Introduction
     Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, “Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I Am Yahweh that doth sanctify you,” Exodus 31:13.
    For I am Yahweh, I change not; therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, Malachi 3:6.
    Many are they who cleave to the wrong notion that the seventh-day Sabbath, which Almighty Yahweh sanctified at creation and proclaimed to be the holy day of rest and worship, has somehow been changed to another day. Influenced by a man-made decree, vis-à-vis erroneous Bible interpretation, they presumptuously make the unscriptural claim that the first day of the week, rather than the seventh day, is now the holy day that men should observe as the day of rest and worship. However, a sincere and thorough examination of the Scriptures reveals clearly that nothing could be farther from the truth. (Restored Name King James Version used throughout, unless otherwise noted.)
    This article will present multiple reasons why the Seventh day Sabbath has not and cannot change or cease to be observed.

Creation Ordinance
     And on the seventh day Elohim ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which Elohim created and made, Genesis 2:2-3.
    This is the first mention of the Sabbath in the Scriptures. The word translated ‘rest’ here, is the Hebrew word Shabbat ‒ H7673 in Strong’s Concordance, meaning to repose, i.e., desist from exertion. 
    Indeed, the Sabbath originated from the creation account in Genesis 2:2-3, which affirms Yahweh rested on the seventh day and sanctified it. This rest was not due to fatigue, but rather a deliberate act of cessation from creative work, signifying the completion of creation.
    By resting on the seventh day, Yahweh established a pattern for humanity to follow which demonstrated the importance of rest, worship, and renewal. The Sabbath became a sacred institution, a gift to humanity to promote spiritual and physical well-being.
    Throughout the Bible, the Sabbath is emphasized as a day of rest, worship, and communion with Yahweh. It’s a time for one to cease from secular activities and focus on spiritual renewal.

A Command Written by Yahweh
     The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:8-11), written by Yahweh Himself on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai (Exod. 31:18) … hence, emphasizing both the importance and the permanence of this commandment.
    The Sabbath is not a human institution, but an ordinance by Yahweh, rooted in creation and established by covenant with Israel. Therefore, it is inconceivable that a commandment written by Yahweh’s own finger could be changed without explicit authorization from Him.
    The Bible emphasizes the unchanging nature of Yahweh’s Word, including the Sabbath (Psa. 119:89). Furthermore, Yahshua explicitly stated that He did not come to abolish the Law (Matt. 5:17). Any attempts to alter or abolish the Sabbath then, would require clear Scriptural authority which is conspicuously lacking.
    Believers respect the integrity and authority of Scriptures, particularly when it comes to Yahweh’s commandments. The Sabbath remains a crucial part of His plan for humanity, serving as a testament to His creation and ongoing relationship with His people.

Covenant Sign
     And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am Yahweh that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed,’” Exodus 31:12-17.
    The Sabbath is a covenant sign between Yahweh and His people (Exod. 31:12; Ezek. 20:12, 20). This means that observing the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an identity marker that distinguishes Yahweh’s people from the rest of the world.
By keeping the Sabbath, believers demonstrate their loyalty, faith, and commitment to their covenant with Yahweh. It’s a visible sign that they belong to Him and are set apart for His purposes.
    One cannot claim to be among Yahweh’s people without observing the Sabbath. It’s a fundamental aspect of our identity and relationship with Him.
    By observing the Sabbath, we honour our covenant with Yahweh, affirm our identity as His people, and express our faith in a tangible way.

Perpetual Observance
     Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant, Exodus 31:16. The Sabbath is to be observed in all generations and as a lasting and immutable ordinance, underscoring His intention that the Sabbath is an enduring and unchanging institution. Yahweh has not, and will not, change His mind concerning the seventh-day Sabbath (Mal. 3:6). By observing the Sabbath, therefore, believers demonstrate their commitment to upholding Yahweh’s eternal Torah and their willingness to submit to His unchanging will.

The Sabbath is for All Peoples
     Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to Yahweh, to serve Him, and to love the Name of Yahweh, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people, Isaiah 56:6-7
    And He said unto them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath,” Mark 2:27. The Greek word translated ‘man’ in Mark 2:27 is anth’-ro-pos – Strong’s G444, meaning human being. 
    The above passages demonstrate that the Sabbath was made for humanity, and not exclusively for Israel and that even foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh and keep the Sabbath will be blessed and accepted by Him. The Sabbath is, therefore, a timeless and universal commandment, relevant to all humanity, regardless of ethnic or cultural background.

Yahshua Kept the Sabbath
     And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read, Luke 4:16.
    And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught, Mark 1:21.
    Yahshua, the Son of Yahweh and our Master, Guide, and Perfect Example, consistently observed the Sabbath … giving attendance to the synagogue, and teaching the congregation. Those today, who refuse to keep the seventh-day Sabbath are proclaiming openly that they do not follow His example of obedience. We, by keeping the Sabbath, demonstrate we are but emulating His obedience, and our submission to Yahweh’s. On the other hand, refusing to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath implies a disregard for Yahshua’s example and Yahweh’s purpose for humanity.
    Sabbath-keeping will also be relevant in the Messianic kingdom, when Yahshua returns to rule on the earth. By observing the Sabbath now, we align ourselves with Yahweh’s eternal purposes and prepare ourselves for the coming kingdom.

