Note: First, I want to make this statement, just….in case someone is wondering or assuming, “I am not a Seventh Day Adventist, I am a Bible Christian.” Okay.., with that being mentioned, let’s continue. We’re going to kick this off concerning Paul(Saul) the Apostle, was he a Roman(Gentile) or Hebrew Israelites(Jew for identifying purposes)? Let’s check it out.
Philippians 3:4-5
4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
5. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
((Paul knew his lineage or ancestry down to the tribe, He was a Hebrew Israelite, from the tribe of Benjamin, which is 1 of the 12 tribes of Israel(Numbers 13: 3-15). Let’s continue. Here’s Paul again, clarifing his ancestry.))
Acts 22: 1-3
1. Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
2. (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
3. I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
((Basically, Paul refered to himself as a Jew, because all other nationalities didn’t know or care about what tribe the Israelites came out of, so they just labeled all the children of Israel…Jews, for easy identifying purposes. Keep in mind: Paul said he was taught according to the perfect manner of the law. So he was very informed about the laws of God. For instance, let’s take a look at Paul, concerning the Seventhd Day Sabbath(Saturday).
Acts 13:13-15
13. Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
14. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
((In verse 14, Paul and the other disciples went into the synagogue(church) on the sabbath day(Saturday). “And after reading the law and the prophets,” these guys was reading the law and the prophets(the Old Testament), because the New Testament was not even in existence. If the law was sufficient for the apostles, disciples, and servants of God then, it’s sufficient for us in our time.))
KJV Acts 13:42-44
42. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
43. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
(((The Gentiles had a desire to hear the same words that were preached to the Jews the next Sabbath, not the next day Sunday, or the next Sunday, but the next Seventh Day Sabbath which man has labeled Saturday. Keep in mind, that these church services were going on after Jesus death and resurrection. So..therefore, this is an example for us, to let us know that the commandments that are within the law are still active, even the Sabbath. The people who acknowledge and observe the Sabbath keep the grace of God. For more reference read: Acts 18:1-4)))
These other scriptures comes to mind, Numbers 15:29-30. It’s pertaining to God’s commandments unto all nationalities.
KJV Numbers 15:29-30
29. Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
Note: One law for the Israelites and for any stranger (other people), no matter what ancestry or lineage they’re from.
30. But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
God is the God of all, whether Jew, Greek, or any other nation.
KJV Romans 10:12
12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
((Whosoever will.., an invitation unto all nations. Let’s continue. The next scriptures let’s us know why other nationalities shouldn’t feel separated or be separated in service from the Israelites(Jews- for identification purposes). Also it’s an example on how to be blessed.))
KJV Isaiah 56:1-7
1. Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
2. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
3. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
(((What has happen over time is that, the Roman Catholic Church, and all Protestant Churches such as: Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Orthodox, Latter Day Saints, some Church of God in Christ, ect., basically all the churches that observe the 1stday of the week Sunday and call themselves Christians have separated themselves from what they call, the Jews religion. There is no such thing as the “Jews religion.” The church is Christ’s church not the Jews. When the Lord say “Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people. People shouldn’t say that or feel that way. There is one faith, and one way to salvation for all mankind.)))
4. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
5. Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
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: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Be of a CHEERFUL HEART, God judge with equity, there is no man or woman better than the next, that they don’t have to keep God’s laws and commandments and still get salvation and have access to his holy mountain and house of prayer. God said “for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. All people means anyone from any ancestry or lineage.
KJV Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
KJV Isaiah 49:6
6. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
KJV Galatians 3:27-28
27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
((How can we all be one in Christ Jesus, if we’re separated by different teachings and worshipping on different days? Let’s continue.))
Ephesians 4:4-6
4. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Note: One body(one church), One Spirit(one word, John 6: 63)
5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Note: One faith(One Belief: one way unto salvation for all)
6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
1 Corinthians 14:33
33. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
((He’s a God of order, and stability. You know..,concerning equality, we sometimes clap the hands, and push the issue about it, yet when it comes to giving up something or sacrificing something, equality becomes irrelevant. On the other hand, when it comes to salvation(eternal life), receiving gifts, and materialistics, it’s always relevant. If we’re gonna push equality, it has been accepted on both ends. The creator judge with equity. Would it be fair to the children of Israel(The jews) to have to refrain from breaking God’s laws to get salvation, yet the so called Christians don’t have to do nothing, but just believe, and repent, with no refrainment from nothing, you know..for instance, the so-called Modern day Christian would say something like this to their fellow brother or sister, “Sister or brother, just repent if you get caught up, God understand.” It’s not gone fly. God is a fair God, he has one road map for all mankind unto salvation. Let’s continue and find out who was first to be called Christians.))
KJV Acts 11:25-26
25. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
26. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Question: If the disciples, which were Jews(Israelites) and first to be called Christians kept the 7th Day Sabbath holy, why are the Christians today in these modern times separating themselves from the original Christians by honoring, worshipping, and observing the 1st Day of the Week Sunday? If we’re going to be Christians, wouldn’t it be a good idea to look at the original Christians, to see how they worshipped and honoured God? Whose the Lord of the Sabbath? Let’s continue.
Mark 2:27-28
27. And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
((Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath(the seventh day-Saturday). Who separated the modern day Christians from the old original Christians? Mankind decided within his own mind that he wanted to be separated. When mankind decides to remain separated from Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. What do they separate themselves from? Let’s continue.))
