26.February.23

At the end of the 6 days of creation, God rested on the 7th day, the Sabbath Day. God didn’t rest because He was tired or had nothing else to do. The bible is teaching us about the eternal rest in His eternal reign that God will give to us once His redemption work is finished.

The biblical concept of Sabbath is when a king of a nation secures peace, and wellbeing in His kingdom, when there are no more enemies.

Mankind under God’s reign used to enjoy His blessings and Sabbath. However that Sabbath was broken when man committed sin, rejected God’s reign and came under the reign of the serpent/Satan. As a result God said since mankind have come under the reign of Satan, the ground became cursed, and man have to work and toil. By the sweat of your brows you will eat the produce of the land, until you return to the dust of the ground. Genesis 3:17-19

Work began when sin came in. Therefore in order for true rest Sabbath to come, sin needs to go away.

In John 5:17, Jesus said Father is still working. While Father is working, we are supposed to do the spiritual work as well to be redeemed as mankind, which is to believe in Him. John 6:25-29

God’s work is to save us, redeem us, our work is to believe in Him. The work Adam and Eve had to do in the Garden of Eden was not for survival, they were already provided for, and eternal life was given. Their work was to glorify God and worship God.
Physically we work hard to have enough for our families and be able to retire, but spiritually how much work are we doing? Don’t treat church as a hobby, or an option, it is a must-do.

When God commanded mankind in the 4th commandment to not work on the Sabbath Day, it was not just referring to the physical rest. It is about true Sabbath of our spirit, soul and body, when we can come to a state where there is no more sin in you. Where we have no more condemnation by our own conscience, by others, by God, by Satan.

We are in the period of Lent looking forward to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ who died for our past, present and future sins. Jesus’ Word has the power to take away and forgive all our sins. So there is no more sin in us! Matthewe 9:1-2, Mark 2:5-6

When Jesus resurrected, He breathed on His disciples His Holy Spirit and said if you forgive sins of others, they are forgiven. Who receives that spirit? Those who receive the Word. God wants to fill the earth with such people. It is the same command as what was given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.

John 20:22-23 (ESV) And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
How do we get rid of all our sins and find rest? Jesus said: Come to Me, just come to Me. With whatever problem we may have, and cannot share with anyone, we just need to go to Jesus.

Let us receive that with faith today. Jesus came to His disciples after His resurrection and said to His disciples who are trembling in fear “Let there be peace.” Only when He brings us that peace can we enter into the world of Sabbath and peace.
According to the Hebrew understanding of peace, it is when the Lord destroys the power of darkness.

At the end time, once the 4 angels let go of the winds, creation will be destroyed: land, sea, trees. But God will not start that destruction until His people are sealed. Revelation 7:1-3. That time of grace and the opportunity to receive the Word is now, let us all be awakened by the Word and receive the seal of God! 2 Corinthians 6:2

Those who are sealed by God will stand before God’s throne in the end. In order to enter into the eternal Sabbath, our names need to be recorded in the Book of Life. Without the seal of the Father and the Lamb on our foreheads we will not be recorded in the Book of Life and we will be thrown into the lake of fire.

The sealing of God’s people happens after the 6 seals were broken. These 6 seals are the seals binding the scroll, the Word of God. This means that the hidden Word of the bible is being revealed and taught one by one. While that is happening, the sealing of God’s people takes place.

Conclusion:

Who will receive the blessing of the eternal Sabbath?

After the time of grace and sealing, comes the time of the tribulations. Like the first 3.5 years and the last 3.5 years.
Those who have the seal of God will receive the blessing of eternal Sabbath. These are those who have the sign of the chosen ones. May our church be sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ inside and out.

Every time period in the History of Redemption, there are people who have the sign that they are sealed.

• During the time of Noah, Noah’s ark was the sign.
• During Abraham’s time, circumcision was the sign. Those circumcised had the seal.
• During Moses’ time, there were 3 parts:
  • During the Exodus, the sign was the blood of the passover lamb.
  • Sabbath Day was a sign. Ezek 20:20
  • In the wilderness journey, the scarlet cord of Rahab was the sign.
• In Revelation, for apostle John, the sign was the little book. Revelation 14 tells us those who received the seal of God and not the mark of the beast, will continue to worship Jesus and not worship the beast.

Do we have that mark of Jesus’ blood in our life, in our hearts? Do we have a sign in our daily action and words that we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ? May we come to Him, receive His Word, and live our lives with that sign of His name, on our foreheads and on our right hands.

AMEN!