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The4th Gommandment

Enlgma

Contents

Chapter:

1 Which DaA To Keep?2 The Sobbath-A Sign3 Restoring the Sobbath4 The Scriptural Sabbath Passes

tlue Tesf

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The FourthCommandment Enigma

WWhichTay tonGep?

bsJacob O. MeAerEventually most people arrive at

the point in their lives where theY

approach the Bible with a sincere

and earnest desire to learn what is

required for them to receive salva-

tion. Thereupotr, one of the initialin-depth studies which they are

forced to make relates to the daY

our Heavenly Father wishes them tokeep for the weekly day of rest.

Although in recent years variousministers have been recommending

that worship of our Heavenly Fathercan be offered on any daY of the

week which we ourselves may con-

veniently choose, the question pri-marily involves the merits ofkeeping either Sunday or the scriPtural seventh-day Sabbath as theweekly holy day.

Most people have been raised in aSunday-keeping environment; con-

sequently, observing the first day ofthe week is to a great extenthabitual. Reading the Bible over

the years, however, they have foundthat it commands the peoPle of the

Most High to set aside a weeklY

Sabbath as a day of worshiP bY

keeping it holy to Him. Afterhaving observed Sunday for the holy

day all their lives and having heard

its merits being expounded from thepulpit, it is only natural to trans-pose the scripturally commanded

Holy Day in their mind from the

seventh day to the first day of the

week with no second thought orquestion.

Nevertheless, when we do approach the Bible for serious study tolearn what it really teaches, with no

reservations or prejudices in ourminds, seeking to learn the will ofthe Heavenly Father, w€ soon learnthat some of the doctrines which we

had believed from our youth (some-

times quite passionately) are justnot scriptural. We must then deter-mine if we desire salvation enoughto change our practices or if we willtenaciously cling to error. Let us do

a comprehensive study of this sub-ject and pinpoint the day which ourHeavenly Father wishes us to keep,

if a specific day is in fact com-

manded in the Bible. If ourHeavenly Father Yahweh wishes us

to observe a special Holy Day each

week, He would certainly be ex-

pected to emphasize it stronglythroughout the Bible.

The Basic Commandment

When Israel emerged from theiroppressive enslavement in Egypt,our Heavenly Father brought them

to Mt. Sinai. From the mountain

Almighty Yahweh presented Hiscovenant to the nation for them toratifu or reject. Yahweh intendedthis covenant to be a way of life forthe foundation of the new nation.

Israel was told to live as a model

for the remainder of the world.They were to become a kingdom ofpriests and a holy nation, Exodus

19:6. This covenant was to be the

constitution for governing the fledg-

ling nation.Among the commandments or

Iaws which were contained in thisconstitution was legislation regardin g a specific day to be observed

as a day of rest. Exodus 20:8-11:

"Remember the sabbath doA, tokeep it holy. Sir daYs shall Aoulabor, and do all Aour work; butthe seaenth daA l's a sabbath ofYahweh Aour Elohim: in it Uoushall not do anA work, Aou, orAour son, or Aour daughter, Aoarmansertsant, or Aour maidseraant,or Aour eattle, or the stranger thatis within Aour gates: for in srrdays Yahweh made heatten andearth, the seq and all that is inthem, and rested the seoenth daY:

Therefore Yahweh blessed thesabbath doA, and hallowed iL"

No legal terminology that could

be confusing appears in this passage,

Ieaving it quite uncluttered and

most candid.

What Does It Mean?

Let us scrutinize this command-ment thoroughly so that we mayabsorb the complete thought andmessage which it contains. First ofall, we are told to remember (call tomind) the Sabbath day. The wordsabbath in the Hebrew is shabbathand the Strong's Concordance lexi-con defines it &s, "an intermissionnspecifically the Sabbath." Thisword finds its root in the wordshdoath, which is defined, "to re-pose, to desist from erertion."

Now we can proceed into chan-

nels of broadened knowledge. On

the Sabbath day we are to desistfrom exertion and labor. This dayis to be an intermission, whichmeans a pause after a six-day weekof diligent labor. It should break uptime into segments of seven-day

webks.The day we keep for a holy day

must be kept inviolable: the Hebrewword used here is kadesh. Thisword means to "rnake, pronounceor obserae os cleann to be sacredor to sanctifA." How truly enlight-ening! The day on which we

worship our Heavenly Father, whichis to break up time into weeklysegmenb, shall be kept sacred andpure.

Notice also the grammatical defi-nite article before the word Sabbath'in the commandment. This word"the" pinpoints a specific daA on

which the people of Yahweh mustobserue as sacred and holy.

the next phrase should be en-

lightening to those people who arehesitant in making a decision aboutwhich day to keep. In the past theauthor has known a number ofpeople who professed their inabilityto decide which specific day theBible commands them to keep holy,so they took the indecisive route andobserved both the scriptural Sabbathand the first day of the week.

However, the Bible leaves you no"gtay area" of indecision where theweekly holy day is concerned. It

The Fourth Commandment Enigma

demands that you make a choiceconcerning which day our Father inHeaven commands you to keep holy.Our Heavenly Father commands usto WORK for six days, to determineon which day to work and on whichspecial day to rest. This is a crucialdecision of vital importance whichconfronts the Bible student. Byresting on the correct day we recog-nize the authority of the Creatorand humbly submit to Him.

The Seaenth DaU

" . . . But the seoenth daa is thesabbath..." How totally crystalclear! There should not be anydoubt remaining in the mind of anysincere person regarding which exactday is specified as the scripturalSabbath, the day of rest, the inter-mission, the day to be kept sacredand holy. It is THE SEVEI{THDAY.

All that any sincere person reallyhas to do to pinpoint this specificday, therefore, is to look on anycalendar. There it is right beforeyour eyes! All the churches thatkeep Sunday freely acknowledgethat they indeed keep the first dayof the week. Your Bible, the veryWord of Yahweh, declares that Hispeople are obligat€d to keep THESEVENTH DAY holy.

The seventh day of the week isproven from the Word to be observed for the Sabbath. No otherday of the week can eYer be theSabbath. No other day of the weekhas ever been called the Sabbath byour Almighty Heavenly FatherYahweh or by anyone else in theBible. If any other day of the weekis called the Sabbath it is withoutdoubt the precept of man.

Whose Sabbath?

" . . . fs the sabbath ofYAI{WEH YOtn ELOHIM:... "In order to avoid a direct confronta-tion with the keeping of one partic-ular dry, especially the seventh dayof the week, some people will insistthat the seventh day is the "JewishSabbath." Friends, sueh a term is

nowhere used in the Bible. TheBible in your hand as you study thispassage is most candid on this point.

The seventh day is the Sabbathof Yahweh our Mighty One. It isNOT the Jewish Sabbath, althoughthe Jews as a group have kept itthrough the ages. It is a day onwhich we are to honor the HeavenlyFather. No word like "Jew" appearsanywhere in the commandment. Ifwe are to honor Him, the trueAlmighty, the Creator and Sustainerof the universe, we must honor Himon the exact day which He alone haschosen for this purpose. Could Heaccept worship on any other daywhich we might design atn theSabbath? It is similar, for example,to keeping an appointment. Whensomeone sets an appointment (thedate and time) with the dentist, it isimperative that you be there atexactly the time which he hasscheduled. If we are punctual withappointments which have been ar-ranged with human beings, andnever get them confused, why shouldwe attempt to impose our will uponthe Almighty by worshiping on aday which He has never designatedfor this purpose?

The Memorial of Creation

Notice further that this day isthe sabbath of Yahweh, the day on

which He Himself rested.When we turn to Genesis 2:1, we

find that the creation of this earthwas now completed. In six literaldays, Almighty Yahweh created thisearth, the heavens and the heavenlybodies which we see in the sky. Theword "day" in the Hebrew is a6mand means "a Zb-hour period oftime" to which we refer as a literalday. (When speaking prophetically,this Hebrew word has been used

abstractly lviz. the day of Yahweh,Zech. 14:11. But, when used in theusual [mundane] sense, as it is inthe first chapter of Genesis, therecan be no question in the mind ofanyone that it means anything but a24-hour period of time.)

