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Sabbath Keeper: Why Not Keep
ALL the Commandments?


Introduction
   Many acknowledge the Bible as the Book of books, which contains the very words of our great Creator. But few fully pursue the deeper truth of His Word. Many are like the puzzled, would-be treasure hunter who was satisfied with just knowing which mountain contained the gold vein, but would not dig to get the precious mineral it held.
   Others are satisfied stopping short of mining out of Scripture the great treasure of salvation truths, believing somehow these truths will all be given to them eventually without their effort. Yet the Bible tells us in Ephesians 4, that each of us is personally responsible to develop into a “perfect” (meaning complete and full-grown) individual in truth.
   The Savior forewarned us in Luke 13:24: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
   Stopping short of a sincere, complete effort is unacceptable to our Heavenly Father. He tells the lukewarm person, “I will spue you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:16).
   When it comes to the Ten Commandments, many acknowledge a complete obedience. Pressing the issue, we discover otherwise.


The Third Commandment
   For example, the most common interpretation of the Third Commandment which deals with our Creator’s personal, revealed Name—Thou shalt not take the Name of Yahweh your Elohim in vain: for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain, Exodus 20:7—is that one must not curse using the Father’s Name. That is part of what the Commandment enjoins, but it’s the lesser part. If we examine the Hebrew for the world “take” in this commandment, we find the word nasa, meaning to “lift” or “bring to.” The Hebrew for “vain” is shoah, which means to rush over (as a storm rushes past) and brings to devastation or ruin, waste, uselessness.
   So, rephrased, the Third Commandment is rendered,
Thou shalt not lift or bring the Name of Yahweh your Elohim to devastation or ruin, waste, uselessness: for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that lifts or brings His Name to devastation or ruin, waste, uselessness, Exodus 20:7.

The Fourth Commandment
   The fourth Commandment makes Saturday to become the Bible’s true seventh day Sabbath and yet, mainline churchianity has acceded to the Constantinian 1st day, and calls it Sabbath.
   There is not one Bible command to keep any other day than our Saturday as the Sabbath. If you are already a Sabbath keeper, you have taken a big step toward the true worship of the Mighty One of the Scriptures. You are keeping the same day the Creator did at creation—the seventh day. Now you are ready to go on to perfection.
   Coming to a knowledge of, and observing the Sabbath may require a change in lifestyle. And as you may have discovered, the arguments proffered by some against the true Sabbath are Scripturally unsubstantiated.
   Interestingly, the same line of reasoning often used against the 7th Day Sabbath has also been used to discount Yahweh’s Name and “prove” that it is unnecessary. As you have found with the usual arguments against the Sabbath, such things plainly deny Biblical statements.
   Let’s examine the similarity in reasoning, whether employed against the Sabbath or in opposition to the revealed, personal Sacred Names, Yahweh and Yahshua.


