The Sabbath Day

Introduction

Over the past several decades as a Christian I have come into contact with so many people who have decided that they needed to keep the Sabbath day as told in the Bible. I respect any person’s decision to live according to their convictions and to do what they truly feel honors God. But the problem that follows this decision is a feeling of achieving a greater level of spirituality, to the point of looking down on those who do not do the same as they do. In this case they have not brought improvements on their spiritual walk at all, but have rather added to it things that can hinder it in ways they can’t even see. All while being so sure they have received a “revelation from God” to cause them to change.

As a pastor and a historian of Christianity, I felt it necessary to write this book according to what I have discovered in the Bible and in early Church history. Naturally, those who hold to Sabbath keeping will also hold to the Holy Days. Many will also hold to the specific Hebrews names of God (Both of which are topics I will cover later in this book). And as a pastor and teacher of the scriptures, I take very seriously every word I teach to others! I fully understand the importance of every doctrine and teaching, and the accountability I have before God. So, I do not take it lightly in the slightest, as I fear God greatly. The idea of teaching falsehoods to others scares me as a teacher. That being said, I can promise you that I do know what others teach and why they teach it. I fully understand how they come to their conclusions. And I have no reason to reject anything that is true. I live with the conviction that no error is worth living with willingly, and no cost is too high to pay in order to have the truth. As a lover of truth, I would have no problem at all changing my beliefs and teachings. I have done so more than once or twice in my life. I am not restricted by an organization or controlled or told what I can and cannot teach. So, what I teach here is from a heart of love for truth, and through experience and understanding of the work of Christ in fulfilling so many things. It is my hope that through this study you will see the power of fulfillment, as Christ Jesus has become so much for us today. I feel these facts are limited by men who want to insist on old laws that could never do what Christ accomplished for us – as they attempt to put laws and restrictions on people through what they assume to be a “greater revelation”, while all others have been corrupted by religion.

As we start to cover the scriptures and reasoning for those who hold to Sabbath keeping today, it will be important to cover Shadows, purposes, meanings, signs, and the heart of everything that God did and commanded. A lot of foundations will need to be clarified. So, stay with me as we go through them. Because one point alone won’t convince anyone of what I am working toward. Sabbath teachers spend a lot of time constantly teaching those who follow their teachings. You will find that these kind of teachings such as Sabbath keeping, Holy Day keeping, the names of God in Hebrew, and other teachings like Jesus name baptism, speaking in tongues for salvation, Oneness, as well as Eternal Security and other specific teachings, will take up a large amount of pulpit time, as well as time spent talking to others. As a matter of fact, people who focus on these doctrines will often spend more time trying to convince other Christians they are wrong than they do trying to win a sinner to Christ. These doctrines become a distraction for many Christians. When people feel they have received revelation from God, they feel the need to tell others about it. I cannot blame people for how they feel or their desire to share. But it is important to understand that these feelings and the sense of receiving revelation from God does not always prove to be what has truly happened. People of completely different persuasions will claim the same feelings. Someone has to be wrong.

Truth is very important to me, as it should be to all Christians. I simply am not willing to live in error. That of course does not mean that I can’t ever be wrong. But one thing I learned long ago was how to “Rightly Divide the Word of Truth” – as told in 2 Timothy 2:15. With any doctrine, we need to be able to use all of the scriptures. Too many people form doctrines off of choice scriptures, while ignoring or changing the meaning of others. I will do my best to show all of them. Then explain the view of those from both sides of this issue. But in the end, I hope you will see that God actually gets more glory when we understand the work of Christ in fulfilling the Sabbath, than He does by us keeping it. While keeping the Sabbath is not by any means a bad thing, most who keep it fall into the same trap the Pharisee’s fell into, by thinking they become more righteous than those who don’t do the same as they do. I will show how this is not only not true, but it is dangerous to think this way.

Those who believe that we are to keep the Sabbath day as Christians today are known as Sabbatarians. In the mind of the Sabbatarian, they have received “revelation of truth” concerning Sabbath keeping. So, for anyone to come against it would be to them heretical and shameful, and rebellious to what God has commanded. It is my prayer that some may read this with an open heart and understand that what is written here is not rebellious, hateful, disobedient, or anything else they may accuse. I also hope to educate Christians so they will not be moved by those who try to convince them of such falsehoods, as I will show them to be. As a lover of truth, I have to reject all lies, extreme teachings, imbalanced teachings, and everything that misses the mark of the true gospel we have been given in the scriptures. In this book I will show many scriptures and explain them from their context. I will also show some early Church quotes that are historical valid and useful for understanding exactly what the Churches all believed. People will come up with their own interpretations and insert them into their teachings, forming them in a way to give more strength to their own arguments. The Early Church writings show us proper interpretations of the scriptures, as they lived around the same time as the Apostles and they all completely agreed on all doctrines. So, what they have to say should be heard and valued, since they do not teach against the scriptures, but rather support and confirm what they teach. As we cover these different things, carefully consider everything. Any of us can become very passionate about what we believe, and be complete or partially wrong.

Lord, may Your name be glorified! May your truth be made known to all! Lord, rebuke every lie and let it be cast down away from our minds. Lead us into all truth as you promised, as we cast down every evil thought and imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Let God be true and every mane a liar!

Chapter 1

God Rested

Genesis 2:2-3

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

After God had created all forms of life on earth, the scripture here says that God rested. This simply means that He stopped creating. We know God doesn’t actually need rest as we do. But He ended creation on Earth after the 6th day. Notice that there is no command for man to rest on the 7th day here. It merely states that God stopped creating. However, the 7th day was still marked as a day of the week that would later become the Sabbath day under the Mosaic covenant. Everything that God has done in that past has in mind what will come in the future. The bible tells us that one day is as a thousand years to God, and a thousand years as one day. God knows thew beginning from the end, and He plans for it all. We see a prophecy about the coming Christ (Jesus) in Genesis 3:15. The 7th day, in a similar way, was a preparation of what would come under the law that was given through Moses. It was a shadow of what would come under the law; as the law was then a shadow of what would come under grace.

Nothing in Genesis indicates a command to keep the Sabbath, before the law was given. Sabbatarians will labor over the scriptures in a desperate attempt to gather as much “proof and support” for this doctrine as possible. They see a need to prove that the Sabbath was kept before the law, because they know that the law was fulfilled. And if law was fulfilled, then Sabbath was fulfilled with it. So it now becomes important to them to show that Sabbath Keeping existed before the law, therefore it was not started with the law, so it would not end with the law and therefore still exists after the law.

In Mark 2:27 Jesus said, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”. Jesus wasn’t against the Sabbath, obviously. First, He was born a Jew and came for the purpose of ministering to the Jews. He would never have come against what had already been established. Not until they have been fulfilled. But He did clarify the purpose of such things. Man was not made for the Sabbath. Meaning that Man’s purpose in life is not to keep the Sabbath. But the Sabbath has a greater purpose. It is the Sabbath that was made for man. Many laws were given in Leviticus that held the purpose of righteousness, well-being, good health, and a good community, as well as a strong relationship with God. The purpose of the Sabbath held more than one thing for man. But since we are talking about an Old Testament command from the Torah, which was specifically given to the Jewish people, let’s talk about what it did for them at that time.

