The Calendar That Christ Used

The Gregorian calendar hanging on your wall or refrigerator is used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of and replacement for the Julian calendar. But the LORD God gave the children of Israel a completely DIFFERENT calendar! And truly, without knowledge of this calendar, you CANNOT obey the LORD GOD!

Has the LORD God left it up to each individual to go by whatever calendar they choose? Have you ever thought about this? Sadly, most people don’t. Just like everything else in their religion ── they just assume that the calendar hanging on their wall (given to them by their insurance company) is a Christian calendar. Does the Lord GOD ── the very Creator of the known universe ── have His own calendar? And, has He actually preserved it for us today?

How is it possible that we ── true Christians ── know when to properly observe the Lord’s Passover, or the Days of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Tabernacles, along with the other holy days which the LORD God has commanded that we keep?

Notice ──

“The old Egyptian system, prototype of our present calendar, was composed of twelve 30-day months, each divided into three decades; then at the close of the 360-day year, five feast days were added to complete the 365-day year. The Julian calendar was an adaptation of the Egyptian system, but it took the five extra days and distributed them through the year, and added a new day every four years. Then, in 321 AD, an entirely new feature was introduced into the calendar by Constantine the Great. He commanded the observance of the seven-day week, and appointed the first day of the week ── Sunday ── as the Christian day of worship. (If you consult your own calendar, you will see that Sunday is the first column from the left). This was the first distinctly religious feature ushered into a civil and scientific calendar, and it was not pre-ordained nor written on tablets of stone, but was the whim of a Christian ruler, who exercised his regal arbitrary power, without doing much thinking about what the result would be. …

Our calendar is not Christian in origin. It descends directly from the Egyptians, who originated the 12-month, 365-day system. A pagan Egyptian scientist, {Ancient Greek astronomer} Sosigenes, suggested this plan to the pagan Emperor Julius Caesar, who directed that it go into effect throughout the Roman Empire in 45 BC. As adopted, it indicated its pagan origin by the names of the months──called after Janus, Maia, Juno, etc. The days were not named but were numbered on a complicated system involving Ides, Nones, and Calends. It was not until 321 AD that the seven-day week feature was added when Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity. Oddly enough, for his weekdays, he chose pagan names which are still used.”

(From “Journal of Calendar Reform,” Sept. 1953, along with footnote p. 128 {bracketed ours}).

A hieroglyphic calendar at Elephantine Island on the Nile

Théodule Devéria (French, 1831 - 1871) (1831 - 1871) – photographer

“Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2) Thus says the LORD: ‘Do not learn the way of the heathen; …’” – Jeremiah 10:1, 2.

Certainly, our Lord Jesus Christ did not use this heathen calendar!

What is God’s living word on what calendar our Lord Jesus used? What calendar did He go by?

The very first time within God’s living word that we come across any evidence of a God-given calendar is found in Genesis 1:14 – “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15) and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so.”

Well, our present-day Gregorian calendar does not meet this qualification. It actually divides the year IN THE DEAD OF WINTER! It divides the day IN THE MIDDLE OF A NIGHT. And its months have no direct link to the moon.

It is not the LOD God’s calendar!

What, then, is the proper method for calculating time by the LORD God’s standard?

A True Unit of Time

In the Book of Genesis, it is revealed to us. Notice ──

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4) And God saw the light, and that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5) God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. …” – Genesis 1:3-4, 5.

And then, six times the term “evening and morning” is used. Always with the evening (darkness) preceding the morning (light) part of each day. So, notice ── as revealed to us by our Creator God ── a day DOES NOT begin in the middle of a night, but it begins at sunset.

This true division of Night and Day was completely understood and followed when our Lord Jesus Christ was on earth. When the Lord’s Sabbath was drawing to a close – notice ── “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.” – Luke 4:40.

Even though they fully understood when a day would come to an end, they weren’t aware that our Lord Jesus Christ was more than willing to heal on His Sabbath. Truly, the teachings and traditions of their Jewish rabbis caused them to be ignorant concerning healing on the Sabbath.

So, can the “lights in the firmament of the heavens” “divide the day from the night” ── unless the proper moment of sunset is used to properly divide a day from another day?

A day begins at sunset is also confirmed for us in Leviticus 23. Notice ──

“’ Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; … 32) It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall [humble] your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.’” – Leviticus 23:27, 32.

Notice that the tenth day begins at the exact moment when the evening begins ── sunset of the ninth day.

Also, the exact moment for a day to end is shown to us in Leviticus 15, in which anyone who is designated as unclean was to bathe in water and be unclean until evening. “’ And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; …’” – Leviticus 22:7. A new day begins at sunset ── not at midnight!

How the Week Came About

Have you ever thought about how the period of time we call the week came about? Was it FIRST revealed to prophet Moses and the children of Israel after their exodus from Egypt? No.

Notice ──

Long before the Exodus, the patriarch Jacob was required to serve his relative Laban for seven years for his younger daughter, Rachel. But, following the first seven years Laban tricked him, bringing Jacob his older daughter Leah, and “he went in to her.” “So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?’” And, Laban answered, “’ Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.’” – Genesis 29:15-30.

A seven-day period, or a week, followed before he was allowed to have Rachel as his wife, with the stipulation that he had to work for him another seven years.

So, the children of Israel ALREADY KNEW the symbol of “a day for a year” ── truly an important key in properly understanding biblical prophecy. And, they ALREADY KNEW of a seven-day week. This is the first time the word week appears in God’s living word. The Hebrew word being šābûa’, meaning week (a period of seven). In Genesis 1 seven consecutive days are listed for us. The sixth of the seven days mentioned was nearly over when Adam was created.

“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the SIXTH DAY.” – Genesis 1:31.

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.”

Six of the days of creation came to an end, but one thing remained ── a day of rest.

Notice that our Lord Jesus Christ speaks of it ──

“ … ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’” – Mark 2:27.

Throughout our history books, it has been recorded the existence of a seven-day week among many ancient nations long before the Exodus. It’s easy to understand why our LORD God commanded us to “’ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy’” because this special day was added to the six-day week the day AFTER Adam and Eve were created. It was made for them, therefore it was made at the time when they were made ── not some twenty-five hundred years later during the Exodus.

The Lord GOD had completed the creation of “the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them” in SIX LITERAL 24-hour DAYS, then, “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, …” – Genesis 2:1-2, 3.

To sanctify means to SET APART FOR HOLY USE.

Friends, this weekly cycle of SIX DAYS of labor, and the SEVENTH DAY the Sabbath of the LORD our God has NEVER been lost by God’s true Church. And this seven day cycle continued down through our Lord Jesus’ time. It was a part of the calendar He kept.

Indeed, we who remember, keep, and observe the SEVENTH DAY OF THE WEEK, called Saturday, are remembering, keeping, and observing the same seventh day that our Creator rested on, blessed, and sanctified!

