In the New Testament, there is no explicit commandment to celebrate the Sunday or to set it in place of the Sabbath. Furthermore, in the Bible we only find the designation for the seventh day of the week, which is the Sabbath day. There is no other day mentioned by name. It merely states: “The first day of the week …” (Jn. 20:1). The naming of the days of the week with the various names is of pagan origin, also the “day of the sun” – the Sunday. However, here we are solely interested in the divine significance of the “last” and of the “first day” of the week according to the Holy Scripture; everything else we leave unto the One Who will judge justly.

The gospels testify in unison of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the first day of the week, namely the day after the Sabbath: “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week …” (Mk. 16:9). Through the resurrection of the Lord, the “first” day of the week obtained its significance, which had already been foreshadowed in the Old Testament. On the same day, the risen One revealed Himself to His Own: “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.” (Lk. 24:13).

With them He had a Bible class that included the entire Old Testament – the law of Moses, the Psalms and Prophets – and gave them the understanding for the Scriptures. On the first day of the week took place: the resurrection; the walk with the two disciples to Emmaus; the entering into the house; the breaking of bread whereby they recognised Him (Lk. 24:13-35); and in the evening the risen One visited His disciples: “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” (Jn. 20:19).

It is further written: “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them …” (Jn. 20:26). Why exactly one week later? Why not after three or five days? What a privilege that we are not taught by men, but by the Word of God! Not only the disciples were led by God in such a way to gather on the first day of the week, but also Paul, for it is written: “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread …” (Acts 20:7). It is so wonderful to look at the Scriptures while being led by the Holy Spirit! Paul was breaking bread with the saints on the day after the Sabbath; by that he followed the example of the Lord, Who broke the bread after the resurrection in Emmaus for the first time on the first day of the week. And we celebrate it during the worship service, be it on a Saturday or on a Sunday, until He comes (1. Cor. 11:26).

Since Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to emphasize that they should assemble on the first day after the Sabbath, then this has a specific significance. He could have simply written: “We gathered for the breaking of bread,” without mentioning the first day of the week. Also herein the wisdom of God is justified in His children. When we now assemble on the first day after the Sabbath for observing the Word, for fellowship, for prayer, and for the breaking of the bread, then it is most certainly in accordance with the practice of the Lord and of the apostles and thus in the Will of God. By the way, the fire of the Spirit was burning so mightily in the first Christians and the Spirit revived them that they made every day a meeting day: “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” (Acts 5:42).

We can also see that Paul particularly emphasized the first day of the week by his instruction that the collection for the saints was to be taken on that day: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store …” (1. Cor. 16:2). We cannot help but believe as the Scripture says, namely that every matter shall be founded upon two or three witnesses. The faithful Lord has provided for His people in this regard as well. He gave the instructions for this day already in the Old Testament. In Lev. 23:7 it is written: “In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” In verse 10 it states: “… and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest … on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.” (vv. 10-11). The sheaf of the firstfruit was weaved by the priest on the day after the Sabbath. What a mighty indication that is for the harvest of souls of the New Testament flock of the first-born!

The priest had to weave the sheaf before the Lord on the first day of the week. It is easy to understand what is meant by the term “weave”: The individual blades were intertwined and thus produced something whole – a sheaf (Ps. 126:5-6). Jesus Christ is the “first-born,” and the Church of the New Testament are the “first-born,” namely His body. All members are joined together by the head and with one another. He was the grain of wheat (Jn. 12:24) that fell into the ground, and His Own are the ripe wheat that is harvested and gathered into the heavenly garner (Mat. 3:12).

In the Old Testament it was the priest who weaved the natural sheaf. In the New Testament it is Jesus Christ, the High Priest of our confession, who weaves the first-born as a sheaf of the firstfruit purchased from the earth – in Him we live and are and have our being (Acts 17:28).

The significance of the “first day” shines forth for all those who truly want to see it. “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall be completed: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath …” (Lev. 23:15-16). In these words the precise calculation for the infilling of the first-born with the Holy Spirit is described. Seven times seven – forty-nine days were to pass; the following day is the day of Pentecost, namely the fiftieth day. Exactly on the fiftieth day after Christ victoriously rose from the dead as the firstfruit, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place. It happened on the day that followed the 7. Sabbath. Thus the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit were appointed by God Himself already in the Old Testament to be on the first day of the week.

Not only the resurrection, but also the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happened according to the Scriptures on the day after the Sabbath. Who would object against such clear and true statements of the Scripture? Whoever does not believe every Word the way it is written and instead tries to make the statements of the Scripture fit his own opinions has not understood the language of God. Anyone who goes against the collective testimony of the Scripture does not believe what the Word says, but rather his own interpretation.

