Keeping the Sabbath

What is the true Sabbath and how do we keep it?

“Let us therefore be in awe/reverence, lest a promise being left us of entering into His Rest, any of you should come short of it… There remains, therefore, a keeping of a Sabbath to the people of God.”   Hebrews 4

Many argue that the day of rest called for by God is Saturday (the seventh day of the week) or Sunday (the first day of the week). God called for His people to keep the weekly Sabbath, the seventh day, as a token to remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy unto Him. But the true Sabbath is much bigger than that. It is written, “Don’t be ignorant of the one thing: One day to the LORD is as a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8), and “in six days, that is six thousand years all things will be accomplished” (Barnabus 13:4-5). Genesis 2 tells us that God finished His work on the sixth day and on the seventh day He rested and sanctified that day to be kept to Him.

The Party’s Over, by The Christian Choristers

What is the Seventh Day?

At the time of Moses when God delivered Israel out of the toil and bondage of Egypt, God gave him the Law and the Covenant and sent him to command the children of Israel to keep it. The keeping of the Sabbath is included in the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20, “showing mercy to the thousands that love Me and keep My Commandments… Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, Six days shall you labor and do all your work, But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD, in it you shall not do any work…”

Y’hoshua made this curious statement (John 9:4): “I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day, the night is coming when no man can work.”  He also said, “While I am in the world I am the Light of the world.”  Knowing that the “day” starts at night, “the evening and the morning were the first day…” etc., that might be a clue to tell us when the Sabbath starts.

Again, Isaiah (60:2) says that “darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people…” and Joel (2:1-2) says the Day of the LORD is at hand and it is a day of darkness…” Jeremiah 4:22-23 says “My people are foolish, they have not known Me… to do good they have no knowledge… they have no Light.”

Calling the Sabbath a “Delight”

The Prophet Isaiah tells us (58:13-14) “If you turn your foot away from breaking the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day and call the Sabbath a delight…  not doing your own ways nor finding your own pleasure nor speaking your own words…” Then God gives promises to those who keep His Word.

Who is called to keep the Sabbath?

Is the whole world called to keep the Sabbath? No! It has been given to the children of Israel alone to keep. It is their inheritance.

Who are the Children of Israel?

The world has been deceived into thinking that “Israel” equates to Jews and that’s it. Y’hoshua said (Matt 15:24), “I am not sent but to the Lost Sheep of the house of Israel.”  He told his Apostles (Matt 10:5-6), “Don’t go in the way of the heathen… but go rather to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel.”

Abraham was the father of Isaac who was the father of Jacob who was the father of the Twelve Patriarchs of the House of Israel, one of which was Judah. After the death of King Solomon, the whole House was split into two kingdoms, Israel (ten tribes) and Judah (two tribes). This is a great mystery because Israel has been all but forgotten. They have lost the memory of their roots. The inheritance belongs to them (Heb 8:10)! The time has come for them to regain their memory. As Paul says (Rom 9) there is “a remnant which shall be saved/delivered.”

The Time has Come

The time has come to learn of and keep not only the true Sabbath but all the Laws of the Covenant of God which one must do in order to have life. Otherwise, as in the days of Noah, any who did not cease from their own works to come and build the Ark and take shelter in it were drowned in the Flood and forgotten!