18-Questions about the Bible Sabbath - NAS

1. Since Paul Declares, "Let No One Judge You Regarding the Bible Sabbath," Isn't Sabbath-Keeping Unnecessary?
Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a _festival_ or a new moon or a Sabbath day- [17] things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the _substance_ _belongs_ to Christ.

Colossians 2:16-17, is one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. One principle of Bible interpretation is that you do not allow what may be somewhat unclear to keep you from doing what you understand. The Bible is plain concerning the Sabbath. It was given at creation (genesis 2:1-3). Jesus observed it (luke 4:16). Paul observed it (acts 13:42-44), and it will be observed in heaven (isaiah 66:22, 23).

The Bible mentions two kinds of Sabbaths; the seventh-day Sabbath and the yearly Sabbaths. The seventh-day Sabbath, instituted at creation and part of the Ten Commandment law, is a weekly reminder of the loving, all-powerful Creator. The yearly Sabbaths relate specifically to the history of Israel.

Colossians 2:16-17, specifically states, " Let no one judge you regarding Sabbath days which are a shadow of things to come. "

The Seventh-Day Sabbath is a memorial of creation. It is not a shadow of something to come.

 2. The Following Passage in Hebrews Connects the Law of Shadows with Animal Sacrifices.
Hebrews 10:1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same _sacrifices_ which they offer _continually_ year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

3. Ezekiel Uses the Exact Same Expressions in the Exact Same Order As Colosians 2:16-17, Connecting It All with the Ceremonial Systems of Feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths to Make Reconciliation for the House of Israel.
Ezekiel 45:17 "It shall be the _prince's_ part to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the drink offerings, at the feasts, on the new moons and on the _sabbaths_, at all the _appointed_ feasts of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering and the peace offerings, to make _atonement_ for the house of Israel."

4. Leviticus 23 Beginning with Verse 3, Discusses the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
Leviticus 23:3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy _convocation_. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your _dwellings_.

5. Then the Ceremonial Sabbaths.
Leviticus 23:4 'These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy _convocations_ which you shall _proclaim_ at the times appointed for them.

Leviticus 23:5 'In the first month, on the _fourteenth_ day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S _Passover_.

Leviticus 23:6 'Then on the _fifteenth_ day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you _shall_ eat unleavened bread.

Leviticus 23:10 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first _fruits_ of your harvest to the _priest_.

6. Feast of First Fruits.
Leviticus 23:17 'You shall bring in from your _dwelling_ places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first _fruits_ to the LORD.

7. Feast of Trumpets.
Leviticus 23:24 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of _trumpets_, a holy _convocation_.

8. Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 23:27-32 "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy _convocation_ for you, and you shall humble your souls and _present_ an offering by fire to the LORD. [28] "You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. [29] "If there is any person who will not humble _himself_ on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. [30] "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will _destroy_ from among his people. [31] "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a _perpetual_ _statute_ _throughout_ your _generations_ in all your _dwelling_ places. [32] "It is to be a sabbath of _complete_ rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath."

9. Feast of Tabernacles.
Leviticus 23:34-36 "Speak to the sons of Israel, _saying_, 'On the _fifteenth_ of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. [35] 'On the _first_ day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. [36] 'For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the _eighth_ day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an _assembly_. You shall do no laborious work.

Leviticus 23:37 'These are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy _convocations_, to present offerings by fire to the LORD -burnt offerings and grain offerings, _sacrifices_ and drink offerings, each day's matter on its own day -

Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a _festival_ or a new moon or a Sabbath day- [17] things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the _substance_ _belongs_ to Christ.

Leviticus 23:38 Besides those of the sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts and besides all your votive and _freewill_ _offerings_, which you give to the LORD.

Both the feast of trumpets (verse 24) and the Day of Atonement (verse 32) are specifically called Sabbaths. These annual Sabbaths were intimately connected to events foreshadowing Christ's death and His Second Coming. God designed these feasts, or holy days, to be shadows, or pointers, to the coming Messiah.

Since Christ has come, the shadowy Sabbaths of the ceremonial law have found their fulfillment in Him. The seventh-day Sabbath continues to lead us back to the Creator God who made us.

 10. God's People Will Keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath As a Distinguishing Sign of Their Relationship to Him.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the _perseverance_ of the saints who keep the _commandments_ of God and their faith in Jesus.

Ezekiel 20:12 "Also I gave them My _sabbaths_ to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who _sanctifies_ them.

11. What About This Text From Romans?
Romans 14:5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be _fully_ _convinced_ in his own mind.

Sometimes it is helpful to notice what a text does not say, as well as what it does say. Verses 5 and 6 say nothing about either worship or the Sabbath. They simply talk about regarding a day. To say the day being discussed is the Sabbath is an unwarranted assumption.

