Table Of Contents...

Sabbath Principles.

 

Sabbath Principles.
Many things are discussed concerning the Sabbath day, but do
you have clear picture of the Sabbath Covenant and all it entails?

The scriptures say, a good understanding have all they that do His Commandments. Therefore, it would logically follow that the better we do His Commandments, the better the understanding we will have of them.

(Psalm 111:10)[1] (KJV) The fear of the Almighty is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

If we are to be growing in truth and knowledge, but a good understanding becomes increasingly elusive, perhaps there is still more we can learn about basic commandment keeping. After resisting our anti Sabbath-keeping enemies with steadfast resolve, maybe its time to reexamine our own personal approach, as to how we should keep the seventh day Holy. The only proper way to do that, is to ask the ETERNAL CREATOR Himself [not the soothsayers, priests, rabbis, ministers, etc. of today's religions], how He wants us to do that. There should be no fear of being accused of "legalism" by doing so.

Today, we will re-evaluate one basic concept that has seemingly been understood, but one that has been clouded by our institutional religious traditions. We will focus some light on the first and most important feast instituted by the Almighty CREATOR, namely the Seventh-Day Sabbath. We shall take a closer look at the meaning of "turning away our foot" from trampling on the ETERNAL's appointed Holy time (Isaiah 58:13-14).

(Isaiah 58:13-14) (ISV) ¹³If you keep your feet from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on My Holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the ETERNAL's Holy day honorable; and if you honor it by not going your own ways and seeking your own pleasure or speaking merely idle words, ¹⁴then you will take delight in the ETERNAL, and He will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; and He will make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob, your father. Yes! The mouth of the ETERNAL has spoken.

The CREATOR has much more to say on how to observe His True Fasts and Sabbaths in the book of Isaiah. We are told to: "lift up our voice like a trumpet", and "declare to my people their rebellion". So, in that vein, this is what this study is all about. You should take the time to learn what He has to say on this important topic in (Isaiah 58-59).

Buying, Selling, And Serving Food On The Sabbath.

It only takes one day of fasting for us to realize just how much of our life is centered on obtaining food. In fact, even the slightest restriction or limitation on eating, observing Unleavened Bread, adhering to the laws of unclean meats, or just maintaining moderation in our diet, serves to remind us of a host of spiritual concerns. Perhaps this is one reason why so much of the ETERNAL's way of life involves eating and/or not eating. It should be little wonder then, that food is the focus in at least two major areas of scripture where the Sabbath Commandment is concerned.

People will only learn what they are willing to know. Most of us are probably happy enough with the hazy impression we have that Scripture somehow allows for buying food on the Sabbath, and we embrace the exemption with supposed impunity. However, if we were willing to know for sure, if we were really looking for a Scriptural definition of how to keep the Sabbath holy, that is, how to keep from profaning it, we should want to consider (Nehemiah 13:15-22) as a fundamental example of inspired instruction. This passage is as plain as any scripture can be, unencumbered by difficult translation problems or obscure Hebrew idioms. It is the kind of passage that we are taught to go to first when seeking to establish truth. It is the easily understood, straightforward report of how, during the days of Nehemiah's reforms, some merchants were selling (and therefore someone was buying) merchandise, particularly and most notably food, on the Sabbath day. Nehemiah's reaction to this is not mysterious or vague in any way. There is nothing in his response to indicate that there might be mitigating circumstances to justify such a transgression. His censure is quick, sure, blunt, and direct. He clearly and unequivocally condemns the practice as evil and profane, in verse 17 below:

(Nehemiah 13:15-22) (NKJV) ¹⁵In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. ¹⁶Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. ¹⁷Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, "What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? ¹⁸Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our 'God' bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath". ¹⁹So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. ²⁰Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. ²¹Then I warned them, and said to them, "Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you"! From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. ²²And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my 'God', concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!

Now, before going on, let us honestly examine our reaction to that statement. Even among passionate Sabbatarians, the likely tendency is to refuse to accept this black and white declaration at face value. Some may tell you, that there is NO WAY eating out at a restaurant the evening before the Sabbath, or picking up a coffee on the Sabbath, or buying an ice cream cone on a warm Sabbath afternoon is evil or profane!

Right here, if we are not careful, is where communication may break down and growth in knowledge could be harmed. From this point, the rest of this study may likely be viewed from a defensive posture, if read at all, and the writer dismissed as a pharisaical fanatic. However, what is the point of Scriptural study if we are unwilling to consider, what we do not already know is true? What profit is there in "searching the scriptures," if we are not sincerely looking for truth?

Continuing, then, in Nehemiah, we find an ancient example of a modern day technique for thwarting human nature, morality legislation. Nehemiah orders the gates to the city shut from sundown to sundown during the Sabbath, and posts guards to forcibly prevent any trafficking of goods into the city (verse 19). He threatens to bodily harm some straggling peddlers, who were just "hanging around" outside the city (verses 20-21). And finally, he sets priests as Sabbath day gatekeepers, as symbolic reminders that buying and selling (in other words, doing business) on the Sabbath is against the law (verse 22). End of story.

Could anything found in the writings of ancient Israel, ostensibly written for our example, be any plainer than this? An inspired student of Scripture may well find a dual meaning to this story. Some learned scholar might well be able to peal back layers of esoteric Hebrew nuances and find here something of profound prophetic significance. Nevertheless, the primary meaning, the top layer, seems to be as clear as it gets, a textbook example of the Scripture interpreting itself. Buying and selling on the Sabbath is profaning it.

Still, as mentioned earlier, there are arguments that can be posited to negate this instructive story. It is truly amazing, the extent to which we humans can rationalize. We will now closely examine these arguments and determine if there really are any legitimate loopholes through which our own traditions may emerge justified.

Sabbath Principles For Nehemiah's Day Only?

The briefest summation of Nehemiah's time will suffice for our purposes here. The Jews had been allowed to return from exile, rebuild their city of Jerusalem, and rededicate themselves to following the newly discovered laws and ways of their ETERNAL CREATOR. (The parallel to our discovering the truth is already striking.) But Nehemiah, recognizing their wayward proclivities, and wanting to insure the success of the fledgling nation in walking on the ETERNAL's righteous path, engaged them in a covenant that reiterated obedience to that law, and outlined some specifics in areas that needed special emphasis. Notice the buying and selling clause:

"And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals [food] on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the Sabbath, or on the Holy Day..." (Nehemiah 10:31, KJV):

(Nehemiah 10:31) (KJV) And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

(Nehemiah 10:31) (TLB) We further agreed that if the heathen people in the land should bring any grain or other produce to be sold on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we would refuse to buy it. And we agreed not to do any work every seventh year and to forgive and cancel the debts of our brother Jews.

Now could we conclude from this, that it was acceptable for the Jews to buy and sell among themselves on the Sabbath, as long as they did not do business with outsiders? As well-known radio commentator Rush Limbaugh would say, "Let us demonstrate the absurd by being absurd." The parallel to our day would be then, that it is perfectly proper for people playing church Sabbath keepers to do business, buy and sell, make deals, and trade with each other on the Sabbath, but NOT with the outside world in general. Ridiculous! Either way, Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds would still be out!

More plausible perhaps one could conclude that the notion that the "evil" that Nehemiah condemns the people for in (verse 13:17) is that they broke this specific rule in (verse 10:31); which was only a special covenant for them, to be a kind of schoolmaster helping them to obey "God's" law at that time. However, this cannot be true. Notice Nehemiah's complete thought: "What evil thing is this that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath Day! This is just what your ancestors did, and for it "God" brought all this misfortune on our city..." (Nehemiah 13:17-18, Tanakh) Their ancestors also did evil and profaned the Sabbath in the exact same way! Their ancestors could not have had anything to do with this newly ratified and temporary agreement in (verse 10:31), an agreement that involved only Nehemiah's contemporaries! These ancestors had to be the generation prior to the "misfortune", of the Babylonian captivity seventy years earlier, that was brought upon their city. So what did their ancestors do that was just as evil and profane? The same thing Nehemiah's generation had begun to do, they traded, they did business, they spent money and bought food and other ware on the Sabbath.

(Nehemiah 13:17-18) (KJV) ¹⁷Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? ¹⁸Did not your fathers thus, and did not our 'God' bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

Baking, Boiling, And Heavy Cooking.

As mentioned earlier, one of the most basic of human needs, eating, is used by our CREATOR to demonstrate important spiritual principles. The well-known story of manna in (Exodus 16) will immediately be familiar. We need not rehearse here the rudimentary tenets of our Sabbatarian belief this chapter provides. All will agree for example, that this passage shows that keeping the Sabbath has been part of the great spiritual law since creation. It will be noted however, that once again the procuring of food is central to the discussion.

Embedded in the heart of this story is a simple reference to cooking that has burgeoned into a plethora of differing opinions as to just what is an acceptable level of exertion when preparing or obtaining meals on the Sabbath. (Verse 16:23) seems to say that all cooking, e.g., baking and boiling should be done on the day before and avoided on the Sabbath.

One would presume that roasting, frying, grilling, broiling, toasting, poaching, barbecuing and microwaving would also be restricted or this supposed injunction could easily be circumvented. Add to this the erroneously applied prohibitions against gathering sticks (Numbers 15:32), and kindling fires (Exodus 35:3), and this view seems well supported.

Our interpretation then, has been that (Verse 16:23) must refer only to "heavy" cooking. Of course, careful planning and preparation are necessary to avoid too much work. Our tendencies are to do the shopping and most of the heavy cooking prior to the Sabbath, presumably leaving only "light" cooking and final preparations to be performed on the Sabbath.

The intention here was always right and good, and in a perfect world, would without objection be the best and preferred Sabbath dining custom. But as all who have ever attempted to do this can attest, it is not without its little nagging difficulties. Just when does cooking become "heavy"? At what point will our guests "decide" we are doing too much? How much work can be done ahead of time and still yield a freshly prepared meal?

Also what about clean up? Certainly many husbands feel that ANY participation in this area would be "breaking" the Sabbath. Add to this the fact that most people today are stretched to the limits of their time. We have busy households where most family members are at work or school all day. Then there are endless chores and errands leaving precious little if any "preparation" time prior to the Sabbath. The Sabbath is upon us before we know it, and the lure to just go out to eat and enjoy the fruits of someone else's labors is a strong one.

The Israelites gathering their daily manna.

A careful reading of (Exodus 16) however may ease our apprehension. The ETERNAL here, as in Nehemiah, uses the acquisition of food, not its preparation, to demonstrate Sabbath keeping. In a sense, He made a deal with the people of Israel. If they would go out and gather manna for six days, He would provide manna enough for seven days. To put it in other words, the Israelites were to work and do all their business in six days (Exodus 20:9). That was their part of the bargain. They could not hoard food in order to skip a day's labor because manna would rot by morning. Also if they decided to work (do business) on the Seventh Day, their efforts would prove fruitless, and eventually bring divine disfavor. If they did their part, the ETERNAL would not only provide food everyday, but would allow them to gather two day's worth on day six.

The ETERNAL One, who created the manna, would see to it that this remaining portion would not rot overnight, and thus graphically demonstrate that the Sabbath, like that laid up manna was to be "sanctified," or kept "holy", set apart for a special purpose. Once the Sabbath morning arrived, the people would see that their "sanctified" portion of manna was still good and ready to prepare and eat.

(Exodus 16:23) is the explanation of the latter part of the deal. It describes what to do with the double portion an Israelite would have at his disposal on the sixth day. This is how they would be conditioned to keep the Seventh Day holy. They were to learn from this not only which day was number seven* [the Sabbath], but how to keep from profaning it as well.

*We will cover this aspect of the Sabbath later in the study.

Whatever manna was, it apparently had to be cooked or prepared in some way before being consumed. Notice that Moses relays specific instructions from the Eternal as to how to deal with the double portion:

(Exodus 16:22-24) (NKJV) ²²And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. ²³Then he said to them, "This is what the ETERNAL has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the ETERNAL. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning'". ²⁴So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it.

