Some will ask, "Doesn't the Bible say that the early church gathered for sacred assembly on the first day of the week?" The answer to this question is, No! There are only a couple of verses that use the words, (first day of the week) but the words, (day of the week) is a mistranslation either by error or by purpose. The details surrounding the week of Jesus' crucifixion have been distorted in order to teach Sunday assembly. Today, people teach and believe that Jesus died on Friday and was resurrected Sunday morning when Jesus Himself said He would be in the tomb three days and three nights.
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Friday night to Sunday morning is not three days and three nights. This distorted view of, Jesus dying on Friday and resurrecting on Sunday, came because the people of God no longer see value in the shadows revealed in the Old Testament. The shadows teach us God's plan for Jesus. If we study the shadows we will clearly see God's plan and gain a clear understanding of truth. Jesus had to fulfill the shadows perfectly in order to be the true Messiah. The details of Jesus' crucifixion week are laid out for us in Leviticus 23:5-16.
Leviticus 23:5-7 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a sacred assembly, it shall be a sabbath day.
The fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover. Jesus is our Passover so He had to fulfill that by dying on Passover. The very next day after Passover starts the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The first day of this Feast is a sabbath because, no customary work was to be done on that day. This is very important to understand because during the week of Jesus' crucifixion there were two Sabbaths. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which came right after Passover, was a sabbath and the seventh day Sabbath of creation week was the second Sabbath. Listen closely and you will see the two Sabbaths during the week of Jesus' crucifixion.
Notice how, after the Sabbath was past, Mary bought the spices.
Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
Now notice how they prepared the spices that were bought after the sabbath yet they rested on the Sabbath after preparing them.
Luke 23:56 They returned, and prepared the spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.
The Sabbath that was past was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Sabbath that they rested on, according to the commandment, was the seventh day Sabbath. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was called a high Sabbath because it only came once a year. The seventh day Sabbath is not called a high Sabbath.
John 19:31 The Jews, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was a high day).
Mary bought the spices on Friday following the high sabbath. She prepared the spices all day Friday and then rested on the seventh day Sabbath, which is Saturday. Now follow along to see the time line of events during the week of Jesus' crucifixion. Listen.
According to Leviticus 23:5 the Passover began on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight, this is when Jesus gave the bread and the wine as the Lord's supper. According to the time line, this was Tuesday at twilight or dusk. Judas betrays Jesus Tuesday night. We know it was at night because they came with torches to arrest Jesus. Wednesday, Jesus is tried and crucified and is placed in the tomb at dusk. It is now Thursday, which begins the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This day was the high sabbath. The high sabbath ended Friday morning at sunrise. Mary then buys the spices and prepares them all day Friday, then she rests on the seventh day Sabbath, which is Saturday. She goes to the tomb at sunrise Sabbath morning and Jesus is gone because it was now the third day.
Luke 24:46 Then Jesus said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.
Mary went to the tomb at sunrise on the third day. This was Sabbath morning, not Sunday morning. Listen.
Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.
These four words, "day of the week" is the Strong's number (G4521) and is actually one word in the Greek and it's the word, Sabbath.
(G4521) sabbaton (sab'-bat-on) n.
1. the Sabbath (i.e. Shabbath)
2. the seventh day of each week which was a sacred festival on which the Israelites were required to abstain from all work
3. the institution of the sabbath, the law for keeping holy every seventh day of the week
4. a single sabbath, sabbath day
No matter how you look at it, the words (day of the week) are not there. The only word that is there is the word, Sabbath.
The verse should read like this. "Very early in the morning on the first Sabbath". Why was it called the first Sabbath? Because they were counting the Sabbaths that followed the high sabbath. According to Leviticus they had to count seven Sabbaths. I added the words, high sabbath, to the verse to help identify which sabbath Leviticus is referring to. Listen.
Leviticus 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the high Sabbath,...seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.
This is why it was on the first Sabbath that Mary came to the tomb, not the first day of the week.
​The Bible uses the term, new moon, to determine the change of months and it uses the seventh day Sabbath to determine the change of weeks. In one month there are four Sabbaths or four weeks. Numbering the seventh day Sabbath to determine which week it was is not unusual. Listen to Luke in how he describes the second week of the month as the second Sabbath.​
Luke 6:1-2 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?
On the second Sabbath after the first just means it was the second week of the month. Paul also uses the same principle of numbering the Sabbath to determine the week. Keep in mind how the words, (day of the week) are not there in the original language. The verse should read like this, "On the first Sabbath let each of you lay something aside so that there be no collections when I come". Listen.
