Sabbath or Sunday?

Sabbath or Sunday,
What Does Holy Scripture Say?

Sabbatarians, the sects which hold to the Sabbath, are 7th Day Adventists, Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh Day Pentecostals, Seventh Day Armstrong World Wide Church of GOD, and a few other small Sabbath keepers, and of course, the Jews.

Sabbath: (Shabbath in Hebrew), a Day of Atonement, a week, as defined in Hebrew sources, is Saturday the seventh day of the week in Jewish (Mosaic Old Covenant) religious law, and Sunday, the day of rest for most Christians, as defined in secular dictionaries. The day of rest for Christianity is defined as Sunday, the Lords day, because Jesus Christ was resurrected on Sunday. The word "Sabbath" is not a synonym for Saturday, just because it is practiced on Saturday by some.

I have been told repeatedly that there is no Biblical evidence for moving the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, and these people invariably quote Old Testament verses while at the same time denying New Testament verses which are contrary to their teaching.
Sabbatarians refer to the ten commandments of Ex 20:1-17, but ignore Matt 22:34-40, where Jesus is asked what is the great commandment IN THE LAW. Jesus grouped all ten commandments as listed in the law, into only two. Love GOD, which are in commandments 1-3, and love your neighbor which are in 4-10. Love of GOD includes keeping a "day of rest" which is the real meaning of Sabbath. Not one word did Jesus say that this day would continue to be a Saturday.

I will deal with the demise of the Old Covenant first, which negates all Old Testament verses regarding worship on the Sabbath.

The Old Testament beginnings of the Sabbath:
And immediately, hints of its ending:

Exodus 31:13, "You must also tell the Israelites: Take care to keep My Sabbaths, for that is to be the token between you and Me throughout the generations, to show that it is I, the Lord, who makes you holy."
Exodus 31:16-17, "So shall the Israelites observe the Sabbath, keeping it throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. Between Me and the Israelites it is to be an everlasting token; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested at His ease."

Did you notice that the Sabbath is referred to as a "token" and that it was binding between GOD and the Israelites, and not between GOD and the rest of the world?
Compare this verse:
Genesis 17:11, "You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; it shall be a token of the covenant between you and Me (Hebrews only)."
Is circumcision binding in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ? No, as that practice, "being only a token" was replaced by Baptism. See Colossians 2:11-14

Some Bibles use the words "symbol" or "sign", instead of token, but the meaning is the same.
A symbol, or a sign, or a token, or a shadow, or a Type , or a prefigurement, all used in Holy Scripture, are not the end result, but merely signs of the end result. Read Hebrews 10:1.

Many Old Testament verses portray a "Type" of an eighth day on which to worship or to make a special offering.
"And he read in the book of the law of GOD day by day, from the first day till the last, and they kept the solemnity seven days, and IN THE EIGHTH DAY A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY ACCORDING TO THE MANNER." Nehemiah 8:18
Doesn't "Solemn Assembly on the EIGHTH DAY" sound like Sunday worship in a Church?
See also, Leviticus 9:1-2, 14:23, 15:14-15,29-30, 22:27, 23:36-39, Numbers 6:10-11, 29:35, and
Ezekiel 43:27

One of the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20 states, "Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day". All of the commandments are binding upon our day to day, or minute to minute existence except for one, and that one is, keeping of a weekly Sabbath. All of the commandments dwell upon one word. They are "Moral" laws. The Sabbath, being a weekly obligation, falls into the same category as "New Moons" (monthly), and "Festivals" (yearly). Keeping of the Sabbath is not a moral law but a "Ceremonial law", and is therefore subject to change, as was completed in Colossians 2:16-17, which plainly states that the Sabbath is but a "shadow" of things to come.

The Old Testament prophesies of the demise of the Sabbath:

Isaiah 1:13, "Offer sacrifice no more in vain: incense is an abomination to Me. The new moons, and the Sabbaths, and your festivals I will not abide."
Compare this prophecy with its fulfillment in Colossians 2:16-17.

Jer 31:31-34, "...and I will make a New Covenant...not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers...the covenant which THEY MADE VOID..."

Hosea 2:11, "And I will cause all her mirth to cease, her solemnities, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her festival times."

Jesus Christ rebuked those who criticized Him for doing things on the Sabbath:

Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28,3:1-6, Luke 13:14-17. In John 5:5-18, Jesus Himself broke the Sabbath.

The Old Covenant, and with it the Sabbath, was obsoleted by the New Covenant. It was fulfilled and replaced by the Law of Christ and the Lord's Day:

The Mosaic Covenant and with it the stone tablets with the 10 commandments were inseparable.

