The Fourth Commandment
Just about everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments. And not only have most folks heard of the Ten Commandments, Christianity acknowledges the Ten Commandments. Although Christianity acknowledges the Ten Commandments, it doesn’t correctly teach Yahweh’s Fourth Commandment. And because it doesn’t teach correctly Yahweh’s Fourth commandment, Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath is not observed by most Christian denominations.
For this article we will focus on the Fourth Commandment, Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath. We will look at Scriptures to see how Yahweh’s Word tells us to keep His Seventh-Day Sabbath.
Let us begin our understanding of the Seventh-Day Sabbath by looking at Yahweh’s covenant Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, specifically the Fourth Commandment.
Exodus 20: 1 And Elohim spake all these words, saying……
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of Yahweh thy Elohim: 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: 11 For in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed (quadash–6942) it.
Deuteronomy 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it (quadash–6942), as Yahweh thy Elohim hath commanded thee. 13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of Yahweh thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. 15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh thy Elohim brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore Yahweh thy Elohim commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
Exodus 34:21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
28 And he (i.e. Moses) was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Reading these verses about Yahweh’s Fourth Commandment, we can glean some basic information. First of all, we need to keep this particular day holy and not do any work. This holy day is based on a seven day cycle; six work days, followed by a Sabbath or seventh day of rest, which was instituted at creation (Genesis 2:1-2). In fact the Hebrew word “Sabbath” means “rest”.
We also see that Elohim (i.e. Hebrew for Mighty Ones) sanctified or hallowed the Sabbath day. The Hebrew word “quadash” translated sanctified or hallowed can also be translated, as we see below, “to consecrate”, “dedicate”, “be holy”, “be separate”, “to be set apart”, “to be honored”, and “to treat as sacred”.
6942 qadash {kaw-dash’} • a primitive root; TWOT – 1990; v • AV – sanctify 108, hallow 25, dedicate 10, holy 7, prepare 7, consecrate 5, appointed 1, bid 1, purified 1, misc 7; 172 • 1) to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be set apart, be consecrated 1a2) to be hallowed 1a3) consecrated, tabooed 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to show oneself sacred or majestic 1b2) to be honoured, be treated as sacred 1b3) to be holy 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to set apart as sacred, consecrate, dedicate 1c2) to observe as holy, keep sacred 1c3) to honour as sacred, hallow 1c4) to consecrate 1d) (Pual) 1d1) to be consecrated 1d2) consecrated, dedicated 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to set apart, devote, consecrate 1e2) to regard or treat as sacred or hallow 1e3) to consecrate 1f) (Hithpael) 1f1) to keep oneself apart or separate 1f2) to cause Himself to be hallowed (of Yahweh) 1f3) to be observed as holy 1f4) to consecrate oneself
We see in Exodus 20:11 a reference made to the creation of the heavens and earth. Let us go back to Genesis to review the connection between the Sabbath and the creation of heaven and earth.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day Elohim ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified (quadash–6942) it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which Elohim created and made.
As we see in Genesis, the One who created the heavens and earth sanctified or hallowed the Seventh Day. Who was the Creator of the heavens and earth? It is clear in Scriptures that the Creator of the heavens and earth was Messiah. Therefore it is Messiah who said that He sanctified or hallowed the Seventh Day!
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yahweh, and the Word was Elohim. 2 The same was in the beginning with Yahweh. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in Elohim, who created all things by YahwehShua Messiah:
Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible Yahweh, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Hebrews 1:1 Yahweh, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
One of the great reasons Messiah linked the Seventh-Day Sabbath to creation is to remind us of His great works, that we are created beings, and that we need to worship the Creator. And if Messiah sanctified the Seventh-Day Sabbath from the inception of the world, it makes sense that Adam and Eve and all the patriarchs before Moses kept the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
Based on the Scriptures we just read, Messiah sanctified or hallowed the Seventh-Day after He created the Heavens and Earth. And not only this, but Messiah again sanctified or hallowed the Seventh-Day Sabbath when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments!
Did you know that the Yahweh who spoke and was seen in the Old Testament was Messiah? How do we know Messiah was the Yahweh that spoke and was seen in the Old Testament? Because we have Scriptures which indicate that no one other than Messiah has seen or heard the Father and we have many Old Testament Scriptures describing Moses, the Prophets, and the Israelites hearing and seeing glimpses of Yahweh. Therefore the One who spoke to Moses and gave Him the covenant Ten Commandments was Messiah!
John 1:18 No man hath seen Yahweh at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
John 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of Yahweh, he hath seen the Father.