There are no restrictions on cooking here at all. Indeed, precisely the opposite seems evident. There is no indication that the Israelites would be expected to eat raw manna on the Holy Feast Day. They were to gather a double portion on day six, bake and boil ONLY what they would eat that day, and "sanctify" the rest. Then on the next day, the Sabbath, they could bake and boil and eat that miraculously preserved portion to their heart's content.

This is not to suggest that "heavy cooking" [as a profession] is not also work. We should not expect a homemaker for example, who cooks every day, to happily prepare a huge feast on the Sabbath. We should rest from intensive domestic labors as well. However, the point is that this verse does not ban all Sabbath cooking or meal preparation. The Israelites were essentially camping in a primitive wilderness. Moreover, as anyone who has done any camping knows, a certain amount of unavoidable "work" is necessary just to meet basic survival and hygienic needs. What the Sabbath law commands rest from, is [plying one's trade], whether it is cooking and homemaking, or as in this case, trading time and energy for manna.

The crux of the whole matter is this. The chosen people were to do something very different from what they were used to, very different from what the rest of the world did. They were not to expend their time and energy acquiring food on the Sabbath day. Just as the Jews in Nehemiah's day were not to expend their time and energy or that which their time and energy earned [money], acquiring food on the Sabbath.

Again, there are certainly symbolic implications to the manna example that can teach great spiritual lessons. But surely, we would never say the spiritual nullifies the physical. We would never say that one could keep the spirit of the law without keeping the letter. Remember; we are the ones who defended the Sabbath command from those who used just such logic to do away with it.

Hiring Servants And The Electric Company.

If our CREATOR had not endowed us with rational, logical minds capable of seeing our own folly, we would of all creatures, be most miserable. Yet, it is precisely our ability to rationalize that causes our folly in the first place.

Think back to when we first heard about the Almighty's powerful eternal law. Think back to the time when we were willing to make whatever changes were necessary to comply with the CREATOR's true Way of life. One of the first questions we may have had about the Sabbath was about waiters in restaurants. Are they not just like our servants? Is it alright to pay them to serve us on the Sabbath? A fair question given the rather explicit instructions regarding servants in the forth commandment. Not a problem, was the reply from those more knowledgeable and mature than we were. You see, they are not 'really' our servants, they are the restaurant owner's servants! Really? Well I guess that makes everything just peachy-keen then, right?

HOWEVER, ALL THIS IS BESIDE THE POINT ANYHOW! In this miasma (swamp) of human reasoning, logical deduction, and intellectual justification, we have completely lost sight of the issue at hand. The problem is not one of defining who our servant is, but whether we are buying anything on the Sabbath or not! When we order electric service for our home, we discuss rates and terms and do our business that day. When we pay our electric bill, we write our check and conclude our business that day. Also when we buy food in a restaurant, in a grocery store, at a roadside stand, or from the pizza delivery boy, we are doing business that day. But, it is up to you to ensure that, that day is NOT the Sabbath.

It is difficult to see here any difference from the situation in Nehemiah's day. We do not recall Nehemiah saying, "These merchants would be selling their food on the Sabbath anyway, so the ETERNAL won't hold us responsible for partaking of their services on the Sabbath." No, the only difference is that we do not have Nehemiah here to throw them out, shut them down, and bar their way into the Sabbath. Too bad. Now, its up to each of us.

If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that scriptural authority for buying and selling on the Sabbath, continues to elude us. We see there is nothing explicit or implicit, that nullifies the clear, basic, and unambiguous instruction given to us in scriptures like (Exodus 20), (Nehemiah 13), and (Isaiah 58).

Business As Usual IS Biblical Profanity.

Working to make money, and spending that money, are opposite sides of the same coin of commerce. There can be no business without both. A salesman once said, "Nothing happens until something is sold." If something is not bought, nothing happens, no work! And that is exactly what is supposed to happen on the Sabbath, nothing, no work, neither you NOR your servant should work, according to the Fourth Commandment.

We tend to think of servants as people employed only by the wealthy to cook their meals, drive their cars, answer their doors, etc. But in a very real sense, we are all servants whenever we work. If you work for someone or if you are self-employed, you are the seller, the servant in the equation. You are either selling a product, a service, or like most of us, selling your time and labor, just as a servant does, for money. When you spend that money, you are the buyer in the mix. In essence, you pay another servant, your servant, for the work he performs for you or product he sells to you. You are either the servant or the one being served, the seller or the buyer! It is, as the expression goes, what makes the world go around. It is the rat race. It is what most of us do most of our waking hours. It is what makes one day just like another day, customary, ordinary, and common. And it is ALL SUPPOSED TO STOP FOR TWENTY-FOUR HOURS every Sabbath day, so we can worship, commune, and solicit knowledge and truth from our CREATOR. To love Him, as He loves us. To turn our backs on ourselves, and look towords Him on the very day, He set aside for that purpose.

Six days were allotted to us to be ordinary and common. The Sabbath was set apart [made holy] from the other six days to be extraordinary and uncommon, and the command is to KEEP it that way. The Jews of Nehemiah's day did not keep it holy. They made it common by doing what they commonly did every other day; they bought food and other merchandise. And that is how they profaned it; by tending to their own affairs and doing their business, and not the business required by the CREATOR.

What Is The Real Purpose Of The Sabbath?

Now that we know why we should not be doing our business as usual on the Sabbath, we will take a look at what the real purpose of the Sabbath is. Don't be fooled by the various religions and their customs and traditions of today. Despite their insistence to the contrary, going to indoctrination "church" to listen to a soothsayer [minister, priest, rabbi] tell you the way his 'god' wants you to live your life, and communing with your fellow church members is NOT what the CREATOR ordained for His people on the Sabbath.

Quite the contrary. I know most will, by now, be ready to stuff cotton in their ears and head out the doors. But, don't be so quick to flee from the truth. Read on as we examine what the CREATOR, who instituted the Sabbath, has to say on the importance and purpose of the Sabbath. The reason people are blinded to the truth, is because they have never heard it. The reason they have never heard the truth, is because they have never searched for it themselves! No, most couldn't be bothered. It's far easier to listen to someone else, tell them what the so-called truth is, so they don't have to look it up on their own.

