Have We of All People, Been NEGLECTING God's Sabbath?

Have We of All People,

Been NEGLECTING God's Sabbath?

Many have NOT REALIZED they have been NEGLECTING to keep the Sabbath as they should!
We need to WAKE UP to the real SERIOUSNESS of this! Here is surprising, eye-opening NEW TRUTH for many of our members!

By Herbert W. Armstrong

MANY OF US HAVE BEEN in the predicament of the rich young ruler. He came to Jesus asking, "Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus told him to keep the Commandments, naming five of them. "All these," the young man said, "have I kept from my youth up." "Yet lackest thou," said Jesus, "one thing!"

What Many Lack

God used Mrs. Armstrong's recent critical illness to PURGE a great deal of spiritual waste, filth, and leaven out of His Church. True, there was much humbling, repenting, and spiritual rejuvenating in the Church. But even after this, to MANY, Jesus says, in effect, "YET lackest thou one thing!"

Multiple hundreds in the Church have come to realize our minds had been too much on the physical duties, cares, burdens, interests, even pleasures of this life! We had been too much concerned with physical and material interests — neglecting sufficient Bible study and PRAYER! And hundreds repented. A great CHANGE was made.

But we had to realize GOD'S CHURCH was not yet fully CLEANSED! There was, indeed one thing yet lacking — a MOST SERIOUS thing!

Often the thing we would least suspect neglecting is that on which we have put MOST emphasis — that which we have accepted as so BASIC we have come to take it for granted — that with which we were so FAMILIAR that the familiarity had bred contempt. It had become so COMMON to us we didn't realize we were becoming CARELESS about it!

WHY Stress TWO Commands?

Did you ever wonder why, in that pivotal of all Old Testament prophecies, Leviticus 26, God mentioned and emphasized only TWO of the Ten Commandments?

He said: "Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image ... for I am the ETERNAL your God. Ye shall keep my Sabbaths ... I am the ETERNAL."

Then, He promised: "IF ye walk in MY statutes, and keep MY commandments, and do them: then I will . . ." and there, followed promises of matchless, unprecedented prosperity, wealth, abundance, peace, physical and national blessings. (Lev.26:3-13.)

"But IF ye will not harken unto me, and will not do all these commandments, .."— and then followed the CURSES for disobedience, including military invasion, defeat, and slavery to a foreign enemy.

WHY emphasize just these two Commandments?

Because these two, more than others, were given to keep us in close contact with GOD!

We don't see God! We are far more prone to get out of contact with God, whom we don't see, than those humans whom we do see! It is easier to obey the Commandments that regulate our relationship with human associates, whom we see, and with whom we talk, than to keep a close and right relationship with God, whom we don't see or hear.

Having our minds and interests too closely on material cares, duties, interests — unaccompanied with sufficient PRAYER and Bible study, becomes a form of IDOLATRY — putting material things BEFORE God in our minds, hearts and affections! Hundreds had seen this, and repented of it!

But hundreds had NOT seen that they had not been properly keeping God's Sabbath — really keeping it — as God intended!

And this thing we lacked is NO LIGHT THING —IT is A MOST TREMENDOUS THING!

HOW Keep It?

On the very seventh day of what we call Creation Week, GOD Himself rested on the Sabbath day, and was refreshed. He delighted in it! He greatly ENJOYED that Sabbath Day! He rested from GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT, drinking in the JOY that comes from achievement— even as we ought to do, every Sabbath. For we should have accomplished worthwhile things by our week's labor! And what is so satisfying as the thrill of accomplishment?

He set that day apart for HOLY use and purpose — SANCTIFIED it! He made that interval of TIME, between what is now called Friday sunset and Saturday sunset, HOLY time. He made FUTURE TIME holy!

Then, in the 4th Commandment, He commanded us to "REMEMBER ... to KEEP it holy." You can't keep ice-water hot. You can't keep time not made holy HOLY. And none but God can make future TIME HOLY! No one can "KEEP Sunday holy!" God never made it holy!

To keep holy this HOLY time that belongs to God means to "take our foot off of it" — as Moses was commanded to take his foot off of holy ground! (Exodus 3:5.)

"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 ETERNAL, honorable; and shalt honor HIM, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: THEN shalt thou DELIGHT thyself in the ETERNAL; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the HERITAGE [eternal life in God's Kingdom] of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the ETERNAL hath spoken it!" (Isa. 58:13-14.)

