RP 208 THE SIN OF FORSAKING THE SABBATH DAY

INTRODUCTION

The devil has two modes of attack against the church of God: as a serpent, he is a deceiver, and as a dragon, he is a persecutor. His first method of attack is almost invariably deception, because if he can deceive a man into teaching lies, he can get him condemned:
(Jer 48:10) "Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully,"
(Jam 3:1) "My brothers, do not be many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation."
(Rev 21:8) "and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
Not only this, but the devil can also condemn all those who follow false teaching:
(Isa 9:16) "For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and those who are led by them are destroyed."
(Mat 15:14) "And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."
Concerning the observance of the Sabbath day, the devil has been very subtle, and deceived many into believing a very serious error, that the Sabbath day no longer needs to be kept in the New Testament, but Sunday is now the day of worship and rest for the Church. Jesus taught, "If you will enter into life, keep the commandments." (Mat 19:17), and we know that he was referring to the Ten Commandments because he quoted some of them (Mat 19:18-19). If Jesus made a condition of entering into eternal life, that we keep the Ten Commandments, then how can we enter into it without keeping them? A true believer will obey Jesus. These words, along with others that Jesus taught (Mat 5:17-19; 23:1-3), are our basis for observing the Sabbath day in the New Testament. He said:
(Mat 24:35) "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
(Mat 19:17) "if you will enter into life, keep the commandments."
(Luke 6:46) "And why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I say?"
(John 14:15) "If you love me, keep my commandments."
(John 12:48) "He who rejects me, and does not receive my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to show from the scripture that the fourth commandment, concerning the Sabbath day, was never scrapped by God as a day for his people to gather together for study and worship. Neither God, nor the apostles of Jesus, ever instituted Sunday as a substitute for the Sabbath day, and the idea that Sunday is a memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is false, because he did not rise on Sunday.
In view of these facts, we invite anyone who reads this study, who would like to contribute any constructive comments, either to enhance, or to correct, or to contribute in any way that will help others, and bring this study closer to the complete truth, to contact Logos Apostolic Bible College. As seems appropriate, we will use any information offered freely to refine this study for the glory of God.

#1. REASONS WHY CHRISTIANS SHOULD OBSERVE THE SABBATH

#1.02 BECAUSE GOD ORDAINED THE SABBATH

#1.021 God gave us an example from the beginning

GENESIS 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
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 20:8-11
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Note: When Jesus was teaching people about divorce, he pointed them back to the beginning of creation in order to explain how things should be (Mat 19:8; Mark 10:6), and when Paul would not permit a woman (or wife) to teach, he pointed them back to the beginning of creation in order to show them why (1 Tim 2:11-14). Here, as regards the seventh day, we can also look back to the time of creation to see how it was in the beginning. After his work of creation, when God rested on the seventh day, "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:" (Gen 2:3). When God spoke about this event as he gave the ten commandments, he said, "the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exo 20:11). The verb translated "sanctified" (Gen 2:3) (Hb. #$daqf, Htr. qādash ) is the same verb translated "hallowed" (Exo 20:11), but notice that in God's spoken version, he says that he blessed "the Sabbath day". So the Sabbath must have existed since the creation, and this is why the seventh day is called, "the sabbath of the LORD thy God:" (Exo 20:10; Deut 5:14). God even refers to the Sabbath day as, "my holy day;" (Isa 58:13), and "the holy sabbath unto the LORD:" (Exo 16:23). Has anything changed concerning this? No, because God has said the he will not alter what he has said (Psa 89:34), so the Sabbath must still be his holy day. No again, because "whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it:" (Ecc 3:14). God doesn't change (Mal 3:6; Jam 1:17), so as far as he is concerned, the seventh day is still blessed and sanctified by him. If our heart is filled with love, which fulfils the law (See #1.045), then it would be full of God, because, "God is love." (1 John 4:8; 4:16), and we would keep the seventh day holy, just as he did. He gave us an example right back there at the beginning. Jesus told us to be like God when he said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect." (Mat 5:48), and showed us the principle that people do the deeds of their father:
(John 8:39) "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham."
(John 8:44) "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do."
(John 9:4) "I must work the works of him that sent me,"
(John 10:37) "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not."
So if we are to follow God's example, while we are working in the world, then we ought to rest on the seventh day as God did. God sanctified the seventh day (Gen 2:3; Exo 20:11), and he told us how to do it also:
(Exo 20:8) "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."
(Exo 35:2) "Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD:"
(Lev 23:3) "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings."
(Deut 5:12) "Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it."

#1.022 God wrote the Sabbath commandment himself on a tablet of stone

EXODUS 31:18
18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

EXODUS 32:15-16
15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

DEUTERONOMY 5:22 (Moses)
22 And these words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

DEUTERONOMY 9:10 (Moses)
10 And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

Note: There are several interesting facts which come out of these scriptures, concerning the ten commandments:
   (1) God wrote them himself
Nowhere else in the whole bible is it recorded that God wrote commandments with his own finger, as he did here (Exo 31:18; Deut 9:10). The fact that God wrote them himself insured his total authority behind them, no mistakes were made when they were written, and they were engraved in stone for permanence. Notice that, "the tables were the work of God," (Exo 32:16), and as "his work is perfect:" (Deut 32:4), every commandment, including the Sabbath commandment, must be perfect. These commandments, which were the basis of the Old Covenant, were called "the tables of the covenant." (Deut 9:9; 9:11; 9:15), and were placed in the ark called "the ark of the covenant" (Num 10:33; 14:44; Deut 10:8; 31:9). These are the same commandments and laws that are to be written on our heart when we become a partaker of the New Covenant (See #1.16), and which will be fulfilled by love (See #1.045).
   (2) God spoke them to the whole congregation
God did occasionally speak to individuals on a lengthy basis (Job 38-41), but a discourse such as this, full of commandments, and spoken to so many people (Deut 5:22; 9:10), is totally unique. Approximately six hundred thousand men left Egypt (Exo 12:37), plus women, plus children, plus others, so "all your assembly" (Deut 5:22) may have numbered around two million people. The fact that God chose to speak these commandments audibly himself, and not leave it to others to speak only, shows how much importance he placed on them, and emphasises their permanence:
(Psa 89:34) "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips."
So we can be sure that God is not Going to alter the ten commandments. This can be confirmed by the fact that the ten commandments, which were written on stone, were also called "the testimony" (Exo 25:16; 30:6; 40:20), and "tables of testimony" (Exo 31:18; 32:15; 34:29). They were placed in the ark, which was called "the ark of the testimony" (Exo 25:22; 31:7; 40:3; Josh 4:16), which was kept in a tent called "the tabernacle of testimony" (Exo 38:21; Num 1:50; 1:53). Thus the word "testimony" in the Old Testament often refers to the ten commandments, and when we read:
(Isa 8:20) "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
we can know that there is no light in those who do not speak according to the ten commandments.

