A False Doctrine Spreading Among Sabbatarians

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

There is a false doctrine spreading among Sabbatarians that directly contradicts the True Sabbath. It is called the lunar sabbath. What is the lunar sabbath?

It is the belief that the true Sabbath is kept on the seventh, fourteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-eighth days from the appearance of the New Moon. While this belief has spread in recent years in the Body of Christ, it is certainly not new. A.H. Sayce was an archeologist who did work in the Middle East. He gives us insight into the origins and ancient practice of the lunar sabbath:

“An old list of Babylonian festivals and fast-days tells us that on the seventh, fourteenth, nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-eighth days of each month the Sabbath-rest had to be observed” (Sayce, The Higher Criticism and the Verdict of the Monuments, p 74).

The only difference between the ancient practice of lunar sabbaths and its modern reappearance is that the ancient Babylonians rested on the nineteenth day as well. Despite this difference, the practice of honoring the Sabbath based upon the appearance of the moon is still Babylonian.

In the Bible, we are instructed to come out of Babylon, not to go into her. “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins…” (Rev. 18:4).

How does this teaching contradict the Bible?

First of all, the Sabbath is honored every seventh day of the week (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset). It is not honored on the seventh day of each month. God makes this very clear in the Bible. Let’s look at some examples from Scripture.

When God gave the Fourth Commandment, He said: “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” Exodus (20:9-10a, 11). Notice that a month is not mentioned in these verses. The Sabbath is called a specific day.

In Leviticus chapter 23, God discusses His Feasts. The first of these special days is the Sabbath. Nowhere in His description of the Sabbath is the term “month” found; it is found on the seventh day of every week. “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:3).

When we read the rest of Leviticus chapter 23, the Annual Festivals ARE based upon specific months of the year. Consider Passover as an example: “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover” (Lev 23:5). God specifies the difference between a festival that occurs on a day of the week (the Sabbath) versus one that is related to a specific  day of a specific month (such as Passover).

There are no verses that say the Sabbath is held on the seventh, fourteenth, twenty first, and twenty-eighth day of the month.

Secondly, the lunar month is not divisible by seven. The lunar cycle is approximately 29 ½ days. This means that if one kept the lunar sabbath, then there would be four weeks of seven days followed by one week of either eight or nine days. This means that the sabbath would not fall every seventh day. This breaks God’s continuous weekly cycle of seven days.

I have heard proponents of the lunar sabbath claim that the days between the fourth lunar Sabbath and the appearing of the next New Moon do not count as days. This also contradicts the Bible. God defines a day as evening followed by daytime. “…evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen 1:5b). God reckons this as a day whether we want it to be or not. We can’t just say ‘they don’t count’ without God instructing us about it!

For another Biblical illustration of the seven day week, consider the manna in the desert. God gave one portion of manna for five days, twice as much on the sixth day, and none on the seventh day. This weekly cycle of manna lasted for 40 years. God did not allow a break in this seven-day cycle to wait for the new moon to appear.

Third, there is no way to honor Pentecost under such a system. Pentecost is reckoned by counting seven Sabbaths from the weekly Sabbath during Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:15-21). The day after the seventh Sabbath is called Shavuot or Pentecost; this is the fiftieth day. There is no manner of reckoning time under the lunar sabbath system where the day after the seventh lunar sabbath is the fiftieth day. God reckons Pentecost based upon a seven-day week regardless of the month.

Fourth, there are dozens of languages that preserve which day of the week is the Sabbath. Consider the words for Saturday in the following languages: Indonesian (Sabut), Tagalog (Sabado), Italian (Sabato), Spanish (Sabado), Greek (Sabatoh), Arabic (Al Sabt), and Mandingo (Sibiti).

CLICK HERE to read more about languages which confirm the seventh day of the week.

As the writer of Hebrews warned us: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1). Like a boat that drifts slowly from the shore, we can drift away from God’s purpose for our lives. The lunar sabbath causes this sort of drifting. It disconnects people from the reality of God’s Creation; it causes people to miss the true Sabbath. Furthermore, the notion disregards the Word of God and the seven-day weekly cycle established by God.

CLICK HERE to learn more about other historical attempts to change the seven-day weekly cycle. 

Unfortunately, I have had friends who have been deceived by this false doctrine. I pray for them to turn away from it. Please share this article and help others avoid this doctrine which has led many astray and shipwrecked their faith.

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

BSA President – www.biblesabbath.org

A Thousand Shall Fall

By Susi Hasel Mundy

This inspiring book recalls the story of a Seventh Day Adventist leader who was drafted in the German army during World War II. He refused to break the Sabbath and suffered because of it. His wife refused to give their children exams on the Sabbath and they resisted all pressure to join the Nazi party. He warned Jewish people to flee as the German army advanced. This book is not a Scriptural examination of the seventh-day Sabbath; it is a story of faith put into practice. Against all odds, he honored God’s Holy Day and survived the war.