"Saturday Is Not MY Day!"

God calls the Sabbath "MY Holy Day." The space of time that is the Sabbath day belongs to GOD, not to us.

I am reminded of the time when I was holding Sunday night services in the Chamber of Commerce Auditorium in Seattle. Shaking hands with the people at the front entrance after the service, one woman paused to ask a question.

"Mr. Armstrong," she said, "someone distressed me a great deal by telling me that SATURDAY is your day instead of Sunday. That is not true, is it?"

"No," I replied promptly, "that is not true. Saturday is not my day — SUNDAY is my day."

"0 THANK you, Mr. Armstrong!" she exclaimed. "I'm greatly relieved. I was sure that was not true."

"But I think you don't understand," I added. "You see, Sunday is MY day — and so is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. But the hours between Friday sunset and Saturday sunset are not my day — that day is GOD'S DAY —God's Holy Sabbath. It belongs to HIM !"

HOW Important?

But is it IMPORTANT? Does it make much DIFFERENCE?

Go back and read the blessings for obedience, and the curses for Sabbath-breaking, in Leviticus 26!

Notice what God said to JUDAH through Jeremiah: "But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath day . .. then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched!" (Jer. 17:27.) This was Judah's LAST WARNING, before their captivity into SLAVERY!

They didn't heed! They didn't think Sabbath-keeping important!

RESULT?

"Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar King of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, . . . into Jerusalem, and burned the house of the ETERNAL [Solomon's multi-billion-dollar temple], and the King's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire!" (Jer. 52:12-13).

More than a hundred years before, the northern Kingdom, ISRAEL, had been driven out of their land as slaves by the Assyrians, BECAUSE of Sabbath-breaking! (Ezek. 20:10-25.)

IMPORTANT? Carelessness in keeping HOLY God's day can KEEP YOU OUT OF GOD'S KINGDOM! That's how IMPORTANT it is!

Made PLAIN in NEW Testament!

Now what does GOD say to us, TODAY?

I want all in God's Church to NOTICE how God says this carelessness about His Sabbath can KEEP YOU FROM BEING BORN INTO GOD'S KINGDOM! It is JUST as important to us, TODAY, as to Judah, then!

The Book of Hebrews is the Book of the LIVING Christ, TODAY!

I want you to see, how, what this world's theologians have never SEEN!

I want to take you, quickly and in brief, through the first four chapters. This was written for GOD'S CHURCH, for TODAY! And you will see why I keep emphasizing that word "TODAY!"

"... GOD .. has spoken to us by a Son — a Son whom He has appointed heir of the UNIVERSE, as it was by Him that He created the world. He, reflecting God's bright GLORY, and stamped with God's own character, sustains the universe with the word of His POWER . . " (Heb. l;l-3 — Moffatt translation).

Notice — the "all things" of the King James translation means the entire UNIVERSE!

This introduction, shows HOW GREAT is the living CHRIST — now on the THRONE OF GOD — the THRONE OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE — having been given the Administration of the GOVERNMENT of the UNIVERSE by God the Father! Following verses of Chapter I show the glory of angels, but the far SUPERIOR glory of the living CHRIST.

The last verse of Chapter 1, speaking of angels, says:

"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be HEIRS of salvation?"

Now skip briefly through the WEIGHTY Chapter 2.

I say weighty, because this chapter, perhaps more than any other writing in recorded history, reveals the PURPOSE of human life — the true MEANING of life — WHY humans were put on earth — what is our true goal and destiny— our HERITAGE!

This last verse of Chapter 1 suggests, but does not define it. It refers to those who are Christ's — who have, and in whom, the Holy Spirit dwells — as the HEIRS of salvation.

Important We HEED!

But notice how this chapter begins: "Therefore we" — the "WE" being the aforementioned HEIRS of salvation — "ought to give the more earnest HEED to the things which we have heard" — that is things heard from GOD, about our coming salvation — "lest at any time we should let them slip." (Verse 1.) Moffatt translates the last few words, "lest we drift away."

We could! Unless we diligently HEED, we might!

"How shall WE" — we Spirit-begotten Christians — "escape, if we NEGLECT so great salvation?" (Emphasis is mine throughout.) (Verse 3.) Few realize HOW GREAT is this salvation — but, beginning verse 6 this chapter reveals it!

