Golden Aims and Objectives of the Lord’s Sabbath
God, “who created all things by Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:9), created the 7th Day Sabbath, along with other creations, for all mankind.
Those creations, including the Sabbath, were for the perpetual benefit and enjoyment of man.
The Creator did not set a time limit to man’s use of any of the things He had created, nor did He single out any of His creations for the exclusive enjoyment of a particular people or race. He created all things for all mankind. The sun shines for all humanity; likewise the blessings of the sea, the land and the oxygen we breathe. Why then do some teach that the Sabbath was made for the Jews only?
Christ, anticipating this errorneous teaching, gave a fitting rebuttal in advance: “The Sabbath was made for man” and that “it’s well to do good on the Sabbath days.” (Mark 2:27-28; Matt. 12:12).
Here’s the plain truth! The Sabbath, like the rest of God’s creations, was made for all mankind no more than the sun was not made for the Russians only!
In fact, the New Testament insists: “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” (Heb. 4:9; New American Standard Version).
In the millennium (1000-year reign of Christ with the saints on earth), it’ll be the only day of worship with no rival day of worship whatsoever. The Prophet Isaiah captures the coming Sabbath world thus:
God creates with a definite objective in view. So why should the Sabbath be abolished ahead of its time?
The purpose of the Sabbath is to give God’s people rest—free us from all secular cares so we can revel in His salvation and loving-kindness. Every Sabbath day, true believers appear before His throne to receive grace and blessings just as He has promised:
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; Heb. 4:10).
And there’s more. Every time we keep the Sabbath, we not only commemorate the rest our Father took from all His labours after six days of creation, but are also reminded of the rest we are going to take from all our earthly labours in the next new world. That is to say, we act out our confidence in His ability to give us definitive rest just as He has assured us. (Rev. 14:13; 21:3-5).
To all those burdened with sin and its painful consequences, the Lord Jesus invites us into His rest: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28).
He’s the Lord of the Sabbath, and His promise is true. Therefore, let us not harden our hearts in this end time when His “salvation is near to come and my righteousness to be revealed” by desecrating His Sabbath made for both Jewish and Gentile believers. (Heb. 4:7-12; Isa. 56:1-5). The Sabbath heralds eternal rest in Jesus, the Messiah. Halleluiah!
