Matthew 28:1

YLT ¹ And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulcher,

When you say, “the first of the month”(singular), you are referring to the first day of that month. It could be the first day of any one of the twelve months. The first of the months (plural) would be January. The first of the sabbaths (plural) must be the first of two or more sabbaths in a set of sabbaths. The first of the sabbath (singular) doesn’t even make sense, since it only refers to one sabbath day, unless it is the first day of a sabbath year. It would make sense to refer to the first day of a sabbatical. We even have a name for a sabbath year. It is called a sabbatical. But this Bible verse says, “… the first of the sabbaths”. You should be asking, “The first of which set of sabbaths?” What group of sabbaths are we talking about?

On our calendar, the first day of the week (singular) would be Sunday. Sunday is the first one of the seven days in the week. But “Sabbaths” plural does not mean “week” singular. And there are not seven sabbaths in a week. The first of the sabbaths is not Sunday. Even though there was actually a week of weeks in the count to Pentecost, the first sabbath in that Feast of Weeks count wasn’t called the first day of the week. Just as the second sabbath in the Feast of Weeks wouldn’t be called the second day of the week. The sabbath is the 7th day of the week.

Just because every seventh day is a sabbath, it does not mean the word “sabbaths” is the same as the word “week”, so why do English Bible publishers translate the phrase “one of the sabbaths” to mean “the first day of the week”? If every day of the week was a sabbath then a week of sabbaths would be 7 days not 49 days. And the 50-day count to Pentecost would contain 50 sabbaths rather than 8. Both Hebrew and Greek have a word for week and it isn’t sabbath. The sabbath is the last day of the week. It is the day of rest they aimed for. There is a week of sabbaths in the count to Pentecost, but a week of sabbaths is not 7 days long. Every day of the week can not be a sabbath. That just creates confusion. God is not the author of that.

Jason A. Staples wrote an article entitled Sabbath or Week? When Words Mean More Than One Thing – at Jasonstaples.com. Below is one of his comments after he berates an honest person for not believing that the Greek word for sabbaths (plural) should sometimes be translated into English as “week” (singular). Jason believes sabbaths (plural) actually means sabbaths (plural) in the first half of the verse, but sabbaths (plural) means week (singular) in the second part of the same verse. He says the change in meaning is due to context.

Jason wrote this concerning the two different contexts of the first and second use of sabbaths in Matt 28:21:

Note: as for Matt 28:1, it actually says “after the sabbaths” (plural), not “after the sabbath,” as Jesus was crucified on a Thursday (the Day of Preparation), which that year was followed by two Sabbath days (Passover and the regular seventh-day Sabbath). Thus the first day of the week came “after the sabbaths.”

Jason believes the first mention of sabbath in this verse should be plural, yet KJV changed it to singular. Then KJV and Jason agree. They both think the same plural word “sabbaths” should be changed to singular “week”, for its second appearance in the same sentence. KJV also added the words “end” and “day” to the verse and translated the Greek word for “one” as “first”. Jason believes the word “after” is actually in the text somewhere. Every Hebrew knew that the evening is when a sabbath started and ended. Since it is still the first one of the sabbaths when morning arrives, then this sabbaths’ eve was the beginning of the sabbath rather then ‘the end of the sabbath’ or ‘after the sabbath’. Why is this verse so schizo? Maybe it’s a politicized verse. Compare KJV (King James Version) to YLT (Young’s Literal Translation) and to CLV (Concordant Literal Version) and then take a look at an interlinear. The king’s version is more politically correct than the literal versions.

Jason accepts the first mention of “the sabbaths” because he found a way to have a (3rd day) Sunday resurrection. But he rejects the second mention of “the sabbaths” lest the Marys arrive to the tomb on the sabbath morning. The simple explanation for both uses of “sabbaths” is that the Marys travelled on the eve of the (first one of the 8) sabbaths (in the count to Pentecost) and arrived at day break on the first one of the sabbaths. They travelled through the sabbath night and arrived to the empty tomb by morning of the same sabbath. The simplest explanation is preferable to one that is more complex. Simple theories are easier to verify.

Matthew 28:1 in the king’s politically correct version

KJV ¹ In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.

The CLT by name claims to be a normative and unexceptional translation, hence non political. It claims to be both concordant and literal in its translation. The Concordant Literal Version concurs with my literary conjecturing. Every translation should at least attempt to be honest. It should also try to be in accord with true Hebraic fulfillment rather than an amalgamate with Greek and Roman religions. Hebraic cultured Mary, Mary and Mary arrived at the empty tomb in the early morning of the first one of the eight sabbaths contained in the Hebrews’ Feast of Weeks. The KJV translators must have presupposed a Sunday resurrection. Why else would they sacrifice translation integrity? Sun day worship came from Rome not Jerusalem. The goal of the Jews was to enter sabbath rest with their God Yahweh, not the Roman god of the sun. Jesus put the old man to death so His people could join Him in His sabbath rest. The new covenant didn’t start over or start from nothing. The old covenant Lord of the Sabbath became the new covenant Firstborn so His people could arrive alive. It was a “sabbatism” that remained for the born again Hebrews not a “sundayism” – Hebrews 4:9. Why don’t we change that sabbath to Sunday? Shouldn’t we say a Sunday rest remains for the people of God since that is what we believe?

Sun worship became the dominant religion in all ancient civilizations …

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/71826105.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The malt from the first fruit of the Barley harvest would cause the wheat bread to rise for Pentecost on the 50th day, which was also the 8th sabbath. The eighth day did not mean Sunday to the Hebrews. Just remember that the sabbath was always the most significant day of the week to the Hebrews and the letter to the Hebrews was actually written to Hebrews. When addressing the Romans, Paul does not promote a certain day of the week for worship. If anything the requirement to count the days was going away for everyone, rather than changing to the first day of the week for everyone – Romans 14:5. Jesus did not fulfill the old covenant types of the Romans. The Romans were never in the old covenant. The Romans did enter the new Jewish covenant, just as their old covenant was being fulfilled.

