Good Questions From My Son Andy
“How do we know that Friday and Saturday are the Sabbath? Is there something dating back to when the world was created? How is it that Friday and Saturday became the holy days in the Bible?” – Andy Bibb
In an honest attempt to know the truth of the Bible, my son Andy had several great questions that many people who are seeking truth must have. Most of his questions are easy answers, but this series of questions required a much more in-depth study to provide a proper answer. This will be part one of the series to not only answer the questions, but provide enough information that can be taught to others.
Part 1 Questions
Here are the first series of questions we will look into:
- How do we know that Friday and Saturday are the days that God made to be the Sabbath? (Section A)
- Is there something dating back to when the world was created? (Section B)
- How is it that Friday and Saturday became the holy days in the Bible? (Section C)
Andy being silly in the Pearl Islands, Panama
Great questions Andy!
A common escape to the command to keep the Sabbath is using the above questions in varying form to side-step the command. This is done to their demise and actually Scripture calls these people “Liars” and states they have no truth in them:
My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Yeshua (Jesus – Iesous in Greek) Messiah (Christ – Greek) the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
(1Jo 2:1-6 NAS)
How do we know that Friday and Saturday are the days that God made to be the Sabbath?
First, we must understand scripture from the point of view of the culture it was written in and the people it was written to. The first 5 books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch or Torah, were written by the hand of Moses in the presence of Yehovah (God or LORD.) Looking at their culture and from their point of view as well as according to scripture a day begins at evening or sunset and thus the Sabbath would be observed from evening/sunset on the 7th day until the next sunset. Thus for example a day would be evening/sunset Wednesday night to evening/sunset Thursday night, one day.
Scripture supporting this:
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Gen 1:5 KJV)
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. (Gen 1:8 KJV)
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. (Gen 1:13 KJV)
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (Gen 1:19 KJV)
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. (Gen 1:23 KJV)
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Gen 1:31 KJV)
Notice that the days of the week are numbered. The remained numbered until long afterwards when names were given to them in representation of pagan gods. We will cover the names of the days later.
The Sabbath Created
The Sabbath day was created by Yehovah because he rested from all His work as scripture says:
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Gen 2:1-3 NAS)
Looking at the above passage we see that the Seventh Day was different than all the rest of the previous days. Only the sixth day was described slightly different than the others after Yehovah created man and saw that His creation was VERY GOOD.
When Yehovah rested on the seventh day, He then blessed the seventh day and also sanctified it BECAUSE He rested from all His work. Yehovah set the precedence of resting one day a week. With this He also created a week of seven days.
A little side note – The first mention principle
One of the techniques to understanding the Biblical meaning of a word is to look at the first time it is used in the Bible. This is called the “First Mentioned Principle.” When you understand how the word was used the first time, then you apply that meaning to the other instances the word is used. This will keep you on track for defining words, keeping context and staying away from those the “twist the scripture to their own demise.”
Sabbath Defined
The first mention of “Sabbath” in the bible occurs in Exodus 16:23. Taking a look at the passage helps us in understanding and tying together the “seventh day” with the “Sabbath Day” and gives us the command. Starting at exodus 16:22 we can read through verse 30 to keep it in context:
Now it came about on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 then he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” 24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul, nor was there any worm in it. 25 And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26 “Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.” 27 And it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? 29 “See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. (Exo 16:22-30 NAS)
Thus we now understand that the seventh day rest the Yehovah had is tied to the people who came out of Egypt where they rested on the seventh day in verse 30. Sabbath is mentioned in verse 23 and thus explained through the rest of the passage.
English days of the week named
The Greeks named the days week after the sun, the moon and the five known planets, which were in turn named after the gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus. The Greeks called the days of the week the Theon hemerai “days of the Gods”. The Romans substituted their equivalent gods for the Greek gods, Mars, Mercury, Jove (Jupiter), Venus, and Saturn. (The two pantheons are very similar.) The Germanic peoples generally substituted roughly similar gods for the Roman gods, Tiu (Twia), Woden, Thor, Freya (Fria), but did not substitute Saturn.
