(Chapter 23)
The Sabbath in a Nutshell
God has given us so much; there is no reason for us to
misunderstand His will for us. Let us briefly summarize what we have studied.
Where the Sabbath Began
The Sabbath began in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:3). It, along with marriage, was the only thing that Adam and Eve brought out of the Garden of Eden after their fall. It was a day that they had spent one on one with Jesus in the garden. What an awesome way to spend the Sabbath!
Israel and the Sabbath
At Mount Sinai, God reiterated to the Jews the sacredness of the Sabbath (see Exodus 20:8-11). God had to refresh the Israelites' memory because they had been in a heathen nation for so long that they had nearly forgotten the precepts of God, which their grandparents had followed. This is why God begins the fourth commandment with "Remember." They were already aware of its sacredness.
God knew how easy it would be for future generations to forget the Sabbath. As society became more and more technical, and life became faster paced, He also knew how important a day of rest with Himself would be. This is why He says "Remember" to us as well! It is also interesting and yet ironic how the very day that God made a special point of telling us to remember is the very day that most are telling us to forget!
The Sabbath When Jesus Came
When Christ came, the Sabbath had become a burden because the religious leaders taught that a person must keep as many rules as possible. And when they ran out of rules they invented more. They thought that the rules would save them instead of accepting the One Who gave the original simple and loving laws. They replaced being Christ's, with doing for Him.
When Jesus came He showed through His life how He and the Father had intended for the Sabbath to be kept (see Mark 1:21; Luke 4:16; and Luke 6:6). Even in death, Christ kept the Sabbath sacred. He did all that needed to be done in the sacrificial phase of saving man before the sun set, before the Sabbath had begun. He rested peacefully in the grave through the Sabbath hours. Then He arose early Sunday, soon to begin the mediatorial phase of saving man (see Lk. 23:53, 54, 56; Lk. 24:1-3).
Did the Disciples Observe the Sabbath?
We find in the book of Acts that even after Christ's death and resurrection, the disciples continued to keep the Sabbath holy, revealing that Jesus had never said anything to them about the Sabbath being changed. They kept the Sabbath themselves and also taught those in the Gentile churches to do the same (see Acts 13:14, 42, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4). Either Christ's disciples were boldly disobeying, or they were unaware of any transfer of solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.
Which Day Is the Lord's?
Exodus 20:10, Isaiah 58:13, Matthew 12:8 and Luke 6:5 all say that the seventh-day Sabbath is the day of the Lord; thus, the Lord's Day that John refers to in Revelation 1:10 is the Sabbath. In fact, worship on Sunday was not introduced into the Christian world until over 200 years after Revelation was written! It cannot then be claimed that Sunday was commonly called the "Lord's Day" at that time. Neither can it be claimed that Sunday worship is what John was talking about, since he never saw Christian Sunday worship in his lifetime. When he later wrote the gospel of John, he still regarded the seventh day as the only Sabbath (John 5:9, 10, 16, 18; 7:22, 23; 9:14, 16; 19:31).
The Sabbath Lived On
A careful historical study of the Sabbath will reveal that throughout the centuries, from the time of the disciples until today, there has always been a people that were faithful and who reverenced the seventh day as the Sabbath. Many of the Christian churches of Pella, Palestine, all the way to India, Italy, China, Scotland, Ireland, Persia, France, the British Isles, Bohemia, Wales and America sanctified the seventh day. Those Sabbath-keeping Christian church groups included Celts, Abyssinians, Jacobites, Marinites, Armenians, Nestorians, Paulicians, Petrobusians, Passaginians, Waldenses, Insabbatati and the Taipings.
Who Changed The Sabbath?
Both history and their own writings reveal that the Roman Church (or Catholic Church) made the change of sanctity from Saturday to Sunday. In fact, she proudly boasts of making the change. And the Protestant world, which claims to obey the Bible and the Bible only, and who so unsparingly condemns Rome's practice of tradition, humbly submits to following her sabbath on Sunday, which has no hint of authority in the Word of God, the Bible.
