Truth Unfolds: Sabbath day

Amazing Facts about the Sabbath and other questions!

If every man from Adam to Moses kept the Sabbath, why is the Hebrew word for the weekly Sabbath found in the ten commandments, never found in the book of Genesis? Why is no one before Moses ever being told to keep the Sabbath. Why are there no examples of anyone keeping the Sabbath?
Why were the Patriarchs never instructed about he Sabbath, but were instructed regarding: offerings: Gen 4:3-4, Altars Gen 8:20, Priests: Gen 14:18, Tithes: Gen 14:20, Circumcision: Gen 17:10, Marriage: Gen 2:24 & Gen 34:9. Why would God leave out the "all important" Sabbath command?
If the fact that God wrote the 10 commandments on stone proves they are forever, then whatever happened to the two stone tablets that God gave Adam at the beginning of time? Why is Moses the first one to see a stone tablet written by the finger of God?
Why is the weekly Sabbath commandment never quoted in the New Testament?
Why is the Sabbath the only one of the ten commandments that are said to be "throughout your generations", the usual phrase that indicates it was a temporary ceremonial law only for the Jews?
Why is there no example of exclusively Christians coming together on the Sabbath day as a church or prayer meeting after the resurrection of Christ?
Why is there no command in the New Testament for Christians to keep the Sabbath holy?
While Paul taught in the synagogues up to 84 times, why does the Bible never say he kept the sabbath?
If Paul’s action of preaching to non-believers 84 times in the book of Acts on the Sabbath make him a Sabbath keeper, is a Seventh-day Adventist pastor a Sunday keeper if we invite him for 84 Sundays in a row to teach us about God’s word?
How could Adam, Noah and Abraham keep the Sabbath, when Deuteronomy 5:2-4 says that the 10 commandment covenant (see was "not made with any of the fathers of Israel who lived before Moses."
If we must follow the example of Jesus in all things like keeping the Sabbath, then why do Sabbatarians not follow the example of Jesus in circumcision, animal sacrifices and keeping Passover?
If the Sabbath was for Gentiles and Adam, Noah and Abraham, then why is the Sabbath a sign to remind their exodus from Egypt? Exodus 16:23,29; 31:13-18. Were either Abraham or Seventh-day Adventists ever slaves in Egypt?
If the Sabbath law is still in force, then why do they not stone their own members when they break the Sabbath as the law said?
Ellen G. White, who is considered inspired by Seventh-day Adventists, said that the Pope changed the Sabbath in about 321 AD. Why do all Adventists today reject their inspired prophet and say the change of the Sabbath occurred in about 140 AD? If White was wrong about this, was she wrong when she traveled to heaven and saw the 4th commandment glowing brighter than all the rest?
If the current position of the Seventh-day Adventist church is that the change from Saturday to Sunday took place in 140 AD, doesn’t that mean that they have come a long way from Whites 325 AD and have only 40 more years to travel to reach the truth of the Apostolic age?
If the change from Saturday to Sunday happened, why is there absolutely no discussion of this change of actual day for the first 600 years of church history. Merely calling Sunday the Sabbath doesn’t count!
If Sabbatarians reject White’s inspiration, that Constantine change the Sabbath day to Sunday, why do they keep bringing Constantine up as proof? If Constantine changed the Sabbath to Sunday, why does here merely legislate that work must stop on Sunday with no actual mention of the day being moved?
If the first/old covenant was abolished according to Heb 8:13 and the Ten commandment law was that first covenant (Ex 34:27-28; 1 Kings 8:9,21; Heb 9:1-4), then why do Sabbatarians want to keep the first/old covenant?
Why is the universal record of history (75-500AD) 100% in unanimous agreement that Christians never kept the Sabbath (7th day) and have always worshipped on Sunday?
Why is the universal record of history (75-500AD) 100% in unanimous agreement that Christians ate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday in the tradition of Acts 20:7?
Why is the universal record of history (75-500AD) 100% in unanimous agreement that Christians always called Sunday the Lord’s Day because, they said, this was the day Jesus rose from the dead?
Why has no Sabbatarian every produced even one historical quote (75-500AD) that says Christians kept the Sabbath?
If the Sabbath is not a ceremonial law, then why is it lumped into the same identical class of "holy convocations" as the rest of the Jewish feast days? Lev 23:2; Ex 20:9; 31:17
