Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?

Col 2:16-17
NLT - 16 So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself.

KJV - 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; but the body is of Christ.

In context, Paul is talking about those that come in and require more of believers than they have been taught. He said we should not do as they do. It is OK for us not to celebrate since Christ is the fulfillment of those things. Which is supported by Gal 4:9-12

KJV - 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.

 

Colossians 2:16-- Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.

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.

 

Wopic,
Why won't you tell us why your info sheet had a link to Herbert W. Armstrong's church website?

You like to toss around Mark 2:27,28. Try reading this article I wrote. Israel was forbidden to make and share covenants with other nations. They did not go out to convert others and certainly did not expect them to observe their special sabbath signof the old covenant.

Mark 2:27 The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mark 2:27 (Greek) Ta sabaton dia ton anthropon egeneto, kai ouch ho anthropos
dia ton sabbaton.
(Literally) The sabbath for the man came to be, and not the man for the sabbath.

Was it "lawful to heal" as an act of mercy? -- certainly! The key, and somewhat
controversial, statement is found in Mark, but not in Matthew or Luke. "The sabbath was
made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mk 2:27).

There are three different ways to interpret Mark 2:27. Seventh-day Adventists claim that "man" means "man in general," "all men" or "mankind." Therefore, the text means, "The Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath." Therefore, to them, God expects all mankind to observe the seventh-day Sabbath, or Saturday, as
holy. However, there are several things wrong with such logic. First, if anthropos is
translated as "man," "mankind" or "flesh," then no specific article "the" is required in
Greek. With the article, one specific man is usually intended. Thus, "the mankind," or,
"the specific mankind" makes no sense. Texts where "man in general" is meant do not
include the definite article in the Greek (compare Mt 4:4; Rom 1:18; 5:12). Secondly,
"anthropos," an extremely common New Testament word, is NEVER translated as "mankind" in the King James Version. A different Greek word, phusei, is translated "race," "species" or "mankind in James 3:7.

God gave the Sabbath to national Israel as a SIGN of their Old Covenant relationship, “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever:” At the same time God commanded Israel NOT to SHARE their covenant and Sabbath with other
nations. This is why Jesus did not command the non Israelites whom he healed to observe
the Sabbath and the rest of the Law. This is also why the Jewish Christians at the first church council did not require Gentile Christians to observe the Law (Acts 15:1-20). Therefore, the seventh day weekly Sabbath was NOT given to all mankind (Ex 19:5,6; 20:2; 31:13-18; Deu 5:12-15; especially Ex 23:32; Deu 7:1-6).

A second possible meaning of Mark 2:27 refers to the question it answers. The Pharisees asked, "Why do they [Jesus’ disciples] on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful?" (Mk 2:24; Lk 6:2). Jesus, in turn, asked the harisees, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good or to do evil?? to save life? Or to destroy it?” (Lk 6:9). Since “they” were Jews, then, the question concerned only the Hebrew man who is under the
Law! The Pharisees would not have asked Jesus this question if “they” were Gentiles who
were not under the Law! If this is the correct logic, then the ANSWER would be: "The
sabbath was made for the Hebrew man [who is under the law], and the Hebrew man was not made for the Sabbath." This answer would be honest both to the question and to the Greek syntax. Whether of not the Sabbath day was a day of rest since the creation is irrelevant because it had been forgotten. Beginning in Exodus 16, God clearly pointed out the day only for the observance of the Hebrews.

A third possible interpretation of Mark 2:27 is that "THE MAN" refers neither to mankind in general, nor to the Hebrews under the Law, but to Jesus Himself! When the Greek article "the" (Strong's 3588) and "man" (Strong's 444) are combined in a word search, 13 of 21 times in Mark it refers to Jesus Christ as "the Son of THE man." Exactly why there is an article in front of “anthropos” is not clear. We do know, however, that Jesus was THE Second Adam (which means man), THE Messiah, and THE Representative Man. He was the One who created the Sabbath; all things were created by Him and FOR Him (Col 1:16). This would make Mark 2:27 say "The Sabbath came into existence for THE MAN [Jesus Christ] and [Jesus Christ] THE MAN did not come into existence [as a man] for purpose of observing the Sabbath."

