When we read Old Testament scriptures that speak of the Sabbath Day, we see just how important it was to God and how important it was for God's people to observe it. In this book, we will look at what the scriptures say about that day and try to understand what God wants from the Christian world with regard to its observance. What does God expect from us?
It had its roots in the creation works:
Genesis 2
2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
God completed His creation works on day six and then, on the seventh day, He rested from all of the work that He had done. Because He rested on that day from all of His works of creation He blessed it and sanctified it and He made it a holy day. It was so holy in the eyes of God that He made it one of the most important commandments in the old covenant Law. God gave it as commandment number four, in the Ten Commandments. God had rested from His creation works on the seventh day and, in His old covenant law, He commanded that His people also remember that day and that they observe it as a day of rest.
God gives it as a part of the Law of Moses:
Exodus 20
8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. - - - -
9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, - - - -
They were to keep the Sabbath Day (the seventh day of the week) holy. He went on to explain why He commanded that it be kept holy. It was to be kept holy because it was the day that He rested from His works of creation. This was such a holy day to God that He expanded the commandment to observe that day to include severe punishment for disobedience. Let us look a little closer at that punishment.
How serious God was about it:
Exodus 31
14 `Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. - - - -
16 `So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.' 17 "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed."
God considered the day so hallowed that the punishment for breaking that commandment was to be cut off from his people. That always meant to be removed from the list of heirs to the Promised Land, but it also included the earthly death sentence. There was one example, in the Old Testament scriptures, of a man who was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath. When Moses inquired of God about what to do with him, God said he should be put to death. They were all to stone him to death (Numbers, chapter 15).
God told His people that observance of the Sabbath was to be a perpetual covenant and that it was to be a sign between God and His people forever. Why would God say that it would be a sign between Him and Israel forever? Nothing on this earth is forever. If God really meant what He said, we need to find out what He meant. Remember, God does not lie. If He said it was to be a perpetual covenant, it will be. If it is to be a sign between God and the sons of Israel forever, it is a sign now, for the spiritual sons of Israel.
When God said, it is holy to you, it was holy to His old covenant people but it is also holy to Christians. If that is true, why do we not regard it like the old covenant people regarded it? Why would God consider it to be so holy at one time but then suddenly it no longer has application to His people? It was such an awesome and holy day under that old covenant; and, yet, it seems to mean very little to many Christians.
Regarding its application to Christians, most Christians do not observe the old Sabbath Day, in any way. Remember, Saturday, the seventh day, is the Sabbath Day. Are we making a mistake by not keeping it holy? As we search for the answers, we need to remember that the things of the old Law worship included things that were just a copy or a shadow of our heavenly things (Hebrews, chapters 8-10).
We can also remember what Paul said about the old Law regulations, in Colossians, chapter 2. He said that Jesus "cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross". A few verses later, he writes, "Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ". The old Law regulations were the debt that was to be paid for sin. Jesus paid that debt and nailed it to the cross. We no longer owe that debt and we are no longer under those regulations.
The old Law regulations included food restrictions and festivals and new moons and it included Sabbath days. Paul tells us that it was a "mere shadow" of what was to come. What was to come is the law of love of the new covenant. The old shadow is over. Only the substance is left and it is found in Christ Jesus.
If the old covenant requirement to observe the Sabbath Day was part of the "mere shadow" of what was coming in the new covenant, then the reality of the true Sabbath is what applies for us. That Sabbath is the one we are to treat as holy to the LORD. If the old covenant Sabbath day was a copy or shadow of a day that applies to us, then it would be like one of the parables of Jesus in the New Testament. The old shadow is teaching us about the reality. If it is like a parable, we need to look closely at what Jesus is telling us about the sign between God and the sons of Israel . Remember, it will be a sign forever.
Paul said the old Law regulations were a shadow of the substance that was to come. The Hebrew writer also referred to the old Law as a shadow. He tells us about it in chapter 10. He wrote, "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near". Allowing God's people to draw near to the Father requires that they be made perfect and the old shadow could not do that.
