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The Holy Sabbath Day
Since the recent re-proclamation by the Pope and the Vatican on May 16, 2012, proclaiming the Sunday being the day of Rest.
Let's really discuss the Truth & Spirit of the Sabbath!
The definition of Sabbath is “cease from work” and/or “rest”. Sabbath was under the umbrella of “Holy Convocations”.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 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. 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.” ~ Leviticus 23:1-4 (KJV)
Sabbaths and Feasts, the days of rest was originally established by God through Joseph when in Egypt:
“Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not. I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.” ~ Psalm 81:3-6 (KJV)
Blowing the Trumpet of the New Moon was announcing the solemn feast day of the New Month. Starting the first day of the New Month, a day of rest, a Sabbath, unto the first day, from that point count six days, then on the 7th day was rest, continuing unto the next weekly 7th day.
“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.” ~ Isaiah 66:23
Understand the clockwork of God for man is the heavens - God’s time piece. The natural sun-dial of God is the Moon, the Stars are signs for seasons, years, even navigation.
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:” ~ Genesis 1:14
“Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?” ~ Job 38:31-33 (KJV)
“These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” ~ Leviticus 23:4
“Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” ~ Leviticus 26:4
It was only when the Pharaoh that didn’t know Joseph, took away their Sabbaths and Feast days:
“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:” ~ Exodus 1:8-13 (KJV)
It was about a Sabbath and Feast that God through Moses initiated this discuss with Pharaoh:
“And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.” ~ Exodus 5:1-7 (KJV)
It was after, Israel left Egypt God proclaim the First Month of their year, Aviv/Abib (Nisan):
“And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” ~ Exodus 12:1-3 (KJV)
Then God proclaims the Passover to be on the 14th of the First Month:
“And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.” ~ Exodus 12:17-19 (KJV)
Understand this is why the Passover which is locked in position by a date, alternates between months based on modern solar calendar.
So unless the modern solar calendar we use now; follows God’s clockwork based on Lunar Sundial, the weekly 7th Day Sabbath that is followed now, does not land on the exact Sabbath day based on the Solar Calendar.
This why Paul says this:
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” ~ Colossians 2:16-17 (KJV)
So, yes, Sabbath is always, the 7th day, but doesn’t not always fall on the Solar Calendar of days.
Once we understand that SABBATH is a Gift from God; it is the only commandment that is an interaction from God to Man. It's a Gift and a Sign from God - To Man, NOT Man to God. Sacrifices were signs from Man to God, simply WORKS.
The other Gift was Yeshua, the Sabbath represents Yeshua, the Lord of the Sabbath. Yeshua fulfilled the Sabbath, by being the Sabbath ~ Sabbath was for Man, not Man to the Sabbath. The intent of the Work to be Saved by the Sabbath or any Works is no longer need. So Bask in the Sabbath, Remember the Sabbath, Remember Christ.
Yet understand this, no man can take what is sacred to God and dash it to pebbles, for that man he will be crushed under the Rock, which is the authority of the Father given onto the Son, who is the Cornerstone.
No one is perfect in works, yet God has still given us Salvation and the willing heart of repentance of those who believe. Grace, before Works, yet Righteous works is the Fruits of the Spirit.
In Short:
1. All new months start at the sliver of the New Moon, not the absent moon, nor the full moon.
2. In the Biblical Calendar, the "Day" starts in the evening (dusk to dusk):
I.E. ~ Dusk, Evening, Dawn, Morning, Afternoon, Dusk
3. Concerning the Weekly Sabbath; Sabbath is NOT dusk Friday to dusk Saturday, as many are taught based on the solar calendar. Start at the Biblical New Year day, being the first day of the month, then count to the seventh day, then you would be following the Weekly Sabbath. Days.
I will conclude with these words from Peter:
“And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” ~ Acts 15:7-11 (KJV)
God Bless! Peace and Prayers!
Pr. Aaron B. Wheeler, Bp.