Now verse 5: "For unto the angels hath He NOT put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak." When the apostle Paul, whom God inspired in writing this, spoke of "so GREAT SALVATION" he was speaking of "the world to come" — the WORLD TOMORROW — to be ruled by Christ and God's Kingdom. It has not been put in subjection to angels. Then TO WHOM has God put it in subjection?

The PURPOSE of Human Life

He explains in the very next words: "But one in a certain place testified, saying, . . ." It was David who testified, in the 8th Psalm, verses 4-6. There he said, quoted here in Hebrews 2:6: "WHAT IS man, that Thou art mindful of him?"

Yes, what IS a man ?

And WHY should the Great GOD be mindful of HIM — insignificant, sinning MAN? He explains, continuing the quote from the Psalms, Verse 7: "Thou madest him a little lower than the angels." Or, in the R.S.V., "Thou didst make him for a little while lower than the angels." The meaning is, man is now, for a time, lower — but in the world to come shall be much HIGHER than the angels. Read I Corinthians 6:2-3.

Continuing, same verse, "... thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the work of thy hands." What is "the work of God's hands," that man is set — or to be set — over? ALL THAT GOD HAS CREATED!

Verse 8: "Thou hast put ALL THINGS in subjection under his feet" In verse 3 of Chapter 1 we saw that "ALL THINGS" means the entire UNIVERSE. Notice what follows! It means that HERE! "For in that He [God] put ALL in subjection under him [man], He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet ALL THINGS [the universe] under him."

Now compare with verse 5. The WORLD TO COME, "whereof we speak," has NOT been put IN SUBJECTION to the angels — but what of MAN? God has put not only the WORLD to come, but the WHOLE UNIVERSE, "in SUBJECTION under him" — under MAN. Not under angels — but under MAN! Man is, now, for a little while, lower than angels. Yet angels are sent as ministers to those HUMANS who are HEIRS of this salvation.

How GREAT, then, is this salvation? So GREAT, that the entire universe, beside the WORLD TOMORROW, has been assigned under our feet—only, we see NOT YET all this under our feet. BUT, what DO we see, NOW? Next verse: "But we see JESUS, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, [NOW] CROWNED with GLORY and HONOR ..." (verse 9, RSV).

Yes, Jesus is now, already, CROWNED, and RULING the UNIVERSE! He is in GLORY — His eyes like flames of fire— His face shining like the sun, full strength (Rev. 1:14-16).

And He is called the "CAPTAIN" or, (RSV) PIONEER of our salvation. He is the PIONEER who has already gone on ahead, paving the way for us, as His CO-HEIRS. He has already INHERITED the Kingdom!

THAT is HOW GREAT a salvation we could NEGLECT!

And the theme carries on to show that we could NEGLECT it by becoming careless about God's SABBATH! So continue on!

What "DAY"?

Come now to Chapter 3.

Verse 1: "Wherefore, HOLY BRETHREN, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;..."

Notice, the salvation to which we are heirs is so GREAT, that we, even now, are called "HOLY brethren."

Verse 2: Jesus was faithful to God the Father who appointed Him, even as Moses was faithful in God's house. But (verse 3), Christ is worthy of much more GLORY than Moses, because the BUILDER (Creator) of the house has more glory than the HOUSE. And GOD is the Builder of "ALL THINGS" — the Universe (verse 4), which He created by Jesus Christ.

Verse 6 makes plain that WE are the "House" today — as the "Church in the wilderness" of Moses' day (Acts 7:38) was then. So Moses was only a part of the House Christ made — a ruling servant, who was faithful.

Verse 6: "But Christ, as a Son over His own House, whose House are we, . .." And this Message is to us, TODAY. Now we come to the heart of the Message to us!

Verse 7: "Wherefore, as the Holy Spirit saith, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: . . " It is plainer in the RSV: "Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the REBELLION, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your father put me to the test and saw my works for forty years."

This is the Message for God's Church — TODAY — of the present "Philadelphia" era. As the first six verses compared Moses and Christ, showing that Christ is far greater; so beginning verse 7 it compares the "Church in the wilderness" under Moses with OUR Church TODAY, under our High Priest JESUS CHRIST!

