The Sabbath, What is it really? And what is the relationship between God and the Sabbath? What have we to do with the Sabbath today in the twenty-first century? These are the questions I will answer in this post through the lens of what is known as the sanctuary.

Who is God?

Let us, before continuing, consider who God is. On reading the Bible, you will find that “God” (Genesis 1:1) and “the Godhead” (Acts 17:29) are interchangeable names in the Bible for a divine Family made up of three Persons.

Now, you may be wondering, What do “Genesis 1:1” and “Acts 17:29” mean? They are examples of Bible notation, in that, they are a way of referencing the Bible which is a collection of books. As it is, each book in the Bible consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. So then, the Bible notation “Genesis 1:1” refers to the book of Genesis, the 1^st chapter, and the 1^st verse. Likewise, “Acts 17:29” refers to the book of Acts, the 17^th chapter and the 29^th verse.

The first thing to know about God is that God describes Himself in the Bible by saying that He is “God, that cannot lie” (Titus 1:2) and “God is love.” 1 John 4:8. In other words, each of the three members of the Godhead has a character of love that is identical to the character of the others, and, in fact, this love is the only definition of true love in the universe.

And, No, there are not three Gods! Why? Because the members of the Godhead never contradict each other at any time, that is, we can say that they speak with one voice. For there has never been nor ever will be any disagreement or contention among them. Therefore, we can say, “there is one God.” Mark 12:32.

Furthermore, each Person in the Godhead, the divine Family, is “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life.” Hebrews 7:3.

And the names of these three Persons in the Godhead are “the Father” (Matthew 11:27), “the Son” (Psalm 2:12) also called Christ (Matthew 1:1), and “the Holy Spirit” (Psalm 51:11).

So then, with this understanding of who God is, we can answer the question is, Who is Jesus? Well, the name Jesus was given to Christ when He was born as a baby boy on earth over 2,000 years ago.

Our Bible Quotation of Focus

Here is our Bible quotation of focus in this post: “The counsel of the LORD [God] standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11. “I am the LORD [God], I change not.” Malachi 3:6.

That is to say, God is not changeable. Whatever God says or does, God stands by it forever. You can take God at His word at all times for God does not change His mind from time to time.

What is the Sabbath?

The question that arises is, What is the Sabbath? Well, to begin with we will look at what God did on the sixth day of His creative work on earth.

“So God created man [the first human being, a man named Adam] in his own image [with a character of love like God’s own character], in the image [character] of God created he him; male and female created he them [the man, Adam, and His wife, a woman named Eve].” Genesis 1:27.

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” Genesis 2:1.

“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. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it [made it holy]: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:2, 3.

And “the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God.” Exodus 20:10. Now, God says, “The sabbath…[is] my holy day.” Isaiah 58:13.

Thus, the seventh day from the beginning of God’s creative work on earth was the first Sabbath on earth. From that day, God said to Adam and Eve, “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest.” Leviticus 23:3. “From even [sunset on the sixth day] unto even [sunset on the seventh day], shall ye celebrate your sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32.

Here we see that God gave to the human race a weekly cycle of seven days. The first six days of the week are for labour, but the seventh day, the Sabbath, is a day of rest. Today, we call the sixth day, Friday, and the seventh day, Saturday. So, Sabbath is to be celebrated every week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.

How Can We Know That Sabbath Begins on Friday?

Ever since God gave the Sabbath to Adam and Eve, “He [God] left not himself without witness” (Acts 14:17) of His goodness by those who kept God’s commandments, including the seventh-day Sabbath.

So, the weekly seven-day cycle has been passed down unchanged from Adam and Eve, from generation to generation, and down to us in the present day in the twenty-first century. Not even the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in the year 1582 affected the weekly cycle.

That is to say, God’s witnesses throughout human history, beginning with Adam and Eve to, notably, the Jewish people today, have kept the Sabbath on every seventh day counting from the first Sabbath day on which God rested from His work.

What is the Sanctuary?

In discussing the Sabbath, it is helpful and meaningful to consider it in light of what is known as the sanctuary.

So, What is the sanctuary? Well, there is “the sanctuary…the true tabernacle, which the Lord [God] pitched [set up in heaven], and [which was] not [set up by] man [by human beings].” Hebrews 8:2. Also, there once was “a worldly sanctuary” (Hebrews 9:1) on earth.

