Since the Fall, the Sabbath has taken an even greater understanding. While it remains a memorial to God’s original Creation, it also represents a part of the plan of redemption. On the Sabbath we rest from our works and draw closer to the God who saves us (Revelation 14:6-7).
Among the many teachings of the Bible, there are two in particular that generate much study and discussion: justification and sanctification. They are integral to our understanding of salvation; and they play a part in the new role that the Sabbath has assumed since the Fall. Justification has to do with the fact that Jesus’ death has fully paid for our sins and provided us with eternal salvation. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. It deals with God’s gracious imparting of His Holy Spirit to dwell within us and continuously transform us more and more into His image.
God did not construct an elaborate shrine in some location as a memorial of His created work. Rather he created a physical palace or a ‘palace in time’.
We know that God does not grow faint or weary (Isa. 40:28). God’s rest was to set a pattern for us. The Hebrew words for rest in Exodus 20:11 and 31:17 are different, suggesting the author’s attempt to give a broader understanding of rest. In 20:11 the word is nuach, which conveys the idea of tranquility, serenity, peace, and repose. In 31:17 the word is naphash, which suggests the idea of taking on a new life, breathing freely, and being refreshed. Combined, these words for rest suggest much more than just a physical rest. Rather, they point toward a rejuvenation and refreshing that come from intimate fellowship with God.
We know that the Sabbath day is holy. But what makes it holy? It is important to realize that the Sabbath does not become holy because we ‘keep it’. Even when the Sabbath is forsaken, its holiness remains. It is holy because God has made it so. The essence of its holiness is God’s presence. Although He is present with us all week. The Sabbath is the day that God Himself has set aside for special fellowship with us.
We have a need for the presence of God (Eze. 20:12,20; Heb. 4:9-11). The Fall affected the Sabbath relationship that God desires to have with His Children (Isa. 59:2; Ex. 31:13, 33:19-23). Because of the barrier of sin, God could no longer meet with humanity face to face on the Sabbath. The holiness of God is a consuming fire to sin, making it impossible for us to meet directly with our Creator.
The Sabbath is a ‘sign between us and God’ so that we know it is Him that sanctifies us (Ex. 31:12-13, Eze. 20:12,20). As a result of humanity’s separation from God, our need for the Sabbath is greater than ever. This is a special time to meditate upon His character and works. Though as sinners we cannot endure the glory of an open encounter with Him, God still called for us to come and meet with Him on the Sabbath.
Hebrews 4:9-11. The Sabbath ‘re-creates’ us and makes us holy. The Sabbath bears witness both to the creative and to the sanctifying power of God, and its observance is an acknowledgement of faith in His power to create and to re-create, or sanctify, individual lives. Moreover, “the ‘rest’ that remains (v. 9) is obviously the ‘rest’ into which the believing Christian of v. 10 enters. The word ‘for’ of v. 10 makes v. 10 contingent upon, and a conclusion drawn from v. 9. That is, it is a rest from the works of sin and any attempt to earn salvation. This understanding of Hebrews 4:9 supports the idea that ‘rest’ in this verse refers to the “rest of faith”.
1 John 3:2, 4:17 tells us what will ultimately happen to us when we spend that special time with our Creator and Redeemer. The separation from God that sin initially brought upon the human race will be reversed. In this life our sins prevent us from direct communion with our God. However, the time is coming when through God’s grace that separation will be no more. For we will once again be able to see His face and commune with Him, especially when we experience His presence on the Sabbath.
When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life (Ezek. 11:19-20, Ps. 51:10-12). The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to God. Then that power which no human eye can see creates a new being in the image of God.
Our tendency is to emphasize the turning away from our own pleasure (or business) on the Sabbath and we fail to grasp the importance of calling the Sabbath a ‘delight’ (Isa. 58:13). The Hebrew word oneg can be translated “exquisite delight” – a word used elsewhere in the Old Testament only in connection with enjoying the pleasures of royalty. The fact that God has set up “royal” opportunities for intimate fellowship with us indicates how much He loves us and how important such communion is for our restoration. Only by beholding Him and delighting ourselves in His presence can we be transformed into His loving and loyal children and be prepared to see Him when He comes again.
The Sabbath and the doctrine of Creation play an important role for humanity just before Jesus’ second coming. Satan threatens God’s plan to recreate us, and is determined to do anything he can to disrupt our fellowship with our Creator and Redeemer. In modern times, one of his most effective means has been to cast doubt, not only on God’s claim to be our Creator but even on whether God exists? No wonder, then, that in the first angel’s message of Revelation 14 (vs. 6-7), the world receives a special message to “Fear God and give glory to Him” and to “worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’. That this message is especially for our time is made clear in the text itself: “for the hour of His judgment has come”. This “hour of judgment” precedes Christ’s second coming.
Apparently when the Lord revealed to John this prophecy of Revelation 14, He knew that it was especially important to remind the world just prior to His second coming to “worship the Creator”. It is more than a coincidence that at the very time the warning of the first angel was to be issued to the world (1844) that ‘isms’ came to the forefront that attacked biblical truths such as: Darwinism-1844 when Darwin completed the expansion of his work on The Origin of Species, Spiritualism rose quickly in the mid 1840’s (i.e., Emanuel Swedenborg spiritualism ideologies precedes: John Murray Spear, Anton Mesmer, Fox Sister, Emanuel, Mosely Baker, and others), Ecumenism, Externalisms, etc. In addition, the electronic media and the transportation facilities which were the means to spread the gospel as well as the ‘isms’ started in 1844.
To many, scientific research has become a curse. …Many accept mere theories and speculations as scientific facts, and they think that God’s word is to be tested by the teachings of ‘science falsely so called’ (1 Tim. 6:20). The Creator and His works are beyond their comprehension; and because they cannot explain these by natural laws, bible history is recorded as unreliable. Those who doubt the reliability of the records of the Old and New Testaments too often go a step further and doubt the existence of God and attribute infinite power to nature. 1 Tim. 6:20
Satan’s ultimate purpose for distracting deceptions can lead to neglect prayer and the searching of the Scriptures, will not be able to stand against his attacks. 1 Peter 5:6-10. He desires to destroy humankind, with a special attack on the Christian family. He uses all types of media to war with the heart and mind such as books, movies, video games, just to name a few. We are to guard the heart and mind at all times, especially for our children and young people. A good rule of thumb, if it is not uplifting in Christian morality then it is something that we should avoid engaging in. Remember, Satan is at war.
Only in a humble reliance upon God, prayer, entreating the Lord for wisdom to understand His word, and obedience to all His commandments, can we be secure. Can we be protected from the hosts of darkness? Ps. 119:10-11, James 4:7.
Once Satan casts doubt upon the idea that God is our Creator, or worse, doubt that He even exists, the essential connection with God (which the Sabbath provides) is destroyed, and we are left alone and hopeless in our sinful state.