The Hebrews were continuously counting to seven, not one. Even when they counted to 50 they were counting sabbaths. God already did very good 6th day work and rested on the sabbath. God wanted His humanity to join Him in His very good work, so they could also join Him in His very good rest, even though they typically kept failing. The Messiah came to move them from their sixth day to His seventh day, not from their sixth day to His first day. The new creation was represented by an eighth day, not a first day. Sabbath to sabbath is 8 days not one day. The sabbath was given to humanity, not Sun day. Sabbath to sabbath is an 8th day new creation, like an 8th day circumcision. The day after the sabbath represents a return to work. It is the rest day that renews us, not the first work day.

The final renewal was not ex nihilo. It was an old covenant gift, paid for by Christ’s last work week in the old covenant. The old covenant work of Christ led the old covenant people to their fulfillment of sabbath rest. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a sabbath and was resurrected on a sabbath. He took His old covenant sabbath rest to His new covenant, where His people could join Him. The born again Hebrews were enabled to do good work by way of the Holy Spirit. Only God rested on the 7th day in the old covenant account of creation. Only Jesus was Lord of the sabbath in the old covenant. The Pharisees tried to lord it over Him on the sabbath. They failed. They only pretended to be the lords of the sabbaths. Their hypocritical eyes overly policed the sabbath rest. By lording it over the people they set an example of how not to rest on the sabbath. Their sabbath day work of policing others was done in the flesh. They did not work and rest in the Holy Spirit like Jesus.

Adam and Eve didn’t complete their blessed work of growing up in the garden and reigning in the millennium with God’s Spirit in the garden. They didn’t complete it in the flesh either. The thousand year jubilee was put on hold because Adam and Eve wanted to know the the way of the evil one too. They were no longer ignorantly naked when they were judged to work outside the Holy-Spirit-blessed place. Working to the age of 1000 under law was not to be attained to in the flesh of any body until AD 70. And those who did arrive under law were judged by the law and perished. Even Jesus left the flesh mode covenant before He completed Adam’s 930 years, because no body in the flesh and blood body of Jews could join Him. Flesh and blood did not inherit the kingdom when the 20th Jubilee arrived in the typical land of Jerusalem. Those who tried to be lord of their grand finale sabbath in the flesh perished.

The Hebrew messiah is called “the Lord of the sabbath”, not the Lord of the first day of the week, because God rested on the 7th day, not the first day. Jesus fleshed out His full humanity in the old covenant. His humanity was fulfilled in the 6th prophetic day of humanity. The completion of the 6th day is represented by the millennium. The final super-sabbath meant eternal life to those who were enabled to do good work. Jesus came to transfer His very good image of God from old covenant humanity to a new constitution, so His people could be raised up to join Him there, in His Day, before the 2nd 490 was fulfilled. God in the flesh rested from His very good work of creation on the 7th day. God in the flesh died and was resurrected to become the new covenant Firstfruit of that harvest season. His chosen people joined His Holy Spirit enabled work on the 50th day, otherwise only Jesus could have arrived alive, in the flesh. The Holy Spirit remained on Him even in the flesh and blood mode of the law. The kingdom was inherited by first born Jesus after He took His sabbath rest to His new covenant. He became the first human in the new covenant creation.

The Marys traveled between sabbaths’ eve and sabbaths’ morning to get to the empty tomb. The Marys were not enjoying Jesus’ sabbath rest yet. They had just seen Him die, right in the middle of an old covenant work week. They travelled on sabbaths’ eve all through the night. That resurrection morning they started their 50-day count, of the 7-weeks long ingathering feast, which contained the 8 sabbaths of the new calendar year’s harvest. Hebrews always counted to sabbaths. They didn’t count on getting to Sunday. And these 7 weeks were especially life-giving to the Jews. The breath of the firstfruit barley yeast had to be transferred to the wheat to make it rise too. The Jews had been rehearsing for this new covenant transfer of life every year for a 1000 years. They didn’t annually rehearse their renewal by counting to Sundays. Arriving to the first day of the week to join God in His sabbath rest after fulfilling the very good 6th day of human creation would have been utter nonsense to the Hebrew mindset, especially to the believing Hebrews who actually did move into their promised new covenant. A Roman sun day fulfillment of types should be nonsensical to you too.

The first weekly sabbath was the initial feast day that prepared the people for the 7 work weeks to Pentecost, all of which arrived to 7 more sabbaths. The very first sabbath started at dusk, but they started counting on that year’s harvest for humanity at dawn. The day arrived at about the time the Marys arrived to the empty tomb. There was evening and morning the first day. The Genesis creation count was repeated for 6 work days: There was evening and morning day one, evening and morning day two…evening and morning day six. Then God rested on day 7. Day one in the count to Pentecost was already a sabbath, because Jesus was resurrected into the new covenant as the completed humanity that day. Jesus did the very good human work of God in the old covenant. He became the new covenant firstborn human because God wanted Him to sabbatize old covenant humanity for their good. Counting to the fulfillment of the engagement sabbath, with Jesus as the firstfruit, is what made this particular annual enactment of the new creation the real thing.

Jesus actually took Adam’s place in His/his death to bring His/his people into His day, by way of His resurrection breath. 50 days after the dawning of His new covenant day, He sent His new breath of life to His chosen people. The Lord of the sabbath sent His Holy Spirit breath to 6th day humanity still slaving to do good works under law. On the weekly sabbath of Pentecost, the 12 tribes were joined to His complete image of God in His re-covenanted humanity. The new covenant became a full image of God creation for everyone, by way of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The breath of humanity for the new creation is the Holy Spirit Himself, sent by Yeshua Himself. In the ultimate definition of humanity, the creative Holy Spirit took residence in the Hebrews, as the full image of God, breathed into them by the unfallen Firstborn, on the day they celebrated their national engagement with Yahweh. Jesus proleptically breathed on His disciples in Jerusalem on the day of Firstfruit – John 20:22. He said, “receive the Holy Spirit”. 40 days later He told them to remain in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit.

