Before we get started, I want to say something briefly about physical rest.
Although the Fourth Commandment to do no work on the Sabbath or seventh day of the week, indeed the Old Covenant itself, was made obsolete by the New Covenant, there is nothing wrong with taking a day off to rest.
One of the beauties of studying the Old Testament is in learning the wisdom of God, who is all-wise, and knows all things. And physical rest is important, just as rotating crops from year to year was important, for example, so as to not deplete the soil.
And just as too much of almost anything can lead to what we have come to call burnout. So I encourage gleaning practical and spiritual wisdom and principles from the Old Testament, as long as we don’t fall into the trap of legalism, or putting ourselves under Law as a means of earning God’s love and favor.
O.K., Jesus our Sabbath, Part 2:
Brief Recap of Part 1
In Part 1 we gave several reasons why the Old Covenant Sabbath-keeping is not for believers under the New Covenant.
Briefly these are as follows:
1.In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul clearly refers to the Sabbath as a shadow of Christ, which is no longer binding since the substance (Christ) has come.
2.The Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Old Covenant
( Ezekiel 20:12). Since we are now under the New Covenant (Hebrews 8), we are no longer required to observe the sign of the Old Covenant.
3.The New Testament never commands Christians to observe the Sabbath.
4.The church met on the first day of the week in the book of Acts (Acts 20:7), and even that is not a command, but merely a practice that sprang up, possibly in honor of Christ who rose from the dead that day.
5.We touched on this already, but nowhere even in the Old Testament are the Gentile nations commanded to observe the Sabbath or criticized for not observing it. That makes it clear that Sabbath-keeping is not meant to be an eternal moral principle.
6.Nowhere in the Bible does anyone keep the Sabbath before the time of Moses, and there are no commandments in the Bible to keep the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai.
7.The apostle Paul warned the Gentiles about many different sins in his epistles, but breaking the Sabbath was never one of them.
8.In Galatians 4:10-11, Paul rebukes the Galatians for thinking God expected them to observe special days (including the Sabbath).
9.Nothing in Scripture indicates that Sunday has replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. Believers tend to gather on Sunday, which is the first day of the week, but there is no command of Scripture to do so.
10.Lastly, Hebrews 4:9-11 makes it clear that the Sabbath was all along meant to be a shadow of Christ who came to be our Sabbath rest.
It’s that last point, number 10, that I would like to dwell on for a while…that Jesus Christ Himself is our Sabbath rest, and we need no other.
About the Book of Hebrews
But before we get to this argument in Hebrews, primarily Chapter 4, let me give just a very brief overview of the Book of Hebrews as it relates to the New Covenant.
Hebrews was written specifically to Jewish Christians who had been undergoing some persecution, and would no doubt have more persecution in the future.
The letter was intended to show the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, or maybe to put it better, to show how much better the New Covenant is than the Old Covenant. And not just better, but how the New Covenant made the Old Covenant obsolete, as we read in Hebrews Chapter 8.
Let me just sort of rattle off these great themes of Hebrews. I won’t read the scriptural passages, though I would love for you to read them when you’re through listening to this, so I’ll reference the Chapters where these themes occur.
Here are the themes:
Jesus is a better revelation of truth 1:1-3
Jesus is better than the angels 1:3-14
Jesus is better than Moses 3:1-6
Jesus is better than Aaron, Moses’ brother, the priest 5
Jesus is a better high priest 6,7
The New Covenant has a better law 7:12
The New Covenant is a better covenant 8:6
The New Covenant has better promises 8:6
The New Covenant has a greater temple 9:11
The New Covenant has better sacrifices or sacrifice 9:23
The New Covenant has a better possession 10:34
The New Covenant has a better country 11:16
The New Covenant has a better resurrection 11:35
The New Covenant has better blood 12:24
The New Covenant has better atonement, which of course, goes beyond just covering sins, but taking them away, which the Old Covenant atonement could never do 10:1-5
So we see the overall theme of Hebrews might be called “betterness”, the betterness of Christ over Moses and the betterness of the New Covenant to the Old.
Who Hebrews Was Written To, And A Warning
Now I’ve left out part of Chapter 3 and all of Chapter 4, but now I want to talk about that, because this is where we find that the New Covenant has a better Sabbath.
Now when I said that Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians, I should have said PROFESSING Jewish Christians, because the writer is careful not to assume that all his readers are really born again.
