THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MANByHarold E. Cormany
We recently read an article on the Internet entitled Entering into God’s Rest, regarding a Sabbath of Rest. Surprisingly, the article did not refer to the seventh day Sabbath of Rest the Bible teaches. In fact, it claims that the seventh day Sabbath wasn’t introduced until the 10 commandments were given to the nation of Israel. The author says, “They have been taught that since the law given at Sinai is indeed the Law of God, then obviously Christians should keep it, and since the seventh day Sabbath command is part of the law of God given at Sinai, then Christians are commanded to keep it too. That is not the Biblical answer!” (Emphasis mine throughout article). The author claims the answer is that the law given at Sinai, including the Sabbath command, was the law of God for Israel only, not for all people. (Lev. 26:46; Deut 4:13). Furthermore, it was a temporary law, in force merely until Christ came (Gal. 3:19) (2 Cor. 3:7-11). Later, the author describes the feasts, calling them the “Feasts of the Jews” because John referred to them as such. We will learn later why John did so. He then claims that Jesus Christ --the Son of God --while on earth, did away with the law, the Sabbath and the Feast days. Let me state clearly and emphatically:
The Sabbath was instituted by God before there were any Jews, or even an Israel for that matter. In Gen. 2:1 “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them.” v.2 – “And on the 7th day God ended His work which He had made, and He rested on the 7th Day and sanctified it from all His work which He hath made.” Notice the Singular tense “God”, as in His, Him, etc. Who was this singular God who rested on the 7th day, which is also called Sabbath and Shabbaoth? In the New Testament, the Book of John 1:1 “In the beginning, (John was referring to the same beginning as in Genesis) was the Word (Greek:Logos – spokesman). And the Word (Logos) was with God (Theos – Father) and the Word was God.” The word God in Genesis is Elohim, a plural word indicating more than one. It refers to the Father, and the one (Word) who became Christ. (Messiah). v. 2- “The same (the Word) was in the beginning with God.” v. 3-“ All things were made by Him (Word) and without Him was not anything made that was made. v.4- In Him was Life, and the life was the light of men.” v. 14: “And the Word (Logos) was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And we (the Apostles) beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” v. 15- “John (the Baptist) bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This is He of whom I speak. He that cometh after me: for He was before me.” How could this be? v. 16-“ And of His fulness have all we received and grace for grace”. v. 17- “For the law was given by (thru) Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” This does not say the law did not exist before Moses or Sinai. Rather it was given (spoken of) by Moses when he brought down the 2 tablets of stone (10 commandments) from the Lord God or the Word, or YHWH. John the Apostle continues: v. 18-“ No man hath seen God (Theos-Father) at any time; the only begotten son, which is in the bosom (likeness) of the Father. He (Son) hath declared Him (Father).” We see it was The Word, who became flesh as Jesus the Messiah, who also created the heavens and the earth, as the God (Yaweh) who was with God (Yah) the Father. This is proven in John 1:3, “All Things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” v. 10- “The Word (God) was made flesh.” This ‘Him’ then was Christ Jesus! More proof is found in Col. 1:12-13, "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. V. 13-Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. v. 14- In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. V. 15- Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature." Then, in v. 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. V.17- And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. V.18- And he is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” V. 19-“ For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.” Need more proof? In the New Testament, Book of Hebrews 1:1- “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. V. 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. V. 3- Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Which day did the 10 commandments refer to as the Sabbath of rest and who was the Sabbath made for? Exodus 20:8- “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” V.9- “Six days shall you labour, and do all your work. V. 10- But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Did you get that? That is YHWH, Yaweh, Jehovah, Lord, who was the Word, who was Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Savior, who made it holy in Gen. 2:2-3. Can this be proved? Yes, in the very next verse. Exodus 20:11- “For in six days the Lord (YHWH, YHVH, Yaweh, Jehovah) made the 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.” (Not the first day -- the 7th day.) God created man on the 6th day of creation (Adam). Gen. 2:26-27 Let us make man in our image. V. 27 Male and female, created He them (He = Word/Christ).