Sunday — Sun’s day
Middle English sone(n)day or sun(nen)day
Old English sunnandæg “day of the sun”
Germanic sunnon-dagaz “day of the sun”
Latin dies solis “day of the sun”
Ancient Greek hemera heli(o)u, “day of the sun”
Monday — Moon’s day
Middle English monday or mone(n)day
Old English mon(an)dæg “day of the moon”
Latin dies lunae “day of the moon”
Ancient Greek hemera selenes “day of the moon”
Tuesday — Tiu’s day
Middle English tiwesday or tewesday
Old English tiwesdæg “Tiw’s (Tiu’s) day”
Latin dies Martis “day of Mars”
Ancient Greek hemera Areos “day of Ares”
Tiu (Twia) is the English/Germanic god of war and the sky. He is identified with the Norse god Tyr.
Mars is the Roman god of war.
Ares is the Greek god of war.
Wednesday — Woden’s day
Middle English wodnesday, wednesday, or wednesdai
Old English wodnesdæg “Woden’s day”
Latin dies Mercurii “day of Mercury”
Ancient Greek hemera Hermu “day of Hermes”
Woden is the chief Anglo-Saxon/Teutonic god. Woden is the leader of the Wild Hunt. Woden is from wod “violently insane” + –en “headship”. He is identified with the Norse Odin.
Mercury is the Roman god of commerce, travel, theivery, eloquence and science. He is the messenger of the other gods.
Hermes is the Greek god of commerce, invention, cunning, and theft. He is the messenger and herald of the other gods. He serves as patron of travelers and rogues, and as the conductor of the dead to Hades.
Thursday — Thor’s day
Middle English thur(e)sday
Old English thursdæg
Old Norse thorsdagr “Thor’s day”
Old English thunresdæg “thunder’s day”
Latin dies Jovis “day of Jupiter”
Ancient Greek hemera Dios “day of Zeus”.
Thor is the Norse god of thunder. He is represented as riding a chariot drawn by goats and wielding the hammer Miölnir. He is the defender of the Aesir, destined to kill and be killed by the Midgard Serpent.
Jupiter (Jove) is the supreme Roman god and patron of the Roman state. He is noted for creating thunder and lightning.
Zeus is Greek god of the heavens and the supreme Greek god.
Friday — Freya’s day
Middle English fridai
Old English frigedæg “Freya’s day”
composed of Frige (genetive singular of Freo) + dæg “day” (most likely)
or composed of Frig “Frigg” + dæg “day” (least likely)
Germanic frije-dagaz “Freya’s (or Frigg’s) day”
Latin dies Veneris “Venus’s day”
Ancient Greek hemera Aphrodites “day of Aphrodite”
Freo is identical with freo, meaning free. It is from the Germanic frijaz meaning “beloved, belonging to the loved ones, not in bondage, free”.
Freya (Fria) is the Teutonic goddess of love, beauty, and fecundity (prolific procreation). She is identified with the Norse god Freya. She is leader of the Valkyries and one of the Vanir. She is confused in Germany with Frigg.
Frigg (Frigga) is the Teutonic goddess of clouds, the sky, and conjugal (married) love. She is identified with Frigg, the Norse goddess of love and the heavens and the wife of Odin. She is one of the Aesir. She is confused in Germany with Freya.
Venus is the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
Aphrodite (Cytherea) is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
Saturday — Saturn’s day
Middle English saterday
Old English sæter(nes)dæg “Saturn’s day”
Latin dies Saturni “day of Saturn”
Ancient Greek hemera Khronu “day of Cronus”
Saturn is the Roman and Italic god of agriculture and the consort of Ops. He is believed to have ruled the earth during an age of happiness and virtue.
Cronus (Kronos, Cronos) is the Greek god (Titan) who ruled the universe until dethroned by his son Zeus.
** – Source: http://www.crowl.org/lawrence/time/days.html
Question One Summary:
That is your answer to question one. Friday sundown to Saturday sundown is the seventh day, a “Sabbath to the LORD (Yehovah – יהוה Hebrew) The days of the week were given names according to pagan gods of the time and kingdom who developed their calendars.
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