What we know of the heavenly sanctuary which is still in existence, we know from the earthly (worldly) sanctuary that ancient Israel erected. For “Moses [a leader of ancient Israel] was admonished [cautioned] of God when he [Moses] was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he [God to Moses], that thou [Moses] make all things according to the pattern [I, God,] shewed to thee [Moses] in the mount [in the mountain].” Hebrews 8:5.

The earthly sanctuary (tabernacle) consisted of a tent surrounded a courtyard with a fence around it made of linen hangings. There was a single door through the fence to the courtyard in which was located first the Altar of Sacrifice and next the Laver.

After this, there was a single door to the tent which was divided into two rooms, one in front and the other at the back of the tent. The first room at the front of the tent was known as the Holy Place and the second room to the back of the tent was known as the Most Holy Place.

In the Holy Place were three items of furniture, namely, the Table of Showbread, the Seven-Branched Candlestick, and the Altar of Incense. In the Most Holy Place was a single item of furniture, namely, the Ark of the Covenant, which was a golden box with a golden lid called the Mercy Seat.

Since the earthly sanctuary, was a small copy of the heavenly sanctuary in heaven, we know that, likewise, the heavenly sanctuary, as the larger original, has the same structure.

The Sabbath and Heaven in Eternity in the Past

To begin to understand the Sabbath, we must consider what heaven was like in eternity in the past.

For before God created any intelligent beings, God set up the heavenly sanctuary to give to these beings a simple and clear picture of who God is.

Specifically, each of the six items of furniture in the heavenly sanctuary specified a characteristic of God:

Altar of Sacrifice – God is “He that sweareth to his [God’s] own hurt, and changeth not.” Psalm 15:4. This is a description of the self-sacrificing love in God’s heart.

Laver – God has “a pure heart.” 1 Peter 1:22. He is “a God of truth and without iniquity [wickedness], just and right is he.” Deuteronomy 32:4.

Table of Showbread – God’s words are like “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), that is to say, God’s words bless and uphold His created intelligences in their right ways.

Altar of Incense – It can be said of God in truth, “He hath inclined his ear unto me.” Psalm 116:2. That is, God is a Friend to whom we may speak.

Candlestick – “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5. In other words, God has no hidden evil motives and plans.

Ark of the Covenant – God says, “My covenant [my promise to always be loving according to my law of love] will I [God] not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalm 89:34.

Furthermore, the lid of the Ark of the Covenant which is known as the Mercy Seat symbolised the fact that God is merciful.

Because of all these characteristics of God, heaven was in a state of unbroken Sabbath rest. That is, according to the original Greek language, heaven was in a state of “Sabbatismos” (Hebrews 4:9), a word which is translated into English as “rest.” Hebrews 4:9.

In other words, the members of the Godhead lived in a Sabbath state of love, joy, peace, and harmony. So then, the heavenly sanctuary gave a true picture of God’s character of love.

The Sabbath and the Original State of No Evil in the Universe

After God had created intelligent beings, heaven was still a place in a state of Sabbatismos, that is, a place of Sabbath rest.

And this Sabbath state was reflected by the heavenly sanctuary:

Altar of Sacrifice – All created intelligences had a heart of self-sacrificing love just like God’s heart.

Laver – All created intelligences were pure, clean, and holy in character.

Table of Showbread – It could be said in truth that “his angels [and all other intelligences]…do his [God’s] commandments, hearkening unto [obeying] the voice of his [God’s] word.” Psalm 103:20.

Altar of Incense – Heaven was an atmosphere of open communication of the angels and all other intelligences with God.

Candlestick – Heaven was an atmosphere of light and no darkness, that is, no hidden evil motives and plans.

Ark of the Covenant – God says, “My covenant [promise to love my created intelligent beings according to my law of love] will I [God] not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalm 89:34. Also, all the intelligences were to keep God’s law of love which God had written on their hearts and minds.

Moreover, the Mercy Seat symbolised the fact that, in the event of sin (evil and wrongdoing) in any created intelligence, God’s mercy would save them from their deserved annihilation by God to instead continue in their God-given eternal life.

All this is to say that with the creation of angels and other intelligences by God, the universe was still in Sabbatismos, a Sabbath state of rest where there was no evil in the universe.

The Sabbath After the Entrance of Evil in the Universe

Now, as shown by the Mercy Seat in the heavenly sanctuary, there were two angels, one at either end of the Mercy Seat, known as covering cherubs. These were the two angels in heaven that always stood in the presence of God.