Perhaps Jesus' concluding statement, recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke holds the key to the correct understanding of Mark 2:27. Matthew 12:8 concludes, "For the Son of man is Lord {even} of the sabbath day." Mark 2:28 and Luke 6:5 onclude,
"Therefore, the Son of man is Lord ALSO of the sabbath" with the additional Greek word for "also."

The Greek word for “made,” is egeneto, the passive form of “to be” and is better
translated as “was being” or “came into being.” Keeping this in mind, we compare the three possible interpretations: "Because the Sabbath was made for mankind.... "Because the Sabbath was made for THE man who is under the law...
"Because the Sabbath was made for THE MAN, who is Jesus Christ... ..THEREFORE, the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath!"

Since the days of Ezekiel, the phrase, "the Son of man," is an extremely common apocalyptic phrase for the Messiah, the second Adam, which Christ applied to Himself. From Jesus’ three previous illustrations, God's anointed King, priests, and even ordinary Hebrews could over-ride the letter of the law when performing acts of mercy on the Sabbath. If this is true (and it is) then Jesus, the Son of man, the Messiah, can certainly do the same thing on the Sabbath. He had already declared Himself greater than the
temple (Mt 12:6) and now he declared himself greater than the Sabbath.

None of these three alternative interpretations of Mark 2:27 would be acceptable to Seventh-day Adventists. All three destroy their claim that Jesus was teaching that the Sabbath was made of all mankind to observe. While ministering under the jurisdiction of the Mosaic Law, Jesus performed many of His notable miracles on the Sabbath Day. In so doing, He demonstrated that He was Lord of that day, just as He was Lord of every other day (Mark 2:28). Again, the Sabbath he chose to illustrate his gospel deliverance
was the Jubilee sabbath year, and not the seventh-day Sabbath.

SDA pastor from 1973 to 1981.

 

Saturday is the Sabbath and nothing has or can change that. Sunday is not the Sabbath. The sabbath was established by God for the Jew, not the church. The church is not called to follow the Sabbath laws.

Also Sabbath worship is not simply going to church on Saturday or stopping work on Saturday. To keep the Sabbath one has to follow all it says.
For instance;
No cooking on the Sabbath, all food had to be prepared the day before; Exd 16:23

The head of the house is responsible for all the family members and servants to be sure they do not violate the Sabbath and if anyone violates the Sabbath they are to be put to death Exd 20:10, Exd 31:14

So No fires were permitted to be built on the Sabbath; Exd 35:3 so if you are in a cold area you need to turn off all electric and heat since you are causing your servant the electric workers to work on the Sabbath making you guilty of their breaking the Sabbath. You can not use anything that makes one work on the Sabbath or causes another to work so you can use it. No news papers since they worked on the Sabbath to print it and they are your servants. Remember no internet or computers either. No electric allowed.

You will need to do burnt offerings to keep the Sabbath;

Num 28:9 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour [for] a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:

Num 28:10 [This is] the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

However there is some good news the Sabbath was for the Jew, not the church.

Exd 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, [for] a perpetual covenant.
Lev 24:8 Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, [being taken] from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

Lev 25:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.


The Jew is now cut off and the Lord is not accepting Sabbath worship. Israel will one day return to the Lord and when He puts her in her land then she will observe the Sabbath.

Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.


In the New Testament Paul tells his readers not to let anyone judge them because of Sabbath days. The church was not responsible for Sabbath worship as the Jew was while under the law. So some were judging them for not obeying the Sabbath, but Paul says don't worry about that. The reason is that Sabbaths are not for the church. The Lord's supper is however.

Col 2:16 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]:

During the 1000 reign of Christ Sabbath worship will begin again again.

Isa 66:19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, [to] Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, [to] Tubal, and Javan, [to] the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

Isa 66:20 And they shall bring all your brethren [for] an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.

Isa 66:21 And I will also take of them for priests [and] for Levites, saith the LORD.

Isa 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

Isa 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.


For now we do not put our hope in days and festivals. For now True worshippers worship in spirit and truth, not sabbaths.


