Thursday: The Sabbath After the Resurrection
Many Christians keep Sunday instead of the Sabbath, offering a host of reasons, the main one being the resurrection of Christ. Besides the minor detail that nothing in the New Testament, including the passages on the resurrection, teaches that Sunday is to replace Sabbath, the New Testament shows that Christ intended for His Sabbath to be kept even after His resurrection.
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
What does Matthew 24:20 have to say about the Sabbath in the years following the resurrection of Jesus?
Christ’s words in Matthew 24:20 show us that in a.d. 70, about forty years after His death, the Sabbath was to be considered as sacred as it had always been. The commotion, excitement, fear, and travel necessary to flee from Jerusalem would be inappropriate on the Sabbath day.
What other New Testament evidence do we find that shows the seventh-day Sabbath remained sacred after the resurrection of Christ? See Acts 13:14, Acts 13:42; Acts 14:1; Acts 17:1-2; Acts 18:4.
For the disciples, going to the synagogue was what church attendance should be for us today: one of the best ways to observe the Sabbath. This is especially noticeable with the apostle Paul, who was present at the synagogue services on Sabbath when no Christian church was there. Although he was the apostle to the Gentiles and the champion of justification by faith, he usually went to the synagogue on Sabbath, not only to preach to the Jews but also to keep holy the Sabbath day.
One Sabbath, after the synagogue service was finished, the Gentiles begged Paul to preach the gospel to them. The apostle could have invited them to hear him the next day, Sunday, but he waited one week. The next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God
(Acts 13:44, NKJV). These texts provide powerful evidence that the early church knew nothing of the first day of the week as a replacement for the seventh.
OK, so we know we’re right about the right Sabbath day. That’s important, of course. How, though, can our Sabbath keeping make us Christians who are more compassionate, loving, and caring?
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The disciples observed the Sabbath after Jesus' resurrection as seen in the scriptures. Therefore, the Sabbath is still binding to all Christians today. It is a memorial of God's creation and Jesus set an example by keeping the Sabbath healing, teaching, reading the scriptures and He declared that He is Lord of the Sabbath.
If we endeavor to keep the Sabbath by ourselves, we will utterly fail. We can oly keep the Sabbath the way Jesus intended by solely relying on the Holy Spirit's help as He is the only one that can lead us into all truth. Isa.58:13-14 say if thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lod, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy Father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." God said it, I believe it and He never goes back on His word. Why not try Him through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to keep his Sabbath day the way it's intended.
I am coming from a Christian family. But from Protestant group- Baptist Church. I want to learn, grow and understand on Adventist theory!
Many of us were not born in the SDA faith (or to SDA parents). We were comfortable with what we knew in other faiths or without faith. The Lord of the Sabbath sent others to share truth with us. They were not always as refine or gentle as we might have preferred. Still they cared. They were imperfect, but intent on doing God’s will.
We listened and found the messengers were not against us any more than God’s law is against us. We were convicted of our errors, and by the power of the Holy Spirit decided to turn; sometimes in the face of sharp criticisms; sometimes at the expense of long cherished enjoyments or financial benefits.
Smile! For today as we review some of the evidence purposely recorded in scripture and graciously used to help us, we are not sorry; we are grateful. To God be the glory!
Amen, Hugh Dalhouse. What a powerful testimony, especially about God sending imperfect messengers to proclaim His perfect truth. Our hearts are truly grateful.
Just like it is impossible to change God's law or time so it is with what God did on the first day of creation week with what he did on the 7th day of the week . How can God change or replace the order of the 2 days ? In the beginning on the first day of the week God rested from the work he has not yet done to help those in the later days.Doesn't this sound like nonsense ? so does it when people reason away the sequence of Creation week . 🙂
The diciples kept the sabbath after Christ resurrection....Acts 13:14, 42..Acts 18:4 and Acts 17:1-2
The mother of Jesus kept the Sabbath and taught her children to keep the Sabbath holy. Jesus and His mother kept the Sabbath so for anyone or to those who love the virgin Mary or Mama Mary it would be good to emulate her example. She observed and kept the Sabbath holy like Jesus.