The Sabbath Day is still in effect, in some way, under the new covenant. As we study about the Sabbath, we should remember that the word "Sabbath" means, "to cease" or "stop". Thus, the seventh day Sabbath was a day to stop work and rest. How are Christians being told to cease or stop something? We know what it meant for them. What does it mean for us? How would a Sabbath day that God established as a sign between Himself and His people, apply to any day for us? The old Law specified the Sabbath Day commandment but the old Law was removed and replaced.
How does the old Law commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy tell us about the Sabbath Day reality? We could say the same thing that I might have said years ago. Sunday is the new Sabbath day for Christians. Is that the answer? If Sunday is our answer, it should fit in with what the scriptures say about the old being a copy and/or shadow of what applies to us.
Let's assume that it is a shadow of our Sunday. The first day of the week is an earthly day with spiritual meaning for Christians and the old Sabbath was to the old covenant people, also. Both days, however, are earthly days of an earthly week. Their day was so holy that death was the punishment for disobedience. We find no such restrictions and punishment for Christians working on Sunday. The New Testament scriptures do let us know that Sunday is the day we are to assemble together for worship and to partake of the Lord's Supper, but nothing is said about work restrictions. In all likelihood, the first Christians observed both days. It was likely that those Jewish Christians observed that old Sabbath Day, as well as meeting for worship on Sunday. Many of those first Jewish Christians continued to keep the old Law. Even the apostles continued to keep the Law for years after the cross.
Remember, also, their day began at sundown on one day and ended at sundown on the next day. Their first day of the week began at sundown on Saturday and ended at sundown on Sunday. They may have observed the Sabbath and then, possibly met for worship and had the Lord's Supper during the dark hours, after sunset on Saturday. Many would have been required to report for work after daybreak on Sunday morning. Many of the early Jewish Christians would likely have been servants under non-believing Jewish masters and would have had no choice but to work.
We can see an example of Christians worshipping during darkness in Acts, chapter 20. Scripture says that, "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight". During his long message, one of the young men fell asleep. The young man fell out of the window and was killed but Paul brought him back to life. Afterwards, we read that "When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left". We can't be certain but their regular meeting time may have only lasted two or three hours. They were gathered to break bread. That almost certainly means they were gathered to partake of the Lord's Supper. On this occasion they partook after midnight.
If there is a Christian earthly Sabbath day, and if violations are just as deadly as it was with the old Sabbath, it would be telling Christians that death is the punishment for us if we violate the law of that day. We need to be sure we know what that law is. Can you imagine the terror of making a mistake on Sunday (if it is our Sabbath day) and being killed on the testimony of two or three witnesses?
The works of creation brought about that Sabbath Day rest. Let us look at what the New Testament scriptures say about who actually did the work of creation. Who created the heavens and the earth? Who did the work and who rested? God did the work, but He did it all through His Son, Jesus. John tells us about it in his gospel.
Jesus is the Word and the creator:
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. - - - -
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, - - -
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us - - - -
John tells us that the Word was in the beginning and the Word was with God and the word was God. Verse fourteen tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That means Jesus is the Word that became flesh. Before He became flesh, He existed in Spirit and He was the Word. In verses 3 and 10 above, John tells us that Jesus did the actual creating of the universe. The Father made everything through Jesus. Other scripture confirms the creation by Jesus.
The creation by Jesus:
Colossians 1
16 For by Him all things were created, {both} in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, - - - - all things have been created through Him and for Him.
And:
Hebrews 1
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
We read from three different New Testament scripture locations that all was created through Jesus, "the Living Word". If God really created everything through Jesus, then Jesus actually did the work and Jesus rested on the Sabbath (the seventh) day from all of His work. When we read the Old Testament scriptures about God resting on the Sabbath day from all His works, it is telling us that Jesus rested on the Sabbath day. It is also saying that the Word of God did it all because Jesus was the Word made flesh.
Both the Old and New Testament scriptures agree. God created the heavens and the earth by His word.
