Instructions for God’s People in Honoring and Entering into His Sabbath Rest
Scriptures tell us that the Sabbath was created on the seventh day; How is the 7th day Sabbath observed? Sunset Friday brings us into darkness on the 7th day Saturday and that darkness continues for a period of time until light re-appears on Sunday. All prophesy given in darkness, moons, months, new moon and lunar all usher in blindness or error which is of Satan.
Genesis 2:1, Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2, 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. 3, 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.
This seventh day has no mention of evening and morning as in the other six days of creation. As a matter of fact, scripture tell us that God is light and there’s no darkness in Him at all;
1st John 1:5, “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all”.
What did the males and females created on the sixth day do when the 7th Day Sabbath was created? God brought them into His Sabbath which was only light, no darkness present at all.
1st Thessalonians 5:4, “But ye, brethren. are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5, ye are all children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night or of darkness.
Christ becomes our Passover
John 8:12, Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying “I am the light of the world: he that follow Me shall not walk in Danes but shall have the light of life”
Then we read: Matthew 11:28, “Come unto Me all who labor and are heaven laden and I will give you rest.
The word rest is #703in Strongs dictionary and means to repose,,to exempt, refresh, to take ease. 29, ” take My yoke upon you for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls,”
That’s the goal for our inner man, rest for our soul which fills our souls with the knowledge of God through the Holy Spirit and Christ as our redeemer.
Acquiring the Serpenti,ne Nature
All men have acquired the nature of the Tree of Good and Evil from Adam, who could have taken from the Tree of life but didn’t. Now all men desire to exercise their ability to know what is right from what is wrong thus we decide good from evil which is very natural to us, rather then we exercise our dependence on God through the Tree of Life.
This disobedience on the part of Adam occurred during the time of the dispensation of Innocence, that is, before sin entered into the world. Now, because of the disobedience of one man, Romans 5:12, the age of innocence was lost and gave way to the dispensation of law, where God will judge his people and is the present reality.
God Delivering His People From Egypt
Exodus 1:8, “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.”
Joseph’s bones were carried out of Egypt by the children of Israel when they departed Egyptian bondage. Joseph’s bones represent the law. If the human body didn’t have a foundation made up of bones, our flesh would be a blob and we would not be able to stand. See Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones. Exodus 1:8, tells us that the King of Egypt didn’t recognize Joesph, law, and was lawless. Joseph’s bones were first carried out of Egypt by Moses, Exodus 13:19, then by Joshua, Joshua 24:32, meaning, the nation of Israel were always going to live by God’s law if it were to receive God’s blessings. If an individual or nation doesn’t have as its foundation law, it will have many problems.
Because God exercised judgement on the Egyptians He had mercy on His people in bondage and raised up Moses to deliver them.
These people of the Exodus were rescued by Moses, although it is obvious that they had the serpentine nature still within them, Satan’s nature, because of their mummerings and complaining.
Exodus 16:2, And the whole congregation of the children Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3, And the children of Israel said unto them, “Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
God’s solution for the complaints of the people was to change their diet, from the earthy food of Egypt, to His heavenly food, bread from heaven,manna.
We can continue reading the rest of this chapter and the instructions by God of gathering manna for six days and the seventh day would be a holy Sabbath rest.
Exodus 16:21, And they gathered it every morning, everyman according to his eating; and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 22, and it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man; and all rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23, And he said unto them, “This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the Holy Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe ye that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be keep until morning.”
Many people think that the Sabbath law was issued in Chapter 20 but it is first addressed here in Exodus 16 with its remedy to cure the people’s lust. Editors note: Sabbath rest will never occur without a willing effort on our part by gathering manna day by day until we come into His 7th day rest.
Psalms 78:24, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, And had given them the corn of heaven. 25, Man did eat angels food:
This manna referred to in Psalms 78:25 is called angels food. Angels have a spirit body. Man is made up of a spirit, soul and body, 1st Thessalonians 5:23. We have two bodies, a physical body as well as a spiritual body,1st Corinthians 15:44. This heavenly food would nourish the people’s spiritual body if they had the faith, for the Apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews 3:9, “When your father tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works for forty years. therefor I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their heart; and they have not known My ways. 11, So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest.”
Hebrews 3:19, so we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
There remained therefore a rest for the people of God. How will God accomplish this sabbath rest for His people?
Dueternomy 18:15, “The Lord thy God shall raise up unto thee a prophet from the mist of thee, of thy brethren like unto me; unto Him ye shall harken.”
This statement says that God raises up His many membered body from the bottom up through His Holy Spirit, Zechariah 4:6. Christ said that He would build His church but many learned men, through human effort, have tried to help Jesus Christ, but they have only brought forth many denominations never realizing that its only through death and a new life that the resurrection will occur, not human effort. God is the only way resurrection will occur. All other of men’s efforts are vanity.
The Jews marveled that Jesus knew letters although He was never learned, John 7:15. His disciples were called unlearned as well in Acts 4:13. Meaning that they were taught by the Holy Spirit and not in colleges, seminarys, or by organized religion
How will God’s rest for His people be brought about?
John 6:27, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life , which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
The word sealed is from the Greek dictionary # 4972 and 4973 and means protecting from mishapprations, stamp impressed as a mark of privacy as geniuness. Christ is the only offering accepted by his Father and no one will be able to try and twist scriptures to make scriptures say what scriptures do not say. Jesus Christ is the only straightforward way to eternal life.
. John 6:28, then they said unto Him,”What shall we do that we might work the works of God?” 29, Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent.”
Jesus is telling them that it is necessary for them to be believers, something the nation of Israel didn’t do. We need to keep in mind that the Tree of Life was freely given if Adam if he wanted it, where as, the manna which was Angels food in Exodus 16, was to be willingly gathered by the people, eaten daily and taken inwardwardly for their healing of murmuring and complaining.
. John 6:32, Then Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.” 33, “For the bread of God is He Which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.”
This is not talking about life as humans, grass, or trees have. This life is God’s life which He wants to fill us with inwardly. We are already made in His image outwardly, now He want’s to fill us with His life inwardly. This is the only way, the holy character of God will be recognized. Christ wants us to bring forth much fruit,
John 15:8, “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.
This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, love joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23, Meekness, temperance, against such there is no law, Galatians 5:23
The nation of Israel didn’t come into God’s rest because of murmurring and complaining against Moses and Aaron. When we look back to their actions, its easy to see that we, the disciples of Christ, need to overcome these obstacles within us as well or we will never be part of God’s Character or of His Holy Nature.
There are promises made to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation; and the promises are made to those who overcome. This is the Holy Spirit working within those who are willingly trying and with God’s help will succeed. This is what brings about the promise of God’s rest we read about in Hebrews 4. When we have the faith and are believers in God or Jesus Christ, then we are in the place that God chooses and can’t help but rest with Him.
The place that God chooses to place His name, the Word of God, Revelation 19:13, is in our minds and the city of our God is the New Jerusalem which come down out of heaven as a bride adorned for Her Husband, Revelation 21:2
Revelation 22:5, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
This is the same light we find at the seventh day Sabbath creation when their is no mention of darkness. This rest is an important promise of God. All we need to do as disciples of Christ is to claim His promises along with a willing heart.