posted
Rev. 1:10 "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,..."
Upon studying the Lord's day, I was surprised to find that it is only mentioned once in the entire Bible. (KJV) In Rev. 1 :10, John was taken into the future to the endtime day of the Lord and the events leading up to that great judgement day of the world. He saw all the events that were to happen just before the return of Christ for his saints and the destruction of the wicked.
I had been studying the Sabbath vs Sunday issue. It is obvious from scripture that Sunday is not the Lord's day. Sunday is always referred to as the first day of the week. There are only eight references to the first day: Matt. 28:1; Mk. 16:2, 9; Lk. 24:1; Jn. 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1Cor 16:2
So what is the day of the Lord or the Lord's day? Here are just a few verses:
Joel 2:31 "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Matt. 24:29 " Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mk. 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Rev. 8:12 An the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Notice before the day of the Lord comes, the sun shall be dark, the moon blood and the stars shall fall. This is the same time period that John was seeing in Rev. It is judgement. It is not a day to look forward to or to celebrate. Look at the warning in Amos.
Amos 5:18-24 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for your? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and abear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shanll ot the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Faith
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Opps! Sorry, I hit the wrong button somewhere & ended up posting this twice. The last couple of paragraphs are on the other one. Faith
Open Minded
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The Lord's Day, or Day of the Lord, refers to the end time when the Lord will set up His kingdom. People who apply it to Sunday do so based strictly on tradition, not because the bible calls Sunday the Lord's Day. Romans 14 tells us that whether we set one day as special to the Lord or hold all days equally, we are not wrong if we keep Christ first. Biblically speaking, Friday evening and daylight Saturday is the bible Sabbath, given in the Ten Commandments. But 2 Cor 3 places the ministry of the Spirit (in Christ) above the ministry in stone (Ten Commandments), and Hebrews 4 indicates that the Sabbath-rest that remains is one from our works (and is consistent with the message of rest in faith in Christ), different from the weekly, monthly, or yearly Sabbaths that the Jews kept. So the Lord's Day is neither Saturday nor Sunday. It is when Christ comes for His church and when He judges the earth.
Questioning
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Why do we call Sunday the Lord's Day? If there is no Biblical evidence that Sunday is the Lord's day why do we keep it holy? Why is it that I cannot find any Biblical ground to stand on when I'm trying to prove that Sunday is the Lord's Day or the Sabbath Day?
vgmacd
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The Lord's day is represented by the day Jesus rose again, which was Sunday, the first day of the week. ("On the very first day of the week....very early in the morning....the women were on there way to to tomb...when they got there they looked up and saw men in clothes gleaming like lightening. They asked "why do you look for the living among the dead?") The first day of the week is when the collections were made for Paul, for that is the day the Christians were obviously meeting together. Paul was in the habit of preaching to the Jews on the Sabboth, not because he was keeping the law, but he was witnessing to the Jews at their worship meeting.(What better chance to speak to whole groups of Jews at a time?) Remember that Jesus is our Sabboth Rest because of the complete work He finished at Calvary and through His resurrection. We enter His rest when we become children of God through at salvation. Praise the Lord for His great redeeming love for us!
caleb's mom
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My husband and I have looked into this subject from time to time over the years. The early church observed their special day of worship on Saturday evenings in their home. This makes sense because of the Jewish tradition of the Sabbath. The Bible also mentions believers gathering on the first day of the week. But personally I always want to get to the heart behind whatever it is God is trying to teach me. I don't want to get caught up in divisive legalism -- I never want to become a Pharisee again, honoring tradition and "rules taught by men" above God's heart. Clearly God wants us to take special time each week to honor and worship him and to remember Jesus' sacrifice and love through the breaking of bread and the drinking of wine (grape juice in our case). And he expects us to be disciples seven days a week. Honoring and praising God should be a daily act, and it's just a wonderful bonus to take one or two days a week to gather with other believers and celebrate our love for God together, to encourage each other, to build each other up in the faith and to bring others, new Christians and guests who are contemplating becoming Christians, into that family of believers. Whether you do it on Saturday or Sunday, isn't it the heart God is looking at, not the slavish adherence to rituals born of tradition?
