AD 321: Constantine decrees SUN-day as official Roman-Christian day of rest.
AD 364: Council of Laodicea decrees death for Christians who keep 7th day Sabbath!Click here and then find (year) 321 & 364. http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/history/cron2-640.txt
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:8-11)
This is the longest Commandment (in words count).
"For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (Matthew 12:8)
"He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read." (Luke 4:16)
"How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." (Matthew 12:12)
The LORD IESU did not say "Don't keep the Sabbath", rather what He meant is to keep the commandment, to keep the Sabbath holy, but do not follow the teachings of the Pharisees. |
The following information quoted from the website at http://www.tjc.org/beliefs/belief09.shtml (modified to simple text format & used Iesu as the name of the LORD) 'Sabbath observance is a subject vaguely known by many, but truly reckoned with by few. And you ask, "Why should I take it seriously? After all, it's just another ritual."
The Sabbath is not a ritual. It is a special day which God has hallowed and blessed at the completion of His creation. He has made the Sabbath for us so that we may rest from a week of hard work on this day and remember our Creator for His unfailing care and providence.
Why Keep the Sabbath?
Sacred Day
The Sabbath reminds us of the grandeur of God's creation; it points clearly to the Creator and to His immense providence and grace. As God Himself rested on the seventh day of Creation to set an example for us, He also wants us to be refreshed physically, mentally, and spiritually through worshipping Him and keeping this day holy.
God-given Sign
Sabbath observance is also a sign between God and His worshipers. It is an identity that every citizen of God's holy nation carries. By keeping this day holy, we acknowledge that God is our Lord, who sanctifies us and strengthens us against the temptations of this world.
Hope of Eternal Rest
All the more, the Sabbath is a day to remember the salvation of God. It is a constant reminder that Iesu died on the cross to redeem us from the bondage of sin and to give true rest to our souls. In the same way, the Sabbath urges us to look forward to the blessing of the eternal rest in the Heavenly Kingdom. It is the constant renewal of this hope that guides God-fearing people on the path to everlasting life.
Only for the Jews?
Many professing Christians have been taught that believers today no longer need to keep the Sabbath day since it was meant only for the Israelites of the Old Testament. But the Bible makes it clear that Sabbath observance is a commandment to every God-worshiper.
Divine Command
God decreed Sabbath observance in the Ten Commandments, which outline God's basic requirements for all human beings. So to keep the Sabbath is in fact a moral obligation to our Creator regardless of our ethnic background.
Transcends Race
God made the Sabbath day at the end of the Creation week, long before the Israelite nation existed. He set this day aside as a blessed day of rest. Every seventh day of the week, therefore, is to be honored by peoples of all races and nationalities. The Lord Iesu, being the Creator and Lord of the Sabbath, declared that "the Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27). "Man," of course, extends to all humanity and is not confined just to the Jewish nation.
Transcends Mosaic Law
The origin of the Sabbath precedes the institution of the Mosaic laws. As such, although Christ has freed us from the strict Sabbatic regulations under the Mosaic laws, the Sabbath day still remains; and Christians still need to keep the Sabbath as a sacred day of rest.
Which Day Is Sabbath?
Seventh Day
The Biblical Sabbath is on the seventh day of the week, or Saturday. This fact was made clear at the time of Creation. God rested on the seventh day of the Creation week; the Israelites kept the seventh-day Sabbath; the Lord Iesu kept the Sabbath, as was his custom; the apostles and members of the Church in the New Testament observed the seventh day as the Sabbath day. Today, God wants all believers to honor this day as well.
Lord's Day
God specifically set the seventh day apart from all other days of the week and blessed this day. The Scriptures also remind us to keep this day holy unto the Lord. Since the Sabbath day is the Lord's appointed day, not a day of our own choice, we must observe this day to the Lord just as He commanded.
Observing the Sabbath
Honor It
The Sabbath is a day of rest. We are to rest from worldly tasks and cares and dedicate this day solely to God. The Bible tells us to "call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and honor it by not going [our] own way and not doing as [we] please or speaking idle words, then [we] will find [our] joy in the Lord" (Isaiah 58:13-14).
Dedicate It to God
Worship service, prayer, Bible study, and fellowship are all spiritually edifying activities that help us focus our minds on the things of God. Through praises and offerings, we express our sincere gratitude to God for His salvation and daily provisions.
Do the Lord's Work
The New Testament also gives us vivid scenes of Iesu preaching the Gospel, caring for the sick and doing good deeds on the Sabbath. We should imitate our Lord and devote this day to performing good deeds.
Origin of Sunday Worship
Ample evidence from history shows that the celebration of Sunday originated from pagan practices of sun worship. In March of 321 A.D., the Roman Emperor Constantine, who was at first a sun-worshiper and later a Christian convert, issued the first decree declaring Sunday to be a legal day of rest. In 336 A.D., the Roman Catholic Church officially changed the observance of Sabbath to Sunday for political and economic expediency. Since then, the original Sabbath gradually gave way to Sunday observance and the practice remains to this day. The Biblical Sabbath, however, is and has always been on the seventh day of the week, or Saturday. Despite the prevalence of Sunday worship in Christendom, we must look to the Bible as our authority and keep the seventh-day Sabbath ordained by God.' Click here to see the text in original format. http://www.tjc.org/beliefs/belief09.shtml More details about Sabbath. http://www.tjc.org/qna/sabbath.shtml Rabbi Samuel b. Meir (1100-1160) remarked:
"It does not say that it was night time and it was day time which made one day; but it says 'it was evening,' which means that the period of the day time came to an end and the light disappeared. And when it says 'it was morning,' it means that the period of the night time came to an end and the morning dawned. Then one whole day was completed."
Sabbath is reckoned from Saturday morning to Sunday morning! Click here for details.
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