Who changed the Sabbath?

Christ is the Sabbath.

He rose on the first day of the week so we worship and offer Him the firstfruits by meeting on the first day of the week. That is not taking away from, nor adding to, nor dishonoring the Sabbath at all.

 

Mt 12:1
3 sabbath
(1) The sabbath ("cessation") appears in Scripture as the day of God's rest in the finished work of creation. Ge 2:2-3. For 2500 years of human life absolutely no mention is made of it. Then the sabbath was revealed Ex 16:23; Ne 9:13-14, made a part of the law Ex 20:8-11 and invested with the character of a "sign" between Jehovah and Israel, and a perpetual reminder to Israel of their separation to God Ex 31:13-17. It was observed by complete rest Ex 35:2-3 and by Jehovah's express order a man was put to death for gathering sticks on the sabbath day. Nu 15:32-36. Apart from maintaining the continued burnt-offering Nu 28:9, and its connection with the annual feasts Ex 12:16; Le 23:3,8; Nu 28:25 the seventh day sabbath was never made a day of sacrifice, worship, or any manner of religious service. It was simply and only a day of complete rest for man and beast, a humane provision for man's needs. In Christ's words, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." Mr 2:27.

(2) Our Lord found the observance of the day encrusted with rabbinical evasions Mt 12:2 and restrictions, wholly unknown to the law, so that He was Himself held to be a sabbath breaker by the religious authorities of the time. The sabbath will be again observed during the kingdom age Isa 66:23.

(3) The Christian first day perpetuates in the dispensation of grace the principle that one-seventh of the time is especially sacred, but in all other respects is in contrast with the sabbath. One is the seventh day, the other the first. The sabbath commemorates God's creation rest, the first day Christ's resurrection. On the seventh day God rested, on the first day Christ was ceaselessly active. The sabbath commemorates a finished creation, the first day a finished redemption. The sabbath was a day of legal obligation, the first day one of voluntary worship and service. The sabbath is mentioned in the Acts only in connection with the Jews, and in the rest of the N.T. but twice. Col 2:16; Heb 4:4. In these passages the seventh day sabbath is explained to be to the Christian not a day to be observed, but a type of the present rest into which he enters when "he also ceases from his own works" and trusts Christ.
Scofield

 

The Word of God clearly tells us that the Sabbath was given to Israel, and not to be transferred to any other people for ever. The Gentile who accepts Christ is not held to the Sabbath that was given to the Israelites, for Christ Himself is the Gentiles' Sabbath.

 

Genesis 2:3 shows the Sabbath being given to all of God's creation prior to the begining of Israel. God Consecrated it and made it Holy on the Seventh day to mark the creation that He had made.

 

Taken from the Way of Life Encyclopedia

 

In fact no one but God COULD "change" Christ the Creator's holy day that He MADE at Creation week (Gen 2:3). It would have to have been done by explicit command the way we see Heb 10 CHANGING (in fact ending) the commands about "animal sacrifices". When God makes an explicit command - it takes His command IN scripture to change it.

But as for the "customs, traditions and practices of man" - People either choose to "ignore it" and keep another day of the week Holy.

Or they choose to "ignore it" and then NOT keep any other day as actually being "Holy" (as in a 7 day cycle Holy Day)

Some Catholic historians however will admit to the historic change (edit) of the Sabbath commandment by the "traditions of the Catholic church".

Some non-Catholics will admit to "a tradition" of observing "week-day-one" instead of "the Sabbath of Christ the Creator".

In Christ,

Bob

 

Mark 2:27 Christ said "The Sabbath was MADE for MANKIND not MANKIND MADE for the SABBATH".

No one on this board has been able to say when "their traditions" will allow Christ's words to be true.

Some have tried to "edit" Mark 2 to say "The Sabbath was MADE for JEWS and not Jews MADE for the Sabbath" (as if the unqualified term for MAN could EVER have been reduced to "Jews only" ).

When God said "LET US MAKE MANKIND in our OWN image" He was not speaking of JEWS only.

But this seems to come as a surprise to many here.

In Christ,

Bob

 

But there are Bible scholars that admit to the "mankind" scope and focus to Christ the Creator's words in Mark 2. (They believe Christ the Creator MADE MANKIND and also MADE the Sabbath)

This next reference is interesting in that it admits to the “making of both” the Sabbath and Mankind at Creation week and shows the true binding nature of the Sabbath – AND it admits to its own need to switch the Sabbath from what Christ the Creator gave in Gen 2:3 – to man’s traditions regarding “weekday-one”

 

Those that keep saying the Sabbath is made for mankind are in direct contradiction to God's Holy Word.

