We were having a discussion at work with regards to which day is the Sabbath day, and what we picked up on Google is that Saturday is the Sabbath day, and if so, we would really like to know why it is now on a Sunday and which verse in the Bible states that Saturday is the Sabbath day.  Thanks for your time in educating us in the Word of the Lord.

Sincerely,
Weekend Wonderer

Dear Weekend Wonderer,

Saturday is the Sabbath day… but Christians don’t have to worry about keeping the Sabbath.  The word ‘sabbath’ means ‘rest’.  The Sabbath day was a day that the nation of Israel was told to rest, stop working, and make holy to the Lord (Ex 31:15).  This rule was so strict that a man was once stoned for collecting firewood on Saturday (Num 15:32-36).  However, this was a Jewish command, not a Christian one.  The Sabbath was part of the Old Testament law – a law that Christians are no longer under (Gal 3:23-25).  We are specifically told not to let anyone bind the Sabbath on us (Col 2:16).  Christians worship Christ on the first day of the week – Sunday (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:1-2).  If you’d like more information on the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament, we have a video tutorial on the subject here.

     Why does the Church teach God created all things in six, twenty-four hour days when time was not created until day four?  In the beginning, God did not create time until day four when He made the sun, moon, and stars, so we could mark the passing of seasons, the passing of time.

Sincerely,
Time To Answer

Dear Time To Answer,

The sun and the moon don’t create time anymore than a watch does.  It is true that the sun, moon, and stars were created on day four (Gen 1:17-19), but they were set to signify time (Gen 1:14), not create it.

Your watch signals you what time it is, but if you don’t wear a watch, time still ticks on whether you keep track of it or not.  On day one, we are told there was an evening and a morning – one day (Gen 1:5).  Time already existed on day one.  The sun and moon just make it easier to keep track of that twenty-four hour day we know so well.

In Gen 38:7, it says that Er was very wicked, and God put him to death.  My question is: what did he do that was so bad that God came down Himself to kill Er personally?  And how did God kill him?  Most of the time it says how (i.e. pillar of salt, flood, or the ground swallowing up the Israelites)… but nothing about Er.  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Cause Of Death

Dear Cause Of Death,

Gen 38:7 is a general statement about Er’s character and the consequences of being wicked.  The Bible never tells us specifically what Er did that made him so wicked.  There are lots of details that the Bible leaves out.  In Jhn 21:25, the apostle John says that he didn’t write down every detail of Christ’s life, just the ones important for us.  It is the same way with Er.  God didn’t deem it important for us to know the details of Er’s sins, just that he was wicked.

The same principle applies to the statement that God “slew Er”.  The Bible doesn’t tell us how God did it.  He may have personally done it, but God may also have used angels (like with Assyria – 2 Chr 32:21), He might have used natural circumstances (like with Jehoram – 2 Chr 21:18-19), or God might have used other men to do His bidding (like when He sent the Chaldeans to attack Judah – Hab 1:6).  The point is, Er died because God made it happen – the specifics are left out.

     Someone told me that 2 Cor 3:14-17 does away with the seventh day Sabbath.  They told me that the veil is the Sabbath which was done away with.  What is the real meaning of the text?

Sincerely,
Not Buying It

Dear Not Buying It,

2 Cor 3 does teach that the Old Law (which would include keeping the Sabbath) is done away with, but the veil doesn’t represent the Sabbath.  The key verse for understanding that the Sabbath is done away with is 2 Cor 3:7 which clarifies that all of the Old Law (even the commands engraved on the stones Moses brought down from God) are no longer applicable.  The veil that 2 Cor 3:14-17 refers to is the veil that Moses wore over his face after speaking with God, so the Israelites wouldn’t see the shining of his face fade.  Ex 34:33-35 tells us that when Moses came out after speaking to God, his face shone.  Moses would cover his face, so the Israelites weren’t discouraged by the fading of that shine.

That veil that Moses wore is a picture of the Old Testament law.  The Old Testament law was holy, righteous, and good (Rom 7:12), but it was never intended to last forever.  The Old Law was a tutor to lead people to Christ, but now that Christ is here, the Old Law has faded and been replaced by Christ’s New Law (Gal 3:23-25).

     How many chapters are in the Bible (both Old and New Testament)?
What is the best yearly reading guide, and where is it available?

Sincerely,
Ready To Read

Dear Ready To Read,

There are 66 books in the Bible.  39 are in the Old Testament, and 27 are in the New Testament.  There really isn’t a “best” guide for reading the Bible in a year.  The best plan is the plan that you will stick to!
There are numerous schedules that will take you through both the Old and New Testament in a year.  Probably the easiest way to do this is to go and buy a “daily Bible” that breaks the Bible into 365 chunks.  Here is a link to an example.  There are other books, such as Halley’s Bible Handbook, that work well to help reference things if you get confused… or you could always write in to us!  We also have classes available for download on every book of the Bible at http://sermons.mvchurchofchrist.org.  Overall, our advice would be to simply start reading your Bible on a regular basis with a plan that you are likely to continue with.  There is nothing more wholesome or fulfilling than simply reading the text God wrote (1 Tim 4:13).