Christian Worship and the Sabbath Day

by Wayne L. Atchison

Christian belief is manifested in what is practiced: Christianity is not just philosophy or speaking spiritual words, it is also the practice and life-style of good deeds which demonstrate our commitment to Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is a Way of life, based upon what is believed to be true. In order to not be mislead into believing errors, it is important for Christians to always question what is taught to them.

The Scriptures remind Christians that it is not for them to make judgments about another Christian's Spiritual status: these questions and judgments are to be left to God. However, even without judging the person, it can be agreed that God tells Christians not to practice errors, nor to be unrighteousness (I John 3:7) and to be holy just as God is holy (I Peter 1:15). Therefore, what may be said is that a Christian is not supposed to practice errors, and should therefore earnestly avoid being deceived into doing so.

The Most Widely Accepted Error In Modern Christianity

Doing a little historical research into the Christian Sabbath Day, it becomes obvious that a major deception has been promulgated for multitudinous generations: For over 1,600 years the majority of the Christian world has been taught, and has accepted without question, that Sunday is the Christian's day of worship. Yet the Scriptures, historical records, and direct quotations from every major Christian denomination, all agree that this commonly taught belief is a blatant error. The truth is that God's Sabbath day has always been the seventh day of the week-(which today is called) Saturday.

his deception regarding Sunday (as being the Christian day of worship) has been passed down since the fourth century A.D.; most people who believe this lie have themselves not questioned it by comparing the history and doctrines of their church with the teachings of the Bible. As both the Scriptures and historical records show, there have always been large numbers of Christians, found throughout the world, who worship Jesus Christ on the Sabbath day, rather than on Sunday. Even the great Protestant missionary movement of the last two centuries discovered previously established and thriving villages of Sabbathkeeping Christian congregations in China, Asia, South America, Africa, and the Pacific Islands.

The practice of going to worship services on the day of the Sun (Sunday) instead of on the Sabbath day is a deception that was literally forced upon the congregations which were within the Roman Empire. At that time, congregations outside of the Roman Empire were not influenced so directly, and continued to worship on the Sabbath day.

Even within the Roman Empire, the practice of Sunday worship was not part of the earliest Christian communities-including the Gentile communities. As historical records show, this deception was not made into a "Christian tenet of faith" until over 300 years (between ten to fifteen generations) after Jesus Christ's resurrection. Though some scholars claim to have found a reference a congregation holding worship Services on Sunday as early as 115 A.D, it is still admitted that prior to that all Christians everywhere, including Gentile Christians, worshipped Jesus Christ on the Sabbath Day.

The Sunday worship deception was proclaimed as "truth" by a decree of the Bishop at Rome (circa 325-333 A.D.). The record of historical documents shows that his purpose was to separate Christianity from the Jewish religion as far as possible. At the same time, it was decreed to keep the festival of Easter (Ishtar) instead of the Passover.

Most older encyclopedias describe these events under the title "Quarto-Deciman Controversy." These (and other) decrees by the Bishop of Rome were the cause of the first major (international) split in the church, whereby most of the other Bishops (there were 14 other major Bishops) refused to go along with the decrees. Their reply (also preserved in historical documents) declared that the Roman Bishop's mixing of Christianity with Sun-god worship was unacceptable; as a result, most outside Christian congregations (which were beyond the threat of Roman armies) rejected the Roman Bishop's decree, and continued as before-to worship Jesus Christ on Saturday.

Upon "all" other believers, the practice of going to church on Sunday was forced by decree-punishable by death or slavery-and was enforced by the Roman government's army and judicial system. Many Christians within the Roman domain lost their lives, or were forced into slavery as the Roman armies imposed the Sunday worship decrees. Later, this practice included forcing all businesses to close and everyone (whole villages) to attend Sunday worship in "mass."

Further, businesses were forced to be open on Saturdays, and work schedules had to include working on Saturdays. By the Crusades of the Middle Ages, the practice of Papal coercion included converting new members into the fold of the Roman Catholic Church by forcing them, at sword point, for confessions (oaths) and to submit to water baptism. This was often how mass groups of entire villages were "converted."

As a result of such severe enforcement, over the course of many years, the western culture was transformed to regard Saturday as the opposite of God's Sabbath day, believing it to be a day of business and labor. Likewise, Sunday is regarded as the opposite of the day of Baal-the day of the Sun-god; it is believed to be the day to worship Jesus Christ. Since our schools primarily teach history from the Roman point of view, people never hear about the much larger portion of Christians that remained faithful to the practice of worshipping God on Saturday-His memorial day of creation.

Even having these facts behind the Sunday worship deception (since circa 330 A.D.), this deception has been taught as being the unquestioned "sacred" truth in most Christian denominations. Most Christians today, are completely unaware that there could possibly be any problem associated with worshipping God on the day of the sun, rather than on His Sabbath day. After all, one day honors the god of the sun, while the other day is the memorial of the creation by the Creator God.