There are 165 places in the Old Testament where “Dabar-Yahweh” is found. The Hebrew word “dabar” means “word ” or “speaking”. Therefore “Dabar-Yahweh” means the “Word of Yahweh”. And if no one has ever heard the Father, the “Word of Yahweh” could also be interpreted as the “Spokesman of Yahweh”. Over and over in the Scriptures, we see the “Dabar-Yahweh” or “Yahweh” talking and sometimes being seen by Abraham, Moses, the children of Israel, Samuel, Solomon, and Elijah.
Genesis 15:1 After these things the Dabar-Yahweh came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty Elohim; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Exodus 6:10 And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying,
Exodus 24:16 And the glory of Yahweh abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 And the sight of the glory of Yahweh was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
1 Samuel 15:10 Then came the Dabar-Yahweh unto Samuel, saying,
1 Kings 6:11 And the Dabar-Yahweh came to Solomon, saying,
1 Kings 21:17 And the Dabar Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
Are there any clues in the New Testament on who is the “Word of Yahweh”?
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yahweh, and the Word was Elohim.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of Yahweh.
It seems very clear that the Yahweh who spoke and was seen in the Old Testament was Messiah. 1 Corinthians nails this on the head.
1 Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Messiah.
Exodus 14:24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch Yahweh looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
Deuteronomy 32:3 Because I will publish the name of Yahweh: ascribe ye greatness unto our Elohim 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a Elohim of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
Psalm 95:1 O come, let us sing unto Yahweh: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Therefore the Yahweh who spoke and was seen in the Old Testament was Messiah. Messiah was the One who gave Moses the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, including the Fourth Commandment in Exodus 20:11. And as we review Exodus 20:8, it was Messiah again who sanctified or hallowed the Seventh-Day Sabbath!
Exodus 20:1 And Elohim spake all these words, saying……
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy….wherefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed (quadash–6942) it.
And not only was Messiah the Elohim who spoke to Moses the Ten Commandments, Messiah was also the Yahweh Elohim who spoke to Moses concerning His Feast Days. Feast Days is from the Hebrew word “moed” meaning “appointed times”. And as the following verses in Leviticus state, these are Messiah’s appointed times, including the Seventh-Day Sabbath!
Leviticus 23:1 And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts (moed-4150) of Yahweh, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts (moed-4150). 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings.
Yahweh says His Seventh-Day Sabbath is a divine appointment (“moed”) that He commands His people to keep. Notice that Yahweh is the One who sets the appointment, not us. He is the One who determines the time of His divine appointment, including His Seventh-Day Sabbath. If we make arrangements to meet with someone next Wednesday but show up on Thursday, would you think we had kept the appointment? Of course not! So why should we think Yahweh would find it acceptable if we decide to observe a day different from the one He commands? The Sabbath is Yahweh’s day, not ours. It is a time He wants to meet with us for prayer, bible study, meditation, and rest and is a day for a Holy convocation with the brethren. Remember where two or more are gathered, Messiah is in their midst (Matthew 18:20).
The revelation that Messiah is the Creator who sanctified or hallowed the Seventh Day, the one who spoke to Moses the covenant Ten Commandments, including the Fourth Commandment on keeping the Sabbath holy, the one who spoke to Moses about His appointed times (“moed”) including the Seventh-Day Sabbath is amazing!
But you may say this is all Old Testament Scriptures. So let us look at the New Testament to see what is said about Messiah and the Sabbath. What we find in the New Testament is that Messiah is still Sovereign of the Sabbath! This makes sense, because Messiah is the One who set apart and instituted the Seventh-Day Sabbath since the foundation of the world.
Matthew 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Sovereign even of the sabbath day.
Luke 6:5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Sovereign also of the sabbath.
And not only is Messiah Sovereign over the Sabbath, He made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath. Read it slowly. The Sabbath was made for man, not for Israelites/Jews like most people believe, but for all of mankind!
Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Sovereign also of the sabbath.
Yahweh Messiah also tells us in Exodus 31 that His Sabbath is a perpetual covenant and sign between Him and His people and that His Sabbath was instituted so believers would understand that it is He who sanctifies and they are set-apart by Yahweh.
Exodus 31:12 And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am Yahweh that doth sanctify you. 14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. 18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of Elohim.
The American Heritage Dictionary definition of perpetual is lasting for eternity, instituted to be in effect for an unlimited duration, and continuing without interruption.
Ezekiel 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh that sanctify them.
19 I am Yahweh your Elohim; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; 20 And hallow (quadash–6942) my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am Yahweh your Elohim.
Some will say that the Sabbath is a sign between Yahweh and the children of Israel and not for us today. And that they are not blood-line Jews or Israelites, so Yahweh’s Sabbath doesn’t apply to them. But who are the children of Israel?
Paul clearly writes that if we keep the righteousness of the law inwardly, we are also a Jew inwardly.
Romans 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of Yahweh.