One of these two angels, named “Lucifer” (Isaiah 14:12) was the higher in rank of the two. Thus, Lucifer was the angel of highest rank in heaven after God Himself who reigned supreme in heaven.

God says of Lucifer, “Thou [Lucifer] art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I [God] have set thee so…Thou [Lucifer] wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity [wickedness] was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:14, 15.

Here then is God’s account of how evil arose in the universe and, hence, how heaven’s Sabbatismos, that is, heaven’s Sabbath state of rest was broken.

Lucifer enticed some of the other angels to join him in his rebellion against God. Thus, Lucifer and his “evil angels” (Psalm 78:49) in heaven, set aside the principles of Sabbatismos, heaven’s Sabbath state of rest, which was illustrated by the sanctuary as follows:

Altar of Sacrifice – Lucifer and his evil angels had hearts of selfishness unlike the self-sacrificing love in God’s heart.

Laver – Lucifer and his evil angels were impure, unclean, and unholy in character.

Table of Showbread – Lucifer “and the [evil] angels…kept not their first estate [their God-appointed position in heaven], but left their own habitation” (Jude 1:6) to follow their self-will.

Altar of Incense – Heaven’s atmosphere of open communication of angels and all other intelligences with God was contaminated by Lucifer and his evil angels who were “backbiters” (Romans 1:30), speaking against God behind God’s back.

Candlestick – Heaven’s atmosphere of light was now mixed with the darkness of hidden evil motives and plans.

Ark of the Covenant – Lucifer and his evil angels became “covenantbreakers” (Romans 1:30) by their not keeping God’s law of love to which God remained faithful.

Nevertheless, the Mercy Seat symbolised the fact that, given that sin (evil and wrongdoing) had arisen in the universe, God’s mercy was extended to Lucifer and his evil angels. This was God’s effort save them from their deserved annihilation by God and to instead cause them to continue in their God-given eternal life.

This then is how heaven’s Sabbatismos, its Sabbath state of rest, was taken away.

The Sabbath After the Elimination of Evil in Heaven

Lucifer and his evil angels rejected God’s mercy towards them. Thus, their rebellion against God ripened until “there was war in heaven: Michael [Christ] and his angels fought against the dragon [Lucifer]; and the dragon [Lucifer] fought and his [evil] angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” Revelation 12:7, 8.

“And the great dragon [Lucifer] was cast out [of heaven], that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan…he was cast out…and his [evil] angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9.

As a result, Satan (Lucifer) and his evil angels are “reserved [by God] unto [God’s] judgment [day].” 2 Peter 2:4. All evil was therefore eliminated from heaven so that Sabbatismos, a Sabbath state of rest bringing love, joy, peace, and harmony was restored to heaven.

The Sabbath and Earth After the Creation of Adam and Eve

After the Sabbath state of rest, Sabbatismos, had been restored to heaven, God created the first human pair on earth, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve.

And the Sabbath state on earth was reflected by the heavenly sanctuary:

Altar of Sacrifice – Both Adam and Eve had a heart of self-sacrificing love just like God’s heart.

Laver – Adam and Eve were pure, clean, and holy in character.

Table of Showbread – It could be said in truth that Adam and Eve “do his [God’s] commandments, hearkening unto [obeying] the voice of his [God’s] word.” Psalm 103:20.

Altar of Incense – Adam and Eve would hear “the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden [of Eden, their home on earth,] in the cool of the day.” Genesis 3:8. Thus, the earth was an atmosphere of open communication of both Adam and Eve with God.

Candlestick – The earth was an atmosphere of light and no darkness, that is, no hidden evil motives and plans.

Ark of the Covenant – God says, “My covenant [promise to love human beings according to my law of love] will I [God] not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalm 89:34. Also, Adam and Eve were to keep God’s law of love which God had written on their hearts and minds. And Adam and Eve’s descendants were to inherit their disposition to keep God’s law of love and not turn aside from God’s law to do evil.

Moreover, the Mercy Seat symbolised the fact that, in the event of sin (evil and wrongdoing) in any human being, God’s mercy would save them from their deserved annihilation by God to instead continue in their God-given eternal life.

All this is to say that with the creation of Adam and Eve by God, the earth was in Sabbatismos, a Sabbath state of rest where there was no evil on earth.