Ex 34:28, "So Moses stayed there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments."

Deut 9:11, "Then, at the end of the forty days and forty nights, when the Lord had given me the two stone tablets of the covenant..."

1Kings 8:21, "And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when they came out of the land of Egypt."

2Chron 6:11, "And I have put in it the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with the children of Israel."

2Cor 3:7-8, "Now if the ministration of death, which was engraved in letters upon stones, was inaugurated in such glory that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly upon the face of Moses on account of the transient glory that shone upon it, shall not the ministration of the spirit be still more glorious?"

2Cor 3:13-17, "We do not act as Moses did, who used to put a veil over his face that the Israelites might not observe the glory of his countenance, which was to pass away. But their minds were darkened; for to this day, when the Old Testament is read to them, the selfsame veil remains, not being lifted to disclose the Christ in whom it is made void. Yes, down to this very day, when Moses is read, the veil covers their hearts; but when they turn in repentance to GOD, the veil shall be taken away."

Heb 9:4, "In the ark was a golden pot containing the manna and the rod of Aaron which had budded, and the tablets of the covenant."

Heb 4:3-7, "We then who have believed shall enter into his rest, even as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest. And indeed his works were completed at the foundation of the world. For somewhere he spoke of the seventh day thus, And GOD rested the seventh day from all his works; and in his place again: They shall not enter into my rest. Since then it follows that some are to enter into it, and they to whom it was first declared did not enter in because of unbelief, HE AGAIN FIXES ANOTHER DAY TO BE TODAY, saying by David after so long a time, as quoted above, Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
What does "He again fixes another day to be today" mean? It means a day other than Saturday.

2Cor 5:17, "If then any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the former
things have passed away; behold, they are made new!"

Eph 2:15, "The law of the commandments expressed in decrees he has made void, that of the two He might create in Himself one new man and make peace."

Gal 4:8-11, "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are no gods; but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days, and months, and seasons, and years! I am afraid I have labored over you in vain."
Compare these verses with Col 2:13-19 below. Observing days is observing Sabbaths, observing months is observing new moons, observing years is observing festivals. And what does St. Paul have to say regarding this? He said he has labored in vain for those who continue to observe these things!

Col 2:13-19, "(13) And you, when you were dead by reason of your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh (failing to follow the Old Covenant), He brought to life along with Him, forgiving you all of your sins (bypassing the O.C.), (14) canceling the decree against us (the O.C.), which was hostile to us. Indeed, He has taken it completely away, nailing it to the cross (the O.C. was nailed to the cross, effectively ending it, and with it the Sabbath)... (16) Let no one call you to account for what you eat or drink or in regard to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath."
That says, just what it says, do not account for a Sabbath.
Verse (16) clearly says it, yet no Sabbatarian can explain this verse. It is ignored by them, as it is not in line with their teaching. One tried to say that it applied only to certain Sabbaths, not most, but he could not prove what he said.
Here, the Sabbath is ended, and further on in this file you will see where Sunday worship begins.

A 'type' is a Biblical person, thing, action, or an event, a 'prefigurement', or a 'shadow', in the Old Testament, of a new truth, a new action, or a new event in the New Testament. For example, in Rom 5:12-14, Adam is shown to be a figure or 'type' of Christ (vs14). The New testament 'antitype' or 'reality' is always greater than its Old Testament 'type'. Now in Col 2:17, "These are a 'SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME, but the substance is of Christ." The Old Testament 'SABBATH' is a 'TYPE' or 'SHADOW' (foreshadow) of the New Testament 'REALITY' of the Eucharistic Celebration, the Mass. These verses could not be any clearer that the Sabbath 'type' has ended, being replaced by its vastly superior 'antitype'. Read 2Cor 3:7-8.

Hebrews 8:6-13, "But now he has obtained a SUPERIOR MINISTRY, IN PROPORTION AS HE IS MEDIATOR, OF A SUPERIOR COVENANT, enacted on the basis of superior promises. For had the FIRST BEEN FAULTLESS, PLACE WOULD NOT OF COURSE BE SOUGHT FOR A SECOND. (so the O.C. was faulted, through our fault, not GOD's, and there was a need for a N.C.)....(vs13) Now in saying 'A NEW COVENANT,' HE HAS MADE OBSOLETE THE FORMER ONE; AND THAT WHICH IS OBSOLETE AND HAS GROWN OLD IS NEAR ITS END."

Romans 7:4-6, "...you also, through the Body of Christ, HAVE BEEN MADE TO DIE TO THE LAW, SO AS TO BELONG TO ANOTHER WHO HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD, IN ORDER THAT WE MAY BRING FORTH FRUIT UNTO GOD...... BUT NOW WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM THE LAW, HAVING DIED TO THAT BY WHICH WE WERE HELD DOWN, SO THAT WE MAY SERVE IN A NEW SPIRIT AND NOT ACCORDING TO THE OUTWORN LETTER.."