“But I Don’t Speak Hebrew… I am not Jewish”
   A frequent argument opposed to calling upon Yahweh’s Name, is that His Name was given only to the Jews. It is assumed that only the Jewish people are to use His “Jewish” Name, Yahweh. This implies that because the Third Commandment was given to Jews, only the Jews are responsible for keeping Yahweh’s law. No one else need to be concerned about them.
   Indeed, Romans 3:1-2 declares,
What advantage then has the Jew? Or what profit is [there] of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of Yahweh.” (The word oracle means sacred pronouncements). The Jews continue as conservators of Yahweh’s oracles, safeguarding them for us.
   “I do not speak Hebrew” or its parallel, “I am not Jewish” is thought to give license to some for opposing His Name, Yahweh, and call Him whatever they wish. But the argument is groundless. First, His Name was revealed to patriarchs before there ever was a Jewish nation. Second, He is the Almighty of both Jew and Gentile (Rom. 3:29). Third, His Name Yahweh is for ALL generations (Ex. 3:15-16).
   Man has rebelled against Yahweh’s Name, calling Him God, Lord, Deos, Theos, Pan, Bog, Gott, and Baal—names and titles used for pagan deities! Just because one does not speak Hebrew or is not a Jew, doesn’t preclude one from calling upon His Name, Yahweh. Not speaking Hebrew is irrelevant to using the one Name “which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). Allowing for the accents of various languages, His Name is the same in all tongues. Names do not change from one language to another. Rather, names are transliterated (sound for sound) from one language to another. It makes little difference what the language of the Bible might be. His Name would still be Yahweh.
   The familiar word “HalleluYah” is a Hebrew imperative meaning “Praise you Yah,” and is the same in any language. Arguing that we speak English and should not use any Hebrew words, then “HalleluYah” is forbidden and so are hundreds of other Biblical words and names coming directly from the Hebrew into our English text.
   The fact is, the names of many Hebrew Bible patriarchs are easily recognizable in English and pronounced nearly the same in Hebrew. Even the title of the adversary, Satan, sounds almost the same in Hebrew (
saw-tawn).
   Names are transliterated (sound for sound) from one language to another and do not change from one language to another. If they did, then we would need to come up with an English version of these and thousands of other foreign names!
   In our culture we employ many foreign names every day without any problem or objection. Names such as Toyota, Nikon, Saab, Sony, Stihl, Volvo, Bosch, and Volkswagen present no difficulty. Your picture on your passport does not change with the language of the country in which you might be traveling. You would sign your name the same on your check or credit card whether you are in Germany, Jordan, China or Brazil. The ethnic accent may differ, but there is very little difference from country to country in pronouncing your given name. The same is true of Biblical names.
   When Yahweh spoke to Moses He said His Name “Yahweh” was His memorial to all generations (Ex. 3:15). His Name is the verb of existence and means “He exists because He wills to exist” or, “He brings into being whatever He wishes” or, “He is, was and will be.” The Name Yahweh has a depth of meaning that cannot be derived by calling Him “G-d.” Therefore, refusing to call upon Yahweh’s Name is denying His Name (Rev. 2:8), assigning it no value. When we call on His Name we enter into a close relationship with Him, showing Him reverence and honor that are due Him.
   Similarly, observing the Sabbath (rest) is acknowledging His creative power “from all His work which He had made” (Gen. 2:2). His Name, and His Sabbaths, therefore are His exclusively and just as we are to keep His Sabbaths, even throughout eternity, we also are to call upon His true Name, Yahweh.
   Before one denounces the Sacred Name of Yahweh and His 7th Day Sabbath, one should consider that it was from the content of the Old Testament that the Savior, His disciples, and the Apostle Paul (author of nearly half of the New Testament). It was the Old Testament to which Paul alluded when writing to Timothy,
And that from a child you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Messiah Yahshua, 2 Timothy 3:15.

Examining Other Arguments
   What follows are other common polemics used by those who reject calling the Heavenly Father by His personal, revealed Name, Yahweh and 7th Day Sabbath observance and reflect the same misguided and erroneous reasoning.
   Regrettably, some Sabbath keepers while able to refute from Scripture the protestations of 1st day observers, employ the latter’s reasoning against calling on the true Names of the Father and the Son!

“Every day is the Sabbath” or “We keep every day holy.” These statements are often made by well-meaning people who reject the seventh day, giving them the opportunity to observe the first day of the week with their friends and relatives on Sunday. But Yahweh blessed only the Saturday (7th Day) Sabbath and nowhere does the Bible change the seventh day. We are specifically commanded to work six days and rest the seventh (Ex. 23:12), which is not possible if we are keeping every day a sanctified Sabbath.

“Yahweh has many names.” This allows one to call Yahweh whatever one wishes. Including the title, “God.” Many people confuse titles with names. He has only one Name. The Bible refers to “His Name” 108 times; “Thy Name” 109 times; “My Name” 97 times—always in the singular. He has but one Name, Yahweh, “Most High over all the earth … above every name” (Ps. 83:18; Phil. 2:9).

