Opening song (Sabbath
song)
Closing song (it
may be at morn)
Scripture reading
Ex20:8-11
The Sabbath?
Does the Lord have a
calendar of events?
Based on our study of
the last 6 days we see that yes he has a calendar of events.
Let us turn to our
text of study.
Ex20:8-11
20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it
holy.
20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
20:10
But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the
LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt
not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates:
20:11
For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that
in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath
day, and hallowed it.
This
is one of the most important truths for the Adventist. Not the person that is a member of the
seventh day Adventist church but for the true Adventist. That is the person who
is genuinely looking forward to the soon coming of Christ Jesus.
If
you don’t understand this I will be explaining this in this presentation.
Although
this is a precious truth the sad truth is that not many S.D.A understand ‘the
truths’ that are so dear to the definition of who they are.
Some of the questions we will be hoping to answer from this study are
What
is the commandment of the 7th day Sabbath speaking to?
Is
it speaking to a specific time period?
If
so what time period?
Was
this time period before or after sin?
Let
us turn to our scripture reading
The Sabbath of creation
Who
does the scripture say the Sabbath belongs to? The Sabbath belongs to the
lord. The first Sabbath did and every
Sabbath thereafter. But is there a deeper symbolism that is present here that
we are overlooking.
If
you consider the sequence of how things were created in the beginning, every
new thing made complemented the thing that was made before it.
Following
this conclusion we would easily conclude that the man was made for the Sabbath,
and not it for him. However Jesus makes the point clear that the Sabbath was
made for man although it was made after man.
Lets
us turn to Mark 2:27 the Sabbath was made for man and not man for
the Sabbath
Since
we are in the process of looking at the week of creation, it must follow that
we must first understand how was the first Sabbath made for man, and if there
are any other Sabbaths, how were they made for man?
By
mere deduction we can see that the Sabbath was not for God, but for his
creatures.
Was
there a need for God to rest on the Sabbath (the first 7th day). Can
God get tired? Then why did he rest.
According to what we have studied thus far we understand that he was
instituting a principle at the foundation of the Earth that was to be
perpetually followed.
He
being the master teacher had to participate by demonstration to his creatures
how the Sabbath was to be observed. (first application of Sabbath ----God refreshed
himself-)
The Sabbath of Redemption
From
day 6 we understand that Adam had to go into a deep sleep in order for his
bride to be created. (2nd application of Sabbath- sleep/rest)
We
also understand that Christ had to go into a deep sleep in order for his bride
to be created. It is also note worthy
that Christ rested on the Sabbath.
As
a matter of fact let us turn to the following scripture to settle this point
Lev 23:8-15
23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire
unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day [is] an holy convocation: ye shall
do no servile work [therein].
23:9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say
unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap
the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your
harvest unto the priest:
23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD,
to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave
it.
23:12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the
sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto
the LORD.
23:13 And the meat offering thereof [shall be] two
tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the
LORD [for] a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof [shall be] of wine,
the fourth [part] of an hin.
23:14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched
corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering
unto your God: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations in
all your dwellings.
23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow
after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering;
seven sabbaths shall be complete:
23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh
sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto
the LORD.
Here
is being spoken of the Redemption process of man, and again the Sabbath is
brought into the spotlight. Christ had
to rest in the grave for a full Sabbath for a the price of man’s redemption to
be paid.
Let
us take an even deeper look into the purpose of the Sabbath. So far we have covered the Sabbath of
creation and the Sabbath of redemption, but there remains one more Sabbath yet
that is pivotal to our existence post sin.
The Sabbath of the Millennium
Let
us consider the activities of the Day of Pentecost by turning to Acts 2:14-21
We
are just starting to make the case about the millennium Sabbath.
2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven,
lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ye] that
dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
2:15
For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the third
hour of the day.
2:16
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; (joel 2:28)
2:17
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon
all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men
shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
2:18
And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days
of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
2:19
And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath;
blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
2:20
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before
that great and notable day of the Lord come:
2:21
And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of
the Lord shall be saved.
We
understand that, this was the day of Pentecost-2000 years ago, that Peter spoke,
and the whole world knows that he was under the influence of the Holy Ghost.
Now the Holy Spirit speaks truth, and the Holy Spirit was definitely
influencing Peter’s speech on the day of Pentecost.