And so he warns them in Chapter 3, verses 7-11, not to harden their hearts as the Israelites did in the Wilderness, causing God to swear, “They shall not enter my rest.” Now the writer is quoting Psalm 95 here, but here’s what’s important to realize. These Israelites already had the Sabbath law. They already had the Fourth Commandment, and yet they did not enter God’s rest.
And the writer of Hebrews is warning those who have not yet really believed in the Messiah, and then encouraging them to believe, by showing them the superiority of Christ.
He makes it clear that the rest is to come by belief, by faith. Faith in what? Or more accurately, faith in whom?
Well, Christ, the Messiah! The one who is better than Moses and whose New Covenant is better than the Old. Or to put it another way, believing the Gospel, the good news. Look at Chapter 4, verse 2, “For indeed we have had good news preached to us...”
The "Rest" Of The Gospel
And so the case is made in Chapter 4 that this rest comes from believing the good news, and in verse 7 the writer emphasizes that the day to believe the good news is “Today”. It’s always “today”, isn’t it? Today is the day of salvation, today is the day to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ if you haven’t.
Thank God we are still under the New Covenant. It’s still “today”.
That’s why Hebrews 4:9,10 says, “There remains, therefore, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.” That’s our Sabbath. See that?
A Shadow of Things To Come
That’s why we read in Colossians 2:17 that the Old Covenant Sabbath was just a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
Christ is our Sabbath, our better Sabbath, because He paid for our sins, and gave us forgiveness for all of our sins, past, present and future, and declared us Righteous in Him.
So we can rest from our works. We can rest from our performance as a means of gaining the love and favor of God. He already loves us and He has already favored us in Christ. That’s our rest. That’s our Sabbath.
Now I should mention, if you might be reading the King James version, that Hebrews 4:9 doesn’t say “Sabbath rest”, it just says, “rest”. But the Greek word is Sabbatismos, and it’s the only place it occurs in Scripture. It’s the word for Sabbath, applied to the beautiful rest from our works that Christ has provided.
It Is Finished
And one more thing about Chapter 4, verse 10. When it says, “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works...”, those words translated “rested” are written in the verb tense which means they are DONE, they are completed, they are finished, just as Jesus said on the Cross, “It is finished”.
What that means is that when you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, when you became a Christian, when you were saved, you permanently entered into His rest. He no longer holds your sins against you, because you have rested from your works and His work on the Cross has paid for your rest.
Why is that important? Because it tells you, “Don’t be restless, now that you’ve rested.” Don’t jump back into the Law-based mode and try to earn God’s love and favor. Rest in the love and favor that He already has for you, paid for by Jesus on the Cross.
And that’s why the writer of Hebrews can go on to tell of the better priesthood, and the better promises, and the better sacrifice, and the better blood. Because under the Old Covenant, there was this awful veil of separation between God and Man, but under the New Covenant, the veil has been torn, and we now can come boldly or draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of trouble.
Christ In You, The Hope of Glory
We not only can approach the throne of God boldly, we have the very Christ Himself inside us, Christ in you the hope of glory.
That’s our Sabbath. That’s our Sabbath rest.
And that’s why Jesus, just before one of his Sabbath confrontations with the Pharisees, in Matthew 11:28,29, said, “Come to Me, all you 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 shall find rest for your souls.”
Have you entered that rest? Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? He died on the Cross to pay for sins, and to give the free gift of His righteousness to all who would come to Him. Then He rose from the dead, and is alive today. Believe in Him today, if you haven’t.
And if you are already a believer, you have entered into that rest, that beautiful Sabbath rest which is Jesus Christ. Your works, your performance, are no longer the requirement for God’s favor. He has given us all spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3) He loves you and desires your close fellowship with Him.
Oh, you will do works. But they will be the works worked in you by His Spirit, His very life. For it’s God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).
Friends, rest in Him, your Sabbath rest.
Part 1
Posts
17 comments:
Excellent, Excellent, Excellent! Thank you for clarifying the New Covenant Sabbath Rest!!
Kendra,
You're welcome, & thanks for stopping by.