From the Old Testament:
Psalms 33
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
From the New Testament:
Hebrews 11
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
The Old Testament tells us that God spoke the universe into existence by the word of His mouth. This New Testament writer tells us that the worlds were prepared by the word of God. By faith, we know that what is seen was created by the unseen power of the Word of God. We know it by faith in God's word. Jesus is the Word that existed from the beginning and the Word that created it all.
Chapter 1, of Genesis, shows how God spoke the creation into being. Each step of creation included the words, "Then God said".
Genesis 1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And:
3 Then God said , "Let there be light"
And:
6 Then God said , "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters"
And:
9 Then God said , "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"
And:
11 Then God said , "Let the earth sprout vegetation"
And:
14 Then God said , "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night"
Four more times in that first chapter, the words "Then God said" are used to speak the creation into existence. Verse 26 is the verse where He spoke man into existence with His word, "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness". By the Word of God it came to be and man was created in God's image. Man was created in the image of God but the wording says, "in Our image", as if more than one is involved. Man was created in the image of both the Father and the Son.
The Genesis account shows God speaking the creation into existence by His word. After God finished His creation work, He rested. Is He telling us to rest from work on that day? If so, Christians need to be working on the other days. We are saved by grace, through faith and not by works (Ephesians, chapter 2) but then Paul will tell us how "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them".
We cannot work enough to pay for our salvation but we were created to do God's works. His work of creating us in Him for good works was a part of His creation works. Jesus is to rest after all His creation works, so what is that saying? We must remember and keep holy His day of Sabbath rest from that creation work, so we must also honor the work that He did, when He created us in Him for good works.
If we fail to do the works that we have been created to do, will that part of His work have been wasted on us? If He rested from work that had no results with us, are we failing to keep His Sabbath Day holy? Paul said to, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). He then adds, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure". Then he tells us to, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing". We are to do God's work without complaint as we are working out our salvation but it is really God working within us.
There is one place in the New Testament that speaks of the Sabbath rest and its application to Christians. The Hebrew writer referred to God's earthly chosen people and their journey through the wilderness in chapters 3 and 4. He connects it to the new covenant people of God.
The Hebrew writer speaks of the Sabbath rest:
Hebrews 4
1 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS"; 5 and again in this passage, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST." 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, - - - -
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.
It is obvious that we are seeing a comparison between the promise of God to the old Hebrew nation and the promise to the Christian nation. God is showing us the difference between the old covenant promise and the new covenant promise. He is showing how the earthly nation and their earthly land is a parallel of our story of a spiritual nation and a spiritual land. They were given the good news of their land of rest that lay just beyond the wilderness and we have been given the good news of our spiritual land of rest to come. Both nations had good news preached to them but it did those ancient ones no good because of their lack of faith. They heard the promise from God and they did not believe it. Because they did not believe the promise, God told them they would not enter His rest.
He also says that they did not enter because of disobedience. Their unbelief was the cause of their disobedience. When God tells us they could not enter because of unbelief and then says they could not enter because of disobedience, He is telling us that true belief requires obedience. The lesson applies to us. He tells us not to follow the same example of disobedience but he also tells us that it is those who believe that will enter His rest.
Notice, the land of promise is the land of rest. It was true for them and it is true for us. Their rest was from fighting earthly enemies. Our rest will be from fighting spiritual enemies but the writer tells us it is also rest from our works just as God rested from His works. He is comparing the land of rest to God resting on the seventh day from all His works. Remember, that was the reason the ancients were to rest on the Sabbath. They were to rest on that day because God rested on that day.
When the Hebrew writer tells us that "there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" and as they finish their works and enter their rest, it will happen just as God rested from His works, he is telling us that the land of rest is the Sabbath Day rest for the people of God. As the writer says, Joshua did not give them rest because there was another day spoken of after that. There was a day of rest to come for the people of God and it will be just like God rested from all His works on the seventh day.
After telling us about that rest and it being like God resting from His works, he says, "Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience". We must get the message and not follow their example. He had used the word, "therefore", to make the comparison in two other verses. He wrote, saying, "Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it" (verse 1) and "Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience" (verse 6).
