The World Mission Society Church of God, which believes in the Second Coming Christ, keeps the Sabbath on the seventh day, Saturday, following the words of God Almighty, found in the Bible. Today, most Christians worship on Sunday because it is a tradition of men that has been passed down through generations. However, the Bible teaches us that God rested on the seventh day from the creation work; He blessed the seventh day and also made it holy. We cannot be mistaken as to which day is the seventh day (Sabbath) or else we will miss out on all the blessings God prepared for us as a gift from the beginning of time. Through the Bible, we can see that the seventh day Sabbath is Saturday.
We should keep in mind that the Bible warns us not to add or take away even the smallest letter from the Bible.
Revelation 22:18-19 『I warn everyone who hears the words of prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.』
- The Day to Commemorate God the Creator
God already chose the Sabbath day from the very beginning of the creation. The Sabbath day is a memorial day, honoring the Creator who made the heavens and the earth, and is also “a day of rest.” God created the heavens and the earth in six days and then rested on the seventh day from all of His work, even blessing the day itself.
Genesis 2:1-3 『Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.』
In the time of Moses, God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. Through the fourth commandment, we can see that God commanded His people to “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Ex 20:8). God explained the purpose for keeping the Sabbath saying:
Exodus 20:11 『In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.』
God designated the seventh day as the day on which His people would not only commemorate His great authority, but also receive many blessings from Him. This day is very important to us because it is through the Sabbath that God recognizes us as His people (Eze 20:11-17, Isa 56:1-7). Therefore, we should make every effort to worship God on the seventh day, Saturday.
Through Biblical history, we can witness God blessing those who kept the Sabbath day. On the contrary, He brought great punishment and disaster upon those who did not keep the Sabbath (Isa 56:1-7).
Jeremiah 17-24-27 『But if you are careful to obey me, declares the LORD…keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it…this city will be inhabited forever… But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.』
- The Sabbath Day is Saturday
Today, we refer to the days of the week as Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc. and no longer as “the first day,” “the second day,” “the third day,” etc. Our present day system was developed in Rome, where people decided to call the first day of the week “Sunday,” the second day “Monday,” the third day “Tuesday” and the seventh day “Saturday.”
- A weekly calendar has seven days: Sunday is the first day and Saturday is the seventh day.
- Even in the dictionary, Sunday is defined as “the first day of the week” and Saturday as “the seventh day of the week.”
- The Bible also testifies that the seventh day, the Sabbath day is Saturday.
Mark 16:9 『When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week.』According to the Bible, Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week. Christians celebrate His resurrection on Sunday. In the Good News Bible, this verse is written as, “After Jesus rose from death early on Sunday…” Since the first day of the week is Sunday, what day is the seventh day? Through the Bible, we can confirm that the Sabbath day is Saturday (Mk 16:1-3). -
Evidence from Christian history: Catholic Archbishop, James Cardinal Gibbons, writes, in a book entitled The Faith of Our Fathers, “Not to mention other examples, is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify” (72).
- The Sabbath was Changed to Sunday
After the apostles died, Christianity spread to western regions, including Rome. The gospel was preached to sun-god worshipers and, by the 4th century, even the Roman emperor had heard the message of Christ. The emperor was also the leader of the sun-god worshipers, pontifex maximus, a high priest in Paganism. When he “converted” to Christianity, many sun-god worshipers began to attend the Church. As time passed, the faith of the Christians weakened and they began to accept pagan customs. During this turnover, they even began to rest and worship on the first day of the week (Sunday)—just as the pagans did to worship their sun-god on Sunday. In AD 321, Roman Emperor Constantine decreed this edict: “All judges, city-people and craftsmen shall rest on the venerable day of the Sun [Sunday].”
The Story of the Christian Church allows us to understand how this day was kept by the people of the time:
“The first day of the week was proclaimed as a day of rest and worship, and its observance soon became general throughout the empire. In AD 321, Constantine forbid the courts to be held on Sunday, except for the purpose of giving freedom to slaves; and on that day soldiers were commanded to omit their military exercises. But the public games were continued on Sunday, tending to make it more of a holiday than a holy day.” (Hurlbut 60-61)
Some argue that the abolishment of the Sabbath compelled many people to convert to Christianity, but we must not forget that altering God’s commandments is the doing of Satan. It was already prophesied long ago by the prophet, Daniel, that Satan was going to change God’s set times and laws.
Daniel 7:25 『He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws.』
Satan opposes God and has historically harassed God’s people using various methods. He tried to destroy the Early Church of God through severe persecution. However, history shows that the more God’s people were persecuted, the more they depended on God. Satan, then, changed his methods of deception: he began to praise the Church and tempted Christians to combine their faith with the faith of Pagans, who worshiped the sun-god. They were given back the properties that had been taken from them, ministers were exempted from military service, and the Church was even given the right to emancipate slaves. Through all of these outwardly positive changes to the Church, the Christians unwittingly fell into Satan’s scheme and knelt down before him. Consequently, the turned their backs on God.
God clearly said that only he who does the will of God can enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 7:21-23). Which day then, should we worship God in order to please Him: Sunday, which most people keep, or the Sabbath, Saturday, which God commanded His people to keep? It is clear that in keeping with words of God, we should worship on the Sabbath, Saturday.
- The Church of God Established by God
The Church of God, established by God, does not follow man-made rules, only God’s laws. The Church and its members recognize that no one is able to give salvation except God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Jesus already revealed that those who follow the laws of men cannot be saved.
Mark 7:6-9 『He [Jesus] replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”』
The Church of God was established on the foundation of the apostles who followed the teachings of Jesus Christ, and it has not changed since its inception. The true Church follows God’s laws, which Jesus and the apostles observed as well.
No matter how many members a church has, if it has different doctrines than those of Jesus Christ, it cannot be the Church established by Jesus. The World Mission Society Church of God keeps the Sabbath day, the memorial day of the Creator, not observing the law of the Old Testament, but following the law of the New Covenant, which Jesus established and the apostles obeyed.
The saints, who will be saved on the last day when God brings judgment, are those who follow in Jesus’ footsteps (Rev 14:12). The Sabbath day was an example of Christ and is a very precious commandment of God. Therefore, if we truly love God, we should obey and keep the Sabbath day holy.
John 14:15 『If you love me, you will obey what I command.』
Let us obey God’s commandments and keep the Sabbath day holy so that we may receive all the blessings coming from God on the Sabbath day and enter the kingdom of heaven!