To learn about this inspiring story, click the link below:

https://biblesabbath.org/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=22&=SID

Five Myths about Sabbath Keepers

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

Myth #1: Sabbath keepers belong to a cult

Unfortunately, this is often the first thing we hear when others find out that we honor the Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. I cannot fully identify where this misconception comes from – likely just because we are different. We have not been drugged or brain washed into following the Sabbath. We have studied the Bible and arrived at the conclusion to follow the example of Jesus.

 

Myth #2: Sabbath keepers only think God can answer prayer one day a week.

I am accused of this belief by non-Sabbatarians. I honestly have never met or heard of a Sabbath keeper who believes this – and I have connections to thousands of them. There might be a few radicals out there who think this way, but it is certainly not the majority belief of the Sabbath community. Many Sabbath churches host prayer meetings and even Bible studies on other days of the week. While we rest on the Sabbath and honor the example of Jesus, we also seek God daily in our lives.

Myth #3: Sabbath keeping started in the 1800s

Another myth we commonly hear is that no Christians honored the Sabbath until the 1800s AD. We know Jesus and the early Apostles actually honored the Sabbath (see Matthew 12:1-8, Acts 13:13-48 for a couple of examples). Historically speaking, most Christians honored the Sabbath into the 400s-500s AD (CLICK HERE to read more). On this site, we have posted a number of blogs discussing this. You can actually find Sabbatarians who believed in Jesus in every century from Christ to the present.

Now, where does the misconception come from?  The world’s largest Sabbatarian group is the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which has millions of members today. This group has its origins in the mid-1800s. Due to this, many people think their group was the first group to practice the Sabbath. The Seventh-Day Adventists were influenced to keep the Sabbath by Seventh-Day Baptists, who can trace their origins to the 1500s. And there are other Sabbatarian groups that precede the Seventh Day Baptists.

 

Myth #4: We hate people who don’t keep the Sabbath.

This is another misconception. Most Sabbath keepers I know are very kind and function fine in the work place with others no matter their religious background or denominational affiliation. Just because we disagree with people about the Sabbath does not mean we hate them.

We believe very strongly about the Sabbath, but we are often treated differently because we keep the Sabbath. We are accustomed to mistreatment on jobs and exclusion from family and friends. Due to this, Sabbath keepers are discerning about their friends and can come across as being cautious or reserved. We certainly do not hate people who do not honor the Sabbath.

Myth #5: Sabbatarian children are socially and emotionally handicapped.

There are plenty of events in our society that take place on the Sabbath such as sports, non-Christian concerts, etc.  We abstain from many cultural activities that happen on the Sabbath. We raise our children to do the same.

There is a misconception that we are socially and emotionally handicapping our children because we do not participate in certain activities on Sabbath. The premise of this misconception is typically rooted in fear. How are we handicapping someone for teaching them to live like Jesus? Was Jesus socially and emotionally handicapped?

Instead of being afraid, think about the wonderful lesson being instilled. We are teaching our children that we will stop worldly activities to honor God as Jesus did. This reinforces the idea that God comes first. We learn that temporary gain is secondary to honoring God. Again, our focus is Jesus, not someone else. This lesson is reinforced throughout childhood.

The idea that Sabbatarian children are handicapped is also not rooted in fact. Our children still play sports and participate in extracurricular activities; we just abstain from most of them on Sabbath.  Sabbatarians have been successful in business and even served in many positions in society.

Ben Carson honors the seventh-day Sabbath; he is a brilliant neurosurgeon and has ran for President. In 2017, five men gave benedictions during the President’s inaugural address. One of them, Bishop Wayne T Jackson, honors the Sabbath.  There are millionaires and billionares that honor the Sabbath. Some are Christian and some are Jewish. They display that honoring the Sabbath does not hinder us financially, socially, or otherwise. Some famous companies were formed by Sabbath keepers (such as Kellogg’s). For a modern example, research Billionaire Adam Neumann.

There have been professional athletes that also honored the Sabbath.  Dmitriy Salita is an Ukrainian-born welterweight boxer is an orthodox Jew who will not fight on the Sabbath. Ed Correa, from Puerto Rico, is a Seventh Day Adventist.  He played 3 seasons in the major leagues and was a starting pitcher. The Texas Rangers adjusted their rotation to accommodate Correa’s religious beliefs.