Now, the existence of our seven-day week demands an explanation. Astronomy does not reason why there is a seven-day week period. A seven-day week period is not divided evenly into 30 days. One source I found states, “The people who gave us the seven-day week were the Babylonians.” 1 Is there any truth to this?

Jeffrey H. Tigay writes  ── a modern biblical scholar who is best known for the study of Deuteronomy and for his contributions to the Deuteronomy volume of the JPS Torah Commentary (1996) ──

“It is clear that among neighboring nations that were in position to have an influence over Israel – and in fact which did influence it in various matters – there is no precise parallel to the Israelite Sabbatical week. This leads to the conclusion that the Sabbatical week, which is as unique to Israel as the Sabbath from which it flows, is an independent Israelite creation.” 2

David M. Henkin, a history professor at the University of California, Berkeley, stated ──

“Some people have argued that there are roots of this in Babylonia [which lasted from around 1900 BCE – 500 BCE] but the evidence for that is pretty slim …” 3

Truly, the only sound and logical origin is found in the literal truth of our Almighty Creator God ── the creation account we see in Genesis 1 and 2. The seven-day week points definitely to a literal SEVEN-DAY PERIOD in which the Lord GOD recreated the earth (cf. Psalm 104:30) and brought forth out of ‘tohu wa-bohu’ all life that had existed upon the earth (and I use the word “had” because mankind has committed specicide on certain animals, along with animals’ own natural selection).

Spring Begins A New Year

So, we see that a new day begins just as the sun sinks below the horizon and that a new week begins with the sunset FOLLOWING THE SEVENTH DAY.

Friends, this was true in Adam’s time, and it is still true nearly 6,000 years later!

Does God’s living word speak to us concerning a new month and a new year? Yes. When were they first made known to mankind?

Our great Eternal Creator God had instructed the children of Israel, while they were still held captive in the land of Egypt, as to when a new year began. Why?

Because this knowledge was lost to the descendants of Israel who had been held in slavery for nearly two centuries. They had lost the LORD God’s method of keeping time. The LORD God had to explain and reveal it. Concerning the first month of a new year, the LORD “spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2) ‘This month [the month of Nisan/Abib] shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR TO YOU.’” – Exodus 12:1-2.

So, the first day of this month ── which occurs at the beginning of spring ── would be the first day of a new year. The FIRST MONTH of our LORD God’s calendar is not January, which is in the dead of winter, but rather in the beginning of spring ── at the beginning of new life. Now, a NEW MONTH and a NEW YEAR begin together ON THE SAME DAY, completely independent of the weekly cycle.

Doing some research for January 1st, it’s interesting to note: How did January 1st become New Year’s Day? We can partly thank the Roman king Numa Pompilius. According to tradition, during his reign (c. 715–673 BC) Numa revised the Roman republican calendar so that January replaced March as the first month. … However, following the fall of Rome in the 5th century AD, many Christian countries altered the calendar so that it was more reflective of their religion, and March 25th and December 25th became common New Year’s Days. 4 Also, January 1st, 1622, the Roman Catholic Church officially adopted January 1st as the beginning of a new year instead of March 25th. 5

“In 1582, the Roman Catholic Church, under Pope Gregory XIII came up with a new calendar, called the Gregorian Calendar. … King Henry VIII of England had thumbed his nose at the pope and declared himself no longer under his control. So his Protestant daughter, now Queen Elizabeth I, wasn’t about to let Rome tell her what day it was. She was having none of this newfangled calendar. So for 170 years, Britain carried on with its old calendar.” 6 The colonies in America naturally followed suit.

The Word Month in the Bible

The word month in God’s living word in Hebrew is ḥōdeš, meaning month, or new moon. The Hebrew word for month when speaking of a calendar is identical to new moon or moon. The appearance of the new moon in our Western sky is just after sunset and is the approximate beginning OF A NEW MONTH! Now, one observer might see first, before all others, a faint slender crescent of a new moon ── should he therefore begin the month earlier than others? Is this man allowed to add a 13th month to the year, while others have to wait until the following year? No. Complete confusion would result.

Mankind is not left to himself to choose a calendar ── and all its constructs. The LORD God is! There is a guiding Authority who determines which months are to have a 30th day and which years have a 13th month. Adding the fact that the LORD God commands us to keep and celebrate the Holy Days, shows us that there is a guiding Authority for us today in this 21st century ── as well. Our Eternal God never fails to provide mankind with knowledge that we must know and can discover.

It was Almighty God who created the entire known universe! He set His heavenly bodies in motion creating a “master-clock” in which true time is determined. Note: Just recently read a great article in which scientists from MIT have developed what they believe is the most accurate atomic clock ever constructed. Be sure to check it out! Recall, that God says, “’ Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.’” – Genesis 1:14. So the earth’s rotation regulates the length of a day and the lunar phases dictate the length of a month. And the orbit of the earth around the sun – sorry Aristarchus of Samos – dictates the length of a year.

Truly, certain men were given this awesome understanding based upon mathematical principles on which the LORD God’s calendar is based. And, the children of Israel accepted this understanding. The LORD God revealed to these men a calendar that was based upon the laws of mathematics and astronomy. A CALENDAR THAT FOLLOWS THE MOVEMENTS OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES! It is understood that planets can be used as a basis for a calendar, as they have natural time intervals that everyone can agree on.

Is Our Eternal Creator’s Calendar Still Accurate?

Who was it that has preserved God’s calendar down from the time of our Lord Jesus Christ? ── until even today?

Because, if we don’t have an accurate calendar, then in commanding us to keep, observe, and celebrate God’s Sabbath and Holy Days, we are commanded to do something impossible. If the LORD God’s calendar is lost from us, then God’s commandments regarding keeping, observing, and celebrating the Feasts are also impossible. However, since the LORD God DOES COMMAND IT, the calendar is preserved for us!

Who was it that had this awesome responsibility to preserve the calendar? Notice ──

“’ This is he [speaking of Moses] who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel [the angel of the LORD God] who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us.” – Acts 7:38.

ORACLES WERE COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE LORD GOD. These oracles were given to all the children of Israel ── to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. The house of Israel would go into captivity, losing her identity, her knowledge, and her understanding of the LORD God. And, she did not preserve the LORD God’s sacred calendar for us.

Who did?

Well, the house of Judah also went into captivity over 134 years later in 587 BC! Yet, they retained their knowledge of their identity and their God. Even today ── the tiny nation called Israel in the Middle East (truly known as Judah), the Jewish people, have continued in their retention of the knowledge of the Lord’s true Sabbath rest and even of the calendar (which they refuse to accept).