John 4:21-23
21. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Note: Keep in mind, Jesus, the messiah, the Christ, he was born a Jew, he was an Israelite, he was born out of 1 of the 12 Tribes of Israel, which was the tribe of Judah. Mankind has separated themselves from Jesus, some out of ignorance, some intentionally. They’ve not only separated themselves from Jesus, but also salvation(eternal life). Because remember, it’s written in John 4: 22, “salvation is of the Jews.” Who was the man that pushed the issue of separating from the true church? Whose is the Lord of Sunday? Who has decided to worship on Sunday? Let’s continue.
Roman Emperor Constantine in 321 A.D. first. He was a member of the Roman Catholic Church. He forced the Gentiles, and over time many others followed him, mostly back in them days by intimidation and torture. Evenually the majority of the world fell in line. Look around, this is what we have today. The majority of the people who call themselves Christians worship on Sunday. It was not so from the beginning, ref. Genesis 2: 2-3. It is a tradition of man, and not a commandment from the Father in the name of Jesus. Who should we follow and obey, God or man? Who’s handing out salvation(eternal life)?
The Seventh Day Sabbath, a commandment of the Lord, that’s labeled Saturday.
Calendar
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Day 1: Sunday Day 4: Wednesday Day 7: Saturday
Day 2: Monday Day 5: Thursday
Day 3: Tuesday Day 6: Friday
Here are a few scriptures on when and how to observed the Lord’s Seventh Day Sabbath.
KJV Matthew 12:8-12
8. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
9. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
10. And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
11. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12. How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
(((It is lawful to do well on the sabbath. The question is, what is to do well on the sabbath days. In our minds we have to determine “is this thing I’m about to do, a need or a pleasure, a necessity or a want, do I have to have this or can this wait. This example is a need in verse 11, of a sheep falling into a pit on the sabbath day, and being lifted out of it, because it could be hurt, and even die there if not lifted out. The same with mankind for instance, if a man fall into a pit, an if he’s hurt and/or unable to lift himself out, he might die if nobody will help him. If I was to fall into a pit and couldn’t get myself out, I would want somebody to help me. God has pointed out that it was a need not a want. A want could be pursued after the Sabbath.)))
KJV Exodus 35:1-3
1. And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the Lord hath commanded, that ye should do them.
2. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
3. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
(((God’s says we are not supposed to kindle no fire upon the sabbath day. Meaning, we should not be lighting any fire, cooking food, warming food up in the microwave or stove, or going out to buy or get food cook or preheated by others on the Sabbath Day, because they aren’t supposed to be cooking also. There are other options: eating precooked meals that are made before the Sabbath(whether cold or setting outside the refrigerator), foods which don’t need to be refrigerated(candy, crackers, chips, beef jerky, fruits and vegetables, ect., foods that are refrigerated(tuna fish, potato salad, regular salad, sandwiches, ect. This is one of the benefits of why we should keep the Seventh day Sabbath holy, and not Sunday as a day of congregating for church service.))))
KJV Isaiah 58:13-14
13. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
(((Okay, in order for us to ride upon the high places of the earth and get fed with the heritage of Jacob our father, we have to turn away our foot and mouth from doing and speaking our own words and pleasures on his Sabbath. We must refrain from talking about sports, worldly events, parting, gossiping, basically things that have nothing to do with the word of God. We must refrain from work or activities such as: swimming, playing any sports, fishing, sex, watching TV programs that have nothing to do with the word of God, washing our cars, yard work, house work, etc. What can we do? : Go to sleep(rest your body, relax, it’s a day of rest), Play bible games, read the bible, watch bible programs on TV, converse over the phone with others concerning the bible, or wake up and eat and go back to sleep. Once a person get use to it and understand it, it’s a pleasant day. The creator knows our body, he knows whats best for it. We shouldn’t be running, running, and running, 7 days a week non-stop our whole life. It’s a good thing. Some might say I have to work on the Sabbath. Well…the Lord knows all of us don’t have the option at this present time to work on the Sabbath or not, yet if it’s not mandatory, and we’re working on the Sabbath for overtime to get extra money, he knows that too. Some of us have jobs that have mandatory schedules for us to work on Saturday. What can we do? We can ask for the day off or another schedule, but what if we’re not giving it. Do we quit our jobs? No. The Lord looks within our mind, he knows who desire keep the Sabbath holy and don’t want to work on the Sabbath. We just hold fast until either a new job or desire schedule comes about. If we quit our job, we might suffer our family going under, no food, no shelter, and no necessities. Then we want be honouring this:
1 Timothy 5:7-9(KJV)
7. And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.
8. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
((If we don’t provide, we deny the faith, if we deny the faith, we deny Jesus as well. It’s all about reasoning, the majority of us don’t have our own business as a mean of providing our necessities and paying bills, so therefore, we work for these companies. Note: If we’re in this predicament, after working, clocking out, or punching out, we should keep the Sabbath holy from that point forward until it’s over, it begins at Sundown Friday and it ends at Sundown Saturday- 24hrs.))
The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship(church service). We must get to the point where we delight in the Sabbath. When we keep that, we honor God. He delights in us, because we delight in him.)))
KJV 1 John 5: 3
3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Be encouraged, for some, this is new. It was new to me also. Some might say, that’s a lot. Remember, we’re shooting to live forever. It might take awhile to fully do it. Some can start doing all of this rightaway and some not. We have a lot of habits to break. We must chip away at it, until we get a grip on it. If you’re struggling, the Lord knows. When he see that we desire his desires, and we’re giving him our best, and eventually concurring our flesh desires, instead of being concurred by them, he’ll give you strength, yet we have to make the first steps.
Until again,
Grace and Peace