How do we know which day, Saturday or Sunday, is the Sabbath of creation? Pt. 2
Dear Reader,
As we said in a previous article, God did indeed bless and sanctify the seventh day at the time creation. This day was to be a special day of joy and rest from secular activity; and instead, it was to be a day when mankind was to worship and rejoice in the loveliness and beauty of creations. Being blessed and sanctified, this day was set aside for this particular type of activity; this was to be a day of worship and praise to the creator.
Seeing that God had gone to length in establishing this day as a special day, is it possible that God would allow the seventh day to become confused or mixed-up with other days over the passage of time?
Well, here is how we can seek to answer this question. First, we recognise that the Sabbath was established long before the time of Abraham and the Jewish nation. We recognise that God originally gave the Sabbath, not to the Jews, but to mankind, that is, to Adam and Eve and their descendants. We therefore, can safely assume that Adam and Eve and all the followers of God kept the Sabbath every seventh day back then, even though there is no mention of Sabbath keeping until the time of Abraham. A similar pattern is found with marriage. God had established marriage to be between one man and one woman at creation. This pattern was not broken until it was first acknowledged in Genesis 4:18, 19. Just as people stuck to God’s pattern in marriage although it was not mentioned until the action of Lamech, so can we safely assume that people also kept the Sabbath although it was not really mentioned until the time of Abraham. Why would God go to length in establishing the Sabbath on the seventh day if He did not intend that mankind acknowledge this fact?
Yes, friends, the Bible states clearly that God set up a memorial of creation in establishing the Sabbath. Who were to acknowledge this memorial? Was it not Adam and Eve and their descendants?
Secondly, Ancient History testifies to the fact that many ancient nations did have a week of seven days with the seventh day being holy and sacred. Read about the ancient Babylonians and their calendar, for example. Where would these ancient nations have got this notion about the sacredness of the seventh day had it not been for the account of creation and the Sabbath establishment.
Finally, notice this very important point. God called Abraham, and from him established the Jewish nation, in order to continue the salvation of mankind in the birth of Jesus Christ. As with Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, God established His covenant with the Jews and gave to them His moral law; listen toLeviticus 25:55 and 26:3, 9. (Lev 25:55 KJV) For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Lev. 26:3, 9) If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you;
This moral law contains the fourth commandment which establishes the validity of the Sabbath. Note Exodus 20:8-11. Now when Jesus was born into this nation, He readily accepted the commandments of God, and promoted the sanctity and validity of the Sabbath, the fourth commandment. Here is how He put it: (Mat 5:17 KJV) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (Mat 5:18, 19 KJV) 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. 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.
And again, here is what Jesus says in reference to the Seventh day: (Mat 12:8 KJV) For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. And once more the Bible says of Jesus concerning the Sabbath: (Luke 4:16 KJV) And 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 for to read.
Now we mostly all accept that Jesus is God incarnate. And since Jesus kept the Sabbath, and acknowledged its validity in the Jewish nation, we have only to look at the day the Jews kept as their Sabbath in the Bible, and the day they keep today. We know clearly that the day the Jews keep as the Sabbath today, is the same that they kept during the time of Christ, and before. So if we think that the Sabbath has been lost through the ages, then we have only to realign our day with the day that Jesus kept while He was on earth, and the day that He calls Himself Lord of. We know that that day is ‘Saturday.’
Since the day that Jesus acknowledged as the Sabbath is the same day that the Jews kept in the past, and do keep now, and since the commandment to keep this day holy links its observance with God’s creation, (Exodus 20:8-11), then the Sabbath of creation must be the same as the Jewish one which Jesus kept. That day is of course ‘Saturday.’ So therefore, the seventh day which God blessed at creation is indeed our Saturday. God has kept the identity of the seventh day from creation week to the present time. God has a distinct purpose in giving mankind the Sabbath. He knows that if mankind through the workings of Satan, should reject the fact of creation, of which the Sabbath is a memorial, mankind would soon resort to fanciful fables in order to account for his origin, as we see today in most scientific circles.
Our God is a time keeping God; he has given humanity a day of twenty-four hours in order to worship and praise Him for being our creator. One day He will return to earth for His faithful saints. Let us all be ready for this wonderful occasion. God bless.
Pastor Ron is a retired Adventist pastor. Reach him at ron.hende@gmail.com. with your comments.