Jhn 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Jhn 4:24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

 

Thank you TC, these verses are excellent to refute what wopik is advocating.
wopik, you are sounding a awfull lot like those that Paul warned about in 1Tim. 4:1-3.

 

The early Christian Church fathers of the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. did not consider the Sabbath day to be a day all Christians were obligated to observe. They gave a different testimony. While the following epistles and statements are not in Scripture and should therefore not be considered canonical, they help to provide useful historical information regarding prevalent beliefs of the early Church in its first centuries.

Ignatius was bishop of Antioch in Syria (c. 1st-2nd century A.D.) and martyred in Rome by beasts (c. 105-116 A.D.). On his way to Rome, he visited and wrote to various churches, warning and exhorting them. He also wrote ahead to Rome to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. Ignatius warned the Church against heresies that threatened peace and unity, he opposed Gnosticism and Docetism, and in his Epistle to Smyrna, insisted that Christ came in the flesh not just in spirit.

The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians 8-10 (c. 110 A.D.)
"Do not be deceived by strange doctrines or antiquated myths, since they are worthless. For if we continue to live accordance with Judaism, we admit that we have not received grace. For the most godly prophets lived in accordance with Christ Jesus. This is why they were persecuted, being inspired as they were by His grace in order that those who are disobedient might be fully convinced that there is one God who revealed Himself through Jesus Christ His Son, who is His Word which came forth from silence, who in every respect pleased Him who sent Him. If, then, those who had lived in antiquated practices came to newness of hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath but living in accordance with the Lord's day, on which our life also arose through Him and His death (which some deny), the mystery through which we came to believe, and because of which we patiently endure, in order that we might be found to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our only teacher, how can we possibly live without Him, whom even the prophets, who were His disciples in the Spirit, were expecting as their teacher? Because of this He for whom they rightly waited raised them from the dead when He came. Therefore let us not be unaware of His goodness. For if He were to imitate the way we act, we are lost. Therefore, having become His disciples, let us learn to live in accordance with Christianity. For whoever is called by any other name than this one does not belong to God. Throw out, therefore, the bad leaven, which has become stale and sour, and reach for the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be salted with Him, so that none of you become rotten, for by your odor you will be examined. It is utterly absurd to profess Jesus Christ and to practice Judaism. For Christianity did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity, in which "every tongue" believed and "was brought together" to God." (10)

The Epistle of Barnabas was probably not authored by the Barnabas of the New Testament. The writer repudiates the claims of Jewish Christians at the time who advocated adhering to observance of the Mosiac Law. He also argued that Christ provided salvation and man is no longer bound by the Law. This letter compares holy life to unrighteousness.

Epistle of Barnabas 2:4-6 (c. 130 A.D.)
"For He has made it clear to us through all the prophets that He needs neither sacrifices nor whole burnt offerings nor general offerings, saying on one occasion: 'What is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?' says the Lord. 'I am full of whole burnt offerings, and I do not want the fat of lambs and blood of bulls and goats, not even if you come to appear before Me. For who demanded these things from your hands? Do not continue to trample My court. If you bring fine flour, it is in vain; incense is detestable to Me; your new moons and sabbaths I cannot stand.' Therefore He has abolished these things, in order that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is free from the yoke of compulsion, might have its offering, one not made by man."

Epistle of Barnabas 15:8-9 (c. 130 A.D.)
"Finally, He says to them: 'I cannot bear your new moons and sabbaths.' You see what He means: it is not the present sabbaths that are acceptable to Me, but the one that I have made; on that Sabbath, after I have set everything at rest, I will create the beginning of an eighth day, which is the beginning of another world. This is why we spend the eighth day in celebration, the day on which Jesus both arose from the dead and, after appearing again, ascended into heaven." (11)

The Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles was an 11th century manuscript discovered by Philotheus Bryennois. It consists of various parts, starting with the Two Ways ethical instruction and including community rules for liturgical practices and leadership conduct, before ending with a short apocalyptic section. While some of the material might go back before the year 100 A.D., the current form of the document probably dates to the mid-second century at the earliest.

