Sunday Worship Is Lawlessness: Honouring Man Over God

To be absolutely clear—and to remove any confusion—the tradition of honouring Sunday as a holy day based on the claim that Christ rose on it is not only historically and biblically false, but even if it were true (which it demonstrably is not), it would still provide no justification whatsoever for abandoning or abolishing the true Sabbath, which is Saturday, established by God from creation and never revoked in Scripture.

The Sabbath is a memorial of creation — God's identity as Creator is tied to the seventh day, not the first, Sun-day.

So when the world celebrates the election of a new pope—chosen by the very men who walk in lawlessness—remember this: your eternity is not secured by religious ceremony, but by obedience to God's commandments. Think carefully before following those who lead others to break them.

So why, then, is Sunday honoured in place of the Sabbath?

THE LOGICAL, SCRIPTURAL CASE AGAINST A SUNDAY RESURRECTION

Including the Proof That Christ Was Crucified on Passover (Nisan 14)

JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED AS THE PASSOVER LAMB

➤ Exodus 12:6

“And ye shall keep it [the lamb] up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.”

Nisan 14 was the day the Passover lamb was killed.

➤ John 1:29

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

John the Baptist directly identifies Jesus as the Passover Lamb.

➤ 1 Corinthians 5:7

“Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”

Paul confirms Jesus is the Passover, and He was sacrificed — like the lamb, on Nisan 14.

➤ John 19:14

“And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about thesixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!”

Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover, that is, Nisan 14, before the High Sabbath (Nisan 15).

This ties Jesus’ crucifixion directly to the timing of the Passover lamb: He died on Nisan 14

(How do we know it was Wednesday? Keep reading)

JESUS PROPHESIED A 3-DAY, 3-NIGHT BURIAL — NOT SYMBOLIC

➤ Matthew 12:40

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”

Jesus gave a prophetic timeline for His burial: exactly 72 hours.

A Friday evening burial to Sunday morning = only 1 day and 2 nights → not enough.

A Wednesday evening burial to Saturday evening resurrection = exactly 3 days and 3 nights.

JEWISH DAYS BEGIN AT SUNSET (Genesis 1:5)

“And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

Biblical “days” start at sunset, not midnight.

Jesus buried before sunset Wednesday = Day 1 starts

Resurrection must happen before sunset Saturday to fulfill “3 days, 3 nights”

If He rose after sunset Saturday, then it would be Sunday, and the fourth day — which would violate His own prophecy.

THE SABBATH AFTER HIS DEATH WAS A “HIGH DAY” — NOT SATURDAY

➤ John 19:31

“...for that Sabbath day was an high day...”

“High Sabbath” = first day of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6–7), an annual Sabbath, not the weekly Sabbath.

The High Sabbath always falls on Nisan 15

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, Nisan 14, the day the Passover lamb was slain.

TWO SABBATHS = ONLY POSSIBLE IF HE DIED ON WEDNESDAY

➤ Luke 23:54–56 + Mark 16:1

• Luke: Women rested on the Sabbath, prepared spices before

• Mark: Women bought spices after the Sabbath.

This only works if:

• Thursday = High Sabbath (Nisan 15)

• Friday = women buy and prepare spices

• Saturday = Weekly Sabbath (rest again)

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Luke 23:56

“And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.”

This verse says the women:

• Prepared spices

• Then rested on the Sabbath, as commanded in the Law (the weekly Sabbath = Saturday)

Mark 16:1

“And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices...”

This verse says the women:

Bought spices after the Sabbath

First, Let’s Lay Out the Two Verses Again

🔹 Luke 23:56

“And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.”

🔹 Mark 16:1 (KJV)

“And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices...”

• This says:

  • They bought spices after a Sabbath.

  • Meaning the purchase happened on a work day, not a Sabbath.

    
    

If Mark says the women bought spices after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1), and Luke says they prepared spices before the Sabbath (Luke 23:56), then how could they prepare what they hadn’t bought yet ?

So Which Sabbaths Are Being Referred To?

Here’s the key:There were two Sabbaths that week, not just one.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mark 16:1 – Refers to the High Sabbath

This was Nisan 15, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread — always a “holy convocation”, or High Sabbath (Leviticus 23:6–7).

It fell on Thursday 

After this High Sabbath, the women went and bought spices — meaning they did this on Friday, a normal workday.

