Does not the Bible indicate that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday when it speaks of the Lord’s Day in Revelation 1:10? Do we not call Sunday the Lord’s day today?

Dear Reader,

Yes, it is true that many people in Christendom today do call Sunday the Lord’s day! But is it accurate to link Christendom’s expression, "The Lord’ day," with the biblical expression found in Revelation 1:10? Does Revelation 1:10 indicate that there was a change from Sabbath or Saturday worship to Sunday worship? What do the Bible and history have to say about this?

Let us all remember that the Bible must at all times be the first and chief determiner of truth. We test all spiritual and religious facts by the Bible and not the other way round. Therefore, if we read in history that Christians called Sunday the Lord’s day, and if we find in the Bible the expression ’the Lord’s day,’ we would be wrong to conclude that Sunday is the Lord’s day according to the Bible. In other words, we would be correct to say that history calls Sunday the Lord’s day; but we would be wrong to say that the biblical expression ‘the Lord’s day’ means Sunday because we read that in religious history.

To settle this question, let us go to the Bible to see which day is the Lord’s day according to the biblical text. Among all the days of the week, the Bible states that there is only one, the Sabbath or Saturday, that is called the Lord’ day. In fact, it is called ‘His holy day.’ Let us read from Isaiah, (Isa 58:13 KJV) If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

Here God calls the Sabbath His holy day, and asks everyone to observe it as a day dedicated to worship, and not for doing one’s own pleasure. Fifteen times in the KJV we find God referring to the Sabbath, the Saturday, as "my Sabbaths." And innumerable times we find God telling His people that the Sabbath is to be kept holy. You may say, Well, that is the Old Testament. OK, what about the New Testament then, does Jesus say much about the Sabbath? Jesus says in three of the Gospels, that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Here for example, (Mat 12:8 KJV) For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. It is clear that the expression, ‘the Lord’s day’ as found in the Bible, refers not to Sunday, but to the Sabbath or the Saturday. If Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, then it is His day. Here is another statement Jesus made regarding the Sabbath.

(Mat 24:18 KJV) Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. In speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 by the Romans, Jesus counselled His followers to pray that the coming destruction would not be during winter, nor on the Sabbath. This text shows that Jesus never intended that the Sabbath be replaced in the years to come. Jesus also said that the Sabbath was made for man, (Mark 2:27); this indicates that as long as man is around, the Sabbath will be there for him. So as far as the Bible is concerned, friends, the Sabbath is Saturday, it is His day which He made for mankind, and that He, Jesus, is the Lord of that day, which is Saturday. What does history say about the origin of the expression, ‘the Lord’s day’?

The first clear reference to "the Lord’s holy day," found in historical writings, is that of Dionysius (AD 170), quoted by church historian Eusebius. This is found in The Church History of Eusebius,(324 AD), b. 4, ch. 23, in Nicene and Post Nicene fathers, 2d Series, vol. 1, p. 201. Eusebius states that Dionysius wrote, "Today we have passed the Lord’s holy day; in which we have read your epistle." However, since up to that time there was no reference to Sunday being the Lord’s day, we cannot be justified in saying that this reference refers to Sunday. The only day recognized as the Lord’s day up to that time was Saturday. The clearest reference to the Lord’s day referring to Sunday is found, according to history, in the writings of a fraudulent book that calls itself, "The Gospel According to Peter," around AD 180. In this false epistle the day of the Lord’s resurrection is called ‘the Lord’s day.’ See The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 9, pp. 8, 27, 29. From this time on, several church writers apply the Lord’s day to the resurrection day of the Lord.

We can safely say, dear friends, that the historical expression of "the Lord’s day," came much later than the biblical expression. And that while the biblical expression referred to Saturday, the historical one, coming around AD 180, referred to the resurrection day, Sunday, of our Lord. One expression is biblical, and refers to Saturday; the other is from religious history and referred to Sunday.

We conclude, therefore, that the expression ‘the Lord’s day,’ as found in Revelation 1:10, refers to the Sabbath day, Saturday, and not to Sunday. Let us, my dear friends, always allow the Bible to clarify every expression or fact we read about, as far as possible. God bless.