If the 10 commandments remain but the book of law was abolished, then why did God put two copies of the 10 commandments in the book of the law? Ex 20; Deut 5
How can there possibly be an difference between "the law of God" and the "Law of Moses" when God gave the Law of Moses (Ezra 7:6; Neh 8:1) and Moses gave the Law of God (Neh 10:29; 2 Chron 34:14)?
If there is a distinction between the moral and ceremonial laws, why are the Jewish feast days called part of the Law of the Lord? (2 Chron 331:3)
If there is a distinction between the moral and ceremonial laws, why in a single chapter of Nehemiah 8are the following phrases all used interchangeably: "book of the law of Moses" v1, "the law" v2, "book of the law" v3, "the law of god" v8, "book of the law of god" v18?
Why are the two most important commandments contained within the "ceremonial law of Moses that was Sabbatarians say was nailed to the cross? (Matthew 22:36-40)
Why did Jesus say Moses gave the 10 commandment law: "Thou shalt not kill" in Jn 7:19?
If the Sabbath cannot change, because God cannot change (Mal 3:6) then what about all the other feast days and laws that changed? Heb 7:12. And why did Jesus give a "a new commandment" in John 13:34?
If the ten commandments are going to be in heaven, what is the use of "thou shalt not commit adultery", if there is no marriage in heaven? Lk 20:34-35
If the Sabbath was given to all men, why were Gentiles called "strangers". Why were Gentiles outside the gates not required to keep the Sabbath? Ex 20:10.
How could the Sabbath be a sign between God and Israel, if all nations were expected to keep it? Ex 31:17
Why did God send the Jews into Babylonian Captivity for breaking the Sabbath, but never ever criticized any Gentiles for never keeping the Sabbath?
Why did God often criticize the Gentiles via the prophets for moral violations, but never for not keeping the Sabbath?
If the Gentiles were supposed to keep the Sabbath, why are they called "strangers of the Covenant" in Eph 2:12?
If the term, "the law" always means the 10 commandments, then why is Leviticus called "The Law" in Mt 22:35ff, Numbers called "The Law" in Mt 12:5, Deuteronomy called "The Law" in Mt 22:35f, Psalms called "The Law" in Jn 10:34,45, Rom 3:10-12; 3:13-14,19, the Prophets called "The Law" in 1 Cor 14:21 and the Ten commandments are called "The Law" that is abolished in Rom 7:4-7?
If the term "commandments" always means the 10 commandments, then why are the laws that are not part of the ten commandments but called commandments in Mt 19:16-19 not also included?
If the term "commandments" always means the 10 commandments, then what did Paul call the injunction for prophet’s wives to keep silent in the assemblies, a "commandment of the Lord" in 1 Cor 14:37?
If the term "keep my commandments" always means the 10 commandments, then why is this a new commandment? Jn 15:10-12 + Jn 13:34.
If only the ten commandments are going to endure until heaven and earth pass away, why did Jesus say the law AND THE PROPHETS? Mt 5:17-18
When Jesus was asked, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" why did Jesus NOT QUOTE from the 10 commandments, but from the abolished ceremonial law of Moses? Matthew 22:36-40
If the 10 commandments are the highest and most complete expression of God’s will, then why did it lack the two most important commandments? Matthew 22:36-40 where is the prohibition against drunkeness, homosexuality and fornication?
If the 10 commandments are the highest and most complete expression of God’s will, then why did Jesus give a new commandment to "love one another, even as I have loved you" John 13:34. Where were the Jews told to love their neighbor as Yahweh loved them?
If Christians worshipping on Sunday is equal to Sun Worship, then is Adventists worshipping on Saturday equal to Saturn worship?
If Sabbatarians will boldly quote "scholars" who are really Bible trashers and skeptics who claim "the origin of Sunday worship is entirely pagan", like Arthur Weigall in his ridiculous little book, "the paganism in our Christianity", will these same Sabbatarians turn a few pages later where these same authors say the origin of the Sabbath is also pagan? "I have, already mentioned that Sunday, too, was a pagan holy-day; and in this chapter I propose to discuss the origin of this custom of keeping one day in the week as a Sabbath, or "day of rest,' and' to show that the practice was forcefully opposed by Jesus Christ. The origin of the seven-day week which was used by the Jews and certain other peoples, but not till, later by the Greeks or Romans, is to be sought in some primitive worship of the moon (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p209,210-211)
If the Sabbath is a moral law, why did Jesus say that David, the priests, a man with his donkey could all break the Sabbath without sin? Mt 12:1-14; Mk 2:23f, Lk 13:10-17; 14:1-6 Jn 5:8-18; 7:19-24; 9:14-16.