Therefore, God wants us to get the message. It is the same message that Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians, chapter 10. The message is of an earthly people that never received their land because of disobedience and he tells us that what happened to those unfaithful ones happened as examples for us and it was written for our instruction.
After Paul said that it was written for our instruction, he said, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall" (verse 12). Jesus is the one speaking. He is the Word and He is the creator. He created their land of rest and He led them there. He also created the true land of rest where He is now resting from His creation works. He is resting in that land but His Spirit is leading us toward that land. His Spirit is working through us as we do His good works. He says that unbelievers will not enter His rest. Did He not cause that old example to happen for our instruction? Do we believe Him?
Their land of rest was not the true rest, only our land is the, "Day of rest". Remember, there will be no night in our land of Canaan; there will only be one eternal day in heaven. That day will certainly be, "a most holy day". That is the day the Hebrew writer spoke of when he said that "if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have of another day after that". Then he said that there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
That land of rest is waiting and just as God rested from His works on the seventh day, there remains that Sabbath Day of rest for God's people. God is telling us to be diligent to enter that rest, so that we will not be like the ones who fell and were not allowed entrance into their land.
Christians are to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy because Jesus rested from His works on that day but the Sabbath referred to is not an earthly day. It is speaking of a spiritual day in a spiritual land. That would fit with the old covenant copy for an earthly people and an earthly land having an earthly day Sabbath and our spiritual covenant for a spiritual people and land having a spiritual Sabbath Day. We are commanded to remember that spiritual Sabbath Day and keep it holy.
We will not be keeping that day holy if we are not resting from our works on that day. We can't rest from works that we have not been doing. If we are to rest from our works just as Jesus rested from His works, we need to be doing those works that we have been created to do. Remember, we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works. The ones who will enter God's rest will rest from their works just as He rested from His works. We must be diligent to enter that rest if we want to find rest for our souls.
Jesus once told the apostles, "for I go to prepare a place for you. "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3). He is telling them (and us) of our land of rest to come. A few verses later He will say, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father".
Jesus has left behind work for us to do. He has completed His work on this earth (working in the flesh) and He is now resting in our land of rest, the true Sabbath rest. Believers are following behind, doing His work, as Jesus continues His work in the Spirit through them. He tells us that land of rest remains open to all who will believe the promise with obedience. Obedience requires that we continue His work. If we believe in Him, we will do His works. If we must be diligent to enter that rest, we must be diligent in doing our work so that we can be in that land of rest with Him some day.
When God described the faithfulness of Joshua and Caleb, He said that none of the men who came up out of Egypt would see the land that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, "except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the LORD fully" (Numbers 32:12). True believers are obedient and follow the LORD fully. He makes it plain that we can fall through following the same example of disobedience that existed in those people. Now, when we read John 3:16, we can know what kind of belief is required for us to have eternal life.
If that future day is the true everlasting Sabbath Day, how do we keep that day holy? We keep that day holy by holding God's word as holy. As the Psalmist said in chapter 105; "For He remembered His holy word With Abraham His servant". He made that statement after saying how He has remembered His everlasting covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When we hear the good news preached about our land, we need to keep that Sabbath Day holy by believing the promise.
Jesus is the Word and He is the creator. Those earthly Hebrews (that came out of Egypt) disobeyed the Word of God (they did not hear His voice) and God did not allow them to enter the earthly land of rest. When they disobeyed the Word, they disobeyed Jesus and did not treat Him as holy. When we disobey the Word, we are showing our unbelief in Jesus and we are in violation of the covenant. Our covenant requirement is to believe in Jesus so that we may have everlasting life. We must believe the holy Word being preached to us. If we don't believe what He says, we don't believe in Him.
Jesus did all of the work of creation. When Jesus said that He and the Father were still working (John 5:17), Jesus was referring to His working on a new creation. The Father planned both an old and a new creation and that plan was carried out through the Son's creation work. The final creation in the garden was the creation of man. Remember, God created man in His image on that last day of work (day six). If that was a shadow for a new creation of man, what is the new creation?
