The Sabbath Day

God created the Sabbath day for His people to come together in sacred assembly and worship God, so that God may bless us. The World Mission Society Church of God observes the Sabbath day following the example of Jesus Christ in the Bible. And we invite all people to join us and worship God in accordance with His teachings.

The Sabbath Day of the Bible

God created the Bible for His people, to guide us and help us follow in His path. In addition to other commands in the Bible, God teaches us the proper and acceptable way to worship Him—that is, by keep the Sabbath day holy.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. . . . but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. . . . For 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.
Exodus 20:8

The Ten Commandments are a set of common Christian teachings. They include teachings of how to maintain a good relationship with our neighbors, but most importantly, the Ten Commandments include basic instructions on how to keep a good relationship with God. One of those commandments is the fourth, which tells us to observe the Sabbath day holy. When it came to the Sabbath day, God gave a detailed explanation on how to observe it and what day it is. It is the seventh day of the week, which we must keep holy to God. In other words, the Sabbath day is Saturday.

Though traditions have changed over the centuries, the Sabbath day is the seventh day of the week—Saturday. By simply looking at a calendar or dictionary, we can verify this fact. The Bible also clearly tells us the Sabbath day is Saturday.

The Biblical Sabbath Saturday

The Bible states that God came to the earth in the human form to seek the people who were lost from heaven (Lk 19:10). This is why he left us the Bible so we may follow the way to return to the kingdom of heaven. For that reason, God left us the Sabbath day to worship Him and become people of God.

“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.’”
Exodus 31:13

The importance of the Sabbath exceeds human understanding; it is a sign through which God can recognize us as His people and allow us to enter heaven. This is why throughout the Bible—both in the Old and New Testaments—God repeatedly demonstrates its importance and makes it clear the Sabbath day is Saturday.

Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin. As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.
Luke 23:53-56 (NLT)

But very early on Sunday morning the/ women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
Luke 24:1 (NLT)

In the Gospel of Luke, the Bible details the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion, which took place on a Friday. After Jesus’ body was taken to its tomb, the women who followed Him went to prepare spices to anoint His body. However, they did not return to the tomb because the Sabbath had begun. Through this, we can understand that the Sabbath day follows Friday. In other words, the Bible lets us know the Sabbath day is Saturday.

Furthermore, after the women returned to the tomb once the Sabbath ended—on Sunday morning. This scene also appears in the Gospel of Mark.

Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb.
Mark 16:1 (NLT)

God appointed the seventh day of the week—Saturday—as the Sabbath day to bless us and make us holy. This is why it’s important to keep the Sabbath day on the correct day.

Jesus Christ Kept the Sabbath Day

Throughout His ministry, Jesus Christ set examples for Christians to follow with every step He took.

“I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
John 13:15 (NLT)

One such example Jesus set was the observance of the Sabbath day.

When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.
Luke 4:16 (NLT)

As Christians, the teachings of Christ are our foundation. And as Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, we must be the ones who observe the Sabbath day just as Jesus did. Even when speaking to His disciples about the end of days, Jesus made it clear that the Sabbath day should still be kept.

And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
Matthew 24:20 (NLT)

Until the day we enter the kingdom of heaven, the people of God who believe in Christ must keep the Sabbath day holy—observing Saturday. The World Mission Society Church of God celebrates the Sabbath day on the day indicated by the Bible, on the seventh day—Saturday. Visit your nearest Church of God to study more about God’s administration plan for our redemption and receive God’s blessing through the Sabbath day.