To the Jews the 6th hour of the day was mid-day not midnight. The 6th hour of the day was high noon, because they started counting the hours of the day at dawn, not dusk. Even on our calendar, Christmas eve is the night before Christmas day, as if Christmas eve starts at dusk for us on this hybrid holiday, rather than midnight, like every other 24-hour Roman day does. The 6th hour of Christmas daylight would be about high noon to us. To a Jew, the 6th hour of the day was actually the 6th hour of the daylight, rather than the 6th hour of the night. The 6th hour of their 24-hour day would have been midnight. But they didn’t count their days that way. They hardly counted their nights, unless someone had to be on watch. The Marys travelled in the time between the evening and the morning. How else would they get to the empty tomb for the first daylight hour of the first one of the sabbaths? What dawned on the Marys that morning was their new creation day, because the old covenant Lord of the sabbath was lifted up, in order to lift them up, into their promise of a new and better covenant.

Matthew 28:1

CLV ¹ Now it is the evening of the sabbaths. At the lighting up into one of the sabbaths came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to behold the sepulcher.

KJV ¹ In the end of the sabbath [supposed to be plural sabbaths], as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week [supposed to be plural sabbaths], came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.

Mark 13:35

KJV ³⁵ Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

The same Greek word KJV translated “end” (of the sabbath) in Matthew 28:1 is translated as “even[ing]” in Mark 13:35. Obviously the day of Mark 13:35 is progressing to the full light of the day, not ending in the darkness. The born again Jews were not in the dark concerning the Day of the Lord. They were not caught unaware like the unbelieving Jews were. Likewise in The Feast Of Weeks, Sabbaths’ eve is the beginning of the sabbaths not the end of the sabbaths. If it was the ending of the 8 sabbaths of The Feast Of weeks then it would be the last one of the sabbaths rather than the first one of the sabbaths – Mark 16:9. The evening of a sabbath (singular) could be when it ends, but not the evening of the sabbaths plural. Christmas eve is not the same as the evening of Christmas day, even to us today.

Sabbaths’ eve is the dark beginning of the first sabbath in the Feast of Weeks sabbaths. The First Sabbath in that particular count to Pentecost was the one that was ‘lighting up’ when Mary and Mary finally arrived to find the tomb empty. Conveniently enough it was also a full moonlit night, which was conducive to their nighttime travel (middle of the moonth was always a full moon). The Mary’s had enough light to seek the Lord of the Sabbath.

The Greek word for week is evdomáda (εβδομάδα), not sabbaton (σάββατον). The sabbath is the seventh day of the week. A week is a period of seven days, of which only one is the weekly sabbath. Therefore: a week of weeks has seven sabbaths not 49 sabbaths. The word used below in the Greek Septuagint translation of Deuteronomy 16:10 is evdomáda (week) not sabbaton (sabbath). The first day of the week is not the first sabbath, just as the second day of the week would not be the second sabbath. The first day in the count to 50 days was a sabbath. If the Feast of Weeks started on the weekly sabbath of Firstfruit then the additional 7 weeks makes 50 days. 1st sabbath to 8th sabbath = 50 days. The types didn’t all add up to nonsense.

The word “day” is not added to Mark 14:12, because it is already there. The days of unleavened bread were not all sabbaths. That is why they counted the seven days of that feast rather than the seven sabbaths. There aren’t ever seven sabbaths in one week. There are seven days in a week. A week can have more than one sabbath, but no week could have two regular seventh-day sabbaths. Two regular seventh-day sabbaths required 8 days. No festival declared seven special sabbaths in one week. The first and last day of Unleavened Bread were declared special sabbaths. No work was to be done on those days. It was especially tempting to work on the Feast Of Weeks sabbaths, because it was harvest time. They were promised a better harvest if they trusted God and rested every seventh day of the week.

Deuteronomy 16:10

Brenton ¹⁰ And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks to the Lord thy God, accordingly as thy hand has power in as many things as the Lord thy God shall give thee.

Deuteronomy 5:12

Brenton ¹² Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God commanded thee.

Surely you don’t think, “Keep sabbath day to sanctify it…” could mean, “Keep the first day of the week to sanctify it…”, yet “one of the sabbaths” and “the first of the sabbaths” are both translated as “the first day of the week”. Modern translators don’t even keep the sabbath in translation.

Luke 18:12

KJV ¹² I fast twice in the week [on the sabbath], I give tithes of all that I possess.

The Greek word for sabbath is singular in Luke 18:12, yet it is also translated as if it means “week”, at least by the KJV translators, just like sabbath plural is translated “week”, by the same King-employed redactors. We are the government and we’re here to insure obfuscation. ECB renders a more enlightening translation.

Luke 18:12

ECB ¹² I fast twice on the shabbath, I tithe all – as much as I possess.

Maybe this Pharisee actually did brag about fasting twice in the same day, as the text actually says. Maybe the first century Jews were actually counting the eight sabbaths in the Feast of Weeks in order to arrive at Pentecost, just like Leviticus 23:15 instructed them to. They counted to seven more sabbaths during the feast of weeks, since the count to 50 started on a sabbath already. The whole point was to enter God’s 7th day rest, to be where He is.

The Hebrew word for weeks means “sevenings”. From the 7th day sabbath of Firstfruit, they counted to seven – seven more times. Sabbath means stop. The 7 weeks were not full of daily sabbaths. They were seven sevenings. Every day of the weekly count to seven was part of a sevening. The end of every sevening (week) was a sabbath. God was of course the first to enter sabbath rest as a result of His very good 6 days of work. Humanity could now join Him in His very good work week. Jesus’ last old covenant work week under law transferred to His new covenant. He arrived to the new covenant at rest from His last work week, called His Passion week by some. It was love for His Father and His people that moved Him to lay down His very good old covenant soul. His soul was the first old covenant soul to leave Hades for the new covenant. Hades is not part of the new creation. Old covenant Hades was emptied by way of the new covenant. That singular event of leaving Hades behind started the new covenant creation for His people: the Jews.