And this, is where it all falls apart. We have all played the game called "pass it along", where one person reads a message from a paper, and then whispers it to the person next to them, who then whispers it to the person next to them, until after many people have told the message to the person next to them, the "passed on" message is nothing at all like the original. It is all quite funny and fun at parties, but when it comes to the word of the CREATOR, suddenly it is not so funny. Rest assured, most if not all of what you think you know about the CREATOR, is completely false. So, what can be done to correct this unacceptably sad situation?

We Must Diligently Seek Out The Almighty CREATOR.

In order to start a 'Quest For The Ancient of Days' we must seek for Him diligently. If we sincerely seek for Him, with all of our heart, and all our soul, then He has promised us something. There is only one condition the CREATOR has for us to receive this promise. The CREATOR says that we must search for Him with ALL our heart and being. That means that we will not receive His Promise with just a half-hearted search and only obey the Commandments of our choosing. But to receive His Promise, we must search for Him with ALL of our heart. Then the CREATOR says, "you will find Him". In other words, "we will find the ETERNAL!" To receive the ETERNAL's promises, the conditions have to be fulfilled.

In the following verses the ETERNAL sends a message by Moses for the people to search for the CREATOR and that no matter what conditions they encounter they will find Him:

(Deuteronomy 4:29-35) (NKJV) ²⁹But from there you will seek the ETERNAL your CREATOR, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the ETERNAL your CREATOR and obey His voice ³¹(for the ETERNAL your CREATOR is a merciful SOVEREIGN), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. ³²For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that the ETERNAL created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. ³³Did any people ever hear the voice of the ETERNAL speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? ³⁴Or did the ETERNAL ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the ETERNAL your CREATOR did for you in Egypt before your eyes? ³⁵To you it was shown, that you might know that the ETERNAL Himself is SOVEREIGN; there is none other besides Him.

That still holds true for you and me. In fact, to see why you should seek Him, and how we came to be scattered among the nations of the earth as outcasts, read the above chapter in it's entirety (Deuteronomy 4). [Hint: it has to do with worshiping idols, icons, figurines, self-proclaimed, 'saviors', and other 'gods' which includes a man from Galilee, his mother, or any other false 'gods', that the fathers from Adam, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to Moses did not know]. It is very sad that today, we are still doing those very same things. Many years ago I began to doubt the integrity and Credibility Of The [New Testament]™. Because, no matter how hard I tried, or studied, or prayed to the so-called 'savior', I never felt anything in return. No love. Not even a feeling of well-being. Just deafening silence. I thought, how can this be?

We Have Forsaken The MIGHTY ONE Of Israel:

It is vital that you understand how important The ETERNAL CREATOR and SOVEREIGN of the universe views false idols, false 'gods', false saviors, and those who promote them, either intentionally or unintentionally. Make no mistake about it. The self-proclaimed 'son of god', met the fate of false prophets [PUT TO DEATH], even though much of what he said, and did, came to pass. It is also a test and a warning to see if you can be tricked into believing such a one. Just as the CREATOR allowed the adversary of man to deceive Adam and Eve in the garden, He continues to allow the adversary of man to deceive you today with the so-called [New Testament's]™ false covenant! Also see: (Deuteronomy 28:20, Deuteronomy 29:25-26, Deuteronomy 31:16-18, Judges 10:10, Judges 10:13, 1 Samuel 8:8, 1 Kings 11:33, 1 Kings 19:10, 2 Kings 22:17, 2 Chronicles 7:19-20, Isaiah 1:4, Jeremiah 1:16, Jeremiah 2:13).

Beware Of FALSE PROPHETS And SAVIORS:

(Deuteronomy 13:1-5) (WEB) ¹If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, ²and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods" (which you have not known) "and let us serve them"; ³you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for Yahweh your CREATOR is testing you, to know whether you love Yahweh your CREATOR with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴You shall walk after Yahweh your CREATOR, fear him, keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cling to him. ⁵That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be [PUT TO DEATH], because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your CREATOR, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which Yahweh your CREATOR commanded you to walk in. So you shall remove the evil from among you. Also see: (Exodus 3:15, Psalm 146:3).

Finally, listed here are some Scriptures on the importance, and benefits, of learning and applying all that the CREATOR has to teach us. The Sabbath Day, is the most important time to approach and ask for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding from the CREATOR. Doing so, allows Him to 'sanctify' you, because the Sabbath is the sign between Him and you, that He will honor and answer all your requests for knowledge and wisdom. This is the time He appointed for you to do so. In fact, the Sabbath is the first and most important Feast listed by the CREATOR in Leviticus:

(Exodus 31:13) (NKJV) Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the CREATOR who sanctifies you.

(Leviticus 23:1-3) (NKJV) ¹And the CREATOR spoke to Moses, saying, ²Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: The feasts of the CREATOR, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. ³Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the CREATOR in all your dwellings.

(Exodus 16:29) (NKJV) See! For the ETERNAL has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

Wow! Hold the phone. Did you catch that? Something you will NEVER HEAR in your church, mosque, or temple. Yet, it couldn't be any clearer. Lets read it again elsewhere, just to make sure:

What Must We Do When Keeping His Most Holy Day?

As we just read in (Leviticus 23:1-3, and Exodus 16:29), first and foremost we are to remain within our own dwellings on the 'Seventh-Day Sabbath'. Unlike other appointed Feasts, where we are commanded to apear before the Almighty, we are not to venture out on the Sabbath. We are to use this time to prayerfully study His word, offer praise and thanksgiving for all He has given to us, starting with our very lives. We are to use this time for prayer and supplication, asking Him for knowledge and truth.