Exodus 16, before reaching Sinai, Yahweh tests the people concerning keeping Sabbath in the giving of Manna. The Torah predates Sinai. Sabbath is from Genesis. Cain and Abel knew how to obey and Abel did and Cain didn't. Abraham (Genesis 26, kept the Torah of Yahweh. Sabbath is still 7th day. Why go through all the unbiblical gymnastics in efforts to disobey HIS Word? HE never changed HIS Word as HE has not changed. Why can't you keep Sabbath? We all can, but it tests our heart when we decide. We have a heart that is submitted if we keep it and if we reject it we have a rebellious heart. Sabbath according to what is written can be done by grace through faith. Sabbath according to man can't be done because it is an ever changing, shifting quagmire. Try relying on what is written, in context, from Genesis to Revelation and stay clear of man's commentary.
"5.We touched on this already, but nowhere even in the Old Testament are the Gentile nations commanded to observe the Sabbath or criticized for not observing it. That makes it clear that Sabbath-keeping is not meant to be an eternal moral principle."
Try Isaiah 56.
We know that Christ is our Sabbath rest - spiritually. What about our weekly physical rest?
Does Christ supernaturally endue us with super endurance so that we can just keep on working without a weekly rest?
I am aware of the spiritual components of the Sabbath, but alas we can become so spiritually minded that we are no earthly good.
The Sabbath was also for the beasts of burden. The above questions also apply regarding them.
Why was Christ so concerned about strenuous acivities on the Sabbath in Mat.24:20? You might say , because He was adressing 'Jews'. Are Christians of all races not now all spiritual Israel - seed of Abraham?
The 7th day Sabbath is the only sign given to mankind to identify with the true CREATOR, it si our ONLY LINK to Him in whose IMAGE we were made - without it we are left in the dark as to who we are , searching for some other nonexistent 'MISSINK LINK' in resulting theories of EVILution etc.making MONKEYS of ourselves.
For those who think the Sabbath and the other 9 commandments of the Decalogue do not apply to 'Gentiles, try separating them from MOSES'S SEAT in Mat.23:2,3 (BEFORE the cross) and Mat.28:19,20 AFTER the cross. These are the commands of THE LORD OF THE SABBATH which must be carried out faithfully. Note ALL WHATSOEVER - teach to ALL NATIONS. The 7th day Sabbath cannot be removed from MOSES' SEAT!!! Therefore , anything contrary to His expressed Commands, taught or practiced or interpreted whether by Apostle or commoner, anywhere in the Epistles or after, must be seen as misunderstanding, misinterpretation, ignorance of His commands, plain disobedience, or DECEPTION from the father of lies!!
For clarity on the OLD and NEW Covenants it must be noted that they both have the same 10 commandments as their basis. The method and place of their writing are all that has changed.
The OLD was written by the FINGER of God on 2 tablets of stone.
The New is written in our hearts by His Spirit.
Christ's shed blood replaced that of animals. Only the ceremonial laws were SHADOWS of Christ and ended up 'nailed to the cross' when replaced by Christ the substance.
There is great confusion when these are mixed up and confused with the Decalogue - of which the 7th day Sabbath is a part.
The 10 commandments represent the character/standards/the very GLORY of God/Christ which remain forever - and cannot change. These are what we 'fall short of' because we transgress or break them -- SIN is transgression of the 10 commandment law. The ceremonial laws (hundreds) animal sacrifices etc. were added to temporarily cover sins until Christ the perfect sacrifice came.
Chaos reigns in "Christendom' because of misunderstanding in this area.
As for the 7th day Sabbath - it was given double significance after the cross. It was first established at the 'FINISH' of the first CREATION of heaven and earth, and again when the 2nd 'IT IS FINISHED'ocurred at the completion His new creation of our REDEMPTION. On both occasions He 'rested' - giving His blessed, set apart, HOLY 7th day Sabbath its full significance. Beware how you 'trample' on it. At the same time, recognize it as His supernatural gift of LOVE, a day of rest, NOT of 'WORKS' as many try to portray it. AlL 10 commandments are His LOVE filled gifts of LIBERTY in which we walk in His power to become the sons of God.
We do not keep the 10 commandmsnts to be saved - rather - BECAUSE we ARE saved.
It is very simple - "IF" you LOVE Me, KEEP My commandments" - our LOVE results in OBEDIENCE - without which we cannot enter his Kingdom as we see His endtime (NOW) saints doing to have right to the TREE OF LIFE and to ENTER the city (Rev.22:14) and continuing in NEW JERUSALEM (ISAIAH 66:22,23)
WHY TRY TO BREAK THAT BEAUTIFUL REST NOW?