Our Lord Jesus Christ Kept and Followed His Calendar

Let us notice what our beloved apostle Paul asks ──

“What advantage then has the Jew, … 2) Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.” – Romans 3:1, 2.

Friends, the JEWS ALONE were left to preserve for all mankind the LORD God’s living word, the holy Sabbath, along with God’s sacred calendar. Because, if they had not preserved this God-given commission, then our Lord Jesus Christ could not have accurately kept and observed His Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day in their proper seasons during His childhood. He would not have been able to live a sinless life. The LORD God gave the commission of preserving His sacred calendar to the Jews.

Now, our Lord Jesus Christ did indeed accuse the Jews of “’ laying aside the commandment of God [to] hold the tradition of men.’” – Mark 7:8. The commands that our Lord Jesus kept and followed were those written in the Law and the Prophets that Judah was commissioned to preserve. Yet, they themselves refused to believe and or obey.

Our Lord Jesus kept the very same holy Sabbath that the Jews were keeping. He kept the same Holy Days that they were keeping and celebrating ── proving that they (at that time) had a correct understanding of the times of the seasons. (Now, even at that time, certain heretical Jewish sects observed these Holy Days at the wrong times due to their complete misunderstanding of God’s living word). And, in speaking of His living word ── preserved for us with the Law and the Prophets (The Law, also known as the Law of Moses, consists of the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah in Hebrew and the Pentateuch in Greek. The Prophets consists of several books grouped together, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Malachi). Our Lord Jesus Christ fully accepted His living word which had been entrusted to the children of Israel by the prophet Moses and the other prophets. He fully accepted and recognized that the Jews had carried out His commission.

Do you!?

Or, are you one of these so-called Christians that is protesting in the streets of the United States of America holding a Palestinian flag while burning a Jewish flag!? Are you ANTI-SEMITIC!?

Do you go to Sunday church every Sunday and read your Bible ── not fully recognizing and understanding that without the Jews preserving for us God’s living word, you wouldn’t be reading God’s living word!? You would possibly be reading some other group's preserved knowledge, or of a sabbath, or “holy” days. NOT THE LORD GOD’S!

So, properly understanding that the LORD God commissioned the Jews to keep His calendar intact ── even up to our day ── we are left with transferring the proper dates from the true calendar of God’s to this present-day Gregorian calendar. (Now I caution you ── do not accept the Jewish dates for the Lord’s Passover or the Day of Pentecost. Because the Jews of today have departed from God’s living instructions regarding when these holy days are to be observed).

If one lacks a reputable Jewish calendar ── to calculate the actual day on which the Feast of Trumpets [called Rosh Hashanah] falls upon in any given year, the expected new moon of Tishri in that year is calculated. This year the Feast of Trumpets is September 23rd. This glorious feast of a memorial of the blowing of trumpets is celebrated on the 1st day of the SEVENTH MONTH. The rest of the Holy Days of the year are quite easily determined from the date of this feast.

The Lord God’s Passover is the first full moon after the March equinox ── April 12th. Note: all these days begin the preceding evening. The Lord’s Passover is to begin Sunday evening just after sunset, which is the 14th day of the FIRST MONTH.

The seven days of the Days of Unleavened Bread are April 13th through April 19th.

The Day of Pentecost (which means, count fifty) is the FIFTIETH DAY AFTER THE WAVE SHEAF OFFERING. This feast will be on June 1st this year.

The Fall Feasts

The next Holy Day ── the Feast of Trumpets. Again, this year the Feast of Trumpets is September 23rd.

Then, on the “’ tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall humble your souls, …’” – Leviticus 23:27. The TENTH DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH is October 2nd. The day to humble yourself before the LORD God!

Then, “’ the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD.’” – Leviticus 23:34.

The FIFTEENTH DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH brings us to October 7th through to October 13th.

The Last Great Day being October 14th.

It is crystal clear that the LORD God has provided all mankind with a holy and sacred calendar that was preserved through the Jewish people. Through them, the LORD God has given us a sacred calendar so that we would be able to keep, observe, and celebrate the holy Sabbaths and the Holy Days as commanded.

The dates for the Holy Days for this year, 2026, and 2027 are available on our website – Holy Day Information & Calendar (Lev. 23, Deut. 16) for your convenience. □

Bibliography:

1) Arndt, G., Why Does a Week Have Seven Days? everything-everywhere.com, 3 Oct. 2022

2) Tigay, Jeffery H. (1998). "Shavua". Mo'adei Yisra'el: Time and Holy Days in the Biblical and Second Commonwealth Periods (Heb.), ed. Jacob S. Licht: 22–23.

3) Baker, N. and Watson, J., Where does the seven-day week come from and why does it govern our lives? Abc.net.au, 4 Jan. 2022. Retrieved 9 Feb. 2025.

4) Tikkanen, Amy. "Why Does the New Year Start on January 1? ". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Dec. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-the-new-year-start-on-january-1. Accessed 9 February 2025.

5) Johnson, B., Historic January, Historic-uk.com, Retrieved 9 Feb. 2025.

6) Lestz, M, New Year’s Day, Calendar Years, and the British Tax Year, Margo Lestz – The Curious Rambler, 31 Dec. 2017.

The Many Abominations Mankind Continues to Embrace

 by Guy LaMar

THE 4th Commandment of the LORD God (the family of God, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!) to all of MANKIND is to KEEP the Sabbath holy and to REMEMBER that the holy Sabbath also pictures the SEVEN-THOUSAND YEAR PLAN for the redemption of all mankind!

Keep in mind, Exodus 20:10── “But the seventh day is the Sabbath to the LORD your God.” It is the SEVENTH DAY.

Yet, the overall majority of mankind has chosen to forget the LORD God’s 4th commandment!

They would much rather follow the ideologies of mankind──that were originally put in place by Satan the Devil.

Satan is the Great Deceiver. He is the deceiver of the whole world! And, at some point or another in life, all humanity has been deceived by Satan the Devil – cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9.

But by the loving grace of God, a very select few have been called out of this present evil age──this modern Babylonian world system to embrace the TRUTH OF GOD!

All of mankind has taken it upon themselves to choose what day they want to rest instead of what the LORD God says.

Truly, it was the Roman Catholic Church in the second and third centuries that devised the idea of keeping the FIRST DAY of the week instead of the SEVENTH DAY as the LORD God commands.

All the “daughter” churches that came out of the Roman Catholic Church have held on to the doctrine of that Mother Church. Their doctrine of keeping SUNDAY, over the holy Sabbath──the SEVENTH DAY.

Sadly, mankind would rather believe the lie that was indoctrinated into them since childbirth than accept the living truth of the LORD God.

The truth is the HOLY BIBLE!

Yet, servants of Satan the Devil are far more in abundance upon the Earth within false Christianity.