Can you comprehend the a_we

some, dynamic power of Yahweh?"For he spoke, and it was done;He commanded and it stood fasl"His word is so powerful that whenHe speaks, things happen im-mediately! Will you accept the factthat Yahweh does not need ourworship, but that we need to obeyHim and acknowledge Him as ourMighty One, to receive His spiritualstrength through keeping His com-

mandments? Will you allow thiscreative power to direct you andmake you into a new creature? Willwe obey as soon as He makes Hiswishes known when He sPeaks, &s

does even the matter of which the

earth consists?

Genesis 2:l-3 introduces us to the

basic reality of the origin of the

Sabbath. "And the heaaens andearth were finished and all thehost of them- And on the seoenthdaa [which day?] Dlohim finishedhis work which he had made; andhe rested on the seaenth daa

[which day?] and hallowed it; be-

cause that in if [the seventh dayl he

rested from all his work whichElohim had created and made."

Again we have a most enlighten-ing passaf,:e for our instruction. The

Almighty did not need to rest atany time. He does not becomephysically weary as do mortal men!He is spirit, not flesh, as we read inIsaiah 40:28, "Haue Aou not known?Hat:e Aou not heard? The euer-lasting Dlohint, Yahweh, theCreator of the ends of the earth,faints not, neither is wearA; thereis no searching of his under-standing." And so naturally man-kind always tries to "second guess"

or explain away His wisdom!Almighty Yahweh created byresting. He created a day of restwith the needs of man in mind,because He knew that the humanbody needed one day of rest out ofseven.

The human race could select anyone day out of the week anddesignate it as a day of rest;however, the Scriptures prohibit this

The Fourth Commandment Dnigma

option on the part of tnan. It is not

his prerogative to choose, but to

obey the instructions which have

been laid down for him. Yahwehsanctified (meaning to set apart fora sacred purpose) this special day as

a memorial of creation; therefore,He blessed this seventh daY. If the

day is blessed by the HeavenlY

Father, then the man who observes

it will receive a blessing for keeping

it. No other day has been desig-

nated as so special by our HeavenlY

Father. It would be presumPtuous

of man to place himself on a Parwith the Most High by legislating a

different day which does not have

the approval of Yahweh.

Work and the Seaenth DaY

Let us now return for a momentto Exodus 20:9. Notice that the

word "labor" appears here. The

Hebrew words (aood and melatkahmean "phAsical 1Dork." All PhYsi-cal work is to be completed through-out the six days of the week when

Yahweh commands that work must

be done. Ezekiel thismanner sa6s the SooereignYahweh: The gate of the innercourt that looks toward the ea^st

shall be shut the slx wot'king daAs;

but on the sabbath daa it shall be

opened, and on the daU of the newmoon it shall be opened."

But the seventh day is differentfrom all the rest of the days of theweek. ", . . In it Aou shall not doanA work, Uou, or Aour son, orAour daughter, Aour manseruant,or Aour maidsertsant, or Aoureattle, or the stranger that iswithin Aour gates." We cannotreally enjoy a day of rest unless welabor for six days. The day of restwas instituted to refresh our mindsand bodies so that a new week oflabor could be joyfully anticipated.

We must note at this point thatalthough Yahweh, the Creator,works and would not need the restof the Sabbath day, He created itand He first observed it. See John

5:17. Yahweh, therefore, will attachthe meaning and significance to it

that He wills. No labor or work ofany kind shall be done on thisSabbath day. This applies to allsecular duties which are normallydispatched on a working day.

Actually this instruction meansthat we are not to earn any of ourIivelihood or do any business on thissacred day, since it is truly meantto be a day of rest for all people,

our families, and our employees(whether of our native people orforeigners who might be livingamong us). The prohibition againstwork even includes our draft ani-mals (today this is usually a tractor),so that in all of our land no businessshall be done nor shall anyoneengage in manual labor of any kind.It would not be acceptable toYahweh to have His people abstainfrom work and then hire someonenot in the faith to do their prohib-

it€d work for them, as is commonamong the Jews who customarilyhire "sabbath goys."

The First Commandment ForIsrael

When Israel was suffering theircrushing enslavement in Egypt, they


were at the total mercy of theirtaskmasters. They were forced tolabor and perform their duties atthe convenience and command oftheir masters. Abrah&ffi, Isaac andJacob had known and kept the lawof Yahweh, Genesis 18:19 and 26:5.

Their descendants, the Israelites inslavery, had virtually forgotten thelaw of Yahweh and had to learn itonce more.

As Yahweh brought Israel out ofEgypt, it was His intention to bringthem along in successive stages.First, He declared His Name tothem, Exodus 3:14-15. Then whenthey had made their journey intothe wilderness and had been sepa-rated from the people of the land,Yahweh presented His Sabbath tothem. This account is found inExodus chapter 16.

Israel had no food to eat at thistime. They were famished and couldnot find nourishing edibles in thebarren desert. When Moses presented the problem to Yahweh, theAlmighty informed His people thatHe would feed them supernaturallywith bread from heaven. They wereto gather it by a certain rate each

day, that He utould be able toproue them to determine if theywould walk obediently in His lnwor not.

As we study further into theScriptures, we come to a realizationthat unless the people of Yahwehobserve a strict Sabbath, rejoicingwhen they find ways to keep it moreholy, they will not be ready for theharder lessons in keeping the wholelau, which were given in the Sina-itic covenant later. The Sabbath dayis designed to serve as a visibleproof that the Almighty HeavenlyFather will provide for the physicalneeds of His people if they keep Hislaw. He promises literally to openthe heavens and provide for theirlivelihood when they keep His Sab-

bath.Actually by taking a sheet of

paper and drawing a diagram of thedays which had elapsed since Israeldeparted Egypt, w€ can prove thatthe day on which Israel present€dtheir food shortage problem toYahweh was a weekly Sabbath. Infact, the days when the glory ofYahweh appeared to Israel, when Hecommuned with Moses and Aaron in

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The wilderness of Sinai. Thescene depicted here portraysthe bamen u)@steland of theregion^ Yahweh blessed Israelby giaing them daily rnanna

from heaaen to sustain theutandering nation for fortyyears. During that generationthe people each uteelc u)eredirectly shoutn Yahweh's seu-enth day Sabbath because nornan?w fell on that day. TheSabbath of Yahuteh has neuerbeen lost. You c@n personallyproue on uthich specific day itoccu,rs each ueeh

the wilderness, usually appear to beweekly Sabbaths and the annualholy days!

Food From Heaaen

With no visible means of support,witli no opportunity to live off theland in a barren and arid region inwhich they were traveling, Yahwehopened the heavens. That veryevening (after sundown at thebeginning of the scriptural day), onthe first day of the week, a cloud ofquail covered the camp and Israelate a satisfuing meal of meat. Thefollowing morning when the dewwent up there appeared a smallround object on the ground whichresembled hoarfrost in size. TheIsraelites called it "manna." (TheHebrew word means, "What is it?")This supernatural food supplycontinued to be sent to them eachday for the next 40 years, untilIsrael entered the Holy Land.

During that time there was noquestion at all regarding thespecific true seventh-day Sabbath ofYahweh, since no manna fell on theSabbath day. Additionally, a doubleportion was provided on the sixthciay. Let us notice Exodus 16:5."And it shall come to pass on thesixth doA, that they shall preparethat which they bring in, and itshall be twice os mueh as theygather daily."

Did the People Obey?

As we read to the end of this16th chapter of Exodus, we can see

that the people gathered this heaven-sent food each day as they had beendirected. Some quickly becamegreedy and decided immediately tosave a little of the manna whichthey had gathered so industriouslythe day before. This superfluousportion bred worms and stank.Those who were unable to gathervery much manna found that theywere blessed in making it reachfarther and they had no deficiency.

This was a great lesson to learn!They had to depend upon Yahweh tosupply all of their needs from day to


The,SobbathdaU is designed toserue q,8 a, aisible

proof that the

for the phAsical

it theu keepHis Lau).

day. "Give us this day our dailybread" (not the bread for next week,today), the Messiah instructs us topray in Matthew 6:11. In this waythe Israelites came to understandtheir dependency upon Yahweh andnot to rely on their own abilities.Except by going out each day as Hehad ordered and gathering the foodwhich had been provided super-naturally, they would have no food.Incidentally, this manna was pro-vided, but the Israelites were re-quired to utork to gather it. If youknow what hoarfrost looks like, itappears as small flakes almost likesnow. Those sometimes form on acold, damp night. To gather flakeslike this would almost certainly re-quire getting down on your knees!It required diligence to gather thisfood. But Yahweh provided it daily.Additionally, it was nourishing food,a complete diet to nourish the bodyof man, although the Scriptures callit the bread of heaven and food ofangels (Psalm 78:2}29).

