In Mark 2:27 Jesus of Nazareth tells the world that “The Sabbath was made for man.”  Notice that THE (one and only weekly) Sabbath was MADE by the Maker of the universe (Genesis 1,2) (specifically) FOR MAN.  The Biblical Sabbath is not, as we are told, a “Jewish thing.”  There were were no Jews in Eden.  The one true Sabbath was made by almighty God for man, meaning the whole of MANKIND.  Just as everything else He made during creation week remains unchanged to this day, His Sabbath, which He calls “My Sabbath” (Exo. 31:13), remains to this day exactly as He created it.  And it is still His Sabbath.  Whom did He command to keep His Sabbath?  MANKIND–for whom He created it.

In Leviticus 23:3 the Lord lays out His commands concerning each 7-day-long week of man’s continuing existence.  “Six days shall work be done, but the 7th day is THE Sabbath on which a holy convocation will be held.  You will do no work on THAT day,” not the day of man’s choice.  In Isaiah 58:13,14 the Lord tells us that on His Sabbath, which He calls “MY HOLY DAY,” and “THE HOLY (DAY) OF THE LORD,” we are not to do that which pleases ourselves.  We are to “MAKE IT HONORABLE BY HONORING HIM.”  Man is not to do his own things on God’s holy day; he is not to even speak his own words.  We are to “DELIGHT OURSELVES IN THE LORD” by doing that which pleases Him.  Then, He says, He will bless us with the heritage of Jacob.  Jesus came to earth to “confirm the promises made to the (Israelite) fathers”–Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel)–Rom. 15:8).  Recall that “All the promises of God are “IN HIM YEA AND IN HIM AMEN.”  In order receive His covenant promises we must prove ourselves to be spiritual Israelites by obeying His Word–including His Law of THE week and of THE Sabbath–the 7th (final) day of the week.  We are to do our human work during the first 6 days of the week (Sunday-Friday), then, beginning at sundown on Friday, we are to spend the next 24 hours doing such things as studying our Bibles, praying, meeting with other saints, speaking His Words, meditating, and resting.

Researchers have found that the 7-day work-rest cycle created by God for all of mankind, is far better than any other work-rest cycle.  After coming to the knowledge of God’s work-rest cycle, I read that the cycle had even worked for those traveling west in wagon trains.  In an attempt to reach their destination as quickly as possible, wagon masters at first led the people to travel every day.  However, they soon realized that both animals and equipment did much better if they rested on the 7th day of each week.  There were fewer breakdowns of equipment and fewer illnesses and injuries for both man and beast.  AND WAGON TRAINS MADE IT TO THEIR DESTINATION SOONER THAN WHEN THEY HAD TRAVELED 7 DAYS A WEEK.  Though God does not become tired, even He recognized the need to “refresh” Himself on the 7th day.  If the Creator of all things rested on the 7th day, does He not expect His saints to do the same?

In a sense, the Almighty did in fact create something on the 7th day of creation week–He created the Sabbath.  On that day He and the Word (Who became Jesus of Nazareth) rested from Their work, thereby creating THE Sabbath day: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the 7th day God ended His work and rested on the 7th day.  AND GOD BLESSED THE 7TH DAY AND SANCTIFIED IT BECAUSE HE HAD RESTED FROM ALL HIS WORK ….”  Nowhere in Scripture do we find Him removing His blessing and sanctification from the last day of His week.  Nor do we find Him changing any other time element such as the week, the month or the year.  The Catholic Church changed all time designations just as God prophesied she would in Daniel 7:25 where He warned that there would come one (a church–“horn”) who would “speak great words against the Most High, and would destroy the saints of the Most High.  He would think to change God’s times and Laws ….”  During the Inquisition the Catholic Church (horn) killed over 50,000,000 people, many of them God’s saints, because they would not become Catholic.  The church also changed the beginning and ending of the day from sundown to the middle of the night.  She changed the beginning the year from Spring to Winter and changed the beginning of the month from the first sighting of the new moon to an arbitrary date of her choosing.  SHE ALSO CHANGED THE SABBATH FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY TO APPEASE THE SUN WORSHIPERS WHO HAD “CONVERTED” TO CAHTOLICISM AT THE POINT OF A ROMAN SWORD.  Read Simon of Samaria: The Legacy.  Key word–Legacy.

God created, blessed and sanctified the Sabbath for a special reason which was revealed by Jesus Christ Himself: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mk. 2:27,28).  Nowhere in Scripture are we told that Jesus ever stopped being the Lord of THE Sabbath.  Nor is is written that He changed the date of the Sabbath, or that He gave man the authority to change its date.  Satan manipulated his followers into changing the weekly Sabbath in order to make every church member a worker of iniquity.

Evil men changed the date of God’s weekly Sabbath by removing the 4th commandment of His Law and substituting their own sabbath day.  Doing so meant that they broke the entire Law of God (Jam. 2:10), making them guilty of “iniquity”–Lawlessness, which is God’s definition of sin (1 Jn. 3:4).  Jesus said that He did not “know” those who commit iniquity, meaning that He does not have a personal, intimate relationship with them (Mat. 7:23).  He said that He would die for His “friends” only.  He told His God-chosen disciples that they were His friends (and that He would die for them) “… IF you do whatsoever I command you to do” (Jn. 15:13,14).  Note that they had to obey Him in order for His death to have any meaning for them.  They were His spiritual “brethren” if they lived (walked) in a specific way.  He identified His spiritual “brethren” as those who “… do the will of My Father in heaven (Mat. 12:46-50).  In both instances he was talking to Judas who had preached His Gospel, healed the sick, cast out demons, etc.  However, Judas did not obey His Words totally.

Few, Jesus said in Matthew 7:13,14, would become His spiritual “brethren”–His “friends” for whom His death would have an effect.  As noted many times, His friends and spiritual brethren are ONLY those who obey His Words/Law/Gospel/Truth/Will.  Believing (having faith) in Him has no effect in spite of His grace.  Faith without works (obedience to His Words) is dead faith (Jam. 2:10,14,17,18,20,24,26).  Because we live by our faith, faith without works of faith (obedience) cannot save the soul (14).  FAITH NECESSITATES WORKS OF FAITH.  OTHERWISE IT IS DEAD FAITH.  We are commanded to prove our faith by our works of faith–obedience.  God calls many to do such works.  However, few will be chosen for having answered His call (Mat. 20:16).  Those who believe that their faith has saved them will have spent their lives in a false church worshiping a false god while believing in a false salvation.  All of their religiosity will amount to nothing.  Jesus said: “In vain do they worship Me” because they rejected His Words and obeyed the words of Satan’s false prophets (Mat. 15:9).  L.J.