Sabbath

Below is a new entry on our website to clarify to Believers WHY we keep the Sabbath.

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The Sabbath is the Seventh Day, the day of REST, and of ASSEMBLY.

The Sabbath is not the “Sabbath of the Jews” or the “Jewish Sabbath”, it is the Sabbath of the Creator. God performed creative work for six days, and His last act of creating was ‘ceasing’ from work and ‘resting’. The word for ‘rested’ in the creation account is ‘shavat’, the verb form of the word for the number “seven” AND the word “Sabbath”. The concept of ‘resting’ is communicated in the number 7.

“And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them. And on the seventh day, God [Elohim] finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God [Elohim] blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work, which God [Elohim], in creating, had made.” [Genesis 2:1-3]

God had to remind Israel of what the Sabbath was. They had been slaves in Israel, and had not been able to count the days of the week. So, God gave them Manna from Heaven in order to help them count the days of the week. He established the seven-day week in Exodus 16, telling them He would give them Manna for five days, and on the sixth day give them a double portion of it, so that they would know the SEVENTH DAY, and have bread, such that they did not have to work for their food on that day. This was a forty year clock, where two-fold Manna fell every sixth day so that they would know when the 7th day was. This was to prove that they would keep the rest of His Torah. If they would keep the Sabbath, they would honor the rest of His Word. 

“Then said  יהוה  unto Moshe, “Behold, I will cause bread to rain down from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My Torah or not.” [Exodus 16:4]

So important was this day that God wrote this particular day into the fourth commandment, in stone, with His own finger. In Exodus 20, God is appearing before Moses on the mountain, and dictating His will to the people of Israel. The fourth commandment says very plainly,

“Remember The Sabbath Day [Yom HaShabbat], to keep it holy [kadosh]. Six days will you labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Shabbat [rest] unto  יהוה  your Elohim, in it you will not do any manner of work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; for in six days  יהוה  made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore  יהוה  blessed The Sabbath Day [Yom HaShabbat], and hallowed it.”  [Exodus 20:7-10]

One can see that the reasons for the Sabbath are: to REST, for everyone, man and beast, and to REMEMBER the CREATOR and His CREATION, such that we emulate HIM [not our Jewish people]. We do so because this day is both “holy”, or ‘set aside for a particular purpose’, and “blessed”, or given a divine power/presence.

This day is also a day of ASSEMBLY. 

In giving all of His “appointed times”, The Creator, blessed is He, instructed Israel concerning His Sabbath. First of all, He defines it as HIS Sabbath:

“The Appointed Times [Mo’adim] of  יהוה , which you shall proclaim to be SACRED ASSEMBLIES [Mikrei Kodesh], even these are My Appointed Times [Mo’adim]. Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a Shabbat Shabbaton [Sabbath of resting/observance], a SACRED ASSEMBLY [Mikra Kodesh]; you shall do no manner of work; it is a Shabbat unto  יהוה  in all your dwellings’.”

So, the Sabbath, and ALL of His appointed times, are HIS. They belong to HIM, and not to the Jewish people; the Jewish people were supposed to have them in their custody, and communicate them to the nations as a royal priesthood, but they failed. Nevertheless, these feasts belong to God. They cannot be changed.

The name “Mikra Kodesh” concerning the Sabbath is ‘a holy, called out assembly’, where we are to leave our homes and gather with God’s people. The preponderance of the evidence from Israel in the time of Yeshua is that they assembled in their own towns in a “Beit K’nesset”, A House of Assembly, what came to be called in Greek and English a “Synagogue”. 

So, we are not to ‘work’ on the Sabbath, we are to rest. But, we are also to assemble. Synagogue worship, or the assemblies of the Jewish people, is very ancient, going way back to the times of the prophets, after Joshua brought the people into the land. The rites and ceremonies of the Synagogue were well established in Yeshua’s day. Synagogue worship was very similar to the rites of the Temple, apart from the sacrifices. The times of prayer were the same; the times of assembly were similar. The prayers recited were similar, etc. But the primary function of Synagogue worship was the reading of the Torah.