#1.023 God gave the Sabbath commandment to his chosen people

EXODUS 20:8-11
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

EXODUS 31:12-17
12 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

DEUTERONOMY 5:12-15
12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.
13 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

PSALMS 89:34 (God)
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips.

ECCLESIASTES 3:14 (Solomon)
14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

MALACHI 3:6
6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Note: After his work of creation God rested on the seventh day, and blessed it, and sanctified it (Gen 2:3). Nothing has changed concerning this because, "whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it:" (Ecc 3:14). God doesn't change (Mal 3:6; Jam 1:17), so as far as he is concerned, the seventh day is still blessed and sanctified by him. He gave no such blessing concerning Sunday, the first day of the week, but because the seventh day had been blessed since creation, when the law was given to his chosen people through Moses, it included a provision for rest on the seventh day:
(Exo 20:8-10) "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. ... the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God;",
(Exo 31:12-17) "the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: ... Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: ... the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever:"
(Deut 5:12-15) "Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. ... the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: ... the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day."
Has God changed anything concerning these remarks? No, because he has said, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." (Psa 89:34), and God spoke the ten commandments himself to the whole congregation of Israel (Exo 20:1-19; Deut 5:4-22). The ten commandments were the covenant (Deut 4:12-13; 5:2). Therefore he cannot alter them, because God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). This has been established with Israel, "throughout your generations;" (Exo 31:13), "throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant." (Exo 31:16), and "for ever." (Exo 31:17). Therefore, at least as far as Israel is concerned it has not changed. The literal keeping of the Sabbath for the Jews will be superseded by the spiritual fulfilment of it, when they come to the true understanding, but this will not mean that they will cease to keep the Sabbath, and begin to keep Sunday.

#1.04 BECAUSE JESUS CONFIRMED THE SABBATH COMMANDMENT

#1.041 Jesus himself made the Sabbath day for man

GENESIS 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
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.

MARK 2:27-28 (Jesus)
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.

JOHN 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

COLOSSIANS 1:15-16 (Paul about Jesus)
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature;
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him.

Note: Jesus did not say that the Sabbath was made for the Jews, he said it was made for man (Mark 2:27), and it is never referred to as "the Jewish Sabbath" in the scripture. From the beginning God knew that man would need physical rest, and he provided a day for it. People who ignore this, and work seven days a week, will probably suffer stress, fatigue of some sort, or even ill health. This will not change as long as people are involved in secular work; so as long as it applies, why not set aside the specific day that God ordained and Jesus made? Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1 with 1:14; Rev 19:13), he created the Sabbath (John 1:3; Col 1:16) for man (Mark 2:27), he was Lord of it (Mark 2:28), and yet kept it himself perfectly when he was in the flesh (See #1.042). He is the head of the true church of God (Eph 5:23; Col 1:18), and he has not changed (Heb 13:8; 1 Pet 1:25), so if he made it for us, then we need it, and should keep it.

#1.042 Jesus himself kept the Sabbath day

MATTHEW 4:23
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

MATTHEW 9:35
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

MARK 6:2
2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

LUKE 4:16 (About Jesus)
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

LUKE 4:31
31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

LUKE 6:6
6 And it came to pass on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

LUKE 13:10
10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

JOHN 15:10 (Jesus)
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Note: During his lifetime on earth Jesus kept the Sabbath day perfectly. He regularly taught in the synagogues on the Sabbath day (Mat 4:23; 9:35; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:31; 6:6; 13:10), and habitually went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day to read the law (Luke 4:16). He said, "I have kept my Father's commandments," (John 10:15), and these commandments included the Sabbath day:
(Exo 20:8) "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy."
(Exo 31:13-14) "Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: ... Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you:"
(Exo 31:16) "the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant."
(Deut 5:12) "Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it."
Did Jesus ever break the Sabbath commandment? No, because he himself said, "I have kept my Father's commandments," (John 15:10), and God himself referred to the Sabbath as one of "my commandments" (Exo 16:28). Also, "sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4) [look at the context, it is referring to the ten commandments], and Jesus never sinned (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). As Jesus was "made under the law" (Gal 4:4), he must have kept the Sabbath commandment perfectly, otherwise would have been a sinner.
Every Christian has been called to follow Jesus (Mat 8:22; 10:38; 19:21; Mark 8:34; 10:21; Luke 9:23; 9:59; 18:22), to be as he was (Mat 10:25), to be conformed to his image (Rom 8:29), to walk as he walked (1 John 2:6), to follow his steps (1 Pet 2:21), and to be as he is in this world (1 John 4:17). They cannot do this without keeping the Sabbath day, because he kept it, and he is "the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." (Heb 13:8).
Jesus is the head of the church (Eph 5:23; Col 1:18), which is his body (Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:18; 1:24), and it should be in complete subjection to him in all things (Eph 1:22), but it will never be so without keeping the Sabbath day because he taught us to keep it, both by word (Mat 5:17-19; 19:17-19; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20), and by example (Mat 4:23; 9:35; Luke 4:16; John 16:10). When Jesus was alive on the earth, his physical body was in complete subjection to his spirit, and he habitually went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. If his physical body now, which is the church (Col 1:18; 1:24), was in complete subjection to his spirit, then it would also habitually keep the Sabbath day as Jesus did. As he has not changed (Heb 13:8), the church ought to be keeping the Sabbath day now, and will never be perfected until it does.

#1.043 Jesus taught us to keep the commandments

MATTHEW 5:17-19 (Jesus)
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

MATTHEW 19:16-19
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

MATTHEW 23:1-3
1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

MARK 10:17-19
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled down to him, and asked him, Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

LUKE 18:18-20
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and mother.

Note: Jesus could not break any of the ten commandments, because if he did he would be a sinner: "for sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4). Nor could he teach men to break any of them, or he himself would be least in the kingdom of heaven according to his own words:
(Mat 5:19) "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Who, of all men who ever lived, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? It is Jesus! According to his own words then, he must have kept and taught men to keep every "one of these least commandments." In fact Jesus kept all of the commandments, including observing the Sabbath day (See #1.042), and here we can see he taught others to do it also (Mat 19:17-19; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20). He even told people to obey the Scribes and the Pharisees (Mat 23:2-3), and they would certainly have told people to keep the Sabbath day! Does the fact that these scriptures do not specifically mention the first four commandments, mean that we should not keep them? No, because keeping these is an expression of our love for God (See #1.045 Note), and loving God is the first and great commandment (Mat 22:37-38).
Jesus' words are still applicable to us today:
(Mat 24:35) "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
(Mat 19:17) "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
(Luke 6:46) "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
(John 14:15) "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
(John 12:48) "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."
The apostle Paul also confirmed the importance of Jesus' words:
(1 Tim 6:3-4) "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
He is proud, knowing nothing".

