When is the Sabbath? Is still for Us? Isnt it "Judaizing"?

Hello Again! Hey, before you begin, this will be a post that is somewhat (who am I kidding.. sorta, kinda, little bit) long, and that is because this topic is really important, after all, the Sabbath is the fourth commandments, so it deserves to be discussed in detail. That said, there's a lot I didnt cover, and if you want to engage with me, tell me I'm wrong or whatever, then leave a comment, i'd really appreciate it!
now, lets begin, shall we?

Christians usally take a "The Old Covenant is no longer relevant" mentality, and while it is true that the sacrifies are no longer offered, and the Temple is not longer the dwelling place of the Eternal God, it doesn't really mean that it is no longer relevant. First, its hugely importart to understand it as to have a very clear picture of how much we transgress God's Law. Even so, there's an even more important point... God doesnt change his mind, Numbers 23:19 says in this aspect: 

God is not man, that he should lie, 

or a son of man, that he should change his mind. 

Has he said, and will he not do it? 

Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Because of this... a very simple conclusion can be drawn, and one that pretty much every christian intuitively knows... What God speaks, is Eternal, Unchanging and Unquestionable. I have a question then, What Law did God gave audibly, not in a vision, not in a dream, but actually spoke to Its people?Well, that is the 10 commandments. 10 Laws that Jesus then Summarizes in the 2 greatest commandments. To love God and to love others, but this isnt the Love we usually think about, it's an undying love, and undying call to put ourselfs under others and under God. "Even The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve" in Mark's words. That kind of Love is the kind of love that makes you hate every Idol, never wanting to reduce God to a carved image, and makes you never even think of coveting other's posessions. Also, its the type of law that draws you to listen to God fully, and if God says, "You shall keep the 7th day as my holy day", you want to do so, that brings me to this week's topic, the Sabbath. 

We must understand then, the same sin that is sin today, Was in the garden, and will be in the end of times, that doesnt change. Because Sin is disobedience to God, and God is Eternal and unchanging (Paslm 90:2 - From everlasting to everlasting you are God), it means that Sin is also unchanging. So, God stablishes that taking the sabbath lighly was a sin, Why do we pay no attention to this, yet pay so much to issues like homosexuality?? I dont remember God saying audibly to anyone, nor writing with His own finger "Thou Shall Not be Homosexual"... yet i distintly remember God doing that with the Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath is a matter of honoring God, a way to acknowledge that He alone is Lord, and he is setting a day aside to be with us, to allow us to rest from the world. 

God worked for 6 days, he created everything, and he then created one other thing... another day, just for rest. The sabbath is the zenit of creation. Is God saying "It is Done, everything is Good, now, lets rest", and so is with our lives, nothing is more gratifying that to work hard Sunday through Friday, and when the Sun sets and its evening and and new day begins (days biblically are from evening unto evening, midnight is a roman construct), and to know now you can forget about work, enjoy family, God, time to kick up your feet and relax for one full day, Free of running errands, free from work, school, chores, cleaning, and so on... 

But does God intend is to still keep it today? Didn't Paul write that some steem one day above another, some steem all alike, but whatever you do, do it to the glory of God in Romans 14:5? Yes he did, however, that passage, that full chapter, the whole context was not regarding the 7th day Sabbath, burt rather, fasting. We can see that that is the case if we keep reading untill we reach verse 6, which reads: 

He who observes a special day does so to the Lord;

he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God;

and he who abstains does so to the Lord 

and gives thanks to God.

So why would he be talking about fasting? well, Pharisees were known to fast several days a week, 3 or even 4 fixed days, however, they would make it obvious they were fasting as to attrack attention and praise, Jesus adresses this as recorded by Matthew chapter 6:16:

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites,

for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.

Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward."

However, Jesus never really repeats the Sabbath Law, however, Jesus Himself expected christians to observe it, in Matthew 24:20, when Jesus was talking to the disciples about the destruction of the temple (that would occur in AD. 71, 38 years after his death) he talks on how they should pray that their flight is easy, and that it doesnt fall on winter.. or a Sabbath: 

"Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath."

Furthermore, Jesus always kept the sabbath, otherwise the pharisees would have had a charge on which to stone him. Yes, he said that it is lawful to do Good on the sabbath, and the pharisees told him he broke it, however, Jesus pointed out the reality of the sabbath. It is not about the motions, its all about recognizing God as Lord of your life and time, and so, the point is not to not walk x number of steps, but rather to honor God and have a time for Him, and no, not any times is the same. God set it appart, God indicated that That was the day for us to meet him. Should we ONLY look for him, read the bible and be christians on the sabbath? BY NO MEANS! however, we cannot devote 24/7 to God alone, to resting like God commanded and being away from the world.

So, we find ourselves that: God created it and sanctified it. (to sactify is to set appart for Holy use, to devote to God), God commanded it with his own voice, that God tells us to "Remember the sabbath" As if we would forget it, That Jesus "as it was his custom" kept the sabbath even unto death, he died a friday having finished his work just like God finished creation on a friday afternoon. then by evening he had died and entered rest, and by Sunday (first day of the week) he would rise up and continue his work, no longer of teaching, but giving the last words to the apostles, and then go sit at the right hand of the father.

