt
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Common Arguments 2
Which day of the month did they leave Egypt?
Exo 126,41,51 6 And ye shall keep it up until
the fourteenth day of the same month and the
whole assembly of the congregation of Israel
shall kill it in the evening. cont.
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Common Arguments 2
41. even the selfsame day it came to pass, that
all the hosts went out from the land of Egypt.
51 the selfsame day the LORD did bring the
children of Israel out of the land of Egypt
They left Egypt on the 14th day of the month
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Common Arguments 2
When did they arrive at Sinai?
Exo 191 In the third month, when the children
of Israel were gone forth out of Egypt, the
same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
Note. Same day must mean the day they left
Egypt the 14th day
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Common Arguments 2
Thus they arrived at Sinai on the 14th day of the
3rd month 29 days after the incident of the
manna (Hebrew calendar had 30-day months)
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Common Arguments 2
How long after their arrival at Sinai were the
commandments given?
Exo 1911 And be ready against the third day
for the third day the LORD will come down in the
sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
A further three days are recorded
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Common Arguments 2
Conclusion The Sabbath was known and kept (at
least) 32 days before the Ten Commandments were
given. Thus the Sabbath was known and observed
before Sinai.
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The only acceptable evidence for a change of
sabbath
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Original Sabbath command is plain Ex 208-11
Deu 512-15 Thus we require an
equally plain text For example From
henceforth you shall cease to observe the seventh
day as the Sabbath of the Lord, and you shall
observe the first day in its place. No such
text exists
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Some Questions Regarding Sabbath
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Sabbath Question 1
Why, if the Sabbath was temporary, does the Old
Testament not say that it was?
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Sabbath Question 1 cont.
OT says Sabbath is permanent
Exo 3116, 17 16 . the children of Israel
shall keep the sabbath for a perpetual
covenant. (Note Sabbath is a covenant) 17
It is a sign for ever for in six days Jehovah
made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he
rested...
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Sabbath Question 1 cont.
But doesnt this passage confine the Sabbath to
ancient Israel?
Gal 37 Know ye therefore that they which are
of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
All who believe are the children of Abraham.
Thus Ex 3116,17 is binding today.
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Sabbath Question 1 cont.
Ex 3117 also confirms the Sabbath as a memorial
of creation. - Creation has not changed why
then should the Sabbath change?
Conclusion those who would abolish Sabbath make
God a liar and are covenant breakers
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Sabbath Question 2
Why did Christ never, during His ministry, teach
that the Sabbath was to be changed after His
death?
Joh 1613 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he will guide you into all
truth. Spirit will guide into all truth yet
a Sabbath change is never mentioned.
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Sabbath Question 3
Why did Christ, after His resurrection, never
teach that He had changed the Sabbath ?
Act 13 he shewed himself alive after his
passion . forty days, and speaking of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God
Not once in those 40 days did Jesus teach a
change of Sabbath
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Sabbath Question 3 cont.
1Co 156,7 he was seen of above five hundred
brethren at once. 7 After that, he was
seen of James then of all the apostles.
Jesus didnt even tell Paul! 1Co 158 And last
of all he was seen of me also
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Sabbath Question 4
Why was Christ not resurrected on the Sabbath?
Christ kept Sabbath even in death, surely to
indicate that His death had not changed it. If
the first day was sanctified, Christ could not
have risen on the first day.
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Sabbath Question 5
Why in the NT is there no Sabbath conflict
between Jew and Gentile?
In Galations Paul discusses much conflict the
Christian Jews tried to impose circumcision, but
not a word about Sabbath - They would surely
have tried to impose Sabbath if the Christian
Gentiles had abandoned it.
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Sabbath Question 6
Why is the first day of the week never blessed,
while the seventh day, is blessed?
Gen 23 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.
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Sabbath Question 7
Why is first day observance never blessed, while
Sabbath keeping is blessed?
Isa 562 Blessed is the man that keepeth the
sabbath .. Isa 5813,14 13 If thou turn away
thy foot from the sabbath 14 Then shalt thou
delight thyself in the LORD.
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FinallySabbath a Deeper Meaning
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Sabbath a Deeper Meaning
Disobedient Israel denied their rest
Heb 317,18 But with whom was he grieved forty
years? was it not with them that had sinned?
18 And to whom sware he that they should not
enter into his rest, but to them that believed
not? Israel could not enter the promised land
their rest prepared by God
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Sabbath a Deeper Meaning
Sabbath a type of Heavenly rest
Heb 43,4,5,9 3 For we which have believed do
enter into rest. 4 For he spake . of the
seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the
seventh day . 5 And again, If they shall
enter into my rest. 9 There remaineth therefore
a rest (sabbatismos heavenly rest) to the
people of God.
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Sabbath a Deeper Meaning
For those who believe, God has prepared a rest.
Paul likens the weekly Sabbath to the believers
eternal rest.
Therefore, the Sabbath is a foretaste of the
Kingdom of God the Kingdom here and now.
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In Closing
Shall we then exchange the Sabbath of the Lord
for a false sabbath? i.e. Exchange the Kingdom
of God for the false kingdom of Satan?