Lesson 2: The Sabbath: Remembering Creation and Looking Forward to the Promised Future Rest
God completed creation week by setting apart the Sabbath. He made it a weekly appointment for His people, and He now uses it to help us look forward to the promised spiritual rest in His Kingdom.
Since Jesus Christ struck him down on the road to Damascus and turned
his life around, Saul had been preparing for this mission. Paul, as
he was now known, had been commissioned to take the good news of Jesus
Christ and the Kingdom of God to people throughout the Roman Empire
who had never heard the message.
Paul and Barnabas had already had adventures on this first missionary
journey. In Cyprus they faced down a sorcerer and preached to the governor.
Then they moved on to the area of modern Turkey.
"They came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the
Sabbath day and sat down" (Acts 13:14).
After the reading of the Law and Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue
offered to let Paul and Barnabas speak. And speak, Paul did! From the
time of the Exodus to the work of John the Baptist, Paul set the stage
to introduce the audience to Jesus, the promised Messiah they were eagerly
anticipating.
There must have been a gasp as Paul described Jesus' death and His
being raised from the dead! Paul proved from the Scriptures that Jesus
was greater than their beloved King David and that Jesus even had the
power to forgive their sins.
Then Paul warned his audience, some of whom must have been showing
their disbelief, "Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the
prophets come upon you: 'Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish! For
I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe,
though one were to declare it to you'" (Acts 13:40-41).
Paul made quite a stir that Sabbath day!
"So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that
these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the
congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed
Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue
in the grace of God.
"On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the
word of God" (Acts 13:42-44).
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What Does the Bible Say About the Sabbath?
What does the Fourth Commandment remind us of?
Exodus 20:8-11
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
"Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh
day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work:
you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your
female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your
gates.
"For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea,
and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."
In giving the Ten Commandments, God hearkens back to creation week. At
creation, He rested and set apart the seventh day as the Sabbath, so the
Sabbath command reminds us of the creation and of our Creator.
Who created the Sabbath?
Ephesians 3:9
And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from
the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things
through Jesus Christ...
Hebrews 1:1-2
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the
fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the worlds...
Mark 2:27-28
And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man
for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was the One through whom God the Father
created all things. This includes the Sabbath, and so it is fitting that
Jesus is also the Lord of the Sabbath. He tells us that He created it
for our benefit.
What does God call the Sabbath?
Leviticus 23:2-3
"Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts
of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these
are My feasts.
"'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath
of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is
the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.'"
Isaiah 58:13-14
"If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure
on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the
Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding
your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight
yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills
of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The
mouth of the Lord has spoken."
God calls the Sabbath one of the "feasts of the Lord" and one of His
Holy Days. The Hebrew word translated "feasts" in Leviticus 23:2 is mo'edim, which
means "appointed times" (verse 4) or "appointments" as we would say today.
The first one mentioned is the weekly Sabbath—to
be observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.
Did Jesus and the early Church celebrate the Sabbath?
Luke 4:16, 31
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom
was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to
read...
Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them
on the Sabbaths.
Luke 23:55-56
And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they
observed the tomb and how His body was laid.
Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested
on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
Acts 17:2
Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths
reasoned with them from the Scriptures...
Acts 18:4
And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews
and Greeks.
The New Testament clearly shows that Jesus Christ and His followers continued
to celebrate the Sabbath each week as the Christian day of worship.
Would the Church of God be celebrating the Sabbath in the end
times?
Matthew 24:20-22
"And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been
since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall
be.
"And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved;
but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."
Jesus Christ confirmed that His followers would still be remembering
and observing the Sabbath in the dark days just before His return to save
humanity and set up the Kingdom of God.
How Does the Sabbath Picture the Future?
What analogies does the book of Hebrews make involving the Sabbath?
Hebrew 4:4-9
For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And
God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; and again in this
place: "They shall not enter My rest."
Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom
it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He
designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long
time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts."
For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken
of another day.
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
Hebrews 3 and 4 are fascinating, though somewhat complex, chapters. They
quote various Old Testament passages and tie together the weekly Sabbath
rest with the rest God offered Israel in the Promised Land, which was
only a type of the ultimate rest in God's Kingdom. So the Sabbath rest
not only points back to the creation, it also points forward to God's
spiritual rest.
Hebrews 4:9 makes an interesting statement. The word rest here
is translated from sabbatismos, which is only used once in the
New Testament. Here are some other translations that help make the meaning
of sabbatismos clearer:
- "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God" (New International
Version).
- "So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God" (New
Revised Standard Version).
Here is part of the conclusion of a study of this passage: "The book
of Hebrews cleverly weaves together three themes of rest: the rest promised
to Israel from enemies, the weekly Sabbath, and the spiritual rest through
Christ. The conclusion is that Sabbath-keeping is still necessary for
the people of God, the New Testament Church" ("There
Remains a Sabbath Rest for the People of God" from the booklet Sunset
to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest).
Christians are to rest each week in anticipation of the future rest.
Can the Sabbath serve as a type of the promised Millennium?
2 Peter 3:8
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day
is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Revelation 20:2, 6
He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and
Satan, and bound him for a thousand years...
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such
the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
The "thousand years" in Revelation 20:2 and 6 is the time when Satan
will be bound and Jesus Christ will rule on earth as King of Kings. It
is often known by the Latin word for "thousand years," Millennium.
As Peter said, to God a thousand years is as one day. The chronologies
of the Bible show that there have been approximately 6,000 years since
Adam and Eve. Add to that the promise of 1,000 years of rest, and you
can see the basis of the idea that human history can be represented by
a 7,000-year "week."
Just imagine the peace humanity will experience for 1,000 years without
the evil influence of Satan and with the righteous rule of Jesus Christ!
Why is the past approximately 6,000 years of human history compared
to labor?
Genesis 3:17-19
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your
wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying,
'You shall not eat of it': Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil
you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
"Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you
shall eat the herb of the field.
"In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return
to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to
dust you shall return."
Romans 8:20-23
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because
of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will
be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty
of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs
together until now.
Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even
we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption,
the redemption of our body.
Adam and Eve's sin brought curses, toil and sweat on humanity. But the
futility and bondage to decay are revealed to just be a stage in God's
plan—like birth pangs, the labor pains this world is going through to
bring more children into God's family (Hebrews 2:10).
With this overview, we can examine each step in God's plan more closely
in future lessons about the seven annual festivals of God.
Apply Now
The Bible instructs us to rest from our regular work on the Sabbath.
This gives us time to focus on other, more important things such as:
- Worshipping God.
- Studying God's Word.
- Praying to God.
- Fellowshipping with God's people.
- Appreciating God's creation.
- Spending time building our family relationships.
Read the short chapter "God's
Sabbath in Today's World" from our booklet Sunset to Sunset:
God's Sabbath Rest and write down some things God wants us to do
on the Sabbath to enhance your own celebration of God's Sabbath.
We encourage you to read the rest of the booklet Sunset
to Sunset: God's Sabbath Restas well for a fuller understanding
of this gift from God. If after completing this study you have further
questions about the Sabbath and how it should be remembered today,
please feel free to discuss your questions with one of God's ministers.
Contact our Personal Correspondence
ministers for a response by e-mail, or look up how to contact
a minister in your area.
Next Lesson: Christ, Our Passover: The Beginning of God's
Master Plan
Questions about this lesson? Feedback about
this lesson?
Related Resources:
Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath
Rest
Which Day Is the
Sabbath?
The
Fourth Commandment: Key to a Relationship With Our Creator
God's
Appointment With You
When
Do I Get a Break?
Why
We Need a Weekly Rest Day
God's
Test Commandment