For a hundred and sixty nine years we have been keeping the Sabbath, and God has promised that if we do so we will ride upon the high places of the earth , He will feed us with the heritage of Jacob , I know that God stands by his word , whatever He say He will do , He does . Why don’t we take some kind of inventory of our spiritual attainment and see if we real Sabbath keepers . All business person do inventory at their yearend to see if there are gaining or losing, but with us is Sabbath as usual , with no token of God’s approval , is it that our Sabbath keeping has become irrelevant even unto ourselves and we don’t know it , as the worship in Christ day , Lamb killing was still going on while the Lamb of God was here. The knife had to fall out the hand of the priest.
I know that God stands by his word , We should judge ourselves , We are the people that have come to the most solemn time of the earth history when final decisions are taking place in heaven. Sabbath keeping was a concert in the church that I attend. (having our own pleasure ?)
Thanks for the information on this. Thanks also for challenging us to show our relationship to JESUS in your question. It is so very important to show love, care and kindness to all around us! That is the truest evidence that we believe in JESUS.
This is the argument that Sunday keepers have against us using these verses (Acts 13:14, Acts 13:42; Acts 14:1; Acts 17:1-2; Acts 18:4) as evidence that the disciples kept the Sabbath and the argument is valid...
...Initially the apostles where preaching that Jesus is the Messiah to the Jews. It was only logical for the disciples to go into synagogs on the Sabbath days since that was the time that the Jews gathered together to worship God. Those gentiles who worshiped God also gathered together on the Sabbath days as influenced by the Jews. If the disciples found any group of people that gathered together on any other day of the week they would have gone into their gathering on that day to preach that Jesus is saviour to them.
Our argument is not logical in using those verses as evidence that the disciples kept the Sabbath. I would argue that the disciples did not keep the Sabbath in their work of preaching Jesus as the Messiah because Jesus was preached seven days a week. They did not practice a weekly day of rest from preaching Jesus. From all the traveling that the disciples where doing to preach Jesus, it could be argued that they did not do manual labor from which to rest on the Sabbath day. They were most likely supported by the donations of other believers who did perform manual or intellectual labor from which, they the supporters, rested on the Sabbath day because it was a long established custom. Now, let's say that the disciples did support them selves with manual or intellectual labor on part time basis and preached Jesus on part time basis, there is no scriptural evidence that they intentionally rested from that labor on the Sabbath day.
The only logical arguments we can use are the once based on the fact of the lack of evidence of transfer of "solemnity" from the 7th day to the 1st day of the week. And, there is no scriptural reference to 'lack of evidence'.
Acts 13:42-44 : if the whole city gathered up the next Sabbath, I think they were pretty eager to hear Paul speaking. Here was a group that had gathered together to hear about Jesus, but they did it on the Sabbath, one week later. They probably waited because they knew that Sabbath is the day of religious gathering. Here was an ideal opportunity for Paul to tell them that the first day (or any other day) is just as good, yet we hear nothing like this. Paul could have told them to come the next day, and they would have come. This is not what happened.
Not true, at least for Paul. Acts 18:3-4 : Paul worked as tentmaker during the week and went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Not that this argument would make any difference. If the apostles choose to preach the Word every day of the week that would be completely in accordance with the Sabbath commandment.
But you would be wrong, since it's only secular work that is forbidden in the Sabbath commandment. "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, " (Isaiah 58:13). "Your pleasure", "your own ways", "your own pleasure", "your own words". We are to keep God's ways (see the beginning of the chapter). We are to speak God's words. We don't break the Sabbath commandment when speaking the Word of God, otherwise levites, priests, rabbis, ministers and Jesus Himself offended on this point and would be sinners condemned in the sight of God.
The burden of proof rests on those that say the Sabbath commandment was changed. They need to show:
- that it was changed
- when
- by who's authority
Finally, let's not forget that Sabbath was not instituted as a burden, but as a blessing for us. It's supposed to remind us of our Creator and Redeemer, to get us closer to Him, to have some rest from the pressure of the working days and have time to re-think our priorities, to do good and show to the world by our words and actions how God really is - a tender loving father, not a severe judge, or a harsh, exacting creditor, as the world perceives Him.
Dear adventist friends, as i was evangelizing, i met this question about the Sabbath: since the sun sets at different times in different part of the world, is it true that there is only one sabbath day? For example my mother in the USA celebrates the sabbath 7 hours after i am already in the sabbath because the USA is 7 hours behind the Zambian time. some countries are even one or 2 days ahead or even behind others. by the time it is saturday sunset and i am knocking off from church here in Zambia where i am, people in the USA are still at church, far from sunset! isn't it that any day you choose can be a sabbath for you since there is no uniform day for the whole world? I want to hear your views concerning this question; help me help my brothers and sisters i share the word with!