The Sabbath and Earth After the Entrance of Evil on Earth

Now, Satan came to Adam and Eve on earth seeking to cause them to join him in his rebellion against God. He succeeded and so both Adam and Eve became sinners. And Adam and Eve’s disposition to sin has been inherited by all their descendants who have become sinners too.

Thus, earth’s Sabbath state of rest, its Sabbatismos, was broken by Adam and Eve. However, as God had done in heaven to Lucifer and his evil angels, God extended His mercy to Adam and Eve. Both Adam and Eve accepted God’s mercy and so a way was opened by God for the earth to return to its Sabbath state of rest, its Sabbatismos.

Both the heavenly and the earthly sanctuaries reflected as follows the two classes of people who would live on earth until evil was finally eliminated from the earth:

Altar of Sacrifice – Sin caused both Adam and Eve and all their descendants to have a heart of selfishness unlike the self-sacrificing love in God’s heart. Thus, all human beings are born destined for annihilation by God because of their sins.

But those people who accepted God’s mercy by yielding to the Holy Spirit so that they turn away from all their sins and by exercising faith in God’s gift of Christ to die for the sins of the whole human race in their place, were to be “transformed” (Romans 12:2) by God.

That is, they were to be transformed by the gift from God of self-sacrificing love in their hearts, and so God would give them a Sabbath state of rest, a Sabbatismos, in their individual heart and mind. And, if they through this love overcame all temptations to sin, they were then to receive eternal life from God.

Laver – Adam and Eve and all their descendants were impure, unclean, and unholy in character. But those who were transformed by God were the opposite—pure, clean, and holy in character.

Table of Showbread – Adam and Eve and all their descendants did not keep God’s law of love. But those people who were transformed did “do his [God’s] commandments, hearkening unto [obeying] the voice of his [God’s] word.” Psalm 103:20.

Altar of Incense – The face-to-face communication that Adam and Eve had was taken away by God because of their sins. Nevertheless, God has made Himself accessible to all who pray sincerely on earth. For “if I regard iniquity [wickedness] in my heart, the Lord [God] will not hear me.” Psalm 66:18. Every human being then can have a two-way communication with God if they so choose.

Candlestick – The earth has become an atmosphere of both the light of love from those transformed by God, and of darkness, that is, hidden evil motives and plans, from those who remain in their sinful ways.

Ark of the Covenant – God says, “My covenant [promise to love human beings according to my law of love] will I [God] not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalm 89:34. But every human being has become “covenantbreakers” (Romans 1:30) by their not keeping God’s law of love to which God has remained faithful. However, those people who have been transformed are “such as keep his [God’s] covenant, and to those that remember his [God’s] commandments to do them.” Psalm 103:18.

Moreover, the Mercy Seat symbolises the fact that, because sin (evil and wrongdoing) has arisen on earth, God’s mercy has been extended to every human being to save them from their deserved annihilation by God to instead give them eternal life.

So then, although Sabbatismos, a Sabbath state of rest, resides in the hearts and minds of those people who have been transformed by God, the presence of the sinful on earth means that Sabbatismos, the Sabbath state of rest, does not prevail on earth.

The Sabbath and Earth After the Elimination of Evil on Earth

Now, there will come a time when the probation of the human race during which time God extends mercy to the human race will come to an end.

Then, God says, “I [God] will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity [wickedness].” Isaiah 13:11. After that, there will be “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:13.

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up [to ashes], saith the LORD [God] of hosts, that it shall leave them neither [Satan, the] root nor [Satan’s followers the] branch.” Malachi 4:1.

Then there will be a restored Sabbatismos, a Sabbath state of rest, on earth as reflected by the heavenly sanctuary:

Altar of Sacrifice – Every human being has a heart of self-sacrificing love just like God’s heart.

Laver – Every human being is pure, clean, and holy in character.

Table of Showbread – It could be said in truth that every human being does “do his [God’s] commandments, hearkening unto [obeying] the voice of his [God’s] word.” Psalm 103:20.

Altar of Incense – Every human being “shall see his [God’s] face.” Revelation 22:4. Thus, the earth is an atmosphere of open communication of every human being with God.

Candlestick – The earth is an atmosphere of light and no darkness, that is, no hidden evil motives and plans.

Ark of the Covenant – God says, “My covenant [promise to love human beings according to my law of love] will I [God] not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalm 89:34. And every human being keeps God’s law of love.

Moreover, the Mercy Seat symbolises the fact that, when sin (evil and wrongdoing) arose on earth, God’s mercy was extended to the human race to save them from their deserved annihilation by God and to instead give them eternal life.