The Jews counted to the 50th day, from the morning of Jesus’ First Fruit sabbath, which was the first one of the eight sabbaths. For the seventh sabbath to be day 50 it had to include the first uncounted to sabbath in their 7 weekly counts to Pentecost. 7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. The 8 days of Tabernacles also began and ended on a sabbath. Is there a biblical paradigm for beginning and ending a feast on the day after the sabbath? The 50th day in the count to the morning of the 7th sabbath was the day that they aimed for a thousand times.

Leviticus 23:15-16

YLT ¹⁵ `And ye have numbered to you from the morrow [morning] of the sabbath, from the day of your bringing in the sheaf of the wave-offering: they are seven perfect sabbaths; [from the morning of the first sabbath, they arrived at seven more sabbaths] ¹⁶ unto the morrow [morning] of the seventh sabbath ye do number fifty days, and ye have brought near a new present to Jehovah;

The Jews began the first 6 work days of reaping on the day after First Fruits sabbath. Because the day after the sabbath is the first day of the work week. They reaped the harvest for seven full weeks. They rested in the integrity of their work for the seventh time on the day of Pentecost. They first rested on the Firstfruit sabbath that came from the very good work week of Christ. His old covenant passion week gave rise to the firstfruit of humanity in the new covenant: Himself. Without the Firstfruit sabbath arriving first, no Jew would have entered Jesus’ resurrection day on that particular Pentecost. It was Jesus’ last work week in the old covenant that raised Him alone into the first sabbath rest of the new covenant. Jews in the flesh had just done their very worst work week ever. Jesus came to rescue them from that. They didn’t find rest for their flesh after the hard work week of Killing their Messiah. There was no integrity in their work. They surely didn’t earn the Holy Spirit under law.

The new covenant sabbath engagement gift was sent by Jesus, in the “air”. It led to the final sabbatism of marriage in the same “air”. The new year’s engagement was typically anticipated by cleansing the land from the old yeast, before the new life arrived, in the air. The passion week was when the Jews actually removed Jesus from their old covenant. He was the living bread of life who came down to them from heaven. On the cross He took the place of their old leaven. His resurrection was the new year’s leaven for them. The firstfruit of the wheat harvest was raised by the firstfruit yeast from the barley harvest, in the air of the new year. They didn’t save the old yeast. They waited for the new yeast to arrive in the air. The Jews were reaping in barley season until Pentecost, at which time they obviously became the firstfruit of the wheat harvest, by the same Holy Spirit that had raised Jesus on firstfruit day 50 days earlier.

Unleavened bread does not contain the resurrection life to raise itself. The life of the loaf arrived in the air every year as invisible yeast. The same invisible Holy Spirit that raised Jesus as Firstfruit of the barley harvest would be sent from Heaven to raise the firstfruit of the wheat harvest. Demonic spirits would infiltrate the unbelievers who stayed in the old land and rejected the new yeast from heaven. The ones who cleansed their land of all the Jewish believers (new yeast) would fall to demonic behavior in the end. Those who refused the old covenant eucharist of Christ’s body would actually eat their own children. They resorted to cannibalism in their demon infested land right before AD70. Bitter yeast came to them in the air because they refused the good yeast. Those who weren’t raised by the Holy Spirit Jesus sent to them to renew their olded covenant were razed by the Roman armies. Jesus sent Rome to end their old covenant demon-spirited body.

Mark 16:9

CLV ⁹ Now, rising in the morning in the first sabbath, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.”

Mark actually uses the Greek word for first in 16:9 but he uses the Greek word for one in 16:2. The Hebrews began counting the hours of the day at sunrise. That is why their 6th hour was mid-day rather than midnight. They counted the first hour of the day at sunrise. “There was evening and morning day one.” First Fruit morning counted as day one in the 50-day count to Pentecost. The next day’s morning was the day after resurrection morning. That day started the first new covenant count to the seventh day of the week.

The Jews then counted to seven, seven times, before entering their new covenant sabbath engagement. In reverse of the falling of the Jericho walls, the New Jerusalem was completed before the old Jerusalem walls came down. The first thing Joshua (Yeshua) did after the walls came down was to send two faithful witnesses to rescue Rahab the prostitute. The first person Jesus (Yeshua) appeared to in the new covenant was Mary Magdalene. She went and found two faithful witnesses to spread the good news. John was evidently more faithful (at rest) than Peter. Jesus was of course more faithful than John the baptist, who seems to have entertained some doubts after being imprisoned. Between Joshua and Caleb, Joshua became the more prominent of the two faithful witnesses.

Jesus had cleansed Mary of 7 unholy spirits in the old covenant. It is safe to assume that Mary was present at Pentecost when He sent the Holy Spirit to take up residence in God’s chosen people: the Jews and all 12 tribes and their proselytes. The walls of the new city were being built with the names of the 12 apostles. The walls of new Jerusalem did not fall when the people of God received the final sabbatism that remained to be fulfilled. The walls of the old Jerusalem did fall with their final sevening still in the flesh. The unfaithful Jews did not enter God’s sabbath rest by way of the Lord of their Sabbath rest.

John 20:1-2

YLT ¹ And on the first of the sabbaths, Mary the Magdalene doth come early (there being yet darkness) to the tomb, and she seeth the stone having been taken away out of the tomb, ² she runneth, therefore, and cometh unto Simon Peter, and unto the other disciple whom Jesus was loving, and saith to them, `They took away the Lord out of the tomb, and we have not known where they laid him.’

John 20:15

LITV ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, Woman, why do you weep? Whom do you seek?

