A sign is a very informative thing! We see and use signs in many ways. Signs communicate important information.
A wedding ring is a sign. A flag is a sign. A direction arrow on the roadway is a sign.
One important SIGN that Yahuwah [the LORD] has given to His Born-Again, New Covenant people is the weekly, seventh day Sabbath Day.
Let’s begin with a little story:
Let us say that you receive an invitation from the King – someone who knows you very well. The invitation itself is very formal, printed on very fine paper, with very elegant script.That little story is a picture of a very special occasion that, according to the Scriptures, occurs each week for those who desire to love and honour the Holy One of Israel, Yahuwah Elohim [the Hebrew name for the LORD God]. (John 14:15).
That very special occasion is Yahuwah’s weekly, seventh-day, Sabbath Day!
Remember The Sabbath Day
Yahuwah tells us in His Word, that each week His people are to Remember to keep, observe, and guard His Biblical, weekly, seventh-day, Sabbath Day (see Exodus 20:8-11) — we are to remember it as very special [as holy]!
Father’s weekly Sabbath Day [also known as Shabbat] begins at sunset on Friday evening and lasts until sunset on Saturday evening. It is a ‘set-apart-as-special’ holy Day!
The Sabbath is a day set-apart by the Creator Himself! It is the Day when we are to enter into God’s rest, resting in the same manner as God did, by ceasing from our own works (Hebrews 4:10). After God created the Heavens and the Earth in six days, He then rested on the seventh day (see Genesis 2:1-3).
Yahuwah set apart the seventh day of the week as a day of rest, and appointed it to have a very special position in the weekly progression of days. The seventh day was to be the particular day, each week, as ‘set apart’ unto Yahuwah Elohim, to meet with Him, the Mighty One of Israel, Creator of the Universe.
The weekly Sabbath is considered by many as The Most Holy DAY of all of Yahuwah’s Sabbaths because it is the first set-apart, appointed Feast day mentioned in the Scriptures. Just as Yahuwah Elohim rested and was refreshed on the seventh day (Exodus 31:17), in the same way, Father has appointed the seventh-day Sabbath Day as a day for us to rest, and to be refreshed.
There is much refreshment and many blessings for those of God’s people who choose to enter into the obedience of keeping Father’s seventh-day Sabbath. Those who desire to please Abba Father, and obey His commandments by keeping His Sabbath Day holy – in the Biblically-prescribed manner – they discover that it is truly a delight, as well as a major doorway to growing closer to Him!
How Do We Keep The Sabbath Day Holy?
How can we make this very special, weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day to be a holy day unto Yahuwah?
What shall we do? How shall we communicate our obedience to His instructions He has given us?
Yahuwah tells us what to do in the Scriptures, in detail, what He expects of us:
Yahuwah’s Sabbaths
The passages in Exodus, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Leviticus 23, and many others, tell us we are to hallow [‘set apart as special’] Yahuwah’s Sabbaths – plural. Yahuwah has established the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath, and He has also established the annual, seven ‘High’ Sabbaths. The High Sabbaths occur yearly, some in the spring and some in the autumn. All of Father’s Sabbaths are special, ‘Appointed Times’, on specific Days, and they are to be observed “throughout their generations, for a perpetual [everlasting/never-ending] covenant” (Exodus 31:16).
Yahuwah’s weekly, seventh-day Sabbath, as well as all the annual High Sabbaths are not optional, nor open for alteration! And the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath is especially NOT open for us to choose any ‘one-out-of-seven.’
Nowhere has it been written in the holy Scriptures that Yahuwah’s Sabbaths have been changed or ‘done away with.’ Nowhere in Scripture are we told to observe other religious group’s weekly Sabbaths, such as Friday [Islam] or Sunday [Rome]!
Those who sincerely desire to follow Messiah Yahushua [Christ Jesus] will observe the weekly Sabbath, on the seventh day of the week, and they will not spiritualize it by saying we no longer have to obey that! Spiritualizing the seventh-day Sabbath as though it is something ‘fulfilled by Yahushua [Jesus]’ is a lie that Satan invented to twist Father’s Word!
Yahuwah’s Sabbaths are for all ‘Israel’ [God’s people] to keep! His Sabbaths are for all who are grafted-in to Father’s olive tree, by faith in Messiah! God’s Sabbaths are for Gentile Believers, as well as for Jewish Believers. (See Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12,20; Isaiah 56:6-7; Romans 11:16-24).
Yahuwah’s Sabbaths are not ‘Jewish’ Sabbaths! Yahuwah’s Sabbaths are not some religious group’s Sabbaths!