Finally, the sixth day of the weekarrived. Upon the land was an

Almighty Heauenla

extra heavy covering of manda,making collecting it easier thanusual. The people gathered twice asmuch as they did daily under Moses'guidance. They prepared their foodfor that day and the following day.The seventh day was distinctlymarked for Israel by the lack of anappearance of manna. On theseventh day Israel ate that whichhad been prepared on the sixth dayand it remained palatable overnight. It did not breed worms andstink.

When some of the people did notobey Moses, and went out on theSabbath to gather food, they weredisappointed when none was avail-able. Yahweh, through Moses Hischosen prophet, chastised them se-verely by saying, "HotD long willAou refuse to keep mA command-ments and mA laws? See, beeauseYahweh ha"s giaen Aou the Sa0.bath, therefore he giaes Aou on thesixth daA the bread of two daAs;remain Aou eaerA man in his plaee,let no man go out of his place onthe seoenth daA."

Now, the lesson to be learnedfrom such flagrant disobedience onthe part of Israel is that AlmightyYahweh has commanded that werest on the scriptural Sabbath. Hewill provide for all of our physicalneeds when we obey.

Our Heavenly Father neverchanges, Malachi 3:6. Even in thismodern era He hears the cries of theneedy. When someone has begun toserve the living Mighty OneYahweh, they will be supplied withthe opportunity to earn their living.But occasionally this will be on aday-today basis to teach us faith.

Do you trust your HeavenlyFather enough to obey Him? Hewill see the need and provide for itif we are obedient, because one ofthe titles which is attached to HisName is "Yireh" (to see the needand prov ide), Genesis 22:14. He isanxious to give us the blessing forobedience, but we must make thefirst move by taking our firm standfor Yahweh's Law.

Father u)ill proaide

needs of His people


chq

Tfe cSabbatll-

As Israel encamped at Mt. Sinai,Moses went up into the mount andreceived the design to build theTabernacle (a structure of pure wor-ship). Finally, at the end of thoselengthy construction details, Yahwehgave Moses an extra word of cautionconcerning the keeping of theSabbath.

This passage is so loaded withelucidated significance for keepingthe scriptural Sabbath that afberreading it, one cannot possibly erron which day to keep-if he is asincere believer in the Bible.

Exodus 31:13 says, "Speak alsoto the ehildren of Israel, saying,You must keep mA sabbaths: for itis a sign between me and Aouthroughout Aour generations; thatAou maA know that I am Yahwehwho sanctifies yotl"

Have you ever contemplated thatkeeping a day, one specific day,could mean the difference betweenknowing if you were worshiping theTrue Mighty One or a pagan idol?Conversely, would Almighty Yahwehrecognize you as His child if you didnot obey Him? This is

. exactly what

the sign of the Sabbath reallymeans. It is a sign of recognitionbetwe;n Yahweh and His people!

The Hebrew word for "sign" means"that which appears, a monument orevidence."

We have s€en previously in

A 5ryrGenesis 2:l-3, that Almighty Yahwehclaims to be the Creator of thisearth and universe. Do we believeHim? If we do, then we will heedthe command which He has given inHis Word to keep holy the daywhich He has set aside for thispurpose.

Additionally, w€ need not onlyvociferously denounce the theory ofevolution as some nominal Chris-tians have been known to do. Allthat is necessary to stand firmly ata diametrical opposite to this falsedoctrine perpetrated by the world isto keep the scriptural Sabbath! ,

When we keep it we will plainly ac-knowledge creation by AlmightyYahweh rather than evolution as theprocess of earth development. But,convercely, if you wish to be astaunch proponent of evolution, thenby all means keep any day of theweek as your day of rest.

The unmistakable sign of theSabbath will soon become obvious toyour neighbors and friends, demon-strating to the world that you areindeed different. When you rest onthe seventh day it will provide asilent, mute, but visible testimonywhich proclaims ever so strongly tothe world that you are worchipingthe true Mighty One of the Bible,the Great First Cause, the Creator.It will identify you with the MightyOne of the Hebrews, the Mighty One

who led Israel out of Bgypt, theMighty One who created this uni-verse.

Yahweh Mekadishkem

The second aspect of the scriptural Sabbath as a sign focuses uponthe title Mekadishkem, which isattached to the Heavenly Father'sName, Yahweh. This word means"to be set apart for a holy pur-1)ose." When we keep the Sabbathwe come to know Almighty Yahwehin a broader scope of reality. Welearn how He thinks, and why Hiscommandments are so perfect. Byour keeping of the Sabbath we willtruly be set apart from the remain-der of the world. We will begin tothink differently and our daily con-duct should then reflect a noticeablechange.

Israel in the wilderness wascalled out of Egypt by AlmightyYahweh. He separat€d them fromother people so that they could learnthe spiritual life directly from HisWord, the life which would be livedin the Kingdom.

When Almighty Yahweh calls Hispeople today, He likewise separatesthem from their former sur-rounditrgs, friends and relatives justas surely as He did ancient Israel.The keeping of the scripturalSabbath and the proper obseruanceof it will be one of the prime

separating factors in calling us outof modern Babylon, Revelation 18:4.

A Perpetual Cotsenant

Verses 14 and 15 of this 31st

chapter of Exodus instruct us re-garding the amount of work whichmay be done on the Sabbath day.We are sternly warned againstdoing work of anA kind (earningour livelihood) on this sacred daA.

Then we read in uerse 16,

"Therefore the children of Israelshall keep the sabbath, to obseraethe sabbath throughout their gen'erations, for a perpetual coue-

nanL"One of the frequent objections we

hear opposing the keeping of the

Sabbath is that it was to be observed

only by the children of Israel. I willagree with such an assertion, since

today in this Messianic era on thisearth there is a greater Israel, the

spiritual Israel of Yahweh, Galatians6:16. If you are not a flesh andblood Israelite, you must be spirit-ually grafted into the family tree ofIsrael in order to be saved, Romansll:24. Salvation is available to allpeople, but salvation is availableanly on the terms uthich haue

been erpressed in the couenant ofYahweh. Man cannot invent hisown terms. He will receive rejectionby setting up a false worship.

Do you know what the word "per-petual" means? The dictionarydefines it as "lnsting foreuer, con-tinuing indefinitely without intef-ruption" constant." The Sabbathcovenant or agreement will be inperpetuity, lasting forever! This isalso the definition of the Hebrewword used here, olahm.

How truly enlightening! Then,the Sabbath was never annulledwhen the Savior died. If it is to lastforever, the Sabbath is still verymuch in force. The agreement be-

tween the Heavenly Father Yahwehand His people, the sign of recogni-tion between Yahweh and His as-

sembly, will remain in force withoutinterruption, continuing forever. Itwill be self-renewing from genera-


The,Sobbatheoaenant or agree-

ment u)ill be inperpetuitu, lasting

foreaer!

tion to generation. I certainly de-

sire to be accepted as a co-maker inthe covenant, one who desires to be

recognized as one of Yahweh's peG

ple, don't you? If that makes me an

Israelite, then I'll gladly be an

Israelite. All who wish to be saved

of necessity will have to be ob-

serving the scriptural seventh-daySabbath!

Duration of the SabbathRe-Emphasized

Exodus 31:17 makes the keepingof the Sabbath even more binding byconcretely establishing the durationof the commandment's effectiveness."ft is a sign between me and theehildren of Israel I'0REYER: for insar days Yahweh made heaaen andearth, and on the seoenth daa herested, and was refreshed" The

word forever is translated againfrom the Hebrew word, olahm- The

word means, "to the uanishingpoint, to time out of mind" toetemfity or alutays." Here is an-

other astonishing revelation fromthe Word of Yahweh! This leaves us

with little doubt concerning thesteadfast endurance of the Sabbathday.

If you desire to be one of thepeople of Yahweh, the true Israel of

Yahweh, you will of necessity have

to keep the scriptural seventh-daySabbath. The sign of acknowledg-ment and recognition between theAlmighty Heavenly Father Yahwehand His people will always be, tothe ages of eternity, the recognitionof Him as the powerful Creator ofthe heavens and the earth. Byrecognizing Him as the supremeCreator of the heavens and theearth, you will keep His seventh-daySabbath faithfully. By recogn rzingHis creative power, we humbly sub-

mit our human lives to His will, andYahweh then looks upon us as

people who voluntarily accept Hisrulership.