Luke 23:56 – Refers to the Weekly Sabbath

After buying and preparing the spices on Friday, they rested again on the weekly Sabbath — Saturday.

This Sabbath is described as “according to the commandment,” pointing clearly to the seventh-day Sabbath from the Ten Commandments.

Why This Matters

If you only had one Sabbath that week (as in the Friday crucifixion model), these verses would contradict each other:

Mark says they bought spices after the Sabbath.

Luke says they prepared spices before the Sabbath.

But if there are two Sabbaths, it fits perfectly:

Day	Event
Wednesday	Jesus crucified and buried before sunset (Nisan 14)
Thursday	High Sabbath – Nisan 15, Feast of Unleavened Bread – women rest
Friday	Women buy and prepare spices (Mark 16:1)
Saturday	Weekly Sabbath – women rest again (Luke 23:56)
Sunday (early)	Women visit tomb; Jesus already risen

the Sabbath mentioned in Mark 16:1 is the High Sabbath (Nisan 15).The Sabbath in Luke 23:56 is the weekly Sabbath (Saturday).

Two Sabbaths — one after the crucifixion and one before the tomb visit — prove that the crucifixion could only have been on Wednesday, not Friday.

The Dilemma with the Traditional (Friday) View

If Jesus was crucified on Friday, here’s the problem:

The Sabbath begins Friday at sunset and ends Saturday at sunset.

The women couldn’t buy spices after the Sabbath (Mark) and also have prepared them before the Sabbath (Luke) — there’s no time in between.

In a Friday crucifixion model:

Jesus is buried Friday before sunset.

The Sabbath begins.

Sunday morning the women go to the tomb.

So when could they possibly have bought and prepared spices?

Answer: They couldn’t. The Gospel accounts would contradict each other.

The Only Timeline That Works: Wednesday Crucifixion

Now let’s look at the Wednesday crucifixion model, and why it works perfectly with both Luke and Mark.

Now the puzzle fits:

Mark 16:1 — they bought spices after the first Sabbath (Thursday)

Luke 23:56 — they prepared the spices and then rested on the weekly Sabbath (Saturday)

This sequence requires a day between the two Sabbaths — and that can only happen if the crucifixion occurred on Wednesday, before a Thursday High Sabbath.

Why This Proves a Wednesday Crucifixion

This is a mathematically and scripturally precise argument:

You have two Sabbaths: one annual (Nisan 15, a High Day), and one weekly (Saturday).

The women could rest, then buy and prepare, then rest again — only if they had a workday (Friday) between two Sabbaths.

A Friday crucifixion does not allow this.

A Wednesday crucifixion is the only timeline that reconciles all the Gospel accounts without contradiction.

Two Sabbaths in one week = only possible if the crucifixion was on Wednesday.

That’s two Sabbaths, with a day in between for work — the only scenario where women could rest, then buy and prepare spices, and rest again.

Furthermore:

MARY ARRIVED BEFORE DAWN, AND JESUS WAS ALREADY GONE

➤ John 20:1

John 20:1“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”

John 20:2“Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”

These verses show that while it was still dark early Sunday morning, Jesus was already gone, confirming He had risen before the day began.

• It was still dark → before dawn Sunday.

• Jesus was already risen → not rising at that moment.

• This proves He rose before Sunday morning.

• If He rose after sunset Saturday, that would begin Sunday by Jewish time, but it would now be the fourth night.

Therefore:Jesus must have risen before sunset Saturday — exactly 3 days and 3 nights from His burial on Wednesday evening.

SUNDAY WORSHIP CAME FROM ROME, NOT SCRIPTURE

Roman sun worship: Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) worshipped on Sunday.

Constantine (321 AD): made Sunday the official day of rest for both pagans and Christians.

“On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people rest…”— Edict of Constantine

The Church merged Sunday worship into Christianity — not because of Scripture, but because of imperial politics.Therefore, every professing Christian who knowingly honours Sunday in place of the seventh-day Sabbath is, by definition, walking in disobedience to the Fourth Commandment. The command to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”, refers specifically to the seventh day — Saturday — not Sunday. Substituting man’s tradition for God’s command is not faithfulness, but lawlessness.

How Rome sneakily changed the wording:

The Roman Church, over time, subtly shifted the Fourth Commandment from its original wording — “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8) — to “Remember the Lord’s Day and keep it holy.” This change was not commanded by God or Christ but was imposed by Church tradition to align with Sunday worship, which was influenced by Roman sun-god customs. Yet Christ declared Himself the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), and He never changed it. The true “Lord’s Day” is the seventh day — the Sabbath (Saturday) — not Sunday.