At the same time, there have been some athletes who left professional sports to honor the Sabbath. Trevor Bullock was a tremendous pitching prospect for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was considered one of their top minor-league pitchers. However, he was convicted about the seventh-day Sabbath and decided to walk away from the game altogether. When asked about having any regrets for leaving baseball, he said, “No. Well at first I regretted that I didn’t do it sooner. But then I look at the journey; it has made me stronger and made me trust God more. I am healthy, happy, and I’m getting married.” (to see more of his story, read: http://archives.adventistreview.org/2002-1538/story1.html).

I sincerely hope that this article will help you have a better understanding of Sabbath keepers and how to interact with them.

Kelly McDonald, Jr. is President of the Bible Sabbath Association (BSA)

www.biblesabbath.org

Israel of the Alps (DVD set)

The Waldenses were a group of Sabbath keepers who dwelt in the Swiss Alps for a period of just over 1,000 years. This stirring 3-part, 85 minute DVD, documents the History of these people. They were hunted down mercilessly by the Catholic Church. Despite intense sufferings they clung to the Word of God. Many lost their lives. This DVD was filmed live on location in the Alps.

To order this astounding documentary, click the link below!

https://biblesabbath.org/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=34&=SID

 

Correcting a Commonly Shared Meme

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

There is a specific meme (found above) that has been widely circulated by Sabbath keepers. The problem is it contains many historical inaccuracies. It is important to check our facts before sharing information to the public.  Let’s look at what is true and what is not about the meme.

First of all, Constantine was not a pope. Constantine was Emperor over the Western Roman Empire in 321 AD (and then over the entire Roman Empire in 324).

Secondly, it is TRUE that Constantine received a law on March 7, 321 AD regarding the observance of the day of the sun (what we call Sunday). The decree required people in cities to rest. People in the country, especially farmers, were exempted from this so they could work the fields. Here is a copy of the original decree:

“All judges, city dwellers, skill workers, and the offices of all should honor the venerable day of the sun and rest. However, those placed in the country freely serve the fields of culture, because it often happens that no other better on corn grains or vineyard transplant recommended that lost an important opportunity to benefit from the heavenly provision granted” (Codex Justinian: 3.12.2).

In the Latin, the phrase translated as “venerable day of the sun” is venerabilis dies solis. Constantine’s decision was based upon honoring and esteeming the celestial body we call the sun. There are no records of punishments for those who may have violated this law.

Third, this decree did not ban the True Sabbath. It simply added Sunday as a day of rest for most people.

Fourth, there was not another Sunday law passed eleven years later. Constantine passed two Sunday laws in 321; there are no records of Sunday laws being passed by Roman Emperors until 386 AD (CLICK HERE to learn more about other Sunday Laws in the Roman Empire).

Fifth, there is no evidence that Constantine put Christians to death for honoring the Sabbath. No such command is found in any of his decrees. At the end of his life, he was baptized by an Arian believer. The Arians had Sabbath-keeping tendencies. There is no evidence of anyone being put to death for the Sabbath at this time in European history. Constantine actually protected Sabbath observance (CLICK HERE to read more).

Lastly, the majority of Christians still honored the seventh-day Sabbath into the 400s/500s AD. Here are some primary sources that confirm these details: Chrysostom, Eight homilies against the Jews, 1.5 and Commentary on Galatians 1:7; Augustine, letters 36 and 82; Sozomen, Church History, 7:19; Socrates, Church History, 5:22, 6:8. To read these primary sources, just click the following link: Sabbath Keeping in the 300s/400s AD,

BREAK THROUGH DISCOVERY: Constantine protected Sabbath observance. To read more, click this link.

CLICK HERE to read a FREE book about Constantine and the Sabbath.

Thank you for reading and God bless!

Kelly McDonald, Jr.
BSA President http://www.biblesabbath.org

From Sabbath to Sunday

By Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi

 

In this intriguing book, Dr. Bacchiocchi explores in detail historical events that surround the Catholic Church changing the day of worship from Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday. He explores how paganism and Anti-Semitism played a large role in luring people away from Sabbath keeping.

Here is an excerpt from pages 185-185:

“The adoption and enhancement of Sunday as the exclusive new day of worship presupposes the abandonment and belittling of the Sabbath. We would presume therefore that the Church where Sunday worship was first introduced and enforced adopted some measures to discourage Sabbath observance. While it must be admitted that we have evidence for the observance of both days, particularly in the East, this must be viewed as a compromise solution on the part of those who wished to retain the old Sabbath while at the same time accepting the new Sunday worship. Their very concern to preserve some type of Sabbath observance disqualifies them as the pioneers of Sunday-keeping, since they could hardly have championed the new day while trying to retain the old. In the church of Rome, the situation was substantially different. Not only was Sunday worship urged there, but concrete measures were also taken to wean Christians away from any veneration of the Sabbath…”

To order this book, please click the link below:

https://biblesabbath.org/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=9&=SID