In the Scriptures the seventh day of the week is called the Sabbath. The word Sabbath is synonymous with rest, repose, restoration, refreshment, calm, tranquillity, freedom, peace, harmony, holiness and sanctification. It is, therefore, a fitting sign of the Creator's character and aims. The divine record of the creation is brief; but it leaves one in no doubt that the Creator rested on, blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week at the creation of the world. Notice what His Word says on this matter in:
| Genesis 2: 1 | Thus the heavens and the earth were finished,
and all the host of them. 2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. |
Many people will be surprised to learn that the true Sabbath day is not Sunday but Saturday. Sunday is the first day of the week. Saturday is the seventh and in Scripture is called the Sabbath of the LORD. In other words Saturday is the true LORD'S's Day. The Sabbath starts at sunset on Friday evening and ends 24 hours later at sunset on Saturday evening. Lev 23:32 "From evening unto evening shall you celebrate your Sabbath." The Sabbath commandment is part of the Ten Commandments, which were written with the finger of God!
| Exo.24:12 | And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into
the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone,
and a law, and commandments which I have written; that
thou mayest teach them. |
| Exo.31:18 | And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end
of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony,
tables of stone, written with the finger of God. ( See
also Deut.9:10 ) |
| Exo.20:8 | Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. |
Yahweh's Sabbath Day
In view of the above facts, it is a mistake to refer to the
Sabbath as the Jewish Sabbath; or that it is only
to be observed by Jews. The Sabbath is Yahweh's Sabbath;
or, as the Scriptures put it: the Sabbath of the LORD
thy God! To be sure it is kept by Israel and the Jews;
but it is not for Israel alone, any more than the Ten Commandments
are for the Jews alone. According to the fourth commandment,
even 'strangers' ( Gentiles ) are expected to keep
the Sabbath day. If they obey this royal command, Gentiles will
also be greatly blessed. Notice the word 'stranger'
in the following texts:
| Exo.20:8-10 | Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy...in it
thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates: |
| Isa.56:6: | Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves
to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to
be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting
it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7: Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer… |
Neither is there any evidence in the New Testament to suggest that the Saviour or his Apostles changed the Ten Commandments and transferred the sanctity of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. Instead, Jesus kept his Father's commandments ( John 15:10 ). If he hadn't done so he would have been classified as 'a sinner.' But we read that the Saviour kept the Sabbath day as it was meant to be kept, much to the annoyance of the Scribes and Pharisees who had burdened the day with many petty, man-made restrictions. These the Master brushed aside. Commenting on the eternal nature of his Father's law the Saviour said these words:
| Matt. 5:17 | Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. |
Pause and consider this text and see how pointless it would
have been for the Saviour to have given this advice to his
predominantly Jewish followers if the Sabbath commandment was
going to be abolished at Calvary. The truth is, the Saviour had
absolutely no intention whatsoever of doing away with or changing
the Sabbath commandment. He had an extremely high regard for
his Father's law; which he was instrumental in giving to Israel
in the first place. ( James 4:12 ) In short, the true Sabbath
day is still the seventh day of the week, the day commonly
known as Saturday!
This unequivocal fact means that those who break the Sabbath
commandment are guilty of sin, whether they realize it or not;
for '…sin is the transgression of the law.' ( 1
John 3:4 ) For further proof of this astonishing fact, see AVITW
article Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath?