And, Sunday keepers are preaching a false Christ. Thus, they are the churches of an antichrist.

Truly, our Lord Jesus Christ was and is the God that created the Ten Commandments! The very God that instituted the holy Sabbath, and yet foolish and willingly ignorant people continue to accept and believe the lie of Satan the Devil over the TRUTH of God Almighty through the living Word of God──which again is the Holy Bible!

In this present evil age of short attention spans──it is highly unlikely that anyone of the world will ever take the time to truly seek the TRUTH. Instead, they are far more likely to continue embracing their feel-good and fluffy religion over the boldness and truth of the LORD God.

Such as the many abominations they continue to embrace: the consumption of pork.

Mankind continues to twist Scripture to make Scripture say something that it DOES NOT say! So that they can hear whatever their itching ears want – cf. 2 Timothy 4:3.

In reality, all they are doing is proving themselves to be even more boastful and proud servants of Satan the Devil.

They delude themselves that they are servants of God──while in reality they are but servants of Satan the Devil. Sadly, such people are living a lie.

Even the novel biblical readers should know that eating any flesh that is forbidden by the LORD God is also idolatry. And it is not──I repeat, IT IS NOT──talking about the LORD God doing away with Their dietary Law so that you can eat like scavengers!

Truly, if you closely PAY ATTENTION to the people who throughout their lifetime consume the LORD God’s forbidden meats, they eventually end up with severe health issues, i.e. arterial plaque buildup, obesity, gastrointestinal diseases, trichinosis, etc. Living a life contrary to our CREATOR GOD equals DEATH – cf. 1 Corinthians 11:30; Revelation 20:15; 21:8.

Also, the abomination of marking their bodies: tattoos. The LORD God tells us, “’ You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.’” – Leviticus 19:28.

If one does just a little research concerning tattoos they will discover that it is an old pagan practice. So, when a person gets a tattoo they are going against the commandment of the LORD God──and ignorantly following and honoring Satan the Devil. It is a form of pride──which the LORD God hates!

Also, people will tell a “little white lie” and believe that it is all right to do so. Yet, the LORD God says NOT TO──cf. Leviticus 19:11.

Yet, a great many people say that “little white lies” is a well-intentioned untruth. Deliberate and harmless fib, often done to spare someone’s feelings and to do no harm ── its intention is to produce favorable results. – Dr. Julia Breur.

AGAIN, the majority of mankind is ignorantly following Satan the Devil.

Also, having sexual relations outside of marriage. They can use all the excuses they want under the sun, but in reality, they are a WHOREMONGER──which disqualifies them from entering into the glorious Kingdom of God.

Those who knowingly cater to sin (1 John 3:4) ── like it or not ── are servants of Satan the Devil.

How many people have truly and honestly DENIED THEMSELVES and became OBEDIENT TO THE WILL OF THE LORD GOD!? Yet, they claim to be a true Christian!

CHRISTIAN literally means a follower of Jesus Christ. And our Lord Jesus was literally God in the flesh – cf. John 1:1, 14.

And what made our Lord Jesus “perfect”!?

He kept the Law of God perfectly, giving us an example of how to keep the Law of God perfectly – cf. Matthew 5:17-18; John 13:15.

Does the overall majority of mankind do this!?

Absolutely and positively──no.

“’ For many are called, …’” There are people who are reading this that ARE BEING CALLED──but will you choose to change your life to the will of God!? – Matthew 22:14.

Sadly, the many will not.

“ …’ but few are chosen.’” Only a small group of people on this Earth will bend a knee to the will of the LORD God completely──without any reservations or questions.

Only those few will completely reject this world’s ways and lifestyles that are before them.

The apostle Paul ── under divine inspiration of the Spirit of God ── said, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” – Romans 12:2.

Our Lord Jesus tells us, “’ If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’” – John 13:8. And, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If ANYONE loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” – 1 John 2:15.

Sadly, this world’s Christianity is a false Christianity. And our Lord Jesus says, “’ I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews [meaning, chosen people] are not, but lie──indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.’” – Revelation 3:9.

People can do “righteous” and pious things all day long──and still──as our Lord Jesus says, “’ in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” – Matthew 15:9.

Truly, unless you properly repent, and believe in (and obey, I add editorially) in the gospel, you have no part with the LORD God.

Now, of course, we all make mistakes. However, if you want to change your ways──then you must properly REPENT. And REPENTANCE IS CAHANGE! Changing from your ways and the way of this world to the Way of JESUS CHRIST!

So, friends, from FRIDAY sunset to SATURDAY sunset is holy time. It is the Sabbath of the Lord. He instituted it Himself! And it is a perpetual covenant between the LORD God and Their people for all ages.

Also, the false doctrine of “going to heaven” or “going to hell” after death. If all people would only take time to read and study these two subjects they would truly come to see the living TRUTH OF GOD. But sadly, mankind continues to want to hear what their itching ears want──they do not want anything to bust their religious bubble.

“YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!”

Mankind actually DOESN’T WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH! “and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to FABLES.” – 2 Timothy 4:4. The concept of “going to hell” is from Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century narrative poem The Divine Comedy──a.k.a. “Dante's Inferno.” A FABLE!

All mankind is born into a world with its own ideas──born into a ready-made world with ready-made ideologies, made by Satan the Devil, who is the “god of this age” – 2 Corinthians 4:4.

This means that Satan the Devil has rulership over this present evil age, and has great spiritual influence over all mankind.

God’s living word is clear──” Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” – Isaiah 55:6-7.

Otherwise, the great regret awaits you. □

Commentary: History of the Sabbath

by Guy C. LaMar

Brethren and Friends – I feel compelled by God’s Spirit to share this revealed truth. I haven’t got the time at the moment to fully expound upon this – although it is all throughout God’s living word. The factual history of the Sabbath.

First and foremost – our Lord Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath. The apostles kept the Sabbath long after our Lord Jesus had ascended to the upper heavenly realms. They also kept and obeyed the LAW OF GOD! And, the Law of God is not grievous. Sadly, mankind only makes them grievous because they stubbornly do not keep them or obey them!

During the latter part of the 2nd Century A.D., Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr (who is not considered a saint in any way by those of us in The Independent Christian Church of God or affiliated churches), Irenaeus, and Clement of Alexandria all attacked the observance of the LORD God’s Sabbath!

During the 3rd Century A.D., at the First Council of Nicaea in 321, Roman Emperor Constantine the Great issued a civil decree – making Sunday a day of rest from labor. Stating, “All judges and city people and the craftsmen shall rest upon the venerable day of the Sun.” It was Emperor Constantine the Great in 321 AD who proclaimed the Day of the Sun as the day of worship for the Roman Empire. They would not keep any day that the Jews kept!