Christ is GREATER than was Moses. Christ is our Leader — our High Priest, our Lord and Master, our coming KING! And, by way of further comparison, let us remember WE have God's Holy Spirit — they under Moses did not!

This 7th verse is a quotation, applied here to us of the Philadelphia era, from the 95th Psalm, verses 7-11. As David said to the Congregation of Israel in his time, "Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when our fathers tempted me, . . ."

The marginal references render the word "provocation" as "at Meribah," and "temptation" as Massah. The RSV translates it: "Harden not your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness." Moffatt also renders it "Meribah" and "Massah."

A SABBATH Psalm

This 95th Psalm, on which virtually the entire 3rd and 4th chapters of Hebrews is based, is a SABBATH PSALM. It records what David said, or preached, to the Congregation on a SABBATH day.

It begins the Sabbath service: "O come, let us SING unto the ETERNAL: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a JOYFUL noise unto Him with psalms [songs]." The Congregation came before Him in assembly ON THE SABBATH!

David's Message, or sermon, on that Sabbath begins verse 7: "TODAY" (and that "Today" was a SABBATH day) "TODAY, if ye will hear His voice." God inspired the 3rd and 4th chapters of the Book of Hebrews, His Message to His Church OF THIS TIME, around this same SABBATH Message.

HOW They "Hardened Hearts"

As David preached to the Congregation of Israel, so God inspires the WARNING to His Church, "Harden not your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness."

This REBELLION was rebellion AGAINST GOD'S SABBATH!

The ancient Israelites under Moses had come to the wilderness of Sin (Ex. 16:1). It was on the 15th day of the 2nd month, a SABBATH, and after leaving Egypt. They left Egypt on "the morrow after the Passover" — that is on the 15th day of the first month, the year of 1487 B. C. That year the Passover fell on a Wednesday, and they left on a Thursday (Wednesday night).

These Israelites had griped, grumbled, complained, doubted God and blamed Moses ever since they had left Egypt— in spite of the stupendous miracles God had performed in saving and preserving them. Now they "murmured" and blamed God and Moses; because they , were, hungry.

"Then said the ETERNAL unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may PROVE them, whether they will walk in my Law or no" (Ex. 16:4). See verses 10-12. This was a Sabbath. Verse 13, after sunset.

This test was a SABBATH test.

After the first week of raining manna from heaven, came the Sabbath day. They had gathered a double portion the day before. "And Moses said" (verse :'25), "Eat that today; for TODAY is a Sabbath unto the Eternal: today ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.

"And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the ETERNAL said, . . . How LONG refuse ye to keep my Commandments and my Laws? See, for that the ETERNAL hath given you the Sabbath;... abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day" (verses 26-29).

Now the people had FOOD provided. But they still GRUMBLED and complained and DOUBTED GOD. Now they demanded of Moses, "Wherefore is this that, thou hast, brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the ETERNAL, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me. And the ETERNAL said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel: and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold I will stand before thee there upon the ROCK. ..." ("For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was CHRIST. But with many of them God was not well pleased.... Now these things were our examples; ... Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed ... Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they arc written for OUR admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth TAKE HEED, lest he fall" (I Cor. 10:4-12).

Again, pick up the passage back in Exodus 17: "...and thou shalt smite the Rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. AND HE CALLED THE NAME OF THE PLACE MASSAH, AND MERIBAH, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the ETERNAL, saying, Is the ETERNAL among us, or not?" (Ex. 17:3-7.)

And the very next verse records the event of King Amalek and his army coming to fight Israel —and of their WEAKENING, and failing to TRUST God to fight their wars for them — and of Israel for the first time GOING TO WAR !

In Joshua's Day

Compare all this with Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3 and 4 — and you GET THE MESSAGE FOR US, TODAY!

None of that generation, except Joshua and Caleb were permitted to enter into the Promised Land — type of OUR entering into THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

Now back to Hebrews 3. Pick up where we. left off:

Begin verse 7: "Today (on the Sabbath day in congregation) when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the REBELLION, on the DAY OF TESTING [the Sabbath was the test — Ex. 16:4] in the wilderness, where your fathers put me; to the test and saw my works for forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known MY WAYS. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest" (verses 7-11, RSY). All this is a citation from Psalm.95:7-11.

Those Israelites under Moses were on their way to the PROMISED LAND, even as we today are aiming at the goal of entering into GOD'S KINGDOM.

