SABBATH
Rev 13:8 KJV And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
This verse refers to the beast as the one that ALL shall worship. The beast is the antichrist. Interesting to see that God says ALL that dwell on the earth shall worship him.
Rev 13:3 KJV And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 KJV And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
By worshipping the beast ALL would be worshipping the dragon, who we know as satan.
This is the harsh reality that we will discover as we read through these scriptures; the Truth, which is not always pleasant.
Heb 4:12 KJV For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
In the last days there will be a call to serve God alone, The Creator of this world. Rev 14:6 KJV And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,Rev 14:7 KJV Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
But, as we already heard that the whole earth is going to follow the beast; there will be a warning to those who fails to heed the call to worship God alone.
Rev 14:8 KJV And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 KJV And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 KJV The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
As it was indicated in previous verses, worship is the issue and not just worshipping anybody, but the Creator.
Rev 4:11 KJV Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Where is all of this leading to? We will shortly see.
Genesis 1 speaks about and describes the creation; from the first day that the light was created to the sixth day when God created men.
Then God rested on the seventh day; but He did not just rest, He blessed the day and made it holy. This day was to be a MEMORIAL of the creation, it was set aside.
Gen 2:3 KJV 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.
Gen 2:4 KJV These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
Psa 111:2 KJV The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
Psa 111:3 KJV His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
Psa 111:4 KJV He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
These verses from Psalms are a confirmation that God want His works, the creation, to be remembered; to be a MEMORIAL.
All of this takes us to the fourth commandment:
Exo 20:8 KJV Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 KJV Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 KJV 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:
Exo 20:11 KJV 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.
Take note of a few things:
It starts with the word "REMEMBER". What is a memorial? A memorial reminds us of something significant that happened.
Keep it holy- God sanctified the Sabbath.
It is called the Sabbath of the Lord.
It refers to the creation (Gen 1) and the rest (Gen 2). (Rev 4:11; 14:7)
God spent more time on this spesific commandment; the others are short while this one is very detailed.
Was the Sabbath kept during Jesus' time on earth?
Luk 23:56 KJV And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Sabbath is a sign between God and man, to remind us that He is God.
Eze 20:20 KJV And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
Note that God mentions the Sabbath even though it is part of the Ten Commandments. It is very important to Him.
Eze 22:26 KJV Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
Do we have permission to keep nine out of ten commandments? May we decide to obey some laws and others not?
Jas 2:10 KJV For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Jas 2:11 KJV For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Jas 2:12 KJV So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Certainly not. These laws were given by God Himself and they stand forever.
Forever? Did Jesus come to destroy the Law?
Mat 5:17 KJV Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 KJV For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19 KJV Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Again there is this warning that we have no permission to keep just the laws that we like; but we are to keep all of them.
Man did not make the Sabbath; it was made for him.
Mar 2:27 KJV And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mar 2:28 KJV Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Which day is the Sabbath? Does the Bible say? Yes it does. Nobody questions the fact that Jesus was crucified on a Friday and rose on a Sunday. The following verses will tell us that the Sabbath is on a Saturday:
Mat 28:1 KJV In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
Mat 28:2 KJV And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
Luk 23:54 KJV And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
Luk 23:55 KJV And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
Luk 23:56 KJV And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Luk 24:1 KJV Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Luk 24:2 KJV And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
Read Mark 15:42 to 16:2 also.
If Jesus knew that He was to nullify the Sabbath, why did He still keep it?
Luk 4:16 KJV And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Note that it was His custom to keep the Sabbath; He did it from His childhood.
He was also referring to the Sabbath in the future. The following verses was about a prophecy that was to be fulfilled 40 years later:
Mat 24:15 KJV When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16 KJV Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:17 KJV Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18 KJV Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Mat 24:19 KJV And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Mat 24:20 KJV But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Did the early church keep the Sabbath? Was it only the Jews that kept the Sabbath?
Act 13:14 KJV But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
Act 13:42 KJV And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Act 13:43 KJV Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
Act 13:44 KJV And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
Act 16:12 KJV And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.
Act 16:13 KJV And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Act 18:4 KJV And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
It is obvious that Jews and Gentiles kept the Sabbath during the ages of the early church. They even kept it when they were not close to a synagogue.
Paul declares that he taught the whole council of God. If there was any changes, he would have known about it.
Act 20:27 KJV For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
We have heard the question, "What would Jesus do?'' many times and we might even have asked the same question.
1Jn 2:3 KJV And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4 KJV He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 KJV But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1Jn 2:6 KJV He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
The Apostle John was sitting on a Sabbath when God gave him the message of Revelations.
Rev 1:10 KJV I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Mat 12:8 KJV For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Sabbath will be kept in eternity.
Isa 66:22 KJV For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
Isa 66:23 KJV And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Heb 4:4 KJV 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.
Heb 4:7 KJV 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.
God invites us to this truth. It is up to us to accept or reject it.
Joh 14:15 KJV If ye love me, keep my commandments.