The Church of England, run by the Roman Catholic Church – from the Vatican – under the rule of the pope, had a rebellion in the 16th Century – known as the Protestant Reformation against the Roman Catholic Church. The Separatist Movement of England during the 16th and 17th centuries separated from the Church of England, forming what is known as Protestantism. Independent churches, that didn’t want to be under the rule of the pope of Rome.

Yet, the majority of Protestant churches continue keeping and observing the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church! Such as the keeping and observing of Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween – and keeping and observing Sunday instead of the Lord’s Sabbath!

Who instituted the Sabbath?

It was the Lord GOD – the Eternal Creator of all things! Not any man.

This world’s stiff-necked rebellious people clamor to keep SUNday over the LORD God’s holy Sabbath!

The modern-day Baptist Church was in this Separatist Movement of England in the 16th Century. And through the centuries the Baptists, the Methodists, and the Episcopalians, along with all the other branches – with smaller splinter groups here and there – all continue to cling to the doctrine that came from the Roman Catholic Church in the 3rd Century!

Understand, my friend, your good Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, Church of Christ, and so on and so forth churches all stem from the Roman Catholic Church – called “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” – Revelation 17:5.

And what makes them “daughter churches”!? Because they all stemmed from the Roman Catholic Church! And they are all rebellious against the LORD God!

One thing that grieved our Lord Jesus – false religions.

Our Lord Jesus has warned us that there would be people who would worship Him in vain – ‘teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’ – Matthew 15:9.

Sadly, these organizations can praise our Lord Jesus (Matthew 24:4-5) till they are blue in the face. Yet, our Lord Jesus when He returns will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who [practiced] lawlessness!’ – Matthew 7:23. So says our Lord Jesus Christ!

Our peoples that continue to keep and celebrate the Day of the Sun are unknowingly and ignorantly keeping the day that Satan the Devil influenced the Roman Catholic Church to keep (cf. Genesis 3:1; this possibly was on the first day of the week – known today as Sunday) They are blindly allowing themselves to accept a lie over the living truth of God! The plain truth of God!

As a minister and servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, I will not waver from proclaiming the living TRUTH OF GOD as revealed to us. No matter how it might offend others. Instead of being bound by fear or the spirit of accusation, we can speak and write about God’s Word in a spirit of power. In boldness, we can testify of His promises, His faithfulness, and what He will accomplish and has accomplished in our lives.

We pray that this revealed truth may pierce the heart of YOU – to come to the living truth of God over a lie of Satan the Devil.

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” – John 8:12.

Honoring and worshiping God the Father and our Lord Jesus correctly is to keep and obey the LAW OF GOD – summed up in the TEN COMMANDMENTS – that They established in Their love for all mankind. If mankind would only abide in God’s love then they would keep and obey the Law of God. But mankind as a whole is rebellious because we are born carnal – born under sin (Romans 5:12). So those who are flesh cannot please God. But, brethren, we know – “But [we] are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if ANYONE does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” – Romans 8:6-9.

Let us, brethren, continue to obey the LORD God!

The FOURTH COMMANDMENT is the commandment that the LORD God tells all mankind to remember and to keep holy. Yet, mankind as a whole has chosen to not remember or keep it holy. “’ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’” – Exodus 20:8. Let us never make excuses!

If you go to your regular job of employment on the LORD God’s holy Sabbath day (from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset) you are breaking the LORD God’s Commandments! - James 2:10. You are not obeying the LORD God!

Let us, brethren, continue to be a soldier for Christ Jesus – who died for our sins – so that we can continue to abide in His love and do His will and keep, follow, and obey His Commandments!

The Law of God was made for all mankind. It is the LORD God’s love being shown to all mankind if they will only abide in Their Law. If mankind doesn’t keep and obey the Law of God, then they outright reject the love of God! Yet, when mankind keeps and obeys the LORD God’s Law, then they are showing the LORD God that they truly love God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!

Brethren and Friends – do not let this glorious opportunity pass you by! Don’t mess it up! OBEY GOD with every fiber of your being! □

Additional Commentaries - Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries: Commentaries (owensborocojc.com)

Holy Day Information & Calendar (Lev. 23, Deut. 16)

 Passover *                                                                                                                                                                                                     Feast of Trumpets 

Unleavened Bread                                                                                                                                                                                        Day of Atonement

Pentecost                                                                                                                                                                                                        Feast of Tabernacles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Last Great Day    

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Observed the Previous Evening

Please note - Sabbaths and Holy Days begin the previous day at sunset, and end at sunset on the above dates. *Passover is to be held "On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight (evening) is the LORD's Passover." This means that the glorious New Covenant ceremony should begin just after sunset (and just before it is dark outside) at the end of the previous day to the date shown above.

The LORD God's Sacred Calendar

God's sacred calendar goes back to the very first chapter of the living word of God - the Holy Bible - in which the sun and the moon were appointed to be for signs, seasons, days, and years - Genesis 1:14.

This is the very calendar that the children of Israel used when the LORD God (the Elohim; the family of God, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ) led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. This sacred calendar has been in continual use for more than 3,400 years! It is also the same calendar used from the earliest days of our patriarchs to the very exodus from Egypt.

Most call this sacred calendar the "Hebrew Calendar," however, it long antedated the Jewish people. It has its very origin in the days of Adam, Seth, and Enosh.

The photo above lists the LORD God's Holy Days with the dates of the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar - the very calendar used in the majority of this world - was issued by the Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XIII which begins a new year in the DEAD OF WINTER! with its months (named after ROMAN gods and terminology) NOT about Genesis 1:14. Instead, all in contrast to the LORD God's sacred calendar.

But, isn't the Gregorian Calendar of "Christian" origin!? Doesn't it have the approval of nearly every so-called Christian denomination and group!? Well, notice this from ThoughtCo. -

"The division of time was further refined (after the Egyptians) by another Alexandrian-based philosopher, Claudius Ptolemeus, who divided the equinotical hour into 60 minutes, inspired by the scale of measurement used in ANCIENT BABYLON. Claudius Ptolemaeus also compiled a great catalog of over one thousand stars, in 48 constellations, and recorded his concept that the universe revolved around the Earth. Following the [destruction] of the Roman Empire, it was translated into Arabic (in A.D. 827) and later into Latin (in the 12th century A.D.). These star tables provided the astronomical data USED BY GREGORY XIII for his reform of the Julian calendar in 1582."

(The Origin of the Modern Calendar in Ancient Egypt (thoughtco.com)

IT IS OF BABYLONIAN ORIGIN!

Of course, further study brings one to the understanding that the entire Gregorian calendar is of pagan origins, with the single exception of the original seven-day week feature. Interestingly, upon perusing several Journal of Calendar Reform online books, you come to realize that their "World Calendar" that they want adopted worldwide would have all men give up the LORD God's seventh-day week altogether! Their proposed "World Calendar" contains one day each year (two in leap years) that is not counted as a day of the week! Therefore, the seven-day cycle of the week, which was implemented upon its creation by the CREATOR, would be broken!