Israel OnlU?

Again we wish to return to thethought held by many sincere Christ-ians that the Sabbath was only forthe Jews or for Israel. Undoubtedlythrough their having been taughterroneous religious doctrines fromtheir childhood, they have continuedto believe things which are un-scriptural.

Let us determine from the sacred

Scriptures if the Sabbath was made

only for the flesh and blood descend-

ants of Abrah&ffi, Isaac, and Jacob.

Turn to Isaiah 56. Read this chapter prayerfully, noting especially the

last three verses. Yahweh sternlycommands the watchmen of Israeland of the nations (the ministerswho are teaching the Word ofYahweh) to herald His Word fear-lessly. They are not to preach forgain (lucrative compensation).

Notice exactly what will be themessage to be preached by the

watchmen whom Yahweh has called.They will be proclaiming judgment

and justice. They will be preachingthe strict obedience to the Laws andcommandmenh of Yahweh. Theywill be preaching the "narrow way"to salvation, the way of righteous-ness, which means the keeping ofthe commandments of Yahweh,D'euteronomy 6:25.

Now notice who will be includedin this plan of salvation in addition

to Israel. Begin reading at verse 2,

"Blessed is the man (not the Jew orIsraelitel that does this, and theson of man [the word in the Hebrewis "Adam," the generic term for manin Hebrew, meaning the people of allraces and nationalitiesl that holds itfast; that keeps the sabbath [doesthis mean that the Sabbath is stillbinding on all races? Obviouslyllfrom doing anA eoil [which meansthe breaking of any of the command-ments of Yahwehl." See alsoJeremiah 13:10.

Again we will need to emphasizestrongly, that the Sabbath is thefirst test regarding how people willreact to keeping the whole law ofYahweh. If someone "flunks" thetest of the Sabbath (as did some ofthe Israelites in Exodus 16), theywill not receive an opportunity toenter into a closer relationship withour Heavenly Father Yahweh. TheSabbath is an obligation for allmankind to keep, since it is ablessing (Genesis 2:3) and not acurse, as most people erroneouslyassume. You will be blessed if youkeep it, whether you are an Israeliteor a member of any earthly ethnicgroup.

Notice carefully Isaiah 56:4-8.Remember friends, this is a passage

of Scripture which is applicable forall ages. "For thus saAs Yahwehof the eunuchs that keep mAsabbaths, and choose the thingsthat plea"se fii€, and hold fa"st mAeooenant: To them will I gioe inmA house and within mA walls amemorial and a name better thanof $ons and of daughters; I willgiae them an eaerlasting name,that shall not be cut off.

"Also the foreigners [one who isnot an Israelite] that join them-seloes to Yahweh, to minister tohim, and to loae the notne ofYahweh, to be his seroa nts, eaerAone that keeps the sabbath [theseventh day] from profaning iL andholds fast [ratifies it by faithfulobediencel mA cooenant; eaen themroill I bring to mA holy mountain,and make them joyful in mA house


of praAer: their burnt-offeringsand the sacrifices shall be acceptedupon mA altar; for mA house shallbe called a house of prayer for allpeoples. The Sooereign Yahweh,who gathers the outcasts of Israel,sa7s, Yet will I gather others tohim, besides his own that aregathered"

It is Israel that will be re-gathered by Yahweh and the for-eigners shall be joined to them, notthe diametrically converse which istaught by most denominations ofchurchianity. The Holy House ofYahweh, the Temple in Jerusalem,will be keeping the Sabbath duringthe Millennium. Gathering therefor worship from all parts of theglobe will be the people of the earthand they will observe the Sabbathsof Yahweh. Almighty Yahweh in-forms us in a voice of majesticthunder that His worship will beconducted again from Jerusalem andthat all people will be keeping theSabbath at that time.

Millennial Sabbath KeepingConfirmed

It is a well established fact thatchapters 65 and 66 of Isaiah containprophecy for our time, at the end ofthe age. Actually the last 26chapters of Isaiah deal directly withthe dispersion of Israel, how Yahwehwould watch over them and againregather them from all parts of theearth.

Notice the thought of Isaiah 66:2,

" . . . But to this man will I look,eaen to him that is poor and of aeontrite spiriL and that tremblesat mA tDord" The people whoseconduct will be pleasing to Yahwehwill tremble in reverence before theproclaimed Word of Yahweh. Wetrust that you are one of thosepeople. Our Heavenly Father canonly work with a group of people

who indeed desire to be taught bythe Word and will tremble in fearand reverence before its majesty byobeying it. When we refuse to allowourselves to be taught the Biblemessage, we- shall no longer be led

by the Spirit of Yahweh.T[rrn then to verses 18-24. This

gathering of nations is identical tothe one described in chapter 56.

Notice carefully verse 22, whichpredicts the new heavens and earthto appear at the end of the age.Will the people be living righteouslyin this time? Verse 23, "And itshall eome to pns$, that from onenew moon to another, and fromone sabbath to another, shall allflesh come to worship before frte,saAs Yahweh." Here is a prophecydirected to the future, when the newheavens and earth will appear. Weread of this age in 2 Peter 3 andRevelation 2l:1.

This prophecy actually under-scores the fact that the Sabbath (thescriptural seventh day) will beobserved forever, as we read inExodus 31:17! Verse 24 reveals thatthose people who refuse to keep itwill be destroyed in the lake of fire!If the desecration of the Sabbathwill be such a terrible, capital crimeagainst the Most High in the futureages, why is it not just as obnoxiousto Yahweh today? The obviousanswer must be that the Sabbath isstill very much in force today, as itwill be forever. We should nolonger be baffled about which day tokeep' since there is no alteration ofthe commandment possible betweenits origin at creation and theKingdom age.

L€t us never forget that thecorrect Sabbath day of Yahweh ispositively proven. The Jews havenot ceased to keep it at its correcttime. Yahshua kept the Sabbathday with the Jews without objectingto the day, Luke 4:16. "And hecame to Nazareth, where he hadbeen brought ap: and he entered,aE his custom taas, into the sAna-gogae on the sabbath daA, andstood ap to read." The Christiansto this day claim to be keeping thefirst day of the week in honor ofMessiah's resurrection. The Moslemsclaim to be keeping the sixth day ofthe week. The True Worshiperskeep the day Messiah kept.


ru

%estoring

the Sabbath

Why was Israel rejected as Yah-uteh's representatiue nationi The na-tion of Israel had a checkered history.Before the days of King Saul, the tztribes were not united. Then KingSaul united all of the tribes into a na-tion. Succeeding him was the persist-ent King David. The Kingdomreached its apex of splendor underSolomon. From that reign the twelvetribes once more became fragmented,separating into two nations. Yahwehultimately withdrew His blessingfrom these nations because of their sinuntil both went into a corrective capti-vity. The 10 northern tribes were con-quered by Assyria, and the two south-ern tribes were conquered by the Bab-ylonian Empire about 140 years later.

Astonishingly, the neglect of theSabbath was a prime cause in therejection of a people by the MostHigh. He had once called IsraelHis own children (Deuteronomy14:1). The nation known as theHouse of lSrael (the 10 northerntribes) was indicted severely byAlmighty Yahweh and shown theirtransgressions for which they were

suffering punishment by being en-

slaved in Assyria. Read carefullyEzekiel chapts 20.

Notice how Almighty Yahwehpinpoints the keeping of the Sabbathas an initial symptom of rebellion.Ezekiel 20:ll-12 reads, "And I gaoethem mA statuteg and showedthem mA ordinanees, which it aman does, he shall lioe in them-Moreoaer also I gaae them mAsabbaths, to be a sign between meand them, that they maA knowthat I am Yahweh that sanctifiesthem-" Pointedly, AlmightyYahweh informs Israel that rejectionof His laws would reduce theirchances of living a prolonged life.Rejection of His sabbaths had cutthe identifying bond of recognitionbetween Yahweh and His people.

The people of Israel forgot the TrueMighty One whom they were toworship. They even forgot their ownidentity, because they had cast offthe sign of Sabbath keeping thatproved that Israelite heritage.

