“9: I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

10: I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet…” (Rev. 1).

The Law of Moses, the system involving and peculiar to the Jewish Nation, had a day that was set apart from the other days. This day was the Sabbath or seventh day of the week, our "Saturday" (

Ex. 20: 8

). The Sabbath was a day the Jew was to view in a special way as belonging to the Lord (

Ex. 20: 10

to the Sabbath, such as the cessation of labor, etc. (

Ex. 20: 9

). There was also special regulation relative ).

However, when we come to the New Testament and the Covenant of Jesus Christ, a system designed for all men, Jew and Gentile, we do not find Sabbath day significance. In fact, Paul set forth the comparative unimportance, as far as being spiritually binding, of the Jewish Sabbath when he wrote that Christians are not to be judged, having as the criteria certain "meat," "drink," "holyday," "new moon," or "Sabbath days," matters and events characteristic of the Law of Moses (

Col. 2: 16

). The New Testament abounds with warnings regarding not binding the Jewish Sabbath for salvation and that to so do is to forfeit salvation and make Christ of none effect (

Gal. 5: 1-4, Acts 15

).

The expression, "Lord's day" is from the Greek, kuriake emera and certainly, to say the least, sets apart a certain day from other days. While the phrase, "Lord's day" is only found in Revelation 1:10, as far as holy writ is concerned, one is made to think of Paul's expression, "Lord's supper" (kuriakon deipnon,

I Cor. 11: 20

also unique and singular. ). Just as the "supper" was associated, belonged to, and peculiar to the Lord, distinguished from all other "suppers," the Lord's day is

It is evident from the context that Paul deliberately made it a point to meet on "the first day of the week" with the church at Troas (see

vs. 5, 6

). The reason they, the saints at Troas, came together on the first day was to "break bread." We learn from

Acts 2: 42

Christianity.

that they regularly broke bread (cp.

Acts 2: 42

), and since each week has a "first day," it was on the first day of every week that they broke bread or observed the Lord's Supper, the very hub, if you please, of

“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” ( Acts 20: 7 ).

The Pulpit Commentary wrote regarding the statement resident in Acts 20: 7 the following: “This is an important evidence of the keeping of the Lord’s day by the Church as a day for their Church assemblies….‘To break bread.’ This is also an important example of weekly communion as the practice of the first Christians….” (comments on Acts 20: 7, Vol. 18, pg. 143).

The expression, “…first day of the week” in Acts 20: 7 is from the Greek, mia ton sabbaton. Literally translated, mia ton sabbaton is rendered, “one or first (mia) of the (ton) Sabbaths (sabbaton). As you can see, mia ton sabbaton is idiomatic and thus rendered, appears awkward in English. Relevant verses to add in an understanding of mia ton sabbaton or “…first day of the week” are Matthew 28: 1; Mark 16: 2; Luke 24: 1; and John 20: 1. Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary” came to Jesus’ sepulcher, “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week….” Mark mentioned it was early on the first day; Luke said on the first day, very early in the morning; and John described the time as early, still dark, on the first day of the week.

Regarding Matthew’s time statement, commentator Albert Barnes thus comments: “The word ‘end’ (Matt. 28: 1, dm) here means the same as ‘after’ the Sabbath – that is, after the Sabbath was fully completed or finished, and may be expressed in this manner: ‘In the night following the Sabbath, for the Sabbath closed at sunset, as it began to dawn’” (Barnes on the New Testament, Vol. 1, pg. 317).

The chronology of Jesus’ death and resurrection assist in determining the meaning of mia ton sabbaton. Jesus was crucified Friday afternoon, the day of preparation for the Sabbath (Luke 23: 54, see vs. 44-56). Jesus said that he would be resurrected on the third day ( the “first day of the week.”

Matt. 16: 21

). Hence, based on common computation, the involved chronology indicates to us that mia ton sabbaton simply is referring to the day following the Jewish Sabbath, the day we call Sunday or

In addition to the revealing Greek expression mia ton sabbaton, we also have the wording, kata mian sabbatou. Paul wrote thus to the Christians at Corinth: “

1

: Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2: Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (

I Cor. 16

).

The expression kata mian sabbatou literally and rigidly means, “Every first of the Sabbath(s).” Again, this expression is also idiomatic (a Hebraism).

Albert Barnes observes the following regarding, “Upon the first day of the week” in I Corinthians 16: 2: “Upon the first day of the week. Greek, "On one of the Sabbaths." The Jews, however, used the word Sabbath to denote the week; the period of seven days, Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:9; Luke 18:12; 24:1 John 20:1,19. Comp. Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9. It is universally agreed that this here denotes the first day of the week, or the Lord's day” (Barnes on the New Testament, Vol. 5).

As Greek grammarian Marvin R. Vincent notices, kata in kata mian sabbatou (“first day of the week”) found in I Corinthians 16: 2, “…has a distributive force, every first day” (Word Studies in the New Testament, Vol. 3, pg. 288). Hence, Marshall in the Interlinear Greek-English New Testament has, “On the first day of every week….” I mention this to show that the first day of the week, not the Sabbath associated with the Jew and the Law of Moses, was a day regarding the early Christians that enjoyed special and regular recognition.

Notice:

We are now seeing the correlation between the “…first day of the week” and “the Lord’s day.” The “first day of the week” (our Sunday) and the “Lord’s day” are tantamount or one and the same.

“Lord's day” in the New Testament occurs only in Revelation 1:10, but in the ancient post-apostolic literature we have the following references: Ignatius, Ad Mag., ix.1 (ca. 90 A. D., dm), “No longer keeping the Sabbath but living according to the Lord's day, on which also our Light arose”; Ev. Pet., verse 35, “The Lord's day began to dawn” (compare Matthew 28:1, dm); verse 50, “early on the Lord's day” (compare Luke 24:1); Barn 15 9, “We keep the eighth day with gladness, on which Jesus arose from the dead.”

It is the day that the Lord of lords and King of kings was raised from the dead, never to again die and to become the “firstfruits of them that slept” (

Rom. 1: 4; I Cor. 15: 20

). If we are correct regarding our computation that the “Pentecost” of Acts 2:1 fell on the first day of the week, Sunday, then the Lord’s Day is the day the Lord began his mediatorial reign at the right hand of the Father; the day the Spirit was dispatched to guild the apostles into all truth; the first time remission of sins was directly experienced based on Jesus’ shed blood; the beginning of the church; and the day upon which the gospel was first preached in its fullness (

Acts 2: 31-36; John 14: 26, Acts 1: 8

,

chapter 2; Acts 2: 38; Acts 2: 14-47

).

Conclusion:

The Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, belongs to the Lord and should be respected and used accordingly. It is a day of great spiritual meaning, a day to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, anticipating His return (

Acts 20: 7, I Cor. 11: 23ff

.).