Sunday! The Lord's Day?

I see many people who use certain scriptures to claim that the disciples met on Sunday in the new testament and that Jesus rose from the grave on Sunday, that is why they attend Church on Sunday. Let's take a look at some scripture....

John 20:19 (KJV) Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

When we look at this scripture from the KJV we will notice that the word day is in italics. If we look to the front of our Bibles, it will tell you that any words in italics are words that have been added to aid in the understanding of scripture. They are NOT in the original texts. So when we look at this verse without the added word, it should look like this..... (KJV) Then the same day at evening, being the first of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace unto you. Next we must look at the word week in this text. According to Strongs, the word translated in the KJV as week is

G4521

σάββατον

sabbaton

sab'-bat-on

Of Hebrew origin [H7676]; the Sabbath (that is, Shabbath), or day of weekly repose from secular avocations (also the observance or institution itself); by extension a se'nnight, that is, the interval between two Sabbaths; likewise the plural in all the above applications: - sabbath (day), week.

When we look at other translations of the Bible, this scripture is translated as thus....

John 20:19 (MKJV) Then the same day at evening, being the first of the sabbaths, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, Peace to you!

John 20:19 (LITV) Then it being evening on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the doors having been locked where the disciples were assembled because of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace to you.

John 20:19 (HRB) Then it being evening on that day, the first of the Sabbaths, and the doors having been locked where the disciples were assembled because of fear of the Jews, Yahshua came and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace to you.

We see in these other translations that the proper translation of weeks in the KJV should be Sabbaths. This was the first of the Sabbaths that are to be counted between First Fruits and Shavout (Pentacost). (See Lev 23:10-23).

Next we will look at 1Co 16:2 (KJV)Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Again, we see the added (italics) word day and again the word week is the same as in the previous scripture and should be translated as Sabbaths.

1Co 16:2 (MKJV) On the first of the sabbaths let each of you put by himself, storing up what ever he is prospered, so that there may be no collections when I come.

1Co 16:2 (LITV) On one of the sabbaths, let each of you put by himself, storing up whatever he is prospered, that there not be collections then when I come.

1Co 16:2 (HRB) After the first of the Sabbaths, let each of you put aside and keep in his house whatever he can afford, that there not be collections then when I come.

Now let's look a little further into this scripture....

1Co 16:1 And about the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the congregations of Galatia, so you do also.

1Co 16:2 After the first of the Sabbaths, let each of you put aside and keep in his house whatever he can afford, that there not be collections then when I come.

1Co 16:3 And when I arrive, whomever you select I will send through these epistles, to carry your grace to Jerusalem.

We see that this is speaking of the gathering of the offerings that are for Shavout (Pentacost) as this feast was one of the mandatory pilgrimage feasts. (See Lev 23:10-23)

Now let's look at Romans 14......

Romans 14 is typically used to justify that the New Testament Church taught that the Sabbath isn’t different than any other day of the week: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5). Analysis of the chapter shows that Paul is not reducing the Sabbath to the same status as the rest of the week.

Verse 1 states the premise of the chapter: “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.”

Like any congregation, the church in Rome was a mix of those who were more experienced and stronger in faith and those who were less experienced and weaker in faith. Paul warns those who are more experienced to be patient and understanding in dealing with brethren who are less spiritually mature. In this chapter he addresses three issues over which there was the potential for contention, describing them as “doubtful.” In other words, what they did in these matters was regarded as a personal decision, and he warned them not to judge each other harshly on these matters.

Notice that the theme continues throughout the chapter. Verse 10 says, “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” Verse 13 makes the point again, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” The thought continues into 15:1, “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”

The first subject Paul dealt with was vegetarianism (Romans 14:2-3). Apparently some, when they became part of the Church, had been vegetarians. Paul and most members understood that eating meat is not a sin, but neither is it a sin to not eat meat. So he reminds them not to judge each other over that issue.