To the Jews, the Torah is “The Word of God”, or “The Word of the LORD”. It was also referred to as “Moshe” [Moses], since Moshe was the person who received the Word of God on Mount Sinai. So, when the Jews assembled in the Synagogue, it was to hear the Torah, and perhaps share thoughts about it. At that time, each reader of the Torah was free to share his thoughts about what he had just read. There were usually seven readers, each one called “Oleh”, the “One Who Ascends” to read the Torah. This was the custom in Yeshua’s day.

Yeshua went to the Synagogue every week to hear the Torah, and to teach it. In Luke’s account, Yeshua goes to His hometown Synagogue to worship, and we have affirmation there that He did so each week:

“And He came to Natzrat, where he had been brought up; and He entered the Synagogue [Beit K’nesset] on the Sabbath Day [Yom HaShabbat], as was His custom, and stood up to read.  And the book of Isaiah the Prophet [Yesha-Yahu HaNavi] was given to Him.” [Luke 4:16-17]

There is more in those two verses than one realizes. First, the Sabbath Day custom for all Jews was to attend the Synagogue in fulfillment of the command that the day was to be a “Holy Convocation/Assembly”. Then, we see a Jewish custom described: “The book of Isaiah was GIVEN to Him.” Yeshua did not go get the scroll He wanted to read from. The “Shammash”, the ‘servant’, chose that scroll from all the other many scrolls in the synagogue’s ‘ark’, because it was time to read from that scroll! And, that scroll was pre-rolled to Isaiah 61! Otherwise, it would have taken far too long to get to it. The scrolls are rolled out to where the next reading is scheduled! All Yeshua had to do was find the verse He wanted and begin to read.

Another verse shows us that He frequented all their synagogues: 

“And Yeshua travelled throughout the Galil, teaching in their Synagogues [Beit K’nessets], and declaring The Good News of the Kingdom [B’soraht HaMalkhut], and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people.” [Mat 4:23]

And still other verses show how consistent and regular Yeshua was in doing so. So, if one wants to emulate the behavior and worship of the Messiah, the Son of God, one must consider His attendance at the Synagogue, on the SEVENTH day. History overwhelmingly proves that the Sabbath is our ‘Saturday’ [starting on Friday night]; arguments to the contrary are simply rebellion. So, WDYD? WHAT DID YESHUA DO? He observed the Sabbath as commanded in Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5, and Leviticus 23. Faithfully.

Did His followers do the same, or did they ‘change’ the Sabbath, as is taught traditionally in churches?

NOT ONE SCRIPTURE testifies that they changed the Sabbath of God and stopped observing it, or the other Biblical feasts. But, the preponderance of evidence, which is outright, shows that ALL the believers in the “New Testament” continued to worship ON THE SABBATH; and that includes the GENTILES who came to trust in Yeshua.

Sha’ul, who is also called Paul, preached his first gospel messages in the Synagogue:

“But they left Perga and came to Antioch, a city in Pisidia, and on The Sabbath Day [Yom Shabbat] they went into the Synagogue [Beit K’nesset] and sat down.”

“And the next Sabbath Day [Yom Shabbat] the whole city gathered to hear the The Word of God [D’var HaElohim].” [Acts 13:14, 44]

If you examine Acts chapters 13 and 14, you see that Sha’ul went to the synagogues and preached to Jews AND Gentiles who worshipped in the Synagogues. 

Then, in chapter 15, an issue arises, which is the most twisted, distorted controversy, still. Some Jews went from Jerusalem into Galatia and told the Gentile believers they must be circumcised TO BE SAVED. [Acts 15:1] This was a lie, and it still is. The men who did this were NOT EVEN BELIEVERS in Messiah Yeshua, they were FALSE BRETHREN. [Fake believers, Gal 2:4] Circumcision was the last rite for actually converting to the manmade version of “Judaism”, becoming a “Y’hudi”/”Religious Jew”. This was the teaching that only Jews are saved. This was and is a false teaching. 

