FACTS CONCERNING THE SEVENTH DAY
By C. P. Bollman
Which Is the Sabbath Day? Why Keep Sunday? NEARLY all Christian people observe one day each week, with more or less strictness, as a Sabbath, or day of rest. The majority—indeed, a very large majority—keep Sunday, the first day of the week; but a much smaller number observe the seventh day, corresponding as nearly as may be with Saturday, though Saturday is reckoned from midnight to midnight, while the Bible day is from sunset to sunset. If you, dear reader, are one of the majority who observe the first day, let us ask why you do so. But before you answer even in your own mind, let us give you a few facts regarding the two days. FACTS CONCERNING THE SEVENTH DAY
This day set apart at creation was observed before the law was given at Sinai. See Ex. 16: 23-30. The Sabbath law is embosomed in the Decalogue, being closely associated with the other nine moral precepts. It is of this law the Saviour says, “One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matt. 5: 18. Prophecy foretells a reform touching the Sabbath, and exhorts those who are breaking it to cease so doing. See Isa. 58: 13. The Sabbath will be carried over into the new earth state and will be observed by the redeemed. See Isa. 66: 22, 23. The Sabbath was observed by Christ. See Mark 1: 21. The disciples rested upon that day while Christ lay in the grave. Luke 23: 56. The apostles uniformly observed it, and in Rev. 1: 10 it is called “the Lord’s day.” The claim has been made in behalf of Sunday that it is the Lord’s day. But interpreting scripture by scripture, we can come to only one conclusion in reference to the matter; namely, that John was in the Spirit, or in other words that he had his vision, upon the Sabbath of the Lord. See Ex. 20: 10; Isa. 58: 13; and Mark 2: 28. Now as touching the first day, or Sunday, it is scarcely necessary to do more than remark that there is absolutely no Scriptural evidence to show that either Christ or the apostles ever attached any sacredness whatever to that day. The texts relied upon to prove otherwise do not prove it, nor do they even intimate anything of the kind. Sunday observance is merely a custom brought into the church of Gentile converts who, as heathen, had been in the habit of keeping that day as a festival in honor of the sun-god. Later the day was styled “the Lord’s day” as a sort of compromise with the heathen. Converts from paganism were permitted to retain their weekly festival, but were taught to observe it in honor of the Son instead of the s-u-n. It was always only a human festival, and is only a human festival to-day.