NKJV - The New King James Version
It has been taught in the traditional Sunday churches that the Lord's Day is Sunday. I can't even count how many times I have heard that the Bible refers to the "Lord's Day" as being a Sunday. In fact this has actually been used as the most ridiculous excuse that I have heard for Christians keeping Sunday as their day of worship in replace of the true Biblical Sabbath which begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. Let us now read a passage from Scripture to see what this passage that refers to the "Lord's Day" has to say.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, (NKJV Revelation 1:10)
I did not read in this passage or in any other passage anything about it being Sunday or any other day for that matter. There is no reference in that paragraph, chapter or even the whole book for that matter about John having his vision on a Sunday. This is because this passage is not directly referring to any day of the week but a day of prophecy.
For the sake of argument, let's pretend that this passage is actually referring to a particular day of the week. Let us now go to the book of Matthew and see what day is the Lord's: Sunday or the Sabbath.
"For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." (NKJV Matthew 12:8)
Now let's go to the book of Mark to double check on the last statement. You know how some would like to claim that the Word is so inconsistent and therefore open for individual interpretation, right?
"Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." (NKJV Mark 2:28)
Now let's go to the book of Luke and triple check the statement just for the die-hard Sunday advocates out there and see one more time once and for all just when the "Lord's Day" really is.
And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." (NKJV Luke 6:5)
I really hate to be the one to break the bad news to all the loyal Sunday goers out there and I honestly don't know how it happened but unfortunately the Scripture somehow seems to be clear and consistent on this particular issue. If the passage in the book of Revelation is referring to a specific day of the week, the "Lord's Day" obviously is not Sun-day, the pagan day of sun-worship, but rather the Biblical Sabbath which starts Friday at sunset and ends Saturday at sunset.
The reality of the matter is that the passage in revelation is not referring to a specific day of the week at all. It is simply referring to a day in prophecy. What Christians commonly refer to as the "Lord's Day" is commonly known as the "Day of YaHuWaH" throughout the Tanak (Old Testament) and simply refers to the period of time that the prophets refer to in prophesy concerning the Messiah's return. Let us now read some commentary out of "The Scriptures" about the this day.
Day of YaHuWaH This expression appears some 30 times in the Scriptures, and this particular day is also referred to by means of equivalent phrases, about 300 times. It speaks of the visitation, the punishment, when YaHuWaH actively intervenes to punish sin, especially at the end of the ages. (ISR Explanatory Notes)
Now that we know that the passage in the book of Revelation is not directly referring to any particular day of the week, let us now see how it is actually indirectly referring to the Sabbath after all. We now know that it is referring to prophecy, and it is a well established fact that the week of creation was a foreshadow and a day is one thousand years. We all should know this passage by memory.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (NKJV 2nd Peter 3:8)
Something that should be of interest is that if you continue reading, we read about what? That's right, the Lord's Day! I find it interesting that these verses are together but of no coincidence though. Let us see what it says about the Lord's Day.
But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (NKJV II-Peter 3:10)
It is as though someone was trying to tell us to think about a thousand year period when we think about the Lord's Day. This makes sense because the Lord's Day will mark the beginning of the Millennial Reign.
The Millennial Reign is a thousand year period when the Messiah reigns and rules the earth for a thousand years. This is not just any thousand year period though, it is the seventh millennium, a sabbath millennium. Just as there are six days of the week for man and one for the Lord, there were six millennium for man and one for the Lord. Let us now go to the book of Revelation once more and see who's millennium this is, the Lord's or mans.
...And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (NKJV Revelation 20:4)
Here in this passage it is evident that the Messiah reigns during this thousand year period. This is the Lord's Millennial Reign. When we apply the passage in 2nd Peter 3:8 that Peter told us not to forget, it becomes even clearer. This time let's look at the flip side of this passage.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (NKJV 2nd Peter 3:8)
Somehow I get the idea that our six thousand year history and thousand year future is only a week to the Lord. This would make the Lord's day (the beginning of the Millennial Reign) the Lord's Sabbath. It is evident that the weekly Sabbath is not unlike any other Sabbath of the Lord, they are all Feasts and Holy Days that were and are still foreshadows of things to come. Apparently the weekly Sabbath is no different.