If the Sabbath is a moral law, why did God grow tired of the Jews keeping it and told them to stop keeping the Sabbath? Isa 1:13-14 Did God ever grow weary of anyone not committing adultery or murder, and tell them to be immoral and kill?
If the Sabbath is a moral law, how could Jesus break it without sinning? Jn 5:18
If one of the distinctions between the ten commandments was proven by the fact they were written by the finger of God, why did Moses copy them out twice with his own hand? How can there be any distinction between the 10 commandments in the ark and the book of the law beside the ark, if the book contained two copies of exactly what was in the ark?
Why are the terms "ceremonial law" and "moral law" never found in the Bible. Why is the word ceremonial or any of its roots never found in the same verse as the word LAW and why is the word moral or any of its roots never found in the same verse as the word LAW?
If there is a distinction between moral and ceremonial laws, why do "God’s laws" and "the law of God" contain ceremonial laws. Why do "Moses law" and the "law of Moses" contain moral laws?
If there is a distinction between moral and ceremonial laws, why does the "law of God" command animal sacrifices Lk 2:23-24 and the "law of the Lord" contains burnt offerings 2 Chron 31:3; 1 Chron 16:40?
If there is a distinction between moral and ceremonial laws, then why is the book of the law filled with moral laws not contained in the 10 commandments?
If there is a distinction between the Law of the Lord and the Law of Moses, why in 2 Chron 35:26 are "the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the law of the Lord"?
If there is a distinction between moral and ceremonial laws, then why does the Law of God include new moons, solemn feast days: Ps 81:3-4?
If there is a distinction between the Law of the Lord and the Law of Moses, why did the law tell Israel to dwell in tents: Neh 8:14?
If Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, then didn’t Mt 5:17 say that only then would they be abolished before heaven and earth pass away? If the law and the prophets are still in force, doesn’t that prove Jesus didn’t fulfill the law completely?
When you ask me, "if the 10 commandments are abolished, does that mean we can steal", can I ask you, "when you travel from Canada to the USA, does that mean you can steal? Is it possible that two completely different "codes of law" (law of Moses vs. law of Christ) have the same laws just like Canada and the USA?
If the Jewish law against eating pork was abolished by Christ, why do Sabbatarians continue to enforce what they call, "the ceremonial law of Moses": Mk 7:18-19; 1 Tim 4:1-4; Rom 14:2; Acts 10:9-16
If the Jewish law of Tithing is forbidden in 2 Cor 9, why do Sabbatarians practice from "ceremonial law of Moses"?
If the Jewish Sabbath was abolished in Col 2:14-16, yet Sabbatarians keep the Sabbath, which itself is the only ceremonial law of the 10 commandments?
Why do you practice Tithing which is Prohibited: 2 Cor 9:7 forbid Eating Pork, which is Permitted: Mk 7:18-19 and keep the Sabbath which is Abolished: Col 2:14-16? Aren’t all three of these ceremonial laws?
When Sabbatarians attempt to prove there is a distinction between the moral vs. ceremonial laws, the law of God vs. the Law of Moses, the 10 commandments vs. and the book of the law, and they shown countless bible passages that destroy any distinction Sabbatarians might dream up, will they at least be honest and admit they need to find some definitive way to create this false distinction that does not exist in the Bible and will try again tomorrow?
Why do you refuse to accept that Col 2:16 contains the Old Testament pattern of referring to the Jewish holy says in a yearly, monthly, weekly sequence as in 1 Chronicles 23:31, 2 Chronicles 31:3, 2 Chronicles 8:13, 2 Chronicles 2:4, Nehemiah 10:33, Ezekiel 45:17, Hosea 2:11, Galatians 4:10?
If the plural "sabbaton" in Col 2:16 cannot refer to weekly Sabbath day, then why does plural "sabbaton" refer to the weekly Sabbath day in Matthew 28:1, Luke 4:16, Acts 16:13, Exodus 20:8 (in Septuagint) Leviticus 23:37-38 (in Septuagint)?
If in Col 2:16, the lack of the definite article before the word "Sabbath" in the Greek proves it cannot refer to the weekly Sabbath, then why does the weekly Sabbath lack the definite article in Matthew 28:1, John 5:9, 10, 16?
If Isa 66:23 proves the Sabbath will be in heaven, will the new moon festival also be there? "from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath".
If Hebrews 4 teaches we are to keep the weekly Sabbath, then why does the text say we are to enter a rest that none of the Jews at the time of Joshua in the promised land ever experienced in v 8?
