Why do Protestant Churches Worship on Sunday William J.D. Shaw updated: Jan 5, 2018 Deception: First let us start in the New Testament on the number of times we are told by Jesus and His disciples to beware of deception. It occurs at least 16 times. The more times a theme or idea is repeated the more important it is, so for 16 times we are to really sit up and pay attention. This warning is with respect to the new congregation or church as set up by Jesus. Therefore this warning was to watch carefully for deception in the church and in the way forward. Jesus knew that Satan would be extremely active in trying his best to work deception into the church as was set up by Jesus and His disciples. Yes this has happened extensively and is rampant in today s time. Note that by deception by Satan and his workers is often mixed in with some truth, it acts mainly to divert us from obeying God. Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. The Reformation: The reformation was initiated earlier than by Martin Luther s time, but the printing press really got things moving with Luther, and followed on by John Calvin. This became known as the Magisterial Protestant Movement and was added to by many others. It was a breakaway from some of the deception of the Catholic Church. The unfortunate thing was those breaking away did not question everything, rather they carried over a number of bad doctrines. The first bad doctrine of the Catholic Church was Sunday worship, the second being Easter and the third being Christmas. The Catholic Church changed laws and times of God, they changed the ten commandments to nine by removing the second commandment on idols and taking the 10 th commandment and dividing it into two, one not to covet your neighbors wife and the other not to covet your neighbors house.
That way they still had 10 commandments. They did away with God s Holy Days and instead substituted at their own times, Easter and made another holiday being Christmas, or what it really says is Christ s Mass or Death, not His birth. These are not directives given by God, there is no scripture that tells us to do this. These are commandments of man, not commandments of God. These are deceptions bought into by the protestant churches in their original formation and carried through to the current time.. The Catholic Church: The Catholic Church stated that they know that the Sabbath is on Saturday, but by their authority from God, they changed it to Sunday. The Protestants accepted this early on, later they needed to come up with some other justification of their own for adhering to Sunday worship. So now days if you ask them, they are honoring Jesus as they say He rose from the dead on Sunday. Again there is no scripture or instruction from God that we are to do this. The Protestant churches call the day that Jesus rose from the dead as The Lord s Day, which they take as Sunday. This term is found once in the New Testament, in the book of Revelations. The theme of Revelations is that John was in the spirit to be shown or have the future revealed to him at and around the time of the day of the Lord which is a terrible day of God s vengeance to those on earth. It is not that John was there on Sunday as may protestants interpret it to be, rather John was there on the day of the Lord in order to witness and record the calamity poured out on the earth. Recognize God is logical and the record of God s Holy Word, directed by the Holy Spirit is recorded as logical for us to understand. Even Tyndale, who set about to translate the New Testament as accurately as possible, inadvertently brought his own beliefs into his translation and where the Greek translates as the lord s day, Tyndale translated those words as Sunday. Tyndale was burnt as a heretic for his more accurate translation, however it was not perfect as just shown. Unfortunately even the King James Version has interpreter bias in a number of places. The Aramaic English New Testament and the Scriptures Bibles, both translate Rev 1:10 as the Day of the Lord, which is in keeping with the theme of Revelations and is more logical and accurate. The Kingdom of God: Jesus came first to preach the message of the coming gospel of the kingdom of God, He also told us how to pray, Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. us, Jesus also told us to first seek the Kingdom of God, as then all other things will be added to
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. So when the Kingdom of God comes to earth at the end time, God s Will at that time will be done throughout the entire world, all nations and people will be required to obey God and God s laws. This means the whole world will follow God s laws and obey them. Recognize God does not change. Note that God s laws are found in the first five books of the Old Testament. They are in fact a way of living and going through life, which means when the Kingdom of God or God s Government comes to earth, there will be no war, no violence, everyone will go forward in showing love to everyone else. As part of God s Will it includes keeping the Sabbath, which is on Saturday, and in keeping His Holy Days. So, seeking the Kingdom of God means submitting oneself to God, obeying and going forward by growing in righteousness with the help of God acting within us. This means obeying God s Laws, ordinances, statutes, precepts, judgments and commandments. Then we are ready for God s Kingdom when it comes. One can find in Psalms 119, using the Strong numbers, that the following words all mean the same; laws, commandments, statutes, ordinances, precepts, and judgments. Repent: How are we saved? Jesus tells us to repent and then to seek the kingdom of God. Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. What does repent mean as defined in the Bible? It means first change, become a new person, leave the old person behind. It means go forward in righteousness, not sinning any more, growing in love for God and love for ones neighbors. It means obeying God, it means keeping the laws and commandments of God. It means changing and growing in the manner that God wants us to grow, to become more like Him, to become one of His adopted sons. God s laws were given just for that reason, to help us grow in a manner that pleases Him, and makes us more like Him. 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Sin: What is sin? The Bible again defines what sin is, it is breaking God s laws. 1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law. This means unless you study and learn God s laws you will not be able to go forward properly. You need to write the intent of these laws on your heart and then go forward attempting to grow in a manner that develops the personal characteristics that God wants us to develop, such as love, serving, meekness, humbleness, patience and longsuffering amongst others. God wants us to grow holy, His word shows us the path. God s laws are the way of life, or the narrow path, that we are to walk as we go through this present life. Lev 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. 1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. Love to God: What is love towards God? Again it is defined in the Bible, it is keeping God s laws and commandments. Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. God of the Old Testament: Recognize that Jesus is the Word, the Rock and the mediator for God the Father all throughout the Old Testament, the one that made Heaven and earth and all things on the earth including man. He is the Being that interacted with man, the one that gave the laws and commandments, He wrote the 10 commandments with His finger on the stone tablets. We learned of God the Father from Jesus, and now we know of God the Father and the Son of God. At the time Jesus walked on the earth, there was only the Old Testament, thus when He is citing commandments, it refers back to the Old Testament. Even the command of loving our neighbor was given by the Son in the Old Testament.
Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. What did Jesus tell us to do in addition to keeping His commandments and keeping His words? He told us to follow the examples He left us. Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Jesus kept the Sabbath and the Holy Days as an example to us, even though he gave them to us in the Old Testament. God s way of Counting: The days, months and years of God are defined in His way, which is different form man s way. The days are defined as starting with the night at sunset and ending at sunrise and then the day portion starting at sunrise and ending at sunset. Thus one day portion is 12 hours, Jesus defined this so that there is no doubt what He means when He says three days and three nights. Most often within the Bible, when one day is used, it usually refers to both, the night and day portions together or 24 hours. An exception being the verse following. Joh 11:9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. The months are tied to the moon, each full moon is the start of a month. The month of Nisan is the first Month of the new year according to God s calendar. Since they are tied to the new moons, this means the days of the week that events fall on change every year. Thus God s Holy Days change on the day of the week that they fall on for each new year. We are told to keep God s Holy Days, not man s holi-days. This commandment was given by God to be forever. This is given to God s chosen people, if you are saved, then you now become one of God s chosen people, there is no difference between Jew or Gentile, you become one of Abrahams seed. Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male
nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Holy Days: The only sign Jesus would give on His resurrection was three days and three nights. This means exactly 72 hours. Jesus died late in the day portion of Passover, which is the 14 th of the month of Nisan and He rose from the dead on the third day, after three nights and days, being late in the day portion of the 17 th of Nisan. For this to work, Jesus died late on Wednesday and rose late on Saturday, which gives exactly 72 hours or three days and three nights. The way man counts is often different from God. Man can try and fit parts of a day as counting a whole day etc, that is man s way in trying to make things work out according to his preconceived beliefs. Now in the end it really is not important what day of the week that Jesus rose since it is tied to God s Holy Days of Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits, and these days fall on different days of the week every year. We are told to Keep these Holy Days, Jesus told us to remember Him on the night of Passover, 14 th of Nisan, to break bread and drink wine in remembrance of His broken body and spilled blood. The Bible does not tell us to celebrate or pay tribute to the day Jesus rose from the dead. That is man s commandment in opposition to the commandments of God. Exo 12:17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. The Holy Days of God are tied to prophecy and have more than one meaning. Now Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits (or Spring Harvest) contain Jesus Death, Resurrection and Presenting Himself before the Father as the First