In fact the question becomes “Who is a Jew or in a broader sense, an Israelite?” In the Old Testament it was not only those born from the seed of an Israelite but included those who kept Yahweh’s commandments.
Exodus 12:47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Numbers 9:14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto Yahweh; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.
Isaiah 56:1 Thus saith Yahweh, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. 3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to Yahweh, speak, saying, Yahweh hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4 For thus saith Yahweh unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; 5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to Yahweh, to serve him, and to love the name of Yahweh, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Did you know that of the twelve tribes of Israel, two were not full blood-line Israelite? Both the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were the descendants of Joseph and his Egyptian-priestess wife Asenath.
Genesis 41:45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For Elohim, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house. 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For Elohim hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
Yahweh’s people have always been those who obey Him. Prior to Jacob, there was no Jew or Israelite. Selah (i.e. think about it). Although we might not be physically “Jews” or “Israelites”, we are “spiritually” “Jews” or “Israelites”.
Galatians 6:15 For in Messiah YahwehShua neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of Yahweh.
Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that Yahweh is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
We have already seen in Paul’s letter to the Romans that we are Jewish inwardly if we obey Yahweh. Paul goes on to write in Romans that the children of promise (i.e. believers who obey Yahweh) are Israel and that gentile believers who obey Yahweh have been grafted into the Olive tree (i.e. Israel).
Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of Yahweh hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of Yahweh: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree. 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
The Olive tree represents Israel in the Scriptures. The wild Olive tree represents Gentiles. In Romans 11:17, the Apostle Paul clearly states that the Gentiles are grafted into the root and fatness of the Olive tree (i.e. Israel).
And it makes sense that when the Apostle Paul and the Prophet Isaiah state that all of Israel shall be saved, they are talking about “spiritual” Israel. The definition of the Hebrew word “Israel” (#3478) is “Yahweh prevails” or “He will rule as Yahweh” (Strong’s Concordance). The meaning of the word “Israel” is about Yahweh and His people, not blood-line Israel!
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away unrighteousness from Jacob:
Isaiah 45:17 But Israel shall be saved in Yahweh with an everlasting salvation:
Therefore all believers in this age have become part of “spiritual” Israel.
This is getting exciting. Messiah created the heavens and earth and sanctified the seventh day. He created the Sabbath since the beginning of the world to give man a day of rest, to remind us of His great works, to know that we are created beings, to understand that we need to worship the Creator, and to know He has set us apart from the world. Yahweh Messiah spoke to Moses the Fourth Commandment and again sanctified or hallowed the Seventh-Day Sabbath. He again spoke to Moses and stated that the Sabbath was one of His appointed times. Yahweh Messiah continued to speak to Moses and stated that His Sabbath was a sign between Him and His people and was a day for believers to remember it is He who sanctifies them. And lastly we see Messiah proclaiming in the New Testament that He is Sovereign over the Sabbath and that the Sabbath was made for all mankind, not just people who follow Judaism.
So if Messiah sanctified or hallowed the Seventh Day, told Moses that the Sabbath was one of the covenant Ten Commandments, told Moses that it was one of His appointed times, told Moses the Sabbath was a sign between Him and His people, and lastly that He was Sovereign over the Sabbath, did Yah’shua (Messiah’s name while a man on this earth) keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath? It is clear that our Jewish Rabbi, Yah’shua, from the tribe of Judah, observed Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath! And as it states in Luke, keeping the Sabbath was His custom.
Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he (i.e. Yah’shua) entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Mark 6:2 And when the sabbath day was come, he (i.e. Yah’shua) began to teach in the synagogue:
Luke 4:16 And he (i.e. Yah’shua) 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 for to read.
Luke 4:31 And came down to Capernaum (i.e. Yah’shua), a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
Luke 6:6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he (i.e. Yah’shua) entered into the synagogue and taught:
Luke 13:10 And he (i.e. Yah’shua) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
The apostle John tells us in 1 John: “He that saith he (i.e. Messiah) abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he (i.e. Messiah) walked” 1 John 2:6. If Messiah kept the Seventh-Day Sabbath while He was a man on this earth, why shouldn’t we do the same?
Not only did Messiah keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath, Paul and the other Apostles kept the Seventh-Day Sabbath after Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection. And Paul should know whether or not to keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath, since he was taught directly by Messiah (Galatians 1:11-12) and told believers to “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Messiah” and “keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:1-2).
Acts 13:13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. 14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
Acts 17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
It is amazing that some 20-30 years after Messiah’s resurrection, Paul’s custom was still to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath to discuss the Scriptures and teach about Yahweh Messiah!