Banner Kidd,
Exodus 16 only shows two things:
1. That the Sabbath was meant for Israel (and those who formally "convert" to the Israelite religion -- see below regarding your reference of Isaiah 56).
2. That God was transitioning from *no* formal covenant with Israel to *the* formal covenant which we call the Mosaic Covenant.
By Exodus 20, four verses later, we have the giving of the Ten, which is sort of the "Constitution" of the Mosaic Covenant.
Exodus 16 was the first mention of any kind of expected observance of the seventh day.
Even so, Col. 2:16,17 clearly show that the Sabbath was a *shadow*, fulfilled in our rest in Christ from our works.
WARNING: It's highly unlikely that you keep the Sabbath, as taught in the Old Covenant. Go back and read it in all it's detail and you will see.
Like most Sabbath-keepers, you are probably what I call an Antinomian Sabbath-keeper, one who "tries" or "partially" keeps it, but not like Israel was required to under penalty of death.
If you are going to be "under the Law" (a direct contradiction to Romans 6:14), you better keep it perfectly (an absurdity anyway, but that's what the Law itself says).
Finally, you write that if we don't "keep Sabbath" we have a rebellious heart. I, for one, don't keep Sabbath, and I have a "new heart", have been made a "new creation", love Jesus, hate sin, and can openly and joyfully say, "Not my will, but Thine be done".
Believe me, you don't know of what you speak, having not "rightly divided the truth" regarding the Old and New Covenants.
More below on your second comment.
Banner Kidd,
First, I hope that in attempting to answer my Point #5, you realize that you have totally ignored the other 9 points on why the Sabbath is not for us today.
But in your answer to Point #5, by mentioning Isaiah 56, you have actually strengthened my point.
It's true that there were some Gentiles who "kept Sabbath" (under the Old Covenant), but they FIRST converted to the Israelite religion and put themselves under the Mosaic Covenant!
See verse 6:
"Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, who keep from profaning the sabbath [that's your point, I assume - TR]..."
...now don't miss the next line, Banner Kidd...
"...AND HOLDS FAST MY COVENANT [emphasis Terry's]."
See, these Gentiles became practicing Jews, they converted to the Israelite religion, and put themselves under the Mosaic Covenant.
So of course they put themselves under Sabbath-keeping.
This actually strengthens my Point #5, ("nowhere even in the Old Testament are the Gentile nations commanded to observe the Sabbath or criticized for not observing it"), where I specifically mentioned *Gentile nations*, rather than the tiny number of individual Israelite converts.
Having said all that, I really do appreciate you taking the time to comment, and I pray that both of us "pilgrims" will keep on learning.
Elijah,
I'm answering under the assumption that you are not THE Elijah :)
1. First, it's hard to take you seriously when you make the following statement:
"The 7th day Sabbath is the only sign given to mankind to identify with the true CREATOR, it is our ONLY LINK to Him in whose IMAGE we were made - without it we are left in the dark as to who we are , searching for some other nonexistent 'MISSINK LINK' in resulting theories of EVILution etc.making MONKEYS of ourselves.
The only SIGN? Jesus Himself said that it's an "evil and adulterous generation" that seeks after a sign. Then he mocks them by saying that the only sign will be that of Jonah (referring to His coming death, burial and resurrection).
The only LINK to creation? How about the Word of God, with its historical account of creation?
Your comments are irrational.
2. Again I can't take you seriously if you won't deal with a single one of my 10 points on why the Sabbath is not for us today.
Re-read them and see if you find any Scriptural basis for refuting them.
I'm not close-minded. But you can't just rant about "signs" and "links" and "chaos reigning in Christendom" and have any credibility here.
3. As to your point about physical rest being important, I certainly agree. Much of the Old Covenant has practical applications that can be made in wisdom (the book of Proverbs itself is filled with this kind of thing).
Physical rest for us, our animals, our land, etc. is a true matter of wisdom, but totally unrelated to the Old Covenant keeping of the Sabbath, in which one can't travel or build a fire, etc., on the Seventh Day, under the penalty of death.
4. Even if your real name is Elijah, I would suggest you take a "Sabbath rest" from The Prophets (indeed all of the Old Testament) for about seven months and study Paul the Apostle.
Thanks for your comments. Blessings in the name of Jesus our Sabbath Rest.
Thanks TR,
I accept yours re'ranting' with glad humble heart - my apologies. we forget to state the facts.
