Posted on 11/22/2025 3:41:48 AM PST by vespa300
Briefly stated, there are two major views today regarding the historical origin of Sunday and its relationship to the biblical Sabbath. The older and traditional view, which can be traced back to early Christianity, maintains that there is a radical discontinuity between the Sabbath and Sunday, and consequently Sunday is not the Sabbath. The two days differ in origin, meaning, and experience. The more recent view, which is articulated by Pope John Paul II himself in his Pastoral Letter Dies Domini, maintains that Sunday began as the embodiment and "full expression" of the Sabbath, and consequently it is to be observed as a biblical imperative, rooted in the Sabbath commandment itself.....
According to the traditional view, which has been held by the Catholic Church and accepted by those Protestant denominations which follow the Lutheran tradition, the Sabbath was a temporary Mosaic institution given to the Jews, abrogated by Christ, and consequently no longer binding today. Christians adopted Sunday observance, not as the continuation of the biblical Sabbath, but as a new institution established by the church to celebrate Christ's resurrection by means of the Lord's Supper celebration.
Continued below:
(Excerpt) Read more at biblicalperspectives.com ...
Recently, however, there have been both Catholic and Protestant scholars who have argued for an apostolic origin of Sunday observance. According to these scholars, the Apostles themselves chose the first day of the week as the new Christian Sabbath at the very beginning of Christianity in order to commemorate Christ’s resurrection.
This view is defended at great length by Pope John Paul II in his Pastoral Letter, Dies Domini (The Lord's Day), which was promulgated on May 31, 1998. In this lengthy document (over 40 pages) the Pope makes a passionate plea for a revival of Sunday observance by appealing to the moral imperative of the Sabbath commandment. For the Pope Sunday is to be observed, not merely as an institution established by the Catholic Church, but as a moral imperative of the Decalogue. The reason is that Sunday allegedly originated as the embodiment and "full expression" of the Sabbath and consequently should be observed as the biblical Sabbath.
The late Dr. Bacchiocchi refers to who he calls “the greatest Catholic Theologian whoever lived.....Thomas Aquinas. And he quotes Aquinas as follows:
“The observance of the Lord‘s Day took the place of the observance of the Sabbath not by virtue of the [Biblical] precept but by the institution of the church.”
The late Bacchiocchi states this has been the position of the Catholic church for centuries. I think Today’s Catholic is ignorant about this. Because of more recent times, including Pope Paul’s letter about Sunday keeping DIES DOMINI in 1998, the church is now changing this course by taking the position Sunday keeping has Bible support. That it began with the apostles.
This was not the position of the church for over 1000 years. Very interesting how she is changing in this regard. That is why the publication of the letters written by the Catholic Mirror about 100 years ago could be written where brilliant Catholic theologians could ask Protestants ...why do you keep Sunday if you claim to follow the Bible?
The Sabbath is a deep subject. Charlie Kirk has a book coming out on it. What is it about the 7th day Sabbath that causes so much blessing, hostility, division, reaction and either unites or divides. There is something about it......something deep and profound. God places it in the middle of the Moral law. from creation to Revelation to the new earth.....it survives.
Just FYI, the article is number 64 in the link. Click 64 and it comes up. Thank you and have a blessed Sabbath.
Non-Catholic Sunday-keepers (Evangelicals, etc...) obey the authority of ROME.
Sunday is NOT the Sabbath!
https://www.biblelightinfo.com/notsun.htm
Did the Apostles Abandon The Sabbath
And Keep Sunday Instead
To Honor The Resurrection?
https://www.biblelightinfo.com/firstday.htm
“But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.” James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of our Fathers, 88th ed., pp. 89.
And of course, ROME’S CHALLENGE: Why do Protestants keep Sunday?
https://www.romeschallenge.com/downloads/RomesChallenge.pdf
This is really one compelling interesting article in that Dr. Bacchiocchi shows that initially, the church separated the Sabbath from Sunday in areas of “origin, meaning, and experience”
In other words, the Sunday was NOT a continuation of the Bible Sabbath. It was a whole different institution with a different orgin, a different meaning, and experience.
However, the church has changed that. Pope Paul in 1998 essentially places the Sunday as new Sabbath. Same origin, the Bible, same meaning, a holy day, same experience to be kept holy.
What amazing insight!
If you have never read Pope Paul’s DIES DOMINI, an encyclical letter devoted entirely to Sunday keeping, it’s origin, it’s purpose, how it should be kept.....etc....you should read it. It’s long but telling. The theme is obvious.....Sunday is the fulfillment of the Sabbath. And that is prophecy.....
Here is the letter:
What’s interesting is how the church has changed that position. She now joins with Protestants in claiming Sunday keeping has it’s origin with the apostolic church.
This of course will make Unity on common doctrine that much easier in the great catastrophic times coming. When the earth will be like a big plane full of people going down.....no solutions, no answers, natural disasters, economic ruin, crime, pandemics wiping out over a billion, nowhere to turn but to God and the great church who has united the world.....it looks so authentic!
