Jesus said, “If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (See Mark 3:25). Satan knows this quite well as he had succeeded in dividing the kingdom of Israel into two entirely separate kingdoms many centuries before, the northern and southern kingdoms, kingdoms so at odds with one another that they repeatedly engaged in battles with one another, costing thousands of Israelite lives.
Satan is extremely clever in the manner in which he divides or separates those formerly in union with one another. He makes the separation appear as God ordained as well as beneficial to those instrumental in bringing about division between those who formerly were in harmony one with another. His greatest feat of division occurred soon after our Lord’s ascension back into heaven following His resurrection, and that one great divisive doctrine was that the fourth commandment had been changed, repealed, made null and void. The first time Sunday, or the first day of the week is mentioned in the history of the early church is in the 20th chapter of the Book of Acts, verse 7: “And upon the first day of the week , when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight.”
Now here is the way multitudes read that 7th verse of Acts 20: “And when Sunday, the new Christian day of worship, arrived when the disciples gathered themselves together to take communion, Paul preached unto them,continuing his sermon until midnight.” And that verse says nothing of the kind! First, one must consider the revelation given in verses 25 and 36 through 38 in order to understand just why these disciples gathered themselves together on that first day of the week so long ago. And it was NOT to observe Sunday as a holy day or to take communion. The Lord’s Supper is not even alluded to in that 7th verse of Acts 20.
Here are the eye opening verses of Acts 20:25 and 36 through 38. Paul is speaking and says, “And now, behold, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, SHALL SEE MY FACE NO MORE……”And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke THAT THEY SHOULD SEE HIS FACE NO MORE. And they accompanied him unto the ship.” It had been advertised by his companions that the mighty apostle Paul was passing through the area and would soon arrive in Troas enroute to Jerusalem and would never return to that area again. (See Acts 20:4-5 with Acts 21:4). The disciples in Troas learned that Paul would be departing from that city on Monday. Therefore, they hastened to hear him preach one last time the previous day, which just happened to fall on the first day of the week. Nothing in this text says anything about God’s eternal sacred sabbath having been abolished and Sunday made a new holy day for Christians. Nor is the Lord’s Supper even mentioned. The term “to break bread” was common terminology of the day meaning merely to eat a meal! (See Acts 27:33-36). And even if they had shared the Lord’s Supper on that first day of the week, there is not the slightest hint that Sunday had then replaced God’s holy sabbath with the long celebrated day honoring the sun god! To be continued…..
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley