The Sabbath Day consists of how many hours?

The Sabbath Day consists of how many hours?

It should be absolutely clear and conclusive, that a day which begins in the morning, and ends at the approaching of dawn next day consists of 24 hours, as alluded to by Jesus Himself who said; “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because, the light is not in him” (John 11:9-10).

Has it ever crossed our minds, to ask, why evening and morning, are mentioned as being the first day, second day, third day, fourth day, fifth day, and six day; but no mention of evening as part of the seventh day? What is written about the seventh day is this; “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He has done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His works which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2-3).

The exclusion of the evening from the seventh day is very important, because the Sabbath is a period of time which is sanctified, and set apart as holy to the Lord, who is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. The Lord has absolutely no fellowship with darkness, and therefore from the very beginning, He divided the light from the darkness, and excluded the Sabbath from darkness. For thus says the Lord Almighty; “My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense (prayer) and pure offerings will be brought to My name, because My name will be great among the nations (Malachi 1:11).

Note carefully, it is not from the rising of the sun, to the rising of the sun, or from the setting of the sun, to the setting of the sun, which would include the night period, but it is from the rising of the sun, to the setting of the sun, which comprise only the day light part of the day. Again the Lord says; “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:5-6).

Let us first of all commence with the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, and to whom the Lord said; remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the Sabbath day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man servant, nor your maid servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates: For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and hallowed it (Exodus 20:8-11).

As we have already proved with the example of the manna, the Sabbath begins in the morning, but at what time does it ends? The instructions regarding the observance of the Sabbath is very clear, it states; “From evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:32).

Meaning that, the Sabbath is the day period between two evenings. It begins at the end of the evening of the sixth day, and ends at the beginning of the evening of the seventh day, immediately following the Sabbath. Therefore only the daylight part of the Sabbath day, that constitutes the Sabbath/s.

We see for example the ruler of the synagogue who was very indignant, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd; “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day” (Luke 13”14).

But soon after Sabbath sunset, they brought to Him all who were sick, and demon possessed. As it is written; “Now, when the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them” (Luke 4 40).

“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed: And He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick” (Matthew 8:16).

“Now at evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him” (Mark 1: 32-34).

Please note carefully that when one is fasting on the Day of Atonement which is on the tenth day of the seventh month and asked to begin afflicting the soul the evening before, the evening before is not regarded as part or beginning of the tenth day, but rather the evening of the ninth day, confirming without a shadow of doubt that a day does not begin in the evening as many are claiming it to be.

To be continued