Question 107: Why was the Sabbath changed from Saturday to Sunday? L. S. H.
Answer: The names of the days of the week, including Saturday and Sunday, are heathen names.
In the Word of God the days are numbered.
The seventh day (Saturday), is the day given by God to Israel as the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8-11; 31:15-17).
The Jews under the law professed to keep it; they blamed the Lord Jesus for doing works of mercy on the Sabbath day (John 9:16). They had rejected Him, the Lord of the Sabbath, whose pleasure it was to do good to men. He did not honor their keeping of the Sabbath, for they were living in sin, and He could not be bound by the law which He had given, from doing works of mercy (Mark 2:23-28). He wrought with God, His Father (John 5:17). In His death He was the whole Sabbath day in the grave. Then He arose triumphant from among the dead on the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:9). It was the same day He came in the midst of His disciples. (John 20:19). It was upon the first day of the week the Holy Spirit came down and formed the church, (Pentecost means fifty), fifty days after Christ’s resurrection. Leviticus 23:16 calls it the morrow after the Sabbath. It was on the first day of the week the disciples assembled to remember the Lord in the breaking of the bread and in drinking of the cup. The Apostle John, by the Spirit, gave it its name when he wrote: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10).
Christians, intelligent in the Scriptures, can see that the Sabbath is one of the shadows of things to come. It is a shadow of God’s rest when sin will be done away. In the Millennium Israel will again observe it (Ezek. 46). But Christians are not under law (Rom. 6:14), they do not keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath was never given to them. They have the first day of the week, the Lord’s day, and if the heart is right, they will use it for the Lord, and not for worldly gain or pleasure.
The church, set up at the beginning as God’s witness on earth, soon fell into the world’s ways and worldly religion, and adopted much of paganism and Judaism. They keep days and ordinances and put themselves under law (Gal. 3:10; 4:10-11; Col. 2:20). Calling the first day of the week sabbath is only an invention of man, and is not according to the Word of God.
“Let us therefore go forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb. 13:13).
Question 108: What is the difference between “Giving thanks always for all things” (Eph. 5:20), and “In everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18)? S. J.
Answer: I do not know of any practical difference except the viewpoint of the different epistles, and in this we might include Colossians and Philippians.
What a benefit to the soul to be filled with the Spirit, as in Ephesians, enjoying our heavenly portion; and how it cheers us on our pilgrim way, as in Thessalonians, to know the hand and heart that guides us along, to rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, and in everything to give thanks, doing the will of God.
And does not Colossians make much of Christ to our souls? (Col. 2:7; 3:11-17). “Be thankful.” We will be if we let “the Word of Christ dwell in us richly” and do all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.
But Philippians 4:6 tells how to gain such experience, for there are many and great difficulties to overcome, before we can be filled with thanksgiving. Notice then – we begin with prayer and continue until in deep supplication we make our requests known unto God; then the soul receives its answer, and is clothed (or garrisoned) with peace that passes all understanding. O, that our hearts and minds might be kept in this lowly, dependent, thankful condition.
Question 109: What does the number 153 in John 21:11 mean? M. C.
Answer: We are right in saying some numbers in Scripture have meaning, but we must avoid letting our imagination put on meaning. (See 2 Cor. 10:5).
We are safe in drawing lessons in accordance with all Scripture. So, while we do not know any meaning to the number 153, we see that it represents a multitude (ver. 6), and we can think how precious we are to the Lord who has numbered us, yes, even the hairs of our head are all numbered. He knows each of us.
In Luke 5:6 the net brake, here the net is not broken. It has been pointed out that now the gospel net breaks but at the beginning of the Millennial reign of Christ the net will not break. When the disciples came ashore they found that the Lord had some fish there, already caught; these represent the believers saved through the tribulation period, what is called the (believing) remnant of Israel.