Hanging from the Sabbath commandment in the law of the Almighty are the seven annual Sabbaths of Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Unlike the popular holidays of Christmas, Easter, Hallowe'en etc., which have absolutely no scriptural backing whatsoever, the Feasts of the Almighty are the sacred memorials of the Creator's mightiest acts in the Plan of Salvation; each and every one of them being an appointed anniversary of a distinct, decisive achievement in His plan. Yahweh's Feasts are the high days in His Diary. He looks forward to them in much the same way as we would some special anniversary or event. At this moment in time, most of them point to realities that are still future. But all through eternity the redeemed host will look back at these days and will then - year by year - commemorate the mighty deeds the Most High and His Son performed on them for the salvation of the human race. "What" you may well ask, "are the Almighty's Annual Sabbaths?" There are six Feast days and one Fast day. I list them:
These are the seven annual memorial Sabbaths of the Almighty; which all peoples, Jew and Gentile alike, are commanded to observe. These days do not belong to any particular race or religion. They are not Jewish festivals. They are the Almighty's 'appointment times' and all nations are required to keep them. The Most High refers to them as 'My Feasts, My Sabbaths.'
| Lev.23:1 | And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. |
For further information about these divinely appointed memorial
Sabbaths of the Most High see the AVITW booklet entitled: The Feast
Days of the God of Israel .
SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON & STARS
The sun, moon and stars were originally created by the Almighty to draw universal attention to the spectacular deeds He planned to perform on the appointed Feast days, seasons and sabbatical years in the sacred calendar. This astonishing fact is mentioned in the very first chapter of the Bible. Genesis 1:14 which says:
According to Strong's Bible Dictionary
In other words: the sun and moon were set in the heavens to signal the appointed sacred seasons, the set feasts, when Israel was to gather in worship at the Creator's tent of meeting. To be sure the sun and the moon determine the literal days, nights, seasons and years and they directly influence the climate. But the language of Genesis 1:14 goes far beyond these natural events. It tells of the spiritual reasons why the sun and moon were created. They were created I repeat:
Several Bible prophecies confirm the message of Genesis 1:14 by telling us that just before Jesus Christ returns to earth there will be 'signs in the sun and the moon.' Consider these verses:
| Joel 2:10 | The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and
the stars shall withdraw their shining. |
| Joel 2:30-31 | The sun shall be turned into darkness, and
the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day
of the LORD come. 32: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered |
| Amos 8:9 | And it shall come to pass in that day, saith
the LORD GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon,
and I will darken the earth in the clear day: |
| Matt.24:29 | Immediately after the tribulation of those days
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her
light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens shall be shaken: |
| Rev.6:12 | And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal,
and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black
as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13: And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.... |
| Rev.8:12 | And the fourth angel sounded, and the third
part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the
moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third
part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part
of it, and the night likewise. |
These predicted signs in the heavens are scheduled to happen shortly before Yeshua the Messiah returns to earth; and happen they will. When they occur they will provide unmistakable evidence that one of the Almighty's appointed seasons has begun and that the end of this age has arrived. World shattering events will occur at that time and all mankind will then become aware of the LORD'S requirements and His anger at the refusal of many to obey His law.
| Rev.6:16: | And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on
us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? |
If you believe the message of Genesis 1:14 then at each sacred
festival you should be on the watch for celestial signs in the
sun, moon and stars. Failure to keep the Almighty's appointments
could mean that when those signs occur - as they surely will
- the spiritual significance of the feasts and the prophecies
to which they relate will be lost to you. To be sure you will
marvel at those celestial signs, all humanity will, but you will
not realize their spiritual significance and will be
completely oblivious to what they mean and, more importantly,
what you are expected to do.
Note:
Astrology is the study of the supposed influence of the
stars on human affairs. A horoscope is an astrologer's
forecast of future events, based on the position of stars and
peoples' birthdays. The study of astrology and the daily reading
of horoscopes is strongly condemned in the Scriptures. ( Deut.4:19,
2 Kings 23:5 ) The signs in the sun, moon and stars mentioned in
this booklet have nothing to do with the study of astrology
or the reading of horoscopes. The celestial signs prophesied in
the Scriptures will occur at the Almighty's appointed time. When
they appear, it will be too late to rush about improving your
understanding of God's Word. That must be done now, before it
is too late. If on the other hand you are a believer, then do
not be terrified when those signs appear, because they spell out
good news to the obedient.