Father God calls them “MY Sabbaths” and “MY Feasts” (See Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 19:3, Leviticus 23:2-4; Isaiah 56:4; Ezekiel 44:24).
A SIGN Between Yahuwah And His People
“And Yahuwah [the LORD] spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths you shall keep … It is a SIGN between me and the children of Israel forever (Exodus 31:12-18)
“Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a SIGN between me and them, that they might know that I am Yahuwah [the LORD] that sanctify them. I am Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD your God]; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a SIGN between me and you, that you may know that I am Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD your God].” (Ezekiel 20:12,19-20)
As the above Scriptures teach us, Yahuwah gave us His Sabbath Days as a sign between Him and His people. Our obedience to this simple commandment of keeping Yahuwah’s Sabbath Days becomes the sign, or the banner, of those who know Him, and of those who love Him (John 14:15)!!
As stated above, a SIGN is a very significant thing! 
Signs communicate important information! Some signs are extremely essential, and can mean the difference between life and death!
Keeping Yahuwah’s Biblical Sabbath Days, and especially the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath, is A Very Important SIGN!
When we “hallow,” or set-apart-as-special [holy], Yahuwah’s Sabbath Days, then we are entering into an important and essential communication with our Abba Father. This is a vital way that we establish and acknowledge God’s ‘ownership‘ of us — that we belong to Yahuwah Elohim, and not to some other master!
Keeping the seventh-day Sabbath is a vital way of declaring our citizenship within God’s Kingdom. It is communicating to Him, and to all the heavenly host, that we are abiding by the rules and instructions [the Torah] governing God’s Kingdom. It is a sign that we are a member of Yahuwah’s household, His family.
Yahuwah tells us in several Scriptures that those who do obey His command to keep His Sabbath days, are those who know Him (See Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12, 20)!
We demonstrate our faith in Him when we choose to obey Him, especially in the weekly observance of this Special Day that He set-apart as holy. Observing the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath is a sign, not only for our benefit, but also for Yahuwah’s honour. Observing the Biblical Sabbath Days is an essential way that we learn about, and come to know more intimately our Mighty One, the heavenly Father, Yahuwah Elohim.
Do We Keep Yahuwah’s Sabbaths?
Do we keep [observe and guard] Yahuwah’s weekly, Biblical seventh-day Sabbath Day?
Or do we keep, observe, and guard a religious group’s weekly Sabbath Day?
Do we follow a man-made notion of when the Sabbath Day occurs? [See links belows.]
Do we keep [observe and guard] the “My Sabbaths” of Father God, as outlined in the above Scripture passages — the prescribed Feasts of Yahuwah?
Yahuwah tells us that those who do obey His command to keep His Sabbaths, are those who love Him (See Isaiah 56:6; John 14:15,21; 1John 5:2)!
Those who do obey His command to keep His Sabbaths, are those who know Him (See Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12; Ezekiel 20:20).
We acknowledge every week that we know Yahuwah as the Creator of heaven and earth by remembering to keep the seventh-day Sabbath Day holy, just as He Himself rested on the seventh day, from the beginning!
Keeping Yahuwah’s seventh-day Sabbath is our SIGN to Him that we love Him and that we know Him!
Every week, we enter into God’s rest on His special, set-apart Day, just as He entered into His rest on the seventh day of creation. Our actions communicate a SIGN to Yahuwah — whether we know it or not.
Yahuwah tells us also, that if we do not choose to obey His command to keep His Sabbaths, we are demonstrating to Him that we do not love Him, and that we do not know Him (See Ezekiel 20:12; Matthew 7:23; 1John 2:4; 1John 3:4,6; 1John 5:2).
Walk As He Walked
Yahushua [Jesus] said the following:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue [abide; remain] ye in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide [continue; remain] in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide [continue; remain] in His love.” (John 15:9-10)
“He that says he abides [continue; remain] in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” (1John 2:6)
As the above Scripture passages teach us, Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ] desires to ‘abide’ in us — that is, He desires to continue and remain in us. He also desires that we would ‘abide’ (remain; continue) in His love — that is, He desires that we would continue in loving Him.
In the above passages, the apostle John tells us how we would know that He is abiding, continuing, and remaining in us: because we “keep His commandments” , and we “walk, even as He walked”.
And in John 14:15 the apostle John tells us how we would know that we are contuing in loving Him: because we “keep His commandments”.
If we are abiding, remaining, continuing in Yahushua and in loving Him, then we will be learning to do what He did, and learning to avoid what He avoided.
What did Yahushua do? And what did He avoid?