If Jesus actually did all of the creation work, what is the greatest work ever done by Him? The greatest work ever done was the work that Jesus did in the new creation that created man in the true image of God. Remember that verse we read about how "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works". Jesus created us in Him when we became a part of His body. If man is being created in God's image in a new creation, how is it being done? It was done, when Jesus lived a perfect life in the flesh and then offered that perfect sacrifice on the cross. The cross was the ultimate work ever done. It was a perfect work because the sacrifice was perfect. I could not do it and you could not do it so He did the work for us that we could not do for ourselves.
If the cross was the greatest work ever done, and if Jesus did that work, when did He rest from that work? When was it that He died? Remember, it was past the ninth hour (after 3 PM ) on the Friday afternoon of that Passover weekend that He made the statement "it is finished" and then He died. After His death and the soldier had pierced His side, Joseph of Aerimathea requested His body and after receiving permission, he (with the help of Nicodemus) prepared the body and put it in a nearby tomb. Considering the time necessary to remove the body of Christ from the cross and the preparation (wrapping in Lenin with myrrh and aloes), the day would be almost over. Remember, their Sabbath began at sundown on Friday evening and ran until that time Saturday evening.
Jesus was placed in the tomb just before the beginning of that Sabbath day, "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS". Regarding His creation work on earth, it was finished. It would be early the first day of the next week (that Sunday morning) before Jesus would arise from His earthly Sabbath rest. He is now in that true land of rest.
When the ancient Jews observed the Sabbath Day, they were observing a memorial day honoring God's day of rest. Was the Sabbath rest they observed only a copy of the true rest to come and of the earthly Sabbath rest of God's Son resting from all His works at the cross? God told them that the Sabbath Day was a, "most holy day". The most holy day that ever existed on earth was the last day of work for Jesus on earth. It was the day that the SON of the HEAVENLY FATHER did His greatest work of creating man in the image of God. The next most holy day was the day that He observed the Sabbath and "He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done" to create man in the true image of God. Did God require those ancient Hebrews to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy to honor the work that Jesus would be doing for them and to foretell His rest from that work? The penalty for refusing to honor that day and keep it holy will be eternal death.
His first creation work was done before He came in the flesh and while He worked as the Word in the Spirit. His new creation work was His work in the flesh to create man in His image by creating us "in Him". His body of flesh is now resting from His work in that land of rest. His Spirit, however, is still working in us as we work in His kingdom, doing the works we have been created to do.
As that holy day of rest ended, Jesus came up from the tomb that Sunday morning having defeated death for all who would come to God through Him. The victory over death has been given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection will allow those who are created in His image to come into that land of rest some day.
Paul spoke of our new creation and said:
Romans 8
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Remember what we read in Colossians 1:15, "He is the image of the invisible God". Jesus is the image of God and if man is conformed to the image of the Son, he is in the image of both Father and Son.
The work of Jesus on the cross was how God created a way for mankind to be brought "into Christ" and conformed to God's image. He is the firstborn among many brethren. When He came up from His Sabbath rest, He arose as the firstborn Son and that means we will arise as sons, also, and as brothers of Christ (if we are in His image).
We are created in His likeness:
Ephesians 4
24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Paul said we were to put on the new self. When we read Romans 13:14, we see Paul telling us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts". We are a new creation in the image of God when we put Jesus on. Paul said, "all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:27).
Remember, "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works". That means we have work to do. It is the work that Jesus commands us to do when He says, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS" (Matthew 11:29). He is giving the promise of having rest for our souls (our Sabbath rest) if we will take His yoke upon us. When He tells us to take His yoke upon us, He is telling us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. We must do His works if we are to find rest for our souls.
The true Sabbath rest has been created for God's people to rest from their works and if I have not done those works, I will miss out on that rest. If I refuse to do the works that He created for me to do and if I am not given that day of rest, will I be forced to be working on that new Sabbath Day? When God said that death was the penalty for working on the old Sabbath, was He really saying that everyone who will be found working on that new day will be dead? Based on what we have read, that would be a long time to work. What kind of work would it be? Would it be very difficult work? Would it be as difficult as the work that He did on the cross?