And not only were the Jewish believers in Messiah keeping the Seventh-Day Sabbath 20-30 years after Messiah’s resurrection, we see clearly that non-Jewish believers (i.e. Gentiles or Greeks) were also keeping the Seventh-Day Sabbath. An interesting note about the book of Acts, which is about the early body of believers, is that we don’t see Paul or any other apostle telling believers that the Sabbath was obsolete, unnecessary, or changed to Sunday.
Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. 43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of Yahweh. 44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of Yahweh.
Acts 14:1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they (i.e. Paul and Barnabas) went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
Acts 18:4 And he (i.e. Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
And not only were Yah’shua, the Apostles, Jewish believers, and Gentile believers keeping the Seventh-Day Sabbath, we see prophetically, the Seventh-Day Sabbath being kept during the great tribulation right before Messiah’s Second Coming and during the 1,000-year reign of Messiah on this earth.
Matthew 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Ezekiel 46:1 Thus saith the Sovereign Elohim; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. 3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before Yahweh in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
Isaiah 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Yahweh.
If the Sabbath, or any part of Yahweh’s law, were abolished or changed in the early New Testament Assembly, there should be CLEAR evidence of such an alteration in New Testament writings. After all, the books of the New Testament were written in the first century over a period of decades ending in the 90’s, more than 60 years after Messiah’s death, burial and resurrection.
Many Christians will say that they don’t follow anything in the Old Testament because the New Testament covenant did away with the Old Testament. But did you know that Messiah and the Apostles used the Old Testament to preach the Good News? The only Scriptures extant to them were the Old Testament.
John 5:39 Search the scriptures (i.e. Old Testament); for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (i.e. Messiah).
Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he (i.e. Messiah) expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (i.e. Messiah).
Luke 24:44 And he (i.e. Messiah) said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
And Paul clearly states that he believed all things that were written in the law and prophets in the Old Testament.
Acts 24:14 But this I (i.e. Paul) confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the Elohim of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
And Paul told Timothy that the Old Testament can make all wise unto salvation and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures (i.e. Old Testament), which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in YahwehShua Messiah. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of Yahweh, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of Yahweh may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
And not only did Paul believe all things written by the prophets in the Old Testament, Peter wrote in his second epistle: “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets” 2 Peter 3:2.
Many Christians use Colossians 2:16-17 as proof that we no longer need to keep the Sabbath.
Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Messiah.
The first part of this verse states that no man should judge you. To make the assumption that this can only mean that someone is judging you for not keeping the Sabbath is ludicrous. In fact, most people judge you for doing something and in this case, it would be keeping the Sabbath. Saying let no one judge you is quite different from saying this practice (i.e. Sabbath) is no longer necessary or obsolete. Especially in light of all the Scriptures covered, which show that:
- Messiah sanctified or hallowed the Seventh Day after He created the Heavens and Earth.
- Messiah told Moses the Sabbath was part of the covenant Ten Commandments.
- Messiah told Moses it was one of His appointed times.
- Messiah told Moses that the Sabbath was a sign between Him and His people.
- Messiah proclaimed in the evangels that He was Sovereign over the Sabbath.
- And lastly He proclaimed that the Sabbath was made for all mankind!
Plus we have the Evangels and the book of Acts showing that Yah’shua, the apostles, and the early believers, including Gentile believers, kept the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
Also, if we read the rest of Colossians 2:17 carefully it talks about the Sabbath day as a shadows of things to come, not a shadow of things that have already come! Paul’s choice of wording makes it clear that the Sabbath is a shadow of things still to come and not a shadow of things that have already come, thereby somehow fulfilling or making obsolete Yahweh’s Sabbath. As we have seen in the Scriptures, the Sabbath is a day of rest and is still a shadow or symbol of the great coming of Messiah’s reign on this earth, where there will be peace, rest, freedom, and healing.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of Yahweh;
Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the evangel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And Yahweh did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Yah’shua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest (4520) to the people of Yahweh. 10 For he that is entered into his rest (2663), he also hath ceased from his own works, as Yahweh did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest (2663), lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
4520 sabbatismos {sab-bat-is-mos’} • from a derivative of 4521; TDNT – 7:34,989; n m • AV – rest 1; 1 • 1) a keeping sabbath 2) the blessed rest from toils and troubles looked for in the age to come by the true worshippers of Yahweh and true Christians
2663 katapausis {kat-ap’-ow-sis} • from 2664; TDNT – 3:628,419; n f • AV – rest 9; 9 • 1) a putting to rest 1a) calming of the winds 2) a resting place
If you read carefully in verse nine of Hebrews by looking up the word translated “rest”, we find this word “rest” should have been translated “Sabbath”. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews is telling us that “There remaineth therefore a Sabbath to the people of Yahweh”. Yes, the Sabbath was not done away with the death, burial, and resurrection of Messiah as many believe. It is meant for us today and in the future.
