The Preparation Day, the sixth day of the week, is a day of gathering twice as much of the true bread from heaven so that it can be ingested on the Sabbath. Gathering here means gathering our thoughts. Life's pace and complexity pull our focus in many directions, and we cannot multitask well, so God set apart the Sabbath as a time when nothing competes with Him. Time is only half of the equation, though, because focus and mental presence matter just as much. Even though we still work on the Preparation Day, we are meant to begin turning our attention to what life is about, not merely what it consists of, so that when holy time arrives we are not still mentally at the office. The Passover shows God's intent. It is the epitome of Preparation Days, the day before the annual Sabbath that begins Unleavened Bread, and all four gospels use the term for it. Though a common work day, it feels like a holy day because the previous night's observance and the coming Feast gather our thoughts on the spiritual. The weekly Preparation Day loses some impact through repetition, but it can likewise reorient us so the Sabbath does not come abruptly. The Sabbath memorializes deliverance from Egypt, physical and spiritual, and affirms God as Creator. It is also the means by which those realities continue in us. Eating the true Bread from heaven forms His image in us, and the Preparation Day readies us to do our part in that spiritual creation.

In His perfect providence, God has provided the Preparation Day to set the stage for properly receiving the gift of the Sabbath. This day, first mentioned in Exodus 16, was given to the children of Israel with the command to gather their food for the Sabbath on the sixth day, minimizing distractions on the seventh day. The Preparation Day is thus designated for completing all cleaning, cooking, business transactions, and other mundane activities, ensuring that ordinary life does not detract from the holy time God has set apart. While God initially gave this principle to a carnal Israel with a focus on physical preparation, it also carries a spiritual dimension. Physically, this preparation helps in making proper use of the Sabbath, while spiritually, it involves gathering twice the effort on the sixth day to ensure sufficient spiritual nourishment for the holy day.

All four gospel writers mention that Jesus was tried, convicted, crucified, and buried on a preparation day. Without further clarification, one might assume this refers to the weekly preparation day before the Sabbath. However, other days can also be considered preparation days. God gave instructions about the use of the preparation day to the Israelites before they reached Mount Sinai. The Jews later deemed this so significant that they ensured each of the holy days, which are also Sabbaths, was preceded by a preparation day. Since holy days can fall on any day of the week, the preparation day can likewise fall on any day of the week. This is particularly relevant to the Passover. Not only is the Passover a festival in its own right, it also serves as the preparation day for a holy day, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. According to the calculated Hebrew Calendar, Passover can occur on various days of the week. Clearly, our Savior was crucified on a Passover day. John writes that it was the Preparation Day of the Passover. At some time before Christ's day, the Jews had begun referring to the day of Passover and the following seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread by the single name Passover, which has caused confusion for non-Jews. John clarifies that it was the Preparation Day, and the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for that Sabbath was a high day. Thus, without a doubt, Jesus was crucified on a Passover day, Nisan 14, and the Sabbath that followed was the first day of Unleavened Bread, an annual holy day, a high day.

The preparation day is the day before any Sabbath, whether a weekly or an annual one, so it can fall on any day of the week except Saturday. Its origin is in Exodus 16, where God told Israel to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day and prepare what they would eat on the seventh. Friday was therefore the historic preparation day for the weekly Sabbath. But the annual holy days, such as the first and last days of Unleavened Bread (the fifteenth and twenty-first of Abib/Nisan), fall throughout the week, so the day before each is also a preparation day. Passover is a feast but not a Sabbath, and it is the preparation day for the first day of Unleavened Bread, which is a Sabbath. Traditional Christianity wrongly insists that the preparation day can only be Friday, and on that basis places the crucifixion on Friday. Scripture shows two preparation days in the week of Christ's death. Jesus was laid in the tomb on Wednesday, Abib/Nisan 14, just before sunset, because it was the Jews' Preparation Day and the holy day was near (Luke 23:54; John 19:42). The next day, Thursday, was the holy day. On Friday the women prepared spices, and they rested on the weekly Sabbath according to the commandment (Luke 23:55-56). This second preparation proves the week held both a preparation for the annual holy day and one for the weekly Sabbath, which undermines the Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection.

God has made the Sabbath holy with His holy presence, and we should do everything possible to prepare on the Preparation Day to eliminate normal physical work and distraction from His holy Sabbath. Is it really that much of a sacrifice for us to prepare a meal in advance so we can simply heat it up or take it out of the fridge and even eat it cold one day a week to give us more time to spend with God? As we review Exodus 12:16 and Exodus 16:23, God specifically calls out the ability to prepare that which everyone must eat on other holy days, but on the weekly Sabbath and the Day of Atonement, He commands to do no work, instructing to bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil before the Sabbath.

The Preparation Day, as outlined in the biblical instructions, is a significant aspect of observing the Sabbath, emphasizing the importance of readiness to honor God's holy time. In Exodus 16:23, it is clear that God commands preparation on the day before the Sabbath, stating, "Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which you will bake today, and seethe that you will seethe; and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning." This directive ensures that no ordinary weekday work, such as gathering food, is done on the Sabbath, preserving its sanctity. The Preparation Day begins at sunset on Thursday, marking the start of Friday, which is designated for these preparations. Meals, including leafy salads, can be prepared ahead of time to remain fresh for the Sabbath, ensuring that the focus on the holy day remains on worship and fellowship rather than labor. God explicitly instructs to prepare in advance, underscoring His desire that the Sabbath be free from customary tasks, allowing for a complete dedication to spiritual activities and rest in accordance with His purpose.

The Preparation Day is one of the doctrines God's people must understand fully, along with why we keep the Sabbath. It belongs among the laws and practices that reflect a desire to be part of God's government and the Kingdom of God, and we should know why we do what we do in keeping it. Confusion about the Preparation Day exists in the greater churches of God, alongside confusion over third tithe, divorce and remarriage, deleavening homes, church attire, dating outside the church, and how to keep the Sabbath and the Feast of Tabernacles. Some of this confusion comes from poor leadership and a lack of regular teaching of God's laws and doctrines, and some from a rebellious nature that wants to be as close to the world as possible. Understanding God's doctrines and laws, including the Preparation Day, is part of the armor of God. Knowing them strengthens us spiritually and makes it easier to yield and humble ourselves to God's way of life. If all understood these doctrines the same way, there would be far less confusion and far fewer separate churches of God.