“The Sabbath was given to Moses at Sinai.” The inference is that until Sinai, the Sabbath was unknown to Yahweh’s people. Further, the Ten Commandments are allegedly done away in the Messiah. But the Sabbath was a part of creation (Gen. 1:14), and is first mentioned in (Gen. 2:2)—long before Moses. And Yahshua observed it and taught it as well (Mark 2:27-28).

“Moses was first given Yahweh’s Name at the burning bush.” The belief is that because His Name was unknown before Moses, it is unimportant and just another “law of Moses.” The fact is, Yahweh’s Name appears in the Hebrew in Genesis 2:4; Eve called on the Name “Yahweh” in Genesis 4:1; Yahweh emphasized His Name to Abraham, Genesis 15:7 and to Jacob Genesis 28:13, both long before Moses. Furthermore, Moses’ mother was Jochebed (correctly Yahkebed), meaning, “Yah is glory.”

“The Sabbath was given to the Jews only.” This implies that only Jews are responsible for keeping Yahweh’s law. To keep the Saturday Sabbath is to be under bondage, goes the reasoning. Others can keep any day they wish, it is alleged. Yet, Scripture says all flesh will keep the same Sabbath (Isa. 66:23).

● “The Name was given to Jews only.” It is assumed that only the Jewish people are to use His “Jewish” Name, Yahweh. Others may call Him whatever they wish. But the argument is groundless. First, His Name was revealed to patriarchs before there ever was a Jewish nation. Second, He is the Almighty of both Jew and Gentile (Rom. 3:29). We can change neither His Sabbath nor His Name. Third, His Name Yahweh is for ALL generations (Ex. 3:15-16). 

“The Sabbath was changed to Sunday.” Man changed it. Yahweh never changed the Saturday (7th Day) Sabbath to Sunday as His day of worship. The 7th Day is still the Sabbath and will be so in the Millennium (Isa. 66:23). Man’s rebellion caused him to change his day of worship, as well as the name of the One worshiped.

● “Names change from language to language.” Not so. Names remain the same, and are merely transliterated from one language to another. That is, the same sounds are brought across from one tongue to another. Man has rebelled against Yahweh’s Name, calling Him God, Lord, Deos, Theos, Pan, Bog, Gott, and Baal―names and titles used for pagan deities! 

“Time has been lost and no one knows which day is the Sabbath.” Napoleon ended France’s short-lived attempt to have a 10-day week and France rejoined the world calendar. Other than this experiment, history proves we are keeping the same week as Messiah and before. The days of the week were not changed at all. The sequence of days that gives us the Saturday Sabbath is the same from antiquity. The Savior knew which day was the Sabbath for He kept it (Luke 4:16). It was the same day the Jews of His time were observing, as He was constantly criticized by the Pharisees and Sadducees for doing various things on the Sabbath. They never attacked Him for keeping the “wrong” day. And the Jews have kept the same day in the weekly sequence ever since. They would never changed their day of worship.

“The true pronunciation of the Name has been lost.” Under “Yahweh,”
The Encyclopedia Britannica says, “Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used the form Yahweh. Thus this pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton was never really lost. Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh” Micropedia, 15th ed., Vol. X, p. 786. The Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 7, p. 680, 1971, concurs: “The true pronunciation of the Name YHWH was never lost. Several early Greek writers of the Christian church testify that the name was pronounced YAHWEH.”

“Time was lost in the Old Testament and so was the true Sabbath.” There is Joshua’s long day (Jos. 10:12-14), when the sun stood still in the heaven. Then there’s Hezekiah’s time when the sun went back 10 degrees (2 Kings 20:8-11). Still, the day ends when the sun sets. We need only to go as far as Yahshua the Savior who kept the Sabbath properly, and history from His time can be easily traced.

“The Name was lost at the Tower of Babel.” Yahshua declared Yahweh’s Name in the New Testament (Heb. 2:12). The confusion of tongues affected those building the tower. The Hebrew Shemites who kept His Name were not involved in its construction. Yahweh dwelt with them (Gen. 9:27). (“Shem” means name or renown). Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were Shemites.