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first {Sabbath} (not) day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
Paul was telling them to take up a collection on the first Sabbath of that particular month because that's the time frame in which Paul would be passing through that area. If Paul was planning on passing through on the second week he could have worded like Luke did by saying, "On the second Sabbath after the first let each of you lay something aside so that there be no collections when I come".
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Friday night to Sunday morning is not three days and three nights. This distorted view of, Jesus dying on Friday and resurrecting on Sunday, came because the people of God no longer see value in the shadows revealed in the Old Testament. The shadows teach us God's plan for Jesus. If we study the shadows we will clearly see God's plan and gain a clear understanding of truth. Jesus had to fulfill the shadows perfectly in order to be the true Messiah. The details of Jesus' crucifixion week are laid out for us in Leviticus 23:5-16.
Leviticus 23:5-7 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a sacred assembly, it shall be a sabbath day.
The fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover. Jesus is our Passover so He had to fulfill that by dying on Passover. The very next day after Passover starts the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The first day of this Feast is a sabbath because, no customary work was to be done on that day. This is very important to understand because during the week of Jesus' crucifixion there were two Sabbaths. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which came right after Passover, was a sabbath and the seventh day Sabbath of creation week was the second Sabbath. Listen closely and you will see the two Sabbaths during the week of Jesus' crucifixion.
Notice how, after the Sabbath was past, Mary bought the spices.
Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
Now notice how they prepared the spices that were bought after the sabbath yet they rested on the Sabbath after preparing them.
Luke 23:56 They returned, and prepared the spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.
The Sabbath that was past was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Sabbath that they rested on, according to the commandment, was the seventh day Sabbath. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was called a high Sabbath because it only came once a year. The seventh day Sabbath is not called a high Sabbath.
John 19:31 The Jews, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was a high day).
Mary bought the spices on Friday following the high sabbath. She prepared the spices all day Friday and then rested on the seventh day Sabbath, which is Saturday. Now follow along to see the time line of events during the week of Jesus' crucifixion. Listen.
According to Leviticus 23:5 the Passover began on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight, this is when Jesus gave the bread and the wine as the Lord's supper. According to the time line, this was Tuesday at twilight or dusk. Judas betrays Jesus Tuesday night. We know it was at night because they came with torches to arrest Jesus. Wednesday, Jesus is tried and crucified and is placed in the tomb at dusk. It is now Thursday, which begins the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This day was the high sabbath. The high sabbath ended Friday morning at sunrise. Mary then buys the spices and prepares them all day Friday, then she rests on the seventh day Sabbath, which is Saturday. She goes to the tomb at sunrise Sabbath morning and Jesus is gone because it was now the third day.
Luke 24:46 Then Jesus said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.
Mary went to the tomb at sunrise on the third day. This was Sabbath morning, not Sunday morning. Listen.
Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.
These four words, "day of the week" is the Strong's number (G4521) and is actually one word in the Greek and it's the word, Sabbath.
(G4521) sabbaton (sab'-bat-on) n.
1. the Sabbath (i.e. Shabbath)
2. the seventh day of each week which was a sacred festival on which the Israelites were required to abstain from all work
3. the institution of the sabbath, the law for keeping holy every seventh day of the week
4. a single sabbath, sabbath day
No matter how you look at it, the words (day of the week) are not there. The only word that is there is the word, Sabbath.
The verse should read like this. "Very early in the morning on the first Sabbath". Why was it called the first Sabbath? Because they were counting the Sabbaths that followed the high sabbath. According to Leviticus they had to count seven Sabbaths. I added the words, high sabbath, to the verse to help identify which sabbath Leviticus is referring to. Listen.
Leviticus 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the high Sabbath,...seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.
This is why it was on the first Sabbath that Mary came to the tomb, not the first day of the week.
​The Bible uses the term, new moon, to determine the change of months and it uses the seventh day Sabbath to determine the change of weeks. In one month there are four Sabbaths or four weeks. Numbering the seventh day Sabbath to determine which week it was is not unusual. Listen to Luke in how he describes the second week of the month as the second Sabbath.​
Luke 6:1-2 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?
On the second Sabbath after the first just means it was the second week of the month. Paul also uses the same principle of numbering the Sabbath to determine the week. Keep in mind how the words, (day of the week) are not there in the original language. The verse should read like this, "On the first Sabbath let each of you lay something aside so that there be no collections when I come". Listen.
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first {Sabbath} (not) day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
Paul was telling them to take up a collection on the first Sabbath of that particular month because that's the time frame in which Paul would be passing through that area. If Paul was planning on passing through on the second week he could have worded like Luke did by saying, "On the second Sabbath after the first let each of you lay something aside so that there be no collections when I come".