JQLogan
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There is at least one other place where the Lord's day is referred to in scripture. Look at these scriptures? Notice the progression from creation week, to the law at Mt Sinai, to Jesus teaching the Pharisees. Do you see what day is the Lord's day? Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Mark 2:24 "And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?..."27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."
Can you see which day is the Lord's day? Now if Jesus calls the Sabbath His day, for He is the Lord, and He blessed it and hallowed it, then I choose to honor that day too. Because I want everyone to know that I serve the Creator, Jesus, and not just any false christ that comes along claiming to be christ. Can't I choose to obey the One I love? Does all service have to be legalism? I think some use that as an excuse. We must examine themselves to see if we are reconciled to God or at emnity with His law. Nobody can do this for us. But we cannot do it without the Holy Spirit to guide us.
Dennis
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Mark 2:27 say's that the Sabbath was made for man and NOT the other way around. Common sense applied shows us that just like the OT/NT difference of Law/Grace, there is a purpose behind the Sabbath that isn't discerned by observing the "letter of the Law" but by observing the "spirit of the Law". This issue is very adequately served by asking oneself "was God in all His Greatness trying to get you and I to focus, extremely, on a certain day of the week...? Or was he actually doing man a favor and pointing out from the beginning, that man should spend at least one quality day with the Lord, resting from himself. It's nothing more than that, and to think so is to be shallow and not very observant of early Church practice. The early church would certainly err on the side of caution(don't you think?), being that Jesus had so recently been in their midst. I appreciate people who worship on Saturday, but only because they worship Christ...the day has NOTHING to do with it. I worship on Saturday frequently, as well as Sunday & Friday & Wednesday. God isn't a "Once a week" God and getting delivered from the "letter" into the "spirit" of the Law allows us to be at liberty.
chubbena
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This post is for Dennis and vgmacd - if they are still watching. JQLogan is correct in pointing out that the Lord's day is the weekly Sabbath - not the judgement day (as suggested by Openmind) and certainly not the first day of the week. Why? 1. Not the judgement day - John saw the vision on the Lord's day in real time. John see the yet-to-come judgemnt day in the vision. 2. Not the first day of the week - a. There's simply no link whatsoever with the Lord's day and the first day of the week in the Bible unless you add to it human tradition. b. To quote one or two yet-to-be-proven verses in Acts & 2 Cor to supporst Sunday worship violates the basic rule of Bible interpretation. i. In Acts, the incident happened in the evening (whether it's a Saturday or Sunday night). If we were to follow it 100%, we would have to worship or have someone to preach the whole day and break bread after midnight. One should find out more about what Paul did on Sabbaths in Acts... ii. In 2 Cor, Paul asked Corinthians to put aside their offerings (not tithes but it's another issue) to the needy. If we were to follow then the collections at the church every week should go to the needy, not to building funds, clergy salaries or things like that. If we were to follow Corinthians 100%, we shouldn't have the symbolic waffle and juice for the Lord's supper (another issue). We shouldn't have woman preachers unless she takes on the role of propheting whom is subjected to examinations by all believers (yet another issue).
agape
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Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the fulfillment of the sabbath rest. We don't just rest one day we rest every day in Jesus. All our works are done through the spirit not the flesh. In Romans 14:5 Paul says "One man considers one day more sacred than another, another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God: and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. I don't believe it is as important when we worship as how we worship. In spirit and in truth. These are the worshipers God seeks.
chubbena
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If one reads Rom 14:5 without a preconception in mind, one would see that the whole passage was referring to abstaining of food on certain days in a week. Romans was written about 58AD, quite a few years before the temple was destroyed which partially fulfilled Jesus prophecy in Mat 24 in which He told the Jewish believers to pray that days would not fall on Sabbath - Would the book of Romans to gentile believers only? Psalm 119 - one of the most quoted - would one count how many times the laws, precepts, statutes, commandments, ordinances were mentioned? One ever ponders on Isaiah 56, 58 & 66 regarding Sabbath? No doubt that Jesus fulfilled the requirement of the law but it never meant that the law was done away with. One must question why on one hand Christmas, Easter and Sundays are meticulously observed which have absolutely no support from the Bible while the Biblical festivals are abandoned....