Second, in verses 5-6 Paul refers to certain days that, by personal or traditional choice, were considered feast days or fast days. Perhaps some who came from a Pharisaical background were literally fasting once or twice each week (Luke 18:12). There was apparently some controversy over which was the better day to either fast or feast. Paul puts this matter in the category of personal choice, not something about which Christians should judge each other. He’s writing about feasting or fasting—there is no reference to the Sabbath here or any other place in this context.

The third subjective controversy was over the eating of meat that had been sacrificed to an idol (verse 14). Recognizing how sensitive this subject could be, Paul’s concern was that members not offend those who considered meat offered in a sacrifice to be unclean. Some also apparently believed they could not drink wine (verse 21). Those who understood that neither should be an issue were reminded to not flaunt their understanding in a way that could harm those who did not understand. The importance of conscience is stated in verse 23, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”

Throughout the chapter Paul is warning the brethren not to be critical or judgmental of each other over matters that are subjective. There is no mention of the seventh-day Sabbath, which was understood to be a clear command.

I have heard it said many times that Sunday is the Lord's Day. People refer to it as the Lord's Day because that was the day Yahshua arose from the grave. They say that is why they go to church on Sunday. BUT is that what the Bible really says about it? Let's have a look.....

Rev 1:10 I came to be in the Spirit in the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

OK there it is!! The Lord really does have a day!! BUT what day is it?

Isa 58:13 If you turn your foot away because of the Sabbath, from doing what you please on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, to the holiness of YAHWEH, glorified; and shall glorify Him, to the holiness of not doing your own ways, from finding your own pleasure or speaking your own words;

Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

So Isaiah 58:13 says that the Sabbath is His Holy Day and Matthew 12:8 says that the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath. So then the Lord's Holy day is the Sabbath!

So, when is the Sabbath?

Exo 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (set apart);Exo 20:9 six days you shall labor and do all your work;Exo 20:10 and the seventh day is a Sabbath to YAHWEH your Elohim; you shall not do any work, you, and your son, and your daughter, your male slave and your slave-girl, and your livestock, and your stranger who is in your gates.Exo 20:11 For in six days YAHWEH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all which is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; on account of this YAHWEH blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

OK, there it is! The Sabbath is the seventh day!

So, the Lord has a day, that day is the Sabbath and the Sabbath is the seventh day.

When is the seventh day?

You can look at any dictionary or encyclopedia and it will tell you, without a doubt, that our Saturday is the seventh day. The seven day cycle has never changed throughout history.

So, according to the Bible, the Lord has a day, that day is the Sabbath, the Sabbath is the seventh day and Saturday is the seventh day!!!! So why are the churches keeping and teaching Sunday is the Sabbath day? Do they know that it's supposed to be Saturday? Let's see what they have to say....

Baptist: "There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. ... It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week. ... Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament -- absolutely not. There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week." Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual, in a paper read before a New York ministers' conference held Nov. 13, 1893.

Catholic: "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we [Catholics] never sanctify." James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, 16th edition, 1880, p. 111.

Church of Christ: "Finally, we have the testimony of Christ on this subject. In Mark 2:27, he says: 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.' From this passage it is evident that the Sabbath was made not merely for the Israelites, as Paley and Hengstenberg would have us believe, but for man ... that is, for the race. Hence we conclude that the Sabbath was sanctified from the beginning, and that it was given to Adam, even in Eden, as one of those primeval institutions that God ordained for the happiness of all men." Robert Milligan, Scheme of Redemption, (St. Louis, The Bethany Press, 1962), p. 165.

Congregationalist: "The Christian Sabbath [Sunday] is not in the Scriptures, and was not by the primitive church called the Sabbath." Dwight's Theology, Vol. 4, p. 401.

Episcopal: "Sunday (Dies Solis, of the Roman calendar, 'day of the sun', because dedicated to the sun), the first day of the week, was adopted by the early Christians as a day of worship. ... No regulations for its observance are laid down in the New Testament, nor, indeed, is its observance even enjoined." "Sunday," A Religious Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, (New York, Funk and Wagnalls, 1883) p. 2259.

Lutheran: "The observance of the Lord's day [Sunday] is founded not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church." Augsburg Confession of Faith, quoted in Catholic Sabbath Manual, Part 2, Chapter 1, Section 10.