Hebrews 7:11-12, "...what further need was there that another priest should rise, according to the order of Melchisedech, and said not to be according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, IT IS NECESSARY THAT A CHANGE OF LAW BE MADE ALSO."

Hebrews 7:18-19, "On the one hand there is THE REJECTION OF THE FORMER COMMANDMENT, BECAUSE OF ITS WEAKNESS AND UNPROFITABLENESS FOR THE LAW BROUGHT NOTHING TO PERFECTION, AND ON THE OTHER HAND A BRINGING IN OF A BETTER HOPE, THROUGH WHICH WE DRAW NEAR TO GOD."

I do not see how Scripture could be any plainer than that. The Old Covenant, and with it the Sabbath, circumcision, bloody sacrifices and a multitude of other Jewish laws was ended and replaced by the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath is ended, finis, kaput... But there is a lot more. Read Hebrews 9 and 10, about the New Covenant.

Hebrews 10:9-10, '"Behold, I come to do thy will, O GOD," HE ANNULS THE FIRST COVENANT IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE SECOND.'
The Sabbath along with the Old Covenant is dead, the last nail driven into the coffin, and it is buried.

Galatians 3:10-29, "For those who rely on the works of the Law are under a curse...BUT THAT BY THE LAW NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD IS EVIDENT, BECAUSE HE WHO IS JUST LIVES BY FAITH....CHRIST REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW.....BUT BEFORE THE FAITH CAME WE WERE KEPT IMPRISONED UNDER THE LAW, SHUT UP FOR THE FAITH THAT WAS TO BE REVEALED. THEREFORE THE LAW HAS BEEN OUR TUTOR UNTO CHRIST, THAT WE MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. BUT NOW THAT FAITH HAS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR...."
The Old Covenant (the Law of Moses, and with it the Sabbath), has been a good tutor, but is no longer needed. It has been fulfilled.

Have you noticed in Matthew 19:16-30, when the man asked Jesus how he could have eternal life, that Jesus said "Keep the Commandments". When the man responds in verse 18, "Which?", Jesus recounts the moral commandments but He does not even mention that the Sabbath must be kept. The Commandments are listed again in Rom 13:8-10, but nothing is said about Christians are to keep the Sabbath.

In summary for this segment:
1. The Old Mosaic Covenant and the stone tablets with the writings are inseparable.
2. The Old Covenant has been made void and has been replaced by the New of Jesus Christ.
3. St. Paul condemns keeping of the Sabbath in the books of Galatians and Colossians.
4. There is no mention whatsoever in the New Testament that Christians are bound to keep the Sabbath of the Old Mosaic Covenant.

Sabbatarians insist that St. Paul preached to the Jews on the Sabbath, and therefore, the Sabbath is still the day of worship:
They are right about his preaching to the Jews on their Sabbath as shown in Acts 13:14, Acts 13:44, and Acts 18:4. What they fail to realize is, since that was the day when the Jews were gathered in the Synagogue, as it was their Sabbath, he could preach to the maximum number gathered in one place, all at one time. That was the only reason for his preaching to the Jews on their Sabbath.
He preached to the Jews first on their Sabbath, while they were gathered in one place and then after he preached to the Gentiles as shown in Acts 13:46.

Also, they fail to see that St. Paul was not under the Law of the Old Covenant, but under the Law of Christ, "And I have become to the Jews a Jew that I might gain the Jews; to those under the Law, as one under the Law, that I might gain those under the Law; to those without the Law, though I am not without the Law of GOD, but am under the Law of Christ." 1Cor 9:20-21

To break this down, in easier terms:
St. Paul said he was not under the Law of the Jews (the Old Covenant).
However, he said he was not without the Law.
He said his Law was a different Law.
He said his Law is the Law of Christ (the New Covenant).

Sabbatarians insist that it was the Catholic Church which changed the day of worship to Sunday, the first day of the week. They say there is absolutely no Biblical evidence for doing this:
Well, they are wrong again. The Catholic Church is the protector of Sacred Scripture as well as Sacred Tradition, and as protector, it abides by what Holy Scripture, Tradition, and the Holy Spirit tells it. The day of worship was moved from Saturday to Sunday because the Lord rose on Sunday, and it is a celebration of the Resurrection. Christians wanted to get on with the New Covenant and separate themselves from the Old Jewish traditions.
The Apostles did this as shown very plainly in Scripture in Acts 20:7,
"And on the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, WHEN WE HAD MET FOR THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD, Paul addressed them..."
Right here is the beginning of Sunday worship.
Thank you for insisting it was the Catholic Church which changed the day to Sunday, for since the Apostles made the change, all you did was to confirm that they were all Catholic.

