For Mormons, when is the Sabbath?


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For most of us, it's Sunday, local time, midnight to midnight.

For those in, say, Israel, it's Friday night (sundown) to Saturday night.

For those in, say, Saudi Arabia, it's Friday, as the locals observe it.

"Shabbat" is Hebrew for "rest". It's, by LDS definition, 24 consecutive hours (plus or minus, if using a solar clock) out of 168. We rest from ordinary labors and focus on the Lord's work. Which day is largely a matter of convention. If the local populace rests (or pretends to) on Sunday, it's Sunday; if Friday or Saturday, then we follow their lead.

We follow the ancient practice of Sabbath worship (adapted to our needs), and that of the early Saints of observing "the day of the Lord", as opposed to the original Shabbat, but the actual day is not as important as the spirit of the Law which impels us to rest from servile labor, and read scripture, serve other people, search for our deceased ancestors, and similar activities.

Lehi

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1 hour ago, LeSellers said:

For most of us, it's Sunday, local time, midnight to midnight.

For those in, say, Israel, it's Friday night (sundown) to Saturday night.

For those in, say, Saudi Arabia, it's Friday, as the locals observe it.

"Shabbat" is Hebrew for "rest". It's, by LDS definition, 24 consecutive hours (plus or minus, if using a solar clock) out of 168. We rest from ordinary labors and focus on the Lord's work. Which day is largely a matter of convention. If the local populace rests (or pretends to) on Sunday, it's Sunday; if Friday or Saturday, then we follow their lead.

We follow the ancient practice of Sabbath worship (adapted to our needs), and that of the early Saints of observing "the day of the Lord", as opposed to the original Shabbat, but the actual day is not as important as the spirit of the Law which impels us to rest from servile labor, and read scripture, serve other people, search for our deceased ancestors, and similar activities.

Lehi

I agree with Lehi. Here is an AskGramps expansion on what Lehi shared:

When does the Sabbath Day actually begin and end?

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I am going to admit I start actually observing the Sabbath at about 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.  Saturday night after my daughter is in bed is first person shooter hour for me, and I know I should stop at midnight, but I keep telling myself, "one more level!"

Yeah, yeah, I know.  I'm not arguing it's a good choice, just being honest as to what I find myself doing!

Thank goodness my wife is a gamer.

Edited by DoctorLemon
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10 hours ago, zomarah said:

This seems hardly convincing. All that was quoted in the article was traditional ways of doing things. Is there any instance where the Lord has said that it doesn't matter what day the Sabbath is observed on, or that it was changed to Sunday.

Let's assume the Church has gotten it wrong. Let's also assume that the Sabbath is, as both the Bible and other scriptures and the Church say, extremely important to our worship. Just how long would it be before the Lord told us we needed to observe it differently?

My guess is that it would not be all that long. The JST, or the Doc&Cov, would have included a commandment to do it "right". So, we are here, 160 years later, with no such revelation. Yet we do have repeated counsel to observe "the Sabbath", there are blessings promised for observing this law. We have seen the result of such observance. So, it seems that the day of the week is far less important that the spirit of the law of the Sabbath, the law of Shabbat, the law of rest.

We do not need to have revelation on the matter because the Bible tells us that the Early-day Saints followed the Law of the Sabbath on "the Lord's day", as related by John on Patmos in the first chapter of the Revelation of Jesus Christ:.

Quote

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Finally, the Brethren have repeatedly told us that Sunday (except where specifically amended) is our Sabbath. That's more'n good enough for me.

Lehi

Edited by LeSellers
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41 minutes ago, zomarah said:

This seems hardly convincing. All that was quoted in the article was traditional ways of doing things. Is there any instance where the Lord has said that it doesn't matter what day the Sabbath is observed on, or that it was changed to Sunday.

The New Testament tells why it was changed to Sunday (that being the day Christ was resurrected).

For the "exceptions" in certain regions, I'm certain there was discussion, prayer, and revelation at the apostolic level to generate that policy.