So Peter
could not have been wrong when he said that “this is the last days.” The Holy Spirit cannot lie. But
this event happened 2000 years ago, so what are we to understand here from this
speech made so long ago?
The
truth is that that this speech given by Peter solidifies the claim that a
thousand years is as a day with the Lord. (psalm 90:4) The week of creation as we know it is actually a
prophecy.
Peter
is letting us know that there are only two more days left to work; or put
another way the effects of sin only has two more thousand years to run on this
Earth, before God steps in and brings the theater of sin to a close..
What
am I saying?
Sin
would have a reign of 6000 years on this Earth during which time God would be
hard at work. For the true Adventist they know that sin is allotted 6000 years
and then the 1000 years that is to be spent in heaven is actually a jubilee to
the Earth….or said another way the Earth was to enjoy a Sabbath.
God had worked in the beginning and He is working again
John 5:2-19 vs Gen2:1-3
5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep
[market] a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five
porches.
5:3
In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt,
withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
5:4
For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled
the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was
made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5:5
And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight
years.
5:6
When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time [in
that case], he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
5:7
The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is
troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down
before me.
5:8
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
5:9
And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked:
and on the same day was the sabbath.
5:10
The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day:
it is not lawful for thee to carry [thy] bed.
5:11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the
same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
5:12
Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy
bed, and walk?
5:13
And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed
himself away, a multitude being in [that] place.
5:14
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold,
thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
5:15
The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made
him whole.
5:16
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him,
because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
5:17 But Jesus answered them,
My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
5:18
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had
broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal
with God.
5:19
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what
things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Chrsit
is here making the claim that His father is working; but how could this be when
we were told clearly that God rested from all his work on the sixth day?
Let
us read it.
Gen2:1-3
2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them.
2:2
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.
2:3
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.
After
God had worked 6 days he rested on the Sabbath.
(the scripture is emphatic, not from some of his work…but ALL of his
work) The first Sabbath was His Sabbath for He was the only one who had worked.
Only He was deserving of rest and not Adam.
But
here is where we get a clear understanding that in order for man to enjoy the
Sabbath with God, he had to be invited. Adam was extended an invitation to join
the Lord in His rest/Sabbath.(is 48:6-7)
So…when
man sinned God started to work again. This work commenced with the cursing of
the serpent, the woman and the man and the Earth Gen 3:14-18 and will continue until the 6000 years are complete.
Then He shall enjoy his Sabbath again with His people.
A New thing
Is 43:18-19; Jer
31:22; 2 corinth 5:17; Gal 6:15
Rom 8:7
Because the carnal, or as it is
literally in the Greek, “the mind of the flesh”
is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be.” That makes emphatic the thought presented in connection with the other
text, that there is no possibility of that enmity being reconciled to God.
Nothing can be done with it but to take it away, to destroy it. Nothing can be
done for it at all. Something may be done with it, but nothing can be done for
it. And for the reason that it is against God, “it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be.” It cannot
be subjected to the law of God. God Himself cannot make the carnal mind, the
mind of flesh, subject to His law. It cannot be done. This is not speaking with
nay irreverence toward the Lord, or limiting His power, but it cannot be done.
God can destroy the wicked thing and all that ever brought it, but the cannot
do anything for it, to reform it or to make it better. (righteousness by faith.
A.T. Jones)
Devil knows he has but a short time Rev12:12
Now
picture this with me if someone gave you six days to accomplish a task and 4
days have passed and you are no closer to accomplishing it than when you had begun wouldn’t two days
be a short time? This is exactly what has happened to the devil, and as result
he is taking out his wrath on God’s people because he can not pour it out on
His son.
Bear
with me as I make my case…
When
Christ arrived on the scene the Earth had seen 4000 years of sin. If we are to apply the 1000 years is a day
principle then this mean that there is 2000 years left for work to be done by
the Lord.
Now
what do you think is the significance of this text Rev.
rev 12:10 And I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our God day and night.
12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the
Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto
the death.
12:12 Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that
dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil
is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
We
are trying to establish here that the 1000 years to be spent in Heaven during
the second phase of the investigative judgment is to be a Sabbath unto the
Earth. But for some of you that might think that I am stretching it, I would
want you to know that this was common knowledge during the time of Christ. Let us look at this further. Turn with me to
2 Peter 3:1-9
3:1
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in [both] which I
stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
3:2
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy
prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and
Saviour:
3:3
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers,
walking after their own lusts,
3:4
And saying, Where
is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all
things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation.
