Sabbath Day: On the Saturday or Sunday?

“Sabbath Day: On the Saturday or Sunday?”

What day is the Sabbath day, the day to worship God? It may seem like a simple question, yet answers can vary among individuals. It is a common assumption that Sunday is the day to worship God. There are some who respond, saying, “Well, I go to church on both Saturdays and Sundays.” And still, others might even say, “Isn’t the act of worshipping God more important than anything else? So, I can worship God on any day. It doesn’t have to be only on Saturday or Sunday.”

While the answers above may sound plausible, it is crucial to discern what day God gave for worship. This is because the Bible, which is given to us for our salvation, warns us that we should neither add nor take words away from it.

Revelation 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

Suppose we try to add to or take away any words from the Bible, what will happen to us? Similarly, what if we distort the words of God with our own assumptions? It is the same with the Sabbath day. More importantly, if we do not know the day to worship God, how could we practice our faith? Determining the right day for worshiping God is the crucial first step.

Sabbath Day and Its Origin

The word ‘Sabbath’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘Shabbat’, which means “to rest”, in which no work is to be done. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we can see that God created the heavens and earth in six days and came to rest on the seventh day.

Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. The seventh-day Sabbath is of such great significance that it was later made as the fourth of the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 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.

The day God made holy is the seventh day, and God said, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” We do not remember all 365 days in a year, but we do remember special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. As God told us to remember the Sabbath day out of other days, it would contain a special meaning.

Sabbath Day: Which Day of the Week Is It?

Which day of the week is the Sabbath day? It is said to be the seventh day of the week. Through various sources, we can find out which day of the week the Sabbath day is.

Sabbath in the Dictionary

When we examine the dictionaries, such as the Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionary, we can see that Sunday is defined as the first day of the week, while Saturday is the seventh day of the week.

“Sunday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary: the first day of the week

“Saturday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary: the seventh day of the week

In some languages, ‘Sabbath’ and ‘Saturday’ share the same word, which reflects a connection between the two words. Here are some examples:

1. Shabbat (Hebrew)
2. Sabt (Arabic)
3. Sávvato (Greek)
4. Sabato (Italian)
5. Sábado (Spanish and Portuguese)
6. Sobota (Polish and Czech)

The list goes on, but it is safe to say that the Sabbath, the day of rest, and the seventh day, falls on Saturday, and not on Sunday.

Sabbath Day in the Bible

What is most important is the day which the Bible testifies as the Sabbath, since it is the word of God. The Bible lets us know that the seventh-day, Sabbath, is on Saturday. Because it is common knowledge that Jesus resurrected on Sunday in the Bible. And we can see in the Bible that Sunday is referred to as the first day of the week.

Mark 16:9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week…

Mark 16:9 (New Living Translation) After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning…

When we read Mark 16:1-2, we can see that the Sabbath was over and the first day of the week, Sunday came after. Therefore, the biblical Sabbath could not have been on Sunday. Rather, the Sabbath day falls on the day before Sunday, that is, Saturday.

Sabbath Day as Described by Catholic Authors

Among various churches’ denominations, the Roman Catholic Church also acknowledges that the Sabbath day is on Saturday. We can confirm this fact through the books written by the Archbishop of Baltimore, James Cardinal Gibbons (‘The Faith of Our Fathers’) and the Professor at the University of Notre Dame, John A. O’Brien (‘The Faith of Millions’).

The Faith of Our Fathers by James Cardinal Gibbons (page 72 to 73)

Not to mention other examples, is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.

The Faith of Millions by John A. O’Brien (page 137)

I have read the Bible from the first verse of Genesis to the last verse of Revelations, and have found no reference to the duty of sanctifying the Sunday. The day mentioned in the Bible is not the Sunday, the first day of the week but the Saturday, the last day of the week.

We can ascertain the fact that the seventh-day Sabbath day is on Saturday, the day that God blessed and made holy, based on the evidence above. If we want to receive God’s blessings, we must observe the Sabbath day, which is the seventh day that God blessed and made holy.

Why Is the Sabbath Day Not kept Nowadays?

Why do churches keep services on Sunday these days? To understand this, we need to understand the circumstances of an earlier time.

