Planet of Rest: “What is the True Sabbath?”

By admin On February 18th, 2013

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Click on credit links below each pic, for licensing names/details/tags/etc.. Most pics cropped/reduced in size

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Planet of Rest: “What is the True Sabbath?”

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“If they shall enter into My Rest…

Again, He (God) limits 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.”

Hebrews 4:5, 7 

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THREE SABBATHS!?!

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There exists a disagreement over which day of the week that Christians are to hold sacred.

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Now thehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:At_a_loss.svg majority of church-goers hold to the Sunday Sabbath, or as some call it, the Lord’s Day.

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Other groups believe that the 7th day (Saturday) is the biblical Sabbath.

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Signs Of Heaven will offer a third viewpoint, which many also hold to.

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But before that third viewpoint is presented, it might be helpful to compare the first two viewpoints, so that a basic understanding of just what is the argument between 1st-day proponents and 7th-day proponents over which day is the biblical day of rest.

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Question Marks-At a loss svg wikimedia commons share-alike license

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WHAT IS THE TRUE SABBATH?

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www.thebiblerevival.comThe great majority of Christians congregate together on Sunday, the 1st day of the week. Through the centuries, they referred to Sunday as the Sabbath. And through the centuries, it was regarded as a holy day of physical rest and spiritual endeavors.

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But the name, “The Sabbath”, is not used too often anymore, and is not generally regarded as a day set apart from the other days, for physical rest and spiritual endeavors, aside from attending church.

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Nowadays, they use the fact that Jesus arose on the 1st Day of the week, assuming that is what John the Revelator was speaking of when he wrote… “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day,” Revelation 1:10.

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So Sunday is now commonly referred to as the Lord’s Day. 

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Church Attendance – www.thebiblerevival.com – Public Domain

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SEVENTH DAY?

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The Jews and some Christians still keep the 7th day, according to the Ten Commandments. These will keep the 7th day from sundown on Friday until sundohttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Magnifying_glass_on_book_iconswn on Saturday as the Bible Sabbath.

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So just which day is the correct day to go to church, and to spend with the Lord, as His holy day?

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Is the 7th day still in force? Or is Sunday truly the Lord’s Day?

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Just what does the Bible have to say about all of this?

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Magnifying Glass – Wikimedia – Share-alike License.

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But first let’s introduce our host,

for this article…

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Planet Earth

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EARTH: PLANET OF REST

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Counting the Sun as the 1st heavenly sphere, the Earth is the 4th heavenly sphere. If we extend our theory (and it’s just a theory) that God created our solar system to correspond to the commandments, the Sun corresponding to the 1st Commandment, then Planet Earth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17.jpgwould correspond to the 4th Commandment: the Seventh-day Sabbath.

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And so, on the very planet that corresponds to the commandment that exalts the idea of “peace” and “rest”, there exists very little peace. And very little rest. Ironic, isn’t it? 

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And so the 4th member of our solar system, being Planet Earth, will be the host for this article.

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The Earth seen from Apollo_17-NASA & – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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WHY KEEP ANY ONE DAY HOLY?http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Moses_and_the_Ten_Commandments.jpg

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“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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: 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.” Exodus 20:8-11 

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So the above passage is one of the Ten Commandments, written on the two tablets of stone, which God wrote in the presence of Moses. This 4th Commandment commands that the seventh day is the correct day to keep holy.

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Now, the general consensus is, that the day now called Saturday, is the 7th day spoken of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Moses_and_the_Ten_Commandments.jpghere in Exodus. But those who choose Sunday, make the claim that the 7th-day Sabbath was only for Israel, and was done away in the New Testament.

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But defenders of the 7th-day Sabbath point out that in various New Testament passages, it clearly states that the entire world is under the law. One such passage is found in Romans… “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Romans 3:19. So it states here that the whole world is under the Law of God.

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But 7th day proponents also point out that… “The Sabbath was made for Man, and not Man for the Sabbath:” Mark 2:27. So the Sabbath was made for Mankind, and not just for Israel. 

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Tissot – Moses and the Ten Commandments – wikimedia – US-public-dom

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GOD RESTED ON THE 7TH DAY

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“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cole_Thomas_Expulsion_from_the_Garden_of_Eden_1828.jpg

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As stated in the previous little section, the 1st-day advocates attempt to show that the Sabbath was for Israel only, by using this passage… “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.” Exodus 31:16, 17

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Proponents of the 7th-day Sabbath also counter the 1st-day proponent’s argument by pointing out that God hallowed the 7th day all the way back in the week of Creation, long before there ever was such a thing as a Jew.

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To this, the 1st-day advocates counter by saying, “Well yes, God did hallow that day on the 7th day of Creation Week, but it doesn’t actually say that people began to keep the Sabbath until the Jews began keeping it.” To this argument, 7th-day proponents throw up their hands in disbelief at that comment!

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Cole Thomas – Expulsion from the Garden of Eden – 1828 – Boston-Museum – Wikipedia – US-public-domain.jpg

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“THE LAW WAS OUR SCHOOLMASTER”

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“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jewish_Children_with_their_Teacher_in_Samarkand_cropped.jpgfaith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Galatians 3:23-25 

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Those who support Sunday as being the Lord’s Day use the above passage as one of the proofs that the 7th-day is no longer to be observed as the Sabbath. This above passage clearly states that the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. But they point out that because faith is now come, we are no longer under the schoolmaster of the law.

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Proponents of the 7th-day Sabbath reply that this is speaking of merely the ceremonial law and not the Ten Commandments.

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But again, 1st-day proponents say, “where does it say in Galatians that it is merely speaking of the ceremonial Law?” To this, the proponents of the 7th-day have no substantial counter-argument.

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Jewish Children with their Teacher in Samarkand – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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THE LORD’S DAY

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“I (John) was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” Revelation 1:10

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The proponents of the 1st-day use the above verse as proof that the Old Testament Sabbath has been changed to a New Testament Lord’s Day.

