The Sabbath

 

The Bible Testifies That the Sabbath Is Saturday

 

God commanded us to remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy (Ex 20:8–11). Then, what day of the week is the Sabbath day God commanded us to keep? Let’s find the answer in the Bible.

 

First, let’s see on what day of the week Jesus was resurrected.

 

Mk 16:9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

 

When was Jesus resurrected? It was the first day of the week. “The first day of the week” is the day after the Sabbath. So the verses above too say when the Sabbath was over, it was the first day of the week.

 

Mk 16:1–2 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb . . .

 

So the first day of the week when Jesus rose from death must be the day after the Sabbath. Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week, the day after the Sabbath. What day of the week was it? It was Sunday. This is what is acknowledged by both Catholicism and Christianity.

 

It means that the day after the Sabbath is Sunday. As the day after the Sabbath is Sunday, the Sabbath is the day before Sunday. What day is the day before Sunday? It is Saturday. As you see, the Bible testifies that the Sabbath day is Saturday.

 

Therefore, we must worship God on Saturday which is the Sabbath day.

 

Jesus and the Apostles Kept the Sabbath Day

 

However Many churches that keep Sunday service today insist that we don’t need to keep the Sabbath in the New Testament times because it’s an abolished law of the Old Testament. Are they right?

 

If their insistence were correct, Jesus and the apostles should not have kept the Sabbath in the New Testament times. However, the New Testament shows that Jesus and His apostles kept the Sabbath. Let’s first see Jesus’ case.

 

Lk 4:16 He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.

 

Jesus kept the Sabbath day as was his custom. If he had kept it once or twice, can it be referred to as “his custom”? It means Jesus kept every Sabbath. In other words, our Savior Jesus set the example of keeping the Sabbath in the New Testament times. Let’s see the case of His apostles after the Crucifixion.

 

Ac 17:2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures.

 

Apostle Paul came to believe in Christ after Jesus’ crucifixion and became His apostle. Did he keep every Sunday service? No. Apostle Paul kept the Sabbath according to Jesus’ example and his custom. There is the same thing in the next chapter.

 

Ac 18:4 Every Sabbath he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

 

Here, too, Apostle Paul kept the Sabbath day according to Jesus’ example.

As we’ve studied so far, Jesus kept the Sabbath as His custom, and the apostles too kept the Sabbath as their custom. So their insistence that we no longer need to keep the Sabbath day in the New Testament times is wrong.

 

Therefore, we must keep the Sabbath holy, following the examples of Christ and the apostles. Let us all keep the Sabbath day, receive God’s blessing, and enter the eternal kingdom of heaven.