The LORD God's Ordained Way

The LORD God ordained that a new sacred year begin at the beginning of SPRING in the northern hemisphere. Notice -

"Now the LORD [the same LORD God that all so-called Christians are supposed to be worshiping and obeying - right!?] spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month [the month of Abib or Nisan] shall be YOUR BEGINNING OF MONTHS; it shall be the first month of the year to you.'" - Exodus 12:2.

The beginning of this month and all of our LORD God's months basically correspond with the appearance of the new moon in the west after sunset. The "day" was correctly observed by most of our peoples until only a few hundred years ago. The proper time to end a "day" and begin another "day" is at evening, at SUNSET, as the light from the sun begins to fade from the land. Notice the living eternal word of the LORD God concerning the humbling of yourself and the sabbath (rest) of the Day of Atonement ─

"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 'Also the tenth day of the seventh month [the month of Tishrei] shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall [humble] your souls and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. ... It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall [humble] your souls; on the ninth day of he month AT EVENING [sunset] from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath'" - Leviticus 23:26-32.

It was mankind that changed to beginning a "day" at MIDNIGHT!

The division of "day" and "night" was correctly understood in the days of our Lord Jesus Christ. On one occasion, a holy Sabbath was drawing to a close. Those who wanted healing waited, and - "When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them" - Luke 4:40. Of course, He could also heal on the glorious holy Sabbath!

So, in brief, the LORD God's Holy Days are to be kept in the following way. On two of them, no work (as in a regular and official activity that you do and receive money - a salary - for your activity) is to be done. The weekly holy Sabbath (the seventh day of the week; Saturday) and the Day of Atonement (a day to humble yourself before the Lord; many still fast (abstain from food and water following the Old Covenant). On the following six no servile work is to be done (however, food preperation can be) - the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15), the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day (Tishrei 22). The New Covenant Passover, Nisan 14, is to be observed with the ceremony of footwashing (if there are two or more people in attendance), followed by the symbols of unleavened bread and red wine. This is the only holy day not designated as a sabbath.

For New Covenant Christians, these glorious holy days ARE convocations (holy gatherings) that are commanded assemblies. Our early New Testament brethren recorded that these holy days (which are often misnamed "Jewish holidays") were kept by the true Church of God with the New Covenant understanding.

www.owensborocojc.com.                                                                                      

Saturday Sabbath with Jews and Sunday with Gentiles?

Don't buy into Satan the devil's lie that Sunday is "the Lord's Day."

by Guy C LaMar

You can also listen to this article. Click the orange play button below

COJCOM · Saturday Sabbath with Jews and Sunday with Gentiles? - Audio Article

I noticed a video on social media where a person was ranting about how Sunday was “the Lord’s Day,” and that the Sabbath was only for the Jews.

Here is a collection of vital information that we would like to share with you on this MOST IMPORTANT matter. We can assure you, there is a whole lot more that can be said than just what we have here in this article.

The book of Genesis─the name means “beginnings” ─ speaks almost immediately about the subject of the holy Sabbath─the seventh day of the week. It is as though the LORD God wanted this vital issue clearly established in the minds of people from Their “Instruction Manual” from the outset.

Near the book’s beginning, immediately after the “Creation chapter” concludes, God’s living word states this –

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 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” – Genesis 2:1-3.

Now, while no one should have missed, or misunderstood, the importance of this passage, nearly everyone has.

There is a belief in the minds of a great many regarding the Jewish people, and whether these ONLY were, or still are, to observe the holy Sabbath. Then there are still others who wonder which is the seventh day of the week on our modern Gregorian calendar. And, can we really know which day should be observed? Still, others do recognize that our Lord Jesus Christ kept the holy Sabbath, but are taught and believe that He “kept it for us.” Or, “He kept it because He was Jewish.” And still yet, there are a great many that teach and believe that the holy Sabbath is and has always been the seventh day of the week, but that “the Roman Catholic Church,” and the supposed authority granted to Saint Peter, changed observance to the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK─SUNDAY.

In God’s living word, when the LORD God (Matthew 4:4) mentions the word Sabbath or the seventh day, it is referring to the day we call “Saturday” on the Gregorian calendar. Nearly every reputable biblical commentary will point this out. Most people do know that the holy Sabbath is taught repeatedly in the Old Testament. Yet, most people reason amongst themselves that this is for the Jewish people. And, they continue to reason that when our Lord Jesus Christ came, He changed the holy Sabbath to Sunday in the New Testament.

Did He!?

The word Sabbath or Sabbaths is mentioned 172 times throughout God’s living word. You may be shocked to learn that 60 of these words are found in the New Testament.

Throughout the New Testament, you won’t find any proof that Jesus ever changed the holy Sabbath day.

Early in our Lord Jesus’ ministry, we find that He taught on the holy Sabbath day (Mark 1:21; 6:2; Luke 4:31; 13:10). In fact, Luke 4:16 says this was His custom! Mark 2:27-28 says, “And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28) Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.’”

Yes! Our Master Lord Jesus is the Master of the Sabbath! Which was made for you and me!

If our Lord Jesus had changed the holy Sabbath to the first day of the week─Sunday, the apostles who were taught directly from our Lord Jesus would have known about it. The Apostle Paul and those with him who were traveling to Antioch went into the synagogue on the Sabbath to preach (Acts 13:14-15). This was many years after the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

In verse 42, after the Apostle Paul’s Sabbath sermon, many of the Jewish people who heard him became offended and left. But notice –

“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God” – verse 44.

Glorious!

The Gentiles, those who had no prior knowledge of a holy Sabbath observance, begged that these glorious words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now, why didn’t the Gentiles ask him to come back the following day─Sunday? Because the Apostle Paul, like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, kept the holy Sabbath!

Notice Acts 17:2 – “Then Paul, AS HIS CUSTOM WAS, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” Friends, this occurred some twenty-eight years after the death and glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! And, we see that it was the Apostle Paul’s custom to remember and keep the Sabbath holy, just as it was our Lord Jesus’ (Luke 4:16).

Within those same years (Approximately A.D. 65), the Apostle Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews. After discussing the Millennial rest (denoting or relating to a period of a thousand years) in the first few verses of chapter 4, the Apostle Paul then shifts to the weekly holy day that pictures that Millennial rest –

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

The Koine Greek word for rest is sabbatismos, which simply means “keeping of the holy Sabbath.”

Many Holy Bible margins point this out. The Apostle Paul taught in the book of Hebrews that we are to remember each week on God’s holy Sabbath of a soon-coming Millennial rest for the entire world.

