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SHABBAT
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY
ABOUT SHABBAT - (THE SABBATH) It
goes without saying that this is by far one of the most debated subjects in
Christian history. Over 3,000 dissertations and treatises have been
published on this subject since the time of the Reformation and the major
question is this; Who made the change
from the Sabbath (the 7th day, Saturday) to Sunday (the 1st day) and how did it
come about? Going back to early
Christian history we find that Sunday observance and worship began in the early
part of the second century when the Roman Emperor Hadrian issued a most
repressing anti-Jewish and anti-Sabbath legislation in A.D. 135. This
started the separation between Jewish believers and Gentile believers. Up
until this time the standard practice of all believers was Sabbath Day worship
(the 7th day). However, in order to avoid persecution, the Gentile
believers began to distance themselves from the Jewish believers and the change
from Saturday to Sunday worship began. By the time Constantine came on the
scene the practice of Sunday worship was not unusual and although Constantine
did not introduce Sunday observance he did make the "Day of the Sun" a civil
holiday by issuing the famous Sunday Law in AD. 321.
This law was extremely anti-Jewish, outlawing
anything, or any practice within the "Christian Church", that was Jewish in
nature. This included things like the Sabbath and Shabbat celebration, the
Feasts of Leviticus 23, the wearing of Jewish religious garments, etc. In
their place Constantine made it law that the people in his Empire would rest and
worship on Sunday, and that Easter would replace the Passover. All things
Jewish were under a ban!
The Gentile Christians chose to separate
themselves from the Jewish believers to avoid persecution or worse, by choosing
to be politically correct in adopting the "Day of the Sun", and Easter, rather
than to be Biblically correct by observing the seventh-day Sabbath, Passover,
and the other things under the ban. This of
coarse is an overview of the history of the church and not an in depth study.
If you want an in depth study you you can order the cd's or the pamphlet, "What
the Bible teaches about the Sabbath", from the Shiloh Store.
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