Here is a short list by which we might examine ourselves:
- He did not do His own will, but He did the Father’s will (Luke 22:42)
- He was immersed [‘baptised’] in water (Matt 3:16)
- He was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1)
- He was led by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1)
- He showed His love for His Father, by keeping His Father’s commandments (John 15:10)
- He kept [observe; guard; preserve; ‘watch’] all of His Father’s Sabbath Days, the seventh-day weekly Sabbath, as well as the annual High Sabbaths (Mark 13:37, 14:14; Luke 4:16)
- He observed His Father’s ‘true’ Passover (Luke 22:11; John 18:28)
- He kept His Father’s Feast Days (John 7:10)
- (See WWYD – What Would Yahushua Do?)
In order to allow Messiah-in-us to produce good fruit [fruit that remains and does not wither], we must “walk as He walked.”
Many of us must first come out, and forsake the popular doctrines and commandments of men that we have been taught.
Sadly, many men have been taught twisted ideas of Scriptural truths, and many of us have been taught UN-Scriptural doctrines. These man-made doctrines have shaped our behaviour and actions, and have trained many to prevent “Messiah-in-us” from obedience to the Scriptures! This is especially true regarding the Fourth Commandment!
We Had Much To Un-Learn
Our family had been taught many un-Scriptural doctrines.
We had allowed man-made doctrines and traditions to prevent our obedience to the Scriptures. Therefore, we had to un-learn many man-made teachings, and begin to learn how to “walk as Yahushua walked.”
We began to seek Yahuwah in the Scriptures. We began to understand the importance of keeping as ‘set-apart’ [holy] the Biblical seventh-day Sabbath Day. We began to understand that we had received a very twisted teaching about Father’s honourable Torah [His teachings and instructions and guidelines].
After our family began keeping and observing the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day [in the Biblically-prescribed manner], Father then began to open our spiritual eyes. We began to understand His written Word more clearly, just as He promised in Scripture! It was a major revelation for us. Many, many things about Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD God] and Yahushua [Jesus] and the Word [the Bible] began to make sense for the first time!!
As we continued to seek Yahuwah, and to keep the weekly, seventh day Sabbath Day, we gradually began to keep Father’s other Sabbath Days. And, our understanding of Father’s Word began to blossom.
Today, Father’s Word continues to yield a continual increase. The working of His Word into the fabric of our lives has become a great blessing, even beyond what we could ask or think. O how great is the depth of riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!! (Romans 11:33)
We are discovering that it is a joyous life to follow Yahushua Messiah, by being obedient to His commandments (John 14:15).
Shed the Religious Bondages
For those who choose to truly follow Messiah, let each of us come out of the entrapments of the enemy, and begin to seek, and to follow Yahushua completely. Let us follow Messiah, even ‘outside the camp’ of our familiar comfort zones, ‘outside the camp’ of man-made traditions and doctrines of men (Hebrews 13:13).
May we truly begin to shed our religious bondages to Greek-oriented thinking [the idea that ‘faith’ is based only on what we think mentally].
Instead, let us embrace the Biblical, Hebrew-oriented thinking [the idea that ‘faith’ is based on what we do] (See Zec 9:13; Zec 1:6; James 2:18; Rev 20:13).
“It is very important to Yahuwah that we keep His Sabbath Days HOLY (holy means set-apart-as-special)! We keep the Sabbath Day holy because it is a SIGN for God that we love Him!”
One of the main reasons Yahuwah [the LORD] did not allow an entire generation of Israelites to enter into the Promised Land [except for two — Joshua and Caleb], was because they polluted Yahuwah’s Sabbaths, and failed to obey His commandments (Ezekiel 20:23-24).
Let us therefore seek diligently to keep and protect our observance of Yahuwah’s Sabbath Days. Let us remember every week to prepare to observe Father’s very special seventh-day Sabbath Day, and all of His other annual High Sabbath Days, the Feasts of Yahuwah!
It is our observance of His Sabbath Days that is The Sign! — The SIGN between Yahuwah and His people, that we know Him, and that we love Him!
—
Related Articles:
- The Sabbath Day Secret
- Video – Shabbat Shalom—The Creator’s Gift to Weary Man
- What Is The Purpose of The Torah?
- If You Love Me, Keep MY Commandments
- 10 Paradigm-Shifting New Testament Verses
- Coming Home – To The Truth of Torah
- Thy Torah is My Delight
- My Path to Torah
- The Word – or The Spirit?
