Why Do Sabbatherians Believe in Sabbath and What Is the Correct Way by the Bible?
1) Direct answer
Sabbath-keepers hold the seventh day because the fourth commandment told Israel to keep it holy, and because God rested the seventh day at creation. They read those verses as permanently binding on all. But the New Testament shows the Sabbath command, as a day to be kept, was a shadow pointing to Christ. The true Sabbath for the believer is entering God’s rest by faith—receiving the Holy Spirit and ceasing from our own works. So the correct way by the Bible is not bondage to a calendar, but rest in Christ and liberty from being judged about days.
2) Scriptural explanation
- Creation and the Law to Israel: “God…rested the seventh day” (Genesis 2:2-3). “Remember the sabbath day” (Exodus 20:8-11). God called it a sign “between me and the children of Israel” (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12).
- Jesus’ authority and purpose: “The Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” (Matthew 12:8). “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27). He did good on the Sabbath, showing mercy outranks ritual (Matthew 12:10-13).
- Fulfillment in Christ: “Let no man therefore judge you… in respect of… the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind… he that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord” (Romans 14:5-6).
- The real rest: “We which have believed do enter into rest” (Hebrews 4:3). “There remaineth therefore a rest [sabbatismos] to the people of God… he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10). Jesus said, “Come unto me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), not “Come to a certain day.”
- Gentile liberty: When the apostles addressed Gentile believers, they did not place Sabbath-keeping on them (Acts 15:19-20, 28-29).
- Early gathering in freedom: Believers met on the first day (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2) and also daily (Acts 2:46). The point was worship in liberty, not a legal calendar.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- If a calendar day were the seal of righteousness, why does Scripture make the Holy Spirit the seal (Ephesians 1:13) and forbid judging about Sabbaths (Colossians 2:16)?
- If salvation hinges on a day, why did the Acts 15 council not command Gentiles to keep it?
- All the moral commandments are reaffirmed in the New Testament; the Sabbath command as a day is uniquely treated as a shadow fulfilled in Christ.
- Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, pointed us to mercy and to Himself as the Giver of rest. So the believer’s Sabbath is a life—resting from self-effort because Christ lives in us—every day.
4) Reinforcing statement
Honor Christ every day. Rest your body wisely, gather faithfully, and do good any day. Do not make a day your righteousness; let the Holy Spirit be your rest. Let no one bind your conscience about Sabbaths, and let everything you do—whether you set aside a day or regard every day alike—be unto the Lord.
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What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Hebrews, Chapter 3
57-0901M §7
There's not another piece of literature written anywhere that can do that. And mathematically and geographically and every way, there's not a book in the Bible wrote like the Bible ... there's not a book in the world, I mean, wrote like the Bible; there's nothing. The numerics of the Bible is perfectly in harmony; just even chapters and punctuations and everything, it's perfect. Not another book... You couldn't read a chapter out of it without crossing itself back. But there's not one cross-up in the entire Bible....
The Unchangeable God
60-0326 §9
We'll take, for instance, Moses. Moses was eighty years old. He was almost, you might think, too old for God to deal with. He was an old man, unexpected in his age to be dealt with with God. Another thing, he was under the Mount Horeb---unexpected place. God met him at a unexpected age, at a unexpected place, and a unexpected way. God didn't meet Moses the way He usually met men. He met Moses in an unusual way---in the way that He chose to meet Moses in. That's the way He answers our prayer: in the way that He thin...
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §128
Now, say, "Brother Branham, you hunt. Didn't you ever hunt on Sunday?" Let me tell you something. Not---I'm not patting myself on the back of this, but I'm ... I'm not a Sabbatarian now, I believe the Holy Spirit is our Sabbath. I believe that, but I believe we should honor that resurrection as a memorial. That's a memorial that I... If you honor any day, honor that resurrection. Now, there's no law on keeping any certain day, because you enter into the Sabbath the peace, when you enter into Him. I've got that ques...
The unpardonable sin
54-1024 §54
If the Bible taught not the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and it ceased way back yonder, I'd teach the same thing. The Bible teaches, "Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today, and forever." If it said miracles ceased with the apostles, I would believe it. But God said, "These signs will follow them, to the end of the world." I believe it. If they say people could only speak with tongues back in the apostolic age, and the Bible said that was the only age they'd speak in it, I'd believe it. But He said, "These signs, an...
Palmerworm, locust, cankerworm and caterpillar
53-0612 §65
And after while, the trail separated. And one went this way and one went that way. Well, the one went this way just had a few tracks. But the one that went that way was well blazed. And so, Jack pulled his horse around to start that way, and the old horse wouldn't go that way. He wanted to go back this way. So, Jack tried to spur his horse on. She wouldn't go. She kept nickering, trying to go back this way. And he got real angry, and he threw his spurs into her. He cut her till the blood was running out of her, lik...