Fruits of the resurrection and being waived by Jesus Himself as the new High Priest. Now these first three Holy Days have dual meaning for both the Exodus of the Israelites and the sacrifice made by Jesus. Both represent being taken out of sin and having death at first passing over and now being defeated. Sabbath: Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath since He created it, yet by example to us He kept it. Jesus is the Messiah and He came first to His chosen people, then when they rejected Him, He sent His disciples out to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. His disciples even after Jesus left them, kept the Sabbath. Paul kept the Sabbath as did his Gentile converts in the churches he set up. The Sabbath as originally given was a commandment to be forever to all those who become God s chosen people. The seventh day was sanctified by God, at the end of His creation, it is and always has been a Holy Day, it is a Holy Day of God.
Exo_20:11 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. Exo 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Exo 31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Exo 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. Exo 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Exo_35:2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Clearly the weekly Sabbath was given to God s chosen people as being forever. All other annual Sabbaths are tied to falling within specific Holy Days and are also given as being forever. If you follow Christ, you are one of His and there is no difference from you being either Jew or Gentile Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. God expects all of His people to obey His Word, to live by every Word of God. Consider this, the Sabbath will be kept when the kingdom of God comes to earth. This occurs throughout the millennium. By logic being kept in the past and being kept in the future means it should also be kept today. 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. If you doubt whether it applies to you, if you are a gentile, then examine the following as well as the scripture from Galatians as above. Isa 56:6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Since the Sabbath is a Holy Day where you are not to do work or strenuous labor of any kind including walking or running or flight, Jesus when talking about the last days, telling those in Judah to flee to the mountains immediately, when they see the abomination of desolation in the Holy Place, and pray that it not be on the Sabbath day. Not only did Jesus keep the Sabbath as an example for us to follow, but consider the following as said by Jesus when giving signs of the end times to His disciples. Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: This is Jesus speaking on the end of days, where it is still important not to have to travel or flee from danger on the Sabbath day. Jesus keep the Sabbath as an example for us to follow, He told us that it was alright to do good on the Sabbath, this by implication also tells us today, that the Sabbath is still in effect. Or consider the verse on whether the day of rest would change (Bible The Scriptures 2009). Heb 4:8 For if Yehoshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. Heb 4:9 So there remains a Sabbath-keeping a for the people of Elohim. Footnote: a The Greek word is sabattismos, which means Sabbath-keeping. Jesus told us that the laws do not change. By implication this also means we need to continue to follow and obey God s laws and commandments as given to us. Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The instructions for the Sabbath and how it is to be treated are very specific. It is a complete night and day where we are to worship, reflect upon God and His creation, to draw close to God, to learn from His word, to rest and reflect on His might and righteousness. it is not a time of doing our own thing. Isa 58:13 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 LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: The Sabbath starts at sunset on the start of the seventh day of the week and goes through until the following sunset. This means from sunset on what man calls Friday until sunset on Saturday. God wants us to draw close to Him, to worship Him, to have fellowship with Him and to have His word grow within us as well as for us to rest from our regular activities. God is very specific on how we are to honor the Sabbath. Protestant churches become uncomfortable when questioned on the Sabbath. This is because they ignore scripture that tells those who take on Christ and become ones of God s chosen people to obey the Sabbath and that they cannot find scripture to support their change of worship to Sunday. So they justify themselves. Which now becomes the commandments of man. They now go the way of the world and not the way of God. They do not even tell their congregation of what is required on how to spend the Sabbath even though they pretend that Sunday is the new Sabbath. Mat 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Some people use the following verse stating that it is the new Sabbath, Act 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. However the word preached from Strong s number also means, discuss, argue, dispute and reason with. Rather the above verse means at the end of the Sabbath after keeping that day, Paul and his fellow disciples are meeting together for a meal and discussions. This occurring in the evening, which now is the first day of the week. Paul was leaving in the morning, going traveling. If
