Why we do not keep to a Sabbath or a Sunday or Lord’s Day #3 Days to be kept holy or set apart

Feasts to avoid

When asked why we not keep to all those festivals, Sabbaths and so called holy days we must warn people they should look carefully at what sort of festivals they want to participate and what days they consider holy.

Lots of Christians would say Christmas and Easter are holy days for them, though they do forget that they where heathen days and that even in Christendom they are full of heathen traditions, which is an abomination in the eyes of God and of which He asks His people to abstain from such things. As such the feasts Christmas and popularly Easter are celebrations we do not prefer to be part of. They for sure are not days of the God but are days of other gods, like the goddess of light and the god of fertility.

Feast con-notated with false gods, idols and nature elements we should avoid.

Should we have no days of rest then

Some would think we say man does not need a day of rest, but that is not at all so. Man, animals and even plants do need a rest.

For we can not work all the time, because we would deteriorate our body. Our living soul would be devastated and worn out. We do believe each person is born on an other day in an other month, so for each person the 7th day could be an other day than his parents, other members of the family or friends. Each person has a different life cycle.

We do believe the words of the Old Testament have to go with the words from the New Testament. In the Sacred books it is told that he who has entered God His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Therefore we do think everybody for himself can decide when to enter such a day of rest for himself and to come to God. And we would remember the words from Scriptures which say

Hebrews 4:11 The Scriptures 1998+ (11) Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.1 Footnote: 1See 3:18.

Keeping special days

Candles spell out the traditional English birthday greeting

Coming to life is a special occasion and many like to remember the new born. Several families keep the tradition to celebrate the birthday of the child. Several Christians also say they remember the birth of Jesus Christ and keep a “Dies natalis”on the 25th of December.

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the “birthday” of the Roman solar deity Sol Invictus on December 25

Strangely enough they say they celebrate the birth of their god, though The Only True God has no birth but His son was born on the 17th of October 4bCE and was to be called ‘Emmanuel‘ or “Immanuel“, the sent one from God. This man born in Bethlehem was called Jeshua and is today better known as Jesus. He is the Kristos or Christ, the promised one from God. In case people would like to celebrate his birthday they better do it on the date he was born and not on the day of the goddess of light and using all sorts of heathen emblems, like decorated trees, which is an abomination in the eyes of God.

In case one wants to remember the birth of an own child this also has to be done in the light of not placing the child, or any person, higher than God and in retrospect to God, being thankful for the life given.

The same people can have special days for special occasions, like getting to know your partner, remembering the day of marriage vows, remembering to get a house or other civil occasions like remembering an end of war, an inauguration of a building or any special civil occasion.

Next to those occasions a special place could and should be given to religious observations or religious festivals. Over the years God had done many wonder-works which we may remember. Several of those miracles or special occasions for God His people Jehovah God asked to remember. He set special days as a memorial. As such we got Shabbatot or several Shabbats or Sabbaths. Those different days could be used to remember what God had done and how we are related in it all to the Divine Creator.

The first important day for many is the day that man was created. For others the day that God took rest after He had created the universe with living beings in it, was as a seventh day to come back every week in our memories.

For God though the first important day people should never forget and which would have to be celebrated eternally was the day God liberated His people. That day when the people of God could escape from the enslavement in Egypt had to stay in their memory for ever. From that moment in time it was also decided by God which day had to be the first day and first month in our time system. (Nisan)

Exodus 12:1-2 The Scriptures 1998+ (1) And יהוה {Jehovah} spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon in the land of Mitsrayim, saying, (2) “This month is the beginning of months for you, it is the first month of the year for you.

The congregation of Yisra’ĕl got to hear the ordinances of God to which they had to keep to be liberated. They followed them up and after all the plagues that had come over Egypt they were allowed to leave.

They also got to hear what for years they kept doing again:

Exodus 12:15 The Scriptures 1998+ (15) ‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. Indeed on the first day you cause leaven to cease from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that being shall be cut off from Yisra’ĕl.

From then onwards the Jews had their “Beginning of months” and they had to keep this word given by the Most High at the time of Moses in Egypt, as a law for them and for their sons, forever. Even when they would have entered into the land that the Lord of all lords gave to them, just as He has promised, they still shall have to observe these ceremonies. We also come to hear that even when the next generations will ask what the meaning is of this religious observance, they shall have to say to them that it is the victim of the crossing of the Most High, when he passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt, striking the Egyptians, and freeing their houses.