Now, there is another verse that adds to the verses we have thus covered. It is found in Matthew 24:20 – our Lord Jesus speaking to the Israelites –

“’ And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.’”

(In the end-time when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ get out of Judah, flee, and when a lot of the Jewish people see their torment coming, are going to attempt to leave what we call ‘Israel’ today. Many are going to head north and try and cross Turkey over into Europe. And the Turks will NOT allow them. The Turks will round them up and sell them or kill them. Horrible end-time trauma comes upon the nation of Judah; modern-day Israel. (Again, be sure to read our two-part article “The Day of the LORD” in which more can be found concerning this ‘abomination of desolation’ spoken of by Jesus Christ). This whole passage in Matthew 24 is prophetic. Our Lord Jesus is talking about a future ‘great tribulation’ that is so terrible that it involves the whole world, and if the LORD God didn’t cut it short, “’ no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.’” – verses 21-22.

This ‘great tribulation,’ such as has not been since the beginning of the world, has not occurred yet in the history of mankind. But it is soon coming onto the world scene. When it does come, God’s people will be protected. Minister Michael C. Garrett speaks of this period of time –

“Now, I’ve always thought: well, IF God resurrects His people – His spiritual people; the spiritual House of Israel – ON THE SEVENTH TRUMP, and we know that the Battle of Armageddon is about the Sixth of the Seven Last Plagues – the Day of the LORD, theoretically, everyone who should have been resurrected has already been resurrected, so, to whom was He referring!? I think most of the decades I’ve been around … it was sort of assumed, and I think incorrectly, that those ‘elects’ were somehow the Church members. But keep in mind, IF you properly understand the order of events, the Church members – the people who have God’s Spirit – will at that time have been resurrected already. So, who is the ‘elect’? Well, notice what it says in Isaiah 45:4 – “’ For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, …’” Who’s He saving the earth for!? … He’s saving the elect as in physical Israel. For the sake of the physical people of Israel, those days will be shortened.”

(Garrett, M.C., Feast of Trumpets – ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ 29 Sept. 2019).

Our Lord Jesus Christ tells His followers in Judah to pray that at the time of the end of this age, their flight will not be on a holy Sabbath.

There are lots of New Testament teachings about the Sabbath.

In God’s living word, there is little said about the first day of the week─Sunday. While God’s holy Sabbath on the seventh day of the week is mentioned 60 times in the New Testament. The first day of the week is mentioned eight times.

In 1st Corinthians 16:1-4, the disciples were told by the Apostle Paul to take up a “collection for the saints” “on the first day of the week.”

There are many who use this as a proof text to show that people should go to church on Sunday, and should collect money each Sunday. One should read the entire passage!

Romans 15:25-28 shows that this collection was taken for the saints in Jerusalem because they were extremely poor. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul said he would help carry the collection if they needed him – 1st Corinthians 16:4.

Surely, this was a collection of food and clothes items─not money. It was for the saints in Jerusalem, not for all the churches. And, they were instructed to lay something aside on the first day of the week─Sunday. This is not a command to gather together and worship the LORD God on Sunday!

In Acts 20:7, we find that the disciples gathered together on the first day of the week to “break bread” (which simply means to have a meal). This was an evening gathering that lasted until midnight. To better understand this passage, we must understand when the LORD God’s days begin and end. A “Day” begins at sunset. The LORD God’s holy Sabbath is to be remembered and kept holy from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset wherever you are. If this gathering in the book of Acts was at night on the first day, then it would have been on what we call Saturday night. The Apostle Paul preached until midnight. And, he was left behind by his companions that night (see verse 13). Now, if it was a commanded assembly on the first day of the week, they would not have left him. But, they left Brother Paul and began sailing that night. The following day (Sunday), Brother Paul proceeded to walk some 20 miles to Assos. Be sure to read the whole story and you will begin to see that this is in no way a command to observe Sunday! The Apostle Paul was merely taking advantage of his last opportunity to meet and speak with the brethren at Troas─which was on Saturday night.

Colossians 2:16-17 is also misapplied by a great many to supposedly “do away” with the LORD God’s holy Sabbath. It reads –

“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17) which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”

(Verses 16-18 do not abolish the dietary laws of clean and unclean meats, the festivals, or the weekly Sabbath of God. Rather, Paul is clearly affirming that the Gentiles in Colosse were to continue to observe these commandments as they had been taught. Paul was instructing the Colossians to disregard the criticisms and harsh judgments of those outside the Church because the observance of these days is a continuing foreshadow of the things that are yet to come in God’s Plan. By being faithful and keeping these commandments of God, they would always be worshiping the true God, be built up in Jesus Christ, and never lose the understanding of God’s Plan. By true repentance to God the Father and Jesus Christ, they would not be deceived by the vain philosophies of men, nor would they be seduced into the worship of fallen angels ─ Satan and his demons. The Holy Bible In Its Original Order A New English Translation by Fred R. Coulter. York Publishing Co., 2007, 2009, pg. 1199).

God’s living word shows us that the “Body of Christ” is the Church – see 1st Corinthians 12:27. That is the point that our beloved Apostle Paul was making. Brethren, we can’t allow any individual or group of people determine for us what is God’s Way─ what day we should or shouldn’t remember and keep holy. The LORD God tells us and reminds us through Their Spirit within us─ the “body of Christ.” The Lord Jesus─the Head of the Church determines what is doctrine. Not any man. God’s living word COMMANDS us that we are to “’ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy’” – Exodus 20:8.

Yet, let us not overlook this important part that the Apostle Paul spoke of –

“which are a shadow of things to come, …”

The General Sherman Tree, in the sun, casts a shadow. Follow the shadow, it leads to the largest tree in the world! If you cut down this enormous tree (the holy Sabbath in this metaphor), then there is no tree.

The Lord Jesus’ holy Sabbath, as this “shadow,” is a weekly reminder of not only the spiritual rest this world will have in the Millennium, but also a weekly reminder of the LORD God’s awesome Plan for the redemption of all humanity─past, present, and future!

Sadly, the majority of new easy-to-read Bible translations have greatly bastardized verse 17 to make it sound like our Lord Jesus Christ “kept it for us.”

As a note: Compare the original Authorized Version, the King James Version, with the New English Bible. The only mistake in the KJV is the word “is” was added by the translators.

It’s also important to note that this Epistle of Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles at Colosse, “the uncircumcision of your flesh.” The Gentile converts had no prior understanding of the holy Sabbath, or of a physical circumcision of the foreskin of the penis. Yet, the Apostle Paul discusses it with them. He told them that not only are they “dead” in their sins against the LORD God upon conversion, but also they are no longer required to receive a “circumcision of the flesh,” because that was part of the Old Covenant─our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it [the Old Covenant] to the cross.”