#1.044 Jesus came to fulfil the law

MATTHEW 5:17-18 (Jesus)
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Note 1: Notice that Jesus said, that he did not "come to destroy the law ... but to fulfil." (Mat 5:17), and from the words of Jesus himself we can know that he did fulfil as much as he could at his first coming, because he said, "I have kept my Father's commandments." (John 15:10). Also when praying to his Father before his death, he said, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." (John 17:4), and just before he died, he said, "It is finished:" (John 19:30). There are some things, such as the feast of trumpets, for example, which Jesus will fulfil at his second coming (Mat 24:31; 1 Cor 15:52; 1 Thes 4:16), but this does not mean that he has not fulfilled as much of the law as was expected of him. Does the fact that Jesus fulfilled the law mean that we do not now have to fulfil it? No, that cannot be so because we are expected to be like Jesus:
(Mat 10:25) "It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his Lord."
(Rom 8:29) "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,"
(1 Cor 15:48) "as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly."
(1 Pet 2:21) "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:"
(1 John 2:6) "He that saith he abideth in him aught himself also to walk, even as he walked."
(1 John 4:17) "Herein is our love made perfect ... as he is, so are we in this world."
If Jesus fulfilled the law, and we are meant to "be as our master", "be as our Lord", "be conformed to his image", "follow his steps", "walk, even as he walked", and be "as he is", then we are meant to fulfil the law also as Jesus did. Again there are exceptions, such as the sin offering (Lev 16:15-16), and the scapegoat on the day of atonement (Lev 16:20-23), where Jesus carried away the sins of the world. That cannot be done by us, but we do need to fulfil that which we can fulfil:
(Rom 8:4) "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." (See also #1.045).

Note 2: Notice that Jesus also said, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Mat 5:18). There are two separate conditions here, and nothing of the law will pass away until at least one of these is fulfilled. They are, "Till heaven and earth pass", or "till all be fulfilled". Has heaven and earth passed yet? No:
(2 Pet 3:7-10) "But the heaven and earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men. ... the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
So this condition has not removed anything from the law yet, and when it comes, it will remove all the need for the law altogether.

#1.045 Jesus taught us to fulfil the law by love

MATTHEW 22:34-40
34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were all gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

ROMANS 13:8-10 (Paul)
8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

GALATIANS 5:14 (Paul)
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Note: Does fulfilling of the law mean that we do not have to keep the ten commandments? No, because Jesus said, "all the law" (Mat 22:40) hangs on the commands to love, which includes all of the ten commandments, not just nine of them. Secondly, we fulfil the law by love (Mat 22:34-40; Rom 13:8-10; Gal 5:14), and if we love God with all of our heart and soul, and our neighbour as ourselves, then our love for God is expressed by obedience to his commandments:
(John 14:21-24) "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: ... If a man love me, he will keep my words: ... He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."
(1 John 5:2-3) "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
(2 John 6) "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments."
This is why Jesus taught us two commandments which enable us to fulfil the law:
(Mat 22:37) "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
(Mat 22:39) "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
The latter one of these two gives us the desire to keep the last six of the ten commandments, whereas faith would give us the ability to keep them. For example:
If we love our father and our mother, would we dishonour them? No, because we would hate to do such a thing, and we would only want to please them.
If we love our neighbours would we kill them? or anyone that they love? No, because we would hate to do such a thing, and we would only want to do what is best for them. We would not hate them if they offended us, because hate is spiritual murderer (1 John 3:15), and love is the opposite of hate. We would not speak evil of them, because spiritual death is in the power of the tongue (Pro 18:21), and we would not wish to hurt them.
If we love our neighbours, would we steal from them? No, because we would hate to do such a thing, and we would only want to do what is best for them. Love is a desire to give (John 3:16), and would give us the opposite desire to stealing from them. We would never wish to see them suffer the hurt from our actions, so love would motivate us to keep this commandment.
If we love our neighbours would we lie to them? No, because the scripture declares, "A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it;" (Pro 26:28). Paul declared, "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour:" (Eph 4:25), because speaking the truth to someone is an expression of love. So fulfilling this commandment by love would mean that we would never lie to our neighbour.
So likewise, love for our neighbours would keep us from breaking any of the commandments that apply to them.
In the same way, if we love God with all of our heart, and with all of our soul, and with all of our mind, would we put other Gods before him? If you have a wife or a girl friend that you love with your whole heart, would you put other women or girls before them? No way! Love would keep you from it.
Would we make graven images that are an abomination to God, and bow down to them, knowing how much this would hurt God? No way! because our love for God would keep us from it.
Would take his name in vain, knowing that it would hurt him? No way!
How then would we not keep the Sabbath, which he made for us (Mark 2:27), knowing that this would be like throwing his gift back in his face?
So there it is, love fulfils the law, and love expresses itself as obedience to God's commandments. Jesus said, "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings;" (John 14:24), and one of his sayings was, "keep the commandments." (Mat 19:17), so people who do not keep the ten commandments do not fully love Jesus or God.

#1.08 BECAUSE PAUL OBSERVED THE SABBATH DAY

#1.081 Paul habitually taught in the synagogues on the Sabbath day

ACTS 13:14-16
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

ACTS 13:42-44
42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

ACTS 17:1-2
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures.

ACTS 18:1-4
1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and pursuaded the Jews and Greeks.

Note: It seems clear from these scriptures that Paul habitually attended synagogues on the Sabbath days, where possible; "every sabbath" (Acts 18:4), and reasoned with them out of the scriptures. In this particular case, at Corinth, it was over a period of "a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." (Acts 18:11), and so would mean 78 consecutive Sabbath days. This took place many years after the resurrection of Jesus. At Antioch, in a meeting in the Synagogue on a Sabbath day, the Gentiles entreated Paul that he would preach to them on the next Sabbath (Acts 13:42). If Sunday was a day kept by the church at that time, why did Paul not invite them to his Sunday service? With no unbelieving Jews present it would have been an excellent opportunity to preach to the Gentiles, but there was no such meeting. Instead, they had to wait until the next Sabbath day to hear God's word (Acts 13:44). This is very strong proof that no Sunday meetings were being held at that time. As "sin is transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4), it would be a sin for Paul to break the Sabbath commandment, and he said that he had offended nothing against the law of the Jews (See #1.083). All this just confirms that Paul himself was a habitual Sabbath keeper, and if he ever taught others not to keep it, he would be a liar and a hypocrite, and the least in the kingdom of God, according to the words of Jesus (Mat 5:19). Some have tried to say that Paul only went to the synagogues to evangelise the Jews and their proselytes, but the bible does not say that, and it can be proven false. Where did Paul go to capture Christians before he was a Christian himself? He went to "every synagogue" (Acts 22:19, 26:11), proving that Christians regularly met in synagogues on the Sabbath day. Where in the whole of the New Testament did any of the Jews ever accuse Paul of breaking the Sabbath commandment? Nowhere!