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But 7th-day advocates quickly reply that this above verse is speaking of the 7th-Day Sabbath, and not the 1st-day. And for a proof text, they use the words of Jesus… “For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath Day.” Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5.

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And so they say that because Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath day, then the 7th-day Sabbath must be the Lord’s Day spoken of by John in Revelation Chapter 1. Furthermore, the 7th-day advocates remind 1st-day advocates that there’s no Bible passage which connects the 1st-day with the Lord’s Day. 

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But the proponents of the 1st-day quickly point out that the Lord was risen on the 1st-day and the Lord’s Day is to honor the resurrection of Christ.

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But 7th-day proponents counter this by saying that while it’s true that the Lord was resurrected on the 1st day of the week, you must still make a theological leap in order to connect that to the Lord’s Day.

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John on Patmos – Wikigallery – US Public Domain

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1st DAY OF THE WEEK

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The term, 1st day of the week is lauded by 1st day proponents as being proof that the Lord’s Day is speaking of the 1st-day of the week. There was a, “breaking of bread”, on the 1st day (see Acts 20:7). There was also an admonition for the church individuals to, “lay by him in store”, on the 1st-day of the week (see 1st Corinthians 16:2). http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Magnifying_glass_on_book_icons

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7th-day proponents are quick to point out that the, “breaking of bread”, also took place on a daily basis by the early church (see Acts 2:46). They also point out that Paul and his fellow Christians went down by a certain river, in a non-Jewish nation, on the 7th-day Sabbath, “where prayer was wont to be made” (see Acts 16:13).

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Still others are quick to point out that the phrase, “1st day of the week”, is actually translated, “1st of the Sabbaths”, or, “one of the Sabbaths”. Thus the phrase, “1st day of the week”, is in reality, a mistranslation by the King James translators.

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PAUL TAUGHT ON 1ST DAY

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V%26A_-_Raphael,_St_Paul_Preaching_in_Athens_(1515).jpg

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“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” Acts 20:7 

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Many 1st-day proponents use this above passage to not only prove a 1st-day holy day, but also to substantiate the changing of that holy day to midnight to midnight.

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After all, they say, it says right here, Paul preached unto them…and continued his speech until midnight. 

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But 7th-Day proponents counter by saying, that Paul only quit at midnight because Eutychus fell out of the window at midnight!

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Listen… “And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.” Acts 20:9.  

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So the only reason the meeting stopped was because the young man fell out of the window! Now just because a man falls out of a window at midnight, is by no means a reason to change the day from sundown-to-sundown, to midnight-to-midnight!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_raiseth_Eutychus_to_life.jpg

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It wasn’t because the, “holy day” had ended. It was because the young man fell out of the window at midnight! And anyway, after the Lord revived the young man, the meeting continued well into the next day, the second day of the week.

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Listen… “When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.” Acts 20:11

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So the meeting was resumed after the young man was brought up again alive, and continued till, “the break of day”.

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St Paul Preaching in Athens (Raphael, 1515) Wikipedia US public domain 

Paul raiseth Eutychus to life – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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THE LAW WAS A SHADOW

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“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath [days]: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Colossians 2:16, 17http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PaulT.jpg

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So the proponents of the 1st-day theory use this above passage to say that the 7th-Day Sabbath was merely an Old Testament shadow pointing to Christ as the fulfillment.

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The 7th-day proponents counter this argument by saying that this above passage is merely speaking of the ceremonial law and not the Ten Commandments.

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The 1st day proponents come right back and ask, “Where does this passage say that its limited to only the ceremonial law?” At this point, the proponents of the 7th-Day Sabbath say that the context of that passage is speaking of ceremonial laws.

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 Paul the Apostle – Artist – Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier – circa 1500s – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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THIRD VIEWPOINT ON THE SABBATH

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Now the reason that there exists a controversy about this question is because the New Testament does not make any definite statement about which day the Christian should keep. The closest statement that 7th-day advocates can use, is when Jesus declared Himself the, “Lord even of the Sabbath day.”Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5

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And though this is a powerful statement, it doesn’t actually command the keeping of the Sabbath for New Testament Believers, as did the Old Testament.

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In the Old Testament, there was absolutely no question about keeping the 7th-day Sabbath. The 4th Commandment really made clear what day God regarded as holy. But it would be less than honest for any 7th-day proponent to deny that God has somewhat muddied the waters, so to say, in the New Testament. God has purposely put some of the obstacles in the way of 7th-Day proponents. And so far, this article has discussed many or most of those New Testament obstacles, which have caused division over this issue.

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But there is a third viewpoint about Sabbath-Keeping. And there needs to be no confusion about this third viewpoint. And this next section will explore that concept…

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The Earth seen from Apollo_17-NASA & – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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THIRD VIEW: TRUE SABBATH IS A SPIRITUAL REST

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“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

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Oh, make no mistake, the 7th-day is the true Bible Sabbath. The Bible fully supports that idea. But when Jesus came to this world, He began to lay open the spiritual nature of the Bible. There was a deeper meaning to those Old Testament stories. And as Jesus spoke to the people, He laid open many things which the people had only taken literally. The Sabbath being one of those truths which Jesus began to unlock the deeper spiritual message of.

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This above passage from Matthew lays open a third viewpoint. Jesus now speaks of the Sabbath as a spiritual rest from spiritually-dead works.

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A “REST UNTO YOUR SOULS”

orion good shepherd

Listen again… Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

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And that is why there are many who believe that the true New Testament Sabbath is no longer a one-day-per-week physical rest. But these now believe the New Testament Sabbath to be a spiritual rest and is a 24/7/365 Sabbath rest: not a rest from physical work, but rather, a spiritual rest from the works of the flesh.