Notice especially as you read thischapter, that the word "sabbaths" is

used in five addition.al instances.Each time a specified commandmentwas broken Israel was called to ac-count. Later they were evicted fromtheir homeland for sin.

Judah was also rejected becauseof their failure to keep a strictsabbath. Jeremiah the prophet wastold by Almighty Yahweh to preachthe keeping of a strict sabbath in hisexhortation to Judah to institute animmediate reformation. You mayread of this message in Jeremiahl7:L9-27. These words whichJeremiah spoke in the Name ofYahweh were recorded and readlater by Daniel and also Nehemiah.

It was Nehemiah who exhortedJudah to correct their sinful lives byrepenting after they had returnedfrom Babylonian captivity. He com-manded the priests to close the gatesof Jerusalem just before sundown,which inaugurates the Sabbath, so

that they would be certain not t,o

desecrate it. Please read the ac-count of Nehemiah's instnrctions rel-ative to the Sabbath in chapterl3:L*22.

Repairing the Breach

In Isaiah chapter 58 we findanother enlightening passage whichshould encourage us to take a standfirmly for Yahweh's truth by becoming a staunch proponent of the

scriptural seventh-day Sabbath.Verse 12 describes a program of

reconstruction which will be thecommission of each True Worshiper."And they that shall be of Aoushall build the old wuste places;

Aou shall raise up the foundationsof manA generations; and Aou shallbe called The repairer of thebreach, The restorer of Paths todwell in." Isn't that what the TrueWorshipers should be doing in these

Iast days? Upon the appearance ofEliYah the prophet, he shall restore

all things (turning back the hearts ofthe fathers to the children and the

hearts of the children to the fathers),

Malachi 4:F6. Today the Assembliesof Yahweh is restoring the pure

Israelite religion of our forefatherswhich is described in the Old Testa-

ment Scriptures. We are reconsti-tuting the worship of the ApostolicAssembly, taking a firm stand

against the abject moral decaY

which permeates nominal Christ-ianity. We are mending the breakin True Worship which has existedfor many generations, in fact forcenturies.

The prophet shows whatYahweh's Tlue Worshipers will be

doing to restore pure worshiP.Verses 13 and 14 read, "ff Aou

turn awaA Aour foot from the salr-

bath, from doing Aoar Pleosure on

mA holy doA; and call the sabbath

a delight, and the holY of Yahweh

honorable; and shall honor iL notdoing Aoar own uaA*, nor findingAour own pleasure, nor qreaking

Aour own words: then shall Aoudelight yourself in Yahweh and Iwill make Aou to ride uPon the

high plnces of the earth; and I willfeed Uou with the heritage ofJacob Uour father: for the mouthof Yaltueh has sloken iL"

s*it,

TodaU the,4ssembliesof Yahu)eh

is restoring thepure Israelitereligion of our

forefathers which isdesuibed in theOld Testament

,Scriptures.

What blessings will Yet be real-

ized for keeping a strict Sabbath!

Those who are learning the keePing

of the Sabbath now, will be recog-

nized as His children and will be

given the opportunitY to selve Himin restoring righteous government to

this earth when the Messiah returns,Acts 3:2L This Kingdom restorationhas already begun as the TrueWorshipers seek to learn the way of

Yahweh which will be utilized bY

them in governing this earth in the

millennium. The keePing of the

scriptural Sabbath will then produce

the rich blessings which our

Heavenly Father has reserved forHis people, the blessings offered forobedience in the inspired Scripturesto Abrah&ffi, Isaac and Jacob. These

men saw Yahweh's Promises afaroff, down the annals of time. TheY

believed them and ordered theirIives accordingly in anticipation ofreceiving them, but died before the

blessings could be conferred upon

them. Hebrews 11 relates that the

Heavenly Father wished to include

their descendants and those whowould be joined to them as recipi-ents of these promises, Hebrews11:39:40.

What kind of Sabbath keeping

does Isaiah instruct for Israel? The

true Israelite will take his foot offthe Sabbath, from trampling the

sanctity of the day into the dirt. Hewill keep the day holy as Yahwehhas instructed. The criterion fordetermining what is holy to Yahwehrevolves around doing our ownpleasure. This means that we mustnot speak our own words or do ourown pleasure, but refresh ourselvesspiritually with the Word of Yah-weh, and physically with rest.

The Example of the Messiah

In our search for the true daywhich must be observed for the

scriptural Sabbath, w€ arrive now atthe portals of the New Testament.Essentially, the True Worshipers, we

who believe in the doctrine of the

Messiah (2 John 9), must allow ourlives to be guided by the example ofthe Messiah. The life He lived whilehere on this very earth was meantto give us graphic direction on howto fulfill the terms of Yahweh'scovenant law. The account of the

Word made flesh would definitelydictate how we should mold ourearthly lives, 1 Peter 2:2L-22.

The initial point where we shouldbegin our investigation of the daywhich our Savior observed would be

to ask the question, "Which day didYahshua recognize as the day ofworship when He was here on thisearth?"

This question can be answeredbriefly when we read Luke 4:16.

"And he came to Nazareth, wherehe had been brought up: and he

entered, as his eustom tDus, intothe sAnagogue on the sabbath drA,and stood ry to read" Friends,there is absolutely no scripturalrecord that remotely can be con-

strued to indicate that our Saviorobserved any other daY for the daY

of worship than the seventh-daY

scriptural Sabbath.

10

This fact is truly enlightening,because it reveals that no other daycould be acceptable for worship inHis assembly! The custom of theMessiah was to go on the Sabbath tothe local house of worship, forprayer and study of the Scriptures.Do you follow His steps and dolikewise?

His true Assembly on this earthtoday will be doing exactly as Hedid. Yahshua commanded Hisdisciples to do So, and keep theSabbath day which was commandedby the Heavenly F'ather. Had therebeen any deviation on the part ofthe Messiah, He would have had noIight, since He would not have beenan obedient son. Had He set asidethe Sabbath day, which was HisFather's commandment, could theMessiah have been sin-free? ReadJohn 7:1&18, 1 John 3:4, and 1 Peter2:2L-22.

Furtherrnore, recall that theMessiah kept the Sabbath 4ry on thesame day of the week which theJews observed. We must follow theMessiah's example.

The Fourth Commandment Dnigmo

How About Paul?Paul informed the Corinthian

brethren that they were obligated tofollow him just as far as he followedthe Messiah and His teachings, 1

Corinthians 1 1: 1. There is noscriptural record to indicate that theApostle Paul ever observed anyother day for the scriptural day ofrest than the scriptural Sabbathwhich had been observed by theTrue Worshipers throughout historydown from Creation.

Possibly the most obvious scriptural passage to support this con-clusion is found in Acts l7:2. Luke,the writer of this book, usesessentially the identical compositephrasing which he used in describingYahshua's observance of theSabbath, Luke 4:L6. "And Paul, aswus his custom, went in to themand for three sahbath days rea-soned with them from the scriptures." It would hardly have beenconsistent of Paul to advocate thekeeping of another day than the one

which had been observed by hisleader, the Messiah, whom he waspreaching to the nations! Paul keptthe authentic scriptural Sabbath.He taught its faithful observance tohis converts.

The obvious fact that Paulpreached the seventh-day Sabbathmay also be learned from Acts 13.

In this passage Paul has arrived atthe city of Antioch in Pisidia. Heand his party directed their missionfirst to their ethnic fellows, theJewish people. They made it a pointto attend the local synagogue serviceon the Sabbath day.

Afber the opening devotions andthe reading of the sacred Scriptures(remember, the New Testament hadnot as yet been written, so theseScriptures were the Old Testament),Paul was called to the pulpit toaddress the assembled crowd of Jewsand proselytes. The Jewish peoplewere cool to this doctrine apparently, but the proselytes andGentiles who feared the Almightyrequested that Paul preach thisidentical mess&ge to them againthe following Sabbath.

A penetrating thought instantlycomes to mind upon reading thisverce (verse 42). It raises thequestion concerning why Paul didnot inform these Gentiles that theSabbath was no longer binding sincethe Messiah had now died andannulled the law. He did notpropose to alter any of the scriptural commandments. Rather, theclear fact emerges that he attendedthe synagogue the following Sabbathand repeated his proclamation of theMessianic message to the crowd.