Exodus 12:23-28 The Scriptures 1998+ (23) “And יהוה {Jehovah} shall pass on to smite the Mitsrites, and shall see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, and יהוה {Jehovah} shall pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you. (24) “And you shall guard this word as a law for you and your sons, forever. (25) “And it shall be, when you come to the land which יהוה {Jehovah} gives you, as He promised, that you shall guard this service. (26) “And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ (27) then you shall say, ‘It is the Passover slaughtering of יהוה {Jehovah}, who passed over the houses of the children of Yisra’ĕl in Mitsrayim when He smote the Mitsrites and delivered our households.’ ” And the people bowed their heads and did obeisance. (28) And the children of Yisra’ĕl went away and did so – as יהוה {Jehovah} had commanded Mosheh and Aharon, so they did.

This is still a day all lovers of God and God’s nation do have to commemorate. What is more, it became even more special thousand of years later when the Nazarene man Jeshua, who was born in Bethlehem gathered with his disciples to have his last meal before his death. That night of remembrance, Memorial Night, he installed a New Covenant, which liberated the people again from their slavery, this time from slavery of man and regulation brought unto them by man.

Making days holy or set apart

That night, when the Nazarene while eating with them, he took bread. And blessing it, he broke it and gave it to his loyal friends saying to them to take his body. And having taken the chalice, giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples and they all drank from it, hearing their master-teacher saying this was his blood of the new covenant, which was to be shed for many. (Matthew 26:20-29; Mark 14:17-25; Luke 22:14-30; John 13:21-30)

Many seem to overlook that on that night was been spoken about a new arrangement, which would annul the previous arrangements. That New Covenant would be sealed by this man’s blood at the stake on the hill of Golghotta. (Matthew 27: 35–56; Mark 15:25–41; Luke 23:32-49; John 19:18-37)

Those who say they celebrate Jesus resurrection on Easter day should question if they really have good reason to celebrate this resurrection on the day of Estra, the goddess of fertility or Ēostre/Ostara. The Germanic divinity who, by way of the Germanic month bearing her name (Northumbrian: Ēosturmōnaþ; West Saxon: Ēastermōnaþ; Old High German: Ôstarmânoth), is the namesake of the festival of Easter. Ēostre is attested solely by Bede in his 8th-century work The Reckoning of Time,where Bede states that during Ēosturmōnaþ (the equivalent of April), pagan Anglo-Saxons had held feasts in Eostre’s honor, but that this tradition had died out by his time, replaced by the Christian Paschal month, a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. (see Wikipedia and other encyclopedia)

In case they would really celebrate the resurrection of Jesus why do they not celebrate it on the anniversary of this taking out of the dead, on the 17th of Nisan, three days later than Memorial Day (Nisan 14)? Also having bells throwing chocolate eggs or Easter-bunnies hiding those eggs has nothing to do with a resurrection of the son of God. From the Scriptures we do know that such heathen action desecrate the day and as such would be totally unheard of to do or to consider that day holy.

The holiness of a day is when the day is put separate or given an other function than regular days. But to set the day apart and to make it holy or sanctified the actions done that day do have to be in accordance with the Will of God. As soon as something is done against the Will of God this would take away the chance of having it as a holy day.

For the Roman Catholics the Basic Catechism says:

“Special Duties of Catholic Christians” include “participating in Mass every Sunday and holyday of obligation.” (Boston, 1980, p. 21) “The faithful are in fact encouraged to participate in the Mass and to receive Communion frequently, even daily.”—The Teaching of Christ—A Catholic Catechism for Adults, Abridged Edition (Huntington, Ind.; 1979), p. 281.

But do they wonder what “holyday of obligation” is?

We should be very much concerned with that. The matter of having a day holy is also important for our duties on such a day. To set apart some day or something for sacred use or to consecrate a day or date, should make us take the right attitude and to have it only devoted to one deity, namely the Most High Almighty God of gods. Those who say we do have to keep Sabbathday on Sabbath, Saturday, Sunday or on the Lord’s day should question what the holiness of such a day comprehends.

Those who say every week there has to be a holy day for commemorating the instatement of the New Covenant, they should look for such indication in the Bible. They should wonder if all Scriptural references to “breaking of bread” indicate that Christ’s death was being commemorated and that it had to be repeated weekly.