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Notice that Jesus calls to all those who are laboring under a heavy burden. This is obviously NOT speaking of having to do physical labor at a job: this is speaking of being a prisoner of Satan, which is a heavy burden to bear (see 2nd Timothy 2:26). And the, “rest”, that Jesus offers is a rest unto the soul.

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THIRD VIEW: A SPIRITUAL REST

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“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_040327-N-1261P-058_Navy_Chaplain,_Lt._Marc_Massie_assigned_to_Naval_Mobile_Construction_Battalion_Seventy_Four_(NMCB-74)_studies_his_Bible_for_an_upcoming_service.jpgrest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

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And so, those who are proponents of this perpetual rest believe that this spiritual rest is what the 4th Commandment was really pointing forward to, howbeit in metaphorical language. In other words, those who believe that we are to spiritually rest, believe that the 4th Commandment (and all the Bible) is to be interpreted in the light of other passages, such as Matthew 11:28-30. And by so-doing, the 4th Commandment begins to take on a spiritual application, and not to be interpreted as a 24-hour physical rest, but a spiritual rest that is perpetual in nature.  

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Chaplain reads Bible – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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THIRD VIEW: BIBLE INTERPRETED BY WHOLE BIBLE

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Now this concept needs to be really made very clear. Whether it’s the Book of Revhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Magnifying_glass_on_book_iconselation, or it’s the Ten Commandments, one cannot fully understand its true meaning, until it is carefully and prayerfully balanced by everything else in the Bible. God purposely wrote the Bible that way. And the tendency of human nature is to simply read a passage and try to make a conclusion based on that one single passage.

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Listen to Peter… “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Peter 1:20, 21.

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This word, “private” is also translated “alone” or “by itself”. And so it perhaps, can be said like this… “No prophecy of scripture is of any “alone” interpretation.”

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Magnifying_glass_on_book_icons

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And also, the Bible confirms this concept by saying… “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” Isaiah 28:10.

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And Paul says it this way… “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1st Corinthians 2:13.

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So the point is, it is impossible to fully understand the 4th Commandment (or any other commandment) until it is understood in the light of everything else in Scripture of similar language.

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magnifying glass wikimedia share-alike license

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THIRD VIEW: 10 COMMANDMENTS: SYNOPSIS OF ENTIRE BIBLE

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“I have seen an end of all perfection: but Thy commandment is exceeding broad. O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:

.Sermon On the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch, Danish painter, d. 1890.

This above passage gives a clue to how the Christian is to understand the Bible. The Bible is not just a whole lot of independent thoughts. Everything in the Bible seems to be connected. The Bible is one complete unbreakable doctrine. And of course, Jesus is called “The Word”. The Bible is all about our infinite God and Savior.

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And so this above passage seems to be giving direction on just how one is to understand it.

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When Jesus gathered the multitudes on that infamous mount, and began to sermonize about the truths of Heaven, He began to expand the current understanding of the law…

Ten Commandments - National Museum of Scotland - Wikimedia commons - share-alike-license

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Listen… “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of Hell fire.” Matthew 5:21, 22.

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Now right here is a perfect example of how the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill”, has a much greater meaning than just the letter of that law. Jesus had expanded the meaning of that 6th Commandment to the point that merely thinking of another person as a fool ultimately becomes the sin of murder, being worthy of Hell-Fire judgment!

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Bloch-Sermon On The Mount wikipedia public domain

Ten Commandments – National Museum of Scotland – Wikimedia commons – share-alike-license

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THIRD VIEW: EACH COMMANDMENT ENCOMPASSES ENTIRE BIBLE

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And if one would take, say, for instance, the 1st Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”, and really begin to study it out, in the light of the whole Bible, one quite possibly would eventually find that every verse of the Bible is connected to that one commandment! And the same goes for the 2nd commandment, and the 3rd, and the 4th, 5th, 6th, and all 10 of the commandments.

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Yes, it seems quite possible that these 10 commandments expand until they each cover the entire Bible. Your search to understand the 10 Commandments would quite possibly never end!

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When God says, “but Thy commandment is exceeding broad”, we just cannot fully comprehend the words, “exceeding broad”.

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And so when God follows up with… “O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” He is NOT merely speaking of meditating on a mere little “laundry list” of, “Thouhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-06831.jpg shalt not’s“.

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No, when God commands us to meditate day and night on the Law, He is actually speaking of meditating on the entire Bible, which is an infinite Book. It never ends! And likewise, the true meaning of the 10 Commandments is also infinite, or so it seems. 

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Those 10 little rules may actually never end! They are perhaps infinite and eternal, because Jesus, who is the very embodiment of the Law, is infinite and eternal!

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Ten Commandments Monument – wikipedia – public domain

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – public domain

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JESUS, THE INFINITE GLORY OF THE LAW!

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And when Jesus walked the earth, He gave humanity a glimpse at the true glory of those commandments. He is infinite! He never ends! He is the eternal and infinite Word of God!

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 And so it is with the commandments. There seems to be no end to them. Oh yes, Jesus is the end of all perfection. He is the end of the Law. But we see Him only through a “mirror darkly”. We do not fully comprehend His life. He is the infinite One, and should be the focus of our moment-by-moment meditation. Eternity will never exhaust our meditation on the Holy One of Israel, or so it seems!

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So when Paul, in Romans says… “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 10:4, Paul is not saying that Christ did away with the commandments.

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No, Paul is actually saying here that Christ is the fulfillment of the Law. In other words, he is saying that, in Christ is seen, the Law of God in all its infinite glory!

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Transfiguration – bloch – wikimedia commons – US-public-domain

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THIRD VIEW: 4th COMMANDMENT SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED

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When God rested on the 7th-Day of Creation, He blessed and hallowed that day. Mankind, who were created on the 6th-day (along with the beasts of the Earth), was invited to partake of the 7th-day rest. Oh yes, it was a literal rest. But it was much more than just a literal and physical rest.

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It was a picture of the spiritual rest that Jesus offered, when he said… “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…unto your souls.”

