Warm hellos friends, brethren, co-workers, spiritual family, and scattered children of God, from here on the Gulf Coast. My wife and I pray and hope this finds you all doing well, and that again your week has been blessed.
Someone recently sent me a comment again asking me, “Why do I write these long Sabbath evening letters to many each Friday evening?” – Well, it gives me an opportunity to both teach and discuss certain things with many, since I am unable to speak to, or be with you all each Sabbath. Many appreciate and use these for mini Bible Studies around the table, and it opens up dialogue for discussion into various topics. I’m reminded in the book of Acts, Chapter 17 verses 11-12, where Paul of Tarsus and Silas preached at Berea, and the inhabitants “… received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. And many of them believed…”.
Last Friday evening, we began to examine the flaws in the assertion that the day set aside for worshipping God has been changed from the seventh day to Sunday, the first day of the week. I likened them to snowflakes that are part of an obscuring “snow job”. The term was not meant to be offensive, but rather make a point that some, albeit sincere, are confused with what is often taught to be accepted without question or proof.
Another attempt often used in mainstream Christianity to redefine the day of worship involves a wrong interpretation of Revelation 1:10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day . . .”
The claim is that “John was moved by the Spirit and was worshipping on Sunday and had the vision on that day…”, the day they claim the Lord was resurrected. We examined that wrong assertion last time and concluded from the Scriptural evidence that Christ was indeed resurrected late on the weekly Sabbath (or Saturday).
Does the Bible define “Lord’s Day” as the first day of the week?
As a matter of fact, this is the only place this exact term is used in the Bible, which would hardly be the case if the Church had been observing Sunday for years, and called it “the Lord’s Day” as some contend.
If this were referring to a day of the week, we would have to conclude that John meant the seventh day, since God called the Sabbath “My holy day . . . the holy day of the Lord” (Isaiah 58:13) and Jesus Christ said He was the “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28), not some other day of the week.
However, the context of John’s vision shows that John wasn’t referring to a day of the week at all. Instead, he meant that the vision transported him into the future time which the Bible elsewhere calls the “day of the Lord,” “day of the Lord Jesus Christ” or “day of Christ.”
Let’s note several Scriptures. “Wait, for the day of the LORD is at hand . . . Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger . . . For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.” (Isaiah 13:6, 9, 10) “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” (Joel 2:31) This passage is quoted in Acts 2:20.
Notice some references to the day of the Lord in the Greek Scriptures in addition to Acts 2:20. “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them . . . ” (1 Thess 5:2-3) “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10) Paul uses a similar term in 2 Thess 2:2: “not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.”
These terms are not speaking of a specific single day. Instead, they refer to the end-time period when Jesus Christ will return to personally and directly intervene in human affairs. In the passage in 2 Peter he expands the end time day of the Lord to that final day of the Lord that introduces the new heavens and new earth.
Thus, these terms indicate the end of the age of man’s self-rule and the beginning of the age of God’s rule over all nations through Christ.
This is the theme of the book of Revelation and the “Lord’s Day” John saw in vision at the beginning of the book. “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and was and is to come.” (Rev 1:4) “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. . . and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father . . . Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him . . .” (Rev 1:5-7)
The term “Lord’s day” is just another way of saying the “day of the Lord.” That day is owned by the Lord as He immerses Himself in the events that involve His coming, the resurrection of the saints at the blowing of the seventh trumpet, and taking control of the kingdoms of this earth. (Rev 1:14-18)
The true Sabbath of the Lord gives us insight into that time when the King of kings sets up His kingdom that will finally bring true peace to the world! We anticipate that time with eagerness indeed.
We’ll continue with some more thoughts next time where we will examine more of some teachings many hold on to. Let’s continue to base our beliefs on God’s Word, and not traditions of men.
Arms up friends! Our prayers and thoughts are with you daily. Please do pray for us as well.