this was the new Sabbath, Paul would not be going traveling on that day. Traveling required a lot of energy and therefore was considered the same as work. Consider also Jesus after the resurrection walking in the day portion of Sunday, walking along the road with two others on the way to Emmaus. If this was a new Sabbath, none of them would be walking or traveling, including Jesus Himself. Luk 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. Luk 24:14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. Luk 24:15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Luk 24:28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. Luk 24:29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. So towards the end of the day, the two entice Him to stop and eat the evening meal with them. Jesus also, after His resurrection, reinforced keeping of the Holy Days, by first waving the First Fruit of the resurrection before the Father and later telling the disciples to gather together on Pentecost for receiving the Holy Spirit. Consider the following verse that some use to say that the Law was done away, Col 2:16 Let no one therefore judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths Col 2:17 which are a shadow of what is to come but the Body of the Messiah. e Footnote: e The Body of Messiah is to give ruling on all matters, not the outsiders! See also Mat_18:15-20. It is not others, man or outsiders that will judge us, it is Jesus who judges us, so be careful to follow Him and do what He tells us and by example shows us, we need to ignore what others say and do in judging us.
Protestants Main Argument for Ignoring the Commandments: The protestant churches main argument for ignoring the commandments and laws of God are how they interpret being saved. They tell us we are saved by repenting and being baptized, belief in Jesus as the Son of God, being born of a woman by the Holy Spirit, walking in the flesh on earth, being crucified and dying for our sins, being resurrected three days and three nights later, ascending up to heaven and sitting on the right hand of God the Father. With this God the Father by His grace forgives our sins. This is all true, but this now is where we are at the starting gate, needing to go forward as a new person and grow as God wants us to grow. This new covenant is now based upon faith, repentance and following Jesus, it has not done away with the laws and commandments of God as given to His people. The laws and commandments no longer are required to save us, rather they are required in order for us to grow in righteousness and become God s adopted sons and daughters. They are required in order to guide us in not sinning after we have repented. If we do not follow God s commandments as given to man, follow them with writing them on our heart and following them with their intent as shown to us by Jesus, if we do not do this we are not doing the will of God. God s purpose for man does not change, it is the same as when He first gave it. Note that repent is going forward and not sinning, and sin is defined by God as obeying His laws. Those that argue that we no longer are required to follow God s laws cannot satisfy the act of repentance, and are not going forward the way God demands, from that point of accepting Jesus and taking Jesus on or growing in Christ. Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Understanding Based upon the Holy days: To obtain a true understanding with respect to keeping the Laws, one must study and understand the Holy Days of God. The first three Holy Days were fulfilled by Jesus. It is important to understand Jesus fulfillment of the third Holy Day. It shows for those that argue that the Law disappeared after the resurrection of Jesus, that they are wrong, the Law is still in force. 1. First three Holy Days First note that Holy Days are those of God, His Holy Days. He requires those who are His people to keep them. The Passover and days of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits are the first three Holy Days in the new year. The Passover is on Nisan 14 th, the next day is the first day of Unleavened Bread, which is a Holy Convocation also called an annual Sabbath or a high day, falling on Nisan 15 th. There are 7 days of Unleavened Bread, the last day of Unleavened Bread is also an annual Sabbath. Within that 7 day time period there will be a weekly Sabbath (in other words 3 Sabbath days occur in short order). The day following the weekly Sabbath, now being the first day of the week (Sunday) is the day of First Fruits, or the sheaf wave of the spring harvest. It is not an annual Sabbath day. All of these days are Holy Days of God as given to his people to follow, God
identifies which of His Holy Days are also Holy Convocations or annual Sabbaths. All of these days are tied to the months as marked by a new moon. That means the days of the week that they fall on change every year. Recognize within the Holy Days, specific days are identified as annual Sabbaths, not all of the Holy days are annual Sabbaths. The Passover & Unleavened Bread Lev 23:4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover. Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Lev 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. The Feast of First Fruits Lev 23:9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Lev 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: Lev 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. Lev 23:12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. Lev 23:13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. Lev 23:14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. First Fruits always is on the first day of the week, or Sunday. The Feast of Weeks 0r Pentecost Lev 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD. Lev 23:18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD. Lev 23:19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. Lev 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. Lev 23:21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. Lev 23:22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God. Pentecost is always on the first day of the week, or Sunday, it is a one day annual Sabbath. 