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Isaac Williams, D.D., volume 1,
says the following: "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 no where 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 observe
many other things, not because the
Bible, but because the church has
enjoined it."
All these documented historie
admissions began to open my eyes
with astonishment.
Evidence from the Blble
Then 1 found in the Bible, as 1
studied these verses, Matthew
12:38-40: "Then certain of the
scribes and of the Pharisees
answered, saying, Master, we
would see a sign from thee. But he
answered and said unto them, An
evil and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign; and there sball
no sign be given to it, but the sign
of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas
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."
Traditional Christianity teaches
that the resurrection of Jesus was
on a Sunday morning, and that the
crucifixion occurred on a Friday.
Therefore the Friday preceding
Easter is celebrated as "Good Fri–
day." But a Friday evening burial
and Sunday morning resurrection
allows for only two nights and one
day in the grave, or "the heart of
the earth." Sorne argue that rising
in three days could be construed to
mean parts of three days-i.e. all
day Saturday, plus Friday night
until midnight, and Sunday morn–
ing between midnight and dawn.
But that is certainly not three days
and three nights.
In other passages, Jesus said he
would rise "in three days." That
has to mean within three days but
not beyond. In another passage
Jesus said he would rise "after
three days." That means after the
expiration of three whole days.
Actually the resurrection occurred
precisely at the expiration of three
24-hour days- after three whole
days had expired, within but not
later than three 24-hour days.
14
The book of Jonah says Jonah
was three days and three nights in
the belly of the great fish, and "out
of the belly of hell
[sheo/
in
Hebrew, meaning the grave]"
Jonah cried to God.
All these severa) passages coin–
cide precisely and prove Jesus'
body was in the sealed tomb three
days and three nights.
Actually, the Sabbath day that
was drawing on when Jesus was
crucified was the annual Sabbath at
Passover time (John 19:31). That
Sabbath did occur on Thursday in
A.D. 31, the year of the crucifix–
ion. The crucifixion took place on a
Wednesday afternoon, the burial
just befare sundown Wednesday.
Jesus' body was in the tomb
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
nights-three nights; and Thurs–
day, Friday and Saturday- three
Jesos entered into the
synagogue on
the Sabbath day and
preached.... But
why did Jesus keep the
Sabbath as a custom?
daylight periods or a total of three
days and three nights. And he rose
from the dead "in the end of the
sabbath" (Saturday) as you read in
Matthew 28:1, the Authorized
Version.
This knowledge was shocking to
me. It destroys the Easter Sunday
tradition. Also the only argument
for Sunday sacredness depends on a
supposed Sunday morning resur–
rection. This truth destroys all false
tradition of Sunday sacredness!
Y
es, 1 was amazed at this truth
58 years ago. But 1 found much
more.
The Lord's Day
In plainest language I found the
Sabbath , not Sunday, is "the
Lord's Day." In Mark 2:28, 1 read
that "the Son of man is Lord also
of the sabbath." So the Sabbath,
not Sunday, was and is "the Lord's
Day."
Jesus kept the Sabbath, setting
us an example (Luke 4:16) . He
entered into the synagogue on the
Sabbath day and preached .
The apostle Paul preached to
gentiles on the Sabbath for one and
a half years (Acts 18:4, 6-1 1).
In 1 Corinthians 11: 1, Paul com–
manded the gentiles to keep the
Sabbath, by following his example.
Paul kept the Sabbath, "as his
marmer was" (Acts 17:2). In this
he followed Jesus who observed it
"as his custom was" (Luke 4:16).
But why did Jesus keep the Sab–
bath as a custom? Go back to the
creation of man. "And on the sev–
enth day God ended bis work
which he had made [creation
week]; and he rested on the seventh
day from all bis work which he had
made. And God blessed the seventh
day, and sanctified it: because that
in it he had rested from all bis work
which God created and made"
(Gen. 2:2-3). The Sabbath was
created by God-not by work, but
by resting in that day. 1t was Goo
who commanded the Sabbath be
kept (Ex. 20:8-1 1).
It
is one of the
Ten Commandments. The Sabbath
was made
for
man (Mark 2:27),
and it was made
when
man was
made.
1 John 2:4 says that if any man
claims to know the Lord and keeps
not his commandments that man is
a LIAR! Surely there are many liars
among professing Christians to–
day!
What
!S
sin? The Bible defini–
tion is: "Sin is the transgression of
the law" (1 John 3:4). God's law is
spiritual (Rom. 7:14), meaning the
Ten Commandments.
How does one receive salvation–
eternal life? Peter said repent,
believe and be baptized (Acts 2:38).
Jesus said, "Except ye repent , ye
shall alllikewise perish" (Luke 13:3,
5). Repent means turn
from
sin–
turn FROM transgressing the
law~
the commandments, one of which is
to keep the Sabbath holy.
The Sabbath is HOLY to God . To
profane it is like slapping God in
the face- treating him with con–
tempt.
lf
we !ove God, who !oves
us, we won't do that. 1 Jearned that
Jesson 58 years ago. Have vou
learned it today?
For further information, write
for our booklet
Which Day Js the
Christian Sabbath?
o
The
PLAIN TRUTH