The word "rest"; in verse 11 is translated from the Greek "katapausis" - defined as ''reposing down", i.e. (by Hebrew) abode: or rest. As used, it denotes, for ancient Israel, the rest from the rigors of the wilderness by entering the Promised Land. This is a TYPE of the believer's spiritual rest, being born into (at Christ's coming) the KINGDOM OF GOD - made immortal.

Because they hardened their hearts — doubted God — disbelieved — lacked faith and DISOBEYED — even after stupendous MIRACLES they saw in wonder and awe — DISOBEYED, "hardened their hearts," PROFANED His SABBATH when God made that the VERY TESTING POINT (''that I may PROVE THEM, whether they will walk in my Law or no"—Ex. 16:4). God said of that generation, "They shall not enter my rest."

And none, but Joshua and Caleb of that generation, did!

But their children — born along the way in the wilderness — did enter under Joshua. God had PROMISED this land to Abraham for his descendants. Regardless of Israelite sins, GOD WAS BOUND BY HIS PROMISE!

Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into Palestine, Joshua said to the men of three tribes: "...The ETERNAL your God hath given you REST, and hath given you this land..." (Joshua 1:13).

Again, as at the Red Sea, God parted the waters of the Jordan, so all Israel went over on the DRY riverbed.

The day they went over was the 10th day of the first month (Joshua 4:19). Dr. Herman L Hoeh's researches have proved this was the weekly SABBATH, just before the PASSOVER, which came the 14th day of that same first month. This was in the year 1447—precisely 40 years from the time their fathers had left Egypt! On this year 1447, as in the year 1487 at the first Passover, the Passover was on a WEDNESDAY!

God does things ON TIME!

They entered that "rest" — Palestine — ON A SABBATH DAY! Crossing the Jordan into Canaan was a mere short "Sabbath day's journey!"

How significant! In the year 31 A.D., the Sabbath before the Passover day on which Jesus was crucified, was the day of His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem! That entry was on the SABBATH, also the 10th day of the first month — and that year, again, the Passover came on a Wednesday!

Under Joshua these people were reminded— on entering the Promised Land — type of OUR entering God's Kingdom - NOT to "harden their hearts," as their forefathers had done, profaning God's Sabbath; which prevented that generation from ENTERING this "REST," the Promised Land!

New Testament COMMAND to Keep the SABBATH!

Later, in the days of King DAVID, during a SABBATH DAY service before the Congregation (Church) of Israel, he said: "TODAY" — and it was the SABBATH DAY — "if ye will hear His voice" — yes, those of King David's generation — "harden not your hearts, as at Meribah [margin], and as in the day of Massah in the wilderness" (Psalm 95:7-8).

Then, for OUR GENERATION, the very LAST generation preparing the way for CHRIST'S COMING, and for ENTRY INTO GOD'S KINGDOM, the Message of the living Christ, our High Priest, comes to US:

"Wherefore, as the HOLY SPIRIT SAYS, TODAY, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts"—you people of the PHILADELPHIA era of GOD'S CHURCH! — "as in the provocation ... when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years" (Heb. 3:7-9).

They rebelled AGAINST His SABBATH! (Exodus 16.) The Message of the living Christ to us continues:

"TAKE HEED Brethren, lest, there be in any of yon an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living GOD. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin"... (Hebrews 3:7-13).

NOTICE, the word Today begins in your Bible with a CAPITAL "T." That is because it is speaking of the Holy SABBATH day. The Moffatt translation has it: "So long as the word Today is uttered." It is printed with a capital "T" and in italics for emphasis. It is put in quotes in the RSV, It means the SABBATH DAY! Protestant churches have been blinded to this. But this is a message for GOD'S CHURCH!

Verse 14.' "For we are made partakers of CHRIST ..." They, who hardened their hearts, were under Moses. We have God's Holy Spirit. They did not. We are without excuse!

Verse 15: "... while it is said, Today, if ye will hear His voice,..." and continuing to verse 19: "So we see that they could not enter in because of UNBELIEF." The Greek word for "unbelief" is "apeitheia," indicating obstinate and rebellious disbelief — disobedience— unbelief.