2. Annual Sabbaths In both the Old and the New Testaments, the First day of Unleavened Bread is a holy convocation or an annual Sabbath as is the last day of Unleavened Bread. The same occurs at the present time. Mar_15:42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joh_19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. There are other annual Sabbaths on other Holy Days, the only additional annual Sabbath mentioned in this document is the day of Pentecost, a one day annual Sabbath. Pentecost is a day of thanksgiving of the summer harvest, while the day of First Fruits occurring during the days of Unleavened Bread is as day of thanksgiving of the spring gathering or spring harvest. The Week of Tabernacles is a celebration of the Fall or autumn harvest.
3. Time of Jesus Resurrection He is risen, as stated by the angels at the tomb. This is a clear statement, meaning that the 3 days and nights were completed before the night portion of Sunday. Therefore even before the beginning of Sunday, Jesus was in the flesh, being resurrected by God the Father. Mat 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. Mat 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Mat 28:7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. Luk 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Luk 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 4. Women Seeing Jesus on Sunday Morning Consider the two verses of the women seeing Jesus in the garden on the morning of the first day of the week, Jesus was in the flesh resurrected in these meetings. Mat 28:8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. Mat 28:9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Joh 20:16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Joh 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. The time sequence is not clear for the above scripture, however when you go back further in the chapters you find in the first case in Matthew it was later after sunrise, while in the second case in John it was before sunrise. Thus in one case they could touch Jesus, in the other case Mary could not. In the latter case, Jesus had not waived the First Fruit of the resurrection from the dead before
God the Father, as He needed to wait until the day part of the first day of the week had arrived, sunrise. This waive is done by the High Priest in the day portion of the first day of the week. Jesus was the first fruit of the resurrection and also the High Priest (Lev 23). This fulfillment of the First Fruit Holy Day, was still an important commandment that was in effect and Jesus fulfilled it. Jesus waited from late Saturday after His resurrection until sunrise Sunday morning before presenting Himself to God the Father. This example shown to us God s Holy Word means that the Law was still in effect after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Keeping the Holy days is part of the Law. 5. The Duality of the first 3 Holy Days In keeping the Holy Days, Jesus presented Himself to the people on the 10 th of Nisan, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, being the lamb, then He was sacrificed, spilling His blood on the 14 th of Nisan and was resurrected 3days and 3 nights later, making this occur on the 17 th day of Nisan. Recognize that these days are tied to the new moon and month of Nisan and that they change every year, meaning the days of the week that they fall on changes every year. They are in fact annual Holy Days and are not tied to the weekly days. Jesus fulfilled the first three Holy Days of God, these Holy Days now have dual meaning and present a complete picture. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt on the Sabbath, was crucified and died late in the day on Wednesday, rose on the weekly Sabbath late in the day, needed to wait until sunrise on Sunday morning to waive the First Fruits of the resurrection before God the Father. It is only on Wednesday for Nisan 14 th that all scriptures work and that the time for Jesus to wait for waiving the First Fruits is short. If He was crucified on Thursday or Friday Jesus would not have been able to waive the First Fruits before God, the time period would have gone by. If Jesus was crucified before Wednesday, He would have had to wait an extra full day or more in order to waive the First Fruits. The 14 th of Nisan very, very, rarely falls on a Wednesday. So it is not Palm Sunday nor Good Friday, nor Easter Sunday these are traditions of man, not the keeping of the Commandments of God. Using God s timing of three days and three nights gives 72 hours. It was the only sign He would give to the Pharisees. To die late on one day, He had to rise late on the third day in order to fulfill the prophecy. The sequence is Jesus died late on Wednesday, just prior to an annual Sabbath that started at sunset on Wednesday and carried through till sunset on Thursday. Then Friday was a regular day, and at sunset on Friday the weekly Sabbath started. Thus it was not until Sunday morning that the women and disciples could come to the tomb. They were busy Friday buying and preparing spices to wrap Jesus body, around a hundred pounds worth.
