The Sabbath and the Last Days

The following parts of our calendar: Years, Months, days, hours, minutes, seconds; all have a reason for existing. Because the Earth orbits around the Sun we have years. Because the Moon orbits around the Earth, we have months. Because the Earth revolves on its axis we have days. And of course hours, minutes, and seconds to divide up the 24 hour day.

However, there is no physical reason in our Solar System for having a seven-day week. None at all. Yet virtually all historical civilizations in the past as well as in the present, have followed the same seven-day weekly cycle. The cultures of the world are very diverse and yet they all have the same seven-day week! It seems very strange to find the same seven day weekly cycle to be so prevalent throughout the world, even in the world of the ancient past.

The universality of the seven-day week should remind us of man's recent beginnings which the Bible suggests. It says that all the civilizations of the world originated from a single family just over 4,300 years ago. Every civilization came from Noah's family that survived the global flood. In addition, the existence of the universal seven-day week is actually an additional piece of evidence, outside of the Bible, suggesting that God did originally create the earth in six days and rested the seventh day.

When God started to make the Earth, He created the earth in six days. Below is a quick summary of what He did.

On the seventh day, God did something very different.

What God did on the seventh day was to create a memorial of His creative acts. So the week is now seven days long. Let's look at what God said and did on that day.

1. Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:1-3

We can see that God set the seventh day apart from the rest of the days as a very special day! He not only rested and blessed that day but He Sanctified that day to make it holy.

God did not need to set aside a special day. The week could have been six days long, or He could have taken more time in His creative acts to make seven days. But He did not do that, He made the seventh day special. Why would He do that?

2. The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
3. His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever.
4. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. Psalm 111:2-4

God made His works to be remembered. His creative acts are to be studied and the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. So, it must be that God gave us the Seventh day as a day of remembrance.

8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10. but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
11. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11 NKJV

The Sabbath Commandment is the only one that starts with the word "remember". We are to remember and know who it is that made us.

Yet the Sabbath day is a day that has been forgotten by the majority of Christians. However it will again become an issue as we approach the last days at the end of the world.

In Revelation 14:6-12 are found the most serious warnings found in the Bible. The people of the earth are told to fear God and worship Him. Other things are said as well, and the people to choose not to obey the warnings will receive punishment unmixed with mercy. It is probably the most serious warning in all of the Bible. Three different angels give this message of warning to the world in the last days.

But the first of the three angels gives a message that actually relates to the Seventh-day Sabbath:

6. Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people--
7. saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." Revelation 14:6-7

This angel is speaking of a judgment that is coming and that it is the hour of His judgment. The next statement the angel makes might not be too familiar, but the angel is actually quoting from part of the 4th commandment; The Sabbath commandment.

11. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20:11

It might not seem like a perfect fit, but if you were to match the Greek text of Revelation 14:7 with the Greek text of the Septuagint, which is the Old Testament Greek Bible used at the time of Christ, you would find a perfect fit.

The fourth commandment is the one commandment that mentions that it is because He made the heavens, the earth, and the sea that we are to worship God on that day. Now we are seeing an angel in Revelation 14 calling out a warning to all the earth for people to fear God and worship Him and the angel gives the same reason for doing so as is found in the fourth Commandment.

Virtually no one follows the fourth commandment anymore. Most people worship on Sunday rather than the Sabbath. But if we look at Revelation we find that God's people will be Commandment keepers:

12. Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12

This verse is actually part of the message of the three angels, the three angels who give warnings to the world. It is the righteous who will keep the commandments of God and they will have the faith of Jesus.

Appariently it will require patience on the part of the saints because as we read the warnings of the angels we can begin to realize that that anyone who is keeping to Bible truth, will be threathened with death. So anyone who still obeys the commandments of God and having the faith of Jesus will be threathened.

17. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17

Satan will be enraged and make war against all those who still keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. There is going to be real persecution against God's people for a period of time. But there is something else that is very interesting in this next verse: "And shall intend to change times and law."

25. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.
Daniel 7:25

The only one of the Ten Commandments that has time is the fourth commandment. The Sabbath is always on the 7th day of the week. But it looks like laws will be inacted to force worship on another day other than the 7th day. because they will seek to change times and law.

But in all of this, the righteous will be victorious. They will not give in to the intense pressure:

11. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11

It is through the blood of Jesus Christ that they will gain the victory.

It may seem strange to say that keeping the commandments of God would be important. But this action on the part of the righteous is not works. It is the response of love:

9. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Fathers commandments, and abide in his love. John 15:9-10

Jesus has loved us, so we are to continue in His love. So, these are Jesus' own words, He said if we keep His commandments, we will live in His love.

God has told us to keep His commandments and Jesus says that when we keep them we actually of the love of God in us:

1. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
3. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:1-3

We are to love God. After all He is the one who made us. So, we should love Him and keep His commandments.

This is an interesting verse that shows the importants of the Commandments of God and its found in the very last chapter of the New Testament.

14. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14.

Since God asks us to obey His Commandments and its our love that helps us respond to Him, it makes sense that the righteous would be blessed by keeping His commandments.

9. "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." 2 Chronicles 16:9 (First Part)

The question is: Are we going to be loyal to God? Are we going to be loyal to Jesus?

It will get more serious at the end of time as Satan will try to get all people to follow him and his alternate rules instead of God commandments. But the righeous will hold on to the truth of the Bible and the Blood of Jesus Christ and they know that God will not forget them!

	If you want to know more about what the Bible says about the Sabbath, click on the link to the left. Has the Biblical Sabbath ever changed? Are we still to keep it? What does the Bible teach?
	For a deeper look at what changed when Jesus died on the cross. Was the Sabbath also changed or eliminated when the old sanctuary service with its sacrifices was nailed to the cross?