Mark 16:2 – this sabbath day was the first new covenant sabbath

CLV ² And, very early in the morning on one of the sabbaths, they are coming to the tomb at the rising of the sun.”

Acts 20:7,16 – this “one of the sabbaths” was not necessarily the first one of the sabbaths in that year’s count to seven, seven times.

CLV ⁷ Now on one of the sabbaths, at our having gathered to break bread, Paul argued with them, being about to be off on the morrow. Besides, he prolonged the word unto midnight.” ¹⁶ for Paul had decided to sail by Ephesus, so that he may not be coming to linger in the province of Asia, for he hurried, if it may be possible for him to be in Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost.”

Paul was traveling during the Feast of Weeks; wanting to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost. He debated all night on one of the sabbaths in that annual 50-day count. Paul worked hard to bring others into the final sabbatism.

I don’t care what day we go to church in America. We no longer have to observe certain days in the new covenant. We are not typically counting to Pentecost for the thousandth time. The thousand year culmination of the old covenant was over 2000 years ago. The final sabbatism of the Hebrews was at hand. We live in the year 2024 of the new creation (approximately). I do care that we are being taught to be politically correct rather than taught to search for and convey the biblical picture of reaching the 20th Jubilee sabbatical in Christ. “to the age” of the final sabbatism in Christ conveyed eternal life in Christ. “to the Sunday” in Christ did not fulfill the types. True humanity is still being defined by those having the indwelling Holy Spirit. A sound mentality should accompany the church body in ever generation.

Hebrews 4:1-11

YLT ¹ We may fear, then, lest a promise being left of entering into His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short, ² for we also are having good news proclaimed, even as they, but the word heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard, ³ for we do enter into the rest—we who did believe, as He said, `So I sware in My anger, If they shall enter into My rest—;’ and yet the works were done from the foundation of the world, <sup>4</sup> for He spake in a certain place concerning the seventh day thus: `And God did rest in the seventh day from all His works;’ ⁵ and in this place again, `If they shall enter into My rest—;’ <sup>6</sup> since then, it remaineth for certain to enter into it, and those who did first hear good news entered not in because of unbelief— <sup>7</sup> again He doth limit a certain day, `To-day,’ (in David saying, after so long a time,) as it hath been said, `To-day, if His voice ye may hear, ye may not harden your hearts,’ ⁸ for if Joshua had given them rest, He would not concerning another day have spoken after these things; ⁹ there doth remain, then, a sabbatic rest to the people of God, ¹⁰ for he who did enter into his rest, he also rested from his works, as God from His own. ¹¹ May we [Hebrews] be diligent, then, to enter into that rest, that no one in the same example of the unbelief may fall,

The fall of Jerusalem for the second time signified the finale fall of the old covenant.

Political correctness and other dishonesties seem to be holding down humanity proper in America and throughout the world today. Truth should be especially unifying for believers and the only real apologetic for debate, for believers and unbelievers alike, as demonstrated by Jesus in debate with His people. Jesus came to divide His old covenant people with the truth, because there were those in the land who believed His Word and those who didn’t. He used the truth to sort out the believing Jews from the unbelieving Jews. The unbelievers caused the division to become most apparent right before the end. Jesus prayed that all His Jewish people who believed Him and those they evangelized into the Truth would be unified. God answered Jesus’ prayers for His people to become unified in one body. It’s not the deceptive ghost of the ‘holy’ Roman empire that will unite the body of Christ today. Deception divides the body of Christ today. Constantine actually divided God’s people with his untruthful spirit. The spirit of Constantine is still dividing people today. He had to use force to superficially ‘unite’ his people. It is only the Holy Spirit of truth that properly unites the body. People with their eyes opened willingly follow the truth. The Holy Spirit of truth is a real eye opener.

Even Mr Young of Young’s Literal Translation went astray when he translated a phrase in Acts 20:7 differently than he translated the same phrase in Matthew 28:1. “the first of the sabbaths” in Matthew becomes “the first of the week” in Acts. Both verses should remain, “one of the sabbaths”, without sneaking in the English word “week” for the Greek word “sabbaths”. Was Paul really meeting with unbelieving old covenant Jews on Sundays? We know there were still old covenant Jews because they were still counting to pentecost every year. Just as Mary and Mary travelled through the night to arrive at the tomb in the morning, so Paul preached all night before departing for Jerusalem in the morning. Paul was preaching to the Jews on one of their sabbaths during the annual Feast of Weeks in their annual count to 50. He wanted to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost.

No doubt Paul saw another opportunity to address the large crowd of Jews who would again gather in Jerusalem for another typical Pentecost rehearsal. The Jews hadn’t abandoned their sabbath meetings for Sunday meetings. They were in fact still counting to another annual reminder of their typical betrothal at Sinai, as the one nation of God under law. While Moses was up on the mountain they did the very bad work of forming an idol. The image builders led the Hebrews (and the mixed multitude who accompanied them) into beast worship at the foot of Sinai. For that, they had to undergo a typical 40-year rebirth of the body before entering the typical promised land.

Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost. The 50th day is when Jesus initially sent the Holy Spirit down to the Jews to write the law of Christ on their hearts, coinciding with the day God sent the law down with Moses. The 12 tribes in diaspora were at one of their family reunions in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit was first given. Paul may have been there among the ones who said the Jews were merely drunk that morning. There would definitely be a large crowd of Hebrew unbelievers in Jerusalem again for this year’s day of celebration. Paul wanted to be there too, so he could address the Jews, as Peter had done at the initial receiving of the Holy Spirit. Rebirth by the Holy Spirit was still the only way to be joined to the ongoing 40-year resurrection of the body, into the resurrected body of Christ, as the new firstborn. Time was running out for old covenant people to get saved. Jesus left His old covenant life to save His old covenant people.