 12. The First Verse of Romans 14 Sets the Tone for the Entire Passage.
Romans 14:1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing _judgment_ on his _opinions_.

13. The Seventh-Day Sabbath Set Apart by God at Creation Is Not a Doubtful Teaching.
Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. [2] By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. [3] Then God _blessed_ the seventh day and _sanctified_ it, _because_ in it He rested from all His work which God had _created_ and made.

Exodus 20:8-11 "_Remember_ the sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your _daughter_, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your _sojourner_ who stays with you. [11] "For in six days the LORD made the _heavens_ and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; _therefore_ the LORD _blessed_ the sabbath day and made it holy.

14. The Key to This Passage in Romans Is Found in Verse 6.
Romans 14:6 He who observes the _day_, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.

The issue revolved around fast days, not Sabbath days. Some Jewish Christians believed there was particular merit in fasting on certain days. They were judging others by their own standards. The Pharisees fasted at least twice a week and boasted about it (luke 18:12).

Paul is making the point that to fast, or not to fast, on certain days is a matter of individual conscience. This is not something that God commands.

 15. Didn't the Disciples Meet on the First Day of the Week?
Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, _intending_ to leave the next day, and he _prolonged_ his message until midnight.

The reason this meeting is mentioned in the narrative is because Paul was leaving the next day and worked a mighty miracle in raising Eutychus from the dead.

It is clear that the meeting is a night meeting. It is the dark part of the first day of the week.

 16. In Bible Times, the Dark Part of the Day Preceded the Light Part.
Genesis 1:5 God called the light day, and the _darkness_ He called night. And there was evening and there was _morning_, one day.

The Sabbath was observed from Friday night at sunset to Saturday night at sunset, first the evening and then the morning.

If this meeting is on the dark part of the first day of the week, it is in fact a Saturday night meeting. Paul has met with the believers all Sabbath. He will depart the next day, Sunday, so the meeting continued late Saturday night. The Jews would have considered what we call Saturday night as the first day of the week because the day started at sunset

The next day, Sunday, Paul did travel by foot to Assos, then sailed to Mitylene. The New English Bible Reading Of Acts 20:7 also confirms this as a Saturday night meeting, with Paul traveling on Sunday.

If Paul considered Sunday sacred in honor of the resurrection, why would he spend the entire day traveling and not worshipping?

 17. Evidence #1 - the Bible Clearly Reveals That Jesus Was Crucified on the Preparation Day.
Luke 23:54 It was the _preparation_ day, and the _Sabbath_ was about to begin.

18. His Closest Followers Rested on the Sabbath Day.
Luke 23:55-56 Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. [56] Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested _according_ to the _commandment_.

19. Jesus Rose From the Dead on the First Day of the Week.
Luke 24:1-3 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had _prepared_. [2] And they found the stone _rolled_ away from the tomb, [3] but when they _entered_, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Mark 16:9 [Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first _appeared_ to Mary _Magdalene_, from whom He had cast out seven demons.

Most Christians recognize that Jesus died on Friday the preparation day, rested in the grave the next day and rose the first day-sunday. The Sabbath is the day in between Friday and Sunday-Saturday.

 20. Evidence #2 - Language.
In over 140 languages in the world, the word for the Seventh-Day which we call Saturday is the word "sabbath. " The fact that so many societies call the seventh day of the week "sabbath", shows that the weekly cycle has not been disrupted through the centuries.

Here are ten examples: Hebrew: Shabbath, Greek: Sabbaton, Latin: Sabbatum, Arabic: Assabit, Persian: Shambin, Russian: Subbota, Hindustani: Shamba, French: Samedi, Italian: Sabbato, Spanish: Sabado.

 21. Evidence #3 - Astronomy.
The human race never lost the septenary [seven day] sequence of week days and that the Sabbath of these latter times comes down to us from Adam, though the ages, without a single lapse. -Dr. Totten, professor of astronomy at Yale University.

Seven has been the ancient and honored number among the nations of the earth. They have measured their time by weeks from the beginning. The origin of this was the Sabbath of God, as Moses has given the reasons for it in his writings. -Dr. Lyman Coleman.

There has been no change in our calendar in past centuries that has affected in any way the cycle of the week. -James Robertson, Director American Ephemeris, Navy Department, U. S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D. C. , March 12, 1932.

It can be said with assurance that not a day has been lost since Creation, and all the calendar changes notwithstanding, there has been no break in the weekly cycle. -Dr. Frank Jeffries, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Research Director of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England.

 22. Evidence #4 - History.
The Jewish people have kept an accurate rec

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