Jesus told His followers, "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). He said, "We must work". If we are in the image of Jesus we must work with Him. We can never do the great work of creating man in His image but we can bring others to Him so that He can create them in His image. We can never sanctify others with our blood, but we can copy His work of the cross in the likeness given in Romans, chapter 6; "knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin". Jesus has completed His creation works on earth, the ones that He was required to do in the flesh, but He is still doing His creation works, through us. If I am not doing His work here, I will not be resting on that Sabbath Day in the land of rest.
If we refuse to complete our work and crucify the old body of sin to live for Him, will we show dishonor for His Sabbath day?
We must work for the food of eternal life:
John 6
27 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."
Jesus said we must work for the food, which endures to eternal life. Remember, the body of Jesus is the bread of life that we partake of but we are His body. We are to partake of each other in love. We must remember to care for (and work for) the other members of the body because we are a part of each other in His body. As His body, we must work together and work for each other as we do the Lord's work. Faith includes doing works of love for brothers and sisters in need ("faith if it does not have works is dead"). Remember what Jesus will tell those on the right (on Judgment Day) is the reason they will have eternal life (Matthew, chapter 25)? It will because of their works of love for the brothers of Jesus. Remember, what He will tell those on the left the reason will be that they will be damned? It will be because they did not do those works of love for His brothers. Those who claim Jesus as Lord but refuse to do those works of love will be before Jesus on that day.
Earlier, we read those Old Testament scriptures that spoke of the Sabbath Day commandment and how God wanted His people to remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.
We read where it was a sign:
Exodus 31
16 `So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.' 17 "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed."
God told His people that the Sabbath Day was given to them as a sign between God and the sons of Israel forever. He said that it was because the LORD spent six days making heaven and earth but He rested on the seventh day. He also told them it was a covenant that they were to celebrate as a perpetual covenant. It was to be celebrated forever. When He said it was a sign, He was telling them that this observance was to help show them what was ahead. Like a roadside sign, it was foretelling what was coming up the road. It was foretelling of the creation work by Jesus and the true Sabbath rest that His work at the cross would provide. Their perpetual covenant promise from God was that land of rest.
Ezekiel also said it was a sign:
Ezekiel 20
12 "Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. - - - -
20 `Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.'
Ezekiel tells us that God set up His Sabbaths to be a sign between God and His people. Notice, it says the sign was given that they might know that He was the one who sanctifies them. Exodus 31:13, says, "for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you".
How would it be a sign that would help them know that He is the LORD who sanctifies them? Exodus 31:17 said that it was a sign between God and Israel forever. He was not speaking of the earthly Israel ; He was speaking of the spiritual Israel. He says the sign was given so they would know that He was the LORD who sanctifies them but it was also given so that they would know that He is the LORD their God. Only by the blood of Jesus could God's people be redeemed from slavery and sanctified (Hebrews 13:12 and Galatians 3:13). God gave the sign that they could know that He is LORD GOD. Remember, God said of Jesus, "His name would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Remember, Jesus said that He and the Father are one (John 10:30).
The name, "LORD" was the most holy name in the Old Testament and was their name of YHWH ("Yahweh"), the awesome God of Israel. It was the name of God the Father. YHWH ("Yahweh") means exactly what God said to Moses; His Name was in Exodus, chapter 3 ("I AM"). Just four verses earlier, He told Moses that He was sending him to bring His people out of slavery in Egypt . When the word of God spoke from that bush, it was Jesus because Jesus is the Word. He told Moses to tell the Israelites that He is LORD.
Remember, the covenant promise to Abraham included in the promise, "to be God to you and to your descendants after you" (Genesis 17:7). The sign of the Sabbath would confirm to God's people the original promise to Abraham and His offspring that they would know, "I am the LORD your God". The LORD Jesus is the Word that spoke to Abraham, telling him that He would be God to him and to his descendants after him (Genesis, chapter 17). We are Abraham's spiritual descendants. Jesus is the LORD our God.
