God’s Sabbath, (Part 2)
God’s Sabbath, part one, says that Christ became our Sabbath. How could that have happened when there was a seventh day Sabbath in existence, Genesis 2:2-3.
As we read in part one, man, male and female, were created on the sixth day and were brought in on the seventh day to enjoy all that God had created on His six days of working. When God finished working He rested and His children rested while enjoying what He had created in six days of work. God’s nature is that He accomplishes something for men, then He rests. Although we haven’t done anything, we rest as well. In our rest we enjoy what God has created for us.
After resting on the seventh day, God resumes His work which would be on an eighth day. This is the day in which God created Adam, had him fall into a deep sleep, and build a woman as an equal companion for him. Now God’s purpose was for filling Adam and his wife Eve inwardly with His life, the Tree of Life, a representation of Jesus Christ Himself. Adam and his wife rejected God’s instructions and both were disqualified and ushered out of the Garden. God’s plan for His children were now set aside until someone, a trusted replacement, would qualify. The trusted replacement would be the promised Seed of the woman we read about in Genesis 3:15.
Now what happened to the seventh day Sabbath? God would continue with His seventh day Sabbath but only until someone who qualified would bring to a conclusion the fallen Adamic race and He would be called the last Adam.
1st Corinthians 15:45, and so it is written, “the first man Adam was made a living soul;the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
God’s Goal For Man
Before we go further in this subject, we need to grasp an understanding what God’s goal and intended purpose was for His children. To see this, we must be taken back to the book of Genesis chapter one.
The first day God created light,(spiritual light to enlighten our minds). The second day He divided the waters, The third day He caused the dry land to appear, the fourth day He created the sun, moon, and stars. The fifth day God brought forth the birds and living creatures, and on the sixth day He created man, male and female. All this creation was as God said, very good,Genesis 1:31. As long as we follow what was created on these six days, we can’t help but see a progression, from the land to grass to animals to man.
The final step in this progression shows us that Adam and his wife Eve would not cooperate with God in His work. God wanted the progression to continue by using men of the physical creation as vessels to be filled with His Life. God’s finished goal was not to create a good man but to bring forth Godly son’s and daughters by filling them with His life. They had life but their life was no better than the grass of the field, Isaiah 40:7-8. God’s life is everlasting life.
The Birth of The Promised Seed
We find the birth of Jesus came to pass in Matthew 1:21. It was this Jesus who was tested,tried, and was a man of sorrows, who was eventually put to death on a cross. He was buried, resurrected, and ascended and accepted by God to qualify as the savior of all men, John 20:17.
When Jesus was dying on the cross His last words were, it is finished.
John 19:30, When Jesus then received the vinegar, He said, “it is finished”.
What exactly was finished? Remember, Jesus was called the last Adam, 1st Corinthians 15:45. According to the Bible, Jesus would be the last man in type of the fallen Adamic race. All men were in Adam as a corporate man and Romans 6:6 says that our old man was crucified with Him. We, as well as Christ submitted ourselves to the cross willingly. He by shedding His blood to give us His life. We, because it is reckoned according to our faith. Because of Jesus death and resurrection, He would be the start of a new beginning, a beginning of a resurrected life from the dead. Resurrection is the work of God only, man has no part in resurrection. Now, because we are in Christ, we are in a corporate body called His Church, called as a new man, Ephesians 4:24. That is the Gospel, the Good News.
Genesis 2:17, “But of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shall shalt die”.
Because of Adam not listening and cooperating with God, all men are subject to the death penalty. We all need the resurrected life after death.
John 11:25, Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
There are words used in the Bible like old covenant, new covenant, old man, new man. a new earth, old wine vs. new wine, new garment and old garment. All these terms are usable and good but must be understood according to God’s progressive purpose. So the question must be asked, can Satan cast out Satan?
Satan’s Kingdom is a Divided Kingdom
Matthew 12:25, And Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26, And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?
Jesus answers the question asked and it is no, Satan can’t cast out Satan. Satan doesn’t know that he is in oppression to God. After all, doesn’t his tree say that it is good as well as evil? The problem is that many don’t see or understand that, since the Garden, all men as well as women are filled with the nature of Satan. They have the ability to do good as well as evil. Only when God touches our lives and has compassion to lead our fallen nature from his kingdom to God’s pure innocent nature will we be able to overcome the nature of the god of this world, Satan, 2nd Corinthians 4:4.
Only Jesus Christ who has the God given authority is qualified to restore man’s fallen nature to those who are willing to abandon our own fallen nature to seek His Nature and goodness.
Many don’t have this desire because God has not touched their lives yet. When He is ready to call them they will respond one way or another. God doesn’t force anything on anyone but leads with His Spirit step by step. It’s a matter of believing and trusting and when we read that we love God, His first commandment is love, because He loved us first. Hebrews chapter 11 says that the Fathers as well as the prophets received a good report because of their believing and trusting in Him.
Because of Christ’s work of the cross, He could say the words, “it is finished,” and everything before His death and resurrection has become old.
2nd Corinthians 5:17,”Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new, 18, and all things are of God.”
The word creature above should be translated creation. Yes, everything written for us was good and served its purpose and have led us to Jesus Christ. The 7th day sabbath was a memorial of creation but Christ is the author of the new and better creation. How do we know?
Moses Breaks The Law
When Moses was on the mountain receiving the law on tablets of stone, the people in the camp were worshiping an idol. He then broke the tablets of stone containing the law which were written by God. The meaning of this action is that men don’t want God and His law in their lives. They have no knowledge or understanding that all men are in need of salvation.
Galatians 3:21, “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid, for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily, righteousness should have been by the law. 24, Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25, but after faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
These verses are telling us that keeping the law will never give us life, and that we need faith, without which we will not be pleasing to God, Hebrews 11:6.
Moses Gives Us The Law As Well As The Pattern Of The Tabernacle
However, after Moses breaking of the law, God gave him a second set of tablets along with additional laws and a pattern for the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle, is a picture of Jesus Christ who dwells among us, John 1:14. This time Moses doesn’t break the tablets of stone because those who are in Christ have a heart for God and will always want to keep the law as Jesus did. Why? Because Jesus Christ has all power in heaven and in the earth, Matthew 28:18, and sits on His Throne judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Do those in Christ keep the law? Of course! How do we know?
Hebrews 12:4, Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
We will never be perfect while we are still in the flesh.
Hebrews 12:6, For whom the Lord loveth He chastened, and scourgeth every son He receiveth.
Any one who has had the faith to be baptized into His name as instructed, will be expected to grow in faith and not need to be concerned about keeping His spiritual law. God is an excellent Father and He will accomplish His initial goal, raising children from this physical realm to His heavenly Kingdom through our faith in Jesus Christ, This is the Sabbath Rest we seek.