The Death of the Lord’s Day

The death of the LordÂ’s Day has created a stench in the House of God. A day set apart for the world to slow down, rest, and listen was ordained by the Creator in Genesis at the conclusion of His creative genius. By the great arm of their Spirit, our Father and His Son had brought perfect order out of empty space. The crown of their creation was man and woman that were perfectly capable of filling the world with worshippers. The entire universe was set on a motion of sevens.

The birth of a child is the perfect example of two created numerical powers united together. Forty is the cycle of a generation, while seven is the cycle of our inner motions. After conception, a child is fully complete and ready to pass the birthing channel in forty weeks or forty times seven days. Every animal and living cell mutates or gives birth after the multiplication or division of sevens. Even our fields, our forests, and our gardens have a built in cycle of sevens. If the land does not rest after six years, it dies and artificial substance must be added to shock it into action. The entire growth of organic vegetables, along with every product in our food chain, is a testimony to this reality. ItÂ’s a shame of the church that New Agers and environmentalists are the forces behind this revival of reality. ItÂ’s already in GodÂ’s book, but we ignore it in our pursuit of a seventh day of fun instead of a seventh day of worship.

John, the writer of the book of Revelation, is a great testimony to the fourth commandment in the New Covenant. He was a captive serving a sentence imposed on him by the Roman government and was no doubt doing hard labor. I would question the Roman guards not forcing him to work because of His desire to keep the LordÂ’s Day, but He was already having church deep in his heart regardless of their efforts. The Bible affirms his devotion, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet” (Revelation 1:10). The significant words are “the Lord’s day.” The First Day of every week is the “LordÂ’s Day.” JohnÂ’s words make it plain that this is not our day — but His day — and that it is sacred before Him. He arose on the First Day of the week and appeared that same day to His disciples. “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you” (Luke 24:36). He appeared on the next First Day of the week – one week later — to them again and His Spirit descended to fulfill Pentecost forty-nine (7 X 7) days and one day after His Resurrection, which was again on the First Day of the week. The “LordÂ’s Day” was set in these incredible occasions, which was the fulfillment of numerous First Covenant prophecies.

The Ark rested on the First Day of the week to prophecy a New Beginning (Genesis 8:4). The Children of Israel crossed the Red Sea on the First Day of the week to progress on their journey to the Promised Land. (Read our booklet entitled, “The Lord’s Day and the Feast of Firstfruits.”) The Old Covenant is loaded with types and shadows of the coming New Beginning when the Kinsman Redeemer would suffer. He was resurrected and inaugurated a New Beginning of life, hope, and salvation as our Jewish Messiah. We do not live under the Old Covenant, so we do not celebrate its death. We live under the New Covenant and every seven days we celebrate its glorious victory.

The church world would be turned upside down if we took seriously the joy of total rest and worship on the “Lord’s Day.” It cannot be done as a ritual or a legalistic bondage. To reduce this to hard and cold legalism would be to return to the empty laws of dead religion. It’s life and joy when we celebrate His Resurrection in the liberty of His finished work. We must turn away from our own natural delight and labor to worship and renew His life in us every seventh day. It is because the cycle in our natural bodies longs for the rest that flows only from Him, Who is “all in all.” There is no other source of Eternal Life but Him.

Joseph R. Chambers