#1.082 Paul went to places of prayer on the Sabbath day

ACTS 16:13
13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by the river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

Note: This took place in Philippi (v12), where Paul went after seeing a vision which called him to go into Macedonia (v9). It seems that the religious people of Philippi gathered by the river on the Sabbath day for prayer, and this is where Paul went to minister the gospel of salvation. This not only shows Paul's habit of looking for religious gatherings on the Sabbath day, but also shows that many Gentiles also gathered together on the Sabbath at that time also. As a result of this meeting, God opened the heart of Lydia, a seller of purple from Thyatira, and she and her household believed and were baptised (vv14-15).

#1.083 Paul offended nothing against the law of the Jews

ACTS 25:7-8
7 And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and made many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.
8 While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.

Note: How could Paul say that he offended nothing against the law of the Jews if he was not a Sabbath keeper? Was he a liar? Or was it rather that he told the truth, and being a Jew, he not only kept the Sabbath, but also the feast days (Acts 18:21; 20:16)?

#1.084 Paul taught us to fulfil the righteousness of the law

ROMANS 8:3-4 (Paul)
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Note: The apostle Paul is teaching here that the righteousness of the law should be fulfilled in us, but can we do this without keeping the ten commandments? No, because the psalmist said to God, "all thy commandments are righteousness." (Psa 119:172). This means that the fourth commandment, observing the Sabbath day must be righteousness, doesn't it? This completely agrees with other scriptures being put together:
(1 John 3:4) "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law."
(1John 5:17) "All unrighteousness is sin:".
Another point is that God's righteousness requires God's law to be in our heart:
(Psa 37:30-31) "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom ... The law of his God is in his heart."
(Isa 51:7) "Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law;"
This righteousness fulfils the same condition as those who are partakers of the New Covenant, where God's laws are written in their heart (See #1.16). The conclusion to be drawn from all this is that all Christians are expected to grow to the place where they can fulfil the righteousness of the law in a similar manner to the way Jesus did, which would involve us keeping the ten commandments the same way that Jesus taught. So we have seen that Paul not only kept the Sabbath commandment, but taught others to keep it also, even as Jesus did (See #1.044); and his words for us today are, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." (1 Cor 11:1).

#1.085 Paul taught us that faith establishes the law

ROMANS 3:30-31 (Paul)
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish¹ the law.

Note: The word translated we establish¹ (Rom 3:31) is from the Greek verb isthmi (Gtr. histēmi) which means "to make to stand", or "to cause to stand". Paul's conclusion in this context was that "a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom 3:30), by which he meant that justification could not come through sacrificing animals to cover sin (See #4.04), but only through a genuine faith. There are two ways you can seek to be justified by the law, one was by making animal sacrifices every time that you made a mistake, called the "works of the law" (See #4.04), and the other was by faith. Only faith worked:
(Rom 9:31-32) "But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;"
The implication here is, that if they had sought to attain to the law of righteousness by faith, then they could have done it. James also taught that a man is justified by faith which produces works of faith (Jam 2:17-26), and therefore a genuine faith will give us the ability to keep the law in a spiritual sense, including the ten commandments. So how does faith establish the law? Simply by giving a person the ability to obey the commandments, which a person without faith cannot do. We could therefore say this:
(Rom 3:31) "Do we then make void the ten commandments through faith? God forbid: but, we establish the ten commandments."

#1.10 BECAUSE THE EARLY CHRISTIANS OBSERVED THE SABBATH DAY

#1.101 Saul found Christians in the synagogues

ACTS 9:1-2
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

ACTS 22:19 (Paul)
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue, them that believe on thee:

ACTS 26:9-11 (Paul)
9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

Note: Where did Saul go to look for Christians to capture? to "every synagogue," (Acts 22:19; 26:11). Why? because in those days Christians were still observing the Sabbath commandment, and he knew that he would find them in the synagogues on the Sabbath days. This is clear evidence that the early church were still keeping the Sabbath day.

#1.102 The early Jewish Christians were "zealous of the law"

ACTS 21:20
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe: and they are all zealous of the law:

Note: Looking at the context, the "thousands of Jews" who believed, who were also "all zealous of the law:" (Acts 21:20), were at Jerusalem, where the twelve apostles stayed during the dispersion after the persecution of Stephen (Acts 8:1). These thousands of Jewish believers then, were under the teaching of the twelve apostles, so how could they be breaking the Sabbath commandment and be "zealous of the law" at the same time? The scripture says after Pentecost, "they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine" (Acts 2:42), and this scripture (Acts 21:20) shows that not only did the apostles themselves keep the Sabbath commandment, but they taught others to keep it also, just as Jesus had told them (Mat 5:19; 28:20). Nowhere in the New Testament after the death of Jesus was any Christian, Jew or Gentile, persecuted for not keeping the Sabbath day.

#1.103 Ananias was "a devout man according to the law"

ACTS 22:12-13 (Paul)
12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked upon him.

Note: Ananias is described here as, "a devout man according to the law," and "having a good report of all the Jews" who dwelt at Damascus. The word translated "devout" (Gr. eusebhj, Gtr. eusebēs) is also used of Cornelius (Acts 10:2), one of his faithful soldiers (Acts 10:7), and is translated "godly" (2 Pet 2:9). It means pious, earnestly religious, or simply faithful and obedient. So how can anyone be described as, "a devout man according to the law," and be a Sabbath breaker at the same time? How can he also have "a good report of all the Jews" at Antioch, if he did not keep the Sabbath day? They were very much against Jesus (John Luke 13:14; 5:16-18; 9:16), and his disciples (Mat 12:2; Mark 2:24), when they accused them of breaking the Sabbath, so it would not be possible. This shows that Ananias was not only a faithful believer in Jesus, but also a faithful Sabbath keeper at the same time, and confirms that early Jewish Christians kept the Sabbath commandment.
In conclusion, this whole section has now given much evidence that the early church was continuing to observe the Sabbath day. This being so, remember that all of the apostles were Jews, and all of the early church were Jews, until Cornelius and his household became believers (Acts 10:44-48). Look at the covenant they had with God:
(Exo 31:16-17) "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant."
It was the death penalty for breaking it (Exo 31:14-15), so there is no way that they would exchange the Sabbath day for Sunday, as a day of gathering together for worship, ministry, and prayer. If there had been any official change of day for the church, the apostles would have both taught it and practised it; but they did neither.

#1.104 James wrote to Jewish believers who met in the synagogue on the Sabbath day

JAMES 2:2
2 For if there come unto your assembly¹ a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

Note: The word translated assembly¹ (Gr. sunagwgh&n, Gtr. sunagōgēn) is a form of the regular word for "synagogue" in the New Testament, and it is translated "synagogue" 55 times out of 57 occurrences. A better translation would have been, "For it there comes into your synagogue". James was writing to, "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad" (Jam 1:1), and so to the Jewish believers who had gone to other countries. It is generally accepted that James was the first book of the New Testament that was written, and that it was at least fifteen years after the resurrection of Jesus (probably more). Regular meetings in the synagogues were held only on the Sabbath day (Acts 13:42-44). Therefore this is strong evidence that the Jewish believers were still observing the Sabbath day long after Jesus was resurrected.

#1.12 BECAUSE THE GENTILES OBSERVED THE SABBATH DAY

ACTS 13:42-44
42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

ACTS 18:1-4
1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and Greeks.

Note: Notice how the Gentiles expected to wait until the next Sabbath day to hear Paul again. If the New Testament church were Sunday keepers, why didn't they ask Paul to come and speak to them the next day? It would have been a marvellous opportunity to preach to the Gentiles with no unbelieving Jews present. This scripture shows that many Gentiles in those days were observing the Sabbath day, and they attended the synagogues to hear the word of God. If Paul "reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and Greeks." (Acts 18:4), then it shows that Greeks must have been attending the synagogue every Sabbath day, and that this incident was not just a "one off" occasion.

#1.14 BECAUSE JAMES TAUGHT US TO KEEP THE WHOLE LAW

JAMES 2:8-11
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

Note: The law that James was talking about here was the ten commandments, the first four being based on love for God, and the latter six being based on love for our fellow man, "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," (Jam 2:8). This is confirmed by the discussion (Jam 2:11) of the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exo 20:13; Deut 5:17), and the seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exo 20:14; Deut 5:18). So when he talks about "the whole law" (Jam 2:10), is he ignoring the first four commandments? No, not when Jesus so clearly said that loving God was the "first and great commandment." (Mat 22:38). So if offending in one point makes us guilty of all (Jam 2:10), that puts Sabbath breakers equal to murderers, adulterers, idolaters, etc., doesn't it? The Devil also knows that offending in one point makes us guilty of all, and that is why he works so hard to stop Christians from keeping the Sabbath day.

#1.16 BECAUSE THE NEW COVENANT HAS NOT ALTERED THE SABBATH COMMANDMENT

JEREMIAH 31:31-34
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

HEBREWS 8:8-13
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful unto their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

HEBREWS 10:16-17
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Note 1: There are some important points that we need to make from these scriptures, and the first is, that this New Covenant is clearly made "with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:" (Jer 31:31; Heb 8:8). There is no separate New Covenant with the Gentiles, just as there was no separate Old Covenant with the Gentiles. In order to become a partaker of the promises of God in the Old Testament, Gentiles had to come under the Old Covenant with Israel and keep the commandments (Exo 12:48; 20:10; Lev 20:2; 22:18). Also now, in order to be a partaker of the New Covenant we have to become spiritual Jews, which we do by being circumcised in the heart:
(Rom 2:28-29) "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
Spiritual circumcision removes "the flesh" and allows God to write his word, "with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart." (2 Cor 3:3). Thus Paul wrote concerning the Jews, "the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things," (Rom 15:27), which is also confirmed elsewhere (Rom 9:4-8). This therefore included the law, for "the law is spiritual" (Rom 7:14).
Again Paul described all Christians as branches of an olive tree (Rom 11:16-25), where Jews were described as natural branches (v24), some of which were broken off through unbelief (v20), showing that the olive tree is symbolically Jewish. When he talked about the Gentiles (v13), he likened them to branches which were, "cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree:" (v24). Gentiles have to become partakers of the same "Jewish" root in order to survive, and the attachment to the olive tree for both natural and wild branches is by faith (Rom 11:20). Similarly, Jesus also described himself as the "true vine" (John 15:1), in which both Jews and Gentiles would have to abide in order to bear fruit (John 15:4). Those who do not abide in that vine would be cast forth and burned in the fire (John 15:6). Paul also went to great lengths to make the point that "there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:" (Rom 10:13), but that we are all part of the same body (Eph 2:11-22; Col 3:9-11). Finally on this same point, there are no Gentile gates to the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:10-13; #4.027), so if we do not become spiritual Jews, how then will we be able to enter?

Note 2: The second point to note is that all partakers of this New Covenant have God's law(s) written in their heart (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10; 10:16). Which laws are these then? Well, as the New Covenant is with Israel and Judah (Jer 31:31; Heb 8:8), it would have to, at least, include the ten commandments which were given to them through Moses. This would have to include the Sabbath day, and can be proven by an incident where Israel broke the Sabbath commandment in the wilderness, by going out to gather manna on the seventh day. God's response to Moses was, "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments, and my laws?" (Exo 16:28). God regards the Sabbath commandment as one of his laws, so this would be one of the laws which have to be written in the heart of the believer in order to become a partaker of the New Covenant, wouldn't it? Notice also that God says, "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;" (Jer 31:33), and here the word "law" is singular, applying to the whole of the ten commandment, at least. The word used in the Hebrew is hrfwOt@ (Htr. tôrâh) (Strongs 8451/2) and is translated "law" 219 times. It is used in such phrases as, the "Law of Moses" (15x), the "law of God" (4x), the "law of the LORD" (18x), and is the word used to show that a righteous man has God's law in his heart (Psa 37:30-31; Isa 51:7). Look at this definition:

(JS 8452) hrfwOt@ tôrâh, to-raw"; from 3384; a precept or statute, esp. the Decalogue or Pentateuch:- law (219x).

