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Bible Q & A
Q.
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When does the Sabbath day begin and end?
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A.
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In the
beginning, the Sabbath was rendered “holy time” by God
at creation. “Thus the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh
day God finished his work which he had done, and he
rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had
done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it,
because on it God rested from all his work which he had
done in creation” (Gen. 2:1-3). That period of time
defined broadly as “evening and morning” was blessed and
hallowed. To hallow or sanctify is to make holy or set
apart for holy use. When originally defined, the days
of creation week were set only in the broad terms of
“evening and morning,” not specifically form the moment
of sunset to sunset, although there is a rough
relationship between evening and sunset (see Deuteronomy
16:6 and Mark 1:32). It is the individual’s
responsibility (within the guidelines of the Church), to
determine as best he is able the meaning of “evening”
which begins a day. Scandinavians certainly have more
need of a broad meaning of “evening” than do people who
live in the tropics.
The Sabbath was a day upon which God “rested” – that is,
ceased from His labors of creation – and “was refreshed”
(Ex. 31:17). The example is clear. God
rested. Man should rest from his weekly labors
also. When man observes the Sabbath
day, he is imitating
his Creator and commemorating the creation itself. |
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