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2 hours ago, zil said:

The New Testament tells why it was changed to Sunday (that being the day Christ was resurrected).

I don't think the New Testament makes any such claim. It mentions only that Christ rose the first day of the week. Acts 20:7 does talk about the disciples coming together "to break bread", but this doesn't sound like a sacrament service, but more like a communal meal. I don't know when or how the Sunday "sabbath" got started among Christians, but I don't believe it's a Biblical doctrine.

As for the OP, I agree with what LeSellers and others have said on the matter. Whether or not it's a Biblical doctrine is irrelevant.

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9 hours ago, zomarah said:

Is there any instance where the Lord has said ... that it was changed to Sunday.

From lds.org, Gospel Principles Chapter 24: The Sabbath Day

"The Lord's Day

  • Why was the Sabbath changed from the seventh day to the first day?
    Until His Resurrection, Jesus Christ and His disciples honored the seventh day as the Sabbath. After His Resurrection, Sunday was held sacred as the Lord’s day in remembrance of His Resurrection on that day (Acts 20:71 Corinthians 16:2). From that time on, His followers observed the first day of the week as their Sabbath. In both cases there were six days of labor and one for rest and devotion.
    The Lord has given us a direct commandment in these days that we too should honor Sunday, the Lord’s day, as our Sabbath (see D&C 59:12)."

Doctrine and Covenants 59 Section Heading:
" Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, in Zion, Jackson County, Missouri, August 7, 1831. " August 7th was Sunday
D&C 59:12
" 12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High,confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord."

 

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6 hours ago, Vort said:

I don't think the New Testament makes any such claim [i.e., that the Sabbath was moved from Saturday to Sunday because of the Resurrection].

Explicitly, no, there is nothing on the matter. Implicitly, there is: Rev 1:9~11.

6 hours ago, Vort said:

Whether or not it's a Biblical doctrine is irrelevant.

How marvelous and wonderful it is to have living prophets through whom God can correct us when we go astray — and, by implication, to show we have not by their/His silence on the matter.

Lehi

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10 hours ago, zomarah said:

All that was quoted in the article was traditional ways of doing things. Is there any instance where the Lord has said that it doesn't matter what day the Sabbath is observed on, or that it was changed to Sunday.

You're forcing the issue here.  Your statement about the days of the week being shifted is a perfect example of what I mean.

The seventh day anciently is obviously not the seventh day today.  Yet Jews and everyone else traditionally observes the seventh day as today's Saturday.  If this is different than the ancient one (which God established) then we've all go it wrong anyway because man cannot change what God has established.  But since traditions changed, the day on which to observe it has also changed.  If the Lord disapproved, He'd let us know.  But His silence on the matter says He's fine with it.  We have prophets, you know. (EDIT: I see Lehi said about the same thing :D).

What is the difference between observing it on today's seventh day or today's 1st day?  Neither are the ancient seventh day.  So, unless you're in Israel or something like that, your observance on Saturday is a forced one by your own statements.  .

If you really want to be a stickler about it, then why don't we observe the Sabbath by the time zone in Israel and Egypt.  That was where the 10 commandments were given.  So, we should be looking at sundown to sundown in Israel.  What defines what day of the week it is?  Time zones and the international date line which were both set up by men, not God.  What if the IDL were set up at a different location?  Then half the planet would be on the wrong day of the week anyway.

When you really start looking at these details, you begin realizing that time and days of the week are a man-made construct.  As such, who says Sunday is the first day of the week?  Most calendars?  Who made that up?  My work calendar (timesheet) starts on Monday and ends on Sunday.  So, Sunday is the seventh day as far as my work calendar is concerned.  Isn't that what it was supposed to be about anyway?  Labor/Rest/Oblations?

Edited by Guest
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12 hours ago, NeedleinA said:

D&C 59:12

Quote

12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High,confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

Thanks. I had forgotten this verse. Not biblical, of course, but still an explicit call to worship on Sunday.

We might also point to Jesus' saying that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Lehi

Edited by LeSellers
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