Why the Sabbath is not Sunday

Opposite the little-known Lunar Cycle belief of the Sabbath, Sunday Sabbath is the most widespread belief in Christianity today. Sadly there are very few who have taken the time to study this concept from scripture, and I suppose many cannot be blamed, at least, those who never had the question of its validity raised. These days it is sadly unheard of to even question Sunday as the Sabbath of God, and yet, as we shall soon see, the entire concept rests on little more than 3 verses and a Catholic council. Yah be with you as you continue, and I pray you keep an open mind and heart to the scripture, holding fast to the Word over the commandments and doctrines of men.

Reason One

The first and most common Protestant reason for keeping Sunday, is that Christ rose on the first day of the week; Sunday. That is true. However they pass over that Christ rose on Sunday, after resting the Sabbath. :) It is agreed almost unanimously that Christ died on Friday, or what we now call "Good Friday." Scripture tells us that Mary could not go and annoint the body of the Lord because the Sabbath drew on, and she "rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment."(Luke 23:56)

Of course, the answer for this is usually that Christ had not risen yet. I would like to point something out. The entire concept of changing the Sabbath goes against the very nature of God as shown in scripture; particularly that Christ "came not to destroy the law and the prophets," those prophets who kept the seventh day Sabbath, and even more to the point, that both Christ and God do not change. (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8)

I will be blunt. I do not need to go into scripture too much further to explain why Christ's resurrection did not change the Sabbath day, and the reason is this: There is nothing in scripture, anywhere, whatsoever, that can even come near to backing up this most major of assumptions. Christ was not baptized on a Sunday, why do we not make that day the Sabbath? Or maybe the 2nd day, since He sent out His disciples 2 by 2? Or 2 by 2, 2x2 = 4, maybe the fourth day? Why not every 40th day, to commemorate His fasting?

This reason for Sunday keeping is dismissable quickly, for two simple facts: One, the Sabbath was instituted at Creation week (Genesis 2:2-4) and it is a memorial of that event. That alone. In order for the solemnity to be changed from one day to another, the whole of Creation would have to be made over. This and this alone is the only possibly conceivable way for the Sabbath's observance to be shifted to another day. God sanctified, blessed, and hallowed the Sabbath day according to scripture - Christ did not come to break nor change what His Father had done, and it is interesting that not only did Christ keep the Sabbath (Luke 4:16), but that He did not say one word in recorded scripture regarding its change. If he would forewarn them of so many things, would it not be in Christ's character to at least give an "Oh, by the way" regarding the entire change of a *Commandment?*

And secondly, as brushed over above, Christ kept the Sabbath day, His apostles kept the Sabbath day, His disciples kept the Sabbath day. Christ called himself "Lord of the Sabbath day," and not only did He not speak of changing it once, He also kept it, even in death by resting the seventh day and rising the first. "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.." (1 John 2:6)

Reason Two

Undoubtedly the next statement on your mind would be, "The Apostles broke bread on the first day of the week," a reference to Acts 20:7. However, if we simply turn back to the second chapter of Acts, we see the flaw in this: "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart." (Acts 2:46)

The apostles broke bread everyday - This is an assumption once more, as the Sabbath commandment does not speak of breaking bread, but of a day of rest. That the apostles simply met on the first day of the week (As they did everyday, lest we forget) does in no way constitute a new Sabbath day, nor that they had ceased to keep the seventh day Sabbath.

Reason Three

This in actuality ends the trio of arguments most have: There are others of course, but none that are too common, and if you would like to discuss further this topic, I would invite you to please email me, or get in contact with me by some means or another, and we can find out the answers in scripture together. :) That said, on to the verse. "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 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." (1 Cor. 16:1-2)

I hope by now you have seen a pattern to a degree in my statements, and if so, the answer to this verse will come as no surprise to you whatsoever. Nowhere in this verse does it even come near to *hinting* at the first day being the Sabbath. In fact, it is just the opposite; The Sabbath was not the day people brought their tithes to church necessarily; in fact the spirit of the commandment completely runs contrary to this concept, as the Sabbath is a day of rest and ceasing from the everyday worldly practices of buying and selling; Dealing with money on the Sabbath day, tithe included, is *not* the intention of Yah. The Sabbath was a day of rest, as we shall see by a simple reading over of the fourth commandment soon. Nothing could be further then, from what the apostle would have people do on the Sabbath day, than to do the work of gathering and laying aside things to be taken as Paul comes through the city. As his words tell us, the reason for this is so there will be no gatherings when he comes; Obviously gathering together took time and effort, and he wanted to be able to go through the city, pick up the collections and move on. Why, of all days, would Paul tell them to prepare on the *Sabbath* day, the day that God gave to rest and do no labour in?

This, as I said before, covers all of the common Sunday verses. As I invited earlier, if there is anything unaddressed in here that you feel needs to be added, if there is anything answered to your dissatisfaction in its truth, or if there are any questions or verses on your mind personally, please contact me and we can discuss them. I would like to close with three verses, and I hope that you have found this enlightening and accurate; I also pray that you seek the truth in the word of God and not man.*

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days 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." (Ex. 20:9-11)

"The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness." (Ps. 111:9-10)

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

Yah bless and be with you,

- Luke

*For Roman Catholic and Protestant statements on why they *do* keep sunday as the Sabbath, please click here.