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We noted previously that the Sabbath was not intended to be a day for which believers were to travel across town for church services, nor was it a designated day for pastors to deliver their sermons to their congregations. It was a day of rest. "Remember the Sabbath day...in it thou shalt not do any work...."

However, more than two thousand years ago, the practice of the Sabbath day of rest came to be a day for home gatherings which involved instruction and worship. This eventually evolved to synagogue services conducted by rabbis. The oldest dated evidence of a synagogue is from around the 3rd century BC. One source said this about it:

The rabbis instituted 39 laws for the Sabbath with hundreds of subcategories. One of them was a Sabbath Day's Journey which was 2,000 cubits, or 1,000 yards, the allowed distance they could travel from their house or domicile. It is assumed that 2,000 cubits was used, since this was the distance between the ark and the people on their journey through the wilderness, and was the distance between their tents and the tabernacle. Therefore, they surmised that it must have been allowable to travel that far on the Sabbath. But later on, and with people scattered about, such a short distance would prevent many from being able to attend the Sabbath services in their synagogues, so provisions were made:

They devised a way to increase this distance without technically breaking their own law. This was done by placing some food at the 2,000 cubit intervals prior to the Sabbath and declaring each spot their temporary domicile. They could then proceed 2,000 cubits from point to point, and on to the synagogue without transgressing that law.

Another way was without depositing food every 2,000 cubits. If the traveler could select some tree or a wall at a distance of 2,000 cubits and mentally declare this to be his residence for the Sabbath, in which case he was permitted to go the 2,000 cubits to the designated tree or wall, and on and on. Another scheme for extending the distance was invented, such as regarding the town in which one lived was his domicile, thus allowing him to proceed from any part of the town to a point 2,000 cubits beyond the wall. (The Jewish Publication Society).         https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Def.show/RTD/ISBE/ID/7530/Sabbath-Days-Journey.htm

Another wrote:

"What made the Sabbath 'holy?'

"The essence of Sabbath-keeping was physical rest. In Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15 the Sabbath command specifies rest from labor as the way to keep the day 'holy.' There is no mention of going to a worship service each Sabbath. Other passages in the Old Testament also define the Sabbath by rest, not by attendance at worship services. See Exodus 31:12-17, Numbers 15:32, Nehemiah 13:15-22 and Jeremiah 17:19-27. The latter two passages, though they refer to Jerusalem, do not mention anything about failure to attend worship services or 'sacred assemblies,' but only work on the Sabbath as a desecration of this day."

https://archive.gci.org/articles/is-leviticus-233-a-command-to-have-worship-services-on-the-weekly-sabbath/

Notwithstanding, it was brought to my attention a verse that deserves attention. A brother mentioned:

"This is somewhat of a follow up from my previous message. I was thinking of the Ten Commandments as recorded in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5: six days of labor and the 7^th as a day of rest—with nothing said about people assembling for worship. But I note Leviticus 23:3 which says: 'Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation…' The word 'convocation' seems to imply they did gather for worship on this day. I assumed that synagogues were a much later development, but seemed to remember the word 'synagogues' somewhere in Psalms--it is 74:8 (at least in the KJV) and the margin in my Bible has 'meeting places.'"

The Hebrew word for "convocation" does speak of a gathering, and it is a day of worship. However, I found that this would be gatherings of families and servants in their respective homes rather than a synagogues:

"Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings." Leviticus 23:3.

But please note, this is not to say we cannot gather on certain days of the week, whether Saturday or Sunday, or any other day, to fellowship and worship the Lord. The point is that attending church services is not a part of the Sabbath's law nor does meeting together make it holy, clean, void of laborious sweat.

With what has been written about this historical day of rest, it is amazing that it is still believed by many to be the same as the Lord's Day that John wrote about in the book of Revelation. Of course, we will see if it is possible or not.

THE LORD'S DAY

Try as one may, failure will befall anyone who attempts to prove by the scriptures that either the Lord's rest mentioned in Hebrews :9-11, or the Day of the Lord can be marked on a calendar. And please keep in mind that the Day of the Lord is not the same as the Lord's rest. The day of the Lord is a time of judgment upon nations as well as individuals and many things in between. Notwithstanding, knowing this does not stop people from presuming it is otherwise, and this is to be expected. For they have heard it preached and taught all their lives that it is a literal day of the sun rising and setting, and it is very difficult to shake off deep-rooted, life-long beliefs. But believing it along with millions of others cannot make Saturday or Sunday the Day of the Lord.

