“God has commanded us to ‘remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.’ Remember it—don’t forget it,” writes Liz Eagle in the faith section of
LifeZette. “Those of us growing up in the church were taught our whole lives to obey the Ten Commandments. … Let’s start with the Sabbath, as this commandment seems to be overlooked more than one might think.”
But Eagle then states: “For most Christians, this is observed on a Sunday, though the Bible does not clearly define which day should be chosen.” Is that true? Let’s go back and read the fourth commandment. It says:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested
the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8–11, emphasis added).
The Bible says God set apart the Sabbath at creation when He rested on the seventh day, blessed that day, and hallowed it (see Genesis 2:1–3). Jesus faithfully kept the seventh-day Sabbath (see Luke 4:16). Luke 23:54–56 and 24:1 list three days in succession. The day Christ died—the preparation day—was Friday. The day Jesus rested in the tomb—Sabbath—was Saturday. And the day Jesus was resurrected—the first day—took place on Sunday. Almost all Christians agree that Christ died on Friday and rose on Sunday. The day between is the Sabbath, or Saturday. The apostle Paul also kept the Sabbath on the seventh day (see Acts 13:42–44).
The history of the Jewish people clearly defines which day is the Sabbath; they have been celebrating it on Saturday for over 4,000 years. Language testifies to the preservation of the Sabbath—we can confirm Saturday as the Sabbath by looking at over 140 languages that define the seventh day as Saturday.
Does the Bible clearly define which day of the week is the Sabbath? Without a doubt, it is Saturday. If you’d like to know how Sunday was chosen as a day of rest, historical records are open for anyone to read. It was not Jesus but a Roman emperor who set aside Saturday for the first day—but God Himself clearly defined the seventh day as the Sabbath.
Who attempted to change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday? Watch “
History’s Holy Hoax” to learn more.