The Decalogue refers to the Ten Commandments, and the Pentateuch refers to the first 5 books of the bible written by Moses. Therefore, in many places the word "tôrâh" obviously refers to, or includes the ten commandments, even as it does in the promise of the New Covenant (Jer 31:33).
One big difference between Old and New Covenant is that under the old one God's laws were engraved in "tables of stone", but under the New Covenant they will be written "on the fleshy tables of the heart." (2 Cor 3:3; Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10; 10:16). We can show that this is so, because the ark of the covenant is a type of the believer's heart:
(Heb 9:3-4) "And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;"
There were four things in the ark of the covenant, the first of which was the golden pot with manna. The gold of the pot is a type of faith that has been tried and tested (Job 23:10; 1 Pet 1:7; Rev 3:18). Gold was one of the gifts that the wise men gave to Jesus when he came to earth the first time in human form (Mat 2:11), but when he comes a second time, he will be looking for the spiritual gold of faith (Luke 18:8). The faith that we have is also Christ, because our faith is often referred to as "the faith of Christ", or "the faith of Jesus Christ" (Gal 2:16 (2); 3:22; Eph 3:11-12; Phps 3:9). Those bibles which translate these scriptures as "faith in Christ" have hidden this truth, because they are all genitive case in the Greek. Jesus is not only "the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb 12:2), but it is his spirit in us which gives us our faith.
The second was the manna which appeared in the wilderness:
(Exo 16:15) "And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat."
This manna was also a type of Christ;
(John 6:31-35) "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
Therefore, having Jesus in our heart, who is the word of God (John 1:1; 1:14), fulfils this Old Testament type of manna in the ark.

Note 3: The third one was Aaron's rod that budded. It was the result of a test, which God performed to demonstrate which tribe he had chosen to do the work of the priesthood in the wilderness. Twelve rods, each one having the name of the leader of each tribe on it, were placed before the ark of the LORD in the tabernacle (Num 17:1-7). The one that God chose budded and blossomed overnight, and produced almonds (Num 17:8). The rod is a type of Jesus Christ:
   (1) He is the rod of God's strength sent forth from Zion (Psa 110:1-2).
   (2) He is the rod that comes from the stem of Jesse (Isa 11:1-2).
   (3) The rod was a symbol of authority and power to work miracles (Exo 4:2-3; 4:17; 7:9-12; 7:17 etc.), which is all in the hands of Jesus (Mat 28:18; John 11:47; 21:25).
   (4) Aaron's rod was chosen by God above all the others (Num 17:5), just as Christ was chosen by the Father (Mat 12:18; Heb 5:4-5; 1 Pet 2:4).
   (5) The rod produced fruit (Num 17:8), which is a type of Christ "the firstfruits" (1 Cor 15:20-23), and the one who produces fruit through us, when he abides in us (John 15:4-5).
This dead piece of wood that suddenly came to life is a type of a resurrected Christ, and is meant to be in the heart of every believer:
(Rom 8:9) "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
(2 Cor 13:5) "Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"
(Gal 4:6) "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
(Col 1:27) "Christ in you, the hope of glory:"
Therefore, having Christ in our hearts fulfils this Old Testament type of Aaron's rod that budded in the ark.

Note 4: The ark was also called "the ark of the covenant" (Num 10:33; 14:44; Deut 10:8; 31:9; 31:25; Josh 3:3 etc.), and the fourth thing that it contained was the tablets of stone containing the ten commandments, which were called, "the tables of the covenant" (Deut 9:9; 9:11; 9:15; Heb 9:4). (See also #1.022). These tablets clearly contain the Sabbath commandment, and are the laws which God has said he will write in our hearts as part of the New Covenant (See #1.16). These commandments cannot be changed:
(Ecc 3:14) "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him."
(Psa 89:34) "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips."
(Rom 11:29) "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."
God gave the Sabbath day to his chosen people for their physical and spiritual benefit, and he will not take back that gift. This all proves that the Sabbath commandment will be in the hearts of God's chosen people who are partakers of the New Covenant. There are other scriptures to support this:
(Psa 37:30-31) "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide."
This means that "the law", which includes the Sabbath commandment, will be in the heart of every righteous man, and it must have been in the heart of Jesus:
(Heb 10:5-7) "Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God."
The fact that this scripture refers to Jesus can be easily discerned by looking at the context (vv9-12), and we can get more information if we look at the Old Testament from where it is quoted:
(Psa 40:6-8) "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."
So here we see Jesus saying, "thy law is within my heart", just as it is in every righteous man (Psa 37:30-31; Isa 51:7). Therefore the Sabbath commandment must also be in his heart as it is part of that law. Having the law in his heart enabled Jesus to keep the law, and having the Sabbath commandment in his heart caused him to keep that perfectly (See #1.042). Jesus is the head of the church (Eph 5:23; Col 1:18), which is his body (Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:18; 1:24), and as he has not changed (Heb 13:8; 1 Pet 1:25), the law of God is still in the heart of the head of the church. Jesus is in the heart of every true believer (Rom 8:9; 2 Cor 13:5; Gal 4:6), and as the law of God is in the heart of Jesus, then it should be in the heart of every believer. This means that the Sabbath commandment is in the heart of the head of the church, and should be in the heart of every believer. Jesus is now the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb 8:6; 12:24), and if God's law was in his heart, then it should also be in ours (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10; 10:16).

Note 5: Another point to be made from the scriptures is that partakers of the New Covenant will all know God (Jer 31:34; Heb 8:11). This is also a condition to be a partaker of eternal life (John 17:3), and when a man asked Jesus, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" (Mat 19:16), part of Jesus' reply was, "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Mat 19:17). We know that he was referring to the ten commandments, because he went on to quote some of them (Mat 19:18-19). Knowing God is also a condition to be one of Jesus sheep (John 10:14), so what does it mean to know Jesus, or God?
(1 John 2:3-4) "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
This totally agrees with what Jesus said (Mat 19:17), so if then all partakers of the New Covenant know God, they must be keeping his commandments. Again we need to remind ourselves that when Israel broke the Sabbath commandment in the wilderness, by going out to gather manna on the seventh day, God's response to Moses was, "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments, and my laws?" (Exo 16:28). God regards the Sabbath observance as one of his commandments, and he does not change (Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8; Jam 1:17). Note also that those who do not keep his commandments do not have the truth in them (1 John 2:4), which means:
   (1) God's commandments are not fully in them: "all thy commandments are truth." (Psa 119:151). This would mean we lack some righteousness, because "all thy commandments are righteousness." (Psa 119:172). If God scrapped the Sabbath commandment he would be scrapping truth and righteousness.
   (2) God's law is not fully in them: "thy law is the truth." (Psa 119:142). God desires truth in our "inward parts" (Psa 51:6), which is where he promised to put his law when we become partakers of the New Covenant (Jer 31:33). This would mean that they are not yet a partaker of the New Covenant, because God has promised to write his laws when we are (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10; 10:16). It would also mean that we are not yet fully righteous, because a righteous man has God's law in his heart (Psa 37:30-31; Isa 51:7).
   (3) God's word is not fully in them: "thy word is truth." (John 17:17).
   (4) Jesus is not fully in them because Jesus said, "I am ... the truth," (John 14:6).
The conclusion to be drawn from this is that the New Covenant has not altered the Sabbath commandment, but it has altered the way we interpret and observe it. Now we are meant to fulfil the righteousness of the law through the spirit (Rom 8:4), and not the letter of the law through the flesh (See Intro 3; #3.14 Note). If we wish to partake of this covenant, then we need to fulfil the Sabbath commandment the same way that Jesus taught (See #3).

