What Day is the Sabbath? Do we still need to keep it?

Theology
81

Ah, rstrats—ever the hermeneutical hair-splitter, wielding logic like a scalpel but missing the resurrection like a blindfolded surgeon. Let’s roll up the sleeves and set the record straight with scripture, not semantics.

re: “he saw and believed”
You’re clinging to Mary’s mistaken assumption like it’s gospel, but John’s own words say otherwise. Verse 8 doesn’t say “he saw and agreed with Mary.” It says “he believed.” Belief implies faith, not merely accepting a theft theory.
And yes, verse 9 says they didn’t yet understand the Scriptures—not that they didn’t understand the resurrection happened. They saw the stone rolled, the grave clothes untouched, and the body missing—and something clicked for John. Faith sparked, even if full understanding would come later. That’s the pattern in Scripture: faith precedes full comprehension.

re: “After eight days” and your calendar riddle
You ask, “What is one day from Sunday?” Easy: Monday. “After one day” from Sunday? Tuesday. So “after eight days” using standard Jewish inclusive reckoning? The next Sunday. This isn’t quantum math—it’s just how time was counted then. The same method that makes “three days and three nights” work from Friday to Sunday. Keep it consistent or throw the whole resurrection timeline out.

re: “At the earliest it would have been the second day of the week.”
False. Unless the Holy Spirit needed to check a Roman desk calendar before inspiring John, “after eight days” from the first appearance on resurrection Sunday places us right back on—you guessed it—Sunday. The Lord shows up on the same day again. Not a coincidence. A pattern.

re: “Nowhere in the verse is the first day of the week mentioned.” (Revelation 1:10)
Correct—and yet irrelevant. “The Lord’s Day” doesn’t need to be labeled “Sunday” there, because by the time John wrote Revelation, the first day of the week was already known among the churches as the Lord’s Day. Why? Because that’s when Jesus rose, and that’s when He kept showing up (John 20:1, 19, 26; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). Tradition didn’t create it—resurrection power did.

You’re fishing for loopholes when the tomb’s already empty.
Instead of asking what day it is, ask what side of the resurrection you’re standing on.
Because resurrection doesn’t just change calendars—it changes hearts.
And that is the point.

82

Hebrews talks about the sabbath as a way of life

So I would conceed that those who believe enter His works that are finished.

The sabbath is a gift made for man.

I do not believe the law was meant to put one in bondage but to free one.

Hence everday can be our sabbath if we are trusting Jesus.

But on the flip side if we have not put things in his hands then rest from running daily without Him may be a time to set forth and think about all the unnecessary things we do that keep us from entering. Laying aside every weight. But everday can be a day of rest if we have enter into life with Him.
Those who have believed scripture says has entered His rest.

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83

Ah, Corlove13, I see what you’re reaching for—but you’re juggling two covenants like they’re compatible, and that’s where the spiritual gears start grinding.

Yes, Hebrews talks about a greater Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4), but that’s not a poetic repackaging of the Old Covenant Sabbath—it’s a replacement. A fulfillment. A new and better rest not found in a day, but in a Person.

You say, “every day can be our Sabbath.” That sounds nice—but let’s be clear: the seventh-day Sabbath was a binding covenant sign for Israel (Exodus 31:13–17). It was never described as a flexible lifestyle option. You couldn’t “spiritually” keep it by just feeling restful—it required a calendar, a command, and a community. You either kept the day or you didn’t.

But now? Christ has come. The rest Hebrews speaks of isn’t about taking naps for Jesus—it’s about ceasing from works to earn righteousness (Hebrews 4:10). We don’t keep the Sabbath, we become the Sabbath people—living in the finished work of the risen Lord every moment.

Sabbath was made for man, yes—but man was not commanded to cling to shadows when the substance has come (Colossians 2:16–17). You don’t go back to the scaffolding once the building’s done.

So no, I don’t need to observe a day to prove I’ve entered His rest. I rest in Christ by faith. I don’t wait for sundown Friday—I walk in resurrection power daily.

Want rest? Don’t reclaim the Sabbath.
Cling to the Savior.

That’s the only rest that saves.

84

Hi, thanks for your correction.

I was never under the Law, I was without the law but under the penalty.