The resurrection of Christ into His new covenant sabbath rest was the result of His last old covenant work week. It was not the typical work week of a fallen human under law. It was the sacrifice of all the work of the one perfect human under law. Why would anyone think the first day of the work week is when the new constitution should commence or culminate. Did Jesus need to start over in the new covenant and repeat a very good work week from day one before entering His new creation sabbath? Or was His last old covenant work week a very good one already? Our secure foundation came from His last 6 days of work in the old covenant. His 7th day was His resurrection into the new. His sabbath day arrival into the new covenant means His very good work week was accepted by Yahweh.

Jesus was already approved for eternal life before He arrived in Jerusalem. It wasn’t Jesus’ work that gave Him unrest in Jerusalem. He arrived in Jerusalem on a sabbath and condemned their works. Their typical tree did not and would not bear fruit ever. He was resurrected into His new sabbath day. Day one of the new creation was an 8th day new creation sabbath. The 8th day is no longer in the flesh, as portrayed by circumcision. His people came into His sabbath rest after His last old covenant week of very good works, 50 days after His resurrection. Circumcision was of the heart on that 8th sabbath day, rather than the typical flesh removal. The sabbatism that remained for the people of God was the final fall sabbatism on the 8th day of tabernacles, also not in the flesh. Jesus returned in the spirit realm not the flesh realm. Jesus married His people in the same “air” of the betrothal. The spirit realm body is not in the flesh. Even today, the 7th day of the week is the most favored day for betrothals and weddings. A typical marriage today still involves extensive preparation work. God’s gift of sabbath rest makes marriage to Him continually renewable. The sabbath is the covenant Day of renewal.

Matthew 28:1

YLT ¹ And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulcher,

Acts 20:7-16

YLT ⁷ And on the first of the week, the disciples having been gathered together to break bread, Paul was discoursing to them, about to depart on the morrow, he was also continuing the discourse till midnight, ⁸ and there were many lamps in the upper chamber where they were gathered together, ⁹ and there was sitting a certain youth, by name Eutychus, upon the window—being borne down by a deep sleep, Paul discoursing long—he having sunk down from the sleep, fell down from the third story, and was lifted up dead. ¹⁰ And Paul, having gone down, fell upon him, and having embraced him, said, `Make no tumult, for his life is in him;’ ¹¹ and having come up, and having broken bread, and having tasted, for a long time also having talked—till daylight, so he went forth, ¹² and they brought up the lad alive, and were comforted in no ordinary measure. ¹³ And we having gone before unto the ship, did sail to Assos, thence intending to take in Paul, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go on foot; ¹⁴ and when he met with us at Assos, having taken him up, we came to Mitylene, ¹⁵ and thence having sailed, on the morrow we came over-against Chios, and the next day we arrived at Samos, and having remained in Trogyllium, on the following day we came to Miletus, ¹⁶ for Paul decided to sail past Ephesus, that there may not be to him a loss of time in Asia, for he hasted, if it were possible for him, on the day of the Pentecost to be at Jerusalem.

Acts 20:7

CLV ⁷ Now on one of the sabbaths, at our having gathered to break bread, Paul argued with them, being about to be off on the morrow (the morrow was the same 24-hour Jewish day as the previous night). Besides, he prolonged the word unto midnight.”

The new covenant reformation work of God’s old covenant image bearers was secured with God’s image in His Son. His last 6 days of old covenant image bearing under law were very good old covenant work days. That week also displayed how very bad the work of the flesh covenant had become. Jesus properly represented His Father even in the dying old covenant during the hardest work week in all of His-story. He then started the new covenant as the new firstborn among many first-fruit (singular body) brethren. The first fruit from the new covenant land of promise insured blessings for the continuing harvest. Jesus became the firstborn on the day of Firstfruit (singular) and the Jews joined the Firstfruit (singular body) on Pentecost. The Gentiles who joined the resurrected and resurrecting body of Christ were also considered part of the Firstfruit (singular body of Christ).

Firstfruit is always a singular Greek word but it is often translated into English as firstfruits plural. There were indeed many individuals added to the body of Christ but the transition of covenants church was and still is the firstfruit body singular. That singular first century harvest insured the new covenant blessings we still enjoy today. They were all called to sacrifice the old covenant of types. The Firstborn of the Firstfruit did the most foundational work with His unblemished old covenant self as His last old covenant sacrifice. It took the full image of God in a man to do it. He transitioned Himself into His new covenant in one de-creation/re-creation week. His de/re-creation week started on the 7th day. He arrived to Jerusalem on a sabbath for His transition of sabbaths week. He then arrived to the new covenant on His next sabbath rest. His eighth day was no longer in the flesh covenant like His first day was. He didn’t rest in His very good old covenant sabbath, because His people weren’t good enough to rest with Him. God was working for a new covenant sabbath and so was His Son. The very good work of God has become the very good work of human image making through His new covenant Son. We find rest in Him the day we are born from above because our destiny as His image bearing vessel is assured.

Romans 8:29

LITV ²⁹ because whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers.

All the firstborn became part of the celestial city’s foundation. Jesus is represented as the most essential by the analogy of the cornerstone. The 12 apostles of course laid the high foundational walls for the new covenant. Jesus surely didn’t lower the bar so you could crawl in. In His sermon on the mount He raises the bar. It was a decade or so after Pentecost before the 12 tribes in diaspora opened their gates to the nations. The gates to the nations were there first, as the 12 tribes in diaspora. But the high walls that defined and united the new Jerusalem were built on the preaching of the 12 apostles, before the 12 gates were opened to the nations by the born again Hebrews in diaspora; to the Jew first and also to the nations.