All this is to say that with the annihilation of the wicked by God, the earth is once again in Sabbatismos, a Sabbath state of rest where there is no evil on earth.

The Sabbath After the Elimination of Evil in the Universe to Eternity in the Future

With the annihilation of all the wicked on earth as well as Satan and his evil angels, all evil has been eliminated from the universe. And God promises that “he [God] will make an utter end: affliction [that is, sin,] shall not rise up the second time [in the universe].” Nahum 1:9.

And God says, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD [God], so shall your seed [your spiritual offspring, those who were transformed by your cooperation with God,] and your name [character of love] remain.” Isaiah 66:22.

“And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh [all people] come to worship before me, saith the LORD [God].” Isaiah 66:23.

Thus, the whole universe will again be in Sabbatismos, a Sabbath state of rest, from that time to all eternity in the future as at the beginning, before sin entered the universe.

The Sabbath, a Memorial

Now, the Sabbath is also a memorial of creation and God as the “Creator.” Ecclesiastes 12:1.

In addition, the Sabbath is a memorial of the Sabbath day that Jesus Christ lay dead in the tomb. For Jesus died at 3:00 p.m. on a Friday before the start of the Sabbath at sunset that Friday, and Jesus rose from the dead to live again early on Sunday morning. Thus, Jesus spent the whole Sabbath day, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, dead in the tomb.

Conclusion

Here again is our Bible quotation of focus in this post: “The counsel of the LORD [God] standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11. “I am the LORD [God], I change not.” Malachi 3:6.

In other words, as we have seen, God’s Sabbath state of rest, Sabbatismos, is not temporary, optional, nor limited to just a few intelligences in the universe. No, not at all! It is applicable and binding upon all of God’s created intelligences, including every human being.

It has always been and ever will be descriptive of God’s desired love, joy, peace, and harmony for the universe.

The seventh-day Sabbath which God gave to humanity symbolises the Sabbath state of rest, Sabbatismos, which God desires for the human race forever.

There is no excuse then nor any valid arguments against keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy as commanded by God. I appeal to you to celebrate with joy the seventh day Sabbath state of rest, Sabbatismos, which God has destined for the whole universe so that you set your feet upon the path to be transformed by God and, hence, receive eternal life from God.

The Bible Teaches Us How to Obtain Eternal Life from God

“In the beginning was the Word [Christ], and the Word [Christ] was with God, and the Word [Christ] was God.” John 1:1. “And the Word [Christ] was made flesh [was born as a baby boy named Jesus], and dwelt among us [human beings], (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father).” John 1:14. Thus, Christ, whose “name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13) is the One who gave the whole Bible to humanity, from the Bible’s beginning to its end. Further, “God is love.” (1 John 4:8), which is to say, Christ is love.

And every one of you as a human being are to “lay apart [put away] all filthiness and superfluity [abundance] of naughtiness [of wickedness], and receive with meekness the engrafted [the implanted] word [from God, which is the Bible and], which is able to save your souls [from annihilation by God as the penalty for sin].” James 1:21. For the word of God, the Bible, being implanted in us means that “the love of God is shed abroad [is poured] in our hearts by the Holy Ghost [the Holy Spirit] which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5. So then, “love is of God; and every one [every human being] that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:7. This is known as “justification” (Romans 4:25) which is accomplished by our repentance, that is, our deep sorrow for our sins and the gift of faith from God, which when exercised to believe God’s promise of forgiveness of sins and cleansing from sin brings us the gift of love from God. Note that everyone receives the gift of faith from God but without repentance people have a superficial faith and not saving (correct) faith that takes proper hold of God’s truth by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Immediately upon our justification, God tests our character to see if we will successfully resist all temptation to sin. Our success depends on our exercising faith in Christ’s keeping power through the Holy Spirit and, hence, we become sanctified (made holy) and thus receive eternal life from God.

And this is life eternal [everlasting life], that they [as human beings] might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent [to the earth as a Deliverer from sin].” John 17:3. Thus, when the whole Bible makes our character a character of perfect love, it means that we know God and, hence, we will receive eternal life from God.

How This Blog Teaches Bible Study

My blog posts take one or more Bible verses and unpack what is often the hidden meaning in them, to help you to gain in your understanding of the Bible, and to receive insights into how to study it. For God says, “Study [the Bible] to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Further Reading

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