agape
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Thank you for your reply. Yours is exactly why I don't normally reply. You believe what you believe from scripture, I believe what I believe. You will not change my mind and I will not change yours. I know what Paul said. Let's just agree to disagree and let the Lord explain it when we get there.
chubbena
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I guess we can all learn from the Bereans who examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11) It's quite interesting that you said "You believe what you believe from scripture, I believe what I believe. You will not change my mind and I will not change yours" - I just got that from my Sunday school teacher the last couple of weeks. (Yes, I'm still attending Sunday school & worship and yes, I've got lots of questions to ask). With an attitude like this, there's no point to have Bible studies with fellow Christians and even to read the Bible for that matter - as one would not change his/her view regardless. Paul would not have to point out the errors to the Corinthians & the Galatians - and let the Lord explains it when they get there. I would not have left the Roman Catholics neither. Trouble is, how would one be so sure that he/she will get there with a closed mind and closed ear which was very much like the scripts, the priests, the Pharisees and the unbelieving Jews. It's a pity!
agape
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I was just trying to explain that there is a rest within Jesus Christ when you accept him as your Lord and Savior that is better than a once a week rest. Yes we need a physical rest but the spiritual rest that Jesus offers is better. He is the new covenant and the new covenant is better than the old covenant. The old covenant was just a forshadowing of the new covenant. As far as not wishing to argue over non essentials. I've been there done that and what I said about not changing minds is what I have experienced and I am weary of doing it that's all. Only God can open hearts and minds. Yes my mind is open to all the Lord has to teach me. I still attend and teach bible studies also. I'm just saying in essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in everything love. I appologize if I gave you the wrong impression.
chubbena
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Thankyou for the explanation and a perfect demonstration of a pilgrim's journey. I spent too much time enjoying the richness of the Provider without knowing what He's like and what He likes because this is what I was taught at the church. Along the way I broke his laws while giving thanks to Him everyday without realizing the need to renew thru and by the Spirit and the danger of being castaway. That is, until I stumbled over the Psalms especially #119 when His laws, percepts, ordinances & etc were mentioned repeatedly. That's when I realized the importance of obeying the laws, not only out of fear of being castaway or losing Him but also out of fear of Himself and out of love because of His love. It's only when I grew a little more mature spiritually that the fear of being castaway faded while the fear of Himself and the love of Him grown. Likewise, you don't reason much with infants but give them love and protection. You reason more with toddlers while giving them instructions of what's right and wrong and make sure they know the consequence if they fail to choose correctly. You discipline teens to ensure they walk the right path. They will love you when they turn adult. Do we turn into adults the moment we receive Christ? No, we grow. This is what Paul taught in the Bible. Do we get to know Him without spending quality time with Him? No. If your love one keep telling how much he/she loves you but never wants to spend a weekend with you even when you keep asking, do you still think he/she loves you? Or he/she would only spend 15 to 20 minutes everyday talking with you and tell you what he/she wants (the so-called devotions) and you say, wait a miniute, would you rather spend the whole weekend with me? And he/she goes, no, we don't have to be together since I love you and I'm already yours. What would you think? Or he/she would call you every 15 minutes while at work and keep saying you are on his/her mind but never leaves work to be with you. What would you think? This is what I'm getting at regarding Sabbaths. No, I don't treat it as a law per se but rather His wishes.....
<soujourner>
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This has been an interesting topic to read. I just have to add this thought: That we are to walk with God at all times. What I mean by that is that God is not someone we go to visit on a certain day, time, place, or whatever. He is always with us, and we are always with Hime (although I admit that often I ignore Him--not good!) Sometimes, as Christ did, we need time alone with Him in prayer, for refreshment, comfort, to realign ourselves with Him, or to listen for His still small voice.
But, referring back to the Scripture someone else posted--about each one being certain in his own mind--if one wants to keep a certain day as holy to the Lord, that is good for he does it to the Lord. I don't think we are to be Judges of each other, for the Spirit teaches and guides us, and what may be right for one individual, may not be right for another.