Creation Week

In the book of Genesis, verses 1-25, the earth has been prepared for five days for God's creation of mankind. On the sixth day God created the first man and woman: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" (v. 26). "And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day" (v. 31).

On the seventh day God created the Sabbath Day: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all his work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made" (Gen. 2:1-3).

There are two Hebrew words in verses 2 and 3 that should be understood before proceeding, because they specify how the Creator God views the Sabbath Day: The Hebrew word 'quadash': The word translated as "sanctified", comes from the Hebrew word 'quadash', and means "to be hallowed, holy, to consecrate, prepare, dedicate," and is a denominative verb. The verb 'quadash', being a denominative verb, connotes the state of that which belongs in the realm of what is sacred. Thus, a "sanctified" object is distinct from the "common or profane" object. Therefore, the seventh day is distinct and set apart as being holy time, in the realm of what is sacred, in contrast to the other six days. It is a separated time, from the rest of time.

The Hebrew word 'barak': The word translated as "blessed", is the Hebrew word 'barak', and means "to kneel, praise or salute." The word's major function is to confer honor, worship, high esteem and acknowledgment. For God to bless, as in Genesis 2:2-3, means that God has taken notice of the seventh day, and has saluted it with His favorable esteem.

From these verses in Genesis it is apparent that the seventh day of the week has a very special significance to God, since He gave it a special blessing and then set it apart as being sacred time. From the very beginning of creation, God intended Adam and Eve, and all their children, to keep the seventh day as holy time. This is the one day a week specifically reserved to worship God and remember His creation.

Also of note is that God's sanctification of the Sabbath day had nothing whatsoever to do with the law of Moses, the Ten Commandments, or sacrificing animals. In contrast, it is important to note that the first day of the week (Sunday) was not sanctified by God anywhere in the Scriptures-neither in the old or the new covenant. Sunday worship was never introduced by God-but was, and is, a creation and institution of men.

The Seven Day Weekly Cycle

It is not by accident that all world governments use exactly the same seven day weekly cycle. Even though each culture has a different name for each day, different names for the months, or different numbers for the year, they all use the same seven day cycle, called a week. Of course men have invented other "weeks", but the seven day week has always prevailed throughout history.

Upon checking the common Gregorian calendar [with the exception of some calendars which are numbered for banking or accounting purposes], you will find, looking from left to right, that Sunday is the first day of the week, followed in order by [second] Monday, [third] Tuesday, [fourth] Wednesday, [fifth] Thursday, [sixth] Friday, and [seventh] Saturday. Saturday is the seventh day of the week in our modern world wide culture. If you have an opportunity to check older calendars, dating back as far as you can find, even from other countries, you will find the same relationship between Saturday and Sunday. Sunday is the first day of the week, and Saturday is the seventh day of the week. Further, it has been established that this seven-day weekly cycle has never been disrupted or broken, even back to the time of Adam and Eve.

Through archaeological digs, many ancient manuscripts have been found dating back to events occurring in each of the centuries between today and 600 B.C. These manuscripts provide recorded dates of astronomical events, dates of monumental battles, dates of weddings, dates of business transactions, and some even include references to the Sabbath day. In every instance where a date is specified, and also provides reference to a Sabbath day, that date and the Sabbath day match exactly to demonstrate that the seven day weekly cycle has never been disrupted. Calendar systems have come and gone, but the seven day weekly cycle has perpetuated throughout history.

One example is found in "The Talmud the Steinsaltz Edition", Volume XIV Tractate Ta'anit Part II ( 1995 by Israel Institute for Talmudic Publications and Milta Books), pages 205-206. It says the following regarding the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem-built by Solomon, and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's army: Page 205: "Then late on the day of the ninth, close to nightfall, they set the Temple on fire, and it continued to burn the entire next day, on the tenth." Page 206: "When the Temple was destroyed for the first time at the hands of Nebuzaradan [captain of the guard], that day was the ninth of Av, and it was the day following Shabbat, and it was the year following the Sabbatical Year.... And similarly when the Temple was destroyed a second time at the hands of Titus, the destruction occurred on the very same day, on the ninth of Av."

In II Kings 25:8-9 we learn that this event occurred in the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar. These ancient records provide a clear example of reporting both a known event, the destruction of Solomon's temple, and that event happening relative to a Sabbath day. The ending of the Sabbath day would be at sunset, as the Babylonian / Jerusalem calendar's day ends at sunset. For this same reason, the ninth of Ab would start at sunset, extending for about 24 hours after that, through Sunday afternoon, to the next sunset. Therefore the first temple was destroyed starting on Saturday evening, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

By other analysis, Nebuchadnezzar's nineteenth year can be calculated to be in 587 B.C. In that year the ninth of Ab unmistakably began at sunset on Saturday night. Thus, two historical records reference a weekday Sabbath, relative to a month, day, and specific year. The fact that they match demonstrates that the identification of which week day is the Sabbath day has not been corrupted for the last 2500 years, between now and 587 B.C.