Revelation 21:1-14

ECB ¹
THE NEW HEAVENS AND THE NEW EARTH
And I see the new heavens and a new earth: for the first heavens and the first earth passed away; and there is not still a sea. ²
THE NEW YERU SHALEM
And I Yahn see the holy city – new Yeru Shalem descending from Elohim from the heavens prepared as a bride adorned for her man. ³
THE NEW RELATIONSHIP OF ELOHIM WITH THE HOLY
And I hear a mega voice from the heavens, wording, Behold, the tabernacle of Elohim is with humanity and he tabernacles with them; and they become his peoples and Elohim himself becomes with them – their Elohim. ⁴ And Elohim wipes all tears from their eyes; and there still becomes neither death nor sorrow nor crying; and never no way still becomes pain: because the first have gone. ⁵ And he sitting on the throne says, Behold, I make all new. And he words to me, Scribe: because these words are true and trustworthy. ⁶ And he says to me, It is become! I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the completion/shalom. To him who thirsts I give of the fountain of the water of life gratuitously. ⁷ he who triumphs inherits all; and I become to him, Elohim and he becomes to me, son. ⁸
THE SEVERED RELATIONSHIP OF ELOHIM FROM THE UNHOLY
And the cowardly and trustless and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and pharmaceutists and idolaters and all pseudos have their part in the lake burning with fire and sulphur – being the second death. ⁹
THE BRIDE
And one of the seven angels comes to me – who had the seven phials full of the seven final plagues and speaks with me, wording, Come hither! I show you the bride, the woman of the Lamb. ¹⁰
THE NEW YERU SHALEM And in spirit, he bears me to a mega and high mountain and shows me that megalopolis the holy Yeru Shalem descending from the heavens from Elohim; ¹¹ having the glory of Elohim: and her light is like to a stone most precious as a jasper stone, crystaline; ¹² having a wall mega and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names epigraphed, being the twelve scions of the sons of Yisra El: ¹³ by the rising three gates; by the north three gates; by the south three gates; and by the lowering three gates. ¹⁴ And the wall of the city has twelve foundations and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Even though the gates of the New Jerusalem are never shut, only born again believers can enter the new covenant church. It is extended to us from the realm of heaven. You must be born again to see or enter the kingdom of God that was arriving in the first century. The portals are always open to the realm of heaven. You have to be born again by the Holy Spirit to enter the spirit realm of the heavenly bodies. Heaven born bodies are like the angels. When angels appear to earthlings they take on flesh. Then they leave the temporary appearances of their earthly bodies. They always have a heaven realm body to appear to each other and to appear before God.

Revelation 22:15

ECB ¹⁵ For outside are dogs, and pharmaceutists, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever befriends and makes a lie.

Revelation 22:14-16

YLT ¹⁴ `Happy are those doing His commands that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of the life, and by the gates they may enter into the city; <sup>15</sup> and without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the whoremongers, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one who is loving and is doing a lie. <sup>16</sup> `I, Jesus did send my messenger to testify to you these things concerning the assemblies; I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star!

1 Corinthians 2:14

ECB ¹⁴ And the soulical human receives not those [things] of the Spirit of Elohim: for they are foolishness to him: nor can he know [them], because they are spiritually judged [discerned].

The yet soulish, natural, not born-again, unbelievers of humanity did not receive the things of the Spirit of God. They did not enter the spirit-realm body of Christ before His final sabbatism of the old covenant of types. Who actually thinks heaven doesn’t exist in another realm. “the air” is where heaven comes down to the land? Jesus came down from heaven to be born into a flesh body. After His ascension, He came back down to meet His people in the “air”. Where else would heaven meet earth? Entering through the forever open gates of the celestial city was and is a spirit-realm entrance. That’s why the “dogs” are always outside. They too must be born from above into the new creation family to enter heaven.

The old covenant hold-outs were held most accountable since they had the word of God from Moses given to them. Then the Word of God from heaven was given to them incarnate. Those who tasted the heavenly gift of the new covenant and returned to the old covenant were called dogs or pigs. The chosen Hebrews however were about to enter the sabbatism that remained for the people of God.

2 Peter 2:1-2

YLT ¹ And there did come also false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall bring in besides destructive sects, and the Master who bought them denying, bringing to themselves quick destruction, ² and many shall follow out their destructive ways, because of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of,

False prophets (who are calling themselves shepherds of God’s people) can bring some very bad criticism down upon Christianity. The criticism is well deserved if we as God’s people buy into the lies. People who claim they will return to Israel as God’s true people and then keep the old covenant laws for themselves are all false prophets. They impose their heads full of nonsense onto the true body of God’s people. We are the body with the entirely reasonable head, who is the Christ.

He was not the firstborn of the old covenant. He was the seed of the woman who crushed the head of the serpent. The first Adam fell with Eve by joining her in Satan’s deception. The new covenant firstborn rescued and raised up the mother of all the living into a new covenant Jerusalem. He then married the New city of God’s people. The new covenant marriage to his people was and still is permanent. The redundancy of this sentence points out the nonsense of looking forward to another covenant ending. I don’t even know which covenant is supposed to end when Jesus supposedly returns to live in His flesh mode again. Jesus completed His humanity and took His chosen people from their 6th prophetic day to His 7th day. Will new covenant humanity return to the 6th day of the old creation?

Does new covenant humanity rest forever in the first day of creation or the seventh? Maybe we really did enter into the sabbath rest of Yeshua and Yahweh. God sent His Son and His Son sent the Holy Spirit and all this happened to old covenant Jerusalem. Jerusalem was renewed. Jews were first to enter not last. The first Jew to enter is the same one who prepared the new place for His bride. He then prepared His bride for the place, beginning with the antitypical Pentecost in old covenant Jerusalem.

2 Peter 2:19-22

ECB ¹⁹ While they [old covenant Jews] pre-evangelize liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for by whom anyone is belittled, by him is he subservient. ²⁰ For if, having escaped the defilements of the cosmos [old covenant world] through the knowledge of Adonay and Saviour Yah Shua Messiah, and entangled again by these [typical laws] and belittled, their finality becomes worse than at first [Jerusalem’s second death by Rome was worse that her first death By Babylon]. ²¹ For it had been better for them to not have known the way of justness, than having known, to turn from the holy misvah delivered to them [like the holy law of the Torah, the holy law of Christ was given to the Jews first, before they took it to the nations. The gospel was given the the Jews in Jerusalem. The believing Jews took it to the nations. The unbelievers returned to their old dirt]. ²² But it happens to them according to the true proverb, The dog returns to his own vomit; and the hog that bathed to her wallowing in the mire. ^{Proverbs 26:11}

Hebrews 4:6-11 – a final warning to diaspora Hebrews in covenant transition in order to avoid the destruction that was about to end the old covenant body.