The first day of the week is Sunday and the 'breaking of the bread' is the Catholic Mass.
So translated, that verse reads, "WE MET ON SUNDAY FOR MASS."
Seventh Day Adventists have told me that the 'first day of the week' mentioned in this verse is really the 'seventh' day or the 'Sabbath'. This is a 'twisting' of Scripture by them to fit their teaching. Twisting Scripture is something the cults do to try and make Bible verses conform to their beliefs. Please, someone tell me how the "first" day means the "seventh" day? What wording would Luke have to use in order to convince you that he was talking about Sunday and not Saturday?
To use the same argument that Sabbath keepers use regarding Acts 20:7, I will have to refer you to Gen 2:2-3, where it says GOD rested on the seventh day. Using the same logic as Sabbath keepers use, then GOD really rested on the sixth day. Is that not true?
In Acts 20:7, St. Luke did not say they met on the morning of the first day, or at noon, or in the evening. He merely said "on the first day". Acts 20:8 does mention that there were "many lamps" in the upper room which indicates it was evening of the first day. Acts 20:9-11 support that it was indeed evening. It was customary to meet in the evening for the "Breaking of Bread", since Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist in the evening during the Last Supper. As I have said before, Sabbath keepers insist that the Catholic Church changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. By using the very same arguments that they do, I am forced to conclude, by using Acts 20:7 and
1Cor 16:2 as proof, that since it was the work of the Apostles that did this, they will also have to admit that Scripture shows that all of the Apostles were Catholic as mentioned earlier. This fact of course has been known by all Catholics for centuries.

Yet a different argument used by Sabbath keepers to "try to disprove" Acts 20:7, is that they say (using the underlying Greek) the verse cannot be interpreted that the disciples gathered to celebrate the Lords Supper that Sunday evening, as the Greek words used for "breaking of bread" are different from the Greek words used for the "Lords Supper" in 1Cor 11:20. Well, they conveniently omit the fact that the Lords Supper was first instituted in Matt 26:26 where Jesus "broke" bread. The same Greek word for "broke", used in Matthew 26:26, is a variant of the Greek word for "breaking", in Acts 20:7. Trying to prove a difference between "Lords Supper", and "Breaking Bread", has no validity whatsoever. The meaning is the same, but the wording is different.
If that wasn't enough, then they go on to say the verse does not mention the wine, therefore it cannot be the Eucharistic celebration or "communion". This is simply not true, as there are many verses which refer to the Eucharistic celebration, or the Mass, which do not mention the wine. Read this prime example:
"And when it came to pass when He reclined at table with them, that He took the bread and blessed and 'broke' and began handing it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight (Luke 24:30-31)." Not one word about the "wine" is in this famous Emmaus encounter. Have you noted that they recognized the "true presence" of Jesus Christ at the breaking of bread?
Here is another good verse for this subject:
"And they continued steadfastly in the teaching of the Apostles and in the 'communion of the breaking of the bread' and in the prayers (Acts 2:42)." Here, "communion" and "breaking of bread" are conveniently tied together. Notice also that "wine" is not mentioned here either. Just because Scripture does not mention the word does not mean wine was not used.
See these other verses which support what I have put forth here, Acts 2:11, and Acts 27:35.
Here is one which supports that "breaking of the bread" means the "Eucharistic celebration", and of taking "communion":
"And the 'bread that we break', is it not the partaking of the Body of the Lord (1Cor 10:16)?"

Please do not say Sunday worship is not Scriptural, since Acts 20:7 clearly shows that it simply is Scriptural when the verse is correctly interpreted.

Sunday is called "The Lord's Day", as shown in Revelations 1:10.
There are many documents written by early Church Fathers which attest to the demise of worship on the Sabbath, replacing it with Sunday, "The Lord's Day". The earliest document, that I know of, is on this website.
Please read the "Didache", the teaching of the Apostles, written between 70-95 A.D.

Contrary to the denial by Sabbatarians that the seventh day, the Lord's day, Sunday, is Biblical, I offer the following:

Biblical references to happenings on Sunday, the first day of the week...

1. Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, Lk 24:1-12

2. Christ appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and celebrated the Eucharist on Sunday, Lk 24:13

3. Jesus appeared to the disciples behind closed doors, Jn 20:19

4. Jesus appeared to the disciples with Thomas one week later, Jn 20:26 NAB

5. Jesus opened the minds of the Apostles to the Scriptures, Lk 24:45

6. The Apostles received their 'Great Commission' to go and teach all nations,   Mt 28:1-20.

7. The Apostles were given the Holy Spirit and the power to forgive sins, Jn   20:19-23.

8. Jesus told the Apostles to wait in the city until they were to be clothed with power from on high, Lk 24:49.

9. On the seventh Sunday after the resurrection, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles,
Acts 2:1-4.

10. Immediately after receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter gave a powerful address on the Gospel resulting in 3000 conversions, Acts 2:41.

11. The Apostles met for the Holy Eucharist on the 'first' day, Acts 20:7

12. The Apostles set the 'first' day of the week for the Churches to take up the collections,
1Cor 16:1-2.
Has any Sabbatarian ever seen the close connection between the sun and the Son?

"In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt which speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of the Sun. In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; when they cry to the Lord because of oppressors he will send them a savior, and will defend and deliver them."
Isaiah 19:18-20

"But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings."
Malachi 4:2

"For the Lord GOD is a sun and shield, he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly."
Psalms 84:11

"It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last."
Luke 23:44-46
Did you see the message here? The sun's light failed...The SON, the light of the world, died.

"And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen."
Mark 16:2
In this verse is yet another connection which many miss. The sun had risen, and on a Sunday...
The SON had risen, and on a Sunday.

From the connections in these verses, it looks as if the spelling of Sunday could also be SONday.

Many early converts from Judaism continued for a while to attend the synagogue or temple on the Sabbath, as it was the house of God, and the Old Covenant fulfilled by the New was proclaimed and preached in the synagogue and temple.
At first there was little or no thought given to separating from the Jews, as many Jews were converting to the new faith. But this attendance in no way signified that the Apostles or their flock subjected their faith to the requirements of the Old Covenant as interpreted by the Jews. To the contrary! These Jewish converts, as well as their gentile brothers, gathered often daily, but especially on Sundays, for "the apostles' instruction and the communal life, ...the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42).
Many Jews however, refused to convert and the salvation of GOD was sent to the Gentiles and so went the Sabbath, Acts 28:23-29. The New Testament does not provide any evidence that the Apostles instructed believers to continue observance of the weekly Sabbath. But it does show that there were explicit teachings regarding the Eucharist and the Agape, both of which were especially celebrated on Sundays.
As history testifies, Christians more or less gradually abandoned the synagogue and temple because of the pre-eminent place given every Sunday by that first, glorious Easter Sunday. Much independent historical evidence is available to demonstrate that beginning very early, the early Church gradually replaced the Sabbath observance with Sunday worship.

Here are a few questions for Sabbatarians to answer...

1. Since GOD rested on the seventh day in Gen 2:3, did He impose the Sabbath on Adam and Eve?
2. Did Noah and his family observe the Sabbath? How about Shem?
3. Did Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob, or Joseph observe the Sabbath? These people came thousands of years after the day of rest for GOD. Show me in Holy Scripture where all of these people observed the Sabbath?
4. The Adamic covenant ended when the Noahic began. Then came the Abrahamic, followed by the Mosaic, and Davidic covenants, with each one superceding the one before it. Finally the covenant of Jesus Christ was begun, as the Old Covenant was fulfilled. Why do Sabbatarians still practice only parts of the Mosaic Old Covenant and reject the Sunday worship of the covenant of Jesus Christ? If you want to follow one of these GOD given covenants, then why do you pick part of this one and part of that one and then reject parts of each? The evidence I give here is overwhelming that the Sabbath is ended and along with it, the Mosaic Law. Read on for more proof.

"To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant."
That is what Cardinal John Newman said. Cardinal Newman was an Anglican priest until he studied the writings of the Church Fathers. In those writings, he found the true Church which Jesus Christ founded, and he converted to the Catholic Church. The statement that he made above is the real reason why Protestant ministers and teachers tell their flocks not to read the writings of the Church Fathers. They are afraid of what they will find in the history of the Church. They are afraid of the truth. Historical facts cannot be denied. Read the Church Fathers and decide for yourself. Interestingly, when I receive mail regarding this file, not once has there ever been any mention of the writings of the Church Fathers. This leads me to believe that Sabbatarians are doing exactly what they have been told, "Avoid the writings of the Church Fathers, as they will corrupt you".
No my friends, they surely will not corrupt you. They instead, will teach you the truth, and the truth will set you free, John 8:32. If you deny the truth you will perish, 2Thess 2:8-12.

WHAT DID CHURCH FATHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE SABBATH?