The Father sent Jesus to do all of the creation work of sanctification. God wants us to know that Jesus is the LORD our God and it is He who sanctifies us. If we wish to receive His sanctification we must hear His word telling us who He is. He is LORD God.
Under the old covenant, it is difficult to see the connection between the sign of the Sabbath and their being sanctified. God was foretelling that the sign was given so that God's people might know He will sanctify His people through the cross of Jesus. The only way to have true sanctification is through His blood.
The Hebrew writer said it:
Hebrews 13
12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
Only through His blood can God's people be sanctified. What an awesome price God paid to sanctify His people. Now we can see what God meant when He had Ezekiel say the sign of the Sabbath was given that they might know that the LORD is the one who sanctifies them. God wanted His old covenant people to observe the sign for fourteen centuries so His people of the new covenant could see the lesson.
The sign of the Sabbath was given to God's people that they might know, both that He had sanctified them and that He was the LORD their God. If we go back to the time when His people were yet to cross over Jordan to that Promised Land, we can see Moses saying something similar to them.
They were set apart from slavery:
Deuteronomy 5
15 `You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.
Moses gave the Sabbath commandment to observe the seventh day rest and he included the reason why God wanted that day observed. Moses told his people the reason they were to keep the Sabbath was so they could remember how they were slaves in a foreign land but the LORD their God brought them out. With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, God saved them from slavery to bring them to the Promised Land, a land of freedom.
It was a sign for us. We are to remember how Jesus is bringing His people out of slavery to sin and it began when He stretched out His arms on the cross and opened His mighty hands of love to the nails. Therefore, we are to observe the Sabbath Day (that He purchased for us) and keep it holy. If not honoring the sign under that old covenant meant death, think how much more important it is to honor our Lord's real Sabbath.
Our days of work will be over:
Revelation 14
13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, `Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!' " "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."
When we die, we must die "in the Lord" to be among the blessed and rest from our labors. Remember, we can only die "in the Lord" if we have been clothed in Him. Remember, Sabbath means, "to cease" or "stop". We will have completed our work and have been given our Sabbath rest.
The deeds that will follow us to that land of Sabbath rest will not be works that earned us a place there. Jesus did those works. Our works are only the "token" requirement that we must do to become a spiritually circumcised son of God and become an heir in that land. It is the work that we do when we pick up our cross and follow Him. It is the work that is necessary to subdue the earth and overcome it.
We can't work our way to heaven because that requires perfect work and a perfect sacrifice. Only Jesus could do that. We can't work our way to heaven but we must do the works that He created us to do and that includes doing our copy of His great work. We are to lay down our lives for others. We must carry our cross. That takes work on our part. If we fail to honor the work He did and are not conformed into His image as He has commanded, we have broken the covenant of the Sabbath and we will pay the penalty. Remember what Moses said, "Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death".
If we have been created for good works and we refuse to do those works, would we be rejecting the very difficult creation work of Jesus? If we reject the work that He did for us will we be found working on that true Sabbath Day? The penalty for not keeping the Sabbath day holy is death. It was death for them and it will be death for us.
I am not from one of the schools of theology. I am a Christian and retired engineer. It has only been within the last few years that I have come to realize that God means exactly what He says when He speaks and that includes what He says about the Sabbath rest and judgment and the new world to come. I must believe Jesus when He tells me that I must be doing my works of love while there is still time. If I wish to find rest for my soul on that everlasting Sabbath, I need to be working now. If I am not working now, I will be working then and it will not be pleasant work.
You will notice that I have used the New American Standard translation for the copied scriptures in this book. You may wish to also read the same scriptures from the translation that you normally use.
Johnny Rogers 7/2/05
Revised 1/23/08
Image of the cross is from FreeFoto.com
Link For cross - http://www.freefoto.com/preview/05-08-10?ffid=05-08-10&k=Cross+at+Sunset