Stop twisting scripture with your own beliefs.
The Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments, which were given to Moses as a covenant between God and Israel. It was given first before the levitical laws vere given Matthew 19:17, Jesus references the commandments as part of God's moral law when He says, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." However, when Jesus spoke about the Sabbath, He emphasized its purpose rather than strict legal observance. In Mark 2:27, He said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath," highlighting that the Sabbath was intended for human benefit, not as a burdensome rule.
Jesus did not abolish the Sabbath but clarified its purpose, saying in Matthew 12:8, "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath," indicating that He has authority over its observance and fulfillment. This suggests that while the Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments, its true meaning is found in Christ, who fulfills the intent of all the commandments, including the Sabbath.
Here i explain the difference between the 4th commandment, ths Sabbath and the sabbath(s) in the Levetical laws given to Moses. There is a clear difference, and the confusion comes from mixing God’s Sabbath with the Levitical sabbath(s). Many people wrongly say the Sabbath is “Levitical,” but Scripture shows otherwise.
The Fourth Commandment is found in Exodus 20:8–11 (NKJV). God Himself spoke it, wrote it with His own finger, and placed it inside the Ark of the Covenant.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy… For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth… and rested the seventh day.”
This Sabbath is tied to creation, not to Moses, not to priests, and not to sacrifices. It goes back to Genesis 2:2–3, before there was Israel, before Levitical law, and before sin. It is the seventh day of every week, blessed and made holy by God. It is part of the Ten Commandments, which define sin and obedience.
Now, in the Levitical law, there are other sabbath(s), and this is where confusion begins.
In Leviticus 23, God lists many appointed times. Some of them are also called sabbaths, but they are very different. These include:
– The first and last days of Unleavened Bread
– Pentecost
– Trumpets
– Day of Atonement
– The first and last days of Tabernacles
These are not weekly. They fall on fixed dates, not fixed weekdays. They can land on any day of the week. They are tied to:
– Sacrifices
– The priesthood
– The temple
– Feasts
– Shadows pointing forward
Leviticus 23:24 (NKJV) is an example:
“In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest.”
This is not the seventh-day Sabbath. It is a ceremonial rest day, connected to a feast.
Scripture itself separates them clearly. In Leviticus 23:3 (NKJV) God speaks of the weekly Sabbath, then later adds the feasts:
“Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest…
These are the feasts of the LORD…”
Notice the Sabbath is spoken first, standing apart.
The weekly Sabbath:
– Is from creation
– Is one of the Ten Commandments
– Was written by God Himself
– Is moral, not ceremonial
– Has no sacrifices required
– Was made for all mankind
The Levitical sabbaths:
– Began with Israel
– Are tied to feasts
– Require sacrifices
– Depend on the temple and priests
– Point forward as shadows
– End when the shadows are fulfilled
Jesus Himself confirms the Sabbath is not Levitical. He says in Mark 2:27 (NKJV):
“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”
He does not say it was made for Jews, or for priests, or for ceremonies. It was made for man, meaning humanity.
So the truth is this. There is one weekly Sabbath, given by God at creation and written in the Ten Commandments.
There are many ceremonial sabbaths in the Levitical law, tied to feasts and sacrifices. These are the ones Paul refers to in Colossians 2:16–17 (NKJV):
“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”
Paul is not speaking about the Fourth Commandment. He lists food, drink, feasts, new moons, and sabbaths together, all things found in the ceremonial system of Leviticus. He then explains that these were shadows, meaning signs that pointed forward.
Paul was speaking about ceremonial sabbath days, not the Sabbath God blessed, sanctified, and placed in the Ten Commandments.
When people say “the Sabbath is Levitical,” they are mixing two different things that God Himself kept separate. This confusion causes many to reject a commandment that God never removed.
