18-Questions about the Bible Sabbath - NIV

1. Since Paul Declares, "Let No One Judge You Regarding the Bible Sabbath," Isn't Sabbath-Keeping Unnecessary?

Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a _religious_ _festival_, a New Moon _celebration_ or a Sabbath day. [17] These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in 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 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same _sacrifices_ repeated _endlessly_ year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

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 will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths--at all the _appointed_ feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and _fellowship_ offerings to make _atonement_ for the house of Israel.

4. Leviticus 23 Beginning with Verse 3, Discusses the Seventh-Day Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:3 " 'There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred _assembly_. You are not to do any work; _wherever_ you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

5. Then the Ceremonial Sabbaths.

Leviticus 23:4 " 'These are the LORD's appointed feasts, the sacred _assemblies_ you are to _proclaim_ at their appointed times:#cr

Leviticus 23:5 The LORD's Passover begins at _twilight_ on the _fourteenth_ day of the first month.

Leviticus 23:6 On the _fifteenth_ day of that month the LORD's Feast of _Unleavened_ Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.

Leviticus 23:10 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the _priest_ a sheaf of the first _grain_ you harvest.

6. Feast of First Fruits.

Leviticus 23:17 From _wherever_ you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of _firstfruits_ to the LORD.

7. Feast of Trumpets.

Leviticus 23:24 "Say to the _Israelites_: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly _commemorated_ with trumpet blasts.

8. Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 23:27-32 "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. [28] Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. [29] Anyone who does not deny _himself_ on that day must be cut off from his people. [30] I will _destroy_ from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. [31] You shall do no work at all. This is to be a _lasting_ _ordinance_ for the _generations_ to come, _wherever_ you live. [32] It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the _following_ evening you are to _observe_ your sabbath."

9. Feast of Tabernacles.

Leviticus 23:34-36 "Say to the Israelites: 'On the _fifteenth_ day of the seventh month the LORD's Feast of _Tabernacles_ begins, and it lasts for seven days. [35] The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. [36] For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the _eighth_ day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the _closing_ assembly; do no regular work

Leviticus 23:37 (" 'These are the LORD's appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred _assemblies_ for bringing offerings made to the LORD by fire--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, _sacrifices_ and drink offerings required for each day.

Leviticus 23:38 These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and _whatever_ you have vowed and all the _freewill_ offerings 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 This calls for patient _endurance_ on the part of the saints who obey God's _commandments_ and remain faithful to Jesus.

Ezekiel 20:12 Also I gave them my _Sabbaths_ as a sign _between_ us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.

11. What About This Text From Romans?

Romans 14:5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one _should_ 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 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing _judgment_ on _disputable_ matters.

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_ in all their vast array. [2] By the seventh day God had _finished_ the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. [3] And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, _because_ on it he rested from all the work of _creating_ that he had done.

Exodus 20:8-11 "_Remember_ the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. [9] Six days you shall labor and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or _daughter_, nor your _manservant_ or _maidservant_, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. [11] For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he 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 regards one day as _special_, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who _abstains_, does so to the Lord 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 we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he _intended_ to leave the next day, kept on talking 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--the first 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 _Preparation_ Day, and the _Sabbath_ was about to begin.

18. His Closest Followers Rested on the Sabbath Day.

Luke 23:55-56 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. [56] Then they went home and prepared spices and _perfumes_. But they rested on the Sabbath in _obedience_ to the _commandment_.

19. Jesus Rose From the Dead on the First Day of the Week.

Luke 24:1-3 On the first day of the week, very early in the _morning_, the women took the spices they had _prepared_ and went to the tomb. [2] 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 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he _appeared_ first to Mary _Magdalene_, out of whom he had driven 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

Next Bible Study: 19-First Day Texts
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