No - the Jews did not offer animal sacrifices on the Sabbath; the seventh day was a day of total rest, not sacrifice.
The Sabbath was the seventh day, given to the nation of Israel as a day of rest, not as a day for sacrificial activity. Les Feldick teaches that 'there was no way that the Sabbath, the seventh day, was ever a day of sacrifices' and that the Jews did not sacrifice on the Sabbath. Scripture itself describes the seventh day as 'the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD' (Exodus 16:23), a day of total rest and inactivity.
Exodus 16:23 — Identifies the seventh day as 'the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD,' directly establishing the Sabbath as a day of rest rather than sacrificial activity.
Exodus 16:26 — Shows that no gathering or work was to occur on the seventh day, further defining the Sabbath as a day of inactivity.
Matthew 26:2 — Sets the context of the crucifixion during the feast of Passover, which is distinct from the weekly Sabbath.
The Bible identifies the seventh day as the Sabbath and calls it a day of rest. In Exodus 16:23 the LORD says, 'To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD.' On that seventh day, Israel was to gather no manna: 'Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none' (Exodus 16:26). The Sabbath is therefore presented as a day of cessation from labor. Scripture also records the appointed feasts of the LORD, beginning with Passover (Leviticus 23). The Passover was the feast being observed at the time of Christ's crucifixion: 'Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified' (Matthew 26:2). The chief priests said, 'Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people' (Matthew 26:5). The weekly Sabbath and the annual feasts are distinct in the biblical record.
Les Feldick teaches that 'there was no way that the Sabbath, the seventh day, was ever a day of sacrifices' and that the Jews did not sacrifice on the Sabbath (Clip 1). He describes the Sabbath as 'a day of total rest' and 'a day of total inactivity,' and he raises this point in response to a question about Christ's crucifixion (Clip 1). Les further teaches that the Sabbath was strictly the seventh day and was given only to the nation of Israel. He says it is 'absolutely incorrect to call our Sunday the Sabbath' (Clip 1). In Clip 2, he notes that the Sabbath rest was established in Exodus 16 even before the Ten Commandments were given at Sinai. Because the Sabbath was a day of total rest, the idea of bringing an animal for sacrifice on that day is inconsistent with what the day required.
No. Les Feldick teaches that the Sabbath was a day of rest, not a day of sacrificial activity. He states plainly that the Jews did not sacrifice on the Sabbath, describing it as 'a day of total rest' and 'a day of total inactivity.' The Old Testament established the seventh day as 'the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD' (Exodus 16:23), a day on which no gathering or work took place (Exodus 16:26).
Les Feldick is emphatic that Sunday is not the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the seventh day - Saturday. He says it is 'absolutely incorrect to call our Sunday the Sabbath,' and that the Sabbath was given only to the nation of Israel. Sunday is the first day of the week, not the seventh. He also notes that the Sabbath rest was set up before the Ten Commandments were given, as shown in Exodus 16.
Les brings up the absence of Sabbath sacrifices in connection with a question about Christ's crucifixion. The crucifixion occurred at the time of the feast of Passover; the chief priests said, 'Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people' (Matthew 26:5). Les notes that since Passover was about to begin at 6 o'clock on Friday evening, they had to hurry and get the body down from the cross. The Sabbath's character as a day of total rest plays into the timing of these events (Clips 0, 1, 5).
Les observes that religious Jews today are almost mandated to go back to keeping the Sabbath, and that in future temple worship they will institute the Sabbath day. He notes that present-day Judaism limits how far a person can walk on the Sabbath to about a mile or a mile and a half. This reinforces the Sabbath as a day of rest and restricted activity, not a day of ordinary work or sacrifice (Clip 3).
Passover and the Crucifixion Context
Les shows that the crucifixion took place during the feast of Passover and that the religious leaders avoided acting on the feast day, establishing the feast context as distinct from the Sabbath.
No Sacrifices on the Sabbath
Les states directly that the Sabbath was never a day of sacrifices; it was a day of total rest and total inactivity, and he says it is absolutely incorrect to call Sunday the Sabbath.
The Sabbath as Seventh-Day Rest
Les traces the Sabbath to Exodus 16, where the seventh day was set apart as rest before the Ten Commandments, and stresses that Sunday is the first day of the week, not the Sabbath.
Modern Sabbath Observance
Les observes that religious Jews today are moving to reinstate the Sabbath with strict travel restrictions, showing the continuing identity of the day as one of rest rather than work.
What the Bible Really Says About the Lord's Table — 1 Corinthians 10:16
Now you want to remember that when the pagans set up their animal sacrifices, it was satanic counterfeit of what God had established to be the right way, because that�s what Satan always does, he establishes a counterfeit. So when the pagans offered their animal sacrifices and then had the meat from the temple taken down to the market place, or maybe given to the individual who brought the sacrifi…
The Feasts and the Passover
Les reviews the seven feasts of the LORD from Leviticus 23 and notes that Passover was the feast being observed at the crucifixion, which had to conclude before the feast began at 6 pm Friday.
What the Bible Really Says About the Lord's Table — 1 Corinthians 10:16
And so even the Jew who brought his sacrifice could end up partaking of the meat of that sacrifice, and that�s what Paul is saying. Ephesians 2.18b "...and behold Israel after the flesh, in their religious system, are not they who eat of the sacrifice partakers of the altar?" It all brings it down to that same activity then, that when they brought the sacrifice, they were identifying themselves wi…
Paul's Vision of Heaven & the Jerusalem Council Explained
So many of these sheep and goats that were offered as sacrifice, these pagan temples, where would they end up? Well, in the marketplace. Now, you've got to be in the Middle East even today. You go through the marketplace of old Jerusalem and up in Nazareth and some of those places, and when we go to Israel, we go through it.
Exodus 16:23: And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that which ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Les cites this passage in Clip 2 to show the Sabbath was set apart as rest before the Ten Commandments were given.
Exodus 16:26: Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
Shows that on the Sabbath no gathering or work was to take place, underscoring the day's rest character.
Matthew 26:2: Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
References the feast of Passover at the time of Christ's crucifixion, which Les distinguishes from the weekly Sabbath.
Matthew 26:5: But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
The religious leaders avoided action on the feast day, showing the feast week was a distinct observance from the Sabbath.
1 Corinthians 5:7: Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Les notes Paul's teaching that Christ became our Passover lamb, linking sacrifice to the Passover rather than to the weekly Sabbath.
No. The seventh-day Sabbath was a day of total rest and total inactivity for the nation of Israel. Les Feldick teaches that there was no way the Sabbath was ever a day of sacrifices, and the Jews did not sacrifice on that day.
No. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, which is Saturday, not Sunday. Les Feldick says it is absolutely incorrect to call Sunday the Sabbath, and that the Sabbath was given only to the nation of Israel.
The Sabbath was given to the nation of Israel as a day of rest. It was a day of total rest and inactivity, not a day for sacrifices, ordinary work, or business. The Sabbath rest was established in Exodus 16 even before the Ten Commandments were given.
Les raises the point that no sacrifices were offered on the Sabbath in connection with a question about Christ's crucifixion. The crucifixion happened at the time of the feast of Passover, and the body had to be taken down before Passover began at 6 pm Friday, with the Sabbath's rest character affecting the timeline.
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