The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast
The seventh-day Sabbath will be God's seal (see Exodus 31:17; Ezekiel 20:11, 12, 19, 20). In the last days, just before His return, this seal will show who are and are not God's true people. The opposing power also has a mark (see Revelation 13:16; 14:9-12) and is more than willing to openly claim as its mark the worship of a false sabbath, which is Sunday.
The True Memorial of the Resurrection
Since Sunday is not a memorial of Christ's resurrection, what is? Surely God would want us to remember something as important as the resurrection of His Son. Wouldn't He leave something for us so we would not forget? Yes, and that is what He did by leaving us the ordinance of baptism. Jesus was baptized by immersion (see Mark 1:9, 10). The disciples also baptized people using the method of immersion (see Acts 8:36, 38, 39). Baptism by immersion is a perfect memorial for the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (see Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:3, 4).
The foot washing and communion service is another memorial and commemoration of the same event.
The Law, Is it Still Valid?
The law is God's character in written form, thus it cannot be changed or abolished without changing or abolishing God. The law is as enduring as its Author. The reason for obeying the law should not be simply to keep from sinning, but because we love God and want to obey Him. If the Ten Commandments could have been changed, then Christ would not have needed to come to earth and pay the penalty that the law demands for its transgression.
The very fact that He came and died is evidence of the law's validity and continuance, not its abolishment (Matthew 5:17, 18)! Isaiah 66:23 says that the Sabbath will be kept in Heaven and on the New Earth, which shows that it could not have been done away with at the cross, because we will still be keeping it in Heaven—forever!
It Is Finished!
When Christ cried, "It is finished" from the cross, was He saying that the Ten Commandments were done away with? No. But what was finished? Oh, the joy of every Christian; the symbolism and ceremonies were done away! Now we have personal access to God through Jesus Christ, who rent the curtain that stood between us. He, the perfect Lamb, needed only to be offered once. His blood is powerful enough to forgive every single sin of every single individual that ever lived or would live. No more need of the continual bloodshed of countless innocent lambs, calves and goats. Yes, the entire ceremonial system has been done away, and it is no longer the way to God. Jesus, the one to whom all these things pointed, has come. Therefore, the symbols are no longer needed. We can come boldly to the throne of grace, because Jesus, our Brother, is there pleading for our cause (see Hebrews 4:16).
Faith and the Law
Many make the claim that faith and God's grace make the law void, but is this true? Both Paul and James dealt with the same question in their day, and their answers are still applicable for our eternal benefit today (see Romans 3:31; 6:1, 2, 14, 15; James 1:22-25; 2:19-24). Through His life, Jesus gave beautiful examples by how He lived and how we also can live in perfect obedience to His and our Heavenly Father's will. He was in continual communion with God (see Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; 6:46; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28). He was also surrendered to His Father's will, and because of that Heaven was able to attend, strengthen and give Him wisdom (see Luke 22:41-43).
The New Covenant
The Old Covenant was man promising to obey God's law in his own strength (Exodus 24:3). Man promptly failed at this (see Exodus 32:1-6). Thus a New Covenant was needed, based on that same loving law, but this time written on man's heart (see Jeremiah 31:31-33; Romans 8:3, 4; Hebrews 8:10). When the law of God is written in the heart, it becomes a delight to obey rather than an obligation.
How Is the Sabbath to Be Kept?
Leviticus 23:32, Nehemiah 13:19, and Mark 1:21, 32 tell us that the day is figured from evening to evening and that the Sabbath is to be kept holy during these hours. Exodus 16:23 says that food preparation should be done as much as possible before the Sabbath begins. While some types of work cannot be avoided, whatever is not necessary should be left undone (see Jeremiah 17:22).
The Sabbath is a day to bring relief and comfort to those about us (see Matthew 12:12; Luke 13:14-17; and John 5:1-8). It is a day to spend with like believers, ministering spiritually to others or out in God's creation (see Luke 4:16; Acts 16:13). There are two simple questions that can help us determine if an activity is appropriate for the Sabbath.
#1: Will this activity draw me closer to Jesus?
#2: Is it necessary?
The Sabbath is a special day for us to rest from our works, and this enables God to work in us.
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2006 by J. Lee