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Jesus The Good Shepherd – Bernhard Plockhorst – 1825-1907 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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MANKIND LEFT GOD’S REST

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But when Mankind rebelled against God, they in essence, left that spiritual, “rest unto your souls”. The world was no longer a place of peace, rest, and tranquility. It was now a world in turmoil. Mankind began to display many of the same attributes which are seen in the animal kingdom. The Bible often describes us as “dogs”. Paul compared his opponents in Ephesus to “wild beasts”.

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Revelation compares Spiritual Babylon to, “a cage of hateful and unclean birds”.

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Jesus compared the unsaved in the Church to “swine”.

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And on and on it goes. Mankind, who were created in the image of God, left that spiritual rest, and reverted to the beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air.

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Transfiguration – bloch – wikimedia commons – US-public-domain

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“SIX” AND “SEVEN”

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Listen to Paul… “[Fallen Mankind], who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Romans 1:25

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So when the 4th Commandment speaks of laboring “six” days, there is a spiritual context which must not be overlooked. “Six” is the number of the day in which man and beast were both created. “Seven” is the number of God’s spiritual rest. So the 7th-Day has to do with rest. 

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It is not merely speaking of the 24-hour period we now call Saturday. It means much more than just ceasing from physical labor. And merely ceasing from physical labor cannot make a day holy. But ceasing from our dead-works and entering into God’s spiritual rest will indeed make any and every day holy!

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Jesus The Good Shepherd – Bernhard Plockhorst – 1825-1907 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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ENTERING HIS SPIRITUAL REST

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Listen to Hebrews… For He spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] ohttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Girl_with_a_Bible_(Faith_of_Our_Fathers).jpgn this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest…There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:4, 9, 10. 

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So here is a very pointed and powerful statement to the effect that: God here is comparing the 7-Day of Creation, in which He rested, to that spiritual rest that we now are commanded to enter.

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And so both the Old Testament and New Testament speak in spiritual terms, concerning the 4th Commandment.  

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Girl with a Bible – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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THIRD VIEW: THERE REMAINS A REST TO GOD’S PEOPLE

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“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall afthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PaulT.jpger the same example of unbelief.” Hebrews 4:9-11

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This above passage is from a long dissertation by Paul, in Hebrews 3:7 thru 4:11 in which Paul speaks of the spiritual rest which the Hebrew nation, as a whole, did not enter into; and this rest still remains today. And Christians are being called to enter into this very rest. And just like the call by Jesus, in Matthew 11:28-30, we are called to enter the rest unto our souls (“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…unto your souls”).

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But this passage from Hebrews goes further than Matthew 11:28-30, in that it says that we must labor to enter into God’s rest (“…Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, etc…”).

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HOW DO WE LABOR?

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And how do we do that? Just how does a man or woman or child labor to enter God’s Rest?

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Hebrews goes into a long dialogue concerning the following: that it is true belief that will bring a person into the rest. But more than this, the True-Believer will cease from his or her own works of sin and disbelief in God’s promises. And Paul points out thhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holy_bible.jpgat such a ceasing from sin and unbelief is a pre-requisite to entering into that rest… “For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.”

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But the point to all this is: this is a Sabbath-keeping which remains for the people of God, today. This Sabbath rest was offered to our first parents, with God Himself resting from His works as an example (see Hebrews 4:4, and 4:10).

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And Adam and Eve left that rest when tempted by Satan to engage in the works of sin. And though Mankind left that spiritual rest on that very day, there still remains to this very day, the offer for all humanity to enter back into that rest… “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God..”

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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

 

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THIRD VIEW: PHYSICAL LABOR DOESN’T MAKE A DAY UNHOLY

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One big tip-off that the 4th Commandment is not speaking of a once-a-week ceasing from physical labor, is the fact that merely ceasing from physical labor cannot make a day holy. But to cease from the works of unbelief and sin, and to enter into the, “rest unto your souls”, will most definitely make any day of the week holy! And this is the great desire of God.

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There are many of us today, who attempt to keep one day of the week holy, whether it be Saturday or Sunday, by ceasing from physical labor. And yet our hearts are filled with the works of the flesh.

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Just listen to Paul… “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21.

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Now there are those who may boldly proclaim, “Well, you won’t find any of these qualities in me!” Oh really! Well, if I spend more time watching TV than I spend time in prayer and Bible study, have I not made TV into an idol? Have I not made TV (or radio, or Internet, or novel-reading, or whatever) more important than my communion with God?  

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THIRD VIEW: WHAT IS HOLINESS?

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And this brings us to another important point. Do I actually believe I can indulge in the unholy things such as secular TV, on the weekdays, and then try to keep my Sabbath holy for a 24-hour period? No, it’s impossible to merely keep just one day per week holy! Holiness is not some faucet which one turns on and off. In order to keep one day holy, you must keep the other six days holy as well!

The Sabbath Breaker Stoned by James Tissot, 1900 Jewish Museum, New York

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The Bible says, “But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of living; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1st Peter 1:15, 16 

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The only real holiness is the life of Jesus. His life is the essence of holiness. To think that ceasing from physical labor, or not going into a store is going to make the Sabbath-keeping holy, is to not properly understand just what is holiness.

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For instance, the story in the Bible about a man who was stoned to death for merely picking up sticks on the Sabbath Day (see Numbers 5:32), were real-life events which were orchestrated by God to present spiritual lessons. Here was a picture of someone who was still laboring in the flesh.

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Listen to Paul… “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Romans 8:13.

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This individual was used by God to present a picture of someone who has not entered into God’s everlasting rest. And picking up sticks symbolizes the works of the flesh, while professing to have entered that everlasting rest!