Revelation 1:10 uses the term, the Lord's Day, and except for one other verse, it is the Day of the Lord in all other cases. That exception is called His Day in Luke 17:24, and all three are equivalent in meaning. They are three terms that say the same thing.

That significant Day had always heralded a time of woe, of destruction, a season of dread, especially on behalf of those being judged. Amos said this about it: "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of the LORD is darkness, and not light." Amos 5:18.

The Day of the Lord brought terrible things upon many. His day of judgment was and will be horrific for most, yet some will suffer no ills; for all who call upon the name of the LORD are delivered. They are those in mount Zion and in Jerusalem, spiritually speaking, and they are all delivered as the prophet mentioned in Joel 2:32.

Although some of those in natural Israel were spared, the day of the Lord was not a time of peace and tranquility. It was a very sobering season. The food supply was cut off, joy and gladness ceased, seed rotted in the ground, the garners were bare, and the barns destroyed. The beasts and herds of cattle were without pasture, the rivers dried up, as fire consumed the pastures the trees of the fields and of the wilderness. (Joel 1:15-20). Malachi called the Day of the Lord a great and dreadful day Malachi 4:5.

Zephaniah said that the day would bring tears and bitterness to even the mighty men. It was a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day when all good things were wasted and laid desolate, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. It was a day of being void of God's blessings. The walled cities and their high towers were of no protection. The distress was so great upon men that they walked as if blinded by blazing firebrands. Their blood poured upon the ground like well-springs. There was so much death and carnage that their flesh was of no more value than dung. Their silver and gold were not able to deliver them in that terrible day of the LORD (Zephaniah 1:14-18).

When the day of the Lord comes, cities and kingdoms fall. Our friend, Royce Kennedy, said it like this:

 "God removed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in what seemed to be a literal hell on earth. The cities were reduced to ashes and we emphasize the destruction that came upon those people for their sins. Preachers warn sinful people in our time to come to God or suffer the same fate; but they have missed another side of the equation.

"Jesus told the unbelievers; 'And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.' Matt.11:23-24. In fact, Jesus indicated that if the people of Sodom had heard what the people to whom He was ministering, they would have repented, and God said in another place that he moved them as he saw it good. But they shall rise in the judgment and testify against these unbelievers to whom Jesus spoke. It is all according to his good pleasure and divine purpose.

"With many in religious circles, the coming together of nations seem to send a signal for them to prepare for the emergence of the antichrist; but what about another gathering together of the nations as God summons? 'Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they all may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.' Zephaniah 3:8-9.

"Can we forget the concise and enduring prophecy given by Daniel? ''And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.' Daniel 7:27. Does that sound like a one world government of the antichrist to you?

"'He (the Lord) shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. All nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.' Psalm 72:8,11; Revelation 15:4b. 'And saviors shall come upon mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.'  Obadiah 21.

"Are we waiting for Christ's one world government, or are we waiting for the antichrist's one world government? Yes, indeed, God is gathering together in ONE all things in Christ just like he said he would. We do not at this point have all the nuts and bolts in our hands, and we cannot draw an outline of all the moving parts of this unfolding. But we do know that as the kingdoms of this world crumble bit by bit, so likewise, the kingdom of God peaks over the horizon like the sunrise on a bright summer's morn. At evening time there shall be light, and that light is shining brighter and brighter with every passing day." (When Shall These Things?" Matthew 24: Part 13 https://godfire.net/kennedy/Matthew_24_Part_13.htm).

On one hand, the Day of the Lord is terrible, yet on the other, wondrous things take place. Man's kingdom of the whole world is overthrown and replaced with God's. The signs of the times in the heavens and the earth suggest that this harrowing day is already upon us. It is not pleasant as it brings to light, first, those hidden things within the body of Christ, and then the world. When the Day of the Lord is upon any man or kingdom, they cannot remain in place. His Day will expose and destroy everything contrary to the His holy Name!