Remember, when God did this, there were no tribes of Israel, and certainly no Jew existed . The New Testament (covenant) provides evidence that the 7th day Sabbath was sanctified and made holy by God. Matthew 12:9 “For the son of man (Jesus) is Lord even of the Sabbath Day.” We know this had to be the 7th day. Jesus was of the tribe of Judah, even though His Father was God. However, Jesus was not a “Jew”. By this I mean he did not practice Judaism. Christianity did not come out of Judaism. There are no Judeo-Christian roots. Christianity was introduced by Christ. Mark 2:27. “And He (Jesus) said unto them (Pharisees of Judaism) The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” In v. 28 “Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath (this was the seventh day, not Sunday!) Did Jesus observe the 7th day Sabbath? Yes, He did. Then, you might ask, why in the world did He change it to the first day? The answer is -- He didn’t! The Catholic Church did. Luke 4:16- “And he (Jesus) 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.” Where else would He go? He couldn’t go into the temple because he was not of the tribe of Levi. Aaron, the first high priest of the tabernacle or temple, was a “Levite”. Hebrews 7:14 says, “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah – of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning the priesthood.” Jesus was not ordained a priest, until He ascended to heaven after His resurrection. He was then made a priest forever after the order of Mechizedek. This is the same order of priests we read about in Gen. 14:18-20. The Melchizedek priesthood was active in the time of Abraham before the establishment of the Aaronic priesthood, which did not start until after Israel left Egypt. In Leviticus 23, we read about the Feast days, which the author of Entering Into God’s Rest refers to as”Feasts of the Jews”. V 2 “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them concerning the Feasts of the Lord.” (The Lord who was the Word, and became flesh as we read in John 1:14) “Even these are holy convocations.”
Lev. 23:2 continues, “Even these are my Feasts.” The words Holy Convocation are interpreted as commanded assemblies, but the word Feasts used then does not necessarily refer to lavish banquets of food and drink, as it invariably means today. The true interpretation of Feasts is ‘moweds’, which is interpreted as an appointment, a fixed time, a festival, a time appointed. God’s Feast days are His feast days, not the Jews’ feast days. John called the feasts the Jews were keeping “The Jews Feasts” because they no longer observed them as God had instructed them to when He introduced them. It’s worth noting that the tribe of Judah was only one tribe of the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel is not made up solely of the tribe of Judah, despite what some theologians and ministers preach. Lev. 23:7 “Six days shall work be done, but the 7th day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation. (Actually, it is listed as a mowed, or a Feast of the Lord, it is an holy day, but it is not an annual Feast day.) v.4- Then he lists the Feasts that are Holy Convocations which ye shall proclaim “in their seasons.” There are 7 annual Sabbaths in 3 Feast seasons over and above the 7th day weekly Sabbath. The annual Holy Days are also spoken of in Numbers 28 and 29. The feast seasons are mentioned in the three following Old Testament scriptures. Exodus 23:14-17 “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. V.15- Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month: Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt; and none shall appear before me empty.) v. 16- And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field, and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. V. 17- Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.” Exodus 34:18-23 “The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib”: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. V.19- All that openeth the matrix is mine and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is mine. V.20- But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty. V.21- Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. V.22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end. V.23 Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.” Deuteronomy 16:16- “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty.” In verse 17 we find out what this means. It wasn’t only Jesus who observed the 7th Day Sabbath and His own proclaimed Holy Days --Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles. The Apostles observed them as well; the Apostle Paul mentions observing the Feast of Pentecost/First Fruits in Acts 20:16. By this time, the Apostles, the majority of whom appear to have resided in Galilee, were true followers of Jesus, and there is no record of them being religious Jews or practicing Judaism. Not only was the law of God in effect, and by this I mean the 10 commandments (including the fourth one), but now they were kept without the animal sacrifices. Jesus, our Passover Lamb, became our sacrifice; in Matthew 26, he said: “This is the blood of the New Testament (covenant) which is shed for the remission of sins or the (forgiveness of sins). The book of Hebrews tells of the New Covenant and a new priesthood. However, this did not do away with the Sabbath. The major problem is explained in Heb: 10:4 “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” The old covenant was not perfect and one reason was it offered no forgiveness of sins. Only the blood of God’s son Jesus could do that because He was God in the flesh. He became flesh so that He could die for our sins, not just for the moment or on a temporary basis, but all of our sins forever. The
other oversight of the Old Covenant was that it did not provide
the promise of eternal life as described in Heb.