Exodus 31:16-17 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

When Jesus said that the Sabbath was for man, He was not talking about every individual on the earth. Nor was He talking about every future individual on this earth. He was specifically speaking of it being for the nation of Israel, else He would have been contradicting God's Word of the Old Testament.

 

There is historical writings that show that christians were definitly worshipping on Sundays in the latter time of the 1st century and the beginning of the 2nd century. The Apostle John was still living during some of this time and there is no evidence that he had a problem with this. Also living at this time were other notable New Testament christians such as Timothy, Barnabas, Clement, Ignatius, as well as some others that also failed to mention this as a problem. Yet there is written evidence to the contrary, that some early writers were in debate against the Jews for still worshipping on the Sabbath. I find this quite interesting that there was such a profound silence by the leaders of the church during this period, some who may have been around during Jesus' ministry, or present during the apostolic missions, or the generation just after the apostles.

 

Isiah 66 speaking of the New Heavens and New Earth "From Sabbath to Sabbath ... shall ALL MANKIND come before Me to worship"
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God said "Let us make MANKIND in our own image" Gen 1:28. Gen 1-2:3 we see Christ the creator MAKING both MANKIND and His Holy Seventh day Sabbath "Made FOR mankind".

Christ the Creator said "The Sabbath was MADE FOR MANKIND and not MANKIND (MADE) for the Sabbath" (speaking of the Making of Both) Mark 2:27.

So since God is the one using these "MANKIND" terms and since you declare that HIs saying that is contradicting His own Word - you and HE seem to be in "conflict" on this point.

Why not address the "details" raised here instead of making stuff up on your own?

Why not SHOW that "MANKIND" is never the meaning of the term used when God said "Let us make MANKIND in our own image"? (Septuagint in this case)

You are welcome to deal substantively with the inconvenient details at any point in the discussion.

In Christ,

Bob

 

In Acts 13 and Acts 17 we see "Sabbath after Sabbath" worship meetings attended both by Jews AND Gentiles. No such sequence of worship service is shown for any other week day in all of the NT. Not by John, not by Paul not by Peter not by James etc.

In Acts 15 James points out that the less restrictive rules applied to Gentiles will not result in a decline of understanding of scripture since EVERY Sabbath (sabbath after sabbath as we see in the case of the Gentiles in Acts 13 and Acts 17) they are hearing Moses in the Synagogues.

Rather than "denying" Christ the Creator's Holy Day "MADE for Mankind" they seem to be "relying upon it"!

In Christ,

Bob

 

Until the prophetic demise of the Jewish system was complete as spoken by Christ, Paul and the other christian leaders were still under the 'old' system while it ran its course to completion(Matt.5:17,18). Have you not read and studied Hebrews? Most scholars believe that the Book of Hebrews was written around 63 to 65AD. At the time the author was writing this fabulous piece they were still under the 'old' covenant(Heb.9:8). They were awaiting the "soon" return of Christ in victory to establish the 'new' covenant(Heb.9:8,28;10:1,13,37;12:28), and it was in the process(soon) vanishing away(Heb.8:13)! This was finally accomplished and completed in 70AD, just as Jesus had prophesied.

 

No one changed the Sabbath

 

Why do you keep insisting on putting the word 'mankind' where it is not? In the Genesis verses, the word is man. In Isaiah, it is flesh (flesh can mean both man and beast).


As I pointed out, and I hold that scripture to be true, the Sabbath was given to Israel as a sign. Exodus 31

To Israel, not everyone else. There were other people on this earth beside Israelites, yet Israel is the only one God mentioned to Moses. If it was not just to Israel as God said, why did He not say man there instead of Israel?

 

Who was God speaking to when He created the Seventh Day Rest for all of Creation when He created the world in Gen 2:3?

 

God was not speaking to anybody. He blessed the seventh day and set it apart for His rest. It was God's rest, not man's. Man did not need to rest. God told Adam in Genesis chapter 3 that he would work by the sweat of his brow. In Exodus 31 Moses is told by God that the Sabbath is a sign to Israel, no other people.

How about producing scripture in Genesis where man is told to rest on the Sabbath?

 

Other Baptists have considered that same question with a specific conclusion: http://www.seventhdaybaptist.org/7db/Default_EN.asp