The Didache (or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) 14:1 (c. 70 A.D.)
"On the Lord's own day gather together and break bread and give thanks, having first confessed your sins so that your sacrifice may be pure." (12)

The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus (c. 260-339 A.D.) is probably one of the most important works on early Church history available, covering the events of its first three centuries. As one born during the early Church period, Eusebius was an able historian who had a close view of the events that helped shape the historical and theological developments of the early Church.

Eusebius Ecclesiastical History, Book 1, Chapter 5 (c. 315 A.D.)
"For as the name Christians is intended to indicate this very idea, that a man, by the knowledge and doctrine of Christ, is distinguished by modesty and justice, by patience and a virtuous fortitude, and by a profession of piety towards the one and only true and supreme God; all this no less studiously cultivated by them than by us. They did not, therefore, regard circumcision, nor observe the Sabbath, neither do we; neither do we abstain from certain foods, nor regard other injunctions, which Moses subsequently delivered to be observed in types and symbols, because such things as these do not belong to Christians." (13)

Eusebius Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 27 (c. 315 A.D.)
"The Ebionites cherished low and mean opinions of Christ. For they considered Him a plain and common man, and justified only by His advances in virtue, and that He was born of the Virgin Mary, by natural generation. With them the observance of the law was altogether necessary, as if they could not be saved, only by faith in Christ and a corresponding life. These, indeed, thought on the one hand that all of the epistles of the apostles ought to be rejected, calling him an apostate from the law, but on the other, only using the gospel according to the Hebrews, they esteem the others as of little value. They also observe the Sabbath and other discipline of the Jews, just like them, but on the other hand, they also celebrate the Lords days very much like us, in commemoration of His resurrection." (14)

Eusebius Ecclesiastical History, Book 5, Chapter 23 (c. 315 A.D.)
"The churches throughout the rest of the world observe the practice that has prevailed from apostolic tradition until the present time, so that it would not be proper to terminate our fast on any other but the day of the resurrection of our Savior. Hence there were synods and convocations of the bishops on this question; and all unanimously drew up the ecclesiastical decree, which they communicated to all the churches in all places, that the mystery of our Lords resurrection should be celebrated on no other day than the Lords day." (15)

Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (c. 178 A.D.)
"The duty of celebrating the mystery of the resurrection of our Lord may be done only on the day of the Lord." (16)

Justin Martyr (c. 100-165 A.D.) lived during the reign of Antonius Pius and suffered martyrdom in 165 A.D. during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. He was an enthusiastic evangelist of the Gospel, and after traveling widely throughout the Roman Empire settled in Rome as a Christian teacher. While there, neighboring philosophers plotted against him because of his Christian profession, brought him up before the Roman authorities, who carried out his execution by beheading him.

The First Apology of Justin, Chapter 67
"And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things ... But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead." (17)

Some Christians would say that these epistles and statements are unreliable and reflect a general apostasy that was going on in the Church at the time. But this is the Church of which Christ said "the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." Also, the men who wrote letters such as these to the early Christians were the type of people of whom were spoken in Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:35-40

Many early Church leaders and followers of Christ such as Ignatius, Polycarp and Justin Martyr, to name a few, suffered severe persecution and eventual martyrdom at the hands of the Romans for spreading the Gospel of Christ. But to keep to the main point, Sabbath-keeping was not a requirement in those days for all Christians, nor was it generally observed. And this was going on long before Constantine the Great enacted his civil Sunday

 

Sunday-worshippers beware!

SDAs teach that Sunday worshippers will receive the mark of the beast and be lost.

Ellen G. White wrote that the U.S.A. will unite with the Roman Catholic Church and "apostate Protestantism" (that's us) and hunt down all Sabbath keepers to put them to death just before Christ returns to rescue them.

Wopik is worried that we may have discovered his secret cave. That's probably where all of this is going!!!

 

Wopik, you missed the point of my post.

It is the ceremonial SIGN of the OLD COVENANT.

I am not under ANY of the Old Covenant.

 

Tell me the difference between

ebv sheba? sheh?-bah or (masc.) hebv shib?ah shib-aw?

and this one

yeybv sh@biy?iy sheb-ee-ee? or yebv sh@bi?iy sheb-ee-ee?

Then you might have your Sabbath answer