“The Sabbath is not commanded in the New Testament.” There is no statement in either the Old or New Testament doing away with the Saturday Sabbath. The Savior and His disciples based their teachings upon the Old Testament, as the New had not yet been written. Both Testaments teach Sabbath observance. Paul met with both Jews and gentiles on the Sabbath (Acts 13:14, 42, 44, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4).

“The Name Yahweh is not found in the New Testament.” English Bibles erroneously substitute “Lord” for Yahweh’s Name in the New Testament, eliminating His Name in direct quotations from the Old. This substitution has engendered confusion in verses like (Matt. 22:44): “The LORD said to my Lord,” or in (1 Cor. 1:31), in which both the Father (Yahweh) and the Son (Yahshua) are revealed. In (Luke 4:18-19) the Messiah Himself quoted directly from (Isa. 61), in which Yahweh’s Name appears. He even declared Yahweh’s Name to His brethren (John 17:26; Heb. 2:14). The translations themselves are at fault.

“You teach salvation comes by keeping a special 24-hour day.” Messianic Sabbath keepers know that we are saved by the grace of Yahweh through faith in His Son. We show that we are His children by obedience to His commandments out of love for His great sacrifice (Eph. 2:8-10). By obedience, we are sanctified, i.e., set-apart.

“You teach that salvation depends upon invoking His Proper Name.” We, in effect, rebel against Yahweh when once we know His Name we refuse to revere or hallow the Name by which He reveals Himself (Matt. 6:9). When we call upon His Name we acknowledge that His Name is bound up in His promise of everlasting life:
For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Master (Yahshua) shall be saved, Romans 10:13).

“We rest in the Messiah—He is our Sabbath.” The Bible teaches spiritual truth through physical acts. Our actions spring from faith (James 2:18). As we ourselves learn of His ways, we become prepared to teach others of the Sabbath in the future Millennium. There remains a keeping of the Sabbath for His people now, (Heb. 4:9) says, and in the Kingdom (Isa. 66:23).

“Faith alone is all we need because He knows who we mean, whatever we call Him.” Is He also satisfied with any day we choose to worship Him? When we keep His Sabbaths and call upon His Name, Yahweh brings us into a closer walk with Him. When we desire to follow Him in ALL truth we will call on His true Name. In the Millennium all will call on Yahweh with “a pure language” and serve Him in one accord (Zep. 3:9). Notice also,
Then they that feared Yahweh spake often one to another: and Yahweh hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Yahweh and that thought upon His name, Malachi 3:16.

“We will learn of the Sabbath when the Savior returns.” The purpose of this life is to learn of His ways to be worthy of the Kingdom (Luke 20:35). We should be able to teach others about the Sabbath and His holy days, which will also be kept in the Kingdom.

“When we get to the Kingdom we will learn His Name.” In this life, His people are called by His Name (2 Chr. 7:14). (Isa. 52:6) says His people SHALL know His Name. Yahshua prayed that we be kept (preserved) through His Name (John 17:11).

“The world observes Sunday and the world’s great Bible teachers teach Sunday.” Satan deceives the whole world (Rev. 12:9). We are not to follow the broad way of the world. Only a few will find the strait gate and the narrow way (Matt. 7:13-14).

“The world’s great Bible teachers all use the title ‘God,’ and the world in general call Him ‘God’.” History records that the majority is usually wrong. Yahshua called His people a “little flock” (Luke 12:32). Psalm 79:6 tells about the “majority”:
Pour out Thy wrath upon the heathen that they have not known Thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon Thy Name.

“We have fewer problems if we go along with keeping Sunday.” No one said that keeping the Sabbath would be easy. To follow the truth promises to be a trial (2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 1:6-7). By overcoming obstacles, we show Yahweh our true hearts and prove our willingness to forsake all for Him. Yahweh says His day of rest was the seventh day. Observing Sabbath is a sign between Yahweh and His people (Ezek. 20:12, 20).

“No one knows the Name Yahweh; it makes for confusion.” Psalm 22:22 is a command to declare His Name as did Yahshua, and praise Him in the assembly. Yahshua had proclaimed Yahweh’s Name to His disciples (John 17:6). We also are to “Teach all nations” (Matt. 28:19). If we don’t, how will they learn? (See our booklet, Our Savior Spoke the Sacred Name).