Despite all the ideas that we must study His word at [high places such as: Cathedrals, Chapels, Churches, Monasteries, Mosques, Synagogues, Temples etc.], and learn from men with [Honorific] titles such as [Apostle, Bishop, Cardinal, Deacon, Elder, Imam, Minister, Monk, Mullah, Pastor, Preacher, Priest, Rabbi, Reverend, etc.], the ETERNAL makes it quite clear that He is the possessor of all knowledge, and the only one qualified to teach His word:

(Isaiah 8:20) (NKJV) To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

It does NOT say "To the minister, or the priest, or the rabbi". Nor, does it say "To the church". No, it says "To the law and to the testimony", meaning the Holy Scriptures [the Tanakh or Old Testament]. Here are just a few, of the many Scriptures on how, and from whom, you should learn the Holy Scriptures:

(Deuteronomy 11:18-23) (NKJV) ¹⁸Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ²⁰And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the ETERNAL swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. ²²For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do, to love the ETERNAL your CREATOR, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him, ²³then the ETERNAL will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves.

(Joshua 1:8) (NKJV) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

(Ezra 7:10) (NKJV) For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the ETERNAL, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

(Psalms 1:1-6) (NKJV) ¹Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ²But his delight is in the law of the ETERNAL, And in His law he meditates day and night. ³He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. ⁴The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. ⁵Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. ⁶For the ETERNAL knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

(Psalms 92:1-2) (NKJV) ¹It is good to give thanks to the ETERNAL, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; ²To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night... See: (Psalms 92) for complete text.

(Psalm 119:9) (NKJV) How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

(Psalm 119:11) (NKJV) Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

(Psalm 119:17) (NKJV) Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.

(Psalm 119:18) (NKJV) Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.

(Psalm 119:99) (NKJV) I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.

(Psalm 119:105) (NKJV) Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

(Proverbs 2:1-5) (NKJV) ¹My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, ²So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; ³Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, ⁴If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; ⁵Then you will understand the fear of the ETERNAL, And find the knowledge of the CREATOR.

(Proverbs 3:1-2) (NKJV) ¹My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; ²For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.

(Isaiah 8:19-20) (NKJV) ¹⁹And when they say to you, Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter, should not a people seek their CREATOR? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

(Isaiah 58:13-14) (GNT) ¹³The ETERNAL says, If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, ¹⁴then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the ETERNAL, have spoken.

(Hosea 4:6) (TLB) My people are destroyed because they don't know me, and it is all your fault, you priests, for you yourselves refuse to know me; therefore, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten my laws, I will 'forget' to bless your children. - (ALL Versions)

In fact, the ETERNAL CREATOR goes out of His way in (Hosea 4:6) to condemn all so-called [priests, rabbis, ministers, etc.] for teaching falsehoods, lies, and obfuscations of His Laws and testimonies! And the greatest falsehood, lie, and obfuscation surrounding the Sabbath is "What day is it"?

What Day Is The Seventh-Day Sabbath?

Today, if you look around, you'll see that different religions observe the Seventh-Day Sabbath, on different days. But how did this come to be? Is there not one Seventh-Day Sabbath ordained in Scripture? How then, can it be on 'Friday', or 'Saturday', or 'Sunday'? Or, can it be on all three? Is that Scriptural? Can the truth be found in these latter days? The answer to that is clear:

(Deuteronomy 4:27-31) (KJV) ²⁷And the ETERNAL shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the ETERNAL shall lead you. ²⁸And there ye shall serve 'gods', the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. ²⁸But if from thence thou shalt seek the ETERNAL thy CREATOR, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. ³⁰When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the ETERNAL thy CREATOR, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; ³¹ (For the ETERNAL thy CREATOR is a merciful SOVEREIGN); he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Again, it seems so elementary, almost trivial, to now be discussing how to obey the one basic Commandment that for so many of us has been the "line in the sand" between a job and unemployment, between peace and contentious family relationships, between whether we stay with our indoctrination church or leave it. Yet, because of the lust of the flesh, we may have allowed ourselves to be deceived into breaking this law, knowingly or un-knowingly sinning in the process, and thus, forfeiting the understanding that comes from the simple childlike obedience it requires. In doing so, we may have refused a profitable offer made to us by the ETERNAL Himself. Moreover, if we have been sinning, even if inadvertently, we may have been suffering the natural consequences, if not outright punishment as a result.

Isn't it time, to seek out the truths of the Seventh-Day Sabbath, so long hidden from mankind? For example, the answer to one question alone, which we all 'seem' to know the answer to is, "What day is the TRUE Seventh-Day Sabbath"? Is it possible to unequivently prove which day it is? As we shall now see, not only is it possible, you'll wonder how you missed it in the first place. For those paying attention, I'm sure you're starting to get the idea that you may have been deceived on this issue. To find out how you have been deceived about the Sabbath, be sure to read: Recovering The Lost Sabbath.

Knowledge of the Scriptural calendar, has recently resurfaced, after being ignored for over 1700 years. Careful reading of the Scriptures, together with detailed study of history reveal that the the calendar used prior to 2000 years ago is not the same as today. The historical research reveals that in the fourth century C.E., the ancient Lunar Calendar Of The Scriptural Sabbath, was supplanted by Constantine I & Hillel II, and that Rome was responsible for enforcing the change. For more on this important topic, see the article: Constantine & Hillel Deceived The Whole World.

It's Not On The Gregorian Calendar.

According to the Bible, neither "Saturday" nor "Sunday", is the Sabbath! In fact, it is not any fixed day, on the Gregorian Calendar. The original calendar described in the Torah used by Moses, and all the patriarchs before him, was based upon the phases of the Moon, not a Continuous Weekly Cycle. This Lunar Calendar was used for all the feast days, including the Seventh-Day Sabbath. See: Recovering The Lost Sabbath.

Because the Scriptural calendar is based on the moon, it does not correspond to any days on the modern Gregorian Calendar. For example, the Sabbath is not always on "Saturday" but could be on Wednesday one month, and Thursday the next.

This can have serious economic impacts, as people desiring to follow the Sabbath today, according to the 'Lunar Calendar Of The Scriptural Sabbath', will find themselves having to ask for days off during the standard "Monday" to "Friday" so-called work 'WEEK'. This would be not just once or twice a year, but every so-called 'WEEK'. Obviously, such a schedule will not be looked upon favorably by most employers and fellow employees.

