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Tel-World Ministries |
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The Sabbath - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know |
www.DaytonaVisit.com |
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Stewarton Bibile School, Scotland
The seventh day of the week, the day commonly known as Saturday, is the Sabbath day of YAHWEH the Almighty God of Israel. It was ordained of God as a day of physical rest for all mankind, and the obligation to observe it arises from
Yahweh's own example
The word Sabbath implies rest, peace, tranquillity and refreshment. And who will doubt but that in this turbulent and confused world every soul on earth is in need of spiritual rest and refreshment. Consequently, those who faithfully remember the Sabbath of the Most High and draw apart from the world each weekend to worship Him on His holy day, will receive the spiritual blessings promised in His Holy Word; blessings that will find full scope in the ages to come.
The seventh day Sabbath according to the Bible, was blessed,
sanctified and set apart for sacred use by the God of Israel at the
creation of the world, and on that memorable occasion it was
first observed by the Lord Himself.
(Genesis 2:2-3)
Furthermore, all mankind is required by divine law to keep holy
the seventh day of the week. The Sabbath command is one of the
Ten Commandments, a law which is not only scheduled to outlast this
universe but which every soul on earth is obliged to observe.
Therefore as long as heaven and earth shall last, the seventh day of
the week is the Sabbath day. Disobedience of Yahweh's law, of which
the Sabbath commandment is merely a part, is sin. These unequivocal
facts cannot be rejected without serious consequences.
(Exodus 20:8-11, Matthew 5:17-19, 1 John 3:4)
Sabbath desecration is strongly condemned by the true prophets of God
and their inspired messages have been recorded in the Scriptures for
the benefit of succeeding generations of readers from every nation
under heaven. Dare we ignore their warnings?
(Ezekiel 20:19-24, Ezekiel 22:8,26,31, Jeremiah 17:27)
In recognition of the Sabbath commandment Yeshua the Messiah
(Jesus Christ) kept holy the seventh day of the week (Saturday) and
the Scriptures testify to the fact that it was his custom to do so.
(Luke 4:16)
Like his Master, it was also the custom of the Apostle Paul and his
companions to observe the seventh day Sabbath, the day commonly known
as Saturday. The disciple were still observing the true Sabbath day
some sixteen to twenty years after the resurrection.
(Acts 17:2, Acts 18:4)
In addition to the above, new converts, both Jews and Gentiles alike,
regularly attended the synagogue for worship on the Saturday Sabbath,
and the fact that interested Gentiles in Antioch requested further
instruction of Paul "on the next Sabbath" is
irrefutable evidence that no separate Sunday meetings were being held
there by those early Christians. In other words, the Gentiles were
willing to wait a full week, till the next Saturday, for a meeting.
Why? Because they knew that Paul and his companions did not normally
meet for divine worship on a Sunday, but would instead be available
for discussion again on the next Sabbath. On the next Sabbath
(Saturday) almost the whole city arrived for the meeting.
(Acts 13:42-44)
In his prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the Master
advised his followers to pray that their flight from the city "be
not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." This
passage is also strong proof that Jesus Christ had absolutely no
intention whatsoever of doing away with the Sabbath commandment at
the cross. On the contrary it shows his high regard for the Sabbath
day in that he advised his followers - who were mostly Jews -
to even go to the extent of praying to God about it, that He would
make it possible for them to keep the Sabbath day some 40 years
after the crucifixion!
(Matthew 24:20)
The Seventh day Sabbath is also the divine Sign which the God
of Israel places in the minds of His people. It is Yahweh's Signature
which He inscribes on the believer's mind to commemorate his work of
creation, sanctification and salvation through Jesus. The Sabbath is,
in fact, the eternal memorial token of the perpetual covenant
between The Almighty and His Church. What's more, it will
continue to be so even in the new heavens and the new earth.
(Exodus 20:12&20, Isaiah 66:22-23)
The Sabbath rest is a token or sample of the divine Rest of God
which the Most High is eagerly looking forward to. Many believers are
going to be excluded from that divine rest because of their
deliberate and persistent disobedience of the Sabbath commandment.
(Psalm 95:10-11, Hebrews 4:9-11)
Students are therefore advised to "Remember the Seventh
day to keep it holy." If they do this, they will,
according to the divine declaration, feast on the heritage of Jacob
and be made welcome in the Holy Mountain of God.
(Isaiah 56:2-7, Isaiah 58:13-14)
In some strange way the Most high values His Sabbath days more than
any human mind can appreciate. They are to Him a unique, spiritual
treasure of inestimable worth. Try to understand His pleadings in
these amazing words:
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Ezekiel 20:11-12 |
"And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments,
which if a man do, he shall even live in them. |
Note how the Sabbath is given a special place of honour, far above the other statutes and judgements, important as they obviously are. Yahweh's Sabbath is an eternal token of sanctification; the sacred sign that sets the obedient believer apart from all the other peoples of the earth. It is His SIGN, His Signatre on the true believer's mind. We trust that you dear student are not missing out on this vital commandment?
In addition to the weekly Sabbath day, Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel has seven annual Sabbaths. Every one of them is a memorial of a great event in the Plan of Salvation. The explanatory booklet entitled The Festivals of the God of Israel is available online.
Author: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
August 1998
URL: http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/sbs777/course/lesson13.html