Post by Watchman on Jul 15, 2006 13:17:03 GMT -5
Every human being truly needs to have one day a week to genuinely rest and have the opportunity to meditate and contemplate on life’s lessons. Jesus said:
The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath Mark 2:27
The sabbath was made when mankind was made—long before the old covenant, and long before the Jews even existed as a people. It was made for all human beings. The weekly Sabbath was also given as a "convocation"—a commanded assembly (Leviticus 23:1–3).
The Bible tells us that when Christ is fully crowned as King of kings,
And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Yahweh. Isaiah 66:23
True Christians today are, in a sense, "pioneers" in being willing to learn and obey God’s teachings, and to keep holy the days He made holy.
Another lesson the biblical seventh day Sabbath teaches us is that it is a type of the coming Millennium—the rule of Jesus Christ over the earth for a thousand sand years. Many secular historians regard Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire as the definitive history of the Roman Empire’s later years. Describing the early Christians, Gibbon wrote: "The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ. As the works of the creation had been finished in six days, their duration in their present state, according to a tradition which was attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years. By the same analogy it was inferred that this long period of labour and contention, which was now almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years; and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had been miraculously revived, would reign upon the earth till the time appointed for the last and general resurrection" (p. 403).
Those of us who keep the biblical Sabbath are constantly reminded of the ultimate "rest" God will give His people—the coming millennial reign of Christ as "King of kings" over this earth (Revelation 19:16), and eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
By contrast, those who observe the pagan "day of the sun" and the annual pagan holidays—so artfully woven into the fabric of professing "Churchianity"—are accepting a totally different concept of Christ and God. 'Another Jesus' (2 Cor 11:4). They are learning to disregard God’s command to keep the seventh-day Sabbath as "holy", and are unable to learn all the spiritual lessons this involves. By neglecting to keep the true biblical Holy Days of God, they never fully understand the great Plan of God, which is revealed and rehearsed through His commanded Holy Days.
Believers in "mainstream Christianity" are usually taught about "floating off to heaven" with nothing to do! However, as historian Gibbon explained, the early Christians looked forward to being part of that "triumphant band of saints" who would rule this world under Jesus Christ for the thousand-year "Sabbath" of the Millennium! That was their goal—not floating off to heaven!
And they sung a new song, saying, 'Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.' Revelation 5:9–10.
The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath Mark 2:27
The sabbath was made when mankind was made—long before the old covenant, and long before the Jews even existed as a people. It was made for all human beings. The weekly Sabbath was also given as a "convocation"—a commanded assembly (Leviticus 23:1–3).
The Bible tells us that when Christ is fully crowned as King of kings,
And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Yahweh. Isaiah 66:23
True Christians today are, in a sense, "pioneers" in being willing to learn and obey God’s teachings, and to keep holy the days He made holy.
Another lesson the biblical seventh day Sabbath teaches us is that it is a type of the coming Millennium—the rule of Jesus Christ over the earth for a thousand sand years. Many secular historians regard Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire as the definitive history of the Roman Empire’s later years. Describing the early Christians, Gibbon wrote: "The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ. As the works of the creation had been finished in six days, their duration in their present state, according to a tradition which was attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years. By the same analogy it was inferred that this long period of labour and contention, which was now almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years; and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had been miraculously revived, would reign upon the earth till the time appointed for the last and general resurrection" (p. 403).
Those of us who keep the biblical Sabbath are constantly reminded of the ultimate "rest" God will give His people—the coming millennial reign of Christ as "King of kings" over this earth (Revelation 19:16), and eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
By contrast, those who observe the pagan "day of the sun" and the annual pagan holidays—so artfully woven into the fabric of professing "Churchianity"—are accepting a totally different concept of Christ and God. 'Another Jesus' (2 Cor 11:4). They are learning to disregard God’s command to keep the seventh-day Sabbath as "holy", and are unable to learn all the spiritual lessons this involves. By neglecting to keep the true biblical Holy Days of God, they never fully understand the great Plan of God, which is revealed and rehearsed through His commanded Holy Days.
Believers in "mainstream Christianity" are usually taught about "floating off to heaven" with nothing to do! However, as historian Gibbon explained, the early Christians looked forward to being part of that "triumphant band of saints" who would rule this world under Jesus Christ for the thousand-year "Sabbath" of the Millennium! That was their goal—not floating off to heaven!
And they sung a new song, saying, 'Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.' Revelation 5:9–10.