Sabbath, Not Sunday

The Sabbath:
Sabbath vs Sunday: God’s True Day of Rest Explained

Introduction

For many Christians, Sunday is the day they come together to honor God. But those who go back to the Bible discover that the Sabbath, the seventh day, was instituted by God Himself and has never been abolished. Sunday is a later church tradition, introduced through political and religious developments in the early church. Historical records clearly show how the shift from Sabbath vs Sunday took place.

In this article, we explore what the Bible says about the Sabbath, how Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled the Sabbath, and how Sunday crept into the church through human decisions.

1. The Sabbath Instituted at Creation

The Sabbath is not an invention of Moses or Judaism, but a creation ordinance:

Genesis 2:2-3
² And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

God instituted the seventh day as a day of rest and sanctification—a blessing for humanity from the very beginning.

2. The Fourth Commandment Remains in Effect

In the Ten Commandments, it says:

Exodus 20:8-10
⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.

The Sabbath is part of God’s eternal law. Yeshua Himself said:

Matthew 5:17
¹⁷ Denk niet dat Ik gekomen ben om de Wet of de Profeten af te schaffen; Ik ben niet gekomen om die af te schaffen, maar te vervullen.

3. Yeshua and the Sabbath

Yeshua observed the Sabbath and taught on it:

Luke 4:16
¹⁶ So 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 to read.

He fulfilled the Sabbath by showing that it is a day of rest, healing, and communion with God—not a day filled with human rules and burdens.

Lord Yeshua says the following about the Sabbath during the Great Tribulation:

Matthew 24:20-21
²⁰ And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be

This means the Sabbath still exists. It indicates that true Jews must observe it. Does this mean that non-Jews must completely adhere to the Jewish laws regarding the Sabbath? No. Non-Jews honor the Sabbath (which is Saturday) by living according to the purpose of the Sabbath on that day. It is a day of reflection on God’s Word. It is a day of living according the Sabbath, not under the Sabbath, just as you must live according to the law and not under the law. Lord Yeshua Himself adhered completely to the Sabbath regulations for us. We don’t have all over. 
Sunday is a day of reflection for demons.

4. The First Believers and the Sabbath

Even after the resurrection, the followers of Yeshua continued to keep the Sabbath:

Acts 15:21
²¹ Want Mozes heeft van oude tijden af in elke stad mensen die hem prediken, want hij wordt elke sabbat in de synagogen voorgelezen.

Acts 17:2
² Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

Nowhere do we read that the Sabbath was abolished or replaced by Sunday.

5. How Sunday Entered the Church

5.1 Roman Background: Dies Solis

The Romans honored the sun god and had the first day of the week as dies solis (“day of the sun”). This tradition influenced later Christian practices.

5.2 Early Church Fathers
Ignatius¹ of Antioch (circa 110 AD) wrote about living according to the “Lord’s Day” (Magnesians 9:1). The meaning was not yet clear at that time.
Justin Martyr² (circa 150 AD) mentioned in his Apology that Christians met on Sunday because Yeshua rose on that day (Apology 67). But this was alongside the Sabbath, not in place of it.

5.3 Constantine’s Decree (321 AD)

Emperor Constantine legally established:
“On the venerable day of the sun, let the magistrates and the people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed.”
(Codex Justinianus, Book 3, Title 12, Law 3)³

This was a political measure, not based on God’s Word.

5.4 Council of Laodicea (364 AD)⁴

Canon 29 decreed:
“Christians should not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but should work on that day. However, they should honor the Lord’s Day, and if possible, rest on that day as Christians.” The Roman Catholics sought to obscure as much as possible everything related to the Jewish background of Lord Yeshua, including changing His name from Yeshua to Jesus. Jesus, a Catholic Messiah.

Thus, the Sabbath was forbidden, and Sunday was enforced.

5.5 Church Historians Confirm This

• • Eusebius of Caesarea (circa 260–340 AD) ⁵:
    “Everything that was done on the Sabbath, we have transferred to the Lord’s Day.”
    (Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 92)
  • Socrates Scholasticus (5th century) ⁶:
    “Almost all churches in the world celebrate the holy mysteries on the Sabbath of each week, but the Christians of Alexandria and Rome, due to ancient tradition, have ceased to do so.”
    (Church History, Book V, Chapter 22)
  • Sozomen (5th century) ⁷:
    “It is the practice of most churches to gather on the Sabbath, but the Christians of Rome and Alexandria, through ancient tradition, have stopped this practice.”
    (Church History, Book VII, Chapter 19)The facts are clear: the change came from Rome and was later imposed, not from Scripture.

6. There Remains a Sabbath Rest

The Book of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 4:9
9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.

And Isaiah prophesies about the future:

Isaiah 66:23
23 And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the LORD.

Thus, the Sabbath has not been abolished, but remains in effect forever.

Conclusion

Sunday is a human tradition that entered the church through Roman culture, Constantine’s decree, and church councils. The Sabbath, on the other hand, is God’s ordinance from creation to eternity.

Believers are invited to return to God’s commandments and sanctify the Sabbath—not out of legalism, but out of love and obedience to the Creator.

 

Footnotes

1. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Magnesians, 9:1.
2. Justin Martyr, Apology, Chapter 67.
3. Codex Justinianus, Book 3, Title 12, Law 3 (Constantine’s Decree, 321).
4. Council of Laodicea, Canon 29 (364).
5. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 92.
6. Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, Book V, Chapter 22.
7. Sozomen, Church History, Book VII, Chapter 19.