Not many call upon His name today; but in due season they will. Moreover, it is not uncommon to see arrogant people who think they are getting in the face of Jesus Christ by openly declaring their independence. They flaunt their sinful life-styles as they parade before eager cameras that broadcast their silliness to a flesh-craving world. They vaunt their perversions, their supposed sovereign free will, their piffling godhood, and their self-aggrandized humanism that overflows all sensible boundaries.

If they are not obstinately in the face of Jesus, who by no means do they know, they get in the face of His family. Bursting with arrogant pride, they say, "There is no God, and if by chance there is one, we neither need Him nor want Him."

It is also common to hear that Jesus was merely an enlightened man due to having learned from the masters of the East. None of this matters. Let them sneer, malign, and rant. Let the heathen rage. For He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. And in His Day, He will have them in derision, as we are told in Psalm 1:1-12.

The fact is, when they see Him in His glory, they will die as all do who see God, yet, that is not their end. They will live when their hour comes. His fire will not be pleasant; but it will serve as their ultimate good, as well as the world, and especially His Kingdom. What a wonder! Not like most conquerors who would imprison, torment, and deprive their captives, this Lord will liberate them from the tyranny of their own souls. This is the Father we know! He is not the one who loves today but not tomorrow beyond death's door.

Again, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet...And I turned to see the voice that spake with me....when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead." Revelation 1:10, 12, 17.

Before delving farther into this thought, we should notice that there is much more to this verse than meets the eye of the natural mind. It will help by translating one word as it should be from the Greek. It is the word that means the same and is spelled very near to the English word, "in" which is, "en." "I was in spirit IN the Lord's Day." With this, and from what we have gleaned can we not see that John who came to be in spirit, found himself IN the JUDGMENT DAY of the LORD? It was not his body that was in that day; but his spirit. He was raptured, if you please, caught up, seized into a realm of Christ that flesh and bone have always been unfamiliar.

Although his feet remained upon the desert hillside, he was ushered into the great Day of the Lord. It was so profound that after turning from his natural perspective and seeing the voice that spoke to him from behind, he fell to the ground as dead. There was nothing left in him that could stand or speak until he was told to fear not. This is what happens when this Great Day of the Lord overtakes us. The Light of that Day slays us! We can't stand in our natural light in His Day no more than a garden slug can cross the Mojave desert under a searing summer's Sun. Yet, human slugs still attempt to exalt themselves above the majesty of our Lord, the King of kings, in whose hands are their very existence.

The book of Revelation is a graphic record of what John saw in the Lord's Day. It is surely not a record of the day of the antichrist or false prophet, nor is it a record of a one world government, or the harlot on the back of a strange beast with more heads than it knows what to do with. Although these things will be brought to the surface and dealt with in every realm, they are not the focal points of the book. This is a book of signs that has to do with the unveiling of Jesus Christ in His Day as He brings it whenever and wherever His light shines. The book is a record of His Day, the Lord's Day, the Day of the Lord!

The judgment of the great whore that sits upon the people of many waters is a part of that Day. The war in heaven against the great red dragon takes place in the Lord's Day. And be sure to know that these things that are exposed and conquered in the Day of the Lord take place within the heavens and earth of each member of the body of Christ, as it also does in the body of Christ collectively. Surely, it will be manifested in the world at the appointed time, but not before it takes place within ourselves.

Many people throughout the world are futilely waiting for a misrepresented Day of the Lord that is nothing close to the one in which John saw where kingdoms fell in utter destruction. There are times and seasons for all things; but surely, as it was with John nearly two thousand years ago, don't you think we can be in spirit and have the Day of the Lord to become a reality at this present time? Have we not already been in His shining presence, His Day, and have not kingdoms fallen within us to never rise again? Yes, indeed so! This has taken place. We have been there! And we will, hopefully, be remaining in that Day of the Sun/Son, but not merely remaining in a neutral state of being, but in a place of supreme command with the full authority of our Lord.

Matthew recorded what Jesus spoke concerning one of His days that came to pass in A.D. 70. This was in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:29-31.