It gave them a day to rest from their labor: Without a commanded day to rest, many people would work all of the time. They would also require their laborers to work all of the time. Not only would they not get the rest their bodies need, neither would their laborers.
Time to focus on God and to hear the reading of the scriptures and some teaching: People work hard to provide for their homes. So, their focus can be so much on that, failing to give time to God. Any person who fails to give time to God will fail as a follower and end up falling. God wanted to be sure that they got that needed time, so He could keep them secure by His Word.
Time with Family: People make all kinds of plans to go do different things. But the best time with family is time away from the chaos of life and work, and in the presence of God Word and Spirit. Families are built stronger when God is put first. And God knows best! It was much less about a specific day to God, and more about these things.

Although the law brought in a mandate to keep the Sabbath, and it was strictly enforced with penalties for not keeping it, we have to understand that this is how law worked under the Mosaic covenant. But we are not under that covenant and we never have been. God wants us to have our rest. This is His wisdom and love for us. Just as He ceased from creating, we should cease from working – for our own good! The laws of God were always for the good of men. We just have to trust that God really does know best. But without becoming so religious or self-righteous about it like the Pharisee’s did.

Chapter 2

The Sign of the covenant

One of the main arguments and considerations of people who want to hold to Sabbath keeping is the fact that the command to keep the Sabbath is one of the 10 commandments. How can we as Believers reject a commandment of God? The thought of doing so becomes very concerning to people, which can be a good thing of course. We SHOULD be concerned about keeping the commandments of God! If we are not, then something is wrong in the heart of a person. So, if it is really that important to keep His commandments, then how can we not keep the commandment to keep the Sabbath? I totally get the concern here! But there are answers.

The answer to this question is simple, yet complex at the same time. The Sabbath Command is the only one of the 10 that is not a moral law concerning our worship of God only or our treatment of others. Although it will be argued that keeping the Sabbath is a form of worship, this commandment is still unlike any of the others. And there is a good and important reason to understand why it is included with the commandments.

The 10 Commandments were given to the Israelites alone, as a people of covenant with God. Different covenants had been established between God and men at different times throughout history in the Bible. It is important to look at these covenants and see how they worked, so that we can better understand the Sabbath Day inclusion into the 10 commandments.

With almost every covenant there was a sign, with a promise or an agreement between God and men.

The Noahic Covenant: After God had flooded the earth, He sent the rainbow as a sign of His promise to never again flood the earth by judgment, killing all life.

The Abrahamic Covenant: God promised Abraham that His descendants would be like the stars or the sky and the sand in the sea. The sign of this covenant was given by the circumcision of all males. Adult men had to be circumcised by the cutting off the foreskin. And every male infant had to be circumcised on the 7 day of life. This served as an agreement between God and Abrahams descendants.

The Mosaic Covenant: Exodus 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;”

As the sign of this covenant, the people of God were to stand out from among all others and would be known as Children of Yahweh by the keeping of the Sabbath. It is not hard to see how this is fulfilled in the Church today.

The New Covenant: This covenant is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send the Messiah to save His people. With the coming of Jesus many things were fulfilled. The fact that Gentiles can now easily be saved like any Jew is an amazing fulfillment of this covenant. The sign of this covenant is first in water baptism. Through water baptism we enter into agreement with God to leave our old lives of sin behind us, and to walk in new live in Christ – being cleansed of our sins. Another sign of this covenant is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby He puts His mark or seal on us. His Spirit changes us from the inside out, serving as a sign to unbelievers of the power of God, and that we are children of God.

Through the new covenant we have the fulfillment of the previous covenants in Christ Jesus. We have the Noahic promise of God to save us, our families and descendants and whoever will receive the message of the gospel to be saved from coming judgment; with judgment no longer against us, as we have been saved from the flood of sin and wrath. We have the Abrahamic promise fulfilled through circumcision of our hearts as the Apostle Paul said in Romans 2:25-29. Then we see the Mosaic fulfillment as we have rest from our sins and labor of law. And another covenant known as the Davidic covenant is fulfilled by the coming of the King (Jesus), a descendant of David (The Messiah, just as God had promised him).

Understanding how powerful the Work of Christ really is in fulfilling the old shadows is critical. It will keep us from falling into religious traps that look back to law instead of resting in the new covenant.

In Galatians 3:15-20, we can read of how the covenant with Abraham would one day be fulfilled in Christ, in which the mosaic law would then come to an end.

15Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed”, meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. 19Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.

The Apostle Paul is saying here that previous covenants do not do away with the promises that were given through previous covenants. He is not saying that the previous covenants did not or cannot end. But only that the promises remain. And although scripture does use such terminology to indicate that old covenants are now obsolete, it is referring to the law part of the covenant with it rules, and not to the promise. But with the promise we have fulfillemt through the work of Christ.

Jesus is the Seed of Promise that was to come that is spoken of in this passage. Paul says that the law was only intended to remain until He came. And this law is the Mosaic covenant, which includes the law of Keeping of the Sabbath, which was its sign. The law had an expiration date. Once its purpose was served, it would be done away with. Just a few verses later in Galatians 3 we are told:

23Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

The law was given to keep God’s people in line only until the new covenant in Christ was established. Once this was completed on the cross and after His resurrection and sending of the Holy Ghost, the law, including the keeping of the Sabbath, was not longer the rule that guides us. We are now guided by faith and the Holy Spirit. By the very thing our baptism stands for; both in water and in the Holy Spirit – which happen to be the signs of the new covenant.

In Jeremiah 31:31, 32 we are told, “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,”

So long after both the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants were given, it was prophesied that God would one day make a new covenant with His people. And of course, the only time in scripture we see any such change is when Jesus came. Some people are confused by the fact that Jesus taught from Torah, supporting Jewish laws. He was a Jew, preaching to Jews, who were all under the old covenant at that time. Many things were yet to come, after His resurrection and the establishment of the New Covenant with the Church. We don’t see the Apostles teaching the Christians anywhere in the New Testament that they needed to keep the Sabbath. We know that many did go to the Synagogues on the Sabbath. But this should not be confused with the meeting of the Christians. Many went to the Synagogues because it was their custom being raised Jews. Many Christians went to Share Jesus with the Jews. Can you imagine the Christians gathering in the Synagogue with unconverted Jews, operating in spiritual gifts, praying for one another in Jesus name, and building the Church of Christ in their Synagogue? This is not only unbiblical, Scripture shows us that the Jews did not accept such a thing, but spoke harshly against it. So, Christians had to meet at other times, as they still wanted to be a part of the ministry to the Jews when they could, while still needing the Ministry of the Church for one another. Which is why they chose Sunday as the day of meeting together, since it was the day Jesus rose from the dead. And although Sabbatarians will even debate the day of His resurrection, this can also be shown to be a fact in scripture and from Early Church history.