<chubbena>
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Questions: 1. Do you walk with God every minute of your life? If yes then why would we sin? If yes then what is the problem when some says we have to rest one day in seven to God? If not then what stops you from resting? 2. Are you willing to rest one day in seven if that's what He wants? Do you ever try to rest one in seven for several weeks? Do you get bored doing so? If yes how do you expect to be happy in the eternal fellowship with God? If not then why not keeping it? Early Christians kept one in seven - whether it's the seventh or the first. Names come to mind are D.L. Moody, J.C. Ryle, Thomas Watson, C.H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards and the list goes on and on. It's only until the beginning of the 20th century that Christians stopped keeping. You've got to ask why. Were those early Christians all wrong?
posted
Psalm 118:24 (KJV) This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Which day is this refering to? Aren't we to live for Christ each and every day? Aren't we to live like Christ doing good no matter the day?
Or are we to "keep" certain days as the Pharasees kept days? Are we free in Christ or not?
Jesus did say he is Lord of the Sabbath. However, he is also Lord of every other day. He taught in his life that we did not have to follow man's way of "keeping" days. Both those who keep Sat. or Sun. do so with many man made rules as to how it must be kept. Jesus did not give rules on how to keep either; but how to live every day. Worship is in spirit and truth not in days, rituals and places.
The Lord never called Sat. or Sun. by the title the Lord's Day as men do. To do so seems to idolize the day. Sun. was the first day and Sat. was the Sabbath. Scripture used the term Lord's day & day of the Lord in refering to judgment.
-------------------- 1 Thes. 5:21 (KJV) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
posted
Let's not forget, in all our human reasoning, that resting in the Lord does not refer to inactivity but rather trusting His Word. In other words, when temptation comes in its myriad forms you are to shield yourself with the word of truth and meet it as Christ did with scripture. Not with human reasoning, but by every word of God--by which we are to live. This is how Christ becomes our shield and our strength.
Sometimes I am given the impression that the rest some seek is from guilt. When they choose their own course they comfort themselves with promises and ease their conscience. This is not the rest Christ has chosen for us. Rather, His rest is a war with the world but at peace with God. The only way to be at peace with God is to not war with Him. Romans says that the carnal mind is at war with God. Why? Because it is not subject to His law; neither, indeed, can be. (Romans 8:7).
So in order to be at peace with God you must have the Word of God written in your heart and mind. The Bible is the written word and Christ is the living Word which was made flesh and dwelt among us. Same word! One was written and the other alive. Christ fulfilled the word of God. He lived it out in human flesh. He is the Word made flesh.
1 John tells us that sin is the transgression of the law. And, it states that those who abide in Christ do not sin but those who do sin do not know Christ. If you haven't read 1 John lately you should do so immediately. The truth that John is trying to convey in human language is that if Christ dwells in our hearts then the Word also dwells in our hearts. The law of God is also contained in the written word. So it is true that the law was also a living part of Jesus' life. "I have kept my Father's commandments," Jesus assured his disciples. So Jesus was in perfect harmony with the Father and was at peace, or rest. There was no antagomism between the life of Jesus and the Father's will. We need this level of peace in our life. Then we can rest as Jesus intended.
So within Jesus' heart was a will to do His Father's will and not His own. We can truly say that God's law was written in Christ's heart. Afterall, wasn't Christ also the law giver since He was the Creator? So if Christ dwells in our hearts then the law must also dwell there. And, isn't this the very promise we hear from the new covenant? "I will write my law in their hearts and minds."
Now, how does Christ come to dwell in our hearts? By faith, we are told by Paul in Ephesians 3. So then how does the law come to be written in our hearts? By faith when we receive Christ. "To those that receive him gave he power to become the children of God." John 1.
We cannot exercise ourselves to keep God's law. But we can become partakers of the Divine Nature by faith in Christ. This is the only way to be at rest, or at peace, with God. (1 Peter 1).
So while we share ideas here, be sure you hear the Word of God in the written word--the Bible. Men will just confuse the issues. Men always look after their own interests but God looks after ours.
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