Do 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 and Revelation 1:10 prove the Sabbath has been changed?

The following passage is often used in order to prove that the early believers were meeting on the first day of the week as opposed to the 7th day Sabbath.

1 Corinthians 16:1-4 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.”

Does the text tell us that the Sabbath has shifted to Sunday? I don’t see anywhere in the text the idea that this was a weekly meeting that took place amongst the believers. So what was going on?

Really this text is quite simple to explain. The misunderstanding of this passage comes from a misunderstanding of Jewish culture during Paul’s day. The Jewish people never handled money on the Sabbath unless there was a life threatening emergency. There were never tithes collected on the Sabbath. Tithes could be brought any of the other six days of the week, but never on the Sabbath. This idea comes from the Scriptures:

Nehemiah 13:15-19 “In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food. Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem. Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the Sabbath day?”

Whether or not these verses actually teach us that we should not change money on the Sabbath is irrelevant for our discussion. What is relevant is that the Jewish people of Paul’s day would have never changed money on the Sabbath. And therefore Paul would not have either as he was a Pharisee of Pharisees!

Furthermore the text says nothing about doing anything other than collecting money on the first day of the week. Just because most churches today take up collections on the first day of the week does not mean that the believers in Paul’s time did this. In fact why would they? They would have been used to the Jewish customs of observing the Sabbath. They also would have been together at sundown on the 7^th day as was the custom and could have easily taken up a collection after the Sabbath was over. The Jewish Sabbath runs from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown at which time the first day of the week begins.

This passage certainly does not indicate in any way that the first day of the week had become the normal meeting day of the early believers. It does indicate that they kept the Sabbath by not exchanging money on that day instead waiting until the sun went down to take up their collections.

There is one more verse used to prove a change to the first day of the week, but I don’t think it even deserves its own post as it is so easy to debunk so I am going to throw it in here just so I have covered all the texts brought up by advocates against the 7^th day Sabbath. So the last verse I hear is the following:

Revelations 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,”

The argument basically states that the Lord’s day is a reference to Sunday. Yet, there are no specifics in the text about which day this is. It could have been the 7^th day, or simply a day that John came before the Lord. Or it could have been a reference to the day of trumpets, Yom Teruah. We just don’t know what day is referred to in this verse. So to use this as a proof of Sunday worship is just unfounded.

I think that I have now covered all of the Biblical texts that are used to show a shift from Sabbath to Sunday and/or a doing away of the 7^th day Sabbath commandment. Please do feel free to point out any other texts that might cause confusion as I would love to discuss them.

So again I will ask you. Why don’t Christians observe the 7^th day Sabbath? I urge all Christians to do there own studying, ask yourself the hard questions, pray without ceasing. And let God’s Spirit reveal to you the Truth through His word!

Shalom in Yeshua Hamashiach!