As a related historical note, the second temple was likewise destroyed by the Roman army under Titus in 70 A.D. In 70 A.D., the ninth of Ab also began at sunset on Saturday night, just as with the first destruction.

Since God, after the exodus circa 1450 B.C., used the laying out of the manna to demonstrate which days were work days and which day was the Sabbath day of rest, it is certain that the weekly seven-day cycle has not been interrupted throughout most of the Bible's historical time frame, from Moses to Jesus.

The History Of Sun Worship

Attending worship services on Sunday did not begin with the advent of Christianity. Sunday, the first day of the week, has been a religious day of worship throughout history. The activity of worshipping 'god' on Sunday was intentionally used to distinguish those who worshipped "the Mother and Child", in contrast to those who worshipped the "Invisible Creator God" on the seventh day of the week. This alternative worship system began over 4300 years ago with Nimrod (Osirus), a man who rebelled against God, and was deified by Semiramis (Isis), his sister and wife.

Shortly after the great flood, during the life time of Shem, a son of Noah, Nimrod and his sister, named Semiramis, founded the great religions which have survived to this day. Nimrod rebelled against God, and set himself up as a 'local' deity. He married his sister, Semiramis, and together they started an underground (hidden or occult) priesthood with worship ceremonies. This was done in rebellion to the priesthood sanctified by God, represented through Noah and Shem.

Shem, upon hearing of Nimrod's activities, and after repeated warnings, gathered an army and sought to capture him. Nimrod fled, but was eventually captured and executed for his rebellion. The execution included the cutting of Nimrod into many pieces, whereby each piece was sent to a specific region of the world as proof of his death and as a warning against following his rebellious religion.

Semiramis, upon hearing of the death of her husband, sought after and gathered each piece of Nimrod and reconstructed his body. She then had sexual intercourse with the body of Nimrod (more probably with her high priest) who allegedly became alive again long enough for her to conceive. Later, Semiramis bore "Nimrod's only Son" called "Ninus (Horus), the savior", and claimed that she supernaturally conceived the child. As proof that the child was the reincarnated Nimrod, only taking the form of a child, Semiramis claimed that she witnessed an evergreen branch grow out of a dead log in one night, the same night the child was born. (This is the yule-log as it is known today.)

Later, Semiramis was deified into the title of "The Mother, The Queen of Heaven", and the child-savior was portrayed as a child-god held in her arms. The first "mother and child" nativity story was told over 4300 years ago, 2300 years before Jesus the Messiah was born.

Incidentally, Ninus is listed as being the second Pharaoh of Egypt, and started the practice of believing that the King is also 'a god', and sun-day-worship. The concept of a god-king has prevailed many times throughout history, and is still held to be true in Japan, believing that the emperor is a god.

Today, archaeologists find remains of temples and idols all over the world having the same common religious theme, the theme of the "Mother and Child" being worshipped as the "Queen of Heaven, and her child-god the 'savior'".

For instance, in Babylon they worshipped a "Goddess Mother" and a "Son of God", who was represented as an infant in his mother's arms. In Egypt the Mother and Child was worshipped under the names of Isis and Osiris. In India they still are worshipped as Isi and Iswara. In Asia they were worshipped as Cybele and Deoius. In Rome as Fortuna and Jupiter-puer, or Jupiter the boy. Other eastern nations worshipped Rhea, the "Great Goddess Mother". In Greece as Ceres the "Great Mother" with "the babe" at her breast, or else as Irene the "Goddess of Peace" and the boy Plutus. Even in the Orient the Jesuit missionaries were astonished to find the counterpart of the Madonna and her child being worshipped as Shing Moo, the Holy Mother and the "child in her arms". (Reference: "The Two Babylons", by Rev. Alexander Hislop. 1916. Loizeaux Brothers, Inc. Reference: "Babylon Mystery Religion", by Ralph Woodrow. 1981.)

It is well known by Bible scholars and archaeologists that the gods and goddesses of the ancient civilizations prior to Christianity were all started by one and the same false religion. In these false religious alternatives, "The Lord" was represented by the sun, and therefore those who worship "The Lord," worship him on his day, or sun-day.

Israel And Sun-Day Worship

By studying the Bible Christians know that one of the main false religions that the Israelites followed, when they departed away from God's way, was to practice the worship of Baal. Baalism is known to be a religion of sun worship. The word translated as "Baal" is from the ancient Hebrew language and means "The Lord." When ancient Israel worshipped Baal they kept Sunday, because Baal-worship was sun-worship, and sun-day is the day when the sun is worshipped. As sun-day was Baal's day, or the Lord's day, the ancient Israelites began to keep the first day of the week as their day of worship, in contrast to God's worship day, the seventh day of the week.