#1.18 BECAUSE THE SABBATH WILL BE KEPT BY THE JEWS IN THE LAST DAYS

MATTHEW 24:15-20 (Jesus to his disciples)
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.

Note: Why did Jesus tell his disciples to "pray that your flight be not ... on the sabbath day."? Simply because in the very last days, which Jesus is talking about here, they will still be keeping the Sabbath, and some may be unwilling to travel on that day, which could prevent their flight. In those days only true believers in Jesus will be left of the Jews (Zec 12:9-10; 13:8-9; Rom 11:26). This scripture (Mat 24:20) shows that Jesus expected the Jews to be keeping the Sabbath commandment in the very last days.

#1.20 BECAUSE THE SABBATH WILL BE KEPT DURING THE MILLENNIUM

ISAIAH 66:22-24
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Note: Looking at this in context, it seems to be after the second coming of Jesus:
(Isa 66:15-16) "For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many."
This being so, it will be a time when the Devil will be chained in the bottomless pit (Rev 20:1-3), and because he will not be able to deceive the nations any more, they will all be able to come to worship God, "from one Sabbath to another" (Isa 66:23). If we will observe the Sabbath day at that time, then it shows that it has not been done away with.

#1.22 BECAUSE WORKERS OF LAWLESSNESS WILL BE LOST

MATTHEW 7:21-23 (Jesus)
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity¹.

MATTHEW 13:40-42 (Jesus)
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity¹;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

TITUS 2:13-14
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity¹, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

HEBREWS 1:8-9
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity¹; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

1 JOHN 3:4 (RPT)
4 Every man who commits sin, also commits lawlessness¹, and sin is lawlessness¹.

Note: The word translated iniquity¹ (Mat 7:23; 13:41; Titus 2:14; Heb 1:9), and lawlessness¹ (1 John 3:4 RPT) (Gr. anomia, Gtr. anomia) is made up from two parts, "a" which is a negative, and nomoj (Gtr.nomos) which means "law". It literally means "not law", "no law", or "lawlessness", and refers to things done which are contrary to the law of God, namely, a transgression or breaking of the law. The New King James Version of the bible translates every one of these places as "lawlessness" (except for "lawless deed" Titus 2:14). Why did Jesus refuse entrance to the kingdom of God to these people who prophesied, cast out demons, and did many wonderful works in his name (Mat 7:22-23)? Because they broke God's law. Why will the angels cast people into a furnace of fire at the end of the age (Mat 13:41-42)? Because they broke God's law. Jesus died to redeem us from "all lawlessness" (Titus 2:14), because he hates it (Heb 1:9). Isn't this a good reason to keep the Sabbath day? The apostle James said, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10), so where does that leave those who do not keep the Sabbath day? They are guilty of breaking every one of the ten commandments, including idolatry, adultery, and murder. Idolaters and adulterers cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21). No murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:15). The fate of lawless people will be to be cast into "a furnace of fire:" (Mat 10:42; Rev 21:8). These are good reasons to avoid breaking the Sabbath commandment.

#1.24 JESUS WORDS TO ALL THOSE WHO BREAK GOD'S COMMANDMENTS

MATTHEW 15:7-9 (Jesus)
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
MARK 7:6-9 (Jesus)
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

MARK 7:13 (Jesus)
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.

Note: When people lay aside the Sabbath day, and keep Sunday instead, they do exactly what Jesus said:
(Mark 7:8) "laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men,"
(Mark 7:9) "ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."
This is evil, because it makes the word of God of no effect when we substitute man's tradition for God's word (Mark 7:13). Those who observe Sunday, and do not keep the Sabbath day, teach others by their example.
Jesus' words are still applicable to us today:
(Mat 24:35) "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
(Mat 19:17) "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
(Luke 6:46) "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
(Mat 19:17) " keep the commandments."
(John 14:15-24) "If ye love me, keep my commandments. " He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: " If a man love me, he will keep my words: " He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings:"
(Mat 19:17) " keep the commandments."
(John 12:48) "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."
The apostle Paul also confirmed the importance of Jesus' words:
(1 Tim 6:3-4) "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
He is proud, knowing nothing,".

#2. THE TIMING OF THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS

Introduction 2: This section is very important, because no matter where we look in reference books, or whoever we ask, when we look for a reason why Christians go to church on Sunday, the answer is usually, because Jesus was raised from the dead on that day. Some may point to the scriptures which say that the apostles gathered together on "the first day of the week", and they have transferred the solemnity of the Sabbath to Sunday, believing that the New Testament Church also did. This was the belief of the Puritans, such as Thomas Watson (1620-1686):

(TW p95) "The old seventh-day Sabbath, which was the Jewish Sabbath, is abrogated, and in the room of it the first day of the week, which is the Christian Sabbath succeeds. ... The keeping of the first day was the practice of the apostles. ... Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them." (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2). ... What the apostles did, they did by divine authority; for they were inspired by the Holy Ghost."

Nevertheless, it has been the established tradition for many centuries, that Sunday is a memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and therefore, we must first investigate whether Jesus did actually rise on a Sunday or not. If he did, then we must examine whether or not we are told to celebrate his resurrection in this way, but if Jesus didn't rise on a Sunday, then unless we can find some other reason to do it, this reason for substituting Sunday for the Sabbath day will be destroyed. This section therefore is a study of the timing of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and will inevitably also include an analysis of the phrase, "the first day of the week". It is an attempt to establish as accurately as possible the day of his death, and the time and day of his resurrection in particular, in obedience to the scripture, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thes 5:21). In order to examine his death, we need a background understanding to the Day of the Passover, because this was the day that he died on. So let us begin in the Old Testament by examining the Jewish feasts.

#2.1 HOLY CONVOCATIONS ARE SPECIAL SABBATHS

#2.11 The day of atonement

LEVITICUS 16:29-31
29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you;
30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.
31 It shall be a sabbath¹ of rest² unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

LEVITICUS 23:32
32 It shall be unto you a sabbath¹ of rest², and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath¹.