How wonderful to learn that theApostles were consistent with theirleader, Yahshua the Messiah, andtaught the very same message whichHe had taught. If we wish toreceive His proffered Holy Spirit wewill be required to obey Him also,Acts 5:32. Today's true ministers ofthe Ir,lessiah are following in theseApostolic footsteps today. They areworking diligently to reconstitutethe Apostolic Assembly.

*.,ifs*,,rnrf,lni," ..,f' { i/r/,,n.,n.d

Paul's letter to the Gala-tians has been used for cen-turies to justify the popu-lnr "no-ln?t)" doctrinetaught in nominal religiontoday.

But did the Apostle Paulreally teach that Yahshuadid away with Yahuteh'sroyal lnu? Read the start-ling truth in "Commentaryon fulatians. "

Assemblies of YahwehP.O. Box C

Bethel, PA 19507

{"r":n1lT}ffnfnry

on

fiffi[,atians

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11


Tfe Scnptural Sabbatll?asses the Test

The Reason Sunday KeepingExists

The usual reason advanced byministers explaining why they areobserving Sunday as the weekly dayof rest is that the Savior rose fromthe grave on the first day of the

week. [Jnderstandably it is difficultfor someone who has been taughterror for many years to allow hismind to grasp the full importance ofvarious passages in the New Testa-ment which dispel the superstitionsthat have accumulated over theyears.

Nowhere in your Bible does it say

that the Savior rose on the first dayof the week! I would challengeanyone to prove such a doctrinedirectly from the Bible, with thebasis in the original texts as closely

as we can return to them. The

candid facts which emerge from deep

research into this subject reveal thatwhen the women and the disciples

arrived at the tomb on the first dayof the week, Yahshua had alreadybeen resurrected. The angels tellthem-"He is not here. He is risenfrom the dead. Come see the Place

where He lay."When was the moment of His

resurrection then? You cannot

begin to compress a time Period of

three dsys and three nights into theshort spsce of time from FridaY

night to Sunday morning. Thisdifference behveen what the Wordof Yahweh reveals and what nomi-

nal Christianity teaches is shock-

ingly obvious!Actually this sign of three full

days and three nights was given by

Yahshua as the only sign that He

was indeed the tnte Messiah. The

answer appears in Matthew 28:L.

Having been placed in the grave atthe end of the preparation day, justas the first High Day of UnleavenedBread was arriving, Yahshua wouldhave been resurrected three fulldays later-as the seventh-daY

Sabbath was ending.Yahshua was placed in the tomb

cn a Wednesday, Iate in the

afbernoon, just before sunset. The

Sabbath was drawing on and thisparticular Sabbath was a high day,

an annual Sabbath. Please read

Luke 23:54. Affer the imPalement,the women who were watching the

execution followed the burial proces-

sion to note the place where He was

buried in the garden tomb, Luke23:55. Since the following daY was

an annual Sabbath (the first holY

day of Unleavened Bread), no workcould be done and no embalmingspices could be purchased, Leviticus23:G7. Hence, the women had tokeep the High Sabbath.

Note verse 56, "And they te-turned, and prepared spiees andointments. And on the Sabbaththey rested aceording to the eom-mandmenl" The day following theannual Sabbath was the day wecommonly call Friday, when busi-ness was normally conducted. Thiswas when they prepared theembalming spices. The followingday was another Sabbath, the

weekly seventh day. Obserrre carefully what the women did." . . . And on the Sabbath theyrested aeeording to the eommand'ment" (They had been taught to do

this by the Messiah Himself in Histhree and onehalf year ministry.)At this time, just a few days afterthe impalement of our Savior, iloone was aware that the Sabbath Dayhad been changed to the first day ofthe week! Incidentally, the reason

Yahshua's body could not be em-

balmed before the weekly Sabbathwas that the Jewish authorities hadrequested that a Roman guard be

posted. This request was granted byPilate.

Matthew 28:1

The most powerful bombshell toblast through the Easter resur-

rection myth is Matthew 28:1.

"Nou late on the sabbath fuA, oE

it began to dawn toward the firstdaA of the week [when does ascriptural day begin? Read Genesischapter U, came MiriamMagdalene and the other Miriamto see the sepalehre." The reasonfor the trip late on the Sabbath wasto identify the burial site bydaylight and to determine when theRoman guard would be withdrawnso they could embalm the Messiah'sbody.

Then these subsequent events tookplace by the very end of theSabbath. This was exactly three fulldays and three full nights that theMessiah spent in the tomb! Howmarvelous are these facts, as we see

so many new tmths from the Biblecome bursting t0 life before us.There are no discrepancies in theBible and the Savior did not rise onthe first day of the week. (Forfurther information on the resur-rection of the Messiah, write toAssemblies of Yahweh, P.O. Box C,Bethel, PA 19507, and request ourfree article, entitled, "Easter orPassover.")

Now the last vestiges of Sundaycredibility have at last vanished intothin air! There is absolutely novalid reason for keeping Sundayholy in honor of the resurrection ofthe Savior because He did not ri,se

on the first day of the u;eek! Herose on His dqy, in the end of theSob bath. This fact lends even moreforceful incentive to all of theseekerc after Thlth to keep thescriptural Sabbath, the seventh dayof the week.

When is the Muster's Day?Most theologians declare that the

first day of the week is the Master'sDay (Lord's Day). Do you knowwhen that day is, which day HeHimself indicat€d was His day?Turn with me to Mark 2. Yahshuaand His disciples were walking alongone Sabbath (perhaps on their wayhome from the synagogue), and someof the disciples began to eat some ofthe grain which was planted infields along their route. Yahshua's


entourage was at that time beingscrutin tzed rather closely by thereligious leaders of the day. ThePharisees intended to use againstthe Messiah and His disciples anyseeming infractions which theymight commit in their conduct.

Today we experience no exceptionfrom the established religions.When someone comes along with a

different doctrine, his personal con-

duct is closely scrutinized to detectany lapse which could be usedagainst him. Yahshua was no exception. The Pharisees insisted thatdisciples of Yahshua were harvestingon the Sabbath, thereby breaking theTorah commandment. Yahshua theMessiah defended the position thatHis men were merely providing fora natural necessity so that the Sabbath could be delightful for them.In fact, neither the Messiah nor Hisdisciples had harvested-meaning tocut, thresh, and store grain. Whenthe controvercy was debated,Yahshua summarized the discussionand ended the controvelsy by statingthat He was the Master of theSabbath also, verses 27-?8.

This is quite an eye opener tomost people. How could the Messiahbe the Master of the Sabbath? Theanswer lies in the creation story inGenesis 1. It was "elohim" whocreated the heavens and the earth.Elohim is the Hebrew word whichhas been translat€d "g-d" in theKing James. It should have beentranslated Mighty One or MightyOnes (since Elohim is a masculineplural word). It is a word which isa compound unity, meaning a groupor fraternity of Mighty Beingsworking in harmony and accordtoward one purpose, thereby it takesa singular verb, although it isplural. John L:L-Z indicates that itwas the Word, the Logos orSpokesman who did the creating.Then it was the Word (Logos) whorested on the Sabbath day andcreated a day of rest by refrainingfrom labor. Because he has createdit, He could then be called theMaster or owner of the Sabbath.

The Lord's Day

A passage of Scripture that has

confused the casual reader of theBible is found in Revelation 1:10.

"f uas in the Spirit on Yahweh'sdoA, and I heard behind me agreat aoice, a"s of a trumpet." People read this verse and assume thatJohn engaged in some kind ofspiritual worship on Sunday, sincenominal churchianity calls the firstday of the week the "Lord's Day."But, when the sincere Bible studentlearns the Sacred Name, he

discovers that pagan terms havebeen used as surrogates for theTetragrammaton in the New Testa-ment. Restore the Sacred Nameback to the text and the meaningimmediately becomes clear!

John saw a vision of Yahweh'sDay, the Day of Yahweh, theKingdom age and His judgmentpreceding it. Additionally, w€ havealready seen that the Lrd's orMaster's day is the Sabbath (Mark2:28), removing any validity for in-terpreting this day in Revelation1:10 as "Sunday."

Is the Sabbath Jewish?

In this same second chapter ofMark we find that Yahshua theMessiah reveals for whom theSabbath day was created. Mostpeople assume that the Sabbath is aJewish holiday. Surprisingly, theBible says that the Sabbath was notmade for the Jew, neither were theJews the first to keep it holy. TheJews have been faithful in observingit over the centuries, and haveperpetuated it down to our day, butthis does not make it Jewish. Justbecause a German happens to obserre the Fourth of July does notmake it a German holiday. Neitheris the Sabbath Jewish just becausethe Jews have observed it faithfully,while other races have neglected it.