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“The Sabbath Breaker Stoned”  by James Tissot, 1900 (Jewish Museum, New York)

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THIRD VIEW: PRESUMPTUOUS SINS

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“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” Psalm 19:13

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This above verse from Psalm 19 really nails down the concept of the unpardonable sin: presumptuousness. Those who presumptuously continue on in sin and worldly lusts, are in danger of committing the great transgression. This was the sin which eventually destroyed, “Israel after the flesh. And it is no less a danger today in Christendom.

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Now there are many professed Christians who claim to have entered into that spiritual rest, and yet are still laboring in sin and lust and unbelief in God’s promises.

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But Paul makes it clear in this statement… “For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:10.

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Satan has worked overtime to keep this truth from God’s professed people. Satan has his so-called, “ministers of righteousness”, preaching that Christians are not required to overcome the world with its passions and lusts. So there are very many of us who remain in a defeated, unspiritual condition, not realizing that there is a battle to be fought, and a victory to be won.  

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But God encourages and warns us to, “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Hebrews 4:11.

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The work of entering into God’s rest requires nothing less than our full attention. As we grow in faith and in the knowledge of God’s Word, we gain a greater trust and confidence in God. We cannot afford to shirk the responsibility of hiding God’s Word in our heart. This is by far, our greatest Christian duty! 

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ABOVE PICTURE: soldiers of the cross – armor up! – Orion & The Revelation 12 Dragon constellation (comprised of Hyades & Pleiades and other constellations) – www.signsofheaven.org

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THIRD VIEW: THE SPIRIT VS. THE LETTER OF THE LAW

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“But their minds (the nation of Israel) were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which (veil) is done away in Christ.” 2nd Corinthians 3:14 

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This above verse is from a very amazing 3rd chapter in 2nd Corinthians. This chapter should be carefully studied by all Christians. It reveals that Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law, and especially the Ten Commandments.

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This chapter declares that, (God) also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which [glory] was to be done away:” 2nd Corinthians 3:6, 7.

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So here God is calling the Ten Commandments the “ministration of death”. And no longer are we to try to keep the law, as if it is a list of rules to obey. This is because the Law was always pointing to the fulfillment of the Law, Jesus. And now we are to behold the Law in all its glory and beauty, as we behold Jesus.

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And so this wonderful chapter concludes with how we are to focus on Jesus and how the life of Jesus is the true role-model for our lives, and no longer the letter of the Law.

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Listen to this concluding verse from this chapter… “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2nd Corinthians 3:18.

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Here it says that our focus is to no longer be fixed on the 10 Commandments, as was Israel’s focus. But this is telling us that our focus is to be on Jesus, and how the Law was fulfilled in His wonderful life. Now this is not to say that it’s wrong to meditate on the 10 Commandments. But we must remember that the Law was given to condemn us.

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Yes, the Law was given to convict our hearts of sin. But now all the Law is fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Now, by looking at His example, we can see the Law in all its glory! And now, as this verse proclaims (2nd Corinthians 3:18), we are to constantly behold Jesus. And by beholding Him (through the study and constant meditation on His Word), we become imperceptibly changed into His glorious image.

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THIRD VIEW: THE BOOK OF GALATIANS

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“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Galatians 4:4, 5 

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The entire Book of Galatians deals with the Law and our relation to it. The Galatianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PaulT.jpg church was in danger of backing away from grace, and beginning to keep ceremonies and holy-days. Paul was urging them not to do this. Salvation is a gift. And the Old Testament ceremonies, such as circumcision were shadows pointing to Christ.

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But among other incredible statements, Paul made this declaration… “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Galatians 4:14.

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Now if we keep reading we come to another declaration… “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:22-24.

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So in the Book of Galatians, Paul is trying to get the Galatian church to back away from the letter of the Law, in hopes that they might return to the spirit of the Law, which Paul defined as Love, Joy, Peace, etc..

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THIRD VIEW: LETTER KILLS, BUT THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE

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“Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart….Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” 2nd Corinthians 3:3, 6 

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One of the big problems with trying to keep the letter of the Law, is that by so-doing, one tends to believe that he or she has fulfilled the letter of the Law.

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For instance, those who adhere to a one-day-a-week Sabbath tend to think that after resting for a 24 hour period, then it is now time to “play ball”, as they say. In other words, “I did my duty, now I can return to my TV or my sports, or whatever”.

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And so, by trying to keep the Sabbath by the letter, we tend to be like a sprinter in a 100 yard dash, waiting for the Sabbath to end, so we can return to our worldly pursuits.

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Now of course, there are exceptions: those who do not keep the Sabbath legalistically. But especially those Christians who have a spouse and children who are not so committed to Sabbath-keeping, will quite often result in having a rebellion on their hands, or having the family eventually despising the Sabbath, and longing for it to end each Saturday night.

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On the other hand, those who esteem every day to God, tend to make use of every moment of the week, as an opportunity to devote their service to God.

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Now of course, this is broad-brushing. There are exceptions. But the Bible says here in 2nd Corinthians Chapter 3, that, “for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” 

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THIRD VIEW: “TODAY IF YOU WILL HEAR”

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“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.” Hebrews 4:7

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So here we have a very interesting verse: “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.” Hebrews 4:7 .

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Now why does God say this? Well the obvious answer is, that God has been calling and calling, day after day, year after year, for His professed people to enter into His everlasting rest. And the rest that God is offering to us, is one we must enter “today”. This kind of rest requires a full surrender.

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But the fact is, far too many have only wanted to have a one-day-per-week rest. That way, most church-goers simply desire to go to church on Saturday, or Sunday, and then return to serving their worldly gods, the other 6 days.

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That was ancient Israel’s problem. And that is our problem today, to a great degree. But God will have nothing to do with such a divided service.

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Listen… “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon (materialism).” Matthew 6:24.

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Multitask – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

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LOVING OUR WEEKDAY GODS!

 

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_york_times_square-terabass.jpgOne great reason why so many insist on retaining the one-day-a-week Sabbath is because it would be reprehensible for the great majority of church-goers to, “instantly serve God, night and day”, seven days a week. We love our pleasures! We love our careers! We love our hobbies and sports!