I honestly believe that the Sabbath should be honored in whichever time zone you might be in once you know the time and the sun sets on Friday evening then the S
I am actually quite glad that there is no specific o'clock to when the Sabbath begins. The time 'sunset' is not absolute but rather relative and it enables everyone to keep the Sabbath day wherever they are. It would certainly be impossible for us to begin the Sabbath at the a set universal time on the clock because the sun sets at different hours depending on where you are, even two people in the same country, at different cities or towns experience sunset at the different times. We should also remember that the keeping of the Sabbath is an acknowledgement of God as the Creator and that unspoken communication takes place between you and the Lord, not you and the world, so you, not the world or its terms, will be held accountable for not keeping the Sabbath day, your seventh day, when you have been told to do so.
Pascal, it's an interesting perspective. Indeed, the sun rises and sets at different times across the globe. However, that does not change the Sabbath day. Wherever God sends His children to settle, they count seven days to get the weekly cycle and thankfully, He set the sun so high in the sky so no man can interfere with its movement to set his own day. Nobody needs a calculator or astrophysics to count up to seven, hence God set this simple weekly cycle to confound man's wily ways. Your mum can celebrate the Sabbath using this cycle. A friend once shared with me what I consider to be a profound truth about the Sabbath. A day is marked by the rising and setting of the sun; months by the movement of the moon; years by the changes in seasons. How about the Sabbath? There is no marker in nature. Why is it that almost all across the world, people from time immemorial have always had a seven-day week, immortalized (metaphorically) in the name for the seventh day (Sabado, Sabato, Shabbat etc)? Which tells us only the Fourth Commandment marks it.
Have a Happy Sabbath, and your mum too!
Dear Pascal,
There is "one Sabbath day," just like there is one Monday and one Tuesday. Each day begins at the so-called "date line" in the Pacific and makes its journey around the world from there. It may help to see a visual illustration. Check out the Wikipedia article on the date line. If you'll scroll down to "Geography," you can see a good illustration of how the beginning of each day travels around the world. By the time the beginning of the Sabbath has made it all around the world, the full 24-hour Sabbath has been completed in about half the world. But it will take another 24-hour period for the Sabbath to be completed at the place it began at end of its journey.
Inge
MY son lives In Alaska and works in the oils fields. The challenges of Sabbath, sundown to sundown, get more challenging the further north you go. One will find you have no Friday evening in the summer because the sun doesn't set until almost midnight. In the winter it is just the opposite. To truly observe from sundown to sundown, one needs to get off work at 2:00 in the afternoon if you live in Fairbanks. If one lives in Burrow, the sun never rises for about 2-3 months of the year in the winter, and vise-versa in summer, it never sets.
I personally think our church would be better off not printing sunset tables. I observe the sabbath, but I refuse to be straight jacketed by an attitude I grew up in the church with what I remember as something like this: With eye on the clock on Friday, hurry up and get everything done because it's almost sundown. With eye on the clock on Sabbath, it's almost sundown, then we can turn the TV on. It's really a modern update to what the Jews did in Christ's day.
To me the Sabbath is a delight when I can sideline the cares of this life
and worship God in a more focused way. I try to make preparation for it. One simple thing I do is try to gas up the car on Friday, so if I want to go somewhere on Sabbath i don't have to buy it on Sabbath. A month ago found me working all afternoon Friday on an urgent repair at a rental. t I just couldn't stop and go gas up. What's more I was wrapped up in getting it done on Friday, so there wouldn't be any left over cow stuck in the mud to deal with the next day.
At church, there was an announcement that Sabbath that there was going to be a lecture on a matter I wanted hear, at 4pm. at a church 60 miles away. I didn't have enough gas in the car to get there in back. Fortunately I got a ride with someone else. But if I didn't have that alternative, I would have bought gas on Sabbath so I could go to the lecture. I know people who wouldn't think of doing what I would do.
They would probably have no problem siphoning the gas out of their lawn mower (work?) if need be to have enough fuel to get there. I can cite multitudes of other example of where we today are not much different than the Jews of old when it comes to Sabbath 'keeping".