If the Sabbath will endure forever because it is called "eternal" then won’t all the Jewish feasts and circumcision also endure because it is also called eternal in Gen 17:10-14 (same Hebrew word used)
If the Sabbath will endure forever because it is called "holy" then won’t all the Jewish feasts also endure forever because they are also called holy?
If the Sabbath will endure forever because God hallowed it, then won’t Solomon's temple Ps 65:4; 1 Ki 9:3 and the vessels in the tabernacle Ex 40:9; Num 31:6; 1 Ki 8:4 also endure forever because God hallowed them too?
If the Sabbath will endure forever because it was an eternal sign between God and his people, then shouldn’t we also still practice circumcision Gen 17:11 and Passover Ex 12:13 because it too is called an eternal sign between God and his people?
If it is only through the Sabbath that we can know that it is God who sanctifies us Ex 31:13, then what ever happened to faith in Christ sanctifying us? Any if we should therefore keep the Sabbath, then we must also build the tabernacle, for the Bible says through it we may know it is God who sanctifies us Ezel 37:28?
If the fact that the Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament after Pentecost proves it is still in force, then does the mention of The Day of Pentecost Acts 2:1, The days of unleavened bread Acts 12:3; 20:6, Days of Purification: Acts 21:26, Animal Sacrifices: Acts 21:26, Circumcision: Acts 16:3, Temple worship: Acts 24:12 prove we must keep these too because they are also mentioned and must therefore also still be in force like the Sabbath?
If Seventh-day Adventists want to deny that their official position is that worshipping on Sunday is the Mark of the Beast, do they realize that the "inspired" Ellen G. White, Uriah Smith, the Advent review and Leo Schreven (who conducts "Revelation seminars" today) all call it the mark of the beast?
Christians can find 21 reasons why the first day of the week is significant to their faith as Christians in the New Testament. Can Sabbatarians find even one reason in the New Testament why the Sabbath has any meaning distinct to Christians?
Did you know that the Jewish Sabbath was significant to the Jews because it was a memoral of this present physical creation and their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt and that the first day of the week is a memorial of our new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:7) and our deliverance from the bondage of sin. (Gal 4:4-5; Eph 1:7)
Did you know that regardless of whether the Sadducee’s or Pharisee’s method of calculating Pentecost was used the year Christ died, both would calculate Pentecost in Acts 2:1 as the first day of the week. Did you also know that the official position of the Seventh-day Adventist church was that Pentecost in Acts 2:1 fell on a Sunday that year?
Do you realize that the phrase, "that no collections be made when I come" in 1 Cor 16:2 proves the Christians were forbidden from saving up their offerings each week at home and demanded they put it into a common treasury every Sunday?
Did you know that 1 Cor 16:2 actually says, "EVERY 1st day" because the same Greek phrase is also found in Acts 13:14 "appointed elders in EVERY church". Did you know that you must give every 1st day of the week in to the church’s common treasury?
If Jesus died on Wednesday and rose on the Sabbath rather than a Friday - Sunday duration because you demand a full 72 hours in the grave, then why did Jesus count the Friday - Sunday duration as three days in Lk 13:32?
If Jesus died on Wednesday and rose on the Sabbath rather than a Friday - Sunday duration because you demand a full 72 hours in the grave, why is exactly a 72 hour period called 4 days by Peter in Acts 10:3+9+23+24+30?
If the fact that the 10 commandments were written in stone, that proves they will never be abolished, then where was Adam’s stone copy of the 10 commandments? Why did God not give Adam a stone copy once for all time? Why is it that Moses was first person in history to not only see the 10 commandments, but the first person to hold the stone tablets upon which the 10 commandments were written? Why do Seventh-day Adventists argue that the ten commandment law is no longer written in stone, but in the flesh of the human heart in 2 Corinthians 3:3? (Of course 2 Cor 3:3 says the 10 commandments were abolished and the new Covenant, the law of Christ is written on human hearts)
If only the 10 commandments we can "live", then why does Ezek 20:11 say this of the "ceremonial law", "I gave them My statutes and informed them of My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live." (Ezek 20:11)?