The Biblical Evidence Of A Lunar Calendar.

In Scripture, the only time the Sabbath is identified with a numerical date, it only falls on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, or 29th. Likewise, when one of those dates is mentioned, it is always a Sabbath.

The Feasts Are The Key To The Hebrew Calendar.

The Biblical book of Leviticus, written by Moses, describes all of the ETERNAL's feasts in (Chapter 23). Most people are familiar with Passover, and the Day of Atonement. They may also be aware that these feasts do not fall on the same day each year, since they are based upon the lunar cycle. However, few people notice that the Seventh-Day Sabbath is not only listed among the other Feasts, but that it is the first and foremost Feast listed:

(Leviticus 23:1-8) (NKJV) ¹And the ETERNAL spoke to Moses, saying, ²"Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the ETERNAL, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. ³'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the ETERNAL in all your dwellings. ⁴'These are the feasts of the ETERNAL, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. ⁵On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the ETERNAL's Passover. ⁶And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the ETERNAL; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. ⁷On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. ⁸But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the ETERNAL for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.'"

Despite every religious organization's vehement insistence to the contrary, there is no indication that a different calendar was used for the Seventh-Day Sabbath as compared to the other feast days which are all grouped together in (Leviticus Chapter 23). Notice that there is no provision in scripture for a situation when a feast day would "clash" with a so-called 'weekly' Sabbath, as happens today.

Because they are now using the mixed calendar, the Rabbis have developed "Rules of Postponement" to avoid a clash. For example, they don't want the Day of Atonement to be adjacent to a Sabbath. However, if The Lunar Calendar Of The Scriptural Sabbath is used, then the Day of Atonement is always five days from the Sabbath, and there is never a problem.

Even though the Bible has many details about the feasts, it is silent on "postponements". Why? Because Moses and the Prophets didn't use a mixed calendar, and so they didn't need them.

It can be seen that, by calculating the Seventh-Day Sabbath in the same way as all the feast days [from the beginning of the lunar month], there are no "clashes", nor is there a need to add an extra day. The very fact that these Rabbinical "Rules of Postponement" exist, is the "smoking gun" that indicates that the Rabbis are using a calendar devised by man, instead of using The Lunar Calendar Of The Scriptural Sabbath ordained by the CREATOR for all His Holy Appointments, including the Seventh-Day Sabbath!

The Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day feast, as stated six times in Leviticus 23:34-42. The feast begins on the 15th day of the month which is a Sabbath, lasts for seven days, and then the eighth day, the 22nd of the month, is a Sabbath. Here's just two of the verses from Leviticus 23:

(Leviticus 23:34-36) (NKJV) ³⁴Speak to the children of Israel, saying: The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the ETERNAL. ³⁵On the first day [the 15th] there shall be a holy convocation [a Sabbath]. You shall do no customary work on it. ³⁶For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the ETERNAL. On the eighth day [the 22nd] you shall have a holy convocation [a Sabbath], and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the ETERNAL. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.

(Leviticus 23:39) (NKJV) Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the ETERNAL for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.

When most Jews celebrate this Feast today, two problems occur: The "Saturday" Sabbath, will fall at some random day between the 15th and 22nd of the CREATOR's Lunar month. This results in two Sabbaths occuring during this seven day Feast.

In order to fulfill (Leviticus 23:39), they have to make the feast eight days long [instead of seven], and make the eighth day a Sabbath. [It actually already is the Sabbath on the CREATOR's Lunar calendar, but they don't know it].

This is because they are using two incompatible calendars, contrary to Scriptural Ordinance!

Two Versions In The Ten Commandments.

Exodus chapter 20 lists the "Ten Commandments". But when Moses repeats the commandments in Deuteronomy chapter 5, there is something unusual.

(Exodus 20:8-11) (NKJV) ⁸Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the ETERNAL your CREATOR. 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. ¹¹For in six days the ETERNAL made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the ETERNAL blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

(Deuteronomy 5:12-15) (NKJV) ¹²Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the ETERNAL your CREATOR commanded you. ¹³Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁴but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the ETERNAL your CREATOR. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. ¹⁵And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the ETERNAL your CREATOR brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the ETERNAL your CREATOR commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

The Fourth commandment in Exodus equates the Sabbath with Creation, while the Fourth commandment in Deuteronomy equates the Sabbath with the exodus from Egypt. When did the Almighty bring them out from Egypt with a mighty hand?

(Numbers 33:3) (NKJV) They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month [a Sabbath]; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians.

(Deuteronomy 16:1) (NKJV) Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the ETERNAL your CREATOR, for in the month of Abib the ETERNAL your CREATOR brought you out of Egypt by night.

It is well known that they left Egypt on the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at night. People today teach that the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread is different from the Seventh-Day Sabbath. But here they seem to be related, or even the same. They are linked by the Fourth Commandment as recorded in two different renderings, showing that the CREATOR utilizes a single calendar when giving dates for His Holy Feasts, and recorded events.

The Fourth Commandment in Exodus 20 clearly references the Seventh-Day Sabbath based on Creation. The Fourth Commandment in Deuteronomy 5 clearly references the Seventh-Day Sabbath based on the deliverance from Egypt, which occurred on the evening of the Sabbath on the 15th during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which undeniably and positively pins the Seventh-Day Sabbath to the same calendar as all the other Feasts.

The Israelites left Egypt on the day after Passover (the Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread) and it was the "fifteenth day of the first month" [a Sabbath]. (Passover is the fourteenth day of the first month of the year.) When does the first month begin? It is the first 'New Moon' [Full Moon] in the Spring, just after the barley is mature enough for the spring harvest. Every month in the Hebrew calendar, starts with the 'New Moon', called New Moon Day. For more articles on this topic, see the section: 'The CREATOR's Calendar' in the main index.

