Shabbat (Sabbath)

Adonai rested on the Sabbath and blessed it from the very beginning -- the Sabbath rest existed before Noah, Avraham and Moshe -- it was given to Adam. (Gen 2:1-3)

It should not be called the Jewish sabbath because it is Adonai's Sabbath, "The Sabbath of YHWH." (Lev 23:3).

Exodus 20:8-9 teaches:

ח  שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד, וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל-מְלַאכְתֶּךָ.	8 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work;
ט  וְיוֹם, הַשְּׁבִיעִי--שַׁבָּת, לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ:  לֹא-תַעֲשֶׂה כָל-מְלָאכָה אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ, עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ וּבְהֶמְתֶּךָ, וְגֵרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ.	9 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Adonai thy Adonai, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;

The original calendar established by Adonai at Creation was a luni-solar calendar.  The Jews and early apostolic Christians kept the Sabbath by this calendar until the 4th century A.D. when it was outlawed by civil legislation.

The original calendar established by Adonai at Creation was a luni-solar calendar.  The Jews and early apostolic Christians kept the Sabbath by this calendar until the 4th century A.D. when it was outlawed by civil legislation.

“He appointed [Hebrew: created] the moon for seasons [mo’ed: religious assemblies]” Ps. 104:19.

“The present Jewish calendar was fixed in the fourth century.”  Letter by Louis Finkelstein, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, to Dr. L. E. Froom, Feb. 20, 1939.

An accurate knowledge of the 2300-day prophecy of Dan. 8:14 proves that the weekly cycle of the Gregorian calendar is different from the weekly cycle of the original calendar established at Creation.

Note that only the seventh day Shabbat was given to us as a day of rest -- we are commanded to work the other six days -- Sunday is a work day! Many Christians have been wrongly taught that the Sabbath changed to Sunday. Adonai rested on the seventh day -- this is an unchangeable fact -- it was the seventh day He blessed and sanctified. Adonai did not rest on the first day of the week so our weekly Shabbat (which commemorates His rest) can never be changed to Sunday. Adonai worked on Sunday, the first day -- as he commands us also. The only Sabbath recognized in Scripture was the seventh day -- Sunday was always referred to as the first day of the week in Scripture -- it was never called a Sabbath *or* the Adonai's Day. The concept of making Sunday into a replacement for the seventh day Shabbat comes from man-made pagan traditions that lack any Scriptural support.

The early church and apostles observed Shabbat:

"Now when Paul and his company loosed  from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down." Acts 13:14

"And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of Adonai. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of Adonai." Acts 13:42-44

"And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither." Acts 16:13

"And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures," Acts 17:2

"And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." Acts 18:4

Notice in the above passages that some Gentiles/Greeks were "also" observing the Sabbath and attending synogogue.

The Brit Chadasha (new testament) never says the Sabbath day was changed. Below are few passages have been incorrectly cited by the church to argue a Saturday-to-Sunday changeover, let's examine each one:

"On Motzael-Shabbat (Shabbat evening), when the disciples came together to break bread, (Kaddish) Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. Acts 20:7

Now, there are many problems in making this about a Sunday worship service like those the church has today. What is this service? First off, this is occurring Saturday evening "not" Sunday morning.

Remember biblical days begin at sundown and continue until the following sundown.
("And Adonai called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." Genesis 1:5 ).
So here it is the Sabbath and it is evening. Since they are 'breaking bread' -- it seems clear they were gathered together for Havdalah services, (Havdalah, literally 'separation' - a ceremony involving bread, wine and spices which marks the ending of Shabbat).
Havdalah begins Saturday at sunset, and clearly the disciples all met together for this service and then Sha'ul preached to them until midnight.
Realize that this wasn't midnight Sunday evening but midnight "Saturday evening".

Now travel distances exceeding 2000 cubits (approx half-mile) were forbidden on the Sabbath (referenced in Acts 1:12), so Sha'ul is planning to travel (to 'depart on the morrow,') on Sunday morning.
Sha'ul would never make travel plans for Shabbat because he observed the Torah (Acts 24:14; 25:8; 28:17). This passage does not show Shabbat was changed to Sunday, it merely shows that the post-Sabbath observance of Havdalah was observed by the disciples.

"Every week, on Motza ei Shabat (after shabbat), each of you should set money aside, according to his resources, and save it up,so that when I come I wont have to do fund raising.." 1 Corinthians 16:2

Sha'ul is requesting here that donations should be set aside on the first week, Sunday. This money was be gathered ahead of time so that when Sha'ul arrived, the money would be ready to take to the poor in Jerusalem for distribution.
Business matters (especially regarding money) are not conducted on Adonai's Sabbath, so any collecting of this sort would have to be done after Sabath ended or on Sunday through Friday.
The Sabbath is not the topic here -- donations for the poor is. Nothing in this passage indicates a Sunday worship service, this is a practical matter about collecting money -- not about replacing Adonai's Sabbath with a Sunday collection service!

"I was in the Spirit on the Adonai's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a shofer," Revelation 1:10

"Adonai's Day" here is not referring to a specific day of the week; the Greek word here is Kuriokos (Strong's 2960) derived from Kurios (Strong's 2962) a verb meaning "supreme in authority" "Adonai, Adonai" "Master" or "Sir." Which day of the week is nowhere indicated in the text -- it is simply a 'Adonaily Day," because it was a day the Adonai chose to make this revelation to John.

No where in the Brit Chadasha is there any leap that Sunday is another name for the Adonai's Day.

"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day" Matthew 24:20

What difference would it make if the flight were on the Sabbath day if it were no longer binding?

"I am YHWH your Eloheinu; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am YHWH your Eloheinu." Ezekiel 20:19,20

The only true Adonai, YHWH, says to remember *His* Sabbaths. Why does man always go after counterfeits? Scripture names our days by their number, 'first' through 'seventh,' with the seventh day having the distinction of being the Sabbath. Sunday is a later name given to the first day of the week -- and it indicates that particular day's pagan dedication. 'Sunday' refers to worship of the sun-Adonai. In The Two Babylons Alexander Hislop explains:

"The sun, as the great source of light and heat, was worshipped under the name Ba'al. Now the fact that the sun, under that name, was worshipped in the earliest ages of the world shows the audacious character of these first beginnings of apostacy. Men have spoken as if the worship of the sun and of the heavenly bodies was a very excusable thing to do, into which the human race might very readily and very innocently fall."

Compare to II Kings 23:5:

"And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven."

Many ancient pagan sites were originally established for sun-worship -- the pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge, and numerous pagan temples were dedicated to Helios, Apollo, and Mithras. Even Israel went astray into sun-worship:

"And hath gone and served other Adonais, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;" Deuteronomy 17:3

"And he brought me into the inner court of YHWH'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Adonai, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of YHWH, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east."

Idolatry and Adonai's Truth *do not mix*. "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Adonai, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Adonai's table, and of the table of devils." 1 Corinthians 10:21
It is naive and dangerous for man to rationalize such observances with "Oh, but we don't worship on Sunday for the sun-Adonai -- we do it for the true Adonai, YHWH." YHWH commands His people to not to follow pagan observances. No matter how cleverly man may attempt to rationalize the observances to make them seem more Adonaily, what is contrary to Adonai remains contrary to Adonai. Both Cain and Abel made offerings to Adonai -- but Adonai only accepted the appropriate offering. It's the same with our Sabbath day -- Adonai determines which day is acceptable to Him, not man.

"For in six days the Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Adonai blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:11

"Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant." Exodus 31:16

Messianics™ believe this covenant is fundamental to salvation

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