By Steve Rudd

Colossians 2:14-16 says the 10 commandments are abolished!

Colossians 2:14-16 so clearly states the weekly Sabbath was nailed to cross and abolished that Sabbatarians are at a loss to know what to do with it!

"Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." (Col 2:14-16)

The Ten Commandments are called, Statutes, Ordinances and Decrees. To the shock and horror of Seventh-day Adventists, they will learn they have been lied to by their leaders and that the 10 commandments are the ordinances that were abolished in Col 2:14 and Eph 2:15.

If Col 2:16 refers to the weekly Sabbath, then Sabbatarians are 100% refuted. Herein lies the battle ground. But as you will see, Sabbath keepers have little more than a few lame arguments that are easily falsified. Only the blind and deceived could miss the simple truth in Col 2:16.

A. One of the most stunning and irrefutable proofs that Col 2:16 must be the weekly Sabbath day, is the common "Year, Month, Week" pattern used in Col 2:16.

When God wanted to refer to the whole system of Jewish holy days, rather than name them all, He would refer to the yearly, monthly and weekly as representing the whole system. Sabbatarians argue that the Sabbath Day of Col 2:16 is the years Sabbaths. But yearly Sabbaths were already referred to in Col 2:16 as "festivals". The "Year, Month, Week" pattern is so well established in the Old Testament, that Col 2:16 must refer to the weekly Sabbath. Notice, even Gal 4:10, following this pattern, states the weekly Sabbath is abolished!

Yearly, monthly, weekly pattern proves it is the weekly sabbath
	Yearly	monthly	weekly
1 Chronicles 23:31	fixed festivals	new moons	Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 2:4	appointed feasts	new moons	Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 8:13	annual feasts	new moons	Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 31:3	fixed festivals	new moons	Sabbaths
Nehemiah 10:33	appointed times	new moon	Sabbaths
Isa 1:13-14	Appointed feasts	New moon	Sabbath
Ezekiel 45:17	appointed feasts	new moons	Sabbaths
Ezek 46:1-11	appointed feasts	new moons	Sabbath
Hosea 2:11	festal assemblies	new moons	Sabbaths
Galatians 4:10	years	months	days
Colossians 2:16	festival	new moon	Sabbath day

B. All Sabbatarians are taught by their pastors, the false argument that the Plural "sabbaton" in Col 2:16 cannot refer to weekly Sabbath day. But as we can clearly see, there are at least 5 other places where the plural is used of the weekly Sabbath. The deception is even worse, given the fact that while most Seventh-day Adventist pastors know about these other passages, they do not tell their people in the pews!

