What is the Bible Sabbath Association UK?

The Bible Sabbath Association UK is a non-denominational organisation, open to all believers observing the Seventh-day Sabbath. We are sometimes known as Torah Christians, Orthodox Messianic Jews (the only type we endorse where Jew and Gentile are both required to keep Torah) (Firstfruits of Zion, YashaNet, and Torah Resource), Nazarite Jewish believers (Netzarim), Nesarim (Kehillat Beit Ha Nesarim), Ebionites (Ebionite Community), Sabbatarians (Church of God movements such as United Church of God), or Adventists (Seventh day Adventists and her offshoots). In Russia the groups of Sabbatarians can be traced having close associations with Molokanes, known as Molokan Subbotniki.

The sabbatarian movement is usually referred to as Judaizers however we trace our origins to the first century followers of Jesus Christ who were faithful obedient Torah observers. Sabbatarianism believes the Torah did not abrogate at the death of Christ. The process of salvation involves Gentiles being grafted into the Israelite covenants. The laws of God have not changed for gentiles. God has not moved the goal post. There was fierce opposition in the first century when gentiles began to be called into the covenant of Israel (Acts 15) however gentiles were expected to attend the synagogue to hear the words of Moses each Sabbath (Acts 15:21). The gentiles were to learn the requirements of the covenant of Israel through a gradual process of study, however some pharisees at the time wanted the gentiles circumcised and keeping the whole law before they were even allowed to attend the synagogue (Acts 15:1-2). The Sabbatarian movement is a broad spectrum of beliefs with the religious observance differing from group to group. We do not target Jews for conversion but live in harmony with them.

The Sabbatarian movement can be traced in the 1600s in England with the followers of John Traske, Thomas Tillam and Theophilus Brabourne. The leaders were unjustly imprisoned for their observance of Jewish laws, particularly the Sabbath, by the State, in co-operation with the Church of England. John Traske was removed from the ministry and heavily fined. Traske was publically whipped and his ear was nailed to the pillory he was placed in. After the letter "J" was branded on his head to show his adherence to Jewish opinions, Traske was once again publically whipped and his remaining ear was nailed to the stocks. Following this physical punishment Traske was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1618. Traske, one of the founders of Sabbatarianism taught an early form of Judaism to his followers, instructing them to observe the Sabbath, dietary laws and circumcision.

John Traske was by all accounts very eccentric, and he was threatened with arrest and imprisonment both before and after he advocated observance of the Sabbath. However, one didn't have to be as provocative as Traske to face persecution; a thoroughly orthodox Christian who wrote or spoke in favour of the Sabbath was also in danger in the early seventeenth century. Such was the case with Theophilus Brabourne (1590-1662), an Anglican clergyman who hoped to persuade the Church of England to adopt the seventh day Sabbath in two books that he wrote in 1628 and 1632. In 1634 and early 1635, Brabourne was imprisoned, repeatedly examined by church officials, and threatened with excommunication and a fine of 1000 pounds before his carefully-worded recantation was accepted on April 30, 1635 [1, p. 66]. (Brabourne claimed that he never recanted anything of any substance, and in the more tolerant climate of the 1650s he wrote again in favor of the Sabbath.)

In "M. Misson's Memoirs and Observations in his Travels around England," a book published by Frenchman Henri Misson in 1698 he comments, "Here and there also you meet with a Millenarian; but I know there is a particular Society, though it makes but little noise, of People, who though they go by the Name of Sabbatarians make Profession of expecting the Reign of a Thousand Years without participating in the other opinions which are ascribed to the ancient Millenarians. These Sabbatharians are so call'd, because they will not remove the Day of Rest from Saturday to Sunday ...

"They leave off work betimes on Friday Evening, and are very rigid observers of their Sabbath. They administer Baptism only to adult People [footnote: `in other aspects they subscribe to our Confession of Faith']; and perhaps they are blameable in these two Things only because they look upon them to be more important ... The major Part of them will eat neither Pork, nor Blood, nor things strangled ..."

The Roman Catholic church changed the day of worship to Sunday by edict of the Council of Laodicea in 360AD:

"Christians should not Judaize and should not be idle on the Sabbath, but should work on that day; they should, however, particularly reverence the Lord’s day and, if possible, not work on it, because they were Christians" (Canon 29 [A.D. 360]).

Catholic Website: (www.catholic.com/library/Sabbath_or_Sunday.asp)

or

Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ. (Percival Translation)

Website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaizers

BSAUK is dedicated to upholding civil liberty and freedom of worship without state interference or identification by the state of individual religious beliefs.

The purpose of the BSAUK.

Its main purposes are:

• to promote fellowship and cooperation between Sabbath-keepers of various groups;

• to promote Sabbath observance on a non-denominational basis;

• to restore respect and honour for the Ten Commandments as a whole, with special emphasis on the Fourth, which has been forgotten by most of the world;

• to encourage the repeal of laws which enforce the keeping of Sunday (or any day) by any unit of man's government; and

• to defeat the adoption of any calendar which would disrupt the seven-day weekly cycle.

BSAUK is independent of any religious church or group and separate from the parent organisation in the United States. We are here to promote the Seventh day, to encourage felllowship, understanding and help for Sabbatarians. We reserve the right to hold discussions on various doctrinal issues to promote research, study and personal development.

Sabbatarians in the United Kingdom

There are many church groups in the UK which promote the Seventh day Sabbath. The most well known of these are the Seventh Day Adventists. They are popular today with churches in most areas. There are also large communities belonging to the Church of God Seventh Day scattered around with large groups in the London areas. With the demise of the Worldwide Church of God there exist many splinter organisations with the predominant groups being the United Church of God and the Church of God, An International Community. An interesting development is the rise of sacred name groups like the Congregation of Yahweh that promote the seventh day and biblical festivals. There are also Messianic Jewish congregations of every variety. Some former Messianic Jews have formed the Nazarene Jewish movement living a more Torah observant lifestyle within the context of Judaism.

Worldwide there are millions of Sabbatarians, we estimate that only 200,000 of these observe the biblical festivals of Leviticus 23 including all the messianic and christians throughout the world. The numbers of Sabbatarians that follow a form of early Judaism accepting the 613 Jewish laws is very small.