9:12-22. The Apostle Paul explains this New Testament application of the Passover in I Corinthians 11:18-34. Compare this to Matthew 26. If the weekly 7th day Sabbath was done away with, how could we make sense of the following prophecy of the future, after Christ returns to earth? Isaiah 66:22- “For the new heavens and the new earth which I (Christ) will make (as He created the first heaven and earth) shall remain before me saith the Lord (Yhwh) and your name remain.” v. 23- “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another (every month) and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship me saith the Lord (YHWH) .” This does not mean they have to go to Jerusalem, but like the Church of God does today, people will gather in many places throughout the world to worship the Father and the Son. It shows here there were no exclusively Jewish Feasts in God’s original proclamation. There were exclusively Jewish Feast Days but only because the Jews changed the observance of God’s Holy Days and added or changed rituals, none of which was sanctioned by God. In the book of Zechariah there is a prophecy which speaks of the observance of God’s feast days. This particular prophecy deals with the Feast of Tabernacles. All nations will observe this feast in Jerusalem. Zechariah 14:16- “and it shall come to pass that everyone that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall go up from year to year to worship the King, and Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:17-19 speaks of the punishment for those nations (Egypt is mentioned) who do not come up to Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. They will suffer drought and plagues. The Sabbath and God’s Holy Feast Days (annual Sabbaths) were all instituted by Jesus Christ, when He was the Lord God - (YHWH) – of the Old Terstament. Some Christians say the Sabbath changed from the seventh day to the first day because Christ was resurrected on Sunday.This is not true, just as it is not true, that Jesus was in the tomb for three days and three nights if we believe in a Friday afternoon crucifixion and a Sunday morning resurrection. This is obviously impossible. Jesus gave the sign of Jonah to indicate he would be in the grave three days and three nights. A day consists of a day and a night, a 24 hour period, as mentioned in Gen. 1:5. Jesus told His disciples and those who looked for a sign in Matt. 12:31”We would see a sign from thee. V. 30- And there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of "the prophet Jonas”. v. 40 ‘For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s (great fish) belly: so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday, he was entombed late Wednesday afternoon, because the next day was an annual feast or Sabbath; a Holy Day during which no work could be done. So if we count from Wednesday before sunset, to the Sabbath day before sunset, we come up with Thursday, Friday and Sabbath (Saturday) that he lay dead in the tomb. He was raised before the weekly Sabbath came to an end at sunset. This would be 3 days and 3 nights. The only evidence Protestant churches who observe Sunday (1st day) as Sabbath can provide had to come from the Roman Catholic church. This church changed the Sabbath without any authority to do so, except the authority they gave themselves. The Catholic church is also responsible for Ishtar (Easter) Halloween (all Hallow e’en) and Christmas (the mass of Christ) all of which originated from pagan festivals, and were never Christian. The Catholic Encyclopedia readily admits the Sabbath is on the 7th day (Saturday). They observe the “Lord’s day” on Sunday the 1st day of the week. Despite what we read in Mark 2:22- “The Sabbath (7th day) was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. V. 23- Therefore the Son of Man (Jesus the Messiah) is Lord of the Sabbath. The Protestant Churches use several scriptures erronounsely in attempting to prove a Sunday Sabbath, such as in I Corinthians 16 about taking up a collection. This is a prime example of basing an argument using scripture taken out of context. Reading the entire chapter, one finds there was a famine in the land (middle east) and the liberality being collected was dried fruit (foods) that Paul was taking to the saints in Jerusalem who were starving. The Lord’s Day mentioned in Revelation 1:10 does not concern Sunday, it is referring to the day of the Lord in the tribulation of the latter days. The day of the Lord spoken of in 2 Peter 3:10-12 is not about Sunday. For those who put Jewish only labels on God’s law, His Sabbath and His Feast Days, all of which He intended to be observed by the entire human race, I suggest you go back to the beginning when these days were instituted by God. Don’t take the Word of God out of context to fit preconceived erroneous doctrines and beliefs that are actually heresy.