3:5
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
3:6 Whereby
the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
3:7
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept
in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men.
3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of
this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day.
3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance.
If that was not clear let us look carefully at verse
10.
3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, (evening) and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall be burned up.(morning)
The
day of the Lord---evening and the morning
As
students of the bible how many years pass between the second coming and third
coming of Christ?
Rev
20:1-7-thousand years
Rev 20:1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and
shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no
more, till the thousand
years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season.
20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them,
and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years.
20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This [is] the first resurrection.
20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in
the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall
be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand
years.
20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed
out of his prison,
The Word of God
cannot return to him void= Is 55:11
In the day that thou eatest of the
fruit gen 2:17…………..you shall die…………
Did
Adam die the same day he ate of the fruit?
Why?
At
what age did Adam die…….did not live to complete a day…..did he?
The
word of God is true.
Questions
Now
that we have established that the 7th day Sabbath actually points to
the time that is to be spent in heaven, and the commencement of the Eden
restored, let us move on now to ask some more questions that will deepen our
understanding of the Sabbath.
Can
a person celebrate the eternal Sabbath if they have never enjoyed the Sabbath
here on Earth?
Why?
It
is a demonstration of your faith towards the second coming by celebrating a
Sabbath on Earth.
Was
there a Sabbath in heaven prior to the existence of this earth? No.
How
do we know this? Let us turn to Gen2:2. this established that the sabbath came to being after God
rested in it. Also Mark 2:27 the Sabbath was made for man and not man for
the Sabbath. If man did not exist before and it wasmade for
him, it therefore follows that it could nothave pre-existed him.
Jesus
is just clarifying here that had it not been for man, there would be no Sabbath.
God did not need a Sabbath, He was not tired. But the plan of salvation was put
in place, as a part of the very fiber of the earth at creation. The invitation has been re-issued!
Will
you join the Lord in his rest?
Your
answer to that question depends largely on how you treat the Earthly Sabbath.
Let
us read a text that solidifies this.
Heb4:1-11
4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being
left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of
it.
4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word
preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard
[it].
4:3
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have
sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were
finished from the foundation of the world.
4:4
For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And
God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
4:5
And in this [place] again, If they shall enter into my rest.
4:6
Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to
whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
4:7
Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long
a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
hearts.
4:8
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have
spoken of another day.
4:9
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
4:10
For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God [did] from his.
4:11
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after
the same example of unbelief.
Did
the Servant of the Lord catch this, or did she have anything to say about this,
or am I just trying to come up with a new doctrine?
“The sky opened and shut and
was in commotion. The mountains shook like a reed in the wind and cast out
ragged rocks all around. The sea boiled like a pot and cast out stones upon the
land. And as God spoke the day and the hour of Jesus' coming and delivered the
everlasting covenant to His people, He spoke one sentence, and then paused,
while the words were rolling through the earth. The Israel of God stood with
their eyes fixed upward, listening to
286
the words as they came from
the mouth of Jehovah and rolled through the earth like peals of loudest
thunder. It was awfully solemn. At the end of every sentence the saints
shouted, "Glory! Hallelujah!" Their countenances were lighted up with
the glory of God, and they shone with glory as did the face of Moses when he
came down from Sinai. The wicked could not look upon them for the glory. And
when the never-ending blessing was pronounced on those who had honored God in
keeping His Sabbath holy, there was a mighty shout of victory over the beast
and over his image. {EW 285.2}
Then commenced the jubilee, when the land should rest. I saw the pious slave rise
in victory and triumph, and shake off the chains that bound him, while his wicked
master was in confusion and knew not what to do; for the wicked could not
understand the words of the voice of God.