Please notice that immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem, the sun was darkened, and the moon did not give her light, and the stars fell from heaven. Can you imagine this happening? It sounds like a scene from a science-fiction movie. However, if this actually took place, where are the records of the sun growing dim, the moon failing to shine, and the stars falling from their celestial home and crashing into the earth? There are none! There is not a shred of evidence to substantiate such a natural scenario. For that matter, if the stars had fallen, not meteorites but stars, there would have been no one around to record the events, nor would there be anyone today to read anything at all. For even one star falling to the earth would destroy it instantly, leaving nothing but miniscule shards strewn throughout the universe. Such natural events never happened; but they certainly did in the world of types, shadows, and allegories that were fulfilled according to what these symbols pointed. Namely, the kingdom of the Jews after God's judgment came upon it, which is now history. That's the story in a small nutshell.

Heaven, the sun, the moon, and the stars are types that speak of impending spiritual and natural occurrences of three manifestations of a kingdom which are brought about by the Spirit of God. This is as plain and simple as it can be said. For example, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world in Revelation 13:8 is not suggesting that it was a little woolly, four-footed animal that was killed. Not at all! It was a man—the man Jesus Christ! The same goes for heaven, the sun, the moon, and the stars. They are not literal when it comes to the scriptures we are addressing.

Jesus opened the windows of the heavens and showed in types and shadows to John that which would be coming to pass in the body of Christ. And let us note, John did not hear and see these terrible earthshaking events while in a prayer meeting or a praise and worship service. Albeit, these things are very good and can add to people’s spiritual lives and natural well being.

However, that which is given by the Spirit from on high that moves mountains, topples kingdoms, replaces regimes, turns worlds upside down, levels forests and fields with the fiery blast of God's breath, is not known to bring seasons of calm and joy and peace. Very often spiritual revelations are born in the crucible of afflictions, and so it might have also been with the 90 or so year old John while banished to the Isle of Patmos.

Regardless of whether he was under duress or not, he heard and saw profound things, such as: "I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth..." Revelation 6:12-13.

The scriptures are not always clear on certain points; but John heard and saw things that were impossible for the human mind to grasp; yet it is certain that he saw and wrote symbolically in metaphorical terms. With that being so, what could the sun and the moon and the stars represent? Since seeing through a glass darkly, we cannot go into all that they entail, but will share a little of that which we do see.

The sun represents the primary ruling power over a nation, an organization, a religion, a household, or even a single individual. The moon generally speaks of the reflected light of rulers, of rituals, of laws, of ceremonies, of ordinances, or habitual routines, of characteristics, of vices, of addictions, and more.

We can see this with the Jews and their external religious practices. They became masters of their craft of growing old, hardened, stifled, and barren of truth; so much so, they desired and conspired to destroy the Truth, their Messiah, for which they claimed to be waiting for.

With hopes of saving their kingdom, the Pharisees were instrumental in killing Jesus and made an open show of their “victory” when He was hung on the cross. But the very thing they were trying to save was soon afterwards taken from them. Their sun diminished, their heaven/kingdom was rolled up like a scroll. Immediately after the tribulation of those days of Titus and his army, their god-given authority became black as sackcloth.

Their authority was forever revoked after the Roman eagles of abomination gathered upon their carcass. The moon of their religious practices were darkened — no more power, no more washings, no more trimming and lighting of candlestick wicks. The showbread was gone along with its table, no incense, no mercyseat for the high priest to meet with the Oracle of God, and no more sacrifices! The priests, the Scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees fell as stars from that lofty heaven of their deposed kingdom. The royal scepter was passed to the saints of the most High, those who bore His image and holy name.

With the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in that great Day of the Lord, everything that pertained to the Jewish hierarchy was destroyed. The words of the prophet Daniel and of Jesus came to pass as they had declared, and it was precisely at the appointed time.

And now, whether it is the ancient Judaism, the Roman Empire, or today's religions and governments of the world, there is no difference. Those ruling powers back then had stars hanging in their grandiose heavens, and likewise now. There is a vast array of dignitary star specks in their dark skies. There are kings, queens, presidents, chancellors, senators, congressman, governors, despots, corporate CEOs, corporations, the federal reserve, the international banking system, the CFR, the film industry, Hollywood stars, rock stars, television evangelists, mega-church preachers, individual churches, church organizations, nations of the world, Wall Street, men and women of high prestige in the social world of vanity and pride, to name a few.