Note 1: The word translated sabbath¹ (Hb. tb@f#$a, Htr. shabbāt) is the regular word for Sabbath throughout the Old Testament, and is never translated with any other meaning, but the word translated rest² (Hb. nwOtb@f#$a, Htr. shabbātôn) is variously described as meaning "a great Sabbath, a solemn Sabbath" (WG p804), and "Sabbath observance" (LAW p902). It is translated "rest" where it is used in conjunction with "shabbāt", not only for the regular weekly Sabbath (Exo 16:23; 31:15; 35:2; Lev 23:3), but also for the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:31; 23:32), and for the seventh year of rest for the land (Lev 25:4). When used by itself, without "shabbāt", it is translated "Sabbath" in connection with the feast of trumpets (Lev 23:24), and the feast of tabernacles (Lev 23:29 twice), but translated simply "rest" in connection with the seventh year of rest for the land (Lev 25:5).

Note 2: The Day of Atonement came on the tenth day of the seventh month every year. It began at even on the ninth day, and continued to even on the tenth day (Lev 23:32), and it was counted as a special Sabbath. Because it came on the same date every year, it would have to come on a different day of the week every year, so when it did not coincide with a weekly Sabbath, there would be two Sabbaths during that week.

#2.12 The feast of trumpets

LEVITICUS 23:23-25
23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath², a memorial of blowing trumpets, an holy convocation.
25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Note: The feast of trumpets also occurred on the same date every year, the first day of the seventh month, and it was also a special sabbath² (Htr. shabbātôn See #2.11 Note 1). When it did not coincide with a regular weekly Sabbath, it would fall on a different day of the week each year, and there would be two Sabbaths during that week.

#2.13 The feast of tabernacles

LEVITICUS 23:33-36
33 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36 Seven days shall ye make an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall make an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

LEVITICUS 23:39
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath², and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath².

Note: The feast of tabernacles also came on the same date every year, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and it was also a special sabbath² (Htr. Shabbātôn See #2.11 Note 1). When it did not coincide with the regular weekly Sabbath, it would fall on a different day of the week each year, and there would be two Sabbaths during that week.

#2.14 The Passover

LEVITICUS 23:4-5
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.

NUMBERS 28:16
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.

Note: The Passover was on the fourteenth of the first month, Nisan (formerly called Abib). It was the day that the angel of death killed all the first born in Egypt, and passed over the children of Israel who displayed blood on their door posts (Exo 12:7, 22). This was not a special Sabbath, but it was the day that the Passover lamb was killed (Exo 12:6; 2 Chr 35:1; Luke 22:7), the same day that "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:" (1 Cor 5:7). It was the day that they prepared for the feast of unleavened bread, the day before the special Sabbath on the fifteenth of the month, and it was called "the preparation" (Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31). Jesus died on the Passover, before the special Sabbath on the 15th, called "an high day" (John 19:31), and not before a weekly Sabbath.

#2.15 The feast of unleavened bread

LEVITICUS 23:1-8
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh is the sabbath¹ of rest², an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

NUMBERS 28:16-18, 25
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work therein.
25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

Note 1: The point that we need to see here is that special days, which were counted as Sabbaths, were appointed for Israel to keep, and were separate from the regular weekly Sabbaths (Lev 23:3-8). These days were usually described using two particular phrases, "holy convocation" (Exo 12:16; Lev 23:24; 23:35-36; Num 28:18), and "thou shalt do no servile work" (Exo 12:16; Lev 16:29; 23:25; 23:35-36; Num 28:18). The same phrases are used to describe the regular weekly Sabbath (Lev 23:3). It is not said specifically in the Old Testament that the first day of the feast of unleavened bread was a Sabbath, but we can see that it was because it was described by these same two phrases (Exo 12:16; Lev 23:7; Num 28:18). In the New testament it is referred to as a Sabbath (Mark 16:1; John 19:31), and as it came on the same date every year, the fifteenth of the first month (Lev 23:6; Num 28:17), then it would occur on a different day of the week every year. When it did not coincide with a regular weekly Sabbath, there would be two Sabbaths during that week. This is important for us to understand, because as we shall see, Jesus died the day before the feast day Sabbath, on the fifteenth day of the first month, called "an high day" (John 19:31), and not before the regular weekly Sabbath.

Note 2: We need also to make a distinction between the Passover, which was the fourteenth day of the month, and the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, which was on the fifteenth day of the month. On the Passover they ate unleavened bread (Exo 12:8; Num 9:11; Deut 16:3; Mark 14:12), and on the first day of the feast they ate unleavened bread (Exo 12:15; Lev 23:6; Num 28:15). The Passover was referred to as "a feast day" (Luke 2:41; John 6:4; 13:1), just as the first day of the feast was (Lev 23:6; Num 28:17; Mat 26:5; Mark 14:2). The difference is that the first day of the feast of unleavened bread was a special Sabbath, also called "an high day" (John 19:31, or literally, "great was that Sabbath day". However, the Passover is not described as a Sabbath, or a day of rest; if it had been Jesus could not have been crucified on that day (John 19:31).
So here is the conclusion so far. Jesus was crucified on the Passover, the fourteenth day of the first month, and had to be buried on that day because the next day was the feast of unleavened bread, a great Sabbath, and he could not remain on the cross that day.

#2.16 The timing of the days

LEVITICUS 23:32
32 It shall be unto you a sabbath¹ of rest², and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath¹.

Note 1: The words for sabbath¹ and rest², have been explained earlier (See #2.11 Note 1). The Jewish calendar works strictly according to the lunar cycle, there being 12 cycles per year of 29 days each. This makes 12 months having alternately 30 and 29 days each, giving a total of 354 days in the year. There is also a thirteenth month, Veadar or Adar Sheni, which is added 7 times every 19 years, to render the average length of the year nearly correct, and to keep the seasons in the proper months. Every month begins with a new moon, and the sacred year starts with the first day of Nisan (formerly Abib) which variously occurs between our March 22nd and April 25th throughout the 19 year cycle.

Note 2: The timing of the Jewish day, is not from midnight to midnight like our days are, but from even to even (Lev 23:32), or sunset to sunset. At the Passover time of year, which we call Easter, it would probably be about 6 p.m. our time when their day starts. They describe their time either as hours of the day, or hours of the night, and as there are twelve hours in the day (John 11:9), then there are also twelve hours in the night. As the length of the day varies, so the length of their hour varies also. So we can find various expressions in scripture, such as, "the third hour of the day." (Acts 2:15), "the ninth hour of the day" (Acts 10:3), "the same hour of the night," (Acts 16:33), and "the third hour of the night;" (Acts 23:23), which all show how the bible writers recorded their time. So let us make a note of a typical day in Jewish time, around the Passover time of year, and compare it to our time for reference.