{EW 286.1}”
2)faith I live by
In the cleansing flames the
wicked are at last destroyed, root and branch--Satan the root, his followers
the branches. The full penalty of the law has been visited; the demands of
justice have been met; and heaven and earth, beholding, declare the
righteousness of Jehovah. {FLB 72.7}
Satan's work of ruin is
forever ended. For six
thousand years he has wrought his will, filling the earth with woe, and
causing grief throughout the universe. The whole creation has groaned and
travailed together in pain. Now God's creatures are forever delivered from his
presence and temptations. {FLB 72.8}
3)gods amazing grace
The great plan of redemption
results in fully bringing back the world into God's favor. All that was lost by
sin is restored. Not only man but the earth is redeemed, to be the eternal
abode of the obedient. For
six thousand years, Satan has struggled to maintain possession of the
earth. Now God's original purpose in its creation is accomplished. "The
saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for
ever, even for ever and ever" (Dan. 7:18).
{AG 370.2}
4) great controversy
The law of God is set aside,
the Spirit of grace despised, the blood of the covenant counted an unholy
thing. The spirits deny the divinity of Christ, and place even the Creator on a
level with themselves. Thus under a new disguise the great rebel still carries
forward his warfare against God, begun in Heaven, and for nearly six thousand years
continued upon the earth.
a)For
six thousand years, Satan's work of rebellion has "made the earth
to tremble." He has "made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed
the cities thereof." And "he opened not the house of his
prisoners." For six thousand years his prison-house has received God's
people, and he would have held them captive forever, but Christ has broken his
bonds, and set the prisoners free. {GC88
659.3}
Even the wicked are now
placed beyond the power of
660
Satan; and alone with his
evil angels he remains to realize the effect of the curse which sin has
brought. "The kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every
one in his own house [the grave]. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an
abominable branch. . . . Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because
thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people." [ISA. 14:18-20.] {GC88 659.4}
b) Satan's work of ruin is forever ended. For six thousand years he has
wrought his will, filling the earth with woe, and causing grief throughout the
universe. The whole creation has groaned and travailed together in pain. Now
God's creatures are forever delivered from his presence and temptations.
"The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they [the righteous] break
forth into singing." [ISA. 14:7.] And a shout of praise and triumph
ascends from the whole loyal universe. "The voice of a great
multitude," "as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings," is heard, saying, "Alleluia; for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth." {GC88 673.2}
While the earth was wrapped
in the fire of destruction, the righteous abode safely in the holy city. Upon
those that had part in the first resurrection, the second death has no power.
[REV. 20:6; PS. 84:11.] While God is to the wicked a consuming fire, he is to
his people both a sun and a shield. [REV. 20:6; PS. 84:11.] {GC88 673.3}
"And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth; for the first
674
heaven and the first earth
were passed away." [REV. 21:1.] The fire that consumes the wicked purifies
the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No eternally burning hell
will keep before the ransomed the fearful consequences of sin. {GC88 673.4}
Conclusion- A
Adam
and Eve were given conditional immortality; if they had passed the test they
would have been allowed to live eternally in God’s presence; with him
sustaining them throughout eternity.
If
Adam and Eve had passed the test they would have been allowed to be forever
with God in His Eternal Sabbath. The
Sabbath of creation does not have a evening and a morning because it refers to
the eternal Sabbath to be spent with the Lord in Heaven. Because of the introduction
of sin into the world, God came out of his Sabbath rest and started to work
again.
He
did not have to but he did anyway and the good news is that through Jesus
Christ, the invitation has been re-extended to man.
Ellen white
Since the book of nature and the book of revelation
bear the impress of the same master mind, they cannot but speak in harmony. By
different methods, and in different languages, they witness to the same great
truths. Science is ever discovering new wonders; but she brings from her
research nothing that, rightly understood, conflicts with divine revelation.
The book of nature and the written word shed light upon each other. They make
us acquainted with God by teaching us something of the laws through which He
works. {Ed 128.1}
I
was then carried back to the creation and was shown that the first week, in
which God performed the work of creation in six days and rested on the seventh
day, was just like every other week. The great God in his days of creation and
day of rest, measured off the first cycle as a sample for successive weeks till
the close of time. "These are the generations of the heavens and of the
earth when they were created." Spiritual gifts vol3 pg 91
Appeal
I want to join the
Lord in His Rest Don’t you?
We are now living in
the closing moments of the anti-typical preparation day, it is now that you
make preparation to be with The Lord in His Sabbath, because after the sun sets
the Sabbath is here and there remains no more time to prepare.
No more time to cook,
no more time to press clothes no more time. The jubilee would have commenced.
Won’t you get ready to join him in His Eternal Sabbath Celebration?
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