“We are now under grace, not the letter of the law.” The correct understanding of grace is found in justification: as we repent of breaking the law, we come under grace and are forgiven. Grace does not mean we are at liberty to break any or all commandments (Gal. 5:13).

“Our salvation is in a person, not the sound of a name.” No matter how some try to get around it, they cannot separate Him from the one true Name that identifies Him. His Name is part of His person. Salvation is bound up in the Holy Name. Yahweh is the most powerful Name on earth or in heaven. Yahshua (Yah-Hoshea) means, “Yahweh is salvation” (Matt. 1:21).
For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Master shall be saved, Romans 10:13. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, Acts 4:12.

“We are a New Testament Assembly; no Jewish Sabbath for us.” The inference is that the New Testament did away with the Seventh-day Sabbath. Yet, we know that the Messiah, His disciples, and Paul all kept Yahweh’s seventh day Sabbath. This holy time is not the Jewish Sabbath, but Yahweh’s Sabbath. The New Testament did not do away with the Fourth Commandment, nor did it change the Third, “Thou shalt not take the Name of Yahweh your Elohim in vain” (Ex. 20:7).

“We all speak English: no Jewish name for us.” Names are transliterated; that is, carried across phonetically to other languages. If you traveled to a foreign country your name would remain the same in the local papers, just as the names of statesmen are the same in our newspapers. Yahshua was of the tribe of Judah, having a Hebrew mother who spoke Hebrew and worshiped Yahweh, the Mighty One of the Hebrews.

“The Sabbath was nailed to the tree when the Messiah died, and therefore it was done away.” The book of Acts has many examples in which the disciples continued keeping the Sabbath long after the Savior’s resurrection (Acts 13:42-44, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4). The remnant of the seed of the woman and the saints keep Yahweh’s Commandments (Rev. 12:17, 14:12).

“At the time the Messiah died the world spoke Greek and we call Him by His Greek name, Jesus, no longer calling Him a Hebrew Name.” Actually, Jesus is not even a Greek name, for there is no “J” sound in the Greek (or in the Hebrew). His Name was spelled
“Iasua” in Greek letters because both the I and the y have the “ee” sound. Greek has no “sh” sound as does Hebrew, German, and English. “Jesus” is a Greek-Latin hybrid of the Hebrew Yahshua and has no etymological meaning in ANY language, let alone Hebrew or Greek.

“To keep the seventh day would be to observe ‘Saturn’s day’ (Saturday), which stems from paganism.” Man has changed the Biblical numbering of days of the week by ascribing pagan names to them. Yet this in no way changes the holiness of the seventh day Sabbath that our Creator has ordained. He calls the seventh day the “Sabbath,” the only day of the week named in Scripture. (All others are simply numbered.) This tells us how important His Sabbath is.

“The Name Yahweh stems from pagan Egypt.” Not so! Hebrew was the first language spoken by Yahweh to Adam and Eve in the garden as well as to the patriarchs. Yahweh’s Name is first found in (Gen. 2:4). In every one of the first five commandments, Yahweh uses His personal Name. The Third Commandment is a direct proscription against falsifying His Name.

“The Bible does not tell us the Sabbath is our Saturday. It could be on Tuesday or Thursday.” The sequence of the days of the week has remained the same all down through history to this day. The Catholic church has maintained records from Yahshua’s time and before, and showing, moreover, that they changed the Sabbath from the 7th Day to the 1st day (the day of the invincible sun).

“The Tetragrammaton has no vowels, so how are we to pronounce His name? Maybe it is something else.” The Old Testament from (Gen. 1:1 to Mal. 4:6) is written primarily in Hebrew without vowels (portions of Daniel are written in Chaldean), yet scholars are able to read and bring it into English thanks to the diacritical marks placed above, below certain letters. Nearly all reputable scholars agree the best English rendering is Yahweh. Jews, like the first century historian Josephus, tell us the Sacred Name was made up of vowels. Many encyclopedias say the pronunciation was never lost. (See our booklet, The Mistaken J).

