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"Where no law is, there is no transgression" Romans 4:15, because
"Sin is the trans-gression of the Law" 1John 3:4
But "Death reigned from Adam to Moses" Romans 5:14  because
"The wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23
Thus, sin reigned, because God's law existed "From Adam to Moses."

Noah's Week
It is of interest that this essence of Sabbath seventhness shows up again during the events of Earth's first destruc-tion at the Flood in Genesis chapter 7. God foretells the coming of the flood rains in "seven days" (vs 4 and 10). Later, Noah tested the receding flood waters by sending out various birds at seven day intervals (8:10, 12).

More from "Rome's Challenge: Why Do Protestants Keep Sunday" click here

Council of Trent's Counter-Reformation click here

After His death on the cross, Jesus rested the entire Sabbath (from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) in the grave.

He rested after His work of creation (John 1:3) and He rested after completing His work of redemption. His followers did the same "according to the commandment" Luke 23:56.

Sabbath, Baptism, Lord's Supper are three institutions that were established at the time of a significant divine event in Redemptive history. Baptism, not Sunday observence, is the symbol used by Paul to demonstrate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. (Rom. 6:3,4; Col. 2:12)  Sunday is not featured in New Testament scripture as a day of worship.

As a nephew of the then reigning High-king Muircertach MacErca, Columba was of Irish royal stock and in line for succession to the kingship of Tir-Conaill, and then to the high-kingship of Ireland. He was a descendant of Gathelus from the tribe of Judah, whose son Eremon arrived in Ireland from Egypt shortly after the Exodus.

On May 12, 563, Columba was banished to the island of Iona (Hebrew for "dove"), part of the Scotic Dal Riada which was colonized and ruled by the Scots

The Lord's Day

Early Celtic Church Sabbath Keepers

Columba studied under Finian of Clonard and, in 551, was ordained a priest of the Celtic Church which was founded directly upon the teachings of the apostles of Christ who reached Britain shortly after the death of Christ.

"Rome looked to Peter as its founder while the Celtic Church cited the authority of John. The Celtic Sabbath was celebrated on a Saturday and had more in common with the Greek service than the Latin" (Celtic Inheritance, Peter Berresford Ellis, Dorset Press, N.Y. 1992).

They began Sabbath at sunset each Friday. "The Sabbath was held to be a day of blessing in Wales as well as in Ireland and other Celtic lands" (The Celtic Church in Britain, Leslie Hardinge, p.82). The foot-washing ceremony instituted by Christ in John 13 was also carried out.

The island became one of the great centers of the Celtic Church spreading its influence well into the 11th Century. From Iona the truth about God's Sabbath was spread into the Scottic communities of western Scotland where it continued to be observed long after the church in England and Ireland had fallen under the spell of Rome and the day of the Sun.

The Change to Sunday

The Cathechismus Romanus was commanded by the Council of Trent and published by the Vatican Press by order of Pope Pius V in 1566. Copies of the Catechism may be found in Catechism of the Council of Trent (Donovan's translation, 1867) Part 3, chap. 4, p. 345. The same, in slightly different wording, is in the McHugh and Callen translation, 1937 ed. p. 402.

"It pleased the church of God, that the religious celebration of the Sabbath day should be transferred to 'the Lord's day.'"

James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of our Fathers, 88th ed., pp. 89. First published in 1876, when there was much anti-Catholic sentiment in the U.S., it sold 1.4 million copies in 40 years. 352 pages. PB. ISBN 1586

"But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify."

That same year another Catechism reaffirmed this position:

Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism 3rd ed. 1876, p. 174. A DOCTRINAL CATECHISM; WHEREIN DIVERS POINTS OF CATHOLIC FAITH AND PRACTICE ASSAILED BY MODERN HERETICS ARE SUSTAINED BY AN APPEAL TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, THE TESTIMONY OF THE ANCIENT FATHERS, AND THE DICTATES OF REASON ON THE BASIS OF SCHEFFMACHER'S CATECHISM. THIRD AMERICAN EDITION, REVISED AND CORRECTED, CONFORMABLY TO THE DECREES OF THE COUNCIL OF THE VATICAN. IMPRIMATUR: + JOHN CARDINAL McCLOSKEY, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK P. J. KENEDY AND SONS PUBLISHERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE, 3 AND 5 BARCLAY STREET NEW YORK

"Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?

"Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her-she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."

More references from Catholic sources

...and Protestants agree

First Sabbatarian Church in America

The first Sabbatarian church in America was established in Rhode Island in 1671 by Roger Williams who had been banished from the Massachusetts colony, in 1636. Charged with not keeping the Sabbath, Williams observed that there was no scriptural support for "abolishing the 7th day." Instead he indicted his critics: "You know yourselves do not keep the Sabbath, that is the 7th day."

Williams, an outspoken antagonist of Puritan theocracy in Massachusetts, founded a safe haven in the wilderness, a refuge for the oppressed of all creeds, a "shelter to persons distressed for conscience" on land purchased from the natives which he named "Providence."