Again, many Christians assume that certain shadows or symbols that are manifested in symbolic acts have been “fulfilled in Messiah” and are therefore obsolete and unnecessary. These people include the Sabbath.
But this reasoning is flawed. Just because something is a shadow or symbol doesn’t mean its importance is diminished based on the death, burial, and resurrection of Messiah. The Old and New Testament alike are filled with shadows, symbols and symbolic actions commanded by Yahweh to teach us important spiritual lessons.
Baptism is a symbolic act representing a greater spiritual truth, the burial of the old self and living a new life (Romans 6:3-4), yet we are commanded to be baptized (Acts 2:38). The bread and the wine of Passover are symbols of the vital spiritual relationship we have with YahwehShua, yet we are clearly commanded to partake of them (1 Corinthians 10:16).
Laying on of hands (Hebrews 6:20), anointing with oil (James 5:14), foot-washing (John 13:14), partaking of unleavened bread (1 Corinthians 5:6-8), and other physical actions are commanded to be observed in the New Testament, not because they are greater than the things they symbolize, but to strengthen and enhance our spiritual understanding as we do them. Yahweh gave us physical acts and symbols to help us better understand spiritual lessons.
Getting back to Colossians 2:16-17, many Christians will say that we no longer need to keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath based on the last part of the verse, “but the body is of Messiah. They are correct that without Yah’shua’s death, burial, and resurrection a saint could not receive salvation. But they are incorrect in their understanding of this passage.
If you look closely at Colossians 2:17, you will notice at the end of this passage the word “is” is added by the translators. If this added word is removed, we get a clear understanding of this passage which should read; “Let no man (i.e. person) therefore judge you…….but the body of Messiah”. Therefore the judge should be the body or assembly of Messiah. The addition of the word “is” has really distorted this passage with many believing that this passage states Messiah’s sacrifice abolished Yahweh’s Sabbath Day.
Yah’shua’s death, burial, and resurrection did not fulfill the law by making the law obsolete. Yah’shua death, burial, and resurrection confirmed the law and removed the penalty of breaking the law. Yes, there were some changes made to the law based on Yah’shua’s death, burial, and resurrection. These changes mainly had to do with the Levitical Priesthood and sacrificial system. And the interesting thing about these changes to the law is that they are CLEARLY commanded in the Scriptures: “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law” (Hebrews 7:12).
Most of the law, including Yahweh’s Sabbath, did not change. If Messiah intended to change, abolish, or annul the Sabbath, that intent should be apparent in the Evangel writers’ historical records of His life and in the book of Acts, which is the history of the early body of believers.
The apostle Paul tells us that the law is “spiritual”, “holy”, “just”, “good” and Messiah in the book of Matthew tells us that the law is necessary until the new Heavens and Earth. So why on earth would anyone believe that Yahweh’s law, including His Seventh-Day Sabbath has been abolished?
Romans 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? Yahweh forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Romans 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before Yahweh, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The last verse bears repeating. We know that the Scribes and Pharisees kept the law including the weekly Sabbath and so we must not only keep the righteousness they kept, including the Seventh-Day Sabbath, but our righteousness must exceed theirs in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Yahweh forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Paul in Romans 3:31 is clearly telling us that faith does not abolish the law, but establishes or upholds the law!
Did you know that the New Covenant did not abolish the Old Covenant but modified it by putting Yahweh’s law in our hearts and minds?
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith Yahweh: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith Yahweh, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people.
Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he (Messiah) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith Yahweh, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith Yahweh. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Yahweh; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a Elohim, and they shall be to me a people:
Hebrew 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of Yahweh; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15 Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith Yahweh, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of Yahweh after the inward man:
In fact, Yahweh’s law under the new covenant has not only been put into our hearts and minds, it has been magnified!!!
Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Isaiah 42:21 Yahweh is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Another reason the law has not been abolished by the New Covenant is based on the New Testament definition of sin. Over and over we see the definition of sin being the transgression of the Law! Messiah and the Scriptures make one thing perfectly clear: Proper obedience to the law of Yahweh is not legalism but part of the New Covenant!
1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Yahweh forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
And not only does the New Covenant put the law in believers’ hearts and minds, it also tells believers’ to keep the covenant Ten Commandments including Yahweh’s Fourth Commandment. The New Testament states over and over that if we love Yahweh, we keep His commandments!
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of Yahweh, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
2 John 1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth Yahweh thy Elohim require of thee, but to fear Yahweh thy Elohim, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Yahweh thy Elohim with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of Yahweh, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of Yahweh perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
John 14:23 Yah’shua answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of Yahweh.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear Elohim, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
The book of Revelation, divinely inspired by YahwehShua (Revelation 1:1), upholds keeping the Almighty’s commandments!