I think we should observe both, but not in order to earn anything but for the means of spiritual growth, and rest for the body. And I can only speak on my behalf and others that may be where be I am on my journey.

For one, too much of anything without proper rest is not good for anyone.

And even though I believe, if God allows me to see more days, I will not be at the same place. The truth is it’s easy to get caught up in things that don’t matter. A sabbath day could be a time of self reflection or evaluation to recommitt our lives to the order that God has estalished for us.

Definitely this has given me peace. Teaching me how to practice running the race by submitting myself under the hand of God. So in a sense everyday of practiced committment could be my sabbath. Yet taking a day to sit down to write about your days and what can be removed in order to remain or enter His rest is important.

So I do believe that entering his rest means putting your trust Him. I believe His words ..but it’s faith that matters.

Peace and :raising_hands: Blessings

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85

Corlove13, your heart sounds sincere—but don’t let sincerity substitute for clarity, because well-meant confusion is still confusion.

Let’s slice this straight:

You say you’re not under the Law, but then suggest we should “observe both”—both what, exactly? Grace and Law? Rest in Christ and weekly Sabbath? That’s spiritual double-dipping, and Paul flat-out calls that falling from grace (Galatians 5:4). You don’t mix the Old Covenant with the New like a spiritual trail mix and hope it fuels your journey.

Now, is rest good? Of course. God invented it. Take a nap. Drink water. Journal your life. But don’t confuse personal rhythms with biblical requirements. The Sabbath wasn’t a wellness tip—it was a covenant sign between God and Israel (Exodus 31:16–17). If you want to keep it as a personal discipline? Fine. But the minute you call it obedience, you just crawled halfway back to Sinai.

You said, “everyday of practiced commitment could be my Sabbath.” Great. That’s not the Sabbath. That’s called sanctification—walking in the Spirit daily, dying to self, growing in grace. Don’t relabel it as “Sabbath” just because it’s peaceful. That’s not how Scripture works. Words matter.

Faith does matter. And real faith rests in Christ’s finished work, not in keeping one foot on the cross and the other in the shadow of Mount Horeb.

If rest brings you peace, praise God.
Just don’t mistake peaceful habits for Old Covenant obligations.

Grace doesn’t need a calendar.
It needs a cross.

86

Are you unaware of the topic of the post?

87

So, which one - my post to KPuff or my question in post #74?

88

Corlove13, your heart sounds sincere—but don’t let sincerity substitute for clarity , because well-meant confusion is still confusion.

Cor
Hi, I don’t think I see the sabbath as you. The sabbath is a wonderful gift. It’s part of the 10 commandments. But I don’t see it as a way to earn anything from God. We are to seek the kingdom. Someone said there is no point in having keys to the kingdom if you never enter to enjoy the benifits.

2b continued

89

Absolutely, Corlove13—and here’s the straight truth wrapped in a velvet hammer:

You’re right, the Sabbath was a gift—but it was a gift with a specific address: Israel under the Old Covenant. It’s not just “part of the Ten Commandments”—it was the sign of the Sinai covenant (Exodus 31:13-17). You can’t just pluck it out, hang it on the fridge, and call it a universal life principle without dragging the whole covenant with it.

And no, keeping the Sabbath doesn’t “earn” anything—but let’s not pretend we can keep part of a law system God already fulfilled through Christ (Matthew 5:17). That’s like wearing a wedding ring from a marriage that’s been fulfilled and replaced with something better—the New Covenant in Christ’s blood (Hebrews 8:6-13).

You talk about keys to the Kingdom—good! But here’s the thing: the key isn’t the Sabbath. The key is the Savior. You don’t enter by guarding a day. You enter by dying with Christ and rising in Him (Romans 6:4-5). That’s not Saturday observance—that’s resurrection life.

So yes, enjoy rest. Praise God for rhythms. But don’t reach back to the shadows when the substance—Christ Himself—has already invited you in (Colossians 2:16-17).

You want kingdom benefits?
Don’t stand at the gate polishing keys.
Walk through the door—His name is Jesus.

90

SS
Usually, your word pictures are linguistic umami; they exude rich depths of profundity; wafting sweet aromas of mystical abstruseness. The “velvet hammer” metaphor, Huh? It lodges in my mind like spaghetti with golf balls. I miss my “guilty pleasure” of smirking over sass on toast.

