Page 80 - Attractive Deception - The False Hope of the Hebrew Roots Movement

Since the Sabbath had been a sacred day of worship for the Jews from ancient times, it is to be
expected that the early church would continue to meet on this day. The church in its early days was
composed primarily, if not entirely, of Jewish men and women. Over time, as more Gentile believers
began to come to faith in the Jewish Messiah, and perhaps as a reaction to the Judaisers who were
trying to induce Gentile Christians to receive circumcision and embrace the Law of Moses, there was
a rejection of the Jewish Sabbath as the weekly meeting day of the church. The first day of the week
became a popular day of meeting, with numerous early church fathers asserting that this day was
chosen because it was the day upon which Christ arose from the dead.

Matthew 28:1-6
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and
the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel
of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his
appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow; and the guards shook for fear of
him, and became like dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid;
for I know that you are looking for Yahshua who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen,
just as He said.”

However, this was NOT the reason that Constantine legislated that the weekly day of rest and
worship in Rome would be Sunday. Constantine described this day (dies Solis) as “the venerable day
of the Sun (not Son).” Just six years prior to this edict, Constantine had a triumphal arch constructed
in Rome. It was positioned to align with the colossal statue of Sol Invictus by the Colosseum. As the
people approached this arch down the major thoroughfare leading to it, they would find framed
behind the arch the image of Sol Invictus, the deity known as the Unconquerable Sun.

Roman Colosseum and Statue of Sol Invictus, the Sun-god

Arch of Constantine and Roman Colosseum Today