There has been considerable interest in the early Christian Church's teaching on the Sabbath Day during the latter half of the twentieth century, and in the last decade of the 90's in particular. Though the 19th century Seventh Day Adventists, inspired by the Seventh Day Baptists, were probably the first amongst modern Christians to restore observance of God's Holy Day, the practice did not really become more widespread for another hundred years with the advent of the Worldwide Church of God and its offshoots (such as the Church of God, International) but more importantly with the emergence of the Messianic Jewish Movement [N.B! The Wordwide Church of God is no longer sabbatarian]. There are many other sabbatarian churches such as the United Church of God. You will notice that most of these Churches have "Church of God" or "Assembly of Yahweh" somewhere in their name.

Sabbararians (observers of the Seventh Day Sabbath) are not, however, a new phenomenon, for there has been unbroken Christian worship on this day since the New Testament Church, even though most of them have, over the centuries, had to go underground and have been persecuted by Catholics and Protestants alike.

The New Covenant Church of God (NCCG) / B'rit Chadashah Assembly of Yahweh (BCAY) did not embrace sabbatarianism until 1999, as a result of a revelation from Yahweh which you can read from a link in article #01-05. (Interestingly, we received the "Church of God" designation from the Lord before we knew about the true Sabbath and believe this to have been prophetic preparation).The fruits of our obedience to the biblical revelation on this ordinance have been wonderful and delicious.

What IS sabbatarianism and why is it absent from the vast bulk of Christendom? Is it a legitimate part of evangelical (Bible-believing) Christianity or is it, as some of its critics maintain, a form of Old Testament 'legalism' that was abolished by Christ on the cross, making it a 'heresy' that belongs to the 'cults'? Or is it, in fact, a Creation ordinance given to mankind for his blessing in all dispensations of time - Patriarchal, Mosaic as well as New Covenant? We shall examine all of these, and many other, questions on the Sabbath on this site.

We ask only two things of our readers: (1) That they are completely honest about themselves and their religious/denominational traditions; and (2) They let the Bible speak for itself and not try to interpret it to fit any preconceived doctrines.

Our contention is that God created the Sabbath Day of Rest (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) as an eternal ordinance "until heaven and earth pass away". This commandment has been given for the blessing of mankind and not as a condition for salvation, which is by faith in the atoning work of Christ alone. We believe, moreover, that those who claim Christ who, having been enlightened by the biblical revelation (as on any commandment of God) and who choose to deliberately disobey it, must of necessity reap the spiritual and physical consequences, and must not only forfeit the fullfness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives (and therefore its protection) but must incur the wrath of God at the Believer's Judgment (at which time we receive, or forfeit, certain heavenly rewards).

God is not to be trifled with, and those who genuinely fear (revere) and love Him will wish to be obedient to Him in all things in token of their gratitude for their salvation. The Sabbath Day is God's gift to His people, and those who reject it, seeing clearly what the Word teaches on it, must of necessity be denying Him to some extent.

Yahweh has chosen, in these days leading immediately to the Great Tribulation, to begin gathering His true believers from amongst those who are not. This is the beginning of the separation of the wheat from the tares - of true Christian Israel from the counterfeit gentile forms. Sabbath observance was, and is, and shall be, a sign of true Israel. It is one of the ways that God's people are made visible to the world. It is one of Israel's standards, and those who are of Israel will bear it. And since the Church is Israel, the Church will be bearing it.

Follow through with us now as we take a look at this important matter from the point-of-view of what the New Testament teaches...