To settle the matter, the Ru’akh HaKodesh speaks through Ya’akov [James] the brother of Yeshua:

“Because of this, I say do not trouble those who turn to God [Elohim] from among the Gentiles [Goyim]. But let us send word to them that they abstain from defilement by sacrifices to idols, and from fornication, and from creatures strangled, and from blood. For Moshe, since early generations, has those who declare him in the Synagogues [Beit K’nessets] in every city who read him on every SABBATH DAY [Yom Shabbat].”  [Acts 15:19-21]

James, by the power of God’s Breath, puts a portion of Torah guidance on the Gentiles: stay away from idol sacrifices [Exodus 20:3-5], stay way from fornication [Exodus 20:13, Leviticus 18-19], creatures strangled [a kosher animal not properly butchered], and blood [Genesis 9:4, Exodus 34:15, Leviticus 3:17, 7:26, 17:10, 14].

Far from turning the Gentiles away from Torah, they were laying the MINIMUM Torah requirements on them necessary for fellowshipping with Messianic Jews in the Synagogues on the Sabbath, and James explains that they will grow in their own faith into the rest of the Torah as they hear it week to week, IN THE SYNAGOGUE, ON THE SABBATH: “For Moshe, since early generations, has those who declare him in the Synagogues [Beit K’nessets] in every city who read him [Torah, Genesis-Deuteronomy] on every SABBATH DAY [Yom Shabbat]”.

We have seen already that the gentiles were already fellowshipping in the Synagogues on the Sabbath, believing in the Creator, when they came to Yeshua. They CONTINUED to do so, so it was NOT necessary that they ‘become a Jew’ according to religious standards in order to continue to worship, because GOD would guide them into the fulness of His Word.

That Sha’ul turned away from worshipping God’s way was a lie back then, and it still is! Chapters later, and many months or more later, Sha’ul is finally in Jerusalem, and the LIE is already going around about him, that probably 99% of people TODAY STILL believe! That “Paul” left the Torah and abrogated it, and thus did not keep the Sabbath or any Jewish customs:

“Our brother, see how many thousands there are in Y’hudah who are believers, and they are all zealous for the Torah: but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews [Yehudim] who are among the Gentiles [Goyim] to forsake the Torah of Moshe, stating that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to follow after the customs of the Torah.  Now, therefore, they have heard that you have come here.  Do, therefore, what we tell you. We have four men who have vowed to purify themselves; take them and go purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; then everyone will know that what has been said against you is a lie, and that you yourself [Paul] uphold the Torah and obey it. [still] [Acts 21:20-24]

Remember, the litmus test of the Torah is THE SABBATH! Paul was STILL keeping it.

He defends himself in court, stating many times that he was STILL an observant Jew!

Before Festus the ruler he said this: “I have committed no offense against the Torah of the Jews [Yehudim], or against the Temple [Heikhal]…” [Acts 25:8]

Before King Agrippa, he testified of himself similarly: “I stand and testify to the humble and to the great, saying nothing contrary to Moshe [Torah] and the Prophets [Nevi’im], but the very things which they [Torah and Prophets] said were to take place, that Mashi’akh should suffer and that he should be the first to rise from the dead, and that he should declare light to the people and to the Gentiles [Goyim].” [Acts 26:21-23]

There are indeed many other places where the Disciples are seen keeping the Sabbath, the Passover, and other feasts, all of which are BIBILICAL, all of which Yeshua kept. And Paul taught these customs for which he RISKED HIS LIFE testifying that he was still faithful to them, to the gentiles:

“You, then, should imitate me, even as I also imitate Mashi’akh.  Now I praise you, my brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the customs as I delivered them to you.” [1 Cor 11:1-2]

The word there for ‘customs’ in the Greek is “PARADOSIS”, or JEWISH CUSTOMS. The SAME ONES Paul said HE NEVER VIOLATED.

He taught them in Corinth, clearly. It stands to reason that he taught them everywhere he taught. He repeats himself twice to Thessalonica: 

“Henceforth, my brethren, stand firmly established and be strong in The Mitzvot [customs/paradosis], which you have been taught, either in The Word [HaDavar] or in our letters.”

“Now we command you, my brethren, in the Name of Adoneinu Yeshua HaMashi’akh, to shun every brother who leads an evil life and not in accord with The Mitzvot [customs/paradosis] which he received from us.” [2 Thess 2:15, 3:6]

Paul taught the Gentiles the CUSTOMS of Jews that are ROOTED in the TORAH COMMANDS.

