From Saturday to Sunday: Who Changed the Sabbath?

FOR centuries, the question has lingered in the minds of sincere believers: Who changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday? The answer is not merely historical—it's spiritual, doctrinal, and deeply relevant for those who seek to worship God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

The Original Sabbath: A Gift at Creation

The Sabbath did not originate with Moses or the Jews—it began at creation.

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished… And on the seventh day God ended his work… and he rested… and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it” (Genesis 2:1–3).

God set the seventh day apart long before there was an Israelite, establishing a divine rhythm of work and rest for His creation.

With the Sabbath, God's commandments were already operative from the beginning. Abraham, the father of the faithful (Romans 4:16), was noted to have kept these laws in Genesis.

“Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”  (Genesis 26:5)

The Sabbath Command in Exodus and Deuteronomy

Centuries later, God enshrined the Sabbath in His Ten Commandments to the children of Israel:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy… the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God” (Exodus 20:8–11).

This command was restated in Deuteronomy 5:12–15 with added emphasis on redemption from Egypt—tying Sabbath observance to both creation and salvation.

But what happened when Israel failed to observe the Sabbath? In Ezekiel 20:12–13, God said,

“I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign… but the house of Israel rebelled against me… they greatly polluted my sabbaths.”

Repeated Sabbath-breaking led to national punishment and exile (Jeremiah 17:21–27).

Jesus and the Apostles Honoring the Sabbath

Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27–28), affirmed its importance. He declared, “The Sabbath was made for man”—not just for Jews, but for all mankind. It was a blessing, not a burden. In Luke 4:16, we’re told that keeping the Sabbath was Jesus’ custom:

"So 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 to read."

After Christ’s resurrection, the Sabbath didn’t vanish. In Acts 13:42–44, Paul preached on the Sabbath, and almost the whole city came to hear the word of God. Acts 17:2 shows Paul reasoning “three sabbath days” in a synagogue, and Acts 18:4 says he “reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath.”

Even the book of Hebrews, written decades after the resurrection, emphasizes a future Sabbath-rest:

“There remains therefore a "Sabbath-keeping" (Greek: sabbatismos) for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9, literal translation).

The Sabbath was never abolished—it remains for God’s people.

Moreover the prophet Daniel prophesied of a powerful influence that will change God's law:

"He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time." (Daniel 7:45, ESV)

So Who Changed It?

Despite the clear scriptural record, history reveals that Sunday worship slowly replaced the seventh-day Sabbath—not by divine command, but through human tradition.

As early as the 2nd century, church fathers began drifting from Jewish customs due to rising anti-Semitism and cultural compromise.

Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD), though still mentioning the “seventh day” in Stromata, Book 4, Chapter 12, started promoting a spiritualized interpretation, applying the meaning of Sabbath to the first day of the week and began calling it the "Lord's day". Gradually, the literal Sabbath was de-emphasized.

But the most pivotal shift came through Emperor Constantine. In 321 AD, Constantine issued a civil edict:

"On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed" (Codex Justinianus lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, p. 380, note 1).

This was not a Christian Sabbath command—it was a political move to merge pagan sun worship with Christianity. The phrase “venerable day of the sun” speaks for itself.

The Council of Laodicea (circa 365 AD) took it further. Canon 29 declared:

"Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord's day; and if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ." (Council of Laodicea, Canon XXIX)

The council didn’t follow Scripture—it condemned those who obeyed it.

Was Jesus Resurrected on Sunday?

Many justify Sunday observance by claiming Jesus rose on that day. But Scripture shows Jesus was buried before sunset on Wednesday, Passover (Luke 23:53–54; John 19:31) and resurrected before sunrise on Sunday (John 20:1). He rose after three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40)—not on Sunday morning, but shortly before the first day began at sundown Saturday. The “first day” becomes simply the day His resurrection was discovered—not the day it happened.

The New Testament never calls Sunday the Sabbath, nor does it command Christians to keep it. The only “first day” references are common events (e.g., John 20:19, 1 Corinthians 16:2)—not commandments.

 The apostle Paul warned of such 'turning away' from the truth:

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Sabbath: The Sign of God’s People

Throughout Scripture, the Sabbath is consistently the sign between God and His people (Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:12). It identifies those who worship the true Creator (Revelation 14:7) and who refuse to follow “the tradition of men” (Mark 7:7–9).

The Sabbath will again be central in the end time. Revelation 12:17 and 14:12 describe the true saints as those “who keep the commandments of God” and have the “faith of Jesus.” These include the Sabbath.

A Call to Return to God's Holy-day

The change from Saturday to Sunday wasn’t done by Christ or His apostles. It came through a mixture of paganism, politics, and ecclesiastical authority. Jesus warned us, “In vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).

Today, God is calling His people to return to His holy day—not out of legalism, but out of love and obedience. The Sabbath is not Jewish—it is God’s. It was made for mankind, blessed by God, kept by Jesus, taught by the apostles, and will be observed in the coming Kingdom.

“For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, 'So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another,

And from one Sabbath to another,

All flesh shall come to worship before Me,'

says the Lord." (Isaiah 66:22–23)

Let us not trade the command of God for the traditions of men. Seek the truth. Remember the Sabbath day—and keep it holy! --Rh.