In Hebrews 8 the writer deals more with the old covenant being done away with as the new has arrived:

“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”

13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”

What was this old covenant that is now obsolete? As shown, it is the Mosaic Covenant – of which the Sabbath was the sign. These 10 Commandments were written on tablets of stone, and then placed inside the “Ark of the COVENANT”. This is an artifact that was used by the Jews in their keeping of this old covenant with God. It is something we no longer need or use, as the new covenant is in Christ alone. Sabbath keeping is not a sign of the new covenant at all. Which is why we do not read of the need to keep it anywhere in the New Testament (Covenant) scriptures, or anywhere in early Church writings. And with so many Gentiles being saved, who never kept the Sabbath, they would need to be taught the importance of doing so if they really needed to. Yet there is nothing in all of Scripture; and the opposite in Early Church writings.

In 2 Corinthians 3:6-9 Paul says, “6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

How is the new covenant so much more glorious than the previous covenants? Because we have the Spirit of God in us!

This is no doubt speaking of the 10 commandments, as it was “the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone”. With the Sabbath day being a leading part of the old covenant, it is made clear in the scriptures that it is no longer something to hold to. It was not only for the Jews only, but it is called the ministry that brought death, because it was something that required works rather than faith. So, trusting in Sabbath keeping today is not wise, as people as trusting in a ministry of death – by trusting in their own works. Of course, this does not mean that they cannot truly walk in faith and be saved. But it does mean they have missed the mark in this area and can do more harm than good by it.

Galatians 2:21, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died in vain”.

If Sabbath keeping adds anything to our righteousness, then Christ died in vain, and it is by works we are saved. This is not saying that good works have no value and are not important at all. It is when we make works into a law we trust too much in that we fail the grace of God. We are to be holy as He is holy. But Sabbath keeping has no part in such holiness. The old covenant is gone. Fulfilled! We now have the new covenant, which has a new entrance into it. The Old Covenant lives within us and is not of works, but of Christ working in us. Our hearts have been circumcised through faith and transformed through the fulfilling of the Abrahamic covenant (Circumcision being the sign). And we rest our lives in Christ from working to create our own lives through sinful living (Having our Sabbath rest in the Lord of the Sabbath). With no further instruction given in the scriptures to continue under the law of either circumcision of Sabbath Keeping, we can rest in the fact that they are fulfilled through the work of Christ.

Chapter 3

God said Forever!

Another common argument by the Sabbatarians is the fact that several scriptures say that this covenant is forever, a “Perpetual Covenant”.

Exodus 31:

12And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 13Speak 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. 14Ye 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. 15Six 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. 16Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17It 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.

The word “Perpetual” Means “never ended or changing”. So naturally, the Sabbatiarians will say that this teaches that the Sabbath cannot end or even be fulfilled. But rather, we must continue to keep it, as God has commanded it as an everlasting covenant between Him and His people. This can sound convincing to many. But they fail in several different ways by holding to such an idea.

Let’s look at a few ways that this idea they insist on so vehemently cannot work:

This covenant was between God and Israel. The Gentile nations were not included at all. This covenant only applied to Israel, which included the rest of the Law that came along with it. If the Sabbath remains forever, then the law much also. That would in turn make it necessary for the Sabbatarians to keep the full law of God from the Old Covenant.
It was called a “Perpetual COVENANT”. That means that it is not just the Sabbath that was said to be forever, but the entire covenant – which included the law. Yet in Paul’s letters to the Churches he warns the Christians that if they trust in law, they make grace of no effect. And although the Sabbatarians will not insist on keeping the entirety of the Old Law, they become inconsistent with the argument by not doing so. To say that Sabbath is “forever” cannot work, as this command speaks to Israel only, as they are under this covenant.
Every person who defiles it should be put to death; and those who do any work on the Sabbath must be cut off from His people. You can’t take the law of Sabbath Keeping and conveniently leave out these parts. If you are going to insist that it must be kept today as it was back then, then you must also put to death any who defile it, and cut off anyone who works on the Sabbath. That’s some pretty intense truth there! And it causes a big problem for any who insist on Sabbath keeping that should not be ignored!

A Covenant is an agreement. Much like a contract. God went over the Covenant thoroughly with Moses to give to the People of Israel. With any covenant, the people can never pick and choose which parts they want to keep or not. If any part of it was broken, then the entire covenant was also broken.

James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

In the same way, Sabbath keeping without the rest of the law gains nothing for a person. Of course, the rest is always good, as it is the wisdom of God for us. We should all take the day of rest and follow God’s wisdom in doing so. Most Christians do so on Sunday, as it is technically our 7th day or end of our work week. Regardless of what the calendar says, most people work Monday through Friday. If they work an extra day, it will usually be on Saturday. Then they will take Sunday off. And with Sunday being the Lord’s Day (The day the first Christians met together to worship, pray, and go through the scriptures – being it was the day He rose from the dead), it actually works out well.

There will always be an argument by those who have convinced themselves of Sabbath keeping. Once people lock into a doctrine they won’t usually be moved by anything you say. With every bit of evidence they will only seek an answer to support their beliefs, no matter how weak the answer may be. In taking such a dogmatic stance, people lock themselves into their beliefs so hard that the greatest and clearest proof can’t move them. I fear such a position personally! And I think we all should. But in this discussion, we can see that the Sabbath command did not start in Genesis. It did not exist before the law. The Sabbath was the sign of the Mosaic Covenant – which was a very long list of laws given to Israel (Not just 10 commandments). If we only look at the 10 commandments, then we have no problem seeing them as applicable today, as they all have to do with the 2 greatest commandments Jesus mentions - to love God and others. But the Mosaic covenant consisted of what many believe to be 613 commandments or laws. The 10 commandments can be a summary of many of the 613. But there is a large number of laws given pertaining to specific situations and how they should be dealt with. Many judgments are commanded that require death. Some of the individual, and others of the entire family. In the issue of sins, animal sacrifices were required. Many different commands are given throughout this covenant that we know were all fulfilled through the Work of Christ. If we try to hold to one, then we must hold to them all. Which is something that cannot be done.

As the sign of the covenant the Sabbath had to be included into the 10 commandments. This covenant was with the Israelites only. Gentiles had no part in it. Yet in this covenant we also know that the Abramic covenant did not end. The Israelite were still required to do circumcision. The Apostle Paul did make it clear that circumcision was no longer required. While Sabbath keeping is taught nowhere in the New Testament scriptures. The Sabbatarians can only draw from Old Testament laws to insist on Sabbath keeping today. But the Church understood it as being fulfilled in Christ, and therefore did not teach it as a necessity.