- Obeying Torah is Not About Salvation
- Beware of the “Lunar Sabbath”
- Sabbath – Biblical Holidays
- The Ten Commandments
- Joshua and Caleb
- Contending For The Faith
- Are You In The Faith? Examine Yourselves
- That It May Be Well With You
- The Key to Gaining Understanding
- Hebrew vs Greek Thought – approx. 10 minute teaching video
- Do You Love God? – approx. 12 minute teaching video
—
Cold Waters to a Thirsty Soul
Cold Waters to a Thirsty Soul 
It is refreshing to read your site. You have provided those who seek the truth with Scripture references so that they can see that they need to follow Yahuwahs’ word – not evil mans traditions and vain words. Scripture says to “come out of her (Roman system of worship) MY people, so that you do not partake of her plagues—-” Rev:18:4.
Blessings
Thank you, Judi, for your visit and your comment.
Blessings to you and your household!
Deborah
Isaiah 58 is talking about the Day of Atonement. Please read the entire chapter in context. Shalom Fiona
Thank you Fiona, for your comment about Isaiah 58.
As a well-known Rabbinic tradition, Isaiah 58 is indeed read on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This passage is called “Parashat Yom Kippur, Haftarah Portion” and is the traditional Haftarah for Yom Kippur morning, beginning at Isaiah 57:14, and extending through 58:14.
The afternoon Haftarah for Yom Kippur is the entire book of Jonah. Now, we know that the book of Jonah does not pertain only to Yom Kippur. But according to the Rabbis, the book of Jonah is a message that Adonai is quick to forgive those who repent of their ways, and who mend their deeds.
Traditionally, the Haftarah for Yom Kippur concludes with the passage in Micah 7:18-20 (“Who is a God like You, forgiving iniquity and remitting transgression? — You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea”). We also know that this passage in Micah does not pertain only to Yom Kippur. But according to the Rabbis, this passage is another message to show us that Adonai is quick to forgive those who repent.
In the words of Rabbi Arthur Waskow, the reason these verses in Isaiah 58 are read every year on Yom Kippur, is to remind us that “the ritual of fasting should not be practiced rotely, without instilling meaning into this important religious act.”
This passage also reminds us quite clearly that the goal of fasting is not just the ritual itself, but is to “unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke, to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the poor into your home, when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin.” (Isaiah 58; 6-7).
According to the Rabbi, our good deeds of setting the oppressed free, of sharing our bread with the hungry, and of providing clothing and shelter for the poor, are not to be confined only to Yom Kippur, but are to be done “throughout the year.” -From Isaiah and Subversive Prayer: Thoughts for Yom Kippur, by Rabbi Arthur Waskow.
And for those Spirit-filled followers of Messiah whose present-day ministry includes prayer and deliverance, Messiah Himself has confirmed in Mark 9:29 the great importance of fasting, as described in the Isaiah 58 passage.
So we see that Isaiah 58 is not only about Yom Kippur, but is about some very important lessons for us, to learn and to practice not only one day out of the year, but year-round.
Is the Sabbath day every Friday to Saturday or should it be the seventh day of each month? Please can you help with scriptures I should read to confirm. Every month I think to myself but this is not day seven. This enquiry is with heartfelt desire to be obedient and not follow blindly into pre set tradition it is not to cause disagreement or accusation. Blessings to you.
Thank you Carron for your question.
Yes, the weekly Sabbath Day begins every Friday evening, at sunset, and ends approximately 24 hours later, on Saturday evening, at sunset.
The Fourth Commandment is given in Exodus 20:8-11 and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. In this command, Yahuwah tells us that we are to remember the Sabbath Day as holy, every week, on the seventh day of the week. Yahuwah Himself worked six days in creating the heavens and the earth, and then He rested on the seventh day, and set that day apart as ‘holy’ and separate, from the six work days.
The Fourth Commandment is a commandment to keep the weekly seventh-day Sabbath day holy, set-apart as special. This command is stressed throughout the Scriptures as being very important to Yahuwah (Exo 31:13-17; Neh 13:15-22; Isa 58:13-14; Jer 17:21-27).
Every week, on the seventh day of the week [which is known in modern times as Saturday], we are to obey Father’s command to rest from our work. This is a weekly observance, in which we do our work during the first six days of the week, and then on the seventh day of the week, we rest (Exodus 20:9-10; Exodus 23:12a; Exodus 31:15, 17; Exodus 34:21; Exodus 35:2; Deuteronomy 5:13-14). Once we begin to walk in obedience to this commandment, we will discover a treasure that Father gives to all those who keep this commandment — His joy and His peace and His security.