It has been one of my greatest joy and pleasure to follow the Lord especially since I have become a Seventh day Adventist in 1981,Looking back I use to wonder what others think and how will I get things done but truly God has been truly amazing and I have received so much blessing since serving Him on the correct day,I will never look back and even thought somethings don't seems right with some of us while serving on the Sabbath I pray that the Lord will help me to not point a finger at anyone.But to sow good seeds that others may come to learn of the true rest and the Lord of the Sabbath.Our forefathers have gone before us and have given us examples Paul through his ministry demonstrated his love for the Sabbath quite well not by himself, but through his unchanging love for the Lord of the Sabbath.
I think it is a trap we humans fall into when we come up with a list of rules and regulations for Sabbath keeping. It's easy for us to follow a checklist or recipe, but it requires much more thought to keep the Sabbath in a way pleasing to God. The Sabbath was a day God set aside for us to spend time with Him. To come away from the world and think about His Salvation, our Heavenly Home, to rest in Him, and do His service.
Jesus showed us it is a time to uplift, and encourage others, and to spread "The Good News." God left gray areas and didn't put many specific rules and regulations for Sabbath keeping, to encourage us to think, and seek to please Him.
Be creative in showing your love for the Lord! He is a creator, and enjoys seeing love and creativity from His children. I remember the drawings, and treasures my children made for me when they were small. They still hold a special place in my china cabinet. I'm sure God views our feeble attempts to honor the Holy day he created, sanctified, and blessed in much the same way.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 19:14 NKJV.
Children totally rely on their parents, live in joy, love to play, and want to share a secret or something they have found with all their friends, and everyone they meet. I think that is what God wants from us. We must totally rely on him, live in joy from His salvation, and be enthusiastic to share the "Good News."
God want's us to think about what will please Him. In the end when we avoid our own pleasures, we find pleasure spending time with Him. At our church one Sabbath every two months, many of us join together to feed the homeless in our community. We prepare sack lunches as best we can ahead of time, all is bought ahead of time, but there are still some perishables that must be put together. The Rabbi's of Jesus time might have called this work, but I think Jesus would speak up and say, "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Even though this activity is service to others and to glorify the Lord, most of us also find it to be very pleasurable, and a great means to witness, and extend the hand of friendship. When Sabbath keeping, don't discount that you won't find pleasure while keeping the day. I think this is what God means when He tells us, we will ride the high places of the earth. In the old testament, the children of Israel were told to bake what they would bake, and boil what they would boil in preparation for the Sabbath. He did this, so the whole family could unite together, in their tents to worship and spend time with Him, without the distractions of labor.
Can any of you beloved please make a concise statement on Matthew 24:20?
Quite confusing!
I would want to believe that the reason why the lord talked about winter is because the destruction of Jerusalem would cause the Israelites to run away from the fracas. Now, the extremely cold weather obtaining during winter would make the process of fleeing very uncomfortable for them, no wonder the messiah felt for them in that aspect. Concerning the Sabbath day, Jesus understood that running away is a complicated process that would compromise on the issue of Sabbath worship and resting. they would be carrying their properties on their heads as they fled on a Sabbath day and that would feel so strange for the people who's custom was to enter the synagogue for worship and rest on a Sabbath. anyone who has been a refugee before like me understands this factor very well,Jesus felt for the inconveniences the Israelites would encounter by fleeing instead of worshipping on a Sabbath day
That verse shows that Christ regarded the Sabbath to be sacred in His earthly ministry and expected it to be regarded in the same way at the time Jerusalem would be under siege. We can conclude that since Matthew 24 is a passage on the signs of the end of Christ's return, the Sabbath is to be held as sacred even to the end of time. Had it not been so, He would have told us not to worry about it because by then, people would be keeping a different day or choosing whatever day suited them and calling it Sabbath.