   Note! I have been told by a Seventh-Day Adventist that Church Fathers will not be read because of their title of "Fathers", an obvious reference to Matt 23:9, "Call no man on earth your Father..." This is simply an excuse on their part, to avoid the truth, and a very flimsy excuse at that. For hundreds of years, the Church Fathers and Ecclesiastical Writers faithfully recorded the history of Christianity.
The real reason that these people refuse to read these historical writings is a quote from a convert from Protestantism, John Cardinal Newman, which I have listed above, "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant". I dare to say that these same people, therefore, cannot read the history of George Washington, the "Father" of our country, or of the "Fathers" of the Constitution, or of anyone else who is the "Father" of something or other. However, I will bet that they do read of these "Fathers".
The truth of the history of Christianity is found in literally hundreds of writings and by scores of authors. To ignore this vast treasure of writings is to ignore the truth of GOD.
"For the wrath of GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those men who in wickedness hold back the truth of GOD." Romans 1:18
"And his coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and LYING WONDERS, and with all wicked deception to THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING. FOR THEY HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE LOVE OF TRUTH THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAVED. THEREFORE, GOD SENDS THEM A MISLEADING INFLUENCE THAT THEY MAY BELIEVE FALSEHOOD, THAT ALL MAY BE JUDGED WHO HAVE NOT BELIEVED THE TRUTH, BUT HAVE PREFERRED WICKEDNESS." 2Thess 2:9-12
I challenge all of you to read the writings of the Church Fathers and the Ecclesiastical writers of the Early Church.
The Didache... This was the teaching of the Apostles.
Therefore, it was the Apostles who first began Sunday worship...
"But every Lord's day... gather yourselves together and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one that is at variance with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned." Didache 14, 70-100 A.D..

The Letter of Barnabas... "We keep the eighth day [Sunday] with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead."
Letter of Barnabas 15:6-8, 74 A.D..

Ignatius of Antioch... "Those who were brought up in the ancient order of things [i.e. Jews] have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's day, on which also our life has sprung up again by him and by his death."
Letter to the Magnesians 9. 107 A.D..

Justin Martyr... (100-165) "We too would observe the fleshly circumcision, and the Sabbaths, and in short all the feasts, if we did not know for what reason they were enjoined on you, namely, on account of your transgressions and the hardness of your heart... How is it, Trypho, that we would not observe those rites which do not harm us, I speak of fleshly circumcision and Sabbaths and feasts?... God enjoined you to keep the Sabbath, and impose on you other precepts for a sign, as I have already said, on account of your unrighteousness and that of your fathers."
Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 18, 21, 155 A.D..

Justin Martyr... "We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day (after the Jewish Sabbath, but also the first day of the week) when GOD, separating matter from darkness, made the world; and on this same day, Jesus Christ our Savior, rose from the dead."
1 Apol 67, Pg 6: 429 and 432.

Tertullian... "Let him who contends that the Sabbath is still to be observed as a balm of salvation, and circumcision on the eighth day... teach us that, for the time past, righteous men kept the Sabbath or practiced circumcision, and were thus rendered 'friends of God'. For if circumcision purges a man, since God made Adam uncircumcised, why did he not circumcise him, even after his sinning, if circumcision purges?... Therefore, since God originated Adam uncircumcised and unobservant of the Sabbath, consequently his offspring also, Abel, offering him sacrifices, uncircumcised and unobservant of the Sabbath, was by him (God) commended Gen. 4:1-7, Heb. 9:4... Noah also, uncircumcised, yes, and unobservant of the Sabbath, God freed from the deluge. For Enoch too, most righteous man, uncircumcised and unobservant of the Sabbath, he translated from this world, who did not first taste death in order that, being a candidate for eternal life, he might show us that we also may, without the burden of the law of Moses, please God."
An Answer to the Jews 2, 203 A.D..

The Didascalia... "The apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let there be service, and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and the oblation, because on the first day of the week our Lord rose from the place of the dead, and on the first day of the week he arose upon the world, and on the first day of the week he ascended up to heaven, and on the first day of the week he will appear at last with the angels of heaven."
Didascalia 2, 225 A.D..

Origen... "Hence it is not possible that the day of rest after the Sabbath should have come into existence from the seventh day of our God. On the contrary, it is our Savior who, after the pattern of his own rest, caused us to be made in the likeness of his death, and hence also of his resurrection."
Commentary on John 2:28, 229 A.D..

Victorinus... "The sixth day [Friday] is called parasceve, that is to say, the preparation of the kingdom... On this day also, on account of the passion of the Lord Jesus Christ, we make either a station to God or a fast. On the seventh day he rested from all his works, and blessed it, and sanctified it. On the former day we are accustomed to fast rigorously, that on the Lord's day
we may go forth to our bread with giving of thanks. And let the parasceve become a rigorous fast, lest we should appear to observe any Sabbath with the Jews... which Sabbath he (Christ) in his body abolished."
The Creation of the World, 300 A.D..