Yahuwah’s weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day can be seen in all cultures down through history, and the seventh day of the week, is called ‘Sabbath’ [or some slight variation thereof] in many languages worldwide.
According to historians, in ancient, pagan Rome, the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day was known to the pagans as “the Day of Saturn,” and it is now called Saturday. Sadly, through the corruption of man-made doctrines, many religious groups today have their own sabbath day. But Yahuwah’s weekly seventh-day Sabbath Day remains unchanged.
In order to confirm which day of the week the ancient seventh-day Sabbath Day fell upon, we need not go back any earlier than when Messiah walked on the earth. Yahushua Messiah Himself did not sin, and He observed the true weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day, according to the Fourth Commandment. Yahushua observed the same weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day as did the Jewish people of His day. And now, over a time span of 2,000 years, down to the present day, the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day has not changed at all. The true weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day remains the same to this day, as attested to every Saturday, by every Jewish synagogue in the land! And let us recall that the apostle Paul tells us that the Oracles of Yahuwah were committed to the Jews, for our profit [to be a light and witness to the world]. So their example is a witness for us as to when the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day actually is.
We know from Yahushua’s resurrection scenario in the Gospels, that He was crucified on the 14th day of the Biblical month. The Feast of Unleavened Bread High Sabbath of the 15th began at sunset, the end of the 14th. The next day after the 15th, was another preparation day, and the following day was the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath. That puts the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath on the 17th of the month, which is in disagreement with the modern deception of the ‘lunar sabbath’ notion.
There are many other places in Scripture that tell us much. After Israel left Egypt, the children of Israel were instructed to begin gathering manna. The children of Israel were to gather manna every morning, for 6 days, and then rest from gathering, every 7th day. Notice the way they were instructed on which day was the Sabbath Day — the worms did not come and eat the leftovers on the 7th day. The children of Israel were not told to observe the moon to determine the weekly Sabbath Day. They observed the worms!
Despite calendar changes that may designate Sunday as the seventh day of the week, and despite corruptions introduced by Rome, the true weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day remains constant and true as a witness that Yahuwah is indeed the Creator of all things, including the creation of the seven day week. His Word is unchanging. And Yahuwah continues to have a remnant of those who continue to honour and obey Him, by keeping His Fourth Commandment, keeping the true, weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day holy.
The Ten Commandments form the most basic list of commands that reveal to us Yahuwah’s basic guidelines and instructions for His children. Father has created us with a will, and therefore we can choose to love Him and follow His commands and guidelines, by obedience to His Words, or we can choose not to. Sadly, many choose to follow a religious group’s ‘self-appointed’ sabbath day, or a man-made ‘lunar sabbath’ notion, and as a result they are deceived into thinking they are being obedient.
If we choose not to observe Yahuwah’s weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day, even though we may gather for religious worship on some other day; or if we choose to observe Yahuwah’s weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day, and yet our observance is not according to His specific directions, then both of these choices are in disobedience to the 4th Commandment, which according to the apostle John, is sin (1John 3:4).
Messiah calls out to us today, calling to His Blood-Redeemed Ones, to repent — to cease walking in our own ways of disobedience to Messiah’s Commandments, and begin to walk in obedience to His Word (Rev 2:1 – Rev 3:22; Isaiah 44:22).
Every day we must decide between truth and error. We must decide if something is good doctrine, or bad. In our daily walk and practices, indeed in every question we encounter, we should be asking ourselves the question, “What would Yahushua do?”
Messiah, who is living within every Born-Again Believer, desires to express the fullness of His Life in us, as the Word of His Testimony. When Messiah lives within us, He gives us a desire to live and walk in the same way He did 2,000 years ago, when He walked on the earth in His own body.
Let us recall the following passage: “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” (1John 2:6)
If Yahushua is abiding in us, John tells us exactly how we would know this — we will walk even as He walked. If Yahushua is abiding in us, then we will be doing what He did, and avoiding what He avoided, as I pointed out in the above article.
Yahushua was the perfect sacrifice for sins. If He had disobeyed any of the Scriptures, we would have no redemption! We can therefore know that when we observe the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath Day, every Friday evening to Saturday evening, we will be following Yahushua’s example. Yahushua’s example is possible for us to follow because of His abundant grace that is available for all of Father’s children, as we are seeking to ‘walk as He walked.’
If you would like to read about the current deception regarding the ‘lunar sabbath’, then I recommend the following article at eliyah.com:
Beware of the “Lunar Sabbath”
http://www.eliyah.com/lunarsabbath.html
Thank you again for your question.
Blessings,
Deborah