He never left them. The Sabbath did NOT change in scripture. In fact, the three scriptures christianity uses to try to say it did are wildly misinterpreted:

First, in Revelation, Yokhanan says he is in the Spirit on “The Day of the LORD” [1:10]. People think today that this day was ‘sunday’. John was a Jew. The DAY of the LORD was never Sunday to any Jew. 

The “DAY OF THE LORD” is JUDGMENT DAY. Search the scriptures. Its first mention is in Isaiah 2:12

“For  יהוה  Tzeva’ot has a day upon all that is proud and lofty, and upon all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low..” [2:12]

In most translations, that verse says “Day of the LORD”. This is the “Day of the Vengeance of our God” that Yeshua almost read about in His synagogue on the Sabbath day. It is Yom Teru’ah, or “Rosh HaShanah”, also known as Yom HaDin: Judgment Day. It is the beginning of the “Days of Awe”. This is not the place to teach it, but suffice it to say, “The Day of the LORD” is NOT sunday. 

Neither did Paul teach on ‘sunday’, as according to how most people are taught to think.

They use two verses to assert the lie that he did:

“And at the beginning of the week, when we assembled to break bread, Pavlos declared to them, and because he was going to leave the next day, he prolonged his speech until midnight.  Now there was a great glow of light from the lapidot [special candles] in the upper chamber where we were gathered together.” [Acts 20:7-8]

Most translations read this way: “On the first day of the week”, where day  is italicized to show that it is NOT in the greek texts. This was the beginning of the week. Paul would not travel on a Shabbat. So he waited until it ended, which was SATURDAY NIGHT, the START of the BIBLICAL week. They had dinner, lit ‘lapidot’ to end the week and begin the new one, a very ancient Jewish custom, and THEN the events described took place, with Paul traveling on Sunday, the next morning. This was NOT a ‘sunday service’. 

Neither was there a mention of sunday services in 1 Corinthians 16:2 : “On the first of every week, let each of you put aside and keep in his house whatever he can afford, so that there may be no collections when I come.” This, again, was the SATURDAY NIGHT ceremony that Paul had ‘delivered to the Gentiles’: Havdallah, at Motza’ei Shabbat [the departure of the Sabbath], marking the end of the week to start the regular weekdays, when collections are still customarily done for the needy. This was NOT ‘sunday offerings’. 

Sunday did NOT become part and parcel to christian worship until the manmade religion of Catholicism, when Constantine, a pagan ruler, forced the ‘church’ to LEAVE the Sabbath and BEGIN to worship on ‘sun-day’:

“On the “Venerable Day of the Sun” [Sol Invictus, his lifelong, pagan deity] let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. ….. because it often happens that another Day is not so suitable for grain sowing or for vine planting: lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.”  Constantine’s anti-Sabbath, 1st day edict.

A generation later, his followers had to harden the edict:

“Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday (Sabbath), but shall work on that Day: but the Lord’s Day, they shall especially honour; and as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ.” [Council of Laodicea]

Imagine that, ‘shut out from Christ’ for honoring Exodus 20:7, Deut 5:11, and Lev 23:1-3, and for following Yeshua and His apostles. Think about it: they would not have had to make it LAW, if no believers were keeping the SABBATH! Many were!

A generation later, The Sabbath was still being observed by the faithful, so they started KILLING anyone keeping God’s Sabbath! And that is how the change became ‘standard’: Murder. It will soon be illegal again, everywhere, to observe God’s ways.

It is the spirit of the Anti-Messiah that brought these changes about:

“And he [False Messiah] shall speak words against God Most High [Elyon], and shall wear out the Holy Ones of God Most High [K’doshim of Elyon]; and he shall think to change the Mo’edim and the Torah.” [Daniel 7:25]

The “Mo’edim” are the APPOINTED TIMES of God, the first of which is the Sabbath! That is exactly what Constantine changed. And then he also abrogated the Torah, calling it allegory only. 

John warned us that the spirit of the false Messiah was already in the world. Even in his day people were leaving the true faith. [1 John 2:18-19].  Constantine was a false person, and HE MOVED THE SABBATH, and the PASSOVER.  The two MOST important times of observance for the believer in Messiah.

This is why we keep His Sabbath. Not to ‘be Jewish’, but because Yeshua did it, His followers did it, including the early Gentiles, for 300 years, because God commanded it, and it is how we fulfill righteousness in our lives.