Introduction
The Bible clearly revealed that the Sabbath is the day the Creator set apart for public, family and personal devotion to Him. It is evidently clear from the scriptures that the Messiah kept the Sabbath, Luke 4:16-19, 23:54-56. The apostles and the early Church were all Sabbath-keepers, Luke 4:31; Acts 13:14, 42-44, Acts 15:19-21, Acts 16:11-13, Acts 17:1-4, Acts 18:1-4, 11. But today, vast millions keep the first day of the week (Sunday) because they believed the Messiah did away with the Sabbath or because He resurrected on Sunday or because they believed the early Church gathered on the first day for church service as part of the new covenant, or because Apostle John got the Revelation message on the Lord’s day which they say occurred on the first day of the week. Please study “The Sabbath Objections exposed” for all the reasons man gives to validate Sunday worship and why they are not in line with the scriptures. The purpose of this study is to trace the origin of Sunday worship and who made the change. This study will also reveal the factors leading to the change and how Christianity has neglected the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints of old.
Contents
a) The Devil as the mastermind behind the change in God’s law.
b) Infiltration of the Church by false ministers
c) Constantine’s Influence on the Church (Association of the Church and the State)
1) Edict of Milan, 313 A.D
2) Constantine’s Sunday Legislation, 321 A.D
3) Council of Nicaea 325 A.D
d) The Catholic Church at the Council of Laodicea, 364 A.D
e) Anti-Semitism
f) Failure of Israel to live up to their calling
g) Rejection of God’s reckoning of time, appointed times and seasons
The Devil as the mastermind behind the change
The devil is the mastermind behind the change in God’s laws. He is the creator of confusion and lawlessness. He is a liar, who deceived the whole world. The desire of Satan is to be worshiped as God, the reason he was cast out of heaven, Isaiah 14:12-14, and he has not abandoned the desire. One of the ways he had used to direct worship to himself was by changing God’s way of reckoning with time and the appointed time to meet to fellowship with the Creator. By changing times and God’s law, Satan deceived the whole world, Daniel 7:25. The deception is even made stronger by making people hate the truth and to believe in lies, II Thessalonians 2:9-12, John 8:42-44. In Revelations 12:9, the Greek word translated to deceive is “Planao” (G4105) which means to cause to go astray, to err, seduce, wander from safety, truth, or virtue. It means to be out of the way. Just as he did in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, Satan is the one responsible in making men go astray, or wander from the truth, turning the heart of men against their Maker and to question His laws. But how did Satan carry out his schemes? The following points below explain how.
Scriptural references
Isaiah 14:12-14, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most-High.’”
Revelation 12:9, “So, the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Daniel 7:25, “He shall speak pompous words against the Most-High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most-High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.”
John 8:42-44, “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
a) Infiltration of the Church by false ministers
The early Church under the leadership of the original apostles kept the seventh day, Luke 4:31-40; Acts 13:14, 42-44, 15:19-21, 16:11-13, 17:1-4, 18:1-4, 11, but when uninspired men entered the Church after their departure, beginning from the time of the apostles to the era of the church fathers, the Church doctrines are never the same. The departure from the truth started with the acceptance of the writings of the so-called church fathers as equal or even higher in authority as the Bible, this error led to the gradual rejection of the true Word of God and acceptance of man-made doctrines.
One of the imminent signs of the second coming of the Messiah is the falling away of many from the teachings and doctrines of the Messiah and the original apostles which include Sabbath-keeping. Please read 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12. The infiltration of these false ministers in the Church and the acceptance of their doctrines brought into the Church perverse things, destructive heresies, denial of the Messiah, deceptive words, and lawlessness. The Bible says the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, where almost everyone ignorantly violates the laws of God. This mass deception is made stronger by signs and lying wonders through these false ministers.
Apostles Paul warned in Acts 20:29-31, “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn every one night and day with tears.” 2 Peter 2:1-3 also states, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”
Reading through Galatians 1:6-10 and 1 Timothy 4:13, believers are warned about the dangerous doctrines that will arise after the departure of the original apostles. The apostles, therefore, urged true believers to defend the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints, Jude 3-4, and to always be ready to correct false teachings, 1 Peter 3:15. Titus 1:11. The beginning of deviation from the Sabbath commandment was the infiltration of the church by the false minister.
b) Constantine’s Influence on the Church (Association of the Church and the state)
What has Constantine, a Roman Emperor, got to do with the Church? But before the question is answered, let’s briefly look at Constantine’s religious belief. Constantine was a worshipper of the Unconquered Sun1, the most popular religion throughout the Roman Empire. It is important to note that the festival of the Sun was in existence long before Christianity and can be traced to the culture of the Phoenicians, the Canaanites, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and other ancient nations. The worship of the sun is the same as Baal worship. In the Old Testament, Baal worship was mentioned on many occasions, and its worship was one of the reasons why God was angry with the children of Israel, 2 Kings 23:4, 5; Ezekiel 8:13-16.