FINAL CONCLUSION

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, Nisan 14, as the Passover Lamb, in fulfillment of:

• Exodus 12,

• John 1:29,

• John 19:14,

• 1 Corinthians 5:7.

He rose before sunset on Saturday, not Sunday, to fulfill:

• Three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40),

• Jewish reckoning of time (Genesis 1:5),

• Prophetic accuracy to the minute.

Sunday resurrection and Sunday worship are traditions of man, not commands or fulfillments from God.

Still not convinced?

A Precise Look at the 72-Hour Timeline

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the cornerstone events of the Christian faith.

Scripture gives specific, time-sensitive clues that allow us to reconstruct the true sequence of events. What we find is not only consistent and precise — it’s also dramatically different from what most churches teach today.

The Time of Jesus’ Death: Around 3:00 p.m. on the Day of Preparation

In Mark 15:33–37, we read that darkness fell over the land from the sixth hour (noon) until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), and that at the ninth hour Jesus cried out and gave up His spirit.

In the Bible, Jewish people counted their daytime hours starting at sunrise, around 6 a.m. So the sixth hour would be 12 noon, and the ninth hour would be 3:00 p.m. That’s when Jesus died. A new day doesn’t start at midnight — it starts at sunset. So Jesus died at 3:00 p.m., just a few hours before the day ended at sunset.

“And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice... and gave up the ghost.”— Mark 15:33–37

John 19:30 confirms the same moment:

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, ‘It is finished,’ and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.”— John 19:30

This pins the time of Jesus’ death at approximately 3:00 p.m.. According to the Gospel of John (19:14), this took place on the “preparation day” for the Passover, meaning Nisan 14 — the very day the Passover lambs were slaughtered. Jesus, as the true Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), died in perfect fulfillment of this prophetic timing.

Burial Must Occur Before the Sabbath at Sunset

Jewish law forbade work or leaving bodies hanging on the Sabbath (see Deuteronomy 21:22–23), so action had to be taken quickly. John 19:31 tells us this was not just any Sabbath, but a “high day” — meaning it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15), a special annual Sabbath.

“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was an high day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken...”— John 19:31

Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and boldly asked for Jesus’ body. Mark 15:42–46 tells us:

“Now when the evening was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea... went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus... And he took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre...”— Mark 15:42–46

This means the body was taken down, prepared, and placed in the tomb before sunset, when the Sabbath would begin. “When the evening was come” refers to late afternoon, close to 6:00 p.m., the standard time for day’s end in the Jewish calendar.

Working Backward: The 72-Hour Countdown

Jesus explicitly said:

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”— Matthew 12:40

A Friday crucifixion simply cannot fulfill this. From Friday evening to Sunday morning, at most, gives you one full day and two nights. But Jesus didn’t prophesy parts of three days — He was specific: three full days and three full nights.

If Jesus was buried just before sunset on Wednesday (Nisan 14), then a literal 72-hour period takes us to 3:00 - 6p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Furthermore if Mary went to the tomb and it was still dark then the latest possible time for darkness would be around 5:10am in March. Counting back 72 hours from that point places the crucifixion in the early hours of Thursday morning, however, crucifixions didn’t happen at night.

Start Time	Event
Wednesday, 3:00 p.m.	Burial
Thursday, 3:00 p.m.	24 hours (1 day, 1 night)
Friday, 3:00 p.m.	48 hours (2 days, 2 nights)
Saturday, 3:00 p.m.	72 hours (3 days, 3 nights)

He would have risen sometime between 3:00 p.m. and sunset on Saturday — still within the third day by Hebrew reckoning, and before Sunday began at sunset. This also aligns with John 20:1, which tells us Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark on Sunday morning, and Jesus was already gone:

“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”— John 20:1

That means the resurrection did not occur on Sunday morning. It had already happened — before dawn — likely in the final hours of the Sabbath (Saturday), before the fourth day began at Sunset.

Why This Matters

This timeline proves several things:

1. Jesus was buried on Wednesday, Nisan 14, the day of Passover preparation.

2. He was in the tomb exactly 72 hours, fulfilling the sign of Jonah with divine precision.

3. He rose on Saturday, before sunset — not on Sunday.

4. The weekly Sabbath was not changed by the resurrection, and no Scripture says it was.

5. The popular Friday-to-Sunday model, though historically rooted in Church tradition, fails both biblically and logically.

