Which Day is the Christian Sabbath?
84-08
Telecast Date: June 7, 1984
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   Why do the churches of traditional Christianity observe Sunday? The people of the Muslim religion the entire Arab world observe Friday and Jewish people of Judaism observe Saturday.
   There is one God and yet we have so many religions and so many beliefs. Everyone thinking it is right and the others are wrong. Something is wrong somewhere. What is it?
   When was the Lord's day of the New Testament started how did it start and by what authority?
   At age 34, and was 57 years ago now I was really shocked. My wife came to me. We were visiting with my parents up in Salem, Oregon. We just come out from the Middle West and my wife said she was going to start keeping Saturday instead of Sunday and I was shocked. To me that was religious fanaticism my wife becoming a religious fanatic.
   You know I was very proud I had been in business and been quite successful in business. I began to think, what would my business associates think? What will my business customers think with a religious fanatical wife?
   I argued, I said well the Bible says though shalt keep Sunday. She says does it? Well can you show me where it says that? I said no. I didn't know much about the Bible.
   I'd been brought up in a Protestant church of course was observing Sunday like Protestants do.
   But at age 18 I had just dropped out of church attendance. As long as my parents took me to Sunday school and the church I continued to go but by age 18 I got interested in business and my own mind was on business and I just quit attending church and at that time I didn't know anything about the Bible.
   My wife says if you will show me where the Bible says to observe Sunday then I'll go back to it and keep it just like always did. Well I had to begin to study in order to save our marriage because that was a very serious thing. Now actually my marriage lasted 50 years until death did us part as a marriage should and I didn't want to have any separation from my dear wife you can be sure and of course I never did.
   But I was challenged and I went into an in-depth research and study. I studied all the history of these things and how they happened and then I began for the first time in my life to really study the Bible and see what it said and what the authority was.
   Now I'm beginning to wonder even, does God exist. As I studied I began to think. Well I've always assumed there is a God and I was brought up to believe in God and brought up as I said in church until I was 18 years old. And so I studied history and for the first time in my life I began to study the Bible and I found a lot of shocking surprises.
   I told my wife, I knew the Bible said that we're commanded to keep Sunday because all the churches do and I said, don't all the churches get their religion out of the Bible. And my wife said, well do they. Well I supposed they did. Don't you think the churches all get the religion of the Bible? You know you might stop to think if they do why do they all differ why do one believe one thing and another believe something else and no two of them seem to agree or get along with the same thing.
   Now I found when I studied the Bible that Jesus Christ said; (Matt. 16:18) "I will build my church." He didn't say churches He said church. But today we find hundreds of Christian denominations all calling themselves Christians well in my in-depth study I researched both history and the Bible as I said.

Roman Catholics - Scriptures Enforce the Observance of Saturday

   Now let me show you some of the things that I found the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church I found in a book called the Faith of our fathers by Cardinal Gibbons quote, "you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday a day which we never sanctified." That is the Roman Catholic Church and that is an official publication of the Roman Catholic Church.
   Now I went a little further and from the Catholic doctrinal catechism is a question, "have you any other way of proving that the church, the Catholic Church, has power to institute the festivals of precept?" Answer now this the Catholic Church official answer, "had she not such power she should not have done that which all modern religions agree with her she would not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week for the observance of Saturday the seventh day a change for which there is no scriptural authority" that's the official catechism of the Roman Catholic Church.
   Now, continuing is another; Question: "When the Protestants do profane work on Saturday do they follow the Scripture as their own role of faith...?" Answer: "On the contrary they have only the authority of tradition" and here they mean the traditional Roman Catholic Church, "for this practice in profaning Saturday they violate one of God's commandments which he has never abrogated." Here in the Catholic catechism they say that Protestants who do work on Saturday or go out in their sports their labor their work that they are violating the commands of God and violating the teaching of the Bible, which he has never abrogated and then they quote from the Bible remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the Roman Catholic teaching.
   You know most of us have grown up believing certain things and as a very well-known philosopher wrote recently one seldom inquires in retrospect why he believes the thing he does the things he does, how he came to believe them and why it is so convinced that what he believes is right and others who disagree are wrong.

Why Do You Believe Things You Believe?