The sun god is also the same as the Persian Mithras. Mithras was one of the gods which were brought to Rome. In Mithraic sanctuaries, there were inscriptions like “Soli invicto Mithroe”, meaning “to the sun, invincible Mithra.” In the later Roman Empire Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) became the official object of worship and the first day (Sunday) was the day dedicated to its worship. Webster dictionary defines Sunday as the first day of the week because “it was a day that was anciently dedicated to the sun or to its worship”
Now to the question. What has Constantine, a Roman Emperor, got to do with the Church? It all started with the famous battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312, which Constantine must win to make him the ruler of the Western Roman Empire. On the night before this battle, Constantine had a dream where “he saw the sun – the object of his own worship-overlain by the figure of a cross. Beneath it was inscribed the simple message ‘in hoc signo Vinces’, which translates as ‘in this sign, prevail’. With this dream, Constantine needed no further persuasion on what he must do. The next morning, he ordered his men to paint crosses upon their shields. They then marched into the war as ‘Christian soldiers’”1, 3
Constantine won the battle and then ascribed his success to the support of the Christian God. The most important thing about the dream was not just the victory, but how Constantine interpreted it – the commendation of the worship of Christian God by his own deity (Sun God).1 This interpretation made Constantine identify the sun with the Christian God. Remember what he saw in his dream – the sun overlain by the cross. And this belief has since been held as this can be seen with the use of the sun imagery I.e. halo, also called nimbus in association with Christ and other ‘saints’ in many works of art, and also where the Sun-god equated with Christ, the Sun of Righteousness.
The following events explain how Sunday was gradually elevated above the Sabbath day and given the sabbatical characteristics following the victory of Constantine in the name of the Christian God.
1) Edict of Milan, 313 A.D
The victory of Constantine in the name of Christian God changed the course of history for the Church that has been under heavy persecution in the hand of the previous emperors before Constantine and to the entire Roman Empire. Soon after Constantine became the Roman Emperor of the West, he made an Edict with Licinius, the Roman Emperor of the East in AD 313 at Milan. This Edict gave religion tolerance to all religious beliefs and ended the persecution of Christians. This edict also allowed the return of the confiscated property that belongs to the Christians and their Church.3 Constantine also favored the bishops, built churches, and enriched them. As good as this may be, the Edict of Milan laid a good foundation for the observant of Sunday worship.
2) Constantine’s Sunday Legislation, 321 A.D
After the Edict of Milan, Constantine next move was to elevate the Day of the Sun (Sunday) by giving it a “rest” status as the Sabbath day and for the day to be celebrated regularly throughout the Roman Empire. The first law in favor of Sunday was passed in A.D. 321 by Constantine, which stated that “On the venerable Day of the Sun (dies Solis) let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits: because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain sowing or for vine planting: lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.” It was this law that gave birth to the observant of Sunday as a day of rest and the beginning of a subtle plan of Satan through Constantine to introduce the worship of the sun to Christianity. And while the early Church still observed the Sabbath during this time, it also recognized Sunday as a festival day.4 So, it was Constantine that made the first day of the week a holiday and called it “the venerable day of the Sun”- Sunday.
3) Council of Nicaea 325 AD
When Constantine became the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire after the defeat of Licinius at the Battle of Chrysopolis in AD 324. His plan to bring religious unity and control over the empire led him to call all the bishops from both the East and West to a council where all religious irregularities in beliefs can be addressed. The main irregularity was that the Eastern and the Western churches of the Roman Empire were keeping the Passover at different times. While the Eastern churches were keeping the Passover at the same time with the Jews (irrespective of the day it falls), the Western churches were keeping Easter on Sunday. To correct this irregularity, Constantine called the first council meeting, which was held at Nicaea (Council of Nicaea) in AD 325. This council also marks the beginning of the association of the Church and the state. At this council, Constantine presided over the council with the other bishops he invited to make laws and regulations regarding Christian beliefs. At this council, Constantine practically acted as the head of the Church where he made contributions to the discussions that were made. It was at this council that the Nicene Creed was promulgated which serves as a Christians statement of faith or belief, and accepted by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches. For uniformity, it was at this council that it was decided that Easter should be celebrated on Sundays immediately following the New Moon, which was nearest after the vernal equinox.4 This was another subtle move to honor the “venerable day of the Sun” and to unite paganism and Christianity.
One important point to note regarding the motive behind the honoring of the day of the Sun can be seen in the invitation letter Constantine wrote to churches to the council meeting. The letter stated “It seemed to everyone a most unworthy thing that we should follow the custom of the Jews in the celebration of the most holy solemnity… Let us then have nothing in common with the most hostile rabble of Jews”4. As you can see, the letters indicated the purpose of the council of Nicaea and that was to formulate Christianity that has nothing with the beliefs of the Jews because they consider them as the murderer of the Messiah, an error that led to a total deviation from the truth and God’s way of life. And indeed, the Christianity we inherited is the one that is totally different from what is in the Bible because Constantine and the so-called church fathers do not want to have any dealings with the Jews. With this development, Constantine had laid the foundation for the merge of paganism and Christianity. This point will be clear as you read on.
