The weekly SABBATH

The Weekly Sabbath: Birthday of all Creation Great are the following questions to be settled among mankind if we are to make it to Heaven and subsequently the New Earth! And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Revelation 21:1 Qn 1. Is the weekly Sabbath still binding? Qn2. Are Christians supposed to keep and observe it? Qn3. Is it a salvific issue to keep the weekly Sabbath? A close analysis and evaluation of the Sabbath subject can grant us peace and confidence as we worship God. Presumption should find no room in this important issue if we study the bible intelligently. As we focus upon this beautiful subject of the weekly Sabbath lets prayerfully lay aside preconceived ideas. Off course I mean laying aside denominational mentality. Stop thinking of your church position for the meantime till you finish reading this article. The bible is very clear that God created the Earth in six literal days. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Genesis2:1-3. The seventh day is the Sabbath according to God the creator, notice what the following verses has to say; Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11 The Sabbath according to Genesis 2:1-3 can be taken as a crowning act of all creation. God decided to rest and affirm that all was indeed well. It can therefore be concluded that the Sabbath is the birthday of all creation. As such it is very critical to note that every person’s birthday is celebrated until one dies then. If the earth is still in existence the Sabbath will be kept. In the beginning when our Father rested on the Sabbath where were the Israelites and Jews? There were not yet there, so why do we think the Sabbath was made for the Jews when it was actually established way before their existence. It is a profound notion to understand that God gave the Jews His Sabbath as He also entrusted them with marriage, even so to us. It’s very interesting to note that the Sabbath which is the seventh-day belongs to God or is God’s day not men. This fact can help us to appreciate that among the days of the week we therefore have only ONE Sabbath day because God is ONE. At this juncture let’s resolve some few minor challenges that usually disturb many of us. When was the Ten Commandments or the law given? Some say at mount Saini during the exodus journey. Others say during the calling of Abraham the Father of faith. All these perceptions as to when the law was given to mankind are not true. The truth is that the law was given to our first parents Adam and Eve. Consider the following text; If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. Genesis 4:7. God warned Cain of sin that would result if he could continue meditating upon evil thoughts. What is sin then, the bible defines sin as breaking or transgressing the law. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 1John3:4. It is therefore crucial to understand that Cain broke the sixth commandment. Thou shalt not kill. Exodus 20:13. Though the law was not yet given in writing it was impliedly present. God wrote the Ten-Commandments on the tablets of stones so that due to deterioration and degradation of the mental faculties we can benefit through referring to a script. Had it not been of the forgetful mind damaged by sin God would have us just use the word of mouth to pass on His word. Also God wanted us not to do it our own way. Many people would alter His word to fulfil their own intends and purposes contrary to what God would have it. It must also be understood that the Sabbath has never been for the Jews or was not given for the Hebrew people. When God called Abraham out of his kindred and people, He did so for the sore reason that he could keep His commandments, judgments and statutes. God chose the nation of Israel to keep and preserve His law till the coming of Jesus. So the Sabbath has never been for the Jews. It is God’s custom to give those whom He loves His commandments so that they (people) by keeping them (commandments) may become like Him. The children of Israel were also being tested, as we are today, to see whether they would keep God’s holy Sabbath. Exodus 16 gives an account where God tested the children of Israel on the Sabbath, way before the writing of the commandments in chapter 20 of the same book. Another challenge or problem we usually encounter as people of God is failure to distinguish and understand the difference between Moral and Ceremonial law. The Moral law is the same as the Ten-Commandments or Decalogue or Royal Law. On the other hand Ceremonials (Leviticus 23) are Mosaic Law or Handwriting of ordinances. The difference between the two is that, the other is the aid to another. One is there to exalt and extol the other. Ceremonials were given so that God’s people can better observe the Moral law. This handwriting of ordinance was therefore a tutor to take us to Jesus who would give us real power to keep the Ten-Commandments. Colossians 2:14-17 is in reference to ceremonial laws and has nothing to do with the Ten Commandments. For more light on the difference between these two find the article entitled ‘The