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To meditate day and night upon the Word of God would be, “the savor of death-unto-death”, for most in the church, today. To urge another church-goer to pray or meditate on the Bible without ceasing, would be a sure way for you to get a “black eye”, so to speak. So, a once-a-week Sabbath, is as much religion as most people can or will endure, besides maybe a quick devotional in the morning.

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But God still holds out the invitation… “To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts….if they shall enter into My rest:”

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New York Times Square – terabass – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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THE APPEAL OF A ONCE-A-WEEK SABBATH

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The great mistake of the Old Testament Church was that they saw the Law as if it were a laundry-list of rules. And if they could only keep those rules to obhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Brassey_Hole_Nicodemus.jpgey. And if only they could just follow those necessary rules, then they could resume their earthly pursuits. So a once-a-week Sabbath was perfect. If I just keep that one day holy, then I can continue to pursue my weekday gods!

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But when Christ came, He quickly dispelled all of that nonsense… “Ye must be born again!”

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“Crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts”.

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“Whosoever he be…that forsakes not all that he has…cannot be My Disciple.” 

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“Go and sell all you have, and give to the poor, and come follow Me, and ye shall have treasure in Heaven!”

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“Oh how I love Thy Law (God’s Word), it is my meditation all the day”.

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“I am crucified with Christ”

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It was such admonishments as these which caused the people of God (us) to put Christ on the Cross; we hated these concepts, and so we destroyed the One who brought to us these life-giving truths!

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Nicodemus – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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I’LL GIVE YOU 1 DAY, LORD

company's coming

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After all, I don’t mind going to church once a week… “But don’t take away my fun! Don’t take away my remote! My little selfish pleasures! My dreams of bigger and better things! My career ambitions! My sports! My wanderlust! My radio show! My hobbies! My coffees with the boys! My luncheons with the girls! My video games! My self-indulgent delights! My this! My that!” And on and on and on it goes…

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“And Lord, let me just keep that little laundry-list of rules! Don’t make me pray day-and-night! Don’t make me meditate on the Bible through the day! Don’t make me do those duties I don’t like!”  

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This was the great sin of the Old Testament Commonwealth of Israel. And this is the great sin of today’s New Testament Commonwealth of Israel (the Church)! We love our many little pet indulgences. And the “natural man” can tolerate a once-a-week Sabbath. But holiness all through the week? “No way!” To be crucified to the flesh? “Not on your life!” To live the self-sacrificing life of Jesus? “Are you kidding!?!”

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Now this is not the attitude of every Christian. Obviously, there are some who keep a one-day-a-week Sabbath, who also live the self-sacrificing life of Christ throughout the entire week!

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THIRD VIEW: ISAIAH CHAPTER 58

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“Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?” Isaiah 58:5

.537px-The Prophet Isaiah_(Bible_Card from 1904) wikipedia public domain

This entire chapter of Isaiah 58 is proclaiming that the Christian life is much, much more than merely reserving this day or that day as a day to honor God. This chapter is declaring that the Christian life is a life of service; a life of dedication to God; a life of overcoming evil and renewal of one’s soul.

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But as the chapter ends, it specifically addresses the Sabbath Day…

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Listen…If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:13, 14.

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Now those who are http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Isaiah.jpgproponents of a one-day Sabbath are quick to point this passage out as proof of a one-day-a-week Sabbath. And it’s true. These qualities do apply to a one-day-a-week Sabbath.

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But if one ever-so-carefully reads these qualities mentioned here, it becomes apparent that these very same qualities should be the Christian-standard for any and every day of the week!

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In other words, we should not be doing our own pleasure on any day of the week! We should not be speaking our own words any day of the week! We have been bought with a price! We have been chosen to become Christ-like! We have been elected to become Christ’s ambassadors to a lost and hopeless world. Our life now belongs to God! We should be, “instantly serving God day and night” (see Acts 26:6, 7)!

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So Isaiah Chapter 58, by no means should be confined to only speaking of a one-day-a-week Sabbath. It also applies to a 24/7/365 service which is performed by those who have truly died in Christ. It is the very life and the very essence of what Christ and what Christianity is all about!

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The Prophet Isaiah (Bible Card from 1904) – Wikipedia – public domain

Tissot – Isaiah – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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THIRD VIEW: THE LIFE OF JESUS IS OUR TRUE REST

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“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 

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As we behold the life of Jesus, as revealed in the Bible, we see the Law in all its beauty and glory! The life of Jesus was a busy life. He constantly pushed Himself. His Sabbath days were filled with spiritual activity. He was healing! He was teaching! He spent nights in prayer!

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If we would only keep our minds stayed upon Jesus, and strive to be contemplating the Word of God and unceasingly praying: our lives would begin to conform to His life. And by so-doing, our days would all become part of the rest that, “remains unto the people of God”.  

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But nobody should ever get the idea that being in God’s Rest means to be in a state of inactivity… “Go to the ant…consider her ways, and be wise:” Proverbs 6:6.

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The Christian can enjoy being in the very atmosphere of Heaven, even while at work, or at recreation with one’s family, or while in incarceration, or while sick in bed. In other words, God’s everlasting rest is portable, so to speak. We are to take it with us everywhere we go!

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OLD TESTAMENT & NEW TESTAMENT SHADOWS

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“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Colossians 2:16, 17

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It would seem that many of both the 7th-day proponents and the 1st-day proponents entirely miss the point of this above passage. The Bible uses earthly things to illustrate heavenly concepts. The Psalmist David, when leading his followers in the wilderness, asked the priest for the consecrated bread from the temple service. Davihttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_White_Cross_Vukovar_Croatia.jpgd understood that this bread (and the temple itself) was merely being used to symbolize a great heavenly truth. And that is why God allowed David to take that bread for his men, and did not reprimand David for so-doing.