   Did you ever stop to wonder why you believe the things you believe? Well I've researched that too and I find that most of us just believe what we've been taught. We believe what we have read. We believe what well if children growing up we believe what our peers other children of our age believe. We believe what we've been taught in school. We believe what we hear all around us and most people just believe whatever others around them believe. They go along with the crowd. Isn't that what you've done? I think we need to begin to think about that.
   Now then I went a little further and quoted from an edict of the counsel of Laodicea in 363 A.D. was this quote, "Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath that is Saturday but must work on that day rather honoring the Lord's Day;..." when they called Sunday the Lord's day.
   Now something that a lot of people don't know that edict in 363 A.D. simply meant that they were the church pronounce them anathema from Christ if they kept Saturday and worked on Sunday. And at that time the church was you might say riding on the government and guiding it. The church was superior to the government and when the church pronounced them anathema from Christ the government stepped in and arrested them and there were millions of people as you find in history, you should read Fox's book of martyrs for example, and other history historic authorities, millions were terribly persecuted and perhaps millions even tortured to death for observing Saturday instead of Sunday and people were being commanded to observe Sunday.
   Now let's go a little further in the theological dictionary by Charles Buck a Methodist publication I find this quote, "Sabbath in the Hebrew language signifies rest and is the seventh day of the week and it must be confessed that there is no law in the New Testament covering the first day" or Sunday.
   Now that is a confession from the Methodist Church. All right let's look next at the Presbyterian Church in the Christian at work quote, "some have tried to build the observance of Sunday upon an apostolic command whereas the apostles gave no command of the matter at all... The truth is as soon as we appeal to the literal writing of the Bible the sabbatarians have the best of the argument." And the Presbyterians admit there's no authority for Sunday, but that the Bible and forces Saturday instead.
   Now the Church of England let's see what they teach in a catechism by Isaac Williams. Doctor of Divinity quote, "...and where are we told in Scripture that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day... The reason why we keep the first day of the week instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observed many other things, not because of the Bible, but because the Church, has changed it."
   Now Jesus said I will build My Church, but you'll find that in the very first century the church had begun to turn to a different gospel than Jesus and taught and a different gospel than the apostles had taught. The Church began to go astray. Why do we have so many churches today they can't all be right. There are hundreds of different Christian churches or that call themselves Christian and different denominations.

What Does The Bible Say?

   Now as I studied in the New Testament now I began to go to the Bible and notice some of the things I found in the Bible and Matthew 12 and versus 38 to 40 (Matt. 12:38-40); "Than certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, to Jesus, Master we would see a sign from thee."
   Now a sign is a miraculous supernatural proof of identity, "But Jesus answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of a prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." or in the tomb, or in the grave. And you see the tradition says that Jesus was crucified on Friday and they call it Good Friday and everybody observes Good Friday now and he was buried Friday evening just before sunset they think and then he rose early Sunday morning at sunrise, how do you get three days and three nights between Friday and that would be all night Friday one night, all day Saturday one day, all Saturday night two nights one day and two nights that's not three days and three nights in that's the only sign Jesus gave that He is your Savior. If you deny that you deny that Jesus is the Christ you deny your own Savior. Now that is pretty strong language, but that's precisely what it is.
   Now then Jesus said at one time in three days He would rise again after he was crucified and after He died. In three days, now that has to be inside of three days it can't be four days or five days it can go up to 72 hours, but not not even a minute after. So the crucifixion had to be three days and three nights now you can't figure that from Friday crucifixion and Sunday morning resurrection.
   Well the answer is this, He was crucified on Wednesday the Sabbath was drawing on and that Sabbath day you will read in John 19:31 "that Sabbath day was a High day,..." ask any Jew what is a High day and he will tell you that's an annual Sabbath, can come on Monday on Thursday on any day of the week. He was crucified on Wednesday, Thursday was an annual Sabbath day in that year 31 A.D. and He was in the grave all Wednesday night and Thursday night and Friday night and that's three nights he was in the grave all day Thursday and Friday and Saturday and in the end of the Sabbath as it says in Matthew 28 verse 1 (Matt. 28:1) He rose and Sunday morning when they came he had already risen. He had risen in the end of the Sabbath the night before and Sunday morning you'll find the Bible says He was risen which is passed perfect tense. He had already risen not He was rising that he was already risen, so every foundation of Sunday sacredness crumbles.

When Was Christ's Resurrection? Saturday or Sunday?

   Why do people observe Sunday? They say because the resurrection was on Sunday it was not. The resurrection was on Saturday. Saturday evening just before sunset is practically at sunset.
   Now some of these things are rather shocking. They're rather astounding, I had to face all of his 57 years ago.
   Now Jesus you read in Luke 4:16; "went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day..." as His custom was. It was the custom of Jesus to observe the Sabbath and go into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Then the apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, many of them say that Jesus nailed the Commandments to the cross. Paul is the one who brought the doctrine for the Gentiles. In Acts Paul was preaching to Gentiles every Sabbath day, now that's Acts chapter 17 and verse 2 (Acts 17:2). And then Paul said in I Corinthians 11 and verse 1 (I Cor. 11:1); "Be you followers of me as I follow Christ." He observed the Sabbath and preached to the Gentiles on the Sabbath and the Gentiles came to hear him on the Sabbath and he taught the Gentiles to keep the Sabbath and he followed Christ and He said be followers of Me as I follow Christ. So there was an absolute command from the apostle Paul to keep the Sabbath which was Saturday instead of Sunday. Yes I'll say these things are a little bit shocking. You can imagine how shocked I was.

What Is The New Testament Lord's Day?

