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
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
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
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
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
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 Word. Jesus is the Word. 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 Word which became His Son.
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". Because of what happened to them we must get the
message and, therefore, not follow their example.
He had used the word, “Therefore”
to make the comparison in two other verses. In those verses he said,
"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 heavenly
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
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.
If we are to rest from our works just as He rested from His works, then
our works will have been completed and our body and soul will be resting in the
land of rest. We must be diligent to enter that rest if we want to find
rest for our souls.
Jesus once spoke to a crowd of Jews and told
them "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give
you rest. "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. "For My
yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew
11:28-30) What did He mean when He said that for those who would take on
His yoke and learn of Him, that they would find rest for their souls? He
also said that He will give rest to the weary who come to Him.
When Jesus tells us to take His yoke upon us,
will it be like taking up our cross and following Him? He repeatedly
tells us to do that. It takes work to carry a cross. When He tells
us to follow Him, He is telling us to follow Him home. We must never stop
following Him and we must not lay down our cross until we get home. Only
then will we be able to lay down our cross and rest. Only then will we
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 they follow the LORD fully. Those ancient ones who did
not follow the LORD fully did not obtain their land of rest.
They did not follow Him because they did not really
believe His promises. They had good news preached to them just as we have
good news preached to us but they did not believe what they heard.
They saw His power displayed when they crossed through the sea but they
did not believe that He would be with them and fight for them and give them the
victory over their enemies. They were afraid and refused to follow Him
into battle. 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
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. His covenant promise was to give them that
In the next chapter (Psalms 106), the Psalmist retells that old Hebrew story of how they were brought out of slavery and through the sea. He tells us that when they saw their enemies all drowned in the sea, that they believed His words and sang His praise. After they were brought into the wilderness, however, “They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,” (Verse 13).
He
tells us how they forgot God their Savior who had done those great things in
Jesus is the Word and He is the creator. We
must believe His promise and we must not forget the awesome things that He did
to redeem us so that He could lead us to our land of rest. We must not
forget His works. We must not “despise the
pleasant land”. Those earthly Hebrews did not hear His voice and
they disobeyed the Word of God. They did not treat His word as being holy
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 will be 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. We must
believe in Jesus.
Jesus did all of the work of creation. When
Jesus said that He and the Father were still working (John
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
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. He had completed His work on earth "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.
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.
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 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. It was the work that He did on the cross. 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 when He created Adam
and Eve. He had created man in His image and had given them eternal life.
After they lost that life, He began His new creation works that would
give eternal life back to man. He began His new works while He
worked as the Word in the Spirit. He then came to earth in the flesh and
completed that work by offering His body on the cross. His body of flesh
is now resting 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.
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 that we were to put on the new self.
The new self that we are to put on is Jesus. When we read Romans
13:14, we hear 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 tells
us how we put Christ on when he wrote, "all
of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians
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 that we are
to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him and we will find rest for our
souls. 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, where Paul tells us, "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 that they did 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 Him, meaning they did not do them for His brothers ("I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was
thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink - - -").
Those who claim Jesus as Lord but who have refused
to do those works of love, will be standing before Jesus on that day.
They will be condemned because they will have not done their works of
love. Will they not be allowed to rest on that eternal day of rest?
Will they never find rest for their souls?
John wrote something about how some will never
find rest in eternity. When we read what John recorded in his book of
Revelation, he wrote of those who have worshipped the beast and says, "And the smoke of
their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those
who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his
name." (Revelation 14:11)
He then speaks of the saints who have kept the commandments
of God and says how they will obtain rest. He writes, "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."
For those who have done the deeds that they have been
created to do, they will find rest in that land of rest. For those who
fail to do those works of love that they were created to do, they will have "despised the pleasant land" because they
will not have believed His word. They will have profaned that Sabbath Day
and "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."
For those who have not done their work on this earth, they
will never find rest in the next earth. They will have no rest forever
and ever because they will not have remembered the Sabbath Day to keep it
holy.
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
God told His people that the Sabbath Day was given
to them as a sign between God and the sons of
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
Only by the blood of Jesus could God's people be
redeemed from slavery and be sanctified (Hebrews
The name, "LORD" was the most holy name in the Old
Testament and was their name of YHWH ("Yahweh"), the awesome God of
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
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.
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
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 that 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, "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
Revised
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