So, since God said it was forever, how then can it end? The simple answer is, the same way the rest of the law ended. It was fulfilled. We have to understand that when a shadow from the old covenant is fulfilled, it only appears to have ended. But it actually continues in us. What can be more “Forever” than something that is a part of who we are, rather than just something we do? When Jesus fulfilled atonement, animal sacrifices ended. But the sacrifice He offered of Himself remains in us and works through us, into eternity.

Sabbath does go on forever. But in its fulfilled state. We will forever have our rest in Him, every day, not just once a week. We do not dishonor God or the Sabbath by not keeping the Sabbath as the Sabbatarians insist every believer should. We understand the fulfillment of it in Christ and rest in Him, honoring Him by faith and righteous living through the working of the Holy Spirit within us. “Not of works, lest any man should boast”.

Chapter 4

Shadows

The seventh day in Genesis started as a Shadow of what would come under the Law. No commandment was given to keep it in Genesis, and no patriarch is known to have kept it before the law. So, when the Sabbatarian claims that the Sabbath existed before the law, it is a desperate stretch to attempt to prove this. It just isn’t true!

Not only was the seventh day a shadow of the law, it was also a shadow under the law of what would come through Christ. Christ fulfilled this shadow, just as several other shadows were fulfilled through His work.

The Tent of Meeting and the Tabernacle

The Tent of Meeting or Tabernacle was the place where Moses would go in to talk to God on behalf of the people. Later, it would be the High Priest who would go into the holy place to deal with the sins of the people. King David later designed the Temple, which his son Solomon build. The Temple contained the holy place, and the most holy place, where only the High Priest could go into. A thorough study of these things will prove to be shadows of the coming work of Christ and the establishment of the Church.

Everything in the Tabernacle has to do with entering God’s presence for cleansing, forgiveness of sins, consecration to God, holiness, and sacrifice. We know that the work of Christ made all of these things possible as He fulfilled them. It is not my intent to get heavily into a study on the Tabernacle, but only to show it as a shadow.

Animal Sacrifices

No Christian will debate the fact that the Work of Christ fulfilled and ended animal sacrifices. The Bible refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of all men. Atonement was fulfilled through His work on the cross. Being without sin, He was able to be the one-time sacrifice for all time. When He died, He said, “It is Finished”, ending the old and beginning the new.

After Jesus died, the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom, showing it to be an act of God in ending all that He previously had done through the temple. Paul said that we are now the temple, with the Holy Spirit (The sign of new covenant) being in us. The born-again experience is a fulfillment of all that the Tabernacle stood for. And as believers Hebrews says in 10:19 that we have access to the Most Holy place. That is some extremely powerful fulfillment!

John said that if we sin, we only need to confess our sins and He will cleanse us of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). No animal needs to be offered and killed any more. No more blood has to be shed. The old is gone! The new has made things so much easier. It is all within us (Luke 17:21).

Jesus became atonement for us. And He became our Sabbath also. The Sabbath, like animal sacrifices, Temple rituals, and circumcision were all given to the Jews only as a part of their covenants. Gentiles were not included in those covenants. So why would we think that we need to keep them today under the new covenant; the only Covenant that includes Gentiles?

Chapter 5

The New Covenant

In Galatians 3:15-20, we can read of how the covenant with Abraham would one day be fulfilled in Christ, in which the mosaic covenant and law would then come to an end.

15Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. 19Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.

Jesus is the Seed of Promise that had come. He says that the law was only intended to remain until He came. And this law is the Mosaic covenant, which is signed by the Keeping of the Sabbath. The law had an expiration date. Once its purpose was served, it would be done away with. Just a few verses later in Galatians 3:23-26 we are told:

So long after both the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants were given, it was prophesied that God would one day make a new covenant with His people. And of course, the only time in scripture we see any such change is when Jesus came. Israel had broken the old covenant. When a covenant is broken, the agreement is ended. So, a new covenant became necessary. If the old covenant was ended because Israel broke it, then those things given under it are obsolete – unless they are included in the new covenant. And nowhere in the New Testament scriptures do we have a single instruction to keep the Sabbath. We actually have scriptures telling us it is not necessary.

Colossians 2:16–17

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. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes here to not let anyone judge us concerning our choice to do any of these things or not to do them. We are free either way, as long as we don’t trust in the keeping of them to gain favor with God. But he ends with “These are a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ”. These things have to do with the days after Jesus returns, when the earth and all its inhabitants will have perfect peace and rest in Him. The New Living Translation properly words verse 17, “For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.” Jesus is the present reality and fulfillment of all that the old stood for. If we know Him and live in Him, then we have what we need through Him. Keeping these days cannot add a single thing to our spiritual lives or eternal destiny in Him. They are good to know and it is always good to remember the works of God in the past. But to make something out of a day in such a way as to think it adds spiritual life, salvation, or rewards with God, is a major missing of the heart of the scriptures, commandments, and purposes behind everything He commanded.

In Hebrews 8 the writer also deals more with the old covenant being done away with as the new has arrived:

“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:

13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”

What was this old covenant that is now obsolete? As shown, it is the Mosaic Covenant – of which the Sabbath was the sign. The 10 Commandments were written on tablets of stone, and then placed inside the “Ark of the COVENANT”. This is an artifact that was used by the Jews in their keeping of this old covenant with God. It is something we no longer need or use, as the new covenant is in Christ alone. Sabbath keeping is not a sign of the new covenant at all. Which is why we do not read of the need to keep it anywhere in the New Testament (Covenant) scriptures, or anywhere in early Church writings.

2 Corinthians 3:6-9 says, “6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

This is no doubt speaking of the 10 commandments, as it says “the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone”. With the Sabbath day being a leading part of the old covenant, and being the 4th of those 10 commandments, it is made clear in the scriptures that it is no longer something to hold to. It was not only for the Jews only, but it is called the ministry that brought death, because it was something that required works rather than faith. The new covenant on the other hand brings life, as the Spirit is the giver of life and He dwells withing us as one of the Signs.

Galatians 2:21, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died in vain”.

Chapter 6

In the End

The Bible speaks of the end times when Christ will return and Israel will have been restored, rebuilt their temple, found the lost Ark of the Covenant, and offer animal sacrifices once again. And of course, they still keep the Sabbath to this day, as they will then. This is so contrary to what the Early Church taught and did. We know that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins and animals no longer need to be sacrificed. We should know and understand as Christians of faith in the cross that our covenant is with Christ as new creatures in Him. But because the Jews have not been able to receive Jesus as the Christ yet, they can only continue in the law that they have always known to be the commandments of God in their covenant with Him. But in all of this in the scriptures we can see that the old covenant is continuing with His people Israel even while believers in Jesus as the Christ live under the New Covenant. When Jesus does return, He will reveal to the people of Israel who He really is, and that they crucified Him a few millennium ago. They will then receive Him and follow Him. Will they stop keeping the Sabbath? Unlikely, since it is already their custom in their nation to have Saturday as their day off to rest. But I am sure they will receive a different understanding and knowledge of what it means to have their rest in Him, as we should today as believers in Him.

