Believers are constantly reminded that Sunday is the perfect day for a period of rest. For this purpose, the incorrect designation of the first day of the week as “the” Sabbath is repeatedly used. A Presbyterian pastor builds bridges between Sabbath and Sunday through fast food chains and parking lots.
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Sunday Sabbath is kept warm
In the context of ecumenism, Sunday is particularly important. With sustained intensity, churches drum up the celebration of one special day of the week, and it is always Sunday. It is God’s will to have a day of rest one day a week, the so-called Sabbath. No work, time for family and separate worship are the highlighted characteristics of this day of rest. And this day of rest is always Sunday.
In the Weekly Word of Encouragement section, Pastor Scott Jeffreys of Forest Park Presbyterian Church in Statesville, North Carolina, shares a devotional on a biblical theme. Jeffreys also addressed the issue of Sabbath (Source). As an introduction, the pastor quoted Exodus 16:4:
“Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.“
Just a voluntary break from collecting?
Jeffreys uses this verse to explain the regularity of the supply of bread from heaven, manna, to the people of Israel who left Egypt. The pastor points out that double the amount of manna came down on a Friday because they were able to take a break from collecting it the following day, the Sabbath. At this point, Jeffreys questioned whether the people of Israel would trust God or whether they would still look for bread on the Sabbath.
There is already an inaccuracy here. The pastor’s account suggested that people could have gathered bread on the Sabbath. But this wasn’t the case at all. No manna came from heaven on the Sabbath. Additionally, Jeffreys did not mention that the manna usually only lasted for a day and then rotted. Only the manna that came down on Friday had twice as long a shelf life. Exodus 16:25-26:
“And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.“
The pastor’s question as to whether they would still look for bread on the Sabbath is also answered. All you need to do is read a few more verses, Exodus 16:27-29:
“And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.“
Sabbath is the seventh day of the week
This connection, which the pastor did not point out, also illustrates something fundamentally important. The Sabbath is explicitly the seventh day of the week. Not the first, third, fifth, but the seventh day. While the simplified Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11), “On six days you shall do your work and on the seventh day you shall rest,” can be twisted to mean “any days in any sequence,” but this indicates that correctly presented Word of God clearly points to THE seventh day, Exodus 20:9-10:
“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, “
A clear reference to the sequence of creation that cannot be interpreted in any other way. In six days God created all the things of this world and on the seventh day He rested. God blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the sequence (Genesis 2:2-3). The Sabbath is not just any day, but the seventh day of the week.
Sunday takes center stage
Nevertheless, Pastor Jeffreys’ statement builds a bridge to Sunday, the first day of the week, by pointing out the fast food chain “Chick-File-A”. Customers stand in front of closed doors every Sunday. This fast food chain closes every Sunday. This is a “vivid reminder of two things.” Firstly, this indicates that man needs the Sabbath, and secondly, this reminds us of the full parking lot for the rest of the week. This may be the case because God looks favorably on this restaurant chain because they observe the principle of the Sabbath, said the pastor.
Jeffreys encourages readers to trust God in the principle of the Sabbath. He suggests praying to work less and get a day of rest. Those who do this will find that the manna will go much further than anyone could ever imagine. “God takes care of his people, who put him to his test!” said the pastor.
An example from everyday life
A perfect example of how to mislead people by putting honey around their mouths. In a fluid transition and therefore suggested as self-evident, the pastor connects the Sabbath with Sunday. Through a quasi-case example from everyday life. To round off the sharp edge, the pastor describes the day of rest as a “Sabbath principle.”
But what is the justification for moving the Sabbath explicitly set by God on the seventh day to another day? This justification does not exist, neither in the Bible nor through sophisticated formulations (Info).
Fast food chain and parking lots. The examples used by the pastor in this context also suggest that he is assuming a fairly infantile readership.
There is no justification for Sunday
The Sabbath was and is and always will be the seventh day of the week.
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The Sabbath instituted by God was changed by the Roman Catholic Church, and they defend their action to this day – here.
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Calling Sunday a Sabbath is misleading – here
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In addition, the biblical Sabbath does not apply to a select group of believers, but to all people – here
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The biblical Sabbath has been fiercely opposed by the Roman Catholic Church since its inception – here
The Sabbath and Sunday will remain stumbling blocks until the end of days. It is the ultimate distinguishing feature of which authority the believer follows. Is it the authority of God or is it the authority of the church?
The difference can be expressed very simply. God established the seventh day as the Sabbath and never changed it. The pastor, as well as the churches, say: “Nope! We designate the first day as the Sabbath.”
This difference, which seems trivial at first glance, is also the difference between God’s seal for His faithful ones and the mark of the beast (Info).
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Revelation 14:9-10
Bible verses from King James Version
Mehr / More:
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Christian Sabbath – Sunday Sabbath – heresy cemented in the church
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Saturday – Sabbath declared by the Pope to be the “Day of Evil”.