This world’s Judeo-Christianity, along with this world's Christianity, has never properly understood God’s living truth in this matter. Also, the Sabbath that was drawing near when our Savior Jesus Christ was being tortured, humiliated, spat upon, rejected, scourged with a whip, and eventually murdered, was NOT a holy seventh-day Sabbath─it was an annual Sabbath─one of the LORD God’s annual holy days (John 19:31).

In A.D. 31, the year that our Lord Jesus was crucified, that annual Sabbath occurred on a Thursday. Our Lord Jesus died on the afternoon before─on Wednesday.

Three full days and nights bring the actual glorious resurrection to the afternoon of Saturday, shortly before sunset. By the end of that Sabbath afternoon, our Lord Jesus was already gone – Matthew 28:1. Do you realize what this means!? The main “proof” that this world’s Christianity uses to allow for a Sunday observance is that “our Lord was resurrected on that day.”

No, He wasn’t!

So, there is absolutely no biblical proof whatsoever of a Sunday observance. Where did this damnable belief originate!?

Changing the official holy day of gathering together and worship from the LORD God’s seventh-day Sabbath to the first day of the week─Sunday, was ordered by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. On March 7th, 321, he issued a civil decree – making Sunday a day of rest from labor. Stating, “All judges and city people and the craftsmen shall rest upon the venerable day of the Sun.”

Here is a portion of the Edict Against the Heretics by Constantine – 

“FORASMUCH, then, as it is no longer possible to bear with your pernicious errors, we give warning by this present statute that none of you henceforth presume to assemble yourselves together. We have directed, accordingly, that you be deprived of all the houses in which you are accustomed to hold your assemblies: and our care in this respect extends so far as to forbid the holding of your superstitious and senseless meetings, not in public merely, but in any private house or place whatsoever. Let those of you, therefore, who are desirous of embracing the true and pure religion, take the far better course of entering the catholic Church, and uniting with it in holy fellowship, whereby you will be enabled to arrive at the knowledge of the truth. In any case, the delusions of your perverted understandings must entirely cease to mingle with and mar the felicity of our present times: I mean the impious and wretched doublemindedness of heretics and schismatics. … from this day forward none of your unlawful assemblies may presume to appear in any public or private place. Let this edict be made public.”

Friends, here is historical proof of the enforced observance of Sunday. To assemble together for worship on any other day was considered heretic!

In the fourth-century A.D., the Catholic Council of Laodicea affirmed Sunday worship and declared that all Sabbath-keeping Christians are heretics. At that Catholic conference, it was determined – Canon 29 –

“Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be Judaizers, let them be anathema [meaning cursed or excommunicated] from Christ.”

Today, many Sunday-observing “Christians” admit the holy Sabbath was changed by the Roman Catholics

Roman Catholics and Methodists Confessions –

Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism 3rd ed., p. 174. “Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?

“Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her-she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.”

CLOVIS G. CHAPPELL, Ten Rules for Living, page 61. “The reason we observe the first day instead of the seventh is based on no positive command. One will search the Scriptures in vain for authority for changing from the seventh day to the first...”

Charles Buck, A Theological Dictionary, Sabbath – “Sabbath in the Hebrew language signifies rest, and is the seventh day of the week... and it must be confessed that there is no law in the New Testament concerning the first day.”

Sunday School Advocate, Dec. 31, 1921 – “… In those days the people worshiped the sun because many words were made to tell of many thoughts about many things. The people became Christians and were ruled by an emperor whose name was Constantine. This emperor made Sunday the Christian Sabbath, because of the blessing of light and heat which came from the sun. So our Sunday is a sun-day, isn't it?”

New York Herald 1874, on the Methodist Episcopal Bishops Pastoral 1874 – “The Sabbath instituted in the beginning, and confirmed again and again by Moses and the prophets, has never been abrogated. A part of the moral law, not a jot or a tittle of its sanctity has been taken away.”

Biblical scholars will try to reason their way around the LORD God’s immutable living truth! But, the LORD God DOES NOT command nor endorse any kind of Sunday gathering or worship. Instead, the LORD our God commands –

“’ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy’” – Exodus 20:8.

The LORD God’s Law commands us to remember and keep the Sabbath day holy. Throughout God’s living word in the Old Testament, you will find it repeatedly. And, when the children of Israel began defiling the LORD God’s holy Sabbath, it led to their captivity – see Jeremiah 17:27; 52:12-15.

The children of Israel were commanded to remember and keep holy the Sabbath day. The LORD God’s prophets kept the holy Sabbath! – see Ephesians 2:19-21. Our Lord Jesus Christ remembered and kept holy the Sabbath day. Again, it was His custom (Luke 4:16). All of the apostles observed the seventh day holy Sabbath (Acts 17:2). They FOLLOWED our Lord Jesus Christ’s example! In 1st Corinthians 11:1, our beloved Paul says, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

The LORD God’s holy Sabbath day was “made for man, not man for the Sabbath” – see Genesis 2:2-3. And, the Eternal God made it by not working on that day, and resting and sanctifying it – setting it apart.

The holy Sabbath is not just for Jewish people – it’s for ALL MANKIND

True Christians follow Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Who is now an awesome being sitting at the right hand of Father God in the upper heavenly realms! He remembered and kept the holy Sabbath. The apostles ─long after the glorious ascension of our Master Jesus Christ remembered and kept the Sabbath day holy.

Sunday keeping is something that Satan the devil instituted to deceive all mankind from properly learning of the LORD God’s FOURTH COMMANDMENT. But, mankind being stiff-necked in his religiosity, refuses to accept that he has been beguiled. Because their traditions are what they prefer over observing a command from the LORD God.

Friends, our Lord Jesus warned that people would worship Him in vain by teaching and observing doctrines of mankind.

It’s simple – we can either do the things that Almighty God commands, or the ways of this world, which are under the influence of Satan the devil – as he is the “god of this age” – 2 Corinthians 4:4.

The holy Sabbath day ─Friday sunset to Saturday sunset was not instituted by the Jewish people. It was instituted by the LORD God. The holy Sabbath day was kept long before the Jews were ever even mentioned in God’s living word!

And, as already mentioned – our Lord Jesus makes it abundantly clear that the holy Sabbath day is vitally IMPORTANT – even in the times of the end of this age.

DO NOT buy into the lie that Sunday is “the Lord’s Day.”

Sunday keeping is not the Lord’s Day – nor is it the holy Sabbath day.

The holy Sabbath ─ the seventh day ─ is the day to remember and keep holy.

The holy Sabbath is known today as Saturday. The day instituted by the LORD God – the family of God.

The 7th Day.

It is from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset as the LORD God instituted from the beginning.

The Day of the Sun is a man-made idea influenced by Satan the devil to get mankind away from properly keeping the Ten Commandments! □