We do know that the early Christians were persevering in the doctrine of the Apostles, and in the communion of the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers. From different parts in the New Testament (Acts of the apostles and letters from the apostles) we also come to see they gathered on several occasions on different days of the week. We also come to see that it was even on a Thursday that Paul had to escape the city walls after having had a breaking of the bread with his brothers and sisters in Christ. We are told that it was “Day after day” that they they met together in the temple and that on different days in the week they broke bread together in different homes and sharing their food with joy and singleness of heart, while praising God and having favour with all the people. Also day by day numbers were added to their meetings.

Acts 2:42 The Scriptures 1998+ (42) And they were continuing steadfastly in the teaching of the emissaries, and in the fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.

Acts 2:46-47 The Scriptures 1998+ (46) And day by day, continuing with one mind in the Set-apart Place, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, (47) praising Elohim and having favour with all the people. And the Master added to the assembly those who were being saved, day by day.

They remembered that Jesus had ‘broken bread’ when food was being shared at a meal on the date of the Jewish Passover, which was replaced among his disciples by the Memorial of Christ’s death. This remembrance on any day of the week did not replace their special remembrance of the great event when their feet were washed by their master-teacher and when he spoke about the betrayal and his death but also about the New Covenant. For them it was clear they had to have a holy day once a year like it was for all God’s People. Passover was an annual event, celebrated on Nisan 14. Similarly, the Jewish Festival of Unfermented Cakes, the Festival of Weeks (Pentecost), the Festival of Booths, or Ingathering, and the Day of Atonement were all held once a year.

The apostles knew and taught their disciples what Jesus had told them and what holiness meant. For them it was clear it had everything to do with purity or religious cleanness, of being set apart from defilement. Anything that could debase the pureness or excellence of such a day of gathering for God had to be avoided. Everything what would corrupt the day in the eyes of God was to be escaped from. To have a holy day nothing was to make that day unclean or unfit for ceremonial.

Today we too should keep to the “holiness” in the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words the apostles had in mind, referring to God his absolute moral perfection. It all has to do with our attitude and with practices we should shun.

The Way of Holiness

Having something holy is having it set apart or going on to a special road, here the road to God. From Scripture we learn that a good road will be there for the lovers of God, and it will be named “God’s Sacred Highway.” It will be for God’s people; no one unfit to worship God will walk on that road. And no fools can travel on that highway.

Isaiah 35:8 The Scriptures 1998+ (8) And there shall be a highway, and a way, and it shall be called “The Way of Set-apartness1.” The unclean does not pass over it, but it is for those who walk the way, and no fools wander on it. Footnote: 1See Ps. 77:13.

Isaiah announces that in the ministry of the Messiah, there will be a wonderful highway, a road, known as the Highway of Holiness and people should take that road to become holy themselves. We can not be set apart if we are not willing to make the right choice and to take the right direction. The Hebrew word for highway indicates what the English word literally says: “a high-way.” It speaks of a raised road, lifted above the ground. It is a high, glorious road to travel on!

We have to lift ourselves from the daily roads common people travel. Though living in this world we do want not to be part of this world holding to worldly traditions but keeping to godly traditions. Therefore we also prefer not to be bounded by labels but to be liberated in Christ.

Having become children of God we are lifted up and should take the roads of the Most High.

“Engineering has done much to tunnel mountains, and bridge abysses; but the greatest triumph of engineering is that which made a way from sin to holiness, from death to life, from condemnation to perfection. Who could make a road over the mountains of our iniquities but Almighty God? None but the Lord of love would have wished it; none but the God of wisdom could have devised it; none but the God of power could have carried it out.” {Spurgeon}

Though we may not forget that this highway is not for every one. The toll we do have to pay is to repent for our sins and to try to live in accordance of God’s Laws, staying in the faith of the resurrected Jesus Christ. When we do not have any faith and/or stay unclean we make no chance.

Therefore purity and cleanliness are important. It all has to do with our mind-setting and willingness to come to a pure faith life, not being enslaved any more to the lusts of this world but preferring to have a good relationship with God and with God’s son Jesus our redeemer. In case we do want a holy day for God we should keep that day clean and should take care it stays a pure day. Anything what can defile such a day we should avoid.

But would our daily duties, like making food or taking care that there is some money coming in to pay the rent or to pay for keeping our family, making days un-holy or not set apart? For this we can best look at what Jesus had to say to those who complained that he and his apostles did things which their Jewish laws forbid.

See next writing

Preceding articles:

Why we do not keep to a Sabbath or a Sunday or Lord’s Day #1 Before rain of food from heaven

Why we do not keep to a Sabbath or a Sunday or Lord’s Day #2 Testimony