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of Yahweh, and have the testimony of YahwehShua Messiah.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahweh, and the faith of YahwehShua.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Another Scripture used by Christians to show that we not longer need to keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath is in Romans.
Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto Yahweh; and he that regardeth not the day, to Yahweh he doth not regard it.
From this statement, it could appear to some that Paul is saying that whatever day of the week one chooses to rest and worship is irrelevant so long as one is “fully persuaded in his own mind” and “regarded it unto Yahweh”. Does this mean that the Sabbath is no different from any other day or that we are free to choose whatever day we wish to observe?
To come to that conclusion, one must read into the verse, because the Sabbath is nowhere mentioned here. In fact, the word Sabbath or references to Sabbath-keeping are not found anywhere in this epistle. The reference here is simply to “days”, not the Sabbath or any other days of rest and worship commanded by Yahweh. It is not logical to conclude that Paul was talking about Yahweh’s appointed time, including the Seventh-Day Sabbath, since the Sabbath was never mentioned.
Keep in mind that Paul, earlier in the same epistle, had said: “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good”, “For we know that the law is spiritual”, “For not the hearers of the law are just before Yahweh, but the doers of the law shall be justified”, “For I delight in the law of Yahweh after the inward man”, and “Do we then make void the law through faith? Yahweh forbid: yea, we establish the law”.
If Paul was saying that the Sabbath observance is irrelevant, such an assertion would be completely inconsistent with his other clear statements in the same letter. Paul upheld the law as we see in the book of Acts.
Acts 24:14 But this I (i.e. Paul) confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the Elohim of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Acts 25:8 While he (i.e. Paul) answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.
So we have clearly shown that Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath is a day to be kept by believers. But how should we keep the Seventh Day?
(1) As we have already read in Scriptures, it is a day of rest that needs to be set apart from our normal six days of work. We should not do any work. And not doing any work includes not cooking on the Sabbath. It is interesting to note that Yahweh makes a distinction between the Seventh-Day Sabbath and the Day of Atonement on one hand and Yahweh’s other feast days on the other hand.
Looking carefully at Yahweh’s wording we see that “no work” of any kind is commanded on the Seventh-Day Sabbath and the Day of Atonement while “no customary or servile work” is commanded on the other feast days. We proposed that there is a good reason why Yahweh has made this distinction. Cooking clearly constitutes work to Yahweh. For more information on this topic, please read the “Food Preparation on the Sabbath”.
(2) It is a day to have a Holy Convocation with other believers. It is a day we should dedicate to Yahweh through prayer, study, and meditation.
(3) It also a day of no buying, selling or commerce of any kind. Even if those that you are buying from are not believers, we should not encourage anyone to do work on that day.
Nehemiah 10:28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of Elohim, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; 29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in Elohim’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of Elohim, and to observe and do all the commandments of Yahweh our Sovereign, and his judgments and his statutes; 30 And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons: 31 And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day
Nehemiah 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
Amos 8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
(4) The Sabbath is a not a day of dos and don’ts. As we read the following Scriptures, we see the religious establishment at the time of Messiah had bogged down the Seventh-Day Sabbath with so many regulations, that Messiah condemned them. Therefore believers do not need to get bogged down with many dos and don’ts. In fact if there is any doubt about proper conduct on the Sabbath, a believer should ask the Holy Spirit for direction on keeping the Sabbath Holy.
We need to focus on what Messiah told us to do on the Sabbath. It is a day of rest. It is not a day to do work. It is a day that is set-apart. It is a day to commune with the Almighty through prayer, study and meditation. It is a day to have a Holy Convocation with the brethren. It is a day to do good as we shall read. In fact, Messiah’s clear focus was not on the dos and don’ts but on doing good. Messiah proclaimed “Therefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath”.
Matthew 12:1 At that time Yah’shua went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of Yahweh, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. (Also see Mark 2:23-3:4 and Luke 6:1-9).
Luke 13:10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Yah’shua saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified Yahweh. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Yah’shua had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Sovereign then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
John 5:7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Yah’shua saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Yah’shua had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Yah’shua findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Yah’shua, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Yah’shua, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But Yah’shua answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that Elohim was his Father, making himself equal with Yahweh.
(5) The Seventh-Day Sabbath is kept from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. Yahweh’s days are determined by the sun and start at sunset.
Genesis 1:14 And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Jeremiah 31:35 Thus saith Yahweh, which giveth the sun for a light by day,
It is clear from the Scriptures above that the sun determines a day. We also find the day starting at sunset in Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31, where the Scriptures read “the evening and the morning” were the first day, the second day, etc. Lastly, we see in Leviticus 23:32 and Exodus 12:18 Yahweh’s feast days going from evening to evening.