I find it interesting that those who believe in the 'Unbroken Chain Of Consecutive Seven-Day WEEKS Since Creation' myth [and it is just a myth], will cite (Genesis 1:31-Genesis 2:3) and (Exodus 20:8-11) as their proof that two different calendars are in use; a consecutive 'seven-day' calendar for the Seventh-Day Sabbath, and the CREATOR's Scriptural Lunar Calendar for all the other Feast Days. But they will never cite (Deuteronomy 5:12-15) which proves the CREATOR only uses His Heavenly Lunar Calendar for all of His Holy Appointments with the Israelites.

The Format For Seventh-Day Sabbaths,
On The Scriptural Lunar Calendar.

The CREATOR's Scriptural Lunar Calendar looks just like man's calendar. The difference, is in who declares when a month will begin [the CREATOR, or man], and how long it will be [1 to (29 or 30) days, or 1 to (28 or 31) days]. A lunar month can never be less than 29 days, or more than 30 days. The CREATOR assigned the moon to herald in the month, while man mathematically calculates the beginning of a month by dividing 365.25 by 12. On man's calculated calendar the moon is very rarely shown. However, if it is shown, it's sacred importance is never apparent, having been religated to the dustbins of obscurity. A Scripturally ordained month, begins with New Moon Day [a Full Moon], and it looks like this:

See full size image HERE.

How then, do we determine when 'New Moon Day' will commence at our location? I have seen many complicated and confusing procedures with all kinds of astronomical charts and tables being utilized. Let me assure you that, none of that is necassary. It is very simple. If the full moon occurs before sunrise at your location, then it is already 'New Moon Day' when the sun comes up. If the full moon occurs after the sun comes up at your location, then the next sunrise will be 'New Moon Day'. That is a simplified way to know when 'New Moon Day' is going to occur. But remember that on the CREATOR's Scriptural Calendar, a day is from sunset to sunset which entails other commandments be taken into account, which is beyond the scope of this study. However that is sufficient for you to know you'll never miss 'New Moon Day' or any subsequent Feast days listed in (Leviticus 23).

You can look up moon phases for your location with the 'Moon Phases Calculator' at Time and Date.Com. Just enter your location into the search box, and press enter to find the full moon time at your location.

As mentioned earlier, on the Scriptural Lunar calendar, the Sabbaths are always in the same place: The 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of the month. Of course they are 7 days apart, but unlike the Continuous Weekly Cycle in use today, the count starts over at the beginning of every Lunar month.

That would look like this on a month to month bassis:

Three consecutive lunar months.

Remenber, knowledge of the Scriptural calendar, has recently resurfaced, after being ignored for over 1700 years. Careful reading of the Scriptures, together with detailed study of history reveal that the the calendar used prior to 2000 years ago is not the same as today. The historical research reveals that in the fourth century C.E., the ancient Lunar Calendar Of The Scriptural Sabbath, was supplanted by Constantine I & Hillel II, and that Rome was responsible for enforcing the change, which led to the Crusades lasting from the 11th to the 16th centuries. For more on this important topic, see the article: Constantine & Hillel Deceived The Whole World.

The Battle Of Jericho.

In the famous Battle of Jericho, the Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days, in offensive battle readiness, and attacked the city on the seventh day. Which of those seven days was the Sabbath? None of them! They started on the New Moon day, had a seven day march, and then rested on the eighth day of the month, which was the Sabbath. The "Book of Jasher", which is not in the Bible but is historically useful, even says the march started on the New Moon. There's more on Jericho, in the article: The Lunar Calendar Of The Scriptural Sabbath; Joshua And The children Of Israel At Jericho.

The Sabbath Lesson Of The Manna And The Quail.

Exactly one lunar month after they left Egypt, the people congregated together on the fifteenth day of the month, and they took that opportunity to complain to Moses about the lack of food. The story is in Exodus 16: The Israelites arrived in the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai on the fifteenth day [the Sabbath] of the second month, where they complained of hunger. That evening the ETERNAL sent them quail for their dinner, followed by Manna the next morning. Manna fell on the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st [work days], but did not fall on the Sabbath which was the 22nd. Thus we can see for the second time, that in the second month after leaving Egypt, the Sabbaths again fell on the 8th, [15th], [22nd], and 29th. (See: Exodus 16):

The Israelites receive their first Manna.

(Exodus 16:1) (KJV) And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day [a Sabbath] of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

(Exodus 16:12-15) (KJV) ¹²I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even [of the 15th] ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning [of the 16th] ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the ETERNAL your CREATOR. ¹³And it came to pass, that at even [of the 15th] the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning [of the 16th] the dew lay round about the host. ¹⁴And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. ¹⁵And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the ETERNAL hath given you to eat.

(Exodus 16:21-22) (KJV) ²¹And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. ²²And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

(Exodus 16:26) (KJV) Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

(Exodus 16:29-30) (KJV) ²⁹See, for that the ETERNAL 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. ³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

It specifically said that the quails would come "at even", and that the bread would come the next "morning". The simplest explanation for this is that the fifteenth day was the Sabbath [when no work could be done], and that the people were to wait until after sunset [the 16th], before gathering food.

The quail was given in the evening [now the 16th], after the Sabbath had past. The manna was then given on the following six mornings [the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st], all workdays, with a double portion being given on the sixth day [the 21st], the day before the Sabbath [the 22nd].

1st month - The feast of unleavened bread Sabbath, was on the 15th day.
2nd month - Arrived at the desert of Sin on a Sabbath, again the 15th day.
3rd month - Arrived at Mount Sinai, again a Sabbath, on the 15th day.

On the third month the whole congregation assembled on the Sabbath before the Almighty. When did this assembly occur? On the 15th day of the third month! They left Egypt on the 15th day of the first month, Arrived at the desert of Sin on the 15th day of the second month, and finally they came to Mount Sinai on the 15th day of the third month, and all three were Sabbaths.

(Exodus 19:1) (NKJV) In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.

The Historical Evidence.

The Julian Calendar.

The modern calendar began in 46/45 BC, when Julius Caesar, in consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria, developed the Julian Calendar of 365.25 days. The big innovation was to separate the the so-called week, from the lunar cycle and to make it a continuous cycle. It used an eight-day market so-called week, with the days simply named "A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H". Certain types of events were allowed on certain days, called fasti.