What we find, when we let Scripture interpret itself, is a God of absolute order and prophetic accuracy. Jesus did not rise on Sunday — He rose at the exact moment He said He would: after three days and three nights, exactly as foretold.

What does it mean for those who have abolished the Sabbath and replaced it with their so-called “Lord’s Day”? It means they are living in open rebellion against God's law. Scripture is clear: “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), and “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). By changing the commandment to remember the seventh day—the Sabbath—into a man-made tradition honouring the first day of the week (Sunday), the pope, cardinals, and bishops have set themselves against the law of God.

They claim to represent Christ, yet Christ is “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28)—not Lord of Sunday. Nowhere in Scripture did God ever appoint lawbreakers to speak on His behalf. Nowhere did He give men authority to override His commandments. Jesus Himself said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord… and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22–23).

So again I ask: When did God ever make representatives of those who reject His commandments? 

The answer is never.

Those who lead others to break God’s law do not stand in Christ’s authority—they stand condemned by His Word.

The belief that Jesus was crucified on a Friday has been passed down through nearly all branches of mainstream Christianity, but where did this tradition come from—and does it hold up under biblical scrutiny?

The earliest known proponents of a Friday crucifixion were Church Fathers such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. Writing between 150 and 200 AD, these men each referred to Jesus being crucified on “the day before the Sabbath,” which they interpreted as Friday, since the weekly Sabbath falls on Saturday. However, their conclusions were drawn through a Roman lens. These were Gentile Christians writing within a Roman imperial context, far removed from the Jewish calendar and festival structure. As the Church was drifting away from its Hebrew roots, these early theologians lacked firsthand familiarity with the biblical feast days and Jewish timekeeping. Consequently, they conflated the weekly Sabbath with what the Gospel of John carefully distinguishes as a “high day.”

John 19:31 specifically states that the Sabbath following the crucifixion was “a high day”—not the ordinary weekly Sabbath. According to Leviticus 23, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which always falls on Nisan 15, is a special annual Sabbath regardless of what day of the week it lands on. This makes it distinct from the weekly Saturday Sabbath, and it can fall on a Thursday, Friday, or any other day depending on the year. So, if Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14—the day the Passover lambs were slain, which the Gospels confirm—then the next day, Nisan 15, was the high Sabbath. That would mean the crucifixion occurred not on a Friday, but on a Wednesday.

This distinction is confirmed by comparing the resurrection narratives in Mark and Luke. Luke 23:56 tells us that the women who followed Jesus prepared spices and ointments, and then rested on the Sabbath “according to the commandment.” Yet in Mark 16:1, we are told that the same women bought spices after the Sabbath. This would be a contradiction—unless there were two Sabbaths that week. And indeed, there were. If Jesus was crucified on Wednesday (Nisan 14), the following day (Thursday) was the high Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The women rested. Then came Friday, a normal workday, during which they bought and prepared spices. Saturday, the weekly Sabbath, followed, on which they rested again. Only then, early Sunday morning, did they visit the tomb—finding it already empty.

This sequence is impossible under a Friday crucifixion model. If Jesus died late Friday afternoon, then the Sabbath began at sunset, allowing no time for the women to purchase or prepare anything. The next day (Saturday) would also forbid work. There’s simply no space for the activity the Gospels describe. Furthermore, the Friday-to-Sunday model does not meet the prophetic requirement Jesus Himself laid down in Matthew 12:40, where He stated that He would be “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” A Friday burial allows for one day and two nights at most 1 day + 2 nights = 24 hours + (2 × 12 hours) = 48 hours far short of the literal 72-hour framework that prophecy demands.

So we’re left with one unavoidable conclusion: the Friday crucifixion tradition, while sincerely held, is based on a misunderstanding of Jewish feasts and Sabbaths. The early Church Fathers who promoted it were sincere, but they imposed Roman logic onto a Hebrew event. The Gospel accounts—taken literally and harmonized—point to a Wednesday crucifixion, a Thursday high Sabbath, a Friday preparation day, and a Saturday weekly Sabbath. Only this timeline matches Scripture, prophecy, Jewish custom, and historical calendrical data.

A Friday crucifixion isn’t just flawed—it’s impossible.