Messiah Rose On the 1st Day
Disclaimer: Now I won’t go into the dispute as to whether the Mashiach rose at the end of the 7th day or on the 1st day. What I want to look at is the claim of first day sanctity.
One of the reasons given for 1st day (Sunday) worship was the claim that the Messiah rose from the dead on the 1st day.
Some Christians believe that since (they believe) he rose on the first day, the sanctity of the Sabbath can be shifted to the first day.
Legitimate Reason to Abandon 7th Day Sabbath?
Is this a legitimate claim? Is this biblical? Does this clash with anything in the bible? It sure does.
Bear in mind that the old testament is the new testament hidden and the new testament is the old testament revealed. The Messiah’s life is therefore hidden and prophesied in the old testament.
Messiah as the Firstfruit
We therefore just have to look at the Messiah as the firstfruit as stated in the new testament.
1 Cor 15:20 But now is Mashiach risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
The Firstfruit Feast
Then let us see the feast of the firstfruits from Torah that matches 1 Cor 15:20.
Lev 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Lev 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
Lev 23:12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto YHWH.
An he lamb without blemish. Who is that? Yahshua HaMashiach, the lamb of YHWH. The Messiah is the firstfruit of the dead.
1 Cor 15:20 But now is Mashiach risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
No Firstfruit Without 7th Day Sabbath
Now, if he is the firstfruit, what about the Sabbath?
There can be no firstfruit without a 7th day Sabbath. Why?
The first fruit must be waved on the morrow after the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:11). Therefore, a Sabbath MUST be in place for the Mashiach to be the firstfruit. He rose as the firstfruit.
Erroneous to Transfer the Sanctity of the Sabbath to the 1st Day
It is therefore scripturally erroneous to disregard the 7th day Sabbath and transfer the sanctity of the Sabbath to the first day.
Sabbath day is Sabbath day. Firstfruits is the day after the Sabbath day.
Firstfruits CANNOT therefore be the 7th day Sabbath. There can be no firstfruit without a 7th day Sabbath because firstfruits is the day after the Sabbath.
Is Firstfruits a Holy Convocation?
What’s more, the firstfruits is not an holy convocation (meeting/worship/gathering).
English: convocation
Hebrew: miqrâ’
mik-raw’
From H7121; something called out, that is, a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal: – assembly, calling, convocation, reading.
YHWH stipulates which days are holy convocations. He leaves nothing up to us to choose. Let me repeat, YHWH does not leave it up to us to choose our day of worship!
Now when did he command for us to have weekly holy convocations? The 7th day Sabbath.
Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of YHWH in all your dwellings.
The feast of firstfruits was not stipulated as a day of holy convocation. Instead, it was to take place on the day after a holy convocation:
Lev 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
Firstfruits is a day of offering on the day after the Sabbath (holy convocation/meeting/worship).
Unfortunately, transferring the Sabbath from the commanded 7th day to a pagan Sun-day tradition of man is yet another grave Christian error:
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