Law of God’ by the same author Question 1 Let’s regress to our very first question now that we have established the basis of our study. Is the weekly Sabbath still binding? The answer is YES. Why is the answer YES? Firstly, the Sabbath was instituted before sin hence God’s original plan. God rested and hallowed the Sabbath on chapter two of Genesis as highlighted in the second paragraph above. Sin entered the world on chapter three. Therefore, order and sequence of events is sabbath was instituted first then sin came in later. Jesus came to die for sin. That He may remove sin hence John 1:29; The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. The argument by many that the Sabbath was crucified at the cross is a total lie. The cross removed the ceremonial laws which were a tutor and an aid to bring us unto Christ. God had designed it in such a manner that as human beings we could live in a sin free environment. In that sin free environment the Sabbath was to be kept. The Sabbath as part and parcel of God’s original plan cannot be removed or replaced by an intruder (sin). It must be understood by all that Jesus came to deal with the sin problem and to end it. The law of God was kept in a sin free environment, it must be kept in a sin marred environment and it shall be kept in a sin free, new heaven and earth to come. Two institutions that were created by God before sin entered our planet are Marriage and Sabbath. The thinking and perception that the Sabbath was crucified on the cross is the same as advocating for lesbianism and gayness!! This is because if there is no more Sabbath it means there is also no more marriage since both institutions were instituted in the same environment i.e. sin free one. Marriage according to God’s plan is between a man and a woman. Anything outside this combination is not marriage. A man and a man is not marriage, even so a women and women. It is therefore equally true that any other day which is not the seventh among the days of the week is not the Sabbath hence keeping it will never make it one. Secondly, the bible has this to say in Mark 2: 27-28, And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. The verses are pretty clear and good. The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. The allegory is very simply, we cannot remove the Sabbath if man is still in existence because the Sabbath was made for him. Clothes were made for people and as long as people are still alive we cannot say clothes are no longer relevant. Verse 28 of the same chapter tells us that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. This entails that if we don’t have a clear command from Jesus we cannot do away with the Sabbath. Another insight from this verse is if we decide not to observe the Sabbath on our own without Him commanding us we are denying His Lordship. Question 2 The second question pertains to whether we as Christians should keep the weekly Sabbath or not? It would be insane and foolishness for us to be called Christians when we do not what Christ was doing during His earthly time. Christian from the phrase ‘Christ like’. Remember Acts 11, the disciples were called Christians at Antioch for the first time as a nick-name due to their Christ like behaviour. Let us consider this text form the book of Matthew. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20. Jesus Himself warns us that until our righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees we cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven. Who were the Pharisees? Strict Sabbath keepers, they were returning tithes, they also knew the scriptures. What was their problem with Jesus then? The Pharisees did not keep and observe the Sabbath out of true love for God and men. They received not Jesus as their personal saviour. So how should we surpass them? Through having love towards Jesus for whom we keep the commandments, including the Sabbath. Here is what the bible says in the book of John; If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15. If we are not careful, we shall fall in the same pit the Pharisees and Jews fell in. As Christians of today we seem to love Jesus but careless of His commandments. We then become like Pharisees to do one and ignore the other. Jesus kept the Sabbath Himself. The book of Luke has this to say; And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And 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 for to read. Luke 4:14-16. If Jesus could keep the Sabbath and ascended to Heaven without abolishing it, who are we to observe it not? In the book of Matthew, when Jesus was warning the disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem He indicated that the Sabbath would still be kept. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. Matthew 24:20. Jerusalem was destroyed in AD70, close to 40 years after He ascended to Heaven. Jesus would expect His followers to still be keeping the Sabbath. So who then removed the Sabbath if Jesus did not remove it? My ardent prayer is that it might not be you or myself who will do a Satanic work of despising God’s Holy Day, the weekly Sabbath. All of the disciple kept the Sabbath. Let’s consider some few texts from the book of Acts. It was Paul’s custom to enter the temple, church or synagogue on the Sabbath; Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Acts 17:1-2. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Acts 18:3-4. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Acts 13:42-44 All the texts above testify of the disciples' observance and keeping of the Sabbath. Someone would say it was a Jewish custom! However, according to the texts from the book of Acts it’s clear that even Greeks and gentiles would congregate with the disciples on the Sabbath. Question 3 The third question is a very special one. It forces us to probe a bit deeper into the Sabbath issue to see if it can link us with salvation. Sweet are the words that we find in the book of John in response to our third question! And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3. Life eternal according to the verse above is to know God. What is to know God then? Let the bible tell us what is to know God; And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 1John 2:3. If knowing God is keeping His commandments the Sabbath is among the commandments hence a salvific issue. We may agree to skip the Sabbath or any other commandment among the Ten but it would make us fail to attain and fulfil our objective of pleasing God. This is because the bible emphasises the importance of keeping the whole law. This is what James has to say in his epistle; For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. James 2:10-11. The bible in these verses is not telling us to choose whether to keep the whole law or not. Rather it is warning us from the danger of keeping other commandments and leaving some. The weekly Sabbath is the seal of the living God, the Creator. Ezekiel 20:12, 20; Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I [am] the LORD that sanctify them. And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I [am] the LORD your God. God is therefore telling us that the Sabbath is an identifying mark between us and Him. We are to keep His Sabbath so that He can sanctify and purify us. Sanctification or the process of being made holy can only be completed if we keep the Sabbath. Let’s consider another essential text from the prophet Isaiah. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:6-7. It’s very evident from this scripture that God is very particular and serious with the Sabbath. Even the strangers that is people from other nations other than Israel were to be blessed if they would keep the Sabbath. It is of paramount importance to understand that the Sabbath will be kept in the New Heaven and New Earth. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. Isaiah 66:22-23. As the law of God is eternal so is the Sabbath. Those who shall make it to Heaven would have become like Christ here on earth. What Christ did on earth was to keep the commandments of His Father, my and your Father as well. Let’s encourage each other to do God’s will and not that of men. Here is the secret of the day of worship! The principle God used when creating is called Filling Principle. What does that mean and how does it work. Each and every day upon creation week God would fill the Day with something from Day 1 to Day 7. So as human beings when we choose the day to worship God we must be very careful least we worship creatures. The first day God filled it with light, He made light on this day. On the second day He separated waters from waters hence firmament. The third day God made seas and caused dry ground to appear and all vegetation. On the fourth day our Father made lights in the firmament i.e. Sun. Moon and Stars. All kinds of animals were made on the fifth day. On the sixth day He created man. Now on the seventh day God did nothing but sanctified, hallowed and rested in it. So among the days of the week Only One the seventh is Filled with God. All other days are Filled with creatures. Therefore, when we are observing a day to worship on, we will be worshipping that which is in that particular day. John in his last book Revelation has this to say; I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Revelation 1:10. The Lord’s Day is the Sabbath according Mark 2:27-28 as have been discussed above. The wisest person ever, King Solomon says that the conclusion of the whole matter is to fear God and keep His commandments for that’s the whole duty of men. Ecclesiastes 12:13. It is not prudent that after going through this article, become convinced and convicted we remain the same. Stop doing things for the sake of pleasing others especially when it comes to worship, let’s endeavour to please God alone. Remember Salome, Mark 6:22-28, the daughter who was to get half of his father’s kingdom. She lost all because of consulting the mother. What am I saying? Do not ask anyone about your conviction even your very spouse rather inform him or her your decision. May the good Lord richly bless you as you decide to please Him through keeping His holy Sabbath. Written and Compiled by Chipunza Godwin~0775390551/0775125751