   Well the New Testament Lord's day, what is the New Testament Lord's day? In Mark 2 and verse 28 (Mark 2:28): you will read where Jesus himself said "the Son of man therefore is the Lord of the Sabbath." Jesus was the Lord of the Sabbath Saturday. Well then that must be the Lord's day, if He is Lord of it. Saturday is the Lord's day where it speaks of the Lord's day in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 10 (Rev. 1:10) it's speaking of the day of the Lord a different period of time altogether and not a day of the week. But where it speaks of the Lord's day Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath.
   Now why? Well you go back to Genesis 1 and verse 1 (Gen. 1:1); the very beginning of the Bible says; "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Verse 26, God which in the Hebrew word was Elohim which is a plural meaning more than one person, "God said let Us make man in Our image..." God said to the one who later became Jesus let Us make man in Our image and God made man in His image. Now before God instructed the first man that he created anything before He took him into the Garden of Eden, before He gave him any teaching whatsoever you read in the second chapter of Genesis the first three verses (Gen. 2:1-3) of How God ended His work of creating which He had made. In the first chapter of Genesis and rested on the Sabbath day and put His blessing on it and set that day a part and it was made for man when man was made. He had created man on that sixth day and assumed the last thing He did on the sixth day of the week was create man. He created animals before that on that same day later He created man the last thing He did on the sixth day of the week which we would call Friday today and then on the day that the day we would call Saturday He rested and was refreshed and put His presence in that day and put his blessing on that day and set it apart to be observed.
   Now in the 10 Commandments, "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." I have asked ministers do you know the Lord, they say oh yes praise his name I know Him. They say yes I know the Lord. Do you keep His commandments he said no I don't keep His commandments they were nailed to the cross. His Commandments are done away and I will tell you nearly every Protestant minister will tell you that today. I John 2:4; "if any man says I know Him and does not keep His commandments that man is a liar and the truth is not in him."
   Now those are pretty strong words there in your Bible. What about the ministers that say I know Him and do not keep His commandments? "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" that's a command from God and it is never been abrogated and it's never been changed and so says the Catholic catechism so said the Methodist Church so say the Presbyterian Church so says the Church of England and I've given you the history of it.

What Is Sin?

   Now what is sin? Jesus came to pay the penalty of sin. You read in Romans 6 and verse 23 the last verse; (Rom. 6:23) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." What is sin? I asked some ministers one time and they wouldn't answer me. They knew the answer, but they didn't dare quote the scripture because it's in I John 3 and verse 4 and there in I John 3 verse 4 (I John 3:4). Turn to your own Bible read, it don't be afraid of it read it, don't believe me believe your Bible, believe God. We're living in a nation that does not believe God. We put on our money, In God we trust, but we disobey God. We don't trust Him and it's about time this nation wakes up.
   This nation is under a curse. God says if we don't tithe this whole nation is under a curse and we don't believe in tithing. Tithing is holy to God the Sabbath is holy to God and we're putting no difference between the holy and the profane in this nation. I John 3:4; "...sin is the transgression of the law." and the law is a spiritual law and is composed of 10 Commandments, it's a law of love, is divided into the two great laws. Love toward God and love toward neighbors, human beings. And the 10 Commandments, the first four tell you how to love God the last six tell you how to love neighbor and sin is violating that law in principle and in spirit, much more than just the letter. Jesus Christ said; (Luke 13:3) "...except you repent, you shall all likewise perish." That means you looking at me right now, "except you repent you shall all likewise perish."
   What is the gospel of Jesus Christ? (Mark 1:14-15) "He came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, (15) And saying... the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the gospel." Repent and believe, now what does repent mean? It doesn't mean just be sorry, it means turn around and go the other way. What way are you to go? What are you to repent of? Sin is the transgression of the law.
   I want to tell you this nation, this whole nation is under a curse. Things are going wrong with us. And the British nation is already gone down and we're going down ourselves in the United States because we are disobeying the great God that has given us the prosperity we have and gives us the breath we breathe and we're disobeying Him.
   And it's about time some voice cries out and shows the people their sins as you read in Isaiah 58:1. I'm trying to do that. Repent and believe are the twin conditions of salvation. On the day of Pentecost they asked Peter how to be saved he said repent, that's turn around quit doing the way you have done and do what God commands. It means keep the Sabbath, it means begin to tithe ten-percent of your gross income and then God will bless you financially and He'll also bless you spiritually all of those things. Jesus said; (Luke 13:3) "...except you repent you shall all likewise perish."
   And I have a booklet that I'd like to send you, "The Resurrection Was Not On Sunday". The resurrection was not on Sunday, but on the Sabbath. Here is another booklet about the Christian Sabbath. Write in for this booklet to give you all is quite a heavy booklet. It'll give you a lot of scriptures it's well illustrated, "Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?". Write in for those booklets there is no charge and no follow-up and we'll also give you a year's subscription to the world's finest magazine of one of the largest circulating magazines over 7 million copies a month the Plain Truth. ...
   So until next time Herbert W Armstrong, goodbye friends.

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Telecast Date: June 7, 1984
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