YLT ⁶ since then, it remaineth for certain to enter into it, and those who did first hear good news entered not in because of unbelief— ⁷ again He doth limit a certain day, `To-day,’ (in David saying, after so long a time,) as it hath been said, `To-day, if His voice ye may hear, ye may not harden your hearts,’ ⁸ for if Joshua had given them rest, He would not concerning another day have spoken after these things; ⁹ there doth remain, then, a sabbatic rest to the people of God, ¹⁰ for he who did enter into his rest, he also rested from his works, as God from His own. ¹¹ May we be diligent, then, to enter into that rest, that no one in the same example of the unbelief may fall,

The Hebrews were being called out of their old covenant unrest before it ended in their old covenant death. Nobody is ever called out of the new covenant to avoid destruction. The new covenant is the place to find rest for . God’s people were being called into the new to avoid the imminent death of the old. In Adam, they could still fall for the lie that they would surely not die. In Christ they did not die.

Mark 2:20-30

JuliaSmith ²⁰ And the days shall come when the bridegroom should he taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. ²¹ And none sews a piece of uncombed fragment upon an old garment; and lest its new filling-up take away from the old, and the splitting be worse. ²² And none puts new wine in old wine-skins: and lest the new wine rend the wine-skins, and the wine be poured out, and the wine-skins perish; but they put new wine in new wine-skins. ²³ And it was he passed by through the standing corn in the sabbaths: and his disciples began to make the way, picking out the ears of corn. ²⁴ And the Pharisees said to him, Behold, why do they in the sabbaths what is not lawful ²⁵ And he said to them, Did ye never read what David did, when he had need, and hungered, himself, and those with him? ²⁶ How he went into the house of God to Abiathar the chief priest, and ate the loaves of setting up, which is not lawful to eat but for priests, and gave to those being with him? ²⁷ And he said to them, The sabbath was for man [humanity], and not man for the sabbath: ²⁸ Therefore the Son of man [humanity] is Lord also of the sabbath.

Jesus put the old husbandman of humanity to death on the cross. The law released the bride from His/his side so the widow could reengage with Him in a new marriage. After His resurrection, Jesus became the new covenant husbandman to be. Jesus became the firstborn human of reborn humanity.

The reengagement with the Jews took place on Pentecost, at the commemoration of their typical engagement with the law of Moses. The final marriage to the Jews was Tabernacles fulfilled. Jesus now lives with His people in His New Jerusalem. The new covenant church is the new Jerusalem. The types are all fulfilled. The 12 apostles and the 12 tribes are foundational. We are no longer working toward the remaining sabbatism.

Marriage to the One who took humanity out of their bad works and into His good works was the final sabbatism that the Hebrews were working toward (Hebrews 4:11). On Pentecost Jesus enabled His people to join Him in His very good work of covenant completion. His work was already very good even in the old covenant. In fact it was Jesus’ old covenant work that set His people free to join Him in His new covenant work of completing the new place. The church entered sabbath rest in heaven and on earth. Both the Jewish betrothal and marriage were accomplished In the air.

The law of first mention applies: God Himself sanctified the sabbath and rested in it. The sabbath is presented as God’s post-creation day of rest without beginning or ending. Unbelievers chose to finish their 6th day in the works of Adam. The typical creation of humanity was put to rest in Christ or destruction. Either way Jesus took on the Day. All judgement was given to Him who telosed humanity in Himself, even in the flesh.

Genesis 2:1-4

YLT ¹ And the heavens and the earth are completed, and all their host; ² and God completeth by the seventh day His work which He hath made, and ceaseth by the seventh day from all His work which He hath made. ³ And God blesseth the seventh day, and sanctifieth it, for in it He hath ceased from all His work which God had prepared for making. ⁴ These are births of the heavens and of the earth in their being prepared, in the day of Jehovah God’s making earth and heavens;

God sent His Son to complete the 6th day creation of humanity in the old covenant before their final sabbath arrived. The 20th Jubilee of God’s creation was at hand for the Jews in the land. Surely they were well aware of their thousand-year sabbath? Their 20th count to 50 years meant something big to them.

Those Hebrews who freely joined their messiah in His covenant transition work arrived to the thousand-year age of accountability alive. They did not fall for their old covenant sabbath police who feigned 7th day rest as they compelled sabbath fulfillment in the flesh. There are no old covenant hypocrites today still enforcing sabbath rest in Adam. Their is no body of Adam living in the old covenant with God today. Even if the option to choose between two covenant bodies was still viable today, why would someone choose the covenant with Moses (that surely lead to permanent covenant death just as Moses said it would) over the covenant with Christ (that surely lead to permanent life already just as Jesus said it would)? No Hebrew with his eyes open chose to remain in the covenant of Moses as it died the second death. All Hebrews in covenant with God are in their renewed covenant. Jesus became a Jew to give His covenant people a new birth. Those in the resurrection of Christ were not at all harmed by their second old covenant death. They were sabbatized in their messiah before the old covenant destruction put the types to rest. The sabbath rest that remained for the faithful Hebrews was in Christ.

Hebrews 4:10

¹⁰ For he who is entering into His rest, he also rests from his works even as God from His own.”

Hebrews was addressed to the Hebrews who were entering into His sabbath. Jesus did very good 6th day work as a God/human so humanity could join Him in His rest from 6th day works. If the 6th day of humanity wasn’t rescued from their thousand-year demise, then what came out of that thousand-year jubilee in the land?