Finally, in New Jerusalem we will live in the presence of God, we will live with him, no death will occur, so sacrifices wont be given, so of course the mosaic law is not kept, as it was something to prepare us for the coming of the messiah, but in heaven, that wont be necessary, HOWEVER, in Isaiah 66:23, when speaking of New Jerusalem it reads:

"And from Sabbath to Sabbath, 

all flesh shall come to worship before me,

declares the LORD."

Finally, even the disciples kept the sabbath after Jesus' death and ressurection. In Acts 13:42-44 we read:

"As they went out, the people begged t

hat these things might be told them the next Sabbath.

And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up,

many Jews and devout converts to Judaism 

followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them,

urged them to continue in the grace of God.

The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord."

Also, in acts 21:20, Years after the death and resurrection of Christ, Paul states that he is still "all zealous of the law" As we see him not follow jewish tradition nor sacrifices and such, yet despises Idols, we can understand that the law he is following is the 10 commandments, otherwise, it would be "all zealous of Christ's teachings" as up to that moment, Christ's teachings were not considered law, except for the few christians around, yet here is talking as a Jew.

But why sunday then? if Jesus never spoke against it, if the apostles and early christians kept it, why sunday then?

First, we must understand that some of the first records of Christian worship on the first day of the week (Sunday) comes from the ancient from the era of the Jewish Revolt in AD 110s to 130s, which lead to Jews being driven out of jerusalme, and thus, only a small portion of greek jews remaining there. Even then, it was through the power of emperor Hadrian, that laws were enacted to supress all thing Jewish, thus, sabbath observance became illegal... many chirstians however kept keeping it in secret.. the historian Mosheim has to say regarding the changes during this reign:

"Among the many sects which divided the Chris­tian church during this century, it is natural to men­tion, in the first place, that which an attachment to the Mosaic law separated from the rest of their Chris­tian brethren. The first rise of this sect is placed under the reign of Adrian. For when this emperor had at length razed Jerusalem, entirely destroyed even its very foundations, and enacted laws of the severest kind against the whole body of the Jewish people; the greatest part of the Christians, who lived in Palestine, to prevent their being confounded with the Jews, abandoned entirely the Mosaic rites, and chose a bishop named Mark, a foreigner by nation, and consequently an alien from the commonwealth of Israel. This step was highly shocking to those whose attachment to the Mosaic rites was violent and invin­cible; and such was the case of many. . . ."

This became a staple of 2nd and 3rd century christianity, mixing pagan traditions and having to guard the small number of christians from the everpresent Roman empire.

There, in the second century, cities like alexandria saw christinity start to mingle with Pagan religions who observed sunday, As Catholics would later do, they took in Sunday worship as a compromise in order to bring them to christinity.

Later on, Constatine (Emperor from 306 to 337 AD), Roman Ceasar, would declare the Roman empire a christian empire, and with it, he would name himself Pontifex Maximus, yet, he would not let go of his pagan roots. By making Sunday as the mandatory religious worship day, he would apeace those still fond of the Roman parthenon, and thus, allow for christianity to be accepted. at this time, Christians will have already endured 200 years of mixed Sunday and Sabbath observance for some like those in Jerusalem and alexandria, and Some of sole Sabbath observance like those Jews driven out of Jerusalem.. However, under Cosntatine, the whole Roman empire (basically all of europe, england, North Africa and the middle east) would have to worship on sunday.  (see chapter 11 entitled "The Development of Christian Persecution"). Christians once again held ground by keeping both days... however, with time, keeping both days became problematic, and by the 5th century, Sabbath observance was almost dead. I say almost, because if you look, there have been 7th day movements all thoughtout history, from unnamed groups, to groups the Catholic church actively opposed, to early Waldensians (EARLY, later on they would unite with french christians and ditch sabbath observance) and today 7th day Baptist, The Seventh-Day Evangelist Church, The Church of God, and 7th day adventists (whether you like it or not, E.G. White's "revelation" regarding the sabbath is spot on), as well as many other 7th day movements. 

Finally, we have a confession from the Roman Catholic church admitting that they changed the Sabbath by their own power, Lets see it, shall we? from The Catechism of the Catholic Church Section 2 Article 3 (1994):

Sunday – fulfillment of the Sabbath. Sunday is expressly distinguished from the Sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the Sabbath... 

The Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ...

In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church’s holy days as legal holidays.

Catholic Cardinal James Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (Ayers Publishing, 1978): 108:

"But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify."

Chancellor Albert Smith for Cardinal of Baltimore Archdiocese, letter dated February 10, 1920:

If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath day by God is Saturday. In keeping the Sunday, they are following a law of the Catholic Church

Scripture is clear then, we have a complete picture of why sunday is now observed and how it came into being. Of course, going to church on sunday IS NOT A BAD THING, however, remember what happened to early christians that so boldly defended the faith... once they kept both days, soon enough they ended up keeping the wrong one for convinience's sake. I Hope you find this nourishing, that you may search the scriptures and if i'm incorrect, you can leave a comment below correcting me.
Have a great day!


May God bless y'all