Now Chapter 4

Verse 1: "Let us therefore FEAR, lest a promise being left us of entering into His REST, ...." meaning, for us, God's Kingdom, "any of YOU should seem to come short of it For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them:..." THEY had the GOOD NEWS of God's PROMISE of entering into the Promised Land — the glory of all lands, flowing with milk and honey. THEY had physical and national promises for THEIR GOOD NEWS (Gospel). . But, Brethren, WE have the glorious GOOD NEWS of entering ETERNAL LIFE in God's Kingdom! The NEW Covenant, for us, is established on FAR better PROMISES (Heb. 8:6).

Verse 3: "For WE which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of; the world." Here He speaks of the completion of the physical CREATION in SIX DAYS by WORK. The next verse shows plainly He is speaking of God's SABBATH REST; after the "works were finished from the foundation of the world."

Verse 4: "For He spake in a certain place of the SEVENTH DAY on this wise, 'And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.'" (This is quoted from Genesis! 2:1-3). It refers directly back; to the first WEEKLY SABBATH DAY, as the TYPE of the "REST" these two chapters are speaking of.

The Sabbath day was the TYPE of ancient ISRAEL'S "REST" by entering the Promised Land. It, and that, are types of OUR entering the KINGDOM OF GOD. And we enter the KINGDOM after the SIX MILLENNIAL DAYS—,end of 6,000 years since Adam.-The Millennium shall be a REST from sin for the whole mortal world—-as well as for us who become immortals in God's Kingdom!

Verse 5: "And in this place again {again He spake of the Sabbath day}, " 'If they shall enter into my rest,' " — again quoting from Psalm 95 — David's SABBATH DAY Message on a weekly Sabbath!

Verse 6: "Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered NOT in because of unbelief:

Verse 7: "Again, He limiteth [points out, specifies, sets apart] a certain day, saying in David, 'TODAY after so long a time; as it is said, TODAY if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.'" The CERTAIN DAY He limited, (Psalm 95), we have clearly shown, was that WEEKLY SABBATH DAY — the TYPE of this "REST" of our entering, God's KINGDOM! If we despise and NEGLECT the one, we shall lose the OTHER, even as those Israelites did!

Did you notice? AGAIN and AGAIN the SABBATH command is REPEATED !

Verse 8: "For if Joshua [margin — this should NOT have been translated "Jesus"] had given them rest, then would He not [or, God would not — see RSV] afterward have spoken of another day:" It is a little surprising, to those who understand, but the Adam Clarke Commentary actually does properly explain this verse: "The Apostle shows that, although Joshua did bring the children of Israel into the Promised Land, yet this could not be the [finally] intended REST, because long after this time, the Holy Spirit, by David, speaks of this rest;" [The "rest" of Israel entering the Promised 'Land was the TYPE of the KINGDOM OF GOD — even as the SABBATH DAY rest is a TYPE of the KINGDOM!] Clarke concludes: "The Apostle, therefore, concludes, "Verse 9: 'There remaineth therefore, a REST [Greek: keeping of the 7th-day Sabbath] to the people of God.' Here the word "rest" is translated from an altogether different Greek word, originally inspired, as Paul wrote it, in GREEK: 'Sabbatismos,' which means, NOT the same as 'katapausis' — but the keeping of a 7th-day SABBATH!' "

This is a plain, direct, New Testament COMMAND for God's Church to keep God's SABBATH! IN THE PLAINEST OF LANGUAGE, rightly translated, THIS VERSE SAYS THE 7TH-DAY SABBATH REMAINS FOR GOD'S PEOPLE TODAY!

Verse 10; "For he that is entered into His [God's] rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His." How did God cease from His works? Verse 4, quoted Genesis 2:1-3, shows it was BY RESTING ON THE WEEKLY SABBATH DAY.

Plainly, if WE enter the REST ahead for us — entering God's KINGDOM — we also DO cease from our 6-days' work, AS GOD DID, on the SABBATH DAY!

Verse 11: "Let us LABOR therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." Labor six days to enter the Sabbath Day rest, as a TYPE of laboring AGAINST SIN, to ENTER GOD'S KINGDOM.

If we are CARELESS, NEGLECTING the Sabbath, it may cost us our INHERITANCE IN GOD'S KINGDOM.

Let us STOP NEGLECTING God's Sabbath

This article is reproduced as a study reference by COG-ff. This web-site is in part dedicated to the task of providing interested individuals with a vehicle for research in the writings of our former pastor, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, and those serving under him during his life and ministry.