Methodist: "Take the matter of Sunday. There are indications in the New Testament as to how the church came to keep the first day of the week as its day of worship, but there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day." Harris Franklin Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942.

Moody Bible Institute: "The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word 'remember,' showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote the law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?" D. L. Moody, Weighed and Wanting, p. 47.

Presbyterian: "Until, therefore, it can be shown that the whole moral law has been repealed, the Sabbath will stand. ... The teaching of Christ confirms the perpetuity of the Sabbath." T. C. Blake, D.D., Theology Condensed, pp. 474, 475.

Pentecostal: "'Why do we worship on Sunday? Doesn't the Bible teach us that Saturday should be the Lord's Day?' ... Apparently we will have to seek the answer from some other source than the New Testament." David A. Womack, "Is Sunday the Lord's Day?" The Pentecostal Evangel, Aug. 9, 1959, No. 2361, p. 3.

Encyclopedia: "Sunday was a name given by the heathen to the first day of the week, because it was the day on which they worshiped the sun, ... the seventh day was blessed and hallowed by God Himself, and ... He requires His creatures to keep it holy to Him. This commandment is of universal and perpetual obligation."

Eadie's Biblical Cyclopedia, 1872 ed., p. 561.

Does Acts 15 prove that the Law has been done away with?

Acts 15 is a debate between parties of differing opinion as to whether the Gentiles (New Converts) should be keeping the Law of Moses as a means to

1. salvation (vs.1) which we will call the circumcision party OR
2. out of obedience as a result of faith (vs. 5) which is the believing sect of Pharisees

What is never discussed is whether the Law was abolished, in whole or in part. This fact can not be stressed enough. Acts 15 is NOT about whether the Law was abolished.

Long story short, the New Gentile converts were obviously not keeping the Torah as it was something new to them. The Jerusalem Council met to consider the debate between the 2 parties (circumcision vs. Pharisees) (vs 1-9). Peter appeals to Scripture to note that following Torah alone has never been a means for salvation (vs 10). This is a direct evidence against the circumcision party. Notice that Peter never says anything against the believing sect of Pharisees. Remember that their position is that of keeping Torah in obedience, not FOR salvation, But because OF their salvation.

Now we see James bring in a final testimony (Act 15:13 And after they were silent, James responded, saying, Men, brothers, hear me: Act 15:14 Simon recounted how even as at first YAHWEH oversaw to take a people out from among the nations for His name. Act 15:15 And with this agree the Words of the prophets, as it has been written,) which is direct scriptural support for Peter's testimony. This is important because according to Yahweh's Word, Yahweh never does anything without revealing it to His prophets first. In the next verses, he pulls out prophecy that agrees with Peter Act 15:15 And with this agree the Words of the prophets, as it has been written, Act 15:16 After these things "I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen," "And I will build again the things which have been demolished, and I will set it up," Act 15:17 So that YAHWEH will seek the remainder of mankind and all the nations, those who My name is called over them, said YAHWEH who made all these things. (See Amos 9).

The conclusion of the matter is that salvation has nothing to do with the keeping of the Law But the Law should be kept as a matter of obedience.

Now, having settled the matter as to whether the views of the circumcision party or the believing sect of Pharisees was the proper view, they further went on to discuss where the New Converts should begin their journey of faith. They decided that they should start with the priority or weightier sins first rather than try and overwhelm them with the whole Law at once. Act 15:20 but to write to them to hold back from the pollution's of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and blood. Once they had “mastered” these sins, then they could work on the rest as time went on. We need to remember that the Gentile converts were coming out of Pagan worship and knew nothing about the Law.

Now, how were the new converts going to learn the Laws? Act 15:21 For in every city from ancient generations Moses has those proclaiming Him, having been read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

This is the same way that Yahshua told us in Matthew 23:1-3

So, as we can see, when all scripture is taken in context, the true meaning can be reached. We need to be very diligent in remembering that the most important part of interpreting scripture is that we do it in context. We must also be very careful not to add to or take away from it. Deu 12:32 All the things that I command you, take heed to do them and you shall not add to it, nor take away from it.