For context
The Jews trampled the Sabbath and suffered reprimand. The Babylonian captivity pushed the leaders to ensure compliance by adding over 300 bylaws to the weekly Sabbath alone. e.g. If a house caught fire on Sabbath, naked occupants could not grab and carry clothes - that would be 'working'. They had to put on the garments.
One could not spit on the ground - that would be watering the soil - 'working.
(source - Zondervan Dictionary)
When Christ arrived, He tried to break down their legalism.
He carried out His allowed activities on Sabbath to teach them the weightier matters of the law judgment mercy and faith Mat.23:23 as they were meant to be kept.
You have not dealt with the foll:-
BEFORE the cross (Mat.23:2)
Moses' Seat-"all whatsoever" MUST include the original 7th day Sabbath.
AFTER the cross (Mat.28:19,20)
- ALL WHATSOEVER - TEACH TO ALL NATIONS - (Jew and Gentile) MUST therefore include the 7th day Sabbath.
Unless somewhere between or after those texts He said 'except for the 7th day Sabbath commandment'
I conclude that anything contrary MUST be seen as misunderstanding / misinterpretation/ignorance/disobedience or DECEPTION.
For that and many other reasons, nothing in any of Paul's writings is contrary to the continued keeping of the weekly 7th day Sabbath.
All Sabbaths mentioned by him, apply only to the ceremonial ones which were the 'Shadows' fulfilled/replaced by Christ.
The new believers - Jew and Gentile accepted the 7th day Sabbath - it never was disputed.
Christ said 'the Sabbath was made for Man'(Mark.2:27) (universal)
None of the 10 commandments were "shadows" of anything, they are the REFLECTION of God's character /standards, gloriously exemplified and expanded in Christ for us to follow as sons of God by His power. Nothing short of those standards (sin) will enter His kingdom. We do not keep them to be saved- rather- BECAUSE we are saved and gladly and lovingly aspire to be His obedient children.
Abram was a channel to bring promised redemption to ALL mankind. The laws were to be conveyed to ALL people. Jews missed the whole intention. Christ reprimanded them for blocking others from the kingdom Mat.23:13
Christ's new drive should have long been done by them.
Your take on my comment about the Sabbath sign Ez.20:12, slights the importance of our CREATOR's HOLY day - His identity ultimate authority and ownership of all His creation. Without it, there is no 'signature' or 'seal' affixed to the scriptures - no authority. We are subject to Him and His commandments because He owns us both by creation and redemption - crowned by His own Sabbath 'rests' and given us as a divine gift(sign)to glorify Him in corporate worship. We don't seek a sign - it has been there from the first creation!
On point 4 of your last -
Very little of Paul's writings can be understood w/o studying the laws / prophets for background. That leads to many misunderstandings.
If you will, please comment on my take outlined above on his commands in Mat. If we can solve that then we can move on from there.
Later as time allows I will reply to your points as outlined.
Yours in Christ.
TR,
Remind me next time to sign out as -
Yours in Christ, our Sabbath rest -- and LORD OF THE SABBATH - ETERNALLY (Isaiah 66:22,23)
Are you afraid to keep the Biblical Sabbath? Why would you fight so strenuously to reject this commandment of the ONE TRUE GOD? I find it hard to believe you if you say you love Yeshua yet you don't keep HIS commandments. HE said, "If you love ME you will keep MY commandments." HIS commandments are not burdensome. How is it a burden to not work on Sabbath? You lay burdens of man's commandments on the people, just as the scribes and Pharisees did. Their traditions that were additions and subtractions to Torah. You teach men and women to break the commandments of Yahweh, in direct opposition to Yeshua's Word in Matthew 5 that we are to do and teach Torah. The Scripture says that those who do not do the commandments are under a curse! Yeshua removes the curse for those who will submit to HIM, as the Spirit works grace in their lives, through the New Covenant, writing the Torah on our hearts, putting it in our minds, and causing us to walk in HIS statutes and keep HIS commandments. This is Ezekiel 36, Jeremiah 31, and Hebrews 8. Why won't you submit? You readily foist your unbiblical traditions of sunday sabbath, christmas, easter and the like upon men and observe them, but you refuse to keep and teach the commandments of the God that you profess. The words of Paul in Galatians One apply. "Anathema!"
TR,
I have again read thru yours - unable to see the orig pt.1, but your brief recap suffices.