Yahweh says that the Sabbath isHis Sob bath, Leviticus 23:3.Yahshua the Messiah asserts thatthe Sabbath of Yahweh was madefor man (not the Jew alone) in Mark

r3

2:27, as we have already observed.Yahweh did not need rest to restoreHis vitality after six days of work.Consequently, Almighty Yahweh in-augurated the scriptural seventh-daySabbath with man in mind as well.The Sabbath was indeed made forall men, not for the Jews exclu-sively. Nevertheless, the lessonswhich we learn from Sabbathkeeping will be used in the Millen-nium and eternity as new reasonsfor its observance are applied.

The Sabbath a DaUof Worship

Looking back again to the Law ofYahweh for a second reason forkeeping the scriptural Sabbath, wefind contained in Leviticus chapter23 a special purpose given when theholy days were enumerated.

Leviticus 23:2-3: "Speak to thechildren of Israel, and saA to them,The set feask of Yahweh, which

I Aou shall proelnim to be HOLYI,CO\flOCATIONS, euen THDSE

I dne MY sET FEAS?:S. sir daas

I shall worlc be done: but on thei settenth daA is a sabbath of solemt

resL a holA conaocation; Aou shalldo no monner of work: it is asabbath to Yahweh in all AoardwellingE."

The Hebrew word for "convoca-tion" (miqra) means "to call to-gether the people for a public?neeting."

The Sabbath was a day whenspecial sacrifices were offered inancient Israel, Numbers 28:$10.While the Sabbath was made forrest, it was also designated as a dayfor worship of the Heavenly Fatherand for the study of His W'ord.

It was on the Sabbath day thatthe priests of ancient Israel changedthe shew bread, Leviticus 24:8. Thisis significant because this table of. 12

loaves of shew bread was analogousto the nourishing spiritual foodfound in Yahweh's Tabernacle andTemple. Each week when themembers of the Assemblies ofYahweh meet for worship on theSabbath day, they hear a sermon by

The Fourth Commandment Dnigmo

one of Yahweh's ministers who setsforth the "bread of life." Thisspiritual food sustains and nourishesthe people of Yahweh. Duringworchip, the members of theAssemblies of Yahweh bring thesacrifices of the praises of our lipswhich are the acceptable sacrifice inthis Messianic era, Hebrews 1B:1$1G,Psalm 54:6, and Hosea l4:2.

The First of the Feasts

By virtue of the fact that theseventh-day Sabbath is named firstin the list of Holy Days found inLeviticus chapter 23 (it is called amoed-wt feast), it becomes thefirst feast of Yahweh. The scriptural Sabbath heads the list of allthe Feast days (festivals) and bears aspecial connotation in the plan ofsalvation. It cannot be separatedfrom any of the Feast Days.

The Sabbath Afterthe Resuruection

There are people who a$sume thatthe Sabbath was only changed to thefirst day of the week after theresurrection. It is surprising,however, that Yahshua the Messiahwould not inform His disciples ofthis realignment of the days of theweek when He gave His prophecy inMatthew chapter 24. The disciplesof Messiah are urged to pray thattheir flight should not be on theSabbath day when it would becomenecessary for them to flee, verse 20.It should be obvious to the TrueWorshiper that the weekly Sabbathday, the seventh day, was neverchanged afber the Savior died, or HeHimself would have manifested thisalteration to His disciples. He urgedHis disciples t0 pray that theywould not have to flee on theSabbath and thereby break it.Remember, we are His disciplestoday.

Sunday Innoaation Eryrosed

A history of Sunday keeping ismost intriguing and revealing. Itseems that a man named Marcion(about two centuries after the

Messiah) began a concerted effort toeliminate the Old Testament fromuse in the Messianic Assembly.

Then during the following cen-tury, the council of Nicea wasconvened by Emperor Constantine.Through his direction, legislationwas handed down prohibiting thekeeping of the scriptural Sabbathunder pain of death. People wereforbidden to "Judai ze," and werecommanded to rest from theirlabors on the first day of the week.Your encyclopedia will reveal thatConstantine was an unconverted,pagan sun worshiper when hepresided over the Nicean Conference!

Rather audaciously, the RomanCatholic Church admits to makingthe change of her own volition, evendeclaring haughtily that she had thelegal right to do so as the tme bodyrepresenting the Messiah on thisearth.

Nevertheless, breaking the Law ofYahweh is defined as sin (1 John3:4), and this law contains copiouslegislation relative to the Sabbathcommandment.

Furtherrnore, w€ have seen thatthe Sabbath is to be kept foreuer,precluding the possibility that manwould eYer have the legal right toalter the words which were givenby the Heavenly Father. TheSabnath is still very much bindingon the Tme Worshiper today, justas it was all the v'rxy ,{cwn throughhistory since the creation; and itwill continue to be binding throughthe millennium. See Isaiah 66:23.

Roman Catholicism has no biblicaljustification or approval for chang-ing the day of worship in thisMessianic era.

A New Testament Commandto Keep the Sabbath

Many people in nominal Christ-ianity insist that if I can show thema commandment to keep the Sabbathin the New Testament, they willbegin to keep it immediately. Theabsence of the Sabbath command-ment in the New Testament, theyfeel, proves to them that the Savior

t4

changed the day of rest.Do you know that such a com-

mandment can indeed be found inthe New Testament? T[rn with meto Hebrews chapter 4. We find thewriter showing in type how theMillennium would be kept in theKingdom of Yahweh established on

this very earth. The Millennium is

depicted by the day which we keep

for the Sabbath.The commandment is found in

verse 9, "There remains therefore asabbath rest for the people ofYahweh." The actual command-ment is hidden under a faultytranslation. The Greek text readshere, "There remains a keeping of aSabbath for the people of Yahweh."

How enlightening! Did you graspthe significance of what you read?

The keeping of the seventh-daySabbath each week depicts theforthcoming millennium, the King-dom of Yahweh as it takes over therule of this earth.

Could it follow then that those

who do not keep the scripturalSabbath will not hav'e a part in thisdelightful era of peace, prosperity,reconstruction and rehabilitation?Those indications are certainly setforth most strongly in this passage

proving that the people of Yahwehwill always be keeping the Sabbathof Yahweh.

How Can You Recognizethe T?ue Worshiper?

Many people in nominalChristianity appear to be in aquandary when confronted with thesubject of the Sabbath. Could the

, majority of people who believe thatthey are supposed to be moldingtheir lives to the pattern of theScriptures have been somehow mis-led? Certainly the majority cannotbe wrotrg, they believe!

They do not remember Matthew7:l*L4, where it is revealed that thefew people will find the NarrowWay, while the many, the numerous,will be traversing the broad way.Surely the Savior has not left Hispeople in the dark where the


description of the Tme Worshipersis concerned. He has certainlyshown us a graphic picture of themin some way.

The Bible is simply saturatedwith descriptions of the True Wor-shipers, including the explicit ac'counts of the life of the Son ofYahweh, the Word made flesh.However, allow me to call to yourmind Scriptures which will portraythe conduct of the True Worshipers.

First let us go to Matthew 4:4.

Incidentally, this is a quote fromDeuteronomy 8:3, if you would liketo refer back to it. "Bttt heanswered and said, It is written,Man shall not litse ba bread alone,but BY EVDRY WORD that prbeeeds oat of the mouth ofYahweh." If you are one of thepeople of Yahweh, one of His ownSpirit begotten children, you willindeed keep the scriptural seventh-

day Sabbath since it is contained inthe Word of Yahweh, the OldTe stament Scriptttre s.

the second and third Scriptureswhich describe the True Worshipersmay be found in Revelation l2:L7and L4:L2. For brevity I shall quote

only the first passage. "And thedragon became exeeedinglU angrAwith the woman, and went awaA tomake uar with the rest of herseed that keep the commandmentsof Yahweh, and hold the testimonAof Yahshua." These remnantpeople will not be difficult torecognize since they will be bearingthe indelible identity throughkeeping the scriptural Sabbath. Notonly will they be keeping theSabbath, but they will be keeping allof the remainder of the command-ments of Yahweh, from the SacredName to the least of the command-ments. Please read Matthew 5:7-20

and you will be able to perceive

what I mean. Now notice carefullyRevelation 14:12. Read the contextof this passage. Here the mark ofthe beast is being enforced!