Eusebius of Caesarea... "They (the early saints of the Old Testament) did not care about circumcision of the body, neither do we (Christians). They did not care about observing Sabbaths, nor do we. They did not avoid certain kinds of food, neither did they regard the other distinctions which Moses first delivered to their posterity to be observed as symbols; nor do Christians of the present day do such things."
Church History 1:4:8, 312 A.D..

Eusebius of Caesarea... "The day of his (Christ's) light... was the day of his resurrection from the dead, which they say, as being the one and only truly holy day and the Lord's day, is better than any number of days as we ordinarily understand them, and better than the days set apart by the Mosaic Law for feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths, which the Apostle (Paul) teaches are the shadow of days and not days in reality."
Proof of the Gospel 4:16:186, 319 A.D..

Athanasius... "The Sabbath was the end of the first creation, the Lord's day was the beginning of the second, in which he renewed and restored the old in the same way as he prescribed that they should formerly observe the Sabbath as a memorial of the end of the first things, so we honor the Lord's
day as being the memorial of the new creation."
On Sabbath and Circumcision 3, 345 A.D..
Cyril of Jerusalem... "Fall not away either into the sect of the Samaritans or into Judaism, for Jesus Christ has henceforth ransomed you. Stand aloof from all observance of Sabbaths and from calling any indifferent meats common or unclean."
Catechetical Lectures 4:37, 350 A.D..

Council of Laodicea... "Christians should not Judaize and should not be idle on the Sabbath, but should work on that day; they should, however, particularly reverence the Lord's day and, if possible, not work on it, because they were Christians."
Canon 29, 360 A.D..

John Chrysostom... "When he said, 'You shall not kill'... he did not add, 'because murder is a wicked thing'. The reason was that conscience had taught this before hand, and he speaks thus, as to those who know and understand the point. Wherefore when he speaks to us of another commandment, not known to us by the dictate of conscience, he not only prohibits, but adds the reason. When, for instance, he gave commandment concerning the Sabbath, 'On the seventh day you shall do no work', he subjoined also the reason for this cessation. What was this? 'Because on the seventh day God rested from all his works which he had begun to make', Ex 20:10. And again: 'Because you were a servant in the land of Egypt', Deut 21:18. For what purpose then, I ask, did he add a reason respecting the Sabbath, but did no such thing in regard to murder? Because this commandment was not one of the leading ones. It was not one of those which were accurately defined of our conscience, but a kind of partial and temporary one, and for this reason it was abolished afterward. But those which are necessary and uphold our life are the following: 'You shall not kill... You shall not commit adultery... You shall not steal.' On this account he adds no reason in this case, nor enters into any instruction on the matter, but is content with the bare prohibition."
Homilies on the Statues 12:9, 387 A.D..

John Chrysostom... "You have put on Christ, you have become a member of the Lord and been enrolled in the heavenly city, and you still grovel in the Law (of Moses)? How is it possible for you to obtain the kingdom? Listen to Paul's words, that the observance of the Law overthrows the gospel, and learn, if you will, how this comes to pass, and tremble, and shun this pitfall. Why do you keep the Sabbath and fast with the Jews?"
Homilies on Galatians 2:17, 395 A.D..

The Apostolic Constitutions... "And on the day of our Lord's resurrection, which is the Lord's day, meet more diligently, sending praise to God that made the universe by Jesus, and sent him to us, and condescended to let him suffer, and raised him from the dead. Otherwise what apology will he make
to God who does not assemble on that day... in which is performed the reading of the prophets, the preaching of the gospel, the oblation of the sacrifice, the gift of the holy food."
Apostolic Constitutions 2:7:60, 400 A.D..

John Chrysostom... "The rite of circumcision was venerable in the Jews' account, forasmuch as the Law itself gave way thereto, and the Sabbath was less esteemed than circumcision. For that circumcision might be performed, the Sabbath was broken; but that the Sabbath might be kept, circumcision was never broken; and mark, I pray, the dispensation of God. This is found to be even more solemn that the Sabbath, as not being omitted at certain times. When then it is done away, much more is the Sabbath."
Homilies on Philippians 10, 402 A.D..