Matthew 28:1, "Now after the Sabbath" [Greek- plural: sabbaton]
Luke 4:16, "He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath" [Greek- plural: sabbaton]
Acts 16:13, "And on the Sabbath day" [Greek- plural: sabbaton]
Exodus 20:8 (in Septuagint) "Remember the Sabbath day" [Greek- plural: sabbaton]
Leviticus 23:37-38 (in Septuagint) "besides those of the Sabbaths of the Lord" [Greek- plural: sabbaton]

C. Some Sabbatarians will put forth another false argument saying, "The lack of the definite article before the word "Sabbath" in the Greek in Col 2:16 proves it cannot refer to the weekly Sabbath. Of course this argument is no more valid than the one above regarding the plural "sabbaton". The truth is, we find several places where the weekly Sabbath lacks the definite article. An example of a definite article is the word THE in the following sentence: "Only Jews kept THE weekly Sabbath." The same sentence that lacks the definite article would be: "Only Jews kept weekly Sabbath." Or "Only Jews kept a weekly Sabbath."

Matthew 28:1, "Now after the Sabbath" [Sabbath lacks article in original Greek]
John 5:9, "Now it was the Sabbath on that day" [Sabbath lacks article in original Greek]
John 5:10, "It is the Sabbath" [Sabbath lacks article in original Greek]
John 5:16, "on the Sabbath" [Sabbath lacks article in original Greek]

D. A final false objection Sabbath keepers will sometimes raise against Col 2:14-16 referring to the weekly Sabbath, is the fact v14 calls that which was nailed to the cross "hostile to us". Sabbatarians continue to falsely argue: "The weekly Sabbath was not hostile to us!" However, 2 Cor 3:7 calls the entire ten commandment law, a "ministry of death". This effectively refutes their false argument!


Col 2:14	2 Cor 3:7
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.	But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face
which was hostile to us	ministry of death
Sabbatarians have overlooked the fact that the 10 commandments were called a "ministry of death" What is the difference between "hostile to us" and "ministry of death"?

The Truth:

The universal record of history, from the Resurrection of Christ, Christians have always worshipped on the first day of the week (Sunday) and never on the Sabbath (7th day). Sunday is not a Christian Sabbath or a day of rest, or a holy day to be kept.

This quote is used by Sabbatarians, but in fact refutes their position. Campbell, for example, taught that the Sabbath was abolished!

"The first day of the week is commonly called the Sabbath. This is a mistake. The Sabbath of the Bible was the day just preceding the first day of the week. The first day of the week is never called the Sabbath anywhere in the entire Scriptures. It is also an error to talk about the change of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. There is not in any place in the Bible any intimation of such a change." (Alexander Campbell, First Day Observance, pp. 17, 19)

The 10 commandment law including the requirement to keep the Sabbath day were abolished at the cross along with all the rest of the law of Moses. God gave a covenant at Mt. Sinai through Moses to the Jews. It is called the first/old covenant/testament. The ten commandments are the foremost visible representation of this first/old covenant was replaced by a new covenant called, among other things "the law of Christ". 100% of the old covenant was abolished. No part of the Old Covenant remains in force. No one prior to Moses (Abraham or Adam) ever heard of the Sabbath law much less kept it. The very first time that anyone was commanded to keep the Sabbath was in Exodus 16. The word "Sabbath" is not even found in the book of Genesis. Gen 2:2-3 was written by Moses to tell Jews at Sinai the meaning behind WHY they were to keep the Sabbath, NOT WHEN the Sabbath was instituted. The universal meeting day of Christians after the resurrection was Sunday, and so has been to this very day. Sunday is not a Christian Sabbath or a day of rest, or a holy day to be kept. It is the day God requires all Christians to gather together to worship and eat the Lord's Supper (communion, break bread) Acts 20:7. Christians do not keep the ten commandment law of Moses. This is not to say that Christians are free to steal, murder and commit adultery, just because the 10 commandments have been abolished. No! Christians are under a new law, a better Law, the law of Christ, (Gal 6:2) a better covenant (Heb 8:6-7). Paul stated, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment." (1 Corinthians 14:37) Apostle Peter said at the beginning of the establishment of the church, "Moses said, 'THE LORD GOD SHALL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED in everything He says to you. 'And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'" Thus we listen to Christ in all things and Moses in nothing. This is New Testament Christianity!