Jesus showed the example of keeping the Sabbath and his disciples followed his example (Luke 4:16, Acts 17:2). After Christ preached the gospel in Israel 2,000 years ago, his disciples spread Christianity to the Roman Empire with the Sabbath still being kept. At that time, the worship of the sun-god, Mithra, had gained popularity among the Romans. Mithra was worshipped among Roman soldiers as an invincible god that embodied values such as loyalty and bravery. Mithraism was also accepted by imperial families and nobles. The day to worship Mithra was on the Sunday.

Robert Leo Odom, Sunday in Roman Paganism, TEACH Services, Inc., page 155

That Sunday was the sacred day of Mithra, the Invincible Sun, is a fact known and taught by many outstanding authorities of modern times. For example, a well known Roman Catholic work, The Catholic Encyclopedia, not only states that in Mithraism “the seven days of the week were dedicated to the planets,” but also declares, “Sunday was kept holy in honor of Mithra.”

Being very different from the religion of the Roman Empire, Christianity was persecuted. However, the faith of the Christians were strengthened and its growth continued.

In A.D. 313, the Roman Emperor, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan to manage the conflicting beliefs in the empire. The Edict of Milan was a huge change of trajectory in the persecution of Christianity. Seemingly, Constantine favoured the Christians by acknowledging Christianity and carried out policies benefiting them. However, Constantine did not genuinely believe in Christianity as observed when he held onto his title as the high priest of the sun-god, Pontifex Maximus, even towards the end of his life.

Tim Dowley, The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook), Lion Publishing, 1994, page 140

“Constantine did, indeed, retain the pagan high priest’s title of Pontifex Maximus, and for a decade his coins continued to feature some of the pagan gods, notably his own favorite deity, the Unconquered Sun… It is important to understand Constantine’s previous religion, the worship of the Unconquered Sun… Constantine continued to identify the sun with the Christian God in some way.”

He still actively participated in pagan festivals and had the roman coin showing the symbol of the pagan god, the Unconquered Sun. Through the Edict of Milan, Constantine instead sought to use Christianity to unite the Roman empire.

J. W. C. Wand, A History of the Early Church to A.D. 500, Routledge, 2006, page 131 

“But as the reign progressed Constantine supported the Christians more and more, and one can only conclude that his aim was to make of Christianity the cement that was to bind together the whole Empire.”

Peculiarly, Constantine associated Christ with the sun-god, and thus, mixed Christianity with the sun-god religion. Notably, the decree of Sunday legislation issued in A.D. 321 showed his intentions.

Tim Dowley, The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook), Lion Publishing, 1994, page 152

“All judges, city-people and craftsmen shall rest on the venerable day of the Sun… 7 March 321.”

CONSTANTINE’S Edict

Through the words, ‘venerable day of the Sun’, we can see that the Sunday law was made for the Mithra sun-god worshippers. The Mithra worshippers had no reason to object to the edict since they regarded Sunday to be a holy day.

From the beginning of Christianity until this edict was made, the Sabbath day, which is Saturday was the worship day of Christianity. However, with the Sunday legislation in effect, Christians living in the Roman Empire had to give up keeping the biblical Sabbath and practice the worship of the sun-god on Sunday. If they wanted to keep their faith, they had to go elsewhere. The practice of Sunday worship has since been passed on until now. This sequence of events explains why churches today keep the Sunday worship instead of the biblical Sabbath Day on Saturday.

Keeping the Sabbath Day Is God’s Will

Now that we have understood the origin and history of Sunday service, it just goes to show that Sunday service was made by men, and not by God. If we worship God on Sunday despite such strong evidence that the Sabbath day is on Saturday, can we truly say that we belong to God?

John 8:47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.

God’s people listen to the words of God. To remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy is God’s words and commandment. On the other hand, Sunday service never originated from God. No matter how one keeps the Sunday service wholeheartedly, he or she will not be able to receive blessings from God. Without God’s blessings, how will we be able to receive salvation? This is why Jesus warns that only those who do the will of God can enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

According to the words of Jesus, the way to be saved is to do the will of God. By God’s word, God gave His promise of blessings through the Sabbath day. Therefore, let’s do the will of God by keeping the Sabbath day holy, so that we can enter the kingdom of heaven.