Another argument used by the Sabbatarians is concerning the fact that the Bible foretells about the Millennial reign being a time when the Sabbath will be kept by all. Along with this argument of the Sabbath continuing “forever”, they might state that the Bible says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is of course very true that He is the same. Yet we also know that His methods DO change. The fact that He has established different covenants at different times, with different signs, different commands, and included different people under the newest covenant tells us that He does change the way He does things. But to claim that Sabbath keeping did not change, and that it makes no sense to command it, stop it, then reinstitute in it again during the Millennium is an argument based on assumptions. And these assumptions lead to problems they may not have fully considered.

We will cover the reasons for the reinstitution of the law. But first, we need to consider what is being reinstituted.

Chapter 7

The New versus the Old

Early in his ministry, as told in Mark 2 and Matthew 12, Jesus and His disciples walk through a field on the Sabbath and His disciples begin to pluck heads of grain, which is a violation of the Sabbath laws. The Pharisees, furious at His disobedience, confront Jesus. Jesus, in response, first reminds them of how David took priestly bread to feed the hungry, and then says “have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here”. Finally, He responds “The Sabbath was made for man [i.e. for his benefit, his spiritual and physical welfare], not man for the Sabbath [i.e. the Sabbath has no needs that man can fulfill]. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Do you see what Jesus is saying? This isn’t a story about finding a loophole in the Sabbath laws, it’s a story about who Jesus is! Jesus is saying to the Pharisees “I am the greater David and I fulfill all that David typified. I am the greater Temple and I fulfill all that the Temple typified. I am the greater Sabbath, and I fulfill all that the Sabbath typified.” Jesus’ infringements on the Sabbath law appeared to be inexcusable provocations but were actually proclamations of His messiahship. As Paul says, the Sabbath rest was only a shadow, but the substance is Christ (Colossians 2:17).

The Sabbath candles were the sign that one day God’s new day would dawn. And Jesus was declaring that the day had come at last. You don’t need candles once the sun has risen. Or in this case, once the Son has risen (from the grave).

By saying that the Sabbath was made for man, Jesus reminds the Pharisees that the Sabbath rest was instituted to relieve man of his labors. By saying that He is lord of the Sabbath, Jesus teaches them that He has come to relieve them of laboring for their salvation. Just as he taught the Pharisees, so he teaches us today in the 21st century.

Jesus’ claim that He is the fulfillment of the Sabbath can be made with regard to every Old Testament feast, holiday, type, celebration, or institution. Paul lumps the Sabbath together with food laws, festivals like Passover, and new moons. All of these constitute shadows that anticipate the coming of Christ. Jesus not only fulfills the Old Testament Sabbath, but also the Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7-8), the Temple (Matthew 12:6), circumcision (Romans 2:25-29), and the entire Old Testament sacrificial system (Hebrews 10:1-18). Everything that all these events and institutions were designed to be and do, Jesus was and did. If Jesus is a walking, living, breathing Temple, he is also the walking, celebrating, victorious Sabbath.

Returning to Hebrews 4, after the author teaches that the Israelites never truly entered God’s rest in the Promised Land, he says in verse 9 “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” The Sabbath rest that the people of God have been trying to reenter since the Fall is finally available through faith in Christ (Hebrews 4:3).

The book of Hebrews declares that the perpetual Sabbath of the future age has already dawned in Jesus. The holy Sabbath of the Old Covenant was only a shadow of Christ; Jesus, the substance to whom the shadow pointed, has made all days holy. The promised rest of the messianic age has begun now, in Christ.

Later in Hebrews, the author tells us that the law “can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship”(Hebrews 10:1). But on the cross, Christ offered the “once-and-for-all” sacrifice on our behalf. Hebrews 10:12 says “when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” After performing the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus sat down and rested—ceased from His labor of atonement—because there was nothing more to be done, ever. Because of Christ, we no longer have to “labor” in law-keeping and self-works in order to be justified in the sight of God. We no longer rest for only one day, but we forever cease our laboring to attain God’s favor.

As with most aspects of following Jesus, the answer is simpler than we may think. The Christian observes the Sabbath by ceasing to labor for their own righteousness, trusting instead that Christ’s finished work is sufficient as their righteousness. You honor the Sabbath by experiencing the spiritual rest (freedom from sin, newness of life) you have by virtue of being buried and raised with Christ. This spiritual rest is not to be limited to one day of the week, but must be practiced daily, perpetually.

The Sabbath command in the Old Testament was an ordinance that foreshadowed the coming rest that Jesus Christ would bring. Christ is our true Sabbath rest. God’s desire is that we enter into His spiritual rest now, rather than trying to keep the letter of the Old Testament Sabbath command. His aim is that we keep the substance of the Sabbath, not the shadow. For who, when standing at a lookout point high in the Swiss Alps, looks at a picture of mountains on their phone? Or who, having arrived at their destination, continues to look at the map that showed them how to get there? Who chases the shadow when the substance is before them?

Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed with the Jews that Sabbath Keeping had anything to do with Salvation. And with the Gentiles they were called to reach, they did not keep the Sabbath and were not commanded to do so.

In Acts 15:1-2 it says, “While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently”.

Look at Matthew 26:26-28:

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

Here Jesus tells us about a new covenant He was beginning. Under the old covenants, the Israelites were required to follow all of God’s commands and regulations – which they failed to do miserably! If you read through the Old Testament, it is just failure after failure.

God made a new covenant – one that would apply to both the Israelites and to everyone else. God’s new covenant with us is not based keeping the letter of the law perfectly. God made a new covenant with us that would allow us to be baptized with His Holy Spirit and empowered to do righteousness and keep His commandments. While the shadows have been fulfilled, so we no longer live according to a religious system and set of religious rules, but rather walk in the Spirit and rest in Him.

That’s why Paul & Barnabas and the rest of the early church agreed that these new Christians did not need to observe the signs of the old covenants – because they lived under a new covenant.

In Colossians Paul explains a little further. He says in Colossians 2:11…

11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of the sins of the flesh. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. Colossians 2:11-12

Then jumping down to verse 16 & 17 again, Paul continues:

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 are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.

In other words, the practices of circumcision & the Sabbath were really pointing forward to the work and the person of Jesus. Both were outward, physical actions that looked ahead to a future spiritual reality. And Christ is that reality. The Israelite’s weekly day of rest was actually a way of looking forward to what Jesus would do for them in the future.

It seems that even Paul recognized that there may be a diverse understanding of the Sabbath because he writes in Romans 14, first of all about how some believers will eat anything while others believe they should only eat vegetables, and neither one is to condemn the other for their beliefs. And then he says… in verse 5 of Romans 14…

5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. Romans 14:5-6

Paul is recognizing that there’s going to be diversity in our understanding of these things. But we are not to let them divide us or cause disharmony in the church. He actually goes on a few verses later saying…

14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15 And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16 Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. 17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. Romans 14:14-18

I have no problem with people who feel the need to keep the Sabbath, not eat certain foods (According to scriptures), won’t eat meat, keep the Holy days, or anything else they feel is biblical. But the problem comes when they want to force their beliefs on others, rebuke others for their choices to not do the same, and to trust in their works of doing as they do. This is where it becomes a problem. Because a large number of people who come to such conclusions about these things feel the need to correct everyone else. Then there is the simple fact that truth should always matter, no matter how big or small it is. My desire is that people just have truth. So, I will share these things for that purpose alone, in hope that some will receive it and grow through it. Those who want to disagree can do so. That’s fine. But we are talking about the power of the work of Christ in fulfilling scripture. And I think this is something worth understanding.