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And so it is with the 1st-day, mentioned repeatedly after Christ’s resurrection. The 1st day represents “resurrection”. God uses that day to present a heavenly truth, regarding us New Testament Believers living the resurrected life. God is merely using the 1st-day to present that spiritual concept.

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And so it is with the 7th-day. The 4th Commandment was ultimately given to present the concept of a “rest unto your souls“. God uses the 7th day to present a heavenly concept.

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The Bible is a spiritual Book. And as the Believer finally rises above his or her carnal nature, he or she will see more and more of the true spiritual nature of the Bible. The life of Christ, with all His glory and virtue is to be our ultimate pursuit. And Christ never ceased to worship God on any day! For every day, and every moment of each day, He meditated on the Word of God, and continued instant in prayer.

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And when the Believer begins to live this same type of heavenly existence, as Jesus did, the one-day concept begins to lose its luster, and the Believer begins to fulfill the true meaning of the Sabbath Rest and the true meaning of the resurrected life on a 24/7/365 basis, whether at work, or with family, or at rest.

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ONCE-A-WEEK WORSHIP WASN’T ENOUGH

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wheel“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:46, 47 

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Notice in this above passage that the Church was congregating daily. And God was bringing in people daily. It is too bad that the Church for most of the past two millenniums has chosen to congregate only once a week, for the most part. History shows that this once-a week worship has been a disaster! The Church, to a great extent, has been very spiritually weak and very worldly. About the only time that it wasn’t, was during the times when God’s people suffered persecution, and mostly had to work secretively, outside the apostate orthodox congregations.

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torture devices – the wheel – Calas Chapbook – wikipedia – US public domain 

 

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HISTORY BEARS RECORD

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And so, if anyone is trying to hold up a once-a-week holyday (whether Saturday or Sunday) as being the solution to our problems, really needs to examine what history shows as being just the opposite case! And the worldliness and apostasy today is perhaps even worse than even in the days of the Dark Ages.

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What would have been better, would have been for God’s people to imitate the early Church… “And they, continuing DAILY with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church DAILY such as should be saved.” Acts 2:46, 47.

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If the Church had fulfilled this passage from Acts 2, we might have seen a vast difference from the dismal history of the New Testament Church!   

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CONCLUSION

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 “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.” Romans 14:5, 6

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But God nevertheless, is not firm about these things. God knows that each persohttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braet_von_%C3%9Cberfeldt_woman_with_bible_1866.jpgn has been given varied degrees of spirituality and varied degrees of understanding, and differing life-circumstances.

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This above passage lets us know that God is allowing each person to decide for his or her self, just how one is going to keep the Sabbath. God, in His divine wisdom, has purposely obscured the details of the New Testament Sabbath. And just because I decide how I am going to keep or not keep one day above another, doesn’t give me the right to judge another man’s Sabbath-keeping. Notice that God is admonishing each person to be, “fully persuaded in his own mind”.

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Whether one holds to a once-a-week holyday, or not, “let each be fully persuaded in his own mind.” And until that person is no longer confused about this issue, he should take what he feels is the safe course. He should do nothing that is going to violate his already weak conscience. But in the mean while, he should keep diligently studying the Bible on this issue. And hopefully the day will arrive, when he is no longer confused about it.

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So let each of us live by the conviction of our own conscience regarding the Sabbath Rest.

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Virtuous Woman with Bible – Braet von Überfeldt – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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SABBATH, A GREAT BLESSING FOR MANY!

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For a family in this busy busy, work-a-day world, down through history, the Sabbath has been a blessing in many cases.

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If rightly observed, it was a day in which the family spent their time doing spiritual things. And with small children, the mother and father could teach the importance of holiness and the sacred love of God.

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To set aside one day per week for spiritual endeavors had proved to be a wonderful time for children and parents alike, which provided many beautiful lasting childhood memories for those fortunate enough to have grown up in such a home dedicated to the Lord!

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Family Prayer Before Meal – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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A DAILY SABBATH-KEEPING

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But far superior to a once-a-week Sabbath-keeping, would be for the mother to stay at home, schooling her children daily in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And if such a situation is at all possible, it would be far better to sacrifice all the modern conveniences, to make such an everyday Sabbath a reality!

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No, we don’t need to join some organization or denomination, to accomplish this! We simply need to turn our individual family members to the Lord’s everlasting rest unto our souls!

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Amish Family Niagara Falls wikipedia share-alike license

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“LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU”

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But whether a Christian esteems one day above another, or all days alike, one thing is for sure. Each ahttps://theheavensdeclare.net/flood-waters-of-satan/nd every Christian must fully enter into that spiritual rest which Paul declares in Hebrew 3 & 4. True Salvation is a much deeper experience than most church-goers realize.

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Listen… “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24.

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No doubt, there are countless preachers, who can preach for hours on why we don’t need to crucify the lusts and affections in order to belong to Christ. And this is no doubt why the Church today, is in such a dismal condition… “O My people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” Isaiah 3:12.

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We have been deceived by the apostate portion of the Church into accepting a much lower standard than just what the Bible standard is. And unless the Christian rises to the true Bible-standard of total holiness, then whatever day that Christian tries to keep holy will be merely a vain attempt at Sabbath-keeping.

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Listen… “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Hebrews  12:14.

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Notice it says here, “…and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Sad to say, there is a great big group of us, who call ourselves Christians, and yet our behavior is quite often less than Christ-like!

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A GOD OF REST

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Beware of extremes. There are some of us whose zeal for obedience exceeds our stability in Christ. And Satan takes advantage of our lack of knowledge and experience, and leads us into a cyclonic whirl of activity. 

.http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_176094/Claude-Oscar-Monet/In-the-Meadow-(detail)

We must remember that God loves to give us rest. And it would be far better for those zealous ones to slow down and spend lots of time reading God’s Word, and praying for wisdom (but not to let go of our mandatory duties).