I would argue that the disciples kept the Seventh-day-Sabbath as Jesus taught how it was to be kept. 1. Turning away from the labors of making a living to laboring on the Seventh day for others. 2. Resting on the Sabbath is appropriate. Jesus took the disciples apart from teaching, preaching, healing, and feeding, to rest, not all the time, but it is recorded just the same that He sought time away from the crowds. I dare say that the apostils and disciples were not preaching and teaching every day. They found time to repair tents, and help with the chores of gainful living, for those who put them up as they went from town to town. The people they stayed with were Sabbath keepers who didn't require any gainful labor to be done on the Seventh day of their apostle or disciple guest. The apostles kept the Seventh day Sabbath as a special day to be hallowed as much as our pastors do today which they still do sanctify the Sabbath even though they labor for others 7 days a week. "Remember the Seventh day to keep it holy six days shalt though work, but the Seventh day is to be a day apart from labor" “If you turn your foot, hand, eye, mind, from the Sabbath, the Sabbath can’t be called a joy.”
I argue that Paul admonished us to keep the Seventh day Sabbath holy as a day of rest from our gainful labors. Hebrews 4:1-11 says that if you don't enter into the Seventh day Sabbath rest, which was given from the foundation of world, you are an unbeliever. Paul goes on to validate the Seventh-day-Sabbath, by saying that Jesus would have given you another day, but He didn't. Jesus always said he was here to do the will of the Father, what is the will of the Father, to fulfill (validate) the law. If Jesus were here to represent the Father’s character which is unchanging, point blank He kept the Seventh day Sabbath and Hallowed it as an unchanging law of God. Hebrews 4:1-11 is solid proof that the accounts in Acts of the disciples honoring and hallowing the Seventh day, was evidence of them keeping the Fourth Commandment. Paul was reprehending those who were professed believers, that he found questioning the necessity of keeping the Sabbath on the Seventh day any longer. So you see Satan had made inroads in Paul’s time necessitating Paul to count those who didn't want to keep the Seventh-day-Sabbath as unbelievers. How much easier it became for Satan to influence Constantine to attempt to change God's law, by changing hallowing of the Seventh day to Hallowing of Sunday.
Last week the ten commandments, this week the fourth commandment, next week you'll see how Christ death and resurrection tie into the Seventh day Sabbath. Christ rested from ALL labor on the Seventh day, this particular Sabbath day. I trust we find out that His resurrection did not change God's law. Even if we don't see the evidence, the Holy Spirit will convict us, if we listen, believe, and take action. "No man can of himself understand his errors... we must behold Christ... we shall see that if we are ever saved, it will not be through our own goodness, but through God's infinite grace." Check out Christ Object Lesions page 159 at www.whiteestate.org/books/col/col13.html
I have met Sunday keepers who argue that Heb 4:1-11 is an endorsement of the principle that "we are no longer under the old covenant" and that the Sabbath was nailed to the cross. I have little difficulty responding to the part of the Sabbath being nailed to the cross (it wasn't, just like none of the other nine commandments). However, it is not so easy responding to the claim that by not keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, they are showing that they have entered into the "rest" spoken of in the passage. I have sometimes argued that if we were to apply that kind of thinking, a thief would also argue that he has entered into "rest" by breaking the eighth commandment. How would you respond to those claiming that Sunday keeping is equivalent to "entering God's rest"?
The Bible is very plain about the Sabbath. Paul taught in the synagogues on the Sabbath both to the Jews and Gentiles.(Acts 13:42-44)(Acts 18:4) In Philippi, he taught beside the river on Sabbath to whomever was there.(Acts 16:13) There are eight references to worship on the Sabbath in the book of Acts, and one of a gathering on the evening following the Sabbath to break bread which was the celebration of the communion service.(Acts 20:7) Those that want to argue that the Sabbath has been changed are those that either do not read the scriptures or their minds are made up and what the scriptures say do not matter. The preachers that teach that the Lord authorized the change of the Sabbath are either ignorant or they are liars.
Hebrews 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest(Sabbatismos, Sabbath rest) to the people of God.
4:10 For he that is entered into his rest(katapausis, repose, rest), he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
the Sabbath is a teaching tool albeit a holy one. it teaches the burial day of our lord and the beginning day of our lords original prophecy against the teaching of unbelief- against the Sign of Jonah! Our lord taught a 3 day burial AND a resurrection on the 3rd Day. Later, by the Father and the Son (the Holy Spirit), the disciples having become Apostles, described this Day of resurrection as the 1st Day OF THE WEEK. This is not a contradiction, it IS A CLARIFICATION! In Genesis we read the Moon was created the 3rd Day, our present basis for the word WEEK! GOD IS GOOD!REMEMBER THE SABBATH!