I appreciate your “sactified style”. Thanx
KP

91

Ah, the velvet hammer—that’s when the truth hits hard, but the delivery still wears a glove of grace.

It’s the kind of reply that doesn’t flinch from confrontation, but it’s not cruel. It cracks falsehood like a hammer, but it’s wrapped in care and respect—truth with tact, conviction with compassion.

So when I say I’m giving you the truth in a velvet hammer, I mean:

The Word hits like a hammer (Jeremiah 23:29), but it’s wielded with love so the goal is conviction, not carnage.

92

The Shabbot–the Sabbath–is Saturday.

Christians are not bound to observing the Jewish Sabbath, but a Christian is free to do so if they, in their freedom, choose to do so. However to argue that a Christian must observe the Sabbath (or get circumcised, or follow kashrut, or any other number of things which were given exclusively to the Jewish people under the Covenant of Sinai) is not only wrong, it’s wicked.

I do not observe the Sabbath. I also eat bacon. I also don’t wear tzitzit on my clothes nor partake in a Seder on Passover. My religion is Christianity, not Judaism. I don’t believe any of these are wrong, I don’t take issue with observant Jews (though, obviously, I disagree with my Jewish friends and neighbors on matters of religion, the same as I disagree with my pagan, atheist, Buddhist, and Muslim neighbors on matters of religion); nor do I take issue with Christians who desire to do any of these things, perhaps because they were raised Jewish and they want to honor the Jewishness of their Christian faith by participating in these things. St. Paul is pretty clear that these things are a matter of conscience and liberty.

It’s only an issue when it crosses from liberty and conscience into the territory of moralistic command. When it does that, well, St. Paul has some pretty harsh things to say in his letters.

93

Just to add a bit of spicy seasoning, that may provoke some additional thought:

In Mandarin Chinese, the prhase “Jīntiān shì xīngqí yī” Means “Today is Monday”. “yi” is Mandarin or the number one. So about 15% of the world, speaking of Monday say “Today is day one”,( as I learned it anyway, I don’t speak Mandarin, except enough to order lunch.) If in China Monday is their first day of the week, does it follow that our Sunday is their seventh? Would a Hebrew Christian in China obediently observe Shabbat on the day westerners call Sunday?

I only bring this up to remind us that God is not English, western, or like me in any way. (I hope I’m not bursting bubbles. If so, sorry! ) It is possible for me to become so Anglo-centric (is that right?) that I inadvertently ignore how God deftly deals with many cultures, across many millennia, across a very diverse world. It is possible, without realizing it, I may begin to create God in my own image.

When God spoke into an ancient Hebrew world (a world He created for Himself BTW) He spoke in their local language. As the truths that God spoke to the Hebrews became known across the world, filtered down through the ages, and settled into various cultures, those people had to ascertain God’s intent as it applied to their specific culture, because direct translation didn’t always work out cleanly. (Yes, I understand the first principle of exegesis to work at understanding the author’s original meaning. First ascertain what the passage meant in the original setting before applying it to the contemporary setting.)

As we debate “What day is the Sabbath?” and “Do we still need to keep it?” we must not forget that the injunction was given to a specific people in a specific era, for a specific purpose. We are not that people, nor do we live in that era, but we sure can discover His purpose, and resolve to walk in it, best we can, together in unity. God promises to bring unity to the ecclesia; unity is a primary work of The Holy Spirit. I have to believe this perennial confusion did not take God by surprise; I am sure God had the diversities of the future saints well in mind when he codified this Sabbath gift to His people, to the apple of His eye, through His faithful servant Moses. I have to believe God has a way of holiness (perfection) for you and I; a way for all His people, of all ages and cultures, to walk faithfully in the gifts He has promised, provided, and placed within our hearts.

Serving Him with you all
KP

With what shall I come before the LORD,
And bow myself (worship) before the High God?

Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:6-8 (NKJV)

94

According to the Jewish calendar, the Sabbath (Shabbat) begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. This is based on the biblical reckoning of days in Genesis 1, where each day is marked as beginning in the evening:

“And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31)

In Detail:
Day of the week: Saturday (the seventh day)

Start time: Friday evening at sunset (around 18 minutes before sundown, depending on Jewish custom)

End time: Saturday evening at sunset, traditionally marked by the appearance of three stars in the sky and the Havdalah ceremony

Scriptural Basis:
Exodus 20:8–10: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor… but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.”