The people of Yahweh, conversely,are obeying His commandments.they will be set apart from the

people of the world. This will invitepersecution as velse 13 reveals (the

dragon makes war with the remnantof the woman's seed). But, T?ue

Worshipers need not be troubledabout this religious persecution sincewe will receive protection. Further-more, we are assured of a resurrec-tion should some be martyredbecause our works (our obedience)

will never be overlooked by theHeavenly Father.

The final Scripture which I wishto set forth in making the case forNew Testament commandmentkt:eping and especially for thekeeping of the seventh-day Sabbath,is found in Revelation 22:14.

"Blessed are they that wa"sh theirrobes, that they maA haae right tothe tree of life, and maA enter inbU the gates into the citA." If youdesire to live in fhe Holy City, NewJerus.elem, you will need to begin toker,p l:he scriptural Sabbath and tokeep all of the commandments ofYahweh. (Please note that theterm-wash their robes-has beentranslated "keep the command-ments" in sorne versions on the basisof such passages as Revelation 19:8).

Not only will the scriptural Sabbathbe observed in the Millennium, butafberwards also in the Holy City,New Jerusalem, which will ruleduring the ages of eternity.

Tloo Ditticult ScripturesExplained

Occasionally someone will pointout two Scriptures which seem toinvalidate the Sabbath command-ment. One of these Scriptures is

Galatians 4:lGl1. "Yott obseroedaAs, and months, and seasons,and Aears. I am afraid of Aou lestba anA means I haoe bestowedlabor upon you in uain."

We have already seen that theApostle Paul did not renounce thescriptural Sabbath nor teach men todo so in his lifetime. As a

consequence, Paul must have meantsomething totally different thanwhat most people a$sume that he

said.

15

The context of this chapter willclarifu the situation. Verse 7 showsthat we are no longer servants, butsons. Verces 8-9 emphasize, "Howet)er AT TIAT TIME, NOTI{NOWING YAHWEH, Aou uere INBONDAGE to them that bA natureare NO ELOHIM: but now thatYOA HAV1E COME TO I{NOWYAHWEH, or rather to beI{NOWN BY YAHWEH, howTIIRN YOA BACK AGAIN [back-slidingl to the weak and beggarlyrudiments, to which Aou desire tobe in bondage oaer again linslavery to idolatry againl?"

Do you really grasp the meaningof this passage? The people towhom Paul was writing had beenworshiping the idols of the nationsin which they were born. Thenwhen scriptural light appeared andthe Sacred Name came to theirattention, they accepted it andbegan to worship the true MightyOne of the universe. However, inconjuction with the Sacred Namesused in Tme Worship, they foundthat an entirely new array of HolyDays presented itself. So theGalatians began to keep the HolyDays of Yahweh which are com-manded to be kept in Leviticuschapter 23.

However, as happens occasionally,someone does not have the strengthof character to obey Yahweh wholeheartedly. They begin to comprGmise with the world and ultimatelyreturn to keeping the pagan holidayswhich the world keeps. Paul isexhorting such people to remainfaithful to Yahweh and keep Hisholy days. This can be substantiatedwhen we cross reference Leviticus19:26 and Deuteronomy 18:10-14,

since these Scriptures prohibit wor-shiping on the days which areobseryed by pagan people.

The second passage which alwaysseems to give newly interestedpeople quite a barrier to hurdle isColossians 2:LGl7. "Let no man

iudge Aou therefore in meat, or indrink, or in reslrect of a feust daA,

or a new moon, or a sabbath:


which are a shadow of things tocome; but the boda of theMessiah."

First, this passage directs us toallow no rnan to judge us in theobedience to these various things.Yahuseh judges us according to Hiscommandments! Too ofben theoutward appearance in the worldwill conflict with someone's duty toYahweh. Sensitive people will allowmen to judge and influence themand ultimately they will receive acurse. Instead of looking toYahweh, serving Him in obedienceand receiving His blessings, theycapitulate to peer pressure and thepleasures of the world. We arecommanded by Yahweh to keep theSabbath and not to let man interferewith our keeping it. Please notethat the verb in verse 16 is generallyput in the past tense, while it shouldbe in the present. These observancesARB still in force.

Notice also the italicized word"is," in verce l'l . It is the body ofthe Messiah which will judge theTrue Worshiper according toYahweh's Inspired Scriptures. Weshould mold our lives in accordancewith the example which the brethrenin the Assemblies of Yahweh try tolive.

These things are still todayshadows of things to come. The truemeaning of keeping them is still inthe future. A shadow is aprotection which is cast by a largerobject and the Sabbaths in the King-dom ages will be fulfilled in a muchgreater way than the reason fortheir current observance.

How About theFirst DaA of the Week?

Another old standby text for anintransigent opponent of the scriptural Sabbath may be found in 1

Corinthians L6:2. However, thispassage does not say that Paulaltered the day of worship, does it?Read it over again. "Upon the firstdaA of the week let each one ofAou InU bA him in store, as heprosper, that no eolleetions

made when I come."Verse one indicat€d that this was

to be a collection for the poor saintsin Jerusalem who were sufferingfrom a famine and needed materialassistance. The gathering of thisassistance was to precede the arrivalof Paul.

This collection was not the cus-

tomary Sunday morning offering ofour contemporary era. It was acollection of material things, ofwhich some of these offerings anddonations might have to be turnedinto cash more readily transportablefor the trip back to Jerusalem (such

contribution of cattle whichhave been difficult to trans-

Paul was not commanding (norbe

thesuggesting) that a day of restestablished on the first day ofweek, but that a day of work on thefirst day of the week, Sunday, be setaside during which business could betransacted! Again, this is a truth-ful, yet SHOCKING interpretationwhen we see the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy as com-manded in the Word of Yahweh.

Choose You This Daa!

Although we have concluded a

rather lengthy study dealing withthe question of which weekly holydal we are to keep in the NewTestamentexhaustive.

&g€, it is by no means

asawouldport).

So

covered theclearly proveonstrafu thatday Sabbathforce today.Sabbath is aof the Most

However, we havemain points which

conclusively and dem-the scriptural seventh-remains very much inWe have seen that thesign between the people

High and their Mighty

maabe

One, Yahweh.Now, the choice is up to you!

Will you heed this clear command-ment of Yahweh or will youcontinue to diminish from Hismajestic power and authority? Itwill mean the difference betweenreceiving salvation or being rejectedby the Heavenly Father.

May you always base your reliantfaith upon the Word of Yahweh. sNB

16

Tthe SmGIPedL Somflpfrmm@s

The Assemblies of Yahweh Presentthis oolume, The Sacred ScriPtu,res,Bethel Ddition, to the reader in ourhumble endeaaor to gitte Aou a specialgift of greater biblical knowledge. We

haoe restored the Sacred Name,

Yahweh fthe Tetragrammaton) andproper titles to the English text of the

Otd Testament as well as returning the

Name of Yahshua, our Saaior, to the

text of the New Testament.The Soc red ScriPtures, Bethel

Edition, is ba"sed upon the translationwork of the American Standard Ver-

sior, 1901, known os the most aecurateEngtish rsersion euer put into print. Itmaintains the delicate balanee neees-

sorA to prorside a uery aeeurate, literaltranslation, while Preseraing themajesty of expression of the originaltexts.

In this edition we haae sought toeliminate the Shakespearean Englishwhich is no longer familiar in modern

usage, and we haae tried to be faithfulin rendering the original texts fus

closely as we can return to them)-

While strirsing to make the text ofthe Bible more understandahle for the

modern reader, the maiesty with whichthe Bible should be comprehended uasnot saerificed; therefore, this textemphosizes our need to think of ourHeaaenlU Father and His Messiah on ahigher leuel.

We hope Aou will enioY The SacredScriptu,res, Bethel Edition- Read andlearn from this, the sacred Word ofAlmightU Yahweh.

Write in fur informotion on lww Wu con obtain o coPy of this

superb Biblc trorulotian. Serd Wur nequcst to:

Assemblies of YahwehP. O. Bor C

Bethel, PA 19507

enlgma - assemblies of yahweh believed from our youth (some-times quite passionately) ... message...

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