6. The Commandments The commandments in the Old Testament were given by the Son, the ten commandments were written by His finger. Jesus said the following; Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. That at the very least means all ten of the commandments. Jesus also said the following; Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Jesus did not come to change the law, but rather to fulfill it. Note also what the Son of God said in the Old Testament. Deu 5:29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! If you are one of God s chosen people, if you have put Christ on then you are required to keep God s laws and directives to you. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, we are all one in Christ. Keeping God s laws is showing love to God. Keeping God s laws is going forward in this world and not sinning. Repenting is going forward and not sinning. Sin is breaking God s laws. Not keeping the Saturday Sabbath is sinning. Jesus tells us to follow Him, to do what He has told us and shown us by His example. This means His example both before and after the resurrection. The law was not done away with! It will be followed by everyone in the millennium. It needs to be followed today by God s chosen people, by His saints. Conclusion: God s word is true, it does not change. We all will be judged by the same criteria. Those that repent, accept by faith and God s grace, submit, follow, obey and grow as God directs are those who are God s chosen ones. It is always from our own free will that God wants us to choose. One must read God s word carefully and if one obeys what he learns, then God s Holy Spirit will direct him further and help him to continue to grow. God gives His Holy Spirit to those that obey Him, those that do His will. Is this the reason God s Holy Spirit is missing from the Protestant churches of today?
Act 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. It is clear that God s laws are for all those that are His. We have an obligation to God, that is to keep His Laws and to grow in righteousness. Consider the following. Num 15:16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. Deu 5:29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deu 7:11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Deu 11:1 Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. 1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Two scriptures that tells us who makes up God s congregation or church, the ones Christ is coming to collect as His bride are as follows. Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Those that change keeping and honoring the Sabbath from Saturday, the last day of the week, to worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, are not obeying God s will. They have made Sunday a day of Worship and in so doing have also done away with God s rules as they pertain to the Sabbath. This change is now made as a commandment of Man. This is in direct opposition to the commandment of God. They have changed both the law and times as given by God.
God is extremely demanding on our obedience to His will. Doing God s will is obeying the laws and commandments that He has given us. If you doubt how serious God is on this subject, read the document How Obedient does God Demand. Jesus tells us to keep His commandments, at the very least, consider for a moment that if it was only the 10 commandments (which is not totally inclusive) then it includes the fourth commandment on the Sabbath as well as all the others. Rev 22:14 above is very clear with respect to one s salvation. Jesus did not come to change the Law, the Law remains until heaven and earth pass away. Keeping God s laws is showing love to God. Keeping God s laws is going forward in this world and not sinning. Repenting is going forward and not sinning. Sin is breaking God s laws. Not keeping the Saturday Sabbath is sinning. If you break one of the laws, you are guilty of breaking all of the laws. Jesus showed us to keep the intent of the Laws on our heart, to go forth in Love and to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. This is the Torah of Jesus, the words themselves have not changed, what has changed is our way of going forward and keeping the Laws as shown to us from Jesus. ***