Jerome... (342-420) "The Lord's Day, the day of resurrection, the day of Christians, is our day. It is called the 'Lord's Day' because on it the Lord rose victorious to the Father. If pagans call it the 'Day of the Sun', we willingly agree, for today the 'Light of the World' is raised, today is revealed the 'sun of justice' with healing in his rays."
Pasch CCL 78, 550

Augustine... "Well, now, I should like to be told what there is in these Ten Commandments, except the observance of the Sabbath, which ought not to be kept by a Christian... Which of these commandments would anyone say that the Christian ought not to keep? It is possible to contend that it is not the Law which was written on those two tables that the apostle (Paul) describes as 'the letter that kills', 2 Cor. 3:6, but the law of circumcision and the other sacred rites which are now abolished."
The Spirit and the Letter 24, 412 A.D..

Pope Gregory I... "It has come to my ears that certain men of perverse spirit have sown among you some things that are wrong and opposed to the holy faith, so as to forbid any work being done on the Sabbath day. What else can I call these (men) but preachers of Antichrist, who when he comes will cause the Sabbath day as well as the Lord's day to be kept free from all work. For because he (the Antichrist) pretends to die and rise again, he wishes the Lord's day to be had in reverence; and because he compels the people to Judaize that he may bring back the outward rite of the Law, and subject the perfidy of the Jews to himself, he wishes the Sabbath to be observed. For this which is said by the prophet, 'You shall bring in no burden through your gates on the Sabbath day', Jer 17:24, could be held to as long as it was lawful for the Law to be observed according to the letter. But after that the grace of almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ, has appeared, the commandments of the Law which were spoken figuratively cannot be kept according to the letter. For if anyone says that this about the Sabbath is to be kept, he must needs say that carnal sacrifices are to be offered. He must say too that the commandment about the circumcision of the body is still to be retained. But let him hear the apostle Paul saying in opposition to him: 'If you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing', Gal. 5:2."
Letters 13:1, 597 A.D..

Isn't it strange that there are absolutely no writings by the Fathers of the Church in support of Saturday worship instead of Sunday, even from the very first ones? Isn't that the real reason why Sabbath keepers refuse to read them because they cannot find support for Saturday worship? What about the Apostles? Where did they say, "we will continue to worship on Saturday"?
The Fathers did not write that Christians should keep the Sabbath simply because the New Testament of Jesus Christ has not one single verse which says we must do so. There are several verses to the contrary as I have previously pointed out, but not one word to hold to the Sabbath. As proof of what I say, read Romans 13:8-10 where the commandments are listed and note verse 9, "...and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, you shall love your neighbor as yourself." Show me where it says for Christians, 'Thou shalt keep the Sabbath'?
You cannot make something go away simply by ignoring it, and you cannot read into Scripture something that is simply not there.
How do the Sabbath keepers explain this?

Summary of what I have shown:
1. The Mosaic stone tablets and the Old Covenant are inseparable.
2. The Sabbath was but a "token" of things to come.
3. The Sabbath was but a "shadow" of things to come.
4. The Old Covenant and with it the Sabbath, was replaced by the New Covenant.
5. Where the commandments are listed in the New Testament, nothing is said about the Sabbath.
6. All of the commandments are moral laws save one, the Sabbath. It was a ceremonial law.
7. Ceremonial laws are subject to change.
8. The Mosaic moral laws were carried over into the New Testament and are listed.
9. The Mosaic ceremonial law of the Sabbath was not carried over into the New Testament.
10. There is absolutely nothing in the New Testament which binds Christians to keep the Sabbath.
11. There are verses in the N.T. which show that the Apostles worshiped on Sunday, not Saturday.
One final note:

The Old Covenant was fulfilled, being replaced by the New. The only ones refusing to let go of the Old Covenant are the Jews and a few Sabbatarians.
I must point out to the latter group, that you cannot be pickers and choosers.
If you insist on the Saturday Sabbath, then you have to accept and practice ALL of the Old Law, such as circumcision, bloody sacrifices, and all those 'good' things in Leviticus. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot have part of the old and part of the new. It is an all or nothing situation. True Christians abide by the laws of the New Covenant, as New Testament Holy Scripture commands.

A letter to all Sabbatarians:
If you refuse to believe the Holy Bible, the teachings of the Apostles, the Didache, the teachings of the Church Fathers, as shown here (and I trust you did not believe what I have posted and researched the files for yourselves), then I say, I have sympathy for you. The evidence against you is overwhelming. You are following the false prophet. I will not listen to you as you continue to beat the dead horse. Show me in the New Testament where true Christians are to keep the Sabbath?
The Old Covenant is FULFILLED. The Sabbath is DEAD, ENDED, FINISHED, KAPUT. We are in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, and no matter how sincere you are to try to come across in your beliefs, you are sincerely wrong. I have heard all of your baseless arguments over and over again. Less than 1% of all Christianity believes as you do.

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