Then a mandated day of worship which she calls for NOW! And finally, making it illegal to worship on any other day......then....yeah. Those who honor the Sabbath ...will have a decree issued to wipe them from the face of the earth. Jesus saw all of this in Matthew 24 and of course Revelation says the Devil makes war with those who keep the commandments of God.
And it seems those hostile to the Sabbath and those who keep it....already have that kind of intolerant attitude. And contempt. And intolerance is evidence of having the mark of the beast.
Romans 14:5 One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind.
My understanding is the apostles kept the Sabbath and met as Christians secretly on the first day of the week Sunday.
No man or institutions should condemn another over how to worship God. God will stand stand for His elected.
——>No man or institutions should condemn another over how to worship God. God will stand stand for His elected.
Even if it involves LAWLESSNESS?
Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
___Romans 14:5 One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind.___
We have addressed Romans 14 countless times here. Nowhere is the Sabbath day mentioned because the Sabbath day was never disputed. It was kept for over 100 years. See Acts 13:42-44 where the GENTILES asked Paul to come out next Sabbath. See Revelation 1:10 where John refers to the “Lord’s day” and that is decades after the death of Christ. God is the LORD and he calls the sabbath MY HOLY DAY.
Romans 14 the issue is over ceremonial laws not the holy Sabbath which is in the heart of the moral law, the 10 commandments. The law Paul called HOLY JUST and GOOD.
So what days were in dispute that relate to ceremonial laws? Fasting and Fast days. That is the whole context of Romans 14.
When we read all of scripture...we read this 7th day Sabbath PREDATES sin. It was in a perfect world commemorating a perfect creation. It was the last thing God “MADE” for man. JEsus said it was made for man. It is a holy day set aside for us. It is throughout the entire Bible. From Genesis to Revelation and it will even be in the New Earth....Isaiah 66 tells us that.
This 7th day Sabbath is in fact.....Immortal. Just like the LORD of the Sabbath.
The foundational error of today’s evangelicals is they equate the Old Testament as JEW and LAW. The New Testament as Christian and Grace. In doing so, they claim the Sabbath as Jew.
Problem is....the 7th day Sabbath predates the Jew by thousands of years....and Jesus said it was made for man. I could address much more about the confusion on the covenants, all the first day text in the New Testament, etc. etc.
Christians moved from a sabbath to the Lord's day, the day Jesus rose from the dead.
This is why we worship on Sunday.
I forgot to add the very context of Romans 14...disputes over doubtful things”.....the 7th day Sabbath was never in dispute or in doubt because all were keeping it, including the Gentile converts.....Acts 13.
Here is the context of Romans 14:
“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things
_____Christians moved from a sabbath to the Lord’s day, the day Jesus rose from the dead.
This is why we worship on Sunday.____
AGreed, amen. Thank you. I agree with every single word you stated.
——>Christians moved from a sabbath to the Lord’s day, the day Jesus rose from the dead.
Shortly after “grievous wolves entered in among the flock.”
Acts 20:29For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
God’s law can’t be changed by anyone other than God, even there are those that think it can.
Many of the early Christians were still practicing Jews. The Romans even referred to it as a “Jewish sect”. That may have influenced the move. The Christian Sabbath is Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath is Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.
when he said “Christians” moved the Sabbath day to the “Lord’s day” he is correct.
The problem is God didn’t move it, the apostles didn’t move it, the Bible didn’t move it. But he is incorrect in calling Sunday the “Lord’s day.”
God is the Lord and throughout scripture and eternity.....he calls the Sabbath “MY HOLY DAY”.
Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, left the authority of His Church *solely* with Peter and his 12 apostles, not with uncountable protestant sects who - for only the last several centuries - have been buthering biblical interpretation, as is being done right here.
"Da herp da derp... see.... SEE it's right there in the bible." There was no bible when Christians began holding Mass. The bible was manifest by THE Church several centuries after Christ had been crucified.
____Many of the early Christians were still practicing Jews. The Romans even referred to it as a “Jewish sect”. That may have influenced the move. The Christian Sabbath is Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath is Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.___
Pretty good spin, I have to admit. Acts 13 says otherwise and I’m sorry to inform you, the 7th day Sabbath predates any Jew by over 1000 years. Genesis 2.
Good spin though......very good.
——>The Jewish Sabbath is Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.
No, made for MAN, not just the Jew. Those who obey God’s law keep the 7th-day-Sabbath. Sunday is not the Sabbath.
Mark 2:27-28
Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. / Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
____Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, left the authority of His Church *solely* with Peter and his 12 apostles, not with uncountable protestant sects who - for only the last several centuries - have been buthering biblical interpretation, as is being done right here.____
Why read the Bible when you have some guys tell you what’s in it. Riiight.....rock on dude.
Look everyone!
Another SDA cult thread.
It’s SATURDAY!
Give it a rest ya hypocrite!
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