These are examples of the stars in the heavens of the world, and all these shining ones will fall to become the Kingdom of the Lord and His anointed. They will be revealed, overcome, judged, and accordingly dealt with. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 1 Peter 4:17.

Much of this has already taken place in the lives of those who make up the firstfruits of the corporate body of Jesus Christ. In the midst of the Day of our Lord, the great dragon and his angels (every usurping, exalting religious imagination conceivable, among other defamations) have risen and made war against them and their Chief Angel and Commander. In many cases the enemy has been cast down and has little, if any, influence on their thoughts, their lives, or their deeds. Although the process is yet to be finished, they are being made ready as the Day of the Lord dawns and the members of His body are awakened to not only grave oppositions, but especially to victory on every front.

"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:31.

What in the world do you suppose this means? Do you think it is Gabriel or Michael the archangel standing on the rim of a silver-lined cloud while trumpeting peals of thunder the clarion call to arms for all able-bodied saints? Does our imagination then carry us to the heights of heaven, and do we see myriads of feather-winged angels amassing with us for battle? Perhaps we thought so at an earlier time, but not now.

Please hear me fellow angels and sojourners in Christ. Angels in the scriptures speak of messengers dispatched from God, especially those delivering the messages. And this is whether they are special created spirit beings or human beings, and the latter could be on either side of the veil. Most of the angels we read about in the Bible are men who had not tasted death. Some could be those who have crossed over to the other side and are among the innumerable company of angels and/or the spirits of just men made perfect as noted in Hebrews 12:22-23.

One who sounds a trumpet can be a messenger that delivers the message of a particular note that is heard and understood by those for which it is intended. The angels/messengers of Christ sound the trumpet that will cause the body of His elect to be called together in one spirit. It is the superimposition, the high assembly of Hebrews 10:25. Although they may be scattered to the four winds, and from one end of heaven to the other, when they hear the call, they will be gathered together in one accord, in one mind, in one voice, and in one spirit—in the Lord's Day!

After they are assembled together, not in one physical location, but as a united spiritual body over the entire earth, what do we suppose they will be doing? Sitting on clouds and strumming harps? Singing religious songs in a celestial choir? Or perhaps discussing the affairs and strategies of the kingdom with the Lord and His twelve apostles? On the natural plane of man's thinking, such might be thought to be conceivable; but the elect of God are not living on that plane. Paul said in Romans 8:9 that you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you, and His Spirit does dwell in us. No doubt, we are very often in the realm of our natural makeup of going about our daily affairs. This is neither good nor bad. It is merely a part of our lives as we continue our journey. Yet we are still in the Spirit of Jesus Christ whether we are consciously aware of it or not. For we are now seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus as Paul reminded us in Ephesians 2:6.

When we are called together by His anointed messengers in the great Day of the Lord, and by the word of authority and the command to assemble, we will do so in the Spirit of the Word we hear. It is in the Spirit that we will be in the Lord's Day. The keys of the Kingdom will be given to us. His power and authority will surely become evident throughout His body. It is then that we will have overcome and been found worthy to shake both heaven and earth by the command of His word!

Therefore, the apostle John was in Spirit in the Lord's day, not on the 1^st or the 7^th day of the week. He became spirit and was brought into the Lord's Day. It was from there he saw things happening in present time. This earthshaking experience certainly took place for John on one of the seven days of the week, and it might have been the seventh day; but the issue was not when and where his body was occupying. It was when and where he came to be spirit; that is, in the midst of THE DAY OF THE LORD!

For him to have seen the Lord in such splendor of His Day, in such purity, in such profound majesty, in such fiery judgment, how could we possibly conclude that any day of the week could be a day wherein things would take place to revolutionize the world and change it forever? From sound perspective and understanding, it is inconceivable!

Ah! What a time in which to live! Even though it is thick darkest for the world—it is THE LORD'S DAY—and His majesty shines brightly in you and me!