INTRODUCTION: When mankind sinned against his Creator, he lost his garden home. There were two institutions, however, that God had given him in Eden that he brought out with him - marriage and the Sabbath. 1. When and by whom was the Sabbath instituted? Genesis 2:1-2 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Exodus 31:17 2. When does the Sabbath begin and end? Leviticus 23:32 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: “Even” in the Bible means evening or sunset, so the Sabbath begins at sunset Friday evening and ends at sunset on Sabbath. God’s time is not man’s time. Genesis 1:5 says, that after God created light and separated it from the darkness, that the evening and the morning were the first day. God saw fit for the day to begin in the evening. The same is true for every day of creation, thus including the Sabbath. Genesis 1:8, 13, 19, 23, 31. See also, Mark 15:42, where Jesus was crucified and because “even” or sunset was close at hand, the body of Jesus was removed from the cross and placed in the tomb so that Sabbath could be honored.) 3. What was Christ’s role in creation? John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Colossians 1:16 4. Besides resting on the seventh day, what did God do? Genesis 2:3 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: By three distinct acts the Sabbath was set apart: God rested on it, He blessed it, and He sanctified it (or set it apart for a holy purpose).   5. For whose benefit did God do this? Mark 2:27 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: Man in Eden rejected his relationship with God, as the Creator, and disobeyed. It was as if he thought he could act contrary to God’s expressed will and suffer no consequences – as if he had life independent of his Creator. By giving us the Sabbath as a memorial of creation, God seeks to keep ever before our minds that all we are comes from Him. In this He reveals not only our total dependence upon Him, but also His great love for us.) 6. What is the purpose of the Sabbath? Exodus 20:11; Psalm 135:13 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 7. What reason is given for Sabbath keeping? Exodus 20:10-11 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 8. Apart from Genesis 2, how do we know the Sabbath was part of God’s will before the Ten Commandments were given on Mt. Sinai? Exodus 20:8 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: It should be noted that the children of Israel were in slavery for 430 years and had forgotten the Sabbath and all that it meant by reason of their enslavement? 9. What, since it is part of the Ten Commandments, does the Sabbath commandment require? Exodus 20:8-10 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Genesis 35:2; Jeremiah 17:22; Lev. 23:3 10. How did God prove Israel in the wilderness pertaining to the Sabbath? Exodus 16:4 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 11. How did this test them? Exodus 16:5 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: By testing the people on the Sabbath, God could rightly judge whether or not they would keep the rest of His law. 12. Did they pass this first test? Exodus 16:27-28 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 13. Of what was the Sabbath a sign? Exodus 31:13 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Ezekiel 20:12 NOTE: The people could not of themselves, (no more than we), keep God’s law as has been demonstrated over and over again in the lives of all who have ever lived. The Sabbath is to remind us that we are dependent upon our Creator for everything, including obedience. If we fail to keep holy the Sabbath, it is certain we will fail of keeping the rest of God’s precepts, for we have failed to recognize the sign God gave, whereby we acknowledge our dependence on Him for righteousness. 14. In order to be sanctified, one must first be converted. Does the Sabbath have any connection with redemption? 2Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 8:10 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Ephesians 2:10; 4:22-24 NOTE: Because of sin, man’s changed condition required redemption as well as creation, in order to return him to his Creator. Only the Creator could also re-create the new man that occurs at the point of salvation. Thus, honoring the Sabbath, remembering God as Creator, is essential to also remember how we are redeemed and converted. 15. By what sign did God set apart those who worship Him from those who worship false gods? Ezekiel 20:20 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 16. How did God describe those who worshipped Him by keeping the Sabbath? Isaiah 58:13-14 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 17. Did Christ change the law in any respect? Matthew 5:17-18 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 18. What did Christ say He was in relation to the Sabbath? Luke 6:5 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 19. What did He have to say of those who would seek to lessen any of its obligations? Matthew 5:19 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 20. Is it possible to keep nine of the ten precepts of God’s law and find acceptance? James 2:10 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 21. What was the custom of Christ in regard to the Sabbath? Luke 4:16 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 22. Did Christ expect His followers to observe the Sabbath Commandment following His resurrection? Matthew 24:15-20 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: The destruction of Jerusalem occurred in 70 A.D. The Sabbath, therefore, was certainly commanded by Christ as late as that time. 23. On what day did Paul and Barnabas go into the synagogue at Antioch? Acts 13:14 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 24. After the sermon had been preached by Paul, and the Jews had all left the synagogue, what did the Gentiles request of the apostles? Acts 13:42 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: This was as late as A.D.45. The Jews had all left the meeting, and as Paul was the minister to the Gentiles, there was nothing to deter the apostle from announcing a meeting for them on the following day, Sunday, if that was to be the Christian Sabbath. But nothing to this effect is said in this or any other text. 25. What was the result of this request by the Gentiles? Acts 13:44 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 26. On what day did the women at Philippi hold their prayer meeting? Acts 16:13 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 27. What was Paul’s customary day to hold or conduct religious services? Acts 17:1-2, 18:4 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 28. What especially does the judgment hour message of Revelation call upon us to do? Revelation 14:6-7 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: It is in His role as Creator that we are called to worship Him. The Sabbath is the sign given to men by which they show God respect as Creator. 29. Will the Sabbath be celebrated in eternity? Isaiah 66:23 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ The Sabbath was given to man at creation and re-states in peals of thunder at Mt. Sinai to the children of Israel. Within the pages of Scripture there cannot be found any such command that does away with the Sabbath or that changes it from being observed on any other day but the seventh. Nor is there any other sign as a memorial of creation or of His sanctifying power given anywhere. (Exodus 31:13, 17) Many will profess in the last day to have had a relationship with Christ, but will find their profession worthless because they refused to observe the day God set apart from all others, the seventh day Sabbath. See, e.g., Matthew 7:21-23 What is your decision today? Will you be willing to acknowledge God as the Creator and Redeemer and honor Him on the day that He set aside to remember and worship Him? MY RESPONSE TO CHRIST IS: □ YES □ UNDECIDED Email us at: admin@thebiblesays.net