What About Shabbat?
Question from Peter
Claudia and I were discussing the true Sabbath day today. I am not clear on what day this actually is (Saturday or Sunday). Also, Christians, are we bound by the Sabbath rules and actual day whichever it is?
Answer From Paul J Rico
Sabbath is clearly from Friday evening at sunset to Saturday evening at sunset + one hour at either end. But the add one hour at either end is just an attempt to stretch out the Blessing of Shabbat. This is true for Jews, Messianic believers and Christians. Consider that in Spanish it’s even called Sabado or the Sabbath. Since the final authority for what I believe and how I live my life is Scripture, that’s where I look for questions like this. This isn’t the same question as, ” Which day should I worship?” The answer to that question is everyday, 24/7/365. There should be no day that a believer feels that they should or are allowed to sin instead of serving HaShem.
A lot of people think that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday, and they’re entitled to their opinion, but where did God change HIS opinion? When did HE make the change? (I don’t want or mean to be argumentative) If HE did make a change could you give me a chapter and verse in Scripture, because in over 40 years of intense study I haven’t found it? You see I really don’t care what people think or what traditions of men say or what a pagan religion says or what Hollywood says or what I personally want, what’s important is what did God say and in what HE said; what is my responsibility? What ever God has said at some point in the past is still true today and that’s about any issue. God never lies and what HE said never becomes a lie or untrue. The Sabbath isn’t just for Israel, it’s for everyone who is a descendent of Adam, just like the laws of kosher are for all the descendents of Noah. (Which I’ve been informed is everyone)
By the way I’ve found many times that I personally disagreed with HaShem, but that made me wrong, not HaShem. I find it strange that people think that they can tell the Creator of the Universe, what HE should do or say or require of human beings. It’s pride and unbelief that makes a puny human think we can instruct HaShem. It’s also that same unbelief that can result in eternal damnation. A person isn’t saved from eternal damnation by keeping the Sabbath or any other Law of God. We are saved by grace through faith in the shed blood and resurrection of Messiah.
The HISTORY: Some where approximately 320 AD/CE a Roman Emperor named Constantine claimed he had a vision of a cross in the clouds with the inscription under it saying “In this sign you will conquer.” Preparing for the battle he promised his legions who were mostly Christians that if they won the war, he would declare the whole Roman Empire to be Christian. But Constantine was a pagan and when he declared Rome to be Christian he just changed the names or his pagan sun god fertility religion to Christian names. Constantine made anything Jewish illegal and persecuted Jews and Messianic believers for living according to Scripture. Constantine changed the birthday from the Feast of Tabernacles to Dec 25th, the birthday of Tamez son of Nimrod founder of the pagan sun god fertility religion. Their priest aren’t married like the priests of Israel but single like the pagan temple prostitute priests (male and female). If someone wanted to worship in the pagan sun god fertility religion they went to the pagan temple to have sex with the prostitute priests. But HaShem the God or the Bible, Creator of the Universe said don’t have fellowship with the pagans, don’t touch what is contaminated by idols and that we are to come out from among them and be separate. 2 Cor 6:14-18
Question: If a pagan sun god worshiper was going to worship the sun god which day do you think he would choose as the day of worship, the Jewish Biblical Sabbath or Sunday? Did you ever notice that Sunday isn’t spelled Sonday after the Son of God but Sunday as in the sun is god. And if you want to worship the Moon it’s Monday.
If you want to worship the god of the ocean it’s Friday. Small fish are still called fry. There used to be a major religion that claimed that God would send people to hell for eating meat instead of fish on Friday. In grade school I remember sitting across from some (4) children who all in agreement told me I was going to hell for eating a hamburger. Great Times!!! The funny part is “that religion” has since changed their rules, and people don’t go the hell for eating meat on Friday anymore and now the devil doesn’t know what to do with all those Friday meat eaters who are still in hell. Oy what a headache!
The more you know Scripture and the facts of history, the more that keeping the Biblical Sabbath is the LORD’s Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath and Biblical kosher are the easy commandments in Torah. If you can’t keep the easy commandments, what will happen when you come to the more difficult?
I could write a 200 page book on this subject but I hope this answers the basic question. If someone has a further question feel free to contact me.