I raise no objection against 'Christ being our Sabbath'.
I only add 'spiritually'
- and note yours 'there is nothing wrong with taking a day off' etc.
treating His COMMANDMENT as being just a mere suggestion!
This smacks of disrespect for the authority of scripture. I put this down to ignorance of the true significance / meaning and implications of the HOLY 7th day Sabbath, sufficiently dealt with in my earlier post.
u post
'fall into the trap of legalism'
reply'
this is always the 'red herring' used. But yes it is indeed a legal matter - the birthday of the completion of creation cannot be changed - it is legally written in HIS law and will condemn many at the Great White Throne Judgment continuing in NEW JERUSALEM Is.66:22,23
But why is legalism never used against any of the other nine commands?
Is it legalism not to lie, steal, covet, or to be faithful to spouse, Love God/man, honor parents etc?
u post - recap of pt1
reply
This cannot be dealt with until you give the details of the OLD and the NEW covenants.
ur post 1.
Col.2:16-17
reply
Remove the 7th day Sabbath from Moses' seat as outlined in prev. post - then this can be discussed.
2.
Here u confirm 'the Sabbath was the sign' yet u posted (The only SIGN? Jesus said - an "evil adulterous generation" seeks after a sign. Then he mocks them-)
3.
reply
see my post re Christ's commands in Mat.
4.
reply
almost agreed - for context see Acts 2:46 for context (they met daily)
5.
reply
Agreed 50% BUT that does not make it clear. The laws which made them 'a peculiar people' was to be transmitted to the world - to show the way to salvation 'He is not willing that ANY should perish' - both then and now. The Jews missed His intention.
6.
reply
not written but very likely by oral tradition. Christ said 'The Sabbath was MADE for MAN'(not just Jews) It was MADE at Gen.2:2,3 AFTER MAN was MADE and BEFORE he sinned. There was no need to write it down then only 2 people needed to hear and pass it on orally. According to your own reasoning, did man NOT NEED it at least for rest then? Why would it have been MADE and KEPT FROM MAN? Is this reasonable assumption?
When Cain killed Able, was it sin? (transgression of the law) If not on what basis was he punished?
Cain was not a JEW! but apparently he knew the law (alluded to by John(1Jn.3:12) who by the way has possibly the best explanations on the commandments involved in both the OLD and the NEW covenants - (more anon)
Abraham kept God's 'precepts'.
The plague of hail in Egypt Ex.9:23 had great significance concerning the law and especially the Sabbath in the smiting of the FLAX V31.It is very detailed and my study of it is not yet complete - suffice it to say that the law was represented by the color blue in the sanctuary settings and the flax bloom is blue. The symbolism is present in texts about Rahab in Jericho, Sampson, prophesy re Christ, The man in bronze and his plumbline test of the wall mended with inferior plaster and the great outpouring of hail in Revelation - alluded to in the book of Job.
I do not have all the relevant texts on hand (more anon)
Why did Pharoah shout 'you are idle, you are idle' Ex.5:17 and increase the labour of the Jews in Egypt? Is it possible that slavery (bondage) had compelled them to break the Sabbath which was (possibly) being restored by Moses Ex.5:4,5,9, followed by'fulfill your DAILY (everyday)tasks v13 --- before departure to Sinai before which God 'tested' them with the Sabbath to see whether or not they would keep his law "that I may prove them' Ex.16:4.
The 'TEST' factor in the Sabbath remains a great part of its shunning today.
The majority has lost sight of its significance and their reason to keep it. OBEDIENCE remains the problem to this day!
I might have to break here.
TR,
ur post 6.
reply contd.
Enoch (not a Jew) walked with God Gen.5:24
'By faith -- He pleased God' Heb.11:5 (His walk must have been within the freedom of the law of love and liberty - the 10 commandments)
The many patriarchs in Heb.11 all exercised faith. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God - all of them before Moses had His unwritten word - which it must be reasonable to assume contained His 10 commandments.
7. reply
You actually confirm my claim that they accepted the Sabbath and kept it so that it never was disputed by anyone in the epistles. This was full obedience to His commands in Mat. as I pointed out before.
8.reply
see mine on Mat. These are all ceremonial Sabbaths.
9.reply
very true and I congratulate you for stating one side of the truth. I add - neither does the scripture state that the Sabbath was changed to SUNday. There was ample time for this to have been written, given the time delay until the actual writing of the n/t books/epistles.
