One Hundred Bible Facts on the
Sabbath Question
Sixty Bible Facts Concerning the Seventh Day
WHY keep the Sabbath day? What is 2:27), that is, for the race, as the word man
the object of the Sabbath? Who made it? is here unlimited; hence, for the Gentile as
When was it made, and for whom? well as for the Jew.
Which day is the true Sabbath? Many 9. It is a memorial of creation. (Exodus
keep the first day of the week, or 20:11; 31:17.) Every time we rest upon the
Sunday. What Bible authority have they seventh day, as God did at creation, we
for this? Some keep the seventh day, or commemorate that grand event.
Saturday. What Scripture have they for 10. It was given to Adam, the head of the
that? Here are the facts about both days, human race. (Mark 2:27; Genesis 2:1-3.)
as plainly stated in the Word of God: 11. Hence through him, as our
representative, to all nations. (Acts 17:26.)
1. After working the first six days of the 12. It is not a Jewish institution, for it
week in creating this earth, the great God was made 2,300 years before ever there
rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:1-3.) was a Jew.
2. This stamped that day as God’s rest 13. The Bible never calls it the Jewish
day, or Sabbath day, as Sabbath day means Sabbath, but always “the Sabbath of the
rest day. To illustrate: When a person is Lord thy God.” Men should be cautious
born on a certain day, that day thus how they stigmatize God’s holy rest day.
becomes his birthday. So when God rested 14. Evident reference is made to the
upon the seventh day, that day became His Sabbath and the seven-day week all
rest, or Sabbath, day. through the patriarchal age. (Genesis 2:1-3;
3. Therefore the seventh day must 8:10, 12; 29:27, 28, etc.)
always be God’s Sabbath day. Can you 15. It was a part of God’s law before
change your birthday from the day on Sinai. (Exodus 16:4, 27-29.)
which you were born to one on which you 16. Then God placed it in the heart of
were not born? No. Neither can you change His moral law. (Exodus 20:1-17.) Why did
God’s rest day to a day on which He did not He place it there if it was not like the other
rest. Hence the seventh day is still God’s nine precepts, which all admit to be
Sabbath day. immutable?
4. The Creator blessed the seventh day. 17. The seventh-day Sabbath was
(Genesis 2:3.) commanded by the voice of the living God.
5. He sanctified the seventh day. (Deuteronomy 4:12, 13.)
(Exodus 20:11.) 18. Then He wrote the commandment
6. He made it the Sabbath day in the with His own finger. (Exodus 31:18.)
Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:1-3.) 19. He engraved it in the enduring stone,
7. It was made before the fall; hence it is indicating its imperishable nature.
not a type; for types were not introduced till (Deuteronomy 5:22.)
after the fall. 20. It was sacredly preserved in the ark in
8. Jesus says it was made for man (Mark the holy of holies. (Deuteronomy 10:1-5.)
21. God forbade work upon the Sabbath, 36. He vindicated the Sabbath as a
even in the most hurrying times. (Exodus merciful institution designed for man’s
34:21.) good. (Mark 2:23-28.)
22. God destroyed the Israelites in the 37. Instead of abolishing the Sabbath,
wilderness because they profaned the He carefully taught how it should be
Sabbath. (Ezekiel 20:12, 13.) observed. (Matthew 12:1-13.)
23. It is the sign of the true God, by 38. He taught His disciples that they
which we are to know Him from false gods. should do nothing upon the Sabbath day
(Ezekiel 20:20.) but what was “lawful.” (Matthew 12:12.)
24. God promised that Jerusalem should 39. He instructed His apostles that the
stand forever if the Jews would keep the Sabbath should be prayerfully regarded
Sabbath. (Jeremiah 17:24, 25.) forty years after His resurrection.
25. He sent them into the Babylonish (Matthew 24:20.)
captivity for breaking it. (Nehemiah 13:18) 40. The pious women who had been
26. He destroyed Jerusalem for its with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day
violation. (Jeremiah 17:27.) after His death. (Luke 23:56.)
27. God has pronounced a special 41. Thirty years after Christ’s
blessing on all the Gentiles who will keep resurrection, the Holy Spirit expressly calls
it. (Isaiah 56:6, 7.) it “the sabbath day.” (Acts 13:14.)
28. This is in the prophecy which refers 42. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles,
wholly to the Christian dispensation. (See called it the “sabbath day” in A.D. 45.
Isaiah 56.) (Acts 13:27.) Did not Paul know? Or shall
29. God has promised to bless all who we believe modern teachers, who affirm
keep the Sabbath. (Isaiah 56:2.) that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the
30. The Lord requires us to call it resurrection of Christ?
“honourable.” (Isaiah 58:13.) Beware, ye 43. Luke, the inspired Christian
who take delight in calling it the “old historian, writing as late as A.D. 62, calls it
Jewish Sabbath,” “a yoke of bondage,” etc. the “sabbath day.” (Acts 13:44.)
31. After the holy Sabbath has been 44. The Gentile converts called it the
trodden down “many generations,” it is to Sabbath. (Acts 13:42.)
be restored in the last days. (Isaiah 58:12, 45. In the great Christian council, A.D.
13.) 49, in the presence of the apostles and
32. All the holy prophets kept the thousands of disciples, James calls it the
seventh day. “sabbath day.” (Acts 15:21.)
33. When the Son of God came, He kept 46. It was customary to hold prayer
the seventh day all His life. (Luke 4:16; meetings upon that day. (Acts 16:13.)
