Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:08 pm
by R7-12
There appears to be fear, apprehension, resistance or ignorance preventing all from providing answers to something that God's people are expected to know.
The following is not comprehensive but suffices to answer the question at hand. Each passage provides at least some indication of the knowledge of the correct day of the week for worship and rest from work/trade - the seventh day Sabbath of God. Some may require more careful consideration than others to notice the relevance and choice for inclusion here.
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made (Gen. 2:1-3, NKJV).
Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.' ” 24So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26“Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.” (Ex. 16:23-25, NKJV).
So the people rested on the seventh day (Ex. 16:30, NKJV).
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Ex. 20:8-11, NKJV).
Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed (Ex. 23:12, NKJV).
The seventh day of the week (and all the Sabbaths) are holy periods of time for God's people and a sign providing the means for identifying who God's people are and for knowing who the God is that sanctifies them.
'You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 'Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16'Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17'It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.' ” 18And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God (Ex. 31:14-18, NKJV).
Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest (Ex. 34:21, NKJV).
Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death (Ex. 35:2, NKJV).
Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings (Lev. 23:3, NKJV).
Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day (Deut. 5:12-15, NKJV).
Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.” 23So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.” (2 Kings 4:22-23, NKJV).
“You came down also on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven, And gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments. 14You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws, By the hand of Moses Your servant (Neh. 9:13-14, NKJV).
if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year's produce and the exacting of every debt (Neh. 10:30, NKJV).
In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. 16Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? 18“Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.” (Neh. 13:15-18, NKJV).
So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21Then I warned them, and said to them, “Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. 22And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy! (Neh. 13:19-22, NKJV).
Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” (Isaiah 56:2, NKJV).
Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants—Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant (Isaiah 56:6, NKJV).
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, (Isaiah 58:13, NKJV).
'Thus says the LORD: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22“nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. 23“But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction. 24“And it shall be, if you heed Me carefully,” says the LORD, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, 25“then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever (Jer. 17:21-25, NKJV).
“But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.” ' ” (Jer. 17:27, NKJV).
Thus says the Lord GOD: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened (Ex. 46:1, NKJV).
Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, And make the poor of the land fail, 5Saying: “When will the New Moon be past, That we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, That we may trade wheat? Making the ephah small and the shekel large, Falsifying the scales by deceit, (Amos 8:4-5, NKJV).
“For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Matt. 12:8, NKJV).
“Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” (Matt. 12:12, NKJV).
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 (Matt. 28:1, NKJV).
And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue (Mark 6:2a, NKJV).
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen (Mark. 16:1-2, NKJV).
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read (Luke. 4:16, NKJV).
But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16“So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:14-16, NKJV).
That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. 55And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment (Luke 23:54-56, NKJV).
So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. 43Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. 44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God (Acts 13:42-44, NKJV).
And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there (Acts 16:13, NKJV).
And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks (Acts 18:4, NKJV).
If the church at Colosae (mostly Gentiles) were no longer required to keep the law (it was fulfilled or made obsolete), then they would not have to be reminded about how they are to keep them and to not allow anyone outside the church to judge them in how they observe them.
Don't let any individual judge you in eating and drinking (feasting) at a festival, New Moon or any of the Sabbaths (which are a shadow of what is to be), but the body of Christ. In other words, the rightful authority concerning correct judgment over matters such as the Feasts, New Moons or Sabbaths is the body of Christ — the Church.
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance (body) is of Christ (Col. 2:16-17, NKJV).
Thus the church at Colosae knew when the Biblical Sabbath occurred and all the Festivals and New Moons and Holy Days according to the Biblical Calendar of God from the temple period.
For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” 6Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” 8For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Heb. 4:4-13, NKJV).
Do you think God repeated Himself for emphasis?
“For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. 23And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD. 24“And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Isaiah 66:22-24, NKJV).
Note: “And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me” says the LORD.
That is an injunction and a command and a law that will be fully and completely enforced by Christ and the elect under direction from God.. There is no wiggle room or exception and that fact tends to anger the rebellious and lawless who can't stand anyone telling them what they have to do — even (or perhaps especially) if it's from God.
The Sabbath command is on the same footing, and is equal in importance to any of the laws of God in the commandments. If you have broken one you have broken them all.
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:19, NKJV).
Again, God reminds His people that the Sabbaths (plural) are a sign between Him and His people who He sanctifies or sets apart for holy purpose.
'I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20'hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.' (Eze. 20:19-20).
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:8-13, NKJV).
The Sabbath was created, blessed and sanctified by God on the seventh day at creation, given and taught before the law was ratified under Moses in Israel, observed by all God's loyal servants, the prophets, kept holy by Christ and observed by all the apostles and NT church, will be enforced by Christ in the millennium, and is kept now by God's called-out-ones who strive to keep the covenant. The correct day was never changed, lost, annulled, made void, or done away with and is still a vital part of prophecy, correct worship, and plan of the One True Elohim - Almighty God.
R7-12