C) The Catholic Church at the Council of Laodicea, 364 A.D
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Bishop of Rome who has taken leadership of the Church by the honor of the emperor was left as the sole ruler of the Church, especially in the region of Western Europe.1 And following many campaigns, crusades, and laws, the Church at Rome (Roman Catholic Church) grew in both spiritual and political power. In 364 AD at the Council of Laodicea of the Catholic Church, the law which gave a Sabbatical character for the first time to Sunday was legislated in the Canon 29 which states that: “Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord’s day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any, shall be found to be Judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” It was this law that transfer the Sabbath duties to Sunday. This law suppressed the law of God, leading to the persecution and martyrdom of true believers who are Sabbath-keepers. And because of persecution, true believers were scattered given rise to predominantly Gentiles Church – the Roman Catholic Church. We now see Sunday, which started as a pagan festival and which only magistrates and the townspeople must observe, now became a day all Christians must observe or be cut off from Christ.
Furthermore, the Catholic Church and other Popes added other laws which strengthen Sunday observant in place of the Sabbath, and they enforce them by the way of the Inquisitions. And since then all other Church denominations that came out of the Catholic Church (Protestants), in agreement with the Catholic Church, have been observing Sunday, which they now call the Lord’s day, the day of Christ’s resurrection. We now see what started as a pagan institution now ended as a Christian ordinance.
d) Anti-Semitism
When you study history very well, you will notice that one of the nations on earth that have been persecuted most is the Jewish nation. The spiritual undertones behind this are to wipe out the people the Almighty Creator had chosen and entrusted with his knowledge, laws, and ways of life. This hostility towards the Jews from other nations gave Satan, the enemy of the truth, the opportunity to introduce lies and deceit within the frame of God’s laws. The greatest error that has been introduced is that God has neglected his own chosen people and replaced them with the Church, making the world to reject the ways, ideas, the influence of the Jewish people. This erroneous belief has led to the rejection of the laws of God and His ways, the teachings of the Messiah, the Apostles, and the prophets who are all Jewish people. The gentile Church did not learn from the people God had made the custodian of his law and His ways of life because of hatred. And as you can see above, one of the reasons, why Constantine made a law against the Sabbath, was because of hatred for the Jews. Constantine believed they killed the Messiah and he doesn’t want to have any dealings with them or their beliefs.
e) Failure of Israel to live up to their calling
The failure of the Jews to live up to their calling as the chosen people of God called to be a Holy Nation and God’s priests also gave the opportunity to “wolves” to enter the camp of the saints. Their disobedience to the laws of God, rejection of the Messiah, failure to understand the calling of the Gentiles to salvation, and not leading by example, all contributed to the emergence of false teachings within the Church, which includes in part Sunday observance. The spiritual slumber and blindness of Israel gave the opportunity to the enemy to plant tares among the wheat of God.
Acts 13:46, “Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.”
John 1:11, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”
f) Rejection of God’s reckoning of time, appointed times and seasons
Daniel 7:25, “He shall speak pompous words against the Most-High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most-High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.”
Before the second coming of the Messiah to establish His kingdom on earth, Satan will accomplish three things.
1) Speak pompous words against the Most-High
2) Persecute, wear out, and kill the saints
3) Change God’s appointed times and season
The plan of Satan is to make men forget the Sabbath day and other feasts of the Lord. And the subtle way he had used was to cause confusion regarding the appointed times and seasons God has set apart for humanity to worship Him. The scripture pointed out clearly in Daniel 7:25 that Satan will hope to change times and laws, and he has been able to accomplish this through the Roman Emperors and the Catholic Church.
Conclusion
You have seen how Satan deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9) by making it to totally forget the commandment of God that starts with “remember”. His plan to direct worship from God to himself is tied to his change in the way we reckon with time and God’s law. Even though the devil did not by himself made the changes we see in Christianity today, he influenced its execution in a very subtle way through the false ministers he planted in the church, through Constantine – a Roman Emperor, and the Roman Catholic Church.
The Sun’s day was a popular pagan festival for many centuries, Constantine made the day a public holiday throughout the Roman Empire and was later given a sabbatical characteristic by the Catholic Church at the Council of Laodicea in 364 A.D. Even though many of the large church denominations acknowledge that the sabbath day is the day God commanded us to worship Him, they still choose Sun’s day and called it the Lord’s day.
Before it is too late, God is calling you to come out of every man-made traditions and commandment that are worthless and unprofitable to the obedience of all His commandments.
Jeremiah 16:19, “O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness, and unprofitable things.” The word of God also says in Acts 17:30, “truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Choose today who you will obey.
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