John 15:10.) Thus He followed His 47. Paul read the Scriptures in public
Father’s example at creation. Shall we not meetings on that day. (Acts 17:2, 3.)
be safe in following the example of both 48. It was his custom to preach upon that
the Father and the Son? day. (Acts 17:2, 3.)
34. The seventh day is the Lord’s day. 49. The Book of Acts alone gives a
(See Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah record of his holding eighty-four meetings
58:13; Exodus 20:10.) upon that day. (See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13;
35. Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 17:2; 18:4, 11.)
2:28), that is, to love and protect it, as the 50. There was never any dispute
husband is the lord of the wife, to love and between the Christians and the Jews about
cherish her (1 Peter 3:6). the Sabbath day. This is proof that the
Christians still observed the same day that either before or after the resurrection, ever
the Jews did. did ordinary work upon the seventh day.
51. In all their accusations against Paul, Find one case of that kind, and we will
they never charged him with disregarding yield the question. Why should we do
the Sabbath day. Why did they not, if he did differently from Bible Christians?
not keep it? 57. There is no record that God has ever
52. But Paul himself expressly declared removed His blessing or sanctification
that he had kept the law. “Neither against from the seventh day.
the law of the Jews, neither against the 58. As the Sabbath was kept in Eden
temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I before the fall, so it will be observed
offended any thing at all.” Acts 25:8. How eternally in the new earth after the
could this be true if he had not kept the restitution. (Isaiah 66:22, 23.)
Sabbath? 59. The seventh-day Sabbath was an
53. The Sabbath is mentioned in the important part of the law of God, as it came
New Testament fifty-nine times, and from His own mouth, and was written by
always with respect, bearing the same title His own finger upon stone at Sinai. (See
it had in the Old Testament, “the sabbath Exodus 20.) When Jesus began His work,
day.” He expressly declared that He had not
54. Not a word is said anywhere in the come to destroy the law. “Think not that I
New Testament about the Sabbath’s being am come to destroy the law, or the
abolished, done away, changed, or prophets.” Matthew 5:17.
anything of the kind. 60. Jesus severely condemned the
55. God has never given permission to Pharisees as hypocrites for pretending to
any man to work upon it. Reader, by what love God, while at the same time they made
authority do you use the seventh day for void one of the Ten Commandments by
common labor? their tradition. The keeping of Sunday is
56. No Christian of the New Testament, only a tradition of men.
Forty Bible Facts Concerning the First Day of the Week
1. The very first thing recorded in the 7. God did not rest upon it.
Bible is work done on Sunday, the first day 8. He never blessed it.
of the week. (Genesis 1:1-5.) This was 9. Christ did not rest upon it.
done by the Creator Himself. If God made 10. Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3),
the earth on Sunday, can it be wicked for us and worked at His trade until He was thirty
to work on Sunday? years old. He kept the Sabbath and worked
2. God commands men to work upon the six days in the week, as all admit. Hence He
first day of the week. (Exodus 20:8-11.) Is did many a hard day’s work on Sunday.
it wrong to obey God? 11. The apostles worked upon it during
3. None of the patriarchs ever kept.it. the same time.
4. None of the holy prophets ever kept it. 12. The apostles never rested upon it.
5. By the express command of God, His 13. Christ never blessed it.
holy people used the first day of the week 14. It has never been blessed by any
as a common working day for 4,000 years, divine authority.
at least. 15. It has never been sanctified.
6. God Himself calls it a “working” day. 16. No law was ever given to enforce the
(Ezekiel 46:1.) keeping of it, hence it is no transgression to
work upon it. “Where no law is, there is no 32. Paul directed the saints to look over
transgression.” Romans 4:15. (See also their secular affairs on that day.
1 John 3:4.) (1 Corinthians 16:2.)
17. The New Testament nowhere 33. In all the New Testament we have a
forbids work to be done on it. record of only one religious meeting held
18. No penalty is provided for its upon that day, and even this was a night
violation. meeting. (Acts 20:5-12.)
19. No blessing is promised for its 34. There is not an intimation that they
observance. ever held a meeting upon it before or after
20. No regulation is given as to how it that.
ought to be observed. Would this be so if 35. It was not their custom to meet on
the Lord wished us to keep it? that day.
21. It is never called the Christian 36. There was no requirement to break
Sabbath. bread on that day.
22. It is never called the Sabbath day at 37. We have an account of only one
all. instance in which it was done. (Acts 20:7.)
23. It is never called the Lord’s day. 38. That was done in the night—after
24. It is never called even a rest day. midnight. (Verses 7-11.) Jesus celebrated it
25. No sacred title whatever is applied to on Thursday evening (Luke 22), and the
it. Then why should we call it holy? disciples sometimes did it every day (Acts
26. It is simply called “first day of the 2:42-46).
week.” 39. The Bible nowhere says that the first
27. Jesus never mentioned it in any way, day of the week commemorates the
never took its name upon His lips, so far as resurrection of Christ. This is a tradition of
the record shows. men, which contradicts the law of God.
28. The word Sunday never occurs in (Matthew 15:1-9.) Baptism commemorates
the Bible at all. the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
29. Neither God, Christ, nor inspired (Romans 6:3-5.)
men ever said one word in favor of Sunday 40. Finally, the New Testament is totally
as a holy day. silent with regard to any change of the
30. The first day of the week is Sabbath day or any sacredness for the first
mentioned only eight times in all the New day.
Testament. (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9;
Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; Here are one hundred plain Bible facts
1 Corinthians 16:2) upon this question, showing conclusively
31. Six of these texts refer to the same that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the
first day of the week. Lord in both the Old and New Testament.
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