Yahshua Didn’t Break the Sabbath
     In the Evangels, we see Yahshua healing people on the Sabbath (Matt. 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-5; Luke 13:10-17; John 5:1-18). For these reasons, the Pharisees falsely accused Yahshua of not only breaking the Sabbath, but also asserting that Elohim was His Father, thus making Himself equal to the Sovereign One and which also served their indicting Him before Pontius Pilate (John 5:18, 19:7).
    Today, many people, like the Pharisees of old, continue to perpetuate this false accusation, insisting that since Yahshua ‘broke’ the Sabbath, they don’t have to keep it.
    However, Yahshua’s doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil on the Sabbath, and instructing the healed paralytic to carry his bed on the Sabbath, were not tantamount to breaking the Sabbath. Instead, He was making it clear that critical health issues requiring urgent attention can be attended to even on the Sabbath. Also, praying for the sick on Sabbath is not forbidden anywhere in the Scriptures. But the Pharisees were angry because Yahshua’s actions challenged and undermined their man-made traditions attending the Sabbath. Such traditions made it burdensome for people to keep Yahweh’s law. Perhaps, these were what Yahshua alluded to when He severally said to them, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of Elohim by your tradition?” (Matt. 15:3) and concluded of them, “Thus have ye made the commandment of Elohim of none effect by your tradition” (Matt. 15:6) and in the 23rd chapter of Matthew in which He no fewer than six times called them “hypocrites,” and also “blind guides,” He asserted that they bound heavy burdens and grievous to be borne and lay them on men’s shoulders (Matt. 23:4).
    Yahshua declared to His disciples that He had kept Yahweh’s Torah (John 15:10).
    Moreover, the apostles confirmed these things, saying in their reference to Yahshua,
        • Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth, 1 Peter 2:22.
        • Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin, 1 John 3:4-5.
        • For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, Hebrews 4:15.
        • For He (Yahweh) hath made Him (Yahshua) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of Yahweh in Him, 2 Corinthians 5:21.
    These testimonies underscore Yahshua’s sinless nature, which is a fundamental aspect of His identity as the Messiah and the Son of Yahweh. His sinlessness qualified Him to be the perfect sacrifice for man’s sins. For even hereunto are we also called: because Messiah left us an example, that we should follow His steps.

The Apostles Kept the Sabbath
     But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the Law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, “Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.” Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and ye that fear Elohim, give audience.” … And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the favor of Yahweh. And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of Yahweh, Acts 13:14-16, 42-44
    And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped Yahweh, heard us: whose heart Yahweh opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul, Acts 16:13-14.
    And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, Acts 17:2.
    It is clear from the passages cited above that the disciples of Yahshua did not abandon the Sabbath after His resurrection and ascension. Rather, they continued to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship. Note also, that the women who ministered to the Messiah while He was living observed the Sabbath while He reposed on the Sabbath – both the first annual Sabbath, of the Days of Unleavened Bread and the weekly Sabbath that preceded His resurrection (Mark 16:1-2; Luke 23:55-56).
    Who could deny, or even defy, what is so obvious: That neither Yahshua while He was alive, nor His followers after He was dead, buried, and resurrected, abandoned or changed the Sabbath day which Almighty Yahweh Himself had sanctified and blessed at creation?

The Sabbath Will be Kept in the Last Days
     Yahshua hints that the Sabbath will be relevant in these last days. Here is the passage:
    But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened, Matthew 24:20-22. (emphasis, ours)
    In this passage, Yahshua was discussing the end times and the great tribulation that will occur. He instructed His disciples to pray that their escape from trouble spots, especially the land of Israel, will not occur on the Sabbath or in winter. The reason? Yahweh’s people are restricted from traveling on the Sabbath day.
    That Yahshua mentioned the Sabbath in this context implies that it will still be observed by Yahweh’s people during the end times.
    Furthermore, we are informed in the book of Revelation that two things will distinguish the elect from the rest of the world in these last days: They will hold on to the faith of Yahshua and they will continue keeping the commandments of Yahweh. And that would assuredly include keeping the Sabbath set apart (Rev. 12:17, 14:12).

Soon, Sabbath Will Be Kept Worldwide
     “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me,” saith Yahweh, Isaiah 66:23. (emphasis, ours)
    But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, and to the house of the Elohim of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the Law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem, Micah 4:1-2.
    The prophets are saying that in the forthcoming Messianic kingdom, there will be a universal observance of the Sabbath on which people from all nations and cultures, having discarded their false religious practices, will be learning the Torah and worshipping Yahweh.

Conclusion
     In conclusion, it is obvious from the Scriptures that Yahweh never intended to change the Sabbath. He never revealed through any of His servants that a time should come when the Sabbath would cease to be observed, or be changed to another day. Quite, do we find just the opposite to be true. Whenever Yahweh intends to do a major thing, He reveals it in advance to His prophets (Amos 3:7). It is, therefore, interesting to note that no prophecy in the entire Bible points to a future cessation or change of the seventh-day Sabbath.
    The transition from Sabbath to Sunday is not of Yahweh. Rather, it is a product of the apostasy that took place more than two centuries after the death of the last apostles. The Christian church’s shift from Sabbath to Sunday – under the auspices of observing the Master’s presumed resurrection on the first day of the week – represents a departure from the true faith observed by the prophets, the Messiah and the apostles (1 Tim. 4:1).
    Nevertheless, today, Yahweh is calling out a remnant and urging them to earnestly contend for the original faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). Are you among that remnant?