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False Sabbatarian view:

Christians originally kept the Sabbath right from the time of the apostles, but due to the influence of the devil, Christians went into universal apostasy for over 1600 years until, of course the arrival of Ellen G. White, the Adventist prophet, who saw, contrary to what the Bible says in Col 2:16, that the Sabbath law was not nailed to the cross.

Historically, it was in 1844 the first Adventists (known then as Millerites) started keeping the Sabbath, introduced to them by a Seventh-day Baptist named Joseph Bates, who convinced their Methodist minister that the Bible teaches us to keep the Sabbath. Joseph Bates learned the Sabbath from some articles from a man named Pribie who learned it from Fredrick Wheeler of the church at New Hampshire. Wheeler, a Millerite preacher at the time (early 1844) accepted the Sabbath after a study which was due to a challenge from Rachel Oaks (Preston),a Seventh Day Baptist. Rachel's daughter was attending this church, and so did Rachel when she moved into the area to live with her daughter. Bates was of the Christian Church like James White. He published his findings in three versions. The first version was given in 1846, to James White and Ellen Harmon on their way to get married. They accepted the Sabbath doctrine. Bates also preached to a small group in New York where the Sabbath was accepted (Hiram Edson). This was the nucleus of the Sabbatarian Adventists who would later become Seventh-day Adventists. The Millerites for the most part never accepted the Sabbath or the 1844 experience. Those who remained "Adventists" formed the Church of God (Abrahamic Faith), the Advent Christian (1861) and the Evangelical Adventist who are now defunct. It is the Advent Christian Church (Sunday keepers) who taught 17 year old Charles T. Russell that Christ came spiritually and then with Barbour (another Advent Christian) wrote the book, The Three Worlds. Later forming an independant group which would become the Jehovah's Witnesses

Two active Anabaptist leaders, Andreas Fisher and Oswald Glait, became the pioneer and promoters of the Sabbath in 1527 AD. Both were former priests who had sacrificed the priesthood to become first Lutherans, and then Anabaptists. Glait and Fischer were astonished to read in the Bible that the weekly day God wanted men to keep holy was not Sunday, the first day of the week, but Saturday, the seventh day. When they began to teach this, theologians were sent to persuade them to abandon what they called the "Jewish Sabbath." Both of them suffered a martyr death, largely due to their Sabbatarian views. Sabbatarians owe a debt of gratitude to these Sabbath pioneers whose work later influenced the origin of the Seventh-day Baptist church. The latter (Joseph Bates) has been instrumental in helping the early Adventists promote the Sabbath. But God, they say, chose Ellen White and the modern Seventh-day Adventist movement as the medium through which to reveal and confirm this "truth" through direct inspiration and revelation. Although Adventists believe that a tiny unknown remnant has always kept the Sabbath day, (like the Seventh-day Baptist preacher mentioned above) only in the 19th century did God, through the Seventh-day Adventist church, restore in any measurable way, by direct revelation, the truth that the day Christians worship was Saturday. Adventists openly teach that early Christians borrowed Sunday as the day of worship from the pagan religion of Mithraism in about 140 AD. Gradually Sunday replaced the Sabbath day (Saturday) so that today the worship on Sunday is an almost universal Christian practice of apostasy and totally contrary to the will of God. "Sunday keepers", as Sabbatarians call them, have been deceived by the devil. SDA's interpret "The Seal of God" to be "Saturday Sabbathkeeping" vs "The Mark of the Beast" which they interpret to mean "Sunday Sabbathkeeping" - not now, but AFTER an assumed national Sunday law is passed so all must choose between the two. Of course these interpretations are apostate in themselves.