10.reply
Heb.9-13 surrounding your quote clearly point to the blood of animals being replaced by 'the blood of Christ'-- purging your conscience from DEAD WORKS to serve the living God' verse 14.
This is clearly the the CEREMONIAL LAW being called DEAD WORKS with which you mistakenly mix the MORAL LAW 10 commandments. This is a grave error on your part.
I am now seeing clearly that you make no distinction between the two distinct set of laws.
The 10 commandments including the 7th day Sabbath, must not be confused or mixed with the hundreds of ceremonial laws including 8 or 9 other Sabbaths.
Let me point out some of the distinct differences here-
The MORAL LAW 10 commandments, reflect the character/standards of God which remain for ever. These were first spoken then written by the FINGER of God in 2 tablets of stone, which Moses placed INSIDE the ark of the covenant, under the mercy seat (representing Gods throne) above which His glory hovered. These represent His glory which we all fall short of. They will remain as long as God exists. These formed the basis of the OLD covenant - (the ark was the safe keeping box for the covenant written on stone)
SPECIAL NOTE -- This was seen by John in the temple in heaven 'the ark of His testament' Rev.11:19.
to be contd.
TR,
my last end
SPECIAL NOTE -- This was seen by John in the temple in heaven 'the ark of His testament' Rev.11:19.
to be contd.
reply contd-
If you think the Sabbath has been done away with - think again - when was it removed from the ark of the covenant - and what is it doing in heaven?
NOTE carefully the rest of the verse 'and there were lightnings--- and great hail - it brings judgement- see verse 18. Remember the reserves of hail I mentioned earlier spoken of in the book of Job - this is it being poured out.
This is very significant of the permanence of the 10 commandments and their role in the judgement.
Note also (v 18) that at the same time the prophets (whom you told me to stop studying) are being rewarded along with the saints - in whom GRACE and WORKS operate in beautiful harmony as they 'keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus' Rev:12:17, among whom, I now in the spirit of Elijah (Mal.4:5) call, YOU the reader, to heed the angel (messenger) of Rev.14:7 to return to worship Him (as CREATOR) that made heaven and earth --(quoting Genesis- identifying with Him in His HOLY Sabbath day sign) and join those who heed this call, seen paitent in tribulation, 'they that KEEP (works) the commandments of GOD, and the the FAITH (grace) of Jesus' Rev.14:12, so that you may be among "they that DO His commandments, THAT they may have right to thr TREE of LIFE, and may ENTER in thru the GATES into the city (Rev.22:14)
After the above, I need go no further. I have shown you the end of all present earthly matters - His qualified saints and how they qualify -- marching thru the gates into New Jerusalem - there to forever join in weekly worship every Sabbath before Him (Isaiah 66:22,23)
u post-
Oh, you will do works. But they will be the works worked in you by His Spirit, His very life. For it’s God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).
reply --
I join in your anchor--
His good pleasure - O yes, based entirely upon the perfect fulfillment of His complete perfected MORAL LAW - the basis of the OLD (written in stone) and the NEW covenant - now written in our hearts by His Spirit. AMEN!
Note - the rest of your post refers to the glory of the NEW covenant but you never state WHAT IT IS!
I await your post outlining what you see as the basis of the OLD and the NEW covenants and how they differ.
NOTE My take - they are both based on the 10 commandments, transgression of which, caused the many 'Shadowy' ceremonial laws to be added/established to bring a temporary appeasement until Christ the substance came and replaced the many ceremonial laws only.
The 10 commandments are now written in our hearts by His Spirit - that is the NEW covenant!
The only changes are (1)the place written (stone to heart) (2) the payment for transgression (animal blood to Christ's Blood) and (3) the instrument of writing (His FINGER to HIS SPIRIT). The written CONTENT REMAINS THE SAME PERFECT MORAL LAW - THE 10 COMMANDMENTS!
Looks like more 'ranting'?
I will outline the supporting texts later as time allows - if you wish.
Yours in Christ our SPIRITUAL Sabbath and LORD OF THE 7th day Sabbath - forever - even in New Jerusalem (Is.66:22,23)
I'm afraid you err not knowing the Scriptures. Your position that Torah is not for followers of the God who gave Torah is not Scriptural. You are simply following man's tradition.
DEAR DEAR TR,
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