I will not go into great detail, but there is a lot of historical evidence that Yahweh’s Sabbath is Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset. The seven-day calendar we keep today has been in existence since Messiah’s time. And we know it was Messiah’s custom to keep the Sabbath (Luke 4:16). We find this evidence from the Catholic Church and from various historical writers from before and after Messiah’s death, burial and resurrection. The Roman day Saturn Day (i.e. Saturday) was linked to Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath by many writers before and after Messiah came down to this earth as a man.
Although many Christians’ primary day of rest is Sunday, this is not Scriptural. In fact you can read the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday, the first day of the week! Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath always goes from evening to evening and based on the calendar that has been in existence since Messiah’s first coming, the Sabbath starts Friday at sunset and ends Saturday at sunset. When people lay aside the Sabbath Day and keep Sunday instead, they follow man-made traditions as Messiah predicted.
Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of Yahweh, ye hold the tradition of men. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of Yahweh, that ye may keep your own tradition.
If you are still not convinced to keep Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath after reading this article about the Fourth Commandment, then I close with a prophecy from Isaiah about those that keep Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath.
Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of Yahweh, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in Yahweh; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of Yahweh hath spoken it.
I know that after studying Yahweh’s Word about the Fourth Commandment, I will rejoice and be glad to keep Yahweh’s Seventh-Day Sabbath!
HalleluYah
(2/14a)
Addendum “Lunar Sabbath”
The following are excerpts from the article, “Beware of the Lunar Sabbath”. What this addendum will prove is that the Lunar Sabbath is not Scriptural and should not be kept.
What is the Lunar Sabbath?
The Lunar Sabbath ignores the current weekly 7-day cycle in use today and uses the moon to determine when a new week begins and ends. So rather than observing the Sabbath on the 7th day of a recurring, uninterrupted 7-day week, Lunar Sabbatarians restart a weekly 7-day cycle near the beginning of each lunar month. A lunar month follows the phases of the moon rather than the calendar in use today and is 29 or 30 days long.
Yahweh’s annual feast days are indeed determined by certain days of lunar months. An example is Yahweh’s Passover, which starts on the 14th day of the first month (Abib). Yahweh’s months are determined by the first visible crescent phase of the moon in Jerusalem. Yahweh’s first month (i.e. new year) begins after the Spring Equinox in Jerusalem. So just like Yahweh’s annual feast days, Lunar Sabbath keepers believe that the regular Sabbath falls on certain days of every month. They choose to keep the regular Sabbath on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th day of every lunar month. Here is an illustration to help clarify:
| Lunar Month | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | ||
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | ||
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
| One moon cycle is approximately 29.5 days in length |
Because the Lunar Sabbath ignores the current weekly cycle in use today, practitioners’ Sabbath may fall on any day of our modern week. It depends completely and solely on the moon phases. One major problem that Lunar Sabbath keepers face is the fact that there are extra days in the month which prevent them from being able to keep the Sabbath every seven days.
The moon moves through one complete cycle (new moon, first quarter, full moon, last quarter, conjunction) in approximately 29.5 days (See graphic to the right). Since we cannot split a day in half, this means that some lunar months will last 29 days, but other lunar months will last 30 days.
So what do Lunar Sabbath keepers do on the 1st and 30th days of each month?
This is where some may differ. Many Lunar Sabbath keepers call the 1st and 30th day “New moon days,” and keep them as an extension of the Sabbath day on the 29th. Others count these two days as a regular “work” days.
The problem with the lunar Sabbath is that a person could potentially work 7-8 days rather than the 6 that Yahweh commanded, and rest on the 8th-9th day instead of the 7th day that Yahweh commanded. Or a person could work 6 days and have a Sabbath rest for two to three days on the 7th, 8th and possibly the 9th day. With either method, Yahweh’s command to work six days and rest on the seventh is ignored at the end of every month.
If Yahweh was expecting man to work six days and keep the Sabbath on the seventh day on an uninterruptible recurring pattern, it would be easy to see that all He needed to do was command us to do our work for six days and rest on the seventh — no further explanation needed.
And that’s exactly what He did:
Exodus 20:9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your Elohim.”
Exodus 23:12 “Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest.”
Exodus 31:15 “Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh.”
Exodus 31:17 “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ “
Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest;”
Exodus 35:2 “Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to Yahweh”.
Deuteronomy 5:13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your Elohim.
If we start without any fanciful ideas, and just take the Scriptures for what they say, not adding anything to it, we could only arrive at the understanding that Yahweh’s Sabbath falls on an uninterruptible seven day (weekly) rotation. There really isn’t room for any other possible interpretations. Six days you labor and you rest on the seventh.
The fact that Yahweh blessed and sanctified one specific day… clearly demonstrates that a cyclic pattern is to follow. If that cyclic (recurring) pattern is ever interrupted by extra days, the one specific day (the 7th day) disappears! If Yahweh wanted to sanctify and bless the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month, He would need to say that He blessed and sanctified those specific days of the month.