Hosea 2:11- “I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.” God did not say “My feast days”, He said her feast days, new moons, sabbaths and solemn feasts. In Amos 5:21 God goes straight to the heart of the matter. ”I hate your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. V. 22- Though you offer me burnt offerings, and your meal offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. V.23- Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the melody of your viols. God has more to say about Israel and Judah and their corruption of his laws. In the book of Isaiah 1:1-4 “They have forgotten the Lord (YHWH)…v.10 Hear the word of the Lord “YHWH” – ye rulers of Sodom: give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah." God is saying Jerusalem and the cities of Judah had begun to resemble the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They had debased His commands to the point the rituals of Baal had been introduced into the worship service of the Lord’s House. v. 11- I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts: and I delight not in the blood of bullocks and of lambs, or of he-goats. v. 14- Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates, they are a trouble to me: I am weary of bearing them. v. 15-When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” In the days of Christ’s ministry, the Pharisees and Sadducees had made God’s law and his Sabbaths and feast days impossible to keep because of the additional observances they had added. Matthew 23:1-3 "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples. V.2- Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat; v.3- All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. V. 4- For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. V.5- For all their works they do for to be seen of men . . . ” (when they sat in Moses chair in the great synagogue they could only read from the Torah and they had to obey what was read). What had the Jews done to make Jesus call their works? They had added the code of Jewish law that Jesus called the traditions of the elders. The Torah was being replaced by the Jewish Talmud. Matt. 15:1-9. v.1 “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, v.2- Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. V.3- But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandments of God by your tradition? V.4- For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother; and, he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. V.5- But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; v. 6- And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. V.7- Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, v.8- The people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. V. 9- But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Here Jesus was referring to the oral laws of he Jews. In Acts chapter 15 the Apostle Peter made similar statements. Peter is speaking of those from the sect of the Pharisees who had infiltrated the Church of God to spread their false doctrines. (We read this in v. 10-11.) In Matt. 16:6- Jesus said: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. In v. 12- he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees – the doctrines of Judaism, and the traditions of the elders. As mentioned above, they had added to and changed so much of God’s law, they’d made it impossible for a man to keep. Notice Peter’s words in Acts 13:10- "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke of bondage upon the neck of the disciples (these were Gentile disciples) which our Fathers nor we were able to bear!" Small wonder the Apostle John calls them the “Feasts of the Jews”. One can say, well, only the Jews observed them. However when you read how they were observing them, you will see these were no longer God’s Sabbath of delight nor the Lord’s annual feast days of rejoicing. Before you condemn or dismiss the seventh day Sabbath and God’s annual Holy Days, first find out why you observe Sunday, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, St. Valentine’s Day and New Years Day. You’ll be amazed at their origins. In any event, you need to realize that the festivals and holidays mainstream Christianity observes today are not from God, rather the god of this world. I guarantee you will not find any of them in your Bible. What you will find in your Bible is Jesus and the Apostles observing God’s Holy Sabbath Day and His annual Feast Days. |