Chapter 8

The Early Church

In Matthew 28:1 it says, “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.”

There has been a lot of debate concerning the day and time of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I don’t want to get into all the details of that here, but just want to show the time in which Jesus rose from the dead, as it directly applies to the subject we are covering. We know that the Jewish day starts after sundown, and ends at sundown the following evening. In this scripture it states that the 2 Mary’s went to Jesus’ tomb early in the morning at dawn (Sunrise) on Sunday. The Greek word for dawn is epiphosko, which means “to let shine, to dawn, about to begin”. For those who would like to challenge whether it was actually the evening before, this shows that it is clearly speaking of the morning hour as the sun rises.

So, Sunday is already halfway through its day – going by the Jewish calendar, as the night part of the day was completed. Daylight had just begun on Sunday morning. The 2 Mary’s heard the sound of the Angel rolling away the stone which sounded like an earthquake. Guards were at the tomb on the Sabbath and nothing had happened until that Sunday morning. There is no indication at all that Jesus rose on the Sabbath (As some Sabbatarians attempt to teach). And even if He did, the fact remains that the 2 Mary’s discovered the empty tomb on Sunday morning. And this is the time and day that all of the Apostles and early Christians saw as the time of His resurrection. So it was for this reason that they decided to meet on Sundays and called it “The Lord’s Day”. Sabbatarians will again argue that Saturday (The Sabbath Day) is the Lord’s Day. Scripture does not really call either day the Lord’s Day. This is something that happened in history during the first century, but wasn’t written in the scriptures.

Many Sabbatarians will argue that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday by the Catholic Church. And although this is actually true, what they fail to realize is the long before they did that the early Church called Sunday the Lord’s Day. But they did not call it the Sabbath day! They always recognized Saturday as the Sabbath, while Sunday was the Lord’s day and the day they met. This was long before the Roman Catholic Church corrupted the true Church of Christ in the early 4th century. Before that time the Church was in full agreement on doctrine and they were not corrupted by the false teachings coming from heretical groups outside of the true Church. So the quotes I will show come from historical writings by the Early Church fathers who all completely agreed doctrinally. They say in their own writings that all of the churches everywhere were in full agreement, and this proves to be true by the contents we can see and read in their writings. So although their writings are not scripture, we should understand them to be valid historical accounts of what the early Church was dealing with. Then we should consider the fact that they were disciples of disciples of the Apostles (Some being direct disciples of the Apostles Peter and John). With all that they taught (Which was a lot!), everything proves to line up with the scriptures. And not one writer in the first 300 years of the Church every confronted them for teaching falsely. Only the heresies disagreed with them. I think we can learn a lot from the early Church. And going by the fact that they knew the Apostles or were taught by some who did know them, we should trust that they knew better than we do about what the Apostles really taught. So, looking at these quotes, these are just a few covering the Sabbath. There are multiple hundreds covering every doctrine you can think of. Consider what they have to say, as they are very clear about it. And it is important to realize that the early Church was dealing a lot with the heresies of their day and bring correction to those false teachings. So, their approach can sometimes be a little different that those of the scriptures. Whereas the Apostles did more encouragement than they did correction of false teachings.

Let’s look at these quotes and consider their thoughts:

Ignatius, Letter to Magnesians, 9. Early 100′s A.D.

“If then, those who had lived in antiquated (Old Fashioned or Outdated) 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 . . .” -

Tertullian

“We Christians “celebrate Sunday as a joyful day. On the Lord’s day we think it wrong to fast or to kneel in prayer.” It was a common opinion of the earlier Christians that all public prayers on the Lord’s day should be uttered standing, because kneeling is a more sorrowful attitude and inconsistent with the joy and blessedness of Christ’s day.”

Tertullian - “Others, again, certainly with more information and greater veri- similitude, believe that the sun is our god. We shall be counted Persians perhaps, though we do not worship the orb of day painted on a piece of linen cloth, having himself everywhere in his own disk. The idea no doubt has originated from our being known to turn to the east in prayer. But you, many of you, also under pretence sometimes of worshipping the heavenly bodies, move your lips in the direction of the sunrise. In the same way, if we devote Sun-day to rejoicing, from a far different reason than Sun-worship, we have some resemblance to those of you who devote the day of Saturn to ease and luxury, though they too go far away from Jewish ways, of which indeed they are ignorant.”

Justin Martyr – (110 – 160 AD)

“Neither celebrated the Jewish festivals, nor observed their Sabbaths, nor practiced circumcision”

“all accustomed to meet on the day which is denominated Sunday, for reading the Scriptures, prayer, exhortation and communion. The assemblies met on Sunday, because this is the first day on which God, having changed the darkness and the elements, created the world, and because Jesus our Lord on this day arose from the dead,”

Justin Martyr

“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” (First Apology 67 [A.D. 155]).

“The Lord…did not make void, but fulfilled the law, by performing the offices of the high priest…justifying His disciples by the words of the law, and pointing out that it was lawful for the priests to act freely [Mt 12:5]. For David had been appointed a priest by God, although Saul still persecuted him. For all the righteous possess the sacerdotal rank. And all the apostles of the Lord are priests.”

The implication is that, since all believers are priests, and priests are free to work on the Sabbath serving God, then Christians are free to work on the Sabbath. Regardless of the validity of Justin’s reasoning, it is evident that he did not believe that Christians had to keep the Sabbath. Just as circumcision was symbolic, he says, the Sabbath command was, too, typifying both morality and eschatology

The Didascalia

“The apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let there be service, and the reading of the holy scriptures, and the oblation [sacrifice of the Mass], because on the first day of the week [i.e., Sunday] our Lord rose from the place of the dead, and on the first day of the week he arose upon the world, and on the first day of the week he ascended up to heaven, and on the first day of the week he will appear at last with the angels of heaven” (Didascalia 2 [A.D. 225]).

Chapter 9

The Eighth Day

The Letter of Barnabas

“We keep the eighth day [Sunday] with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead” (Letter of Barnabas 15:6–8 [A.D. 74]).

I once had a fellow believer laugh at this quote, making fun of the idea of an eighth day, as if it was a silly suggestion of this writer to use such a term. But the usage of this terminology was given for good reason, and not just some made up thought he came up with on his own. It actually comes from biblical teachings concerning an eighth day that carries some very valuable importance. To start, we will want to look as a few scriptures that mention the eighth day in different situations.