The truth is, the concept of a week extending to 8 or 9 days is foreign to Scripture. In fact, it is a direct contradiction of Scripture. In Hebrew, the number seven and the word translated “week” are both rooted in the same Hebrew word which simply means “seven.”
The Strong’s Lexicon defines “week” (#7620) as:
7620 shabuwa shaw-boo’-ah or shabuan {shaw-boo’-ah}; also (feminine) shbu.ah {sheb-oo-aw’}; properly, passive participle of 7650 as a denominative of 7651; literal, sevened, i.e. a week (specifically, of years):–seven, week.
And the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament states:
Shabua – period of seven, a week, the Feast of Weeks. This term occurs twenty times in the OT, always indicating a period of seven. Indeed, the word obviously comes to us from sheba (q.v.) and could literally be translated always as “seven-period.”
Notice that this reference says “Shabua” is derived from “Sheba.” The word translated “Seven” all throughout the scriptures is “sheba.”
7651 sheba` sheh’-bah or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw’}; from 7650; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number:–(+ by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.
“Shabua” is just another form of the same word. “Sheba” is translated “seven” over 350 times in the Scriptures.
Clearly the word “week” cannot be separated from the number seven. The entire reason a “week” is called a “shabua” is because it always contains seven days. This being the case, a week cannot be 8 or 9 days.
Again, Yahweh never specified certain days of the month for His regular Sabbath, but a specific day of the month is given for each of His feast day Sabbaths. Does this not speak volumes?
Leviticus 23:4 ‘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 Yahweh in all your dwellings. 4 These are the feasts of Yahweh, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 ‘On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is Yahweh’s Passover. 6 ‘And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Yahweh; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 ‘On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.
Notice also that Yahweh needed to inform us that the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, being the 15th day of the first month, is a day that “no customary work” is to be done. If indeed the 15th day of each month is already a regular Sabbath, why would He even need to inform us that it’s a day of rest to begin with?
One obvious problem with the Lunar Sabbath pertains to the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and how Yahweh commands it to be observed. We are told to count 7 Sabbaths from the Sabbath that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This would consist of 49 days. Then it says that we would arrive at 50 days if we count to the day after the seventh Sabbath:
Leviticus 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed.
16 ‘Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to Yahweh.
Let’s now look and see if this fits as a possibility for a Lunar Sabbath keeper. The small numbers will indicate the counting of 50 days from the day after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
| Abib (First Month) | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | <– 1st day of feast | |
| 161 | 172 | 183 | 194 | 205 | 216 | 227 | ||
| 238 | 249 | 2510 | 2611 | 2712 | 2813 | 2914 | 3015 | |
| 116 | 217 | 318 | 419 | 520 | 621 | 722 | 823 | |
| 924 | 1025 | 1126 | 1227 | 1328 | 1429 | 1530 | ||
| 1631 | 1732 | 1833 | 1934 | 2035 | 2136 | 2237 | ||
| 2338 | 2439 | 2540 | 2641 | 2742 | 2843 | 2944 | ||
| 145 | 246 | 347 | 448 | 549 | 650 | 7 | 8 | |
As you can see in the calendar above, the Feast of Weeks does not fit at all into the Lunar Sabbath model. In Scripture, Yahweh says that when we count 50 days, we will count “to the day after the seventh Sabbath.” In the Lunar Sabbath calendar, it is impossible for the 50th day to be “the day after the seventh Sabbath.” In fact, Pentecost/Shavuot can never be “the day after the seventh Sabbath” if we keep Lunar Sabbaths. Thus, Lunar Sabbath keeping contradicts the Scriptures.
The most damming evidence against the Lunar Sabbath is based on historical records of our current calendar. The seven-day calendar we keep today has been in existence since Messiah’s time. And we know it was Messiah’s custom to keep the Sabbath (Luke 4:16). We find this evidence from the Catholic Church, from the Talmud, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus and various Roman Historians.
Historically, Lunar Sabbath keepers believe that the Lunar Sabbath was observed by 1st century Judaism, but was lost some time after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. But even if one rejects all the evidence to the contrary, it would seem quite impossible for every Sabbath keeper scattered all throughout the world to simultaneously drop a supposed “Lunar Sabbath,” all without a trace of evidence of such a dramatic change. The clear historical record is that the Jews of the first century kept the Sabbath just as we do, on a recurring seven-day week.
Scripturally, you can look from Genesis to Revelation, but you will not find a single commandment to keep the “Lunar Sabbath.” Just as Yahweh has ensured that His inspired word was not lost in antiquity, He also protected His holy Sabbath.
HalleluYah
(2/14a)