In the New Testament, there is no explicit commandment to celebrate the Sunday or to set it in place of the Sabbath. Furthermore, in the Bible we only find the designation for the seventh day of the week, which is the Sabbath day. There is no other day mentioned by name. It merely states: “The first day of the week …” (Jn. 20:1). The naming of the days of the week with the various names is of pagan origin, also the “day of the sun” – the Sunday. However, here we are solely interested in the divine significance of the “last” and of the “first day” of the week according to the Holy Scripture; everything else we leave unto the One Who will judge justly.

The gospels testify in unison of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the first day of the week, namely the day after the Sabbath: “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week …” (Mk. 16:9). Through the resurrection of the Lord, the “first” day of the week obtained its significance, which had already been foreshadowed in the Old Testament. On the same day, the risen One revealed Himself to His Own: “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.” (Lk. 24:13).

With them He had a Bible class that included the entire Old Testament – the law of Moses, the Psalms and Prophets – and gave them the understanding for the Scriptures. On the first day of the week took place: the resurrection; the walk with the two disciples to Emmaus; the entering into the house; the breaking of bread whereby they recognised Him (Lk. 24:13-35); and in the evening the risen One visited His disciples: “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” (Jn. 20:19).

It is further written: “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them …” (Jn. 20:26). Why exactly one week later? Why not after three or five days? What a privilege that we are not taught by men, but by the Word of God! Not only the disciples were led by God in such a way to gather on the first day of the week, but also Paul, for it is written: “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread …” (Acts 20:7). It is so wonderful to look at the Scriptures while being led by the Holy Spirit! Paul was breaking bread with the saints on the day after the Sabbath; by that he followed the example of the Lord, Who broke the bread after the resurrection in Emmaus for the first time on the first day of the week. And we celebrate it during the worship service, be it on a Saturday or on a Sunday, until He comes (1. Cor. 11:26).

Since Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to emphasize that they should assemble on the first day after the Sabbath, then this has a specific significance. He could have simply written: “We gathered for the breaking of bread,” without mentioning the first day of the week. Also herein the wisdom of God is justified in His children. When we now assemble on the first day after the Sabbath for observing the Word, for fellowship, for prayer, and for the breaking of the bread, then it is most certainly in accordance with the practice of the Lord and of the apostles and thus in the Will of God. By the way, the fire of the Spirit was burning so mightily in the first Christians and the Spirit revived them that they made every day a meeting day: “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” (Acts 5:42).

We can also see that Paul particularly emphasized the first day of the week by his instruction that the collection for the saints was to be taken on that day: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store …” (1. Cor. 16:2). We cannot help but believe as the Scripture says, namely that every matter shall be founded upon two or three witnesses. The faithful Lord has provided for His people in this regard as well. He gave the instructions for this day already in the Old Testament. In Lev. 23:7 it is written: “In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” In verse 10 it states: “… and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest … on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.” (vv. 10-11). The sheaf of the firstfruit was weaved by the priest on the day after the Sabbath. What a mighty indication that is for the harvest of souls of the New Testament flock of the first-born!

The priest had to weave the sheaf before the Lord on the first day of the week. It is easy to understand what is meant by the term “weave”: The individual blades were intertwined and thus produced something whole – a sheaf (Ps. 126:5-6). Jesus Christ is the “first-born,” and the Church of the New Testament are the “first-born,” namely His body. All members are joined together by the head and with one another. He was the grain of wheat (Jn. 12:24) that fell into the ground, and His Own are the ripe wheat that is harvested and gathered into the heavenly garner (Mat. 3:12).

In the Old Testament it was the priest who weaved the natural sheaf. In the New Testament it is Jesus Christ, the High Priest of our confession, who weaves the first-born as a sheaf of the firstfruit purchased from the earth – in Him we live and are and have our being (Acts 17:28).

The significance of the “first day” shines forth for all those who truly want to see it. “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall be completed: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath …” (Lev. 23:15-16). In these words the precise calculation for the infilling of the first-born with the Holy Spirit is described. Seven times seven – forty-nine days were to pass; the following day is the day of Pentecost, namely the fiftieth day. Exactly on the fiftieth day after Christ victoriously rose from the dead as the firstfruit, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place. It happened on the day that followed the 7. Sabbath. Thus the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit were appointed by God Himself already in the Old Testament to be on the first day of the week.

Not only the resurrection, but also the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happened according to the Scriptures on the day after the Sabbath. Who would object against such clear and true statements of the Scripture? Whoever does not believe every Word the way it is written and instead tries to make the statements of the Scripture fit his own opinions has not understood the language of God. Anyone who goes against the collective testimony of the Scripture does not believe what the Word says, but rather his own interpretation.