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To use the Sabbath Day, to take a walk in nature, praying for mercy and grace and peace, would be an excellent way to spend our day of rest…

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Listen… Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

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To sit on a park bench and observe the beauty of Creation. To pray and simply contemplate God’s love, wisdom, and Bible verses. These blessings are far more important than all the supposed “good works” that we might be compelled to do.

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In The Meadow by Claude Monet www.wikigallery.org public domain.

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MODERN-DAY GODS

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“Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting….And when ye spread forth your handshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_york_times_square-terabass.jpg, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:13.

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This passage is not just for Old Testament Jews. It is for you and it is for me! If our Sabbath-keeping is followed by a return to the TV and to various sports and pleasure-seeking, then this passage quite possibly applies to us. If we bow our heads one-day-a-week, only to spend the other 6 days seeking and serving the gods of this world, then this passage is definitely for us. And there are many gods today: we live in a very materialistic and idolatrous world today!

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ONE MORE WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_198786/William-Brassey-Hole/Jeremiah-and-the-potter.

This has been a very light treatise on this subject. And the reader is encouraged to further deeply explore the passages given herein, 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 3, plus the entire Book of Galatians, Isaiah 58, Hebrews 3 & 4, and everywhere else in the Bible concerning these things. After all, anybody who truly values his or her Salvation will naturally want to know any and every thing of such great concern to one’s Salvation.

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Listen to Jeremiah… “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16.

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Is God’s Word the joy and rejoicing of your heart and of my heart? Well if it’s not, then we really need to plead to God to make it so.

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Jeremiah-at-the-Potters-House-Wikigallery-US-public-domain.jpg

 

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THE END

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A HEAVENLY HOBBY

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Starry_Night_at_La_Silla.jpg

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“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold Who hath created these things; that brings out their host by number: He calls them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth.” Isaiah 40:26

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ABOVE PICTURE – Starry Night at La Silla – cropped  and altered image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

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The above verse is a plea from God to look up at the Heavens and behold Who has created these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_york_times_square-terabass.jpgthings.

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In this busy work-a-day world, there are many very interesting things which can occupy one’s time and energy: hobbies, and careers, and entertainments and http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shoppers_on_Dundas,_near_Yonge.jpgworries, and habits, to name just a few.

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But as the child of God devotes his or her life to God, there should be a jealous guarding of one’s own heart… “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23.

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The Christian wants nothing to get in the way of running that Christian Race.

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New York Times Square – terabass – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

Shoppers in Toronto – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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“AND WHEN YE SEE THESE THINGS…

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LOOK UP, LIFT UP YOUR HEAD”

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But having said this, there is one hobby which every ‘Noble Berean’ may take up, which only compliments the pursuit of the heavenly Prize.

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Yes, Signs Of Heaven becomes a wonderfully rewarding hobby which, unlike many less meaningful hobbies, pays off with rich, heavenly rewards. Everlasting rewards!

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And unlike the person in this photo with equipment, all you need is fairly good vision, and a dark, starry night.

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And once a person really gets to know these heavenly messengers, it will become very apparent that the message connected with these signs is truly a message to be heeded.

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Thus will the Christian be able to share this message with others. And there are perhaps many nuances and hidden biblical truths to these signs which have yet to be discovered.

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Astronomy Amateur – cropped image – Wikipedia – share-alike license

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.summer w/woman & doves

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“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;” Luke 21:25

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ABOVE CHART: Summer Constellations with Doves (Sagittarius) & Woman (Ursa Major)

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FIRST FIND ORION & 7 STARS

.Orion Constellation

The very first step in finding these many constellations, should be to find the two main constellations: Orion, and the 7 Stars (aka, The Big Dipper).

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These two constellations represent Christ (Orion), and His Chur7 stars as Crossch (7 Stars).

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And just as these are the easiest constellations to find, so too, the first place to begin studying the Bible is the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).

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These four books present Christ and His Church, when He walked the earth, just as Orion and the 7 Stars represent Christ and His Church, as seen up in the heavens.

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Then, once you are comfortable finding these two constellations, you can begin to locate the next closest constellations, and so on.

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ABOVE PICTURE: Orion the Soldier and the Revelation 12 Dragon (Hyades & Pleiades, etc.) – winter constellations – www.signsofheaven.org – not for commercial use

ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

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ANOTHER HEAVENLY HOBBY: PRAYER-WALKS

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Now if you’re fortunate enough to be able to go on nightly walks, and you live in an area where you can safely view the stars, here is another Heavenly Hobby which Signs Of Heaven endorses…

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Why not combine star-watching with prayer, as you walk? What a great way to draw closer to God!

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It cannot be over-stressed, just how wonderful it is to walk under the dark canopy of Heaven, while lifting up one’s heart to our Heavenly Father! There is a closeness to God that cannot be described with words!

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(And even if you cannot safely do this, you can always do such prayer-walks in the daytime, in a safe place, such as a mall, which is every bit as effective, prayer-wise.

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And for those who are in confinement, one can view these starry signs on the Internet, or simply listen to Scripture on audio.

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Either way, all such may enjoy God’s richest blessings at this very time in which God is pouring out all Heaven’s treasures upon anyone willing to forsake all, and follow Jesus!)

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Starry Night at La Silla – cropped and latered image – Wikipedia – share-alike license

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THRICE-DAILY PRAYERS

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Now of course, the Bible commands us to, “pray without ceasing“. The Christian is to constantly talk with our Heavenly Father throughout the day.

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But the Bible also holds up the godly life of Daniel, who, when captive in Babylon, still set aside three times daily, in which he knelt for special prayer.

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And furthermore the Bible also says… “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” Psalm 55:17.

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Even those who are bed-fast or in a prison cell can begin to imitate Daniel in this way. And if one is fortunate to be able to walk, then this thrice-daily prayer regimen can be combined with three walks daily and even nightly.

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Marines at Prayer by Alex Raymond – Wikimedia – public domain

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