The contrast between Sunday worship and Sabbath-Day worship is not confusing. It is historical and straight forward. Readers of the Bible do not become confused when they read the scriptures and find that the Israelites rebelled against God by worshipping "The Lord." They do not become confused by thinking that "The Lord" (Baal) is just another name for "The invisible Creator God," and then begin to wonder why God is all upset about a simple name variation? The worship of Baal, whether you call it the worship of "The Lord" or call it something else, is distinguished from the worship of the true Creator God by what they did, not the words they used to describe their deity. What they did was worship "their god" on sun-day, called it worshipping "The Lord," and thereby denied the Creator God who decreed that He is to be worshipped on His Creation-Day, Saturday.

History Of The Authority Of The Pope

As part of the doctrine of the sun-worship religion, they believed that the king, or emperor, was the direct representative of the sun god on earth. As such, the king was more than just mortal, but was king-god, or god-king. He was the only one in whom the highest level of the spirit of the sun-deity resided. This 'spirit' was not the Holy Spirit of God, but the 'spirit' of the sun. This is why the pagan emperors were worshipped as god. The religious center representing sun-worship was transferred from Babylon, after the death of Belshazzar, to the city of Pergamos in Asia Minor, about 575 B.C.

In Revelation 2:13, Pergamos is called "Satan's seat," and was the headquarters of the original Babylonian sun-worship until Imperial Rome began to take over the leadership around 50 B.C. This began in the person of Julius Caesar when, as emperor, he had supreme civil and religious rule. "... When Julius Caesar, who had previously been elected Pontifex Maximus, became also, as Emperor, the supreme civil ruler of the Romans, then as head of Roman religion, all the powers and functions of the true legitimate Babylonian Pontiff were supremely vested in him, and he found himself in a position to assert these powers" (From Sabbath to Sunday, Samuele Bacchiocchi, 1977, p. 241).

In the year 46 B.C., Julius Caesar was made "Praefectus Morum" (supervisor of morals); that is, he was made head of Roman religions. In the year 44 B.C., he was made dictator for life (see Langer's Encyclopedia of World History).

It is essential to understand that from that time forward, the Emperor of Rome was also head of the state religions. This did not change until Emperor Justinian, who reigned from 527-565 A.D., submitted to the head of the Roman Catholic Church. From that time forward, the Pope was acknowledged by the Emperor to be Pontifex Maximus over all religion. The Pope now had supreme authority in religious matters and the Emperors had control of the political power of the state.(... End of first half....Part Two next issue!)

The very same Pontifex Maximus High Priesthood of the Babylonian Talmudic Sanhedrin and all of its wizards the Chabad Lubavitch unto their g-d Baal and their false-Church of Rome the Pontifex Maximus has finally been rejoined to establish the World Religion of Satan, Talmudic Pontifex Maximus the Prophet of their soon to be anointed but Temporary Moshiach ben Satan, false-Christ, their god of this world. But they shall fail to establish their Vision, for the Lord Jesus Christ the True King of the Universe will bring in the True Zion to Jerusalem and God's True Chosen, they who were purchased by the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, the Lamb of God the Most High, Christ Jesus.

It was and continues to be these sons of the synagogue of Satan who hate Jesus Christ the Lord God Almighty. It is and was these Pharisees of the Babylonian god tradition the rabbi's of the great Sanhedrin who made void the word of God the Most High with their oral traditions of the Babylonian High Priesthood's Order of Nimrod, the Pontifex Maximus. It is and has been and will continue to be them who in their Mishnah Tractate Sanhedrin who so detest Gentile's that they say a Gentile deserves death if he worships on the Sabbath day, thus the control of the Rome Pontifex Maximus was to cause the Gentiles to worhip on their actual god Baal's day, the Sun god's day the sun-day. It was them who sent their Pontifex Maximus in the Order of Babylon to cause any who would worship after Jesus Christ, to establish another day of celebrating the birth of Immanuel into their sun-god baal. Thus the day of the new birth of the sun, after winter soltice, December 25, the day the sun has finished the old round and begins the New Year round. This god, Baal who was and is none other than Nimrod, was represented as a fir tree which became known to the pagan's guided by the Talmudic controll as a christ-mas tree. The yule log was a growth of that fir tree, Nino's the son of Nimrod. Thus Jeremiah 10:

This Illustration was posted to educate apathetic sleeping "Judeo-Churchizionians of the influences at work to undermine the Christ-mas celebration. The author of this work, has attempted to coerce and threaten to have it removed.