Sabbath Observance : Who Will You Follow YaHuWaH Yahushua OR man ? We must go back to the foundation ( Yahuwshuwah ) and look at History and the Bible, how the Disciples of Yahushua and those under Yahushuas disciples instructed believers to live for YaHuWaH. Sabbath Observance : Many ministers teach that the observance of Sabbath completely left the Church after the resurrection of Yahushua the Messiah, that some how it was all together replaced by Sunday. But that is not true. History testifies that the Sabbath continued to be kept strictly by the Jewish believers for centuries after the resurrection, and that the Sabbath along with Sunday was observed as days of assembly and worship by the Gentile Churches. And we shall see this plainly in the following study. ACTUAL QUOTES FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS The observations of these historians are seen to be correct by the following quotes from those who actually lived during these early days of the Church. Ignatius [107 AD] – Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idleness; But let every one of you keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on the law, not in relaxation of the body, admiring the workmanship of God, and not eating things prepared the day before, nor using lukewarm drinks, and walking within a prescribed space, nor finding delight in dancing and plaudits which have no sense in them. Ignatius - To the Magnesians chapter 9 (about 107 AD) Forsaking therefore the Judaic Sabbath observance, let us see what kind of Sabbath observance is expected of the Christian. On the Sabbath day [Saturday], nothing of worldly activity should be done. If therefore desisting from all worldly works and doing nothing mundane but being free for spiritual works, you come to the church, listen to divine readings and discussions and think of heavenly things, give head to the future life, keep before your eyes the coming judgment, disregard present and visible things in favor of the invisible and future, this is the observance of the Christian Sabbath. -Origen But what is the feast of the Sabbath except that of which the apostle speaks, There remaineth therefore a Sabbatism, that is, the observance of the Sabbath by the people of God? Leaving the Jewish observances of the Sabbath, let us see how the Sabbath ought to be observed by a Christian. On the Sabbath day all worldly labors ought to be abstained from. If, therefore, you cease from all secular works,and execute nothing worldly, but give yourselves up to spiritual exercises, repairing to church, attending to sacred reading and instruction, thinking of celestial things, solicitous for the future, placing the Judgment to come before your eyes, not looking to things present and visible, but to those which are future and invisible, this is the observance of the Christian Sabbath —Homily on Numbers 23, Origens Opera, Tome 2, p. 358; as quoted in J. N. Andrews, History of the Sabbath, p. 323. -Origen Clement of Alexandra [153 AD]– Thus the Lord did not hinder from doing good while keeping the Sabbath; but allowed us to communicate of those divine mysteries, and of that holy light, to those who are able to receive them. Clement of Alexandria - Stromata, Bk 1, Chap. 1 Oxyrhynchus Papyri [225 AD] – Except ye make the sabbath a real sabbath ye shall not see the Father. The oxyrhynchus Papyri, pt,1, p.3, Logion 2, verso 4-11 (London Offices of the Egypt Exploration Fund, 1898). Constitutions of the Holy Apostles [250AD] – Thou shalt observe the Sabbath, on account of Him who ceased from His work of creation, but ceased not from His work of providence: it is a rest for meditation of the law, not for idleness of the hands. The Anti-Nicene Fathers, Vol 7,p. 413. From Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, a document of the 3rd and 4th Centuries. Archaleus [277AD] – “Again, as to the assertion that the Sabbath has been abolished, we deny that He has abolished it plainly; for He was Himself also Lord of the Sabbath.”Archaleus Acts of Disputation it is fitting for whoever is righteous among the saints to keep also the festival of the Sabbath. There remaineth therefore a sabbatismus, that is, a keeping of the Sabbath, to the people of God (Hebrews 4:9). Homily on Numbers 23, par.4, in Migne, Patrologia Graeca, Vol. 12,cols. 749, 750. Athanasius [circa 290AD] – On the Sabbath day we gathered together, not being infected with Judaism, for we do not lay hold of false sabbaths, but we come on the Sabbath to worship Yahushua, the Lord of the Sabbath, Athanasius, Homilia de Semente, Sec. 1, in MPG, Vol. 28 Col. 144, Greek. Socrates [439 AD] --: For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this. The Egyptians in the neighborhood of Alexandria, and the inhabitants of Thebais, hold their religious assemblies on the Sabbath, but do not participate of the mysteries in the manner usual among Christians in general: for after having eaten and satisfied themselves with food of all kinds, in the evening making their offerings they partake of the mysteries. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. Second Series, Vol. 2, p. 132.) Sozomen [460 A.D.] – The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria. There are several cities and villages in Egypt where, contrary to the usage established elsewhere, the people meet together on Sabbath evenings, and, although they have dined previously, partake of the mysteries. (Ecc. History, Book 7, chap. 19. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. Second Series, Vol. 2, p. 390.) *NOTE: The testimonies of Socrates and Sozomen are very important because these men lived in the fifth century, and had access to all the existing material, and yet they bear testimony to the fact that it was the almost universal custom of the church at that time to assemble on the Sabbath. Many ministers teach that the observance of Sabbath completely left the Church after the resurrection of Yahushua the Messiah, that some how it was all together replaced by Sunday. But that is not true. History testifies that the Sabbath continued to be kept strictly by the Jewish believers for centuries after the resurrection, and that the Sabbath along with Sunday was observed as days of assembly and worship by the Gentile Churches. And we shall see this plainly in the following study.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:33:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015