“The early believers worshiped on Sunday instead of Saturday.” Reliable historians agree the weekly Sabbath was the recognized day of worship of all true Believers until pagan converts became the majority. In the Council of Nicaea, Constantine passed legislation in 325 CE that the day of worship be changed to Sunday.

“The early believers called on Jehovah and Jesus.” There is no letter “J” in either the Hebrew or Greek alphabets to this day. Not until the early 17th century (1600’s), did the letter “J” appear in the English language.



The Sign
   The Bible reveals that the Sabbath is a sign between Yahweh and His people: Hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you that you may know that I [am] Yahweh your Elohim, Ezekiel 20:20. (See also Ex. 31:13-17; Ezek. 20:12). Keeping His Sabbaths is a witness or a sign to the world that we are His people. He will bring things about so that we will know that Yahweh is our Elohim.

The Seal
   We are also told that His people shall be called by His Name (2 Chr. 7:14). We learn that at the end of the age His people will be sealed with His Name (Rev. 7:2-4). The saints are specifically sealed with His Father’s Name in their foreheads (Rev. 14:1).
   Yahweh’s people are those who keep His Commandments and have the faith of Yahshua (Rev. 14:12). Paul says we are not to grieve or act contrary to the promptings of Yahweh’s Spirit, for by the power of the Holy Spirit we are sealed and kept:
And grieve not the holy Spirit of Yahweh, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption, Ephesians 4:30.
   Thus, the Sign of Yahweh’s people is keeping the Sabbath, and the Seal is His Name in the forefront of our thinking. Both of these truths are critical for true worship. Yahweh says He will accept the son of the stranger providing he will serve Him and love the Name of Yahweh, to be His servants, every one that keeps the Sabbath from polluting it, and takes hold of My covenant (Isa. 56:6). Notice, that Yahweh simultaneously speaks of those who serve Him, love His Name, keep His Sabbath, and take hold of His covenant.


His Name in the First 5 Commandments
   Are you one of those Sabbath-keepers who delight in the increased knowledge our Creator has given you in the keeping of His Sabbath? Yet are you neglecting the third Commandment? All of the first five Commandments either concern His Name, Yahweh, or incorporate it.
   Surely you know that if you offend His commands in one point you are guilty of breaking all (James 2:10). By calling upon His Name Yahweh, you keep the first Commandment (Ex. 20:2). Was it just chance that the first of the Ten Commandments introduces Yahweh by His Name? His majesty is in His Name, which is above every name in heaven or earth (Phil. 2:10).
   His glory He will not give to another nor His praise to graven images (Isa. 42:8). Thus we keep the second Commandment when we acknowledge the Mighty One of the heavens as the Highest over all the earth (Ex. 10:3-6).
   We bring the great Creator to degradation by referring to Him by a mere title such as “god.” The title god and lord are used for Satan (2 Cor. 4:4) and (1 Cor. 8:5) respectively.


Up Close and Personal
   What about you? Are you keeping ALL the Commandments? Do you hang back and try to circumvent any of the Commandments? Recognize that His Name Yahweh means, “I will become what I will, or I choose to be.” The Name Yahweh signifies a close relationship with His people.
   To those with whom the great Heavenly Father is in covenant relationship, He promises to be whatever His people need at that time. He will be their Provider, Comforter, Strengthener, Healer, Shepherd, Restorer—whatever His people need. His Name thus brings Him much closer to us as He fulfills our needs on a personal level.
   The titles Eternal, God, and Lord lack this personal intimate relationship; instead they connote a far-off being who has no personal concern for His people. The pagans felt that way with their deities. The true One we worship is close and personal—because He has a Name!
   As you set aside the seventh day for rest and spiritual renewal, draw closer to the Creator by calling on His revealed, personal Name, Yahweh. He will draw near to you. How can you hallow His Name unless you use it? How can you keep the Sabbath holy unless you observe it?




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