But, by the time of the First Century AD, the seven-day so-called week named after "gods" and "goddesses" of the solar-system was being used, and was starting to replace the eight-day so-called week.

So Saturn's day was the first day of the so-called week. However, the Jews and Christians were not using that calendar until the time of Constantine. While it is generally known that Constantine enforced a "Sunday Law", in AD 321, a big assumption is that he just replaced one day with the day next to it. Was there more to it? Yes, he changed the entire calendar.

Constantine's Hybrid Calendar.

In AD 321, Constantine created a big compromise. He blended the Hebrew idea of a seven day so-called week with the Julian concept of a continuous weekly cycle, and added the veneration of the "Sun God" from Mithrasim to create the Roman calendar used today. He enforced his calendar upon the entire Roman Empire with military power.

Constantine and the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 replaced Passover with Easter. On the surface, that may not seem to be much of a change. But it's not just a matter of replacing one day with another. It's a completely different system of calendation, since Passover is not computed using a Julian calendar.

Because of these changes which were being enforced by persecutions across the Roman Empire, the Jewish Sanhedrin met for the last time around AD 350, and modified the calendar to the form used by most Jews today, in which the Sabbath is on "Saturday", but the other Feast Days use a form of Lunar calendar. For more on this see: Constantine & Hillel Deceived The Whole World.

The modern Gregorian Calendar.

Later in history, Pope Gregory modified Constantine's calendar slightly in 1582. (This was to fix a problem caused by the fact that the year is not exactly 365.25 days long, but 11 minutes shorter.) Like Constantine, the motivating factor was the date of Easter. So the calendation system used today is Roman (Pagan and Papal), and the question of when the Sabbath occurs is very important to anyone who desires to follow the way of the ETERNAL CREATOR, and to love Him as He loves you. Remember, He made you an unbreakable promise:

(Deuteronomy 4:29-35) (NKJV) ²⁹But from there you will seek the ETERNAL your CREATOR, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the ETERNAL your CREATOR and obey His voice ³¹(for the ETERNAL your CREATOR is a merciful SOVEREIGN), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. ³²For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that the ETERNAL created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. ³³Did any people ever hear the voice of the ETERNAL speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? ³⁴Or did the ETERNAL ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the ETERNAL your CREATOR did for you in Egypt before your eyes? ³⁵To you it was shown, that you might know that the ETERNAL Himself is SOVEREIGN; there is none other besides Him.

Many articles and videos have been produced claiming to show the 'error', of the 'Scripturally Ordained Lunar Sabbath'. There is a vast multitude of people with Objections To The Lunar Sabbath, who vehemently oppose any change to the status quo of their particular Sabbath-keeping traditions. Sadly, this is because they insist on continuing to play church passivly listen to the soothsayers [priests, rabbis, ministers, etc.] tell them what truth is, rather than seek out the CREATOR's TRUTH for themselves, via His word as instructed by the Almighty Himself. (Deuteronomy 4:29-31)

The Sabbath; An Offer We Shouldn't Refuse.

(Isaiah 58:13-14) is one of the best known and oft-quoted passages regarding the Sabbath, and in particular, its proper observance. Notice how this is actually a two-verse contract between the 'Sabbath Creator' and the 'Sabbath Keeper'. In verse 13, are the conditions, and in verse 14 are the rewards. A classic cause and effect scenario; IF you will do this, THEN I will do that. Lets look at the refreshingly clear rendering found in the Tanakh:

(Isaiah 58:13-14) (Tanakh). ¹³If thou turn away thy foot because of the sabbath, From pursuing thy business on My holy day; And call the sabbath a delight, And the holy of the ETERNAL honourable; And shalt honour it, not doing thy wonted ways, Nor pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof; ¹⁴Then shalt thou delight thyself in the ETERNAL, And I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, And I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; For the mouth of the ETERNAL hath spoken it.

The Tanakh (Verse 58:13) states the conditional requirement of this covenant, "Not pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof". Any time we spend money, we are doing business. This whole discussion inescapably leads us to a very simple formula for determining what is and is not appropriate to do on the Sabbath without drawing up arbitrary and subjective lists of do's and don'ts. We can forever eliminate most of those troubling "gray areas" by applying this elementary principle. If it costs money, do not do it. And that includes the food service industry.

The Tanakh (Verse 58:14) states the promissory portion of this covenant: "I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, And I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father"; compare [Psalms 37:4] for He will let you hold the land in triumph, enjoying your father Jacob's heritage: so the ETERNAL Himself promises.

Now here is a deal not to be passed up! Here is an opportunity where the benefit, of turning back to the Almighty and only doing His business, on His Holy Sabbath, and walking in all His ways, is guaranteed by the ETERNAL Himself. Here is the offer we should not refuse. It is the ONLY "business", we ought to be doing on the Sabbath.

We have all spent many years defending and upholding the Sabbath day as one of our most important doctrines and distinguishing beliefs. Nevertheless, is it possible, that in our zeal to acknowledge and promote the Sabbath command as essential to the ETERNAL's true way of life, have we actually overlooked a few vital components of its observance? Could we have allowed a certain confidence in our own understanding, and the comfort of our time honored traditions to stunt our spiritual growth? The reader will have to answer that for themselves. But it is sincerely hoped that you will never feel there is nothing more to be gained by returning to the CREATOR, and His way of life and TRUTH. He promises great rewards to those who do!

Footnotes:

[1] [a]All scriptural links point to the Bible Gateway, A Searchable Online Bible In Over 100 Versions And 50 Languages, located at "BibleGateway.Com", a vast biblical resource containing all the major texts and reference materials useful for in-depth bible studies. Most scriptual quotations are from the (KJV) of the Bible, however versions noted in (parentheses) should also be consulted. [b]All Strong's scriptural references point to the Blue Letter Bible Lexicon, located at "BlueLetterBible.Org", another vast biblical resource which has over 4,000,000 links available, pointing to more than 165,000 pages of concordances, lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, images, and several Bible versions.