You guys are missing something very important. The SDAs can't even say that Saturday IS the seventh day. True, Saturday is the seventh day in our calenders, but our calenders didn't come around until well after Creation! So for all we know, the day that God rested could be Tuesday.
Basically the SDA belief is too legalistic for its own good. If the world were to all of a sudden adopt a new calender that had the seventh day be where Thursday is now, what would the SDAs do? Now you might say that God expects us to worship on the seventh day whether its on Saturday (like the current calender) or on Wednesday (like a future calender might have) to honor His day of rest. But I think that is placing too much stock in worldy things. The world is always changing. We can't go chasing the seventh day around. God just wants us to honor a day, no matter when it is, and worship him and rest on that day.
"Oh foolish Galatians! . . . Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"
Basically the SDA belief is too legalistic for its own good. If the world were to all of a sudden adopt a new calender that had the seventh day be where Thursday is now, what would the SDAs do? Now you might say that God expects us to worship on the seventh day whether its on Saturday (like the current calender) or on Wednesday (like a future calender might have) to honor His day of rest. But I think that is placing too much stock in worldy things. The world is always changing. We can't go chasing the seventh day around. God just wants us to honor a day, no matter when it is, and worship him and rest on that day.
"Oh foolish Galatians! . . . Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"
Actually SDA's open the Sabbath on Friday at sundown and close Sabbath on Saturday at Sundown. This is according to the original biblical calender that can be traced all the way back.
In Lev. 23:32 it states "from evening to evening you shall celebrate your sabbath". The Isrealites were instructed on what was considered the 7th day and Jewish people even today continue to observe the Sabbath in the same manner.
Some translations state evening as "even" it still has the same meaning.
Mark 1:32: "And at even, when the sun did set, they bought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils."
Why is keeping every commandment important?
Exodus:20:8-10 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:"But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates"
Do you think that it is a concidence that the Sabbath commandment is the only commandment that says Remember? Could it be that God was warning us against forgetting?
Also in Matt 19:16,17 is states "And, Behold one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him. Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God; but If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
THe Last book of the bible talks about keeping the commandments.
Revelation 12:17, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 14:12, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
When and how the change from Saturday to Sunday occured?
Jesus did not change the Sabbath.
Matt 5:17-19: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, will all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be call great in the kingdom of heaven. "
Also in Matt 19:16,17 is states "And, Behold one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him. Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God; but If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
THe bible predicts that their would be an attempt by man to change the law.
Daniel 7:25: "He shall speak words against the Most High , and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and shall think to change the times and the law."
Man instituted the change not God.
Early Christians worshiped on Saturday. "The primitive Christians had a great veneration for the Sabbath, and spent the Day in Devotion and Sermons. And tis not to be doubted but they derived this pratice from the apostles themselves." (Mr Morer , Clergyman of church of England, "A discourse in six dialogues on the Name, Notion, and Observation of the Lord's Day, pg 189")
Socrates, the fifth century church historian says almost all the churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of ever week, yet the Christians of Alexandra and at Rome, on account of ancient tradition have ceased to do this" (Ecclesiastical History, book 5, chapter 22 in A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2d.series, vol2 pg 32)
Sunday worship started in Rome and spread throughout.
The earliest recognition of Sunday worship by law was made in 321 A.D by the constitution of Constantine (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed,art."Sunday").
The constitution states "On the venerable Day Of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed." (History of the Christian Church by Phillip Scaff 1902 vol 3, pg 380)
Sunday worship was carried over from the Catholic church to protestant churches. According to Lucius Ferrraris, Prompta Billiotheca, "PaPa" article 2 the pope can modify divine law because his power is not of man but is of God.
This quote is taken from "The History of the Christian church" by N. Summerbell 1873 pg 415: "It [the Roman Catholic Church] reversed the fourth commandment by doing away with the Sabbath of God's word, and instituting Sunday as a holiday".
The Catechismus Romanus of 1867 published by the Vatican Press also states: "It pleased the church of God, that the religious celebration of the Sabbath day should be transfered the the Lord's Day"
Another acknoledgement of the change is in the "Manuel of Christian Doctrine" by Daniel Ferris 1916 pg 67:
"Ques-How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holydays?" Answ-By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of ; and therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feast commanded by the church."
The catholic church also affirms that Saturday is the Sabbath. The converts catechism of catholic church by Peter Geiermann (1946 ed) pg 50 states that Saturday is the Sabbath but they observe Sunday instead of Saturday because "the catholic church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday".This was published with the blessing of Pope Pius X.
The Catholic church also acknowledges that their is no command in the bible for the sanctification of Sunday. Things Catholics Are Asked about by Martin J. Scott. (1927 ed) pg 136 States "Nowhere in the bible is it stated that worship should be changed from Saturday to Sunday. The fact is that the Church was in existence for several centuries before the bible was given to the world. The Church made the Bible, the Bible did not make the Church. Now the church....instituted by God's Authority. Sunday is the day of worship. This same divine authority, taught the doctrine of Purgatory long before the Bible was made. We have, thefore, the same authority for Purgatory as we have for Sunday."
Catholic church has this to say about Protestants worshipping on Sunday: "for ages all christian nations looked to the catholic church, and, as we have seen, the various states enforced by law her ordinances as to worship and cessation of Labor on Sunday. Protestantism, in discarding the authority of the church, has no good reason for its Sunday theory, and ought logically, to keep Saturday as the Sabbath" (The American Catholic Quarterly Review, january 1883 pg 152)
"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men" Matthew 4:10
Since Sunday worship is clearly santified by man not God, SDA's choose to follow the biblical command to observe the 7th day Sabbath.