“And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed”. Genesis 17:12

“Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. 37 These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 38 Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord. 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath”. Leviticus 23:36-39

“On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:” Numbers 29:35

“And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God”. Ezekiel 43:27

“Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” 1 Peter 3:20-21

The “eighth day” is the day after the seventh, which is Sunday. It has theological significance for the day of worship that is overlook by most Christians today. The eighth day in the bible teaches us about the following:

the beginning of a new world with eight souls from the ark (1 Peter 3:20, Which sometimes were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were save by water.),
circumcision of male children on the eighth day (Genesis 17:12, And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.),
the ceremonial Sabbaths in the Old Covenant ceremonial law (i.e. the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23:36-39 and Numbers 29:35) signaling a new beginning,
the Feast of First Fruits, and the Feast of Weeks [Pentecost] (being first day of the week events which are effectively eighth day events) and
the renewing of the altar in the Messianic Kingdom on the eighth day (Ezekiel 43:18-27).

All in all, the eighth day speaks of a new beginning. The Church is a new covenant, a new beginning for both Jews and Gentiles, with a new way of accomplishing the Will of God through faith in Jesus. With the New covenant in the establishment of the Church, new beginnings have begun and are celebrated on the eighth day – the day of new beginnings, and the day the Lord rose from the grave. This is why the Apostles and first Christians chose Sunday, along with the fact that the Jews held to the Sabbath under the old covenant, and they wanted to live under everything new. Plus, the Sabbath was still an opportunity for the Christians to go to the synagogue and share Jesus with the Jews.

The Apostolic Church Fathers saw this truth; so, often the Early Church writings reference Sunday as the Eighth Day.

Tertullian, when praising the Christians’ holy days above those of the heathen, writes: “for to the heathens each festive day occurs but once annually: you have a festive day every eighth day. Call out the individual solemnities of the nations, and set them out into a row, they will not be able to make up a Pentecost.” (Tertullian on Idolatry.)

The Lord’s Day is said to be every eighth day. Of course, we know there are only seven days in the week. So where is the eighth day coming from here? They are not trying to add an eighth day to the week, but are simply referring to the day of new beginnings and the day after the Sabbath, which is Sunday, When he, at the end, references Pentecost he merely referencing another Lord’s Day, which is a high one.

Cyprian writes: “For in respect of the observance of the eighth day of the Jewish circumcision of the flesh, a sacrament was given beforehand in shadow and in usage; but when Christ came, it was fulfilled in truth. For because the eighth day, that is, the first day after the Sabbath, was to be that on which the Lord should rise again, and should quicken us, and give us circumcision of the spirit, the eighth day, that is the first day after the Sabbath, and the Lord's Day, went before in the figure; which figure ceased when by and by the truth came and spiritual circumcision was given to us” — Cyprian, Letter LVIII

Cyprian confirms what others wrote about the eighth day. This is a consistent teaching of the early church, which many Christians will read and think they were somehow off track and taught something new and different from the Apostles. But their consistency proves that all of the Churches truly were in full agreement according to what the Apostles taught. And they gathered their evidence from the scriptures as well. It would be wise for us to not write off the early Church as having fallen, teaching differently, disagreeing with scripture, etc. They lived during the times of the first church and shortly after, with agreement and consistency throughout the first few centuries – until the corruption by the Romana Catholic Church. Don’t ever assume modern teachers are right, while those consistent teachers of the first centuries were wrong! This is not only unwise, but dangerous. The early Church writings are not scripture, but they can really help us to straighten out and solve so many debates if we would just allow them to.

There is a proclamation made by every believer that takes himself, or herself, to the assembly of believers each Lord’s Day. That proclamation is: “On this day I was resurrected with Christ in the New Creation, and my soul, spirit and body is redeemed in the Beloved.”

This is the true heart of the Sabbath that so many people who insist on Sabbath keeping miss. Although Saturday will always be the original and true Sabbath day, the heart of the Sabbath has carried over to The Lord’s Day, Sunday, for most believers today. You can call a day whatever you want to call it. But it is what you do on any chosen day that matters.

Circumcision on the Eighth Day

Paul identified Christian water baptism as the fulfillment of the Eighth Day Circumcision when he wrote to the church at Colossae, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:10-12). In his disputation with Faustus, Augustine explained the change of signs from circumcision to baptism (Colossians 2:11-12), and the change of the Sabbath day from the seventh to the eighth (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2), by suggesting that the “eighth day” in the Old Testament carried with it the idea of new creation and resurrection. He wrote:

“[Christ] suffered voluntarily, and so could choose His own time for suffering and for resurrection, He brought it about that His body rested from all its works on Sabbath in the tomb, and that His resurrection on the third day, which we call the Lord’s day, the day after the Sabbath, and therefore the eighth, proved the circumcision of the eighth day to be also prophetical of Him. For what does circumcision mean, but the eradication of the mortality which comes from our carnal generation? So, the apostle says: “Putting off from Himself His flesh, He made a show of principalities and powers, triumphing over them in Himself.” The flesh here said to be put off is that mortality of flesh on account of which the body is properly called flesh. The flesh is the mortality, for in the immortality of the resurrection there will be no flesh; as it is written, “Flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God”.

The theology of the Eighth Day Circumcision fulfilled in Christian water baptism is seen everywhere in Paul’s epistles. To the Galatians he writes: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:” (Galatians 2:20). In the Apostle’s understanding, at the close of the old Sabbath, when Christ was crucified, so was he; and by extrapolation, so too were all Christians who would ever believe on the Messiah. Paul’s theology went further to state that, since he died when Christ died, so, too, did he resurrect when Christ resurrected on the Eighth Day. He wrote concerning that resurrection in this manner: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). This made Paul a new creation at the very dawning of the Eighth Day: the day of the New Creation. Now since it was Paul who died on the cross with Christ, it was no longer Paul who was living, post resurrection, but Christ instead. Again, by extrapolation, so, too, all believers: “for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus…” (Ephesians 2:10). All believers, then, are urged to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24), and who is “renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” (Colossians 3:10). Now, since this has happen to all who have believed, who are believing, and who will ever believe on Christ, on the selfsame day, i.e. the Eighth Day of the New Creation, it is proper to observe the Eighth Day (Sunday) as the kernel of all things New, and the Sabbath of the New Creation.

While these truths certainly have implication for the theological shift from the bloody seal of circumcision to the un-bloody seal of baptism, and from the seventh day to the first day (eighth day) for the Sabbath, they teach us much about the fulfillment of all things in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. The storyline of the Scriptures is the story of the New Creation through the death and resurrection of Christ. By His death on the cross, Jesus brought about the New Creation.

A deeper dimension in understanding of the phrase “the circumcision of Christ” from Colossians 2:11 is in order here. It is proper to regard the statement as denoting the circumcision that Christ underwent, that is, His crucifixion, of which His literal circumcision was at best a token by way of anticipation (cf. Bruce, 234). His death was a bloody circumcision that brought about the circumcision (made without hands) in the hearts of His people. When he was cut off in bloody judgment under the wrath of God, He was providing all that was necessary for the cutting away of the guilt, corruption and power of our sin. By His resurrection, Jesus ushered in the New Creation, by both raising His people up to newness of life now as well as by securing our bodily resurrection and the New Heavens and New Earth wherein righteousness will dwell at the restitution of all things.

The “Eighth Day” is pregnant with ceremonial significance in both redemptive history and promise. As with all the types and shadows ordained by God, it was invested with theological significance to serve the redemptive historical purposes of God.

Feast of Tabernacles’ Eighth Day Sabbath

Note especially how the Lord prescribed a first and eighth day Sabbath during the Feast of Tabernacles: Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. —Leviticus 23:39.

This declaration shouts to the heavens the truth of the first and eighth days having oneness in their theological significance. That oneness being two days of creation: namely, the Old Creation (on the first day) and the New Creation (on the eighth day).

Then in Numbers 29:35 we read again of the Feast of Tabernacles: “On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein.” The Feast of Tabernacles was a reminder to the Israelites of God coming and dwelling with them in the wilderness. Israel lived in tents; so, in His redeeming mercy, God graciously came and dwelt with His people in the Tabernacle (tent) of Moses. In doing so, He became like His people. The Israelites lived in tents—so God lived in a Tent.

This was all a presaging of the Incarnation. The Apostle John tells us, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14). The purpose of the Incarnation was to restore the lost presence of God to His people. In order for this to occur, the Incarnation was necessary; but/and this should be carefully noted—reconciliation was only possible through the sin-removing, substitutionary death of Jesus. In order for God to dwell with His people their sins must be atoned and His wrath must be propitiated. This is what Christ accomplished in His death. The Incarnation (tabernacling) made this possible. Interestingly, Jesus finished this necessary work and then rested in the tomb on the Old Covenant sabbath. Then, on the First Day of the Week (i.e. the Eighth Day), He arose and His presence was forever guaranteed to believers. The restored presence of God is seen in the manifestation of the two angels, sitting one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus lay, just as the two Cherubim sat over the Ark of the Covenant where the presence of God appeared when the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on the mercy seat. As the Ark of the Covenant was the throne of God in the earth for the Old Covenant, Jesus is the throne of God in the earth for the New Covenant.

John records for us the event of Christ’s presence at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem and how He (Jesus) identified with it:

Now on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. v38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. v39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) —John 7:37-39

The Feast of Tabernacles lasted seven days, but had a holy convocation on the eighth day. This eighth day was called ‘the Great Day’ of the feast. It is of this eighth day (the Great Day) that John is telling us. During the Feast of Tabernacles (some scholars say only on the seven days of the actual feast, some scholars say only on the Great Day) the priests went in procession to the pool of Siloam. There they filled a golden pitcher with water and brought it into the temple court, ceremoniously they poured it out while chanting Isaiah 12:2-3, i.e. “With joy shall ye drew waters out of the wells of salvation.” Whether it was in the midst of this ceremonial pouring of the waters, or in lieu of it, (the intended effect is the same) Jesus (Who is the well of salvation [see John chapter 4], His very name means “Yahweh Is Salvation”) stands, arresting the attention of all, and cries: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” Thereby, showing himself to be the fulfillment (even the embodiment) of the Feast of Tabernacles. Tabernacles had had over 500 dress rehearsals; this day it had fully come!

The Living Waters (of John 7:38) are to be understood as coming from Jesus. On one hand this is a continuation of the Moses motif and Jesus being the fulfillment of the water from the rock. But on a higher level Jesus is establishing an identification with Ezekiel 41:1-12 which shows “Living Water” coming from beneath the altar of the temple and giving life to all the land. In this sense Jesus shows Himself to be the fulfillment of the very temple itself. But not only that: Jesus identifies with the River that issues forth from beneath the altar.. Ezeliel’s prophecy, here, is for the time of Messianic blessings (as is that prophet’s vision of the 8th day altar, that we will discuss just ahead). Jesus is dating that Messianic Kingdom as beginning with Himself.

In verse 39 John gives us a commentary on verse 38, “But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive … .” Here, the evangelist lets us know that the “Living Water” is the Holy Spirit that was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, AD 30. Thus, this Great Day (the 8th day) feast inaugurated the Messianic kingdom with its 8th day Sabbath.

In the resurrection of Jesus on the first day (i.e. the eighth day), the glory of God’s presence is made manifest to His people. Jesus brings about the New Creation through His Incarnation, death, resurrection and infilling of His Spirit—the ultimate incarnation. By so doing, He fulfills the Feast of Tabernacles. In the person of Jesus of Nazareth the old Sabbath of the Old Covenant was fulfilled and the new Sabbath of the Eighth Day is established. It is proper, then, to reference The First Day of the Week as the Christian Sabbath.

Moreover, the prophet Zachariah foretells of the time in the Messianic Kingdom (i.e. the Church) when the characterizing feast will be the Feast of Tabernacles. In this time the nations of the earth will be required to come to Jerusalem (i.e. the Church) and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This Feast, that represents God dwelling among His people, not only presaged the Incarnation, but also (and just as importantly) the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ, i.e. the Church. In the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles proper, all feasts of old Israel were fulfilled, in that the harvests of the year were complete—having begun at Passover. In the Eighth Day Feast (which the Bible calls The Great Day) the New Creation of the Israel of God (the Church) is presaged. Through the redemptive work of Christ the Church entered into an eternal day of rest (see Hebrews 4:1-11 cf Colossians 2:16-17 [NKJV] “substance is of Christ”), for which all that has gone before has been but a schoolmaster. So, then, the Spirit filled Body of Christ is the realized Feast of Tabernacles. This Feast introduced and established the Eighth Day Sabbath Rest. Amen!

Ezekiel’s Eschatological Temple’s Eighth Day Perpetual Offering

Significance of the eighth day in the prophecy of Ezekiel’s Eschatological Temple can be found in Ezekiel 43:27,

And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.

This is a prefiguring of the Messianic Kingdom, which, like Zachariah’s Feast of Tabernacles, speaks to the age of the Church of Jesus Christ. Here, where Ezekiel writes “that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your … offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God” we should think of the holy Eucharist on each Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7) and a definite connection between this and Malachi’s Eucharistic Prophecy:

“For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 1:11).

In Ezekiel’s reordering of the festival calendar, time itself is brought under the discipline of the new age, and he goes on to apply this to Christian worship. And although he does not explicitly speak of the Sabbath factor in Christian worship, that is surely one of the main lines along which Ezekiel’s vision takes us: to the realization that just as Jesus is our sacrifice and Prince, and just as we are a spiritual temple in Him, so He has given us a new sacred ‘time,’ a new Sabbath, a Sabbath of the eighth day (cf. 43:27), our Lord’s Day Sabbath.

Justin Martyr​​​​​​​

The Didascalia

The Letter of Barnabas

Justin Martyr