Genesis 2:2–3: “And on the seventh day God finished His work… and He rested on the seventh day from all His work… So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…”

Jewish Calendar and Week:
The Jewish week begins on Sunday (called Yom Rishon), and Saturday (Shabbat) is Yom Shvi’i–“the seventh day.”

Johann.

1 Like
95

You’re right, the Sabbath was a gift—but it was a gift with a specific address : Israel under the Old Covenant. It’s not just “part of the Ten Commandments”—it was the sign of the Sinai covenant (Exodus 31:13-17). You can’t just pluck it out, hang it on the fridge, and call it a universal life principle without dragging the whole covenant with it.

Cor
Hi,
Who says I can’t pluck it out without dragging the whole Covenant with it.. I was never under the old covenant.

Just for the sake of argument. A Woman who marries one man under one Covenant and legally marries another after the first one dies, Can have some of what was in the old Covenant in the new.

Do you agree?

In a sense we all should be able to see ourselves through Israels journey.

In Hebrews one is told to labor to enter into His rest.
If it was such an easy walk..then I’d figure one wouldn’t of had no need to labor to enter. I wish taking up my cross daily was easy. However there are many bad habits that have been rehersed in me that I can find it hard to make my body do what my my mind tells it to.

Why did many fall dead in the wilderness without entering the promise land. Why didn’t they mix what they heard with faith?

After all, God showed his works?

My thoughts are they had other matters that they attended to, things that played into their mind…things they practiced that may have caused them fear. Fear that although they knew God could help them they did not believe He would help them. They were hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

However it may be, I do believe we must remain in Jesus until the end. But How to follow the Spirit is easy to say: just do it! Right… But if it were that easy then the outcome of God’s hand would be on much of what we do, maybe we’d be filled up in His presence that love would spew from our hearts like water running down the stream.

But for my surroundings I do not see this in my life as I should, nor around people in my world.

Hence a need for rest…to trust God with our whole heart and soul to seek first his rule…and in seeking His rule for our lives through prayer, fasting and the like, this can be a time where we learn in silence and by doing nothing remembering God is truly in controll. Covid was a sure eye opener. Realizing the world can run just fine without the everyday hustle and bustles that we add to it.

96

REST to me is in Christ, However , regardless of how you see it we need it. The Body needs rest, and the mind needs time to self examine.

97

THE shadow helps explain the reality, and its a means to staying connected. And nobody is thinking everything done is to try to earn something from God. But to stay in fellowship.

98

The Keys of the Kingdom is itself a fairly good subject. The keys aren’t about “entering into eternal life”, but rather keys represent authority. In St. John’s Apocalypse the Lord Jesus declares He has the keys of Hades, because He has conquered Hades, the keys here represents His victory and authority. So when Christ gives the Keys to His Church, it is Him vesting to His Church His own royal authority; but it is not a carte blanch anything-goes authority, it is specifically binding/loosing, or as we see in John’s Gospel (John 20:21-23) the forgiveness (or retaining) of sins. It is the authority of Christ, in/through His Church, to declare forgiveness and to preach repentance.

There is a lot more that can be said, certainly. And I don’t want to distract from the point of the discussion. But it’s important to understand that the Keys of the Kingdom are about Christ’s authority in and through His Church, rather than being about “how do we enter heaven” or similar–it is that the Church has received, from Christ, His own royal power and authority to speak in His name, by His authority, to the world concerning repentance and forgiveness. Preaching Law and Gospel.

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99

Good point Theo…
I’m thinking about this.

Why “keys”; why plural.?
Consider:

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18-19

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Revelation 1:17-18

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: Revelation 3:7

and

Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. Revelation 9:1

Do you find a relevanxce in the way “key” is pluarized or not?

KP

100

In the hundred-or-so comments in this thread, have we discussed how on the seventh day of Creation God rested from all His works, and on the seventh day of passion week, Jesus rested in a tomb.
Does the first one forshadow the later?
Did God rest on the seventh day of creation in anticipation of His resting in death for the redemption of His creation?

Ideas? Thoughts? Criticisms?

KP