Notably, he also introduced the Biblically based practice of baptism by immersion.

LeRoy E. Froom. The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers. The Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1946, p. 48-50.

Sabbath Theology

Nailed to the Cross
Paul addressed the many problems affecting the Colossian Christians who were influenced by various heresies: gnosticism, asceticism, Judaism and distored views of Christ. In the midst of this discourse he uses a phrase that occurs nowhere else in Scripture: "handwriting of ordinances" (KJV), "certificate of debt" (NASB), "bond written in ordinances" (RV), "bond which stood against us with its legal demands" (RSV). He then states that Christ blotted it out, took it out of the way, by nailing it to the cross (Col. 2:14). Some jump to the conclusion that the moral law of God was thus abrogated at Calvary; others argue that the handwritten ordinances are merely the ceremonial regulations dealing with the sacrificial system which ceased at Christ's death. But there's more.

The immediate context (verse 12) is dealing with our "burial baptism" with Christ and the subsequent resurrection to a new life cleansed from sin. The phrase above is one of two parallel expressions: "canceling the bond" (verse 14) and "forgiving all our trespasses" (verse 13). This passage is very similar to the language he uses in Ephesians 2:15 where Christ brings peace between man and God by "abolishing the enmity, even the law of commandments in ordinances."  What ended at the cross was the condemnation directed at lawbreakers. "There is now no condemnation," Paul declares in Romans 8:1. The law remains, but Christ takes the condemnation upon Himself. "God has done what the law...could not do."  It was the condemnation of the moral law that was figuratively nailed to the cross, not the law itself.

Let no man judge you
Colossians 2:16 concludes: none should judge us in respect of "a holy day, new moon, or the sabbath days." Some have cited this admonition as evidence that Paul regarded the Sabbath as a antiquated Jewish ceremony of no pertinence to New Testament Christians; others argue that this refers only to the ceremonial sabbaths related to the annual feast days listed in Leviticus 23. It is true that the ceremonial days of rest associated with the Old Testament feasts were symbolic "shadows of things to come" (verse 17), but this trio of terms (while found only in this passage in the New Testament) occurs five times in the Septuagint and always indicate weekly, monthly and yearly events.  In this setting, Paul is using "shadow" to contrast the empty, Christ-less sabbath services that had dominated the church in Colossea with the real, full-bodied, Christ-centered sabbath that Paul was so well known to practice week after week.  [Adapted from Ministry Magazine, May 1977, William Richardson]

Sunday Legislation

"...I believe that the government should step in and make Sunday a day of rest where all businesses must be closed. Everything must be closed on Sundays, including all gas stations, grocery stores, department stores, small business, and large businesses. We need a day when people are forced to spend time with their families. I believe that this world would be a better place if people would spend more time with their families and less time working. TV is another obstacle in families spending time together. But that's another issue. I would like to see a new law in government in the near future to force all businesses to be closed on Sundays so that nobody has to work on the Sabbath."

Such efforts have surfaced periodically and are indicative of the prevailing mood that prophecy depicts will be demonstrated during the final events in escatological history. Revelation 13 describes a renewed (revived) interest in things religious at the end of time.

"All the world wondered after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon...and they worshiped the beast...And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him."
Rev. 13:3,4,8.

Associated with the issue of enforced, legislated worship is an ominous threat to any wouldbe dissadents:

"...and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."  Rev. 13:15.

The theme of worship continues in the next chapter of Revelation where the famous 144,000 (first introduced in chapter 7 where they are waiting to be sealed in their foreheads) are seen now with the Father's name written in their foreheads. When out of "the midst of heaven" comes flying an angel broadcasting a global call to worship "Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea."  Rev. 14:7.

It is clearly shown that at the end there will be two forces prescribing worship to the inhabitants of Earth. A major faction will appear to draw allegiance from nearly every person on the planet to worship the beast and his image at the pain of death. But a small number patiently maintain their loyalty, not to the earth's political party boss, but to its Creator.

"Here is the patientce of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."  Rev. 14:12.

Central to the commandments of God is the only one which references Him as Creator. "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is." Exodus 20:11

Recognition of God's Creatorship has always been the basis for His worship. "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." Psalm 95:6.  "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things."  Rev. 4:11.

The "great dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan" (Rev. 12:9) has since the very beginning aspired to be the object of worship. "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I wil sit also upon the mount of the congregation...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the most High!" (Isa. 14:13,14).  "All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me," was his offer to Jesus (Matt. 4:9). Finally, at the end of time, he will achieve his goal of world-wide hero worship, idolized by the masses, exalting "himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."  (2 Thess. 2:4).

The Lord's Day showdown will be a critical factor in this last act in the drama. The final messages of warning to this world begin with an invitation to reverance God, give glory to Him, and worship Him who rose from the dead on the first day of the week? No. "Worship Him who made heaven, and earth, and the sea."  Worship the Creator on the Creator's day, the Lord's day.