No! Don't touch that cursor, nor turn the page! It is not a tired, exhausted old topic! No sir, in fact, so long as human life obtains here on God's good earth, the question of the Sabbath will remain ever so relevant! In six days, the Master of the Universe completed the work of creation. The visible materialized out of the invisible (Hebrews 11:3). Creation, in all its dazzling array came alive! On the seventh day, the Creator rested from all his labours. But then, he did not just rest; He also sanctified and blessed the day (Genesis 2:2-3). And so, what God set apart, remains sanctified and no one can change that status (cf Numbers 23:20).
The Sabbath stands as an eternal monument to Elohim's labours in bringing the universe into being. Yes, that is right; the Sabbath is an eternal, everlasting commemoration of the divine work of creation (cf Exodus 31:13-17). The Sabbath is a celebration of the twinkling, diamond-studded, soft velvet vault of the heavens by night; of the kaleidoscope of colour and visual vibrancy of a tropical coral reef; of the awesome, humbling majesty of soaring snowclad mountain ranges; of the undeniable evidence of divine love, as eloquently expressed in the bewildering variety of fruit, vegetables, grain, spices, meats, and other edibles on display in our markets, souks, shuks, bazaars, streets; of Elohim's omnipotence as demonstrated by the billions of litres of water the (over 100 kilometres wide) Amazon pours into the insatiable Atlantic each and every single day! Simply stupendous! The Sabbath, is a celebration of Africa's magical geographical grandeur and majestic wildlife; of Papua New Guinea's exquisitely beautiful Birds of Paradise; and of the outlandish creatures of the great Australian outback. Oh, it is the celebration of the trill of a million insects in Congo's Ituri forest by night. I could go on and on, ad infinitum, but...you get my drift. The Sabbath is a celebration of Creation: "... and God saw that it was very good." (Genesis 1:12,18,25 etc).
But it goes much deeper than that! In Leviticus 23:3, the Sabbath is declared to be a holy convocation (a sacred meeting)! Elohim's people, wherever they are on the planet, are commanded to gather before the Melech ha Olam (the King of the Universe)! What other meeting, or pursuit can be more important than this? If it were a prince of the earth, requesting an audience with us. Would we not hurry to do his bidding?! How much so, the meeting with the King of kings! Our loving Creator loves us so much that he has set up regular appointment(s) with us! Ours is to come into his glorious presence whenever that time comes around! "This is the day that the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24).
But why are road signs necessary? Many reasons, but chiefly for direction purposes. Without signs, one is more likely to lose the way and even end up in the wrong destination. In the spiritual sense, signs are important since there are so many "gods" out there, all clamouring for human adoration and to divert human attention from their Creator (cf Micah 4:5). Sabbath keeping is therefore the only foolproof way of ensuring and knowing that one is indeed worshipping the ONLY TRUE GOD, the Creator of the universe (cf Ezekiel 20:19-20).
The Sabbath is also given to us humans to keep us in humble humility with the full knowledge that our sanctification comes from the Holy One of Israel (cf Ezekiel 20:12). As we, miserable offenders that we are, come into his holy presence, in song and dance - He is able to wash away our iniquities. As we listen to his holy word, we are rebuked, we are chastened, we are admonished and brought to repentance. He then forgives us our sins. As we, in worshipful supplication, raise our voices in prayer, He listens and sends his Holy Spirit to minister to us, and grant healing to broken spirits. We are to conform to his calendar and not the other way around. That is why the Psalmist prayed: "Teach us to number our days ARIGHT..." for in so doing, we would: "...gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12, NIV, full caps added). The wisdom referred to here, has nothing to do with the wisdom of the world (as dispensed in schools, universities and other centres of learning), but rather the spiritual wisdom of seeking the knowledge and fear of God (cf 1Corinthians 1:19-21; 2:13; Proverbs 1:7).
It must also be stated here, that the Sabbath does not belong to any one race or tribe or linguistic group, but actually belongs to God himself (Nehemiah 9:14). He, God, is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). In his infinite wisdom, he made the Sabbath not just for the Jews, but for the entire human race (Mark 2:27, first part). Are you part of the human race? Then the Sabbath is for you. HalleluYah!
And so, all peoples, without regard to race, language, tribe or creed are welcome into this precious space. Yahshua speaking: "...I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." (John 10:16, NIV). These other sheep refer to all other peoples, apart from the children of Israel. Isaiah put it this way: "...and FOREIGNERS who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant - these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:6 -7, NIV). The holy mountain mentioned here is a reference to Yahshua's Millennial Kingdom that is just around the corner! In Isaiah 58:13, - again tied to Sabbath keeping - the ancient prophet refers to the same Kingdom as the "...inheritance of your father Jacob." So in a nutshell, we have everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose! Sonship with the Father, life eternal, entry into the sparkling golden city (New Jerusalem), and the very inheritance of our father Jacob!
"This calls for patient endurance of the saints who obey God's Commandments and remain faithful to Yahshua." (Revelation 14:12).
The prophets and apostles, who lived ahead of us, and form the foundation of our Faith, kept the Sabbath (Acts 27:2; 18:4)! And so did Yahshua, the Chief cornerstone of the said Faith! (Luke 4:16). He is the WAY to Life (John 14:6). Whatever he did here on earth, was for an example unto us to follow in his footsteps (cf John 13:15 -17).
Finally, the End is nigh, the storm clouds are fast gathering on the spiritual horizon. Epochal decisions have to be made by each of us. Where do you stand? Do you have the seal of the Living God on your forehead? (Revelation 7:3-4). The said seal is closely related to the Sabbath sign as earlier discussed. Or will you, rather, like the majority of humanity, receive the Mark of the Beast?! This Mark of the Beast is the counterfeit Day of Rest - SUN Day! "...All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." (Revelation 13:8, NIV). Friend, time is not on our side. I trust you will make the right decision. Blessings. Shalom.
Pst Ken Changandu
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