False Catholic view:

Catholics teach that the Pope changed the Sabbath to Sunday. Catholics worship God on the right day (1st Day) for the wrong reasons. Catholic theology is often confused within itself. Having observed that Christians have always met on Sunday, they figured that God must have transferred the significance of the Sabbath commandment to Sunday. This is simply untrue. The Sabbath is abolished. Sunday is not a day of rest. The resurrection of Christ is the primary reason why Christians meet on Sunday. Catholics flatter themselves into thinking they made the change. Yet even Catholics have always taught that Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:1-2 and Rev 1:10 are clear Biblical references supporting the practice of worshipping on Sunday. Although some Catholics have suggested that the pope changed the Sabbath well after Christians had an established practice of Sabbath keeping, this point has been strongly rejected by the highest Catholic authorities today. Notice these quotes:

"If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church," (Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore replying for the Cardinal in a letter dated February 10, 1920)

"The Catholic Church of its own infallible authority created Sunday a holy day to take the place of the Sabbath of the old law," (Kansas City Catholic, February 9, 1893)

In reality, what the Catholic church believes is that apostle Peter was the first pope (the first pope was in 606 AD not Peter) and that the very earliest Christians, in apostolic times "transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday", by the will of God. Officially Catholics have always taught that the universal practice of the earliest Christians was to meet every Sunday. Seventh-day Adventists actually misrepresent the official teaching of the Catholic church. Yes the Catholic church does teach that it, by authority given to it by God, made the change, but that change was realized early in the Apostolic age. (33-96AD). So Catholics mistakenly call the 1st day, the Sabbath, borrowing the term from the Old Testament, rather than abolishing it with animal sacrifices. Catholics, however, do a lot of judaizing (bring Mosaic practices into the church).

Notice that Catholics DO NOT say that Christians once kept the Sabbath, (Saturday) then CHANGED the day of worship to Sunday. Rather they actually teach that this change took place at the time when Christians first started to worship on Sunday in 33 AD. It is critical to keep in mind that the Catholic church claims direct apostolic authority from the present Pope in Rome right back to Peter.

False Protestant view:

The universal practice of Christians has always been Sunday, similar to the Catholic position, the meaning of the Sabbath was transferred to Sunday, to commemorate the resurrection of Christ. but some are doing the right thing for the wrong reason. When Protestants today wrongly apply the 4th Sabbath commandment as the reason why they worship on Sunday, they are not only mistaken, but are making themselves very vulnerable to manipulation by the various Sabbatarian groups. Any church that claims to keep the 10 commandments or the Sabbath day are highly vulnerable to any preying Sabbatarian group.

Here are some typical quotes from Protestant churches:

"The Sabbath is a part of the decalogue — the Ten Commandments. This alone forever settles the question as to the perpetuity of the institution ... Until, therefore, it can be shown that the whole moral law has been repealed, the Sabbath will stand ... The teaching of Christ confirms the perpetuity of the Sabbath." (T. C. Blake, D.D., Theology Condensed, pp. 474, 475, Presbyterian)

As it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time, by God's appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's day: and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished. (Exod. 20:8; 1 Cor. 16:1, 2; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10) (Reformed Baptist Church, The Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689 AD, Chapter 22, Article 7)

Such churches will be hard pressed to justify their practice of worshipping on Sunday, while quoting the 4th commandment. "Six days you shall labour, but the seventh is the Sabbath." A simple kitchen calendar showing that Saturday is the "seventh" day of the week (just count them off) is the only evangelistic tool Sabbatarians need to convert these Christians to their Saturday keeping churches. Of course, not all Protestant churches take this position, but it is the majority view.

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Sabbath day