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.
Satan's Eden
65-0829 §28
God was so satisfied, and He rested from all His works at the seventh day, and hallowed this seventh day, Sabbath, for Him. Because God looked it all over; after He had been 6,000 years in molding it and fixing it out, making it come into existence, and put the mountains up and make the volcanics, push the mountains up and the things that taken place in the eruptions, dried it off and fixed it the way He had it, and it was a beautiful place.
Christ is the mystery of God revealed
63-0728 §191
"Well," you say, "now wait a minute, Brother Branham, you're talking about the Old Testament." He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. It's the full revelation of God. If God ever says anything, He can never change it. He always magnifies it, not change it. The law was magnified, not changed---magnified. "Whosoever commits adultery shall be guilty of death, but whosoever (now magnified) looketh upon a woman to lust after her..." He never changed the commandment, He magnified it. "Remember the Sabbath day; keep...
God has a Provided Way
62-0728 §39
Just watch God's provided way. God always makes a provided way; in this, we must follow it. Now, God made a provided way for the human race to escape the oncoming judgments. In the days of Noah, God made a provided way. But when God makes a way and man refuses to walk in it, then if they miss it it's not God's fault---no more than it is the city's fault when you run a stop light, see. He's made a way. And God, before He was going to destroy the world, He built ... had a ark built. Not only that, but He provided a p...
What was the Holy Ghost given for?
59-1217 §45
Now. "The works that I do..." God is in His church to continue His works. That's why He sent the Holy Ghost. Now, He knowed that. He knowed it couldn't be done that way, by otherwise, so He had to send. The Father sent the Son; put all that's in the Son in you. And the same works that He did, the same very works now that Jesus did, you'll do also, the church. Wouldn't you like to do the works of God? Jesus said, "If you want to do the works of God, believe on me." How do you believe on Him? You can't do it till you...
Christianity versus Idolatry
61-1217 §59
In order to bring this in, they must absolutely take away the Bible. Now, I'm an Irishman. I've got what they call Facts of Our Faith that belongs only to a priest, and so forth. And I know this, with interviews with priests, the priest will not argue you the Bible. The Bible's just another book to him. When this here Bishop Sheen said, here about two years ago, that anybody that tried to believe the Bible, was like walking through muddy waters. They don't believe that! They started there and they said, "God is in...