All who believe that Yeshua Is God understand that it was HE that created the Universe, and all that is in it. HE (Yeshua/Jesus) was there in the Garden with Adam, HE was there and was the one who scooped up a handful of clay that HE had made and formed it into a man and breathed the breath of life into him. And it was HE who walked with Adam in the cool of the day.
It was also HE~Yeshua, who celebrated the first Sabbath with man, on the very next day after He had created them.
*******************************************************
Let's look at some scripture, and some common misunderstandings.
Messiah is the goal of the Torah's Sabbaths
The goal of the Torah is to show us Yeshua the Messiah -- who alone makes us righteous. The Apostle Paul said, "Messiah is the goal of the Torah, to make righteous everyone that believes" (Romans 10:4). This was written after Yeshua's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension; it says that the goal of the Torah is (still) ( notice present tense ) Messiah.
Yeshua said that all of the law and prophets hang ( not REPLACE!) on these two commandments:
Love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). The first five of the ten commandments show how we are to love God. The last five show how we are to love our neighbor. Observing Sabbath, the fourth commandment, is a part of loving God, according to Messiah's own words.
The goal of Torah's Sabbath keeping must be that we see and love Messiah!
1. The Sabbath Day is a memorial to Messiah as creator and sustainer
In what sense do we rest?
Elohim (God) did not need rest after six days of creating (Isaiah 40:28).
Adam should not have needed to rest immediately following his creation at the end of the sixth day, because the body did not need this rejuvination before the fall.
2. The Sabbath Day is a prophetic picture of the Messianic Kingdom
The Apostle Paul said to a gentile congregation (Colossians 2:16-17), "Let no man condemn you . . . for observing the Torah Festivals, Rosh Hodesh (New Moons), or Sabbaths, for these are a prophetic shadow of things to come, and Messiah (for whom we are looking) is the body casting the shadow!"
The KJV translation reads, "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."
This is sometimes used to teach that we may freely choose whatever days we wish for holydays and Sabbaths, and no one has a right to question our judgment. However, the term "judgment" here means condemnation, and refers to condemnation of gentile believers for keeping Jewish - or rather Biblical - Festivals and Sabbaths.
In other words, unbelieving Gentiles of Pauls day were condeming those Gentile believers for keeping a Jewish holiday, and it still is so today, they just don't understand that it is G-d's HOLY DAY, not a Jews, or Christians.
The word used for Sabbath or Shabbat is from Shevet, which means "to dwell"
The weekly Sabbath is in preparation of the millinial Sabbath to come. As Moses instructed the children of Israel to gather on the 6th day to keep in store for the seventh day, so we too much prepare now for that Sabbath rest to come in the New Kingdom. Emmanuel (God with us) is coming shevet - to dwell on earth with us!
The Sabbath Day is a picture of the Messianic Kingdom. It is not a detailed picture, but a shadowy one.
3. Sabbath: Day of Eternity
In the Genesis account of creation, the seventh day had no evening and morning. God's rest from His creative activity has continued to this day. In the Revelation account, those who are raised in the first resurrection will live through the Millennial Sabbath on this earth, and then through eternity on the New Earth; that is, their Sabbath will extend into eternity.
We read repeatedly in Psalm 37, which was quoted by Yeshua in Matthew 5, that the meek shall inherit the earth, and dwell therein forever, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace - the shalom of the Sabbath Day of eternity.
In John 14:2 we read that Yeshua was going to prepare a place for us. In Revelation 21 we read that the prepared place - the New Jerusalem, is coming to an earth renewed by fire, where God (Emmanuel) will dwell with His people and be their God. We also find here that the items mentioned in Genesis as being in the Garden of Eden are restored to earth, such as the tree of life, and the river of living water (Revelation 22). In this restored Garden of Eden (also called Paradise) our Sabbath will continue to eternity. (Paradise is from the Greek word Paradeisos, used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew term Gan Eden -- Garden of Eden.)
4. Today is our Preparation Day for the Sabbath of Messiah
We also read in Revelation 21:7-8, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his G-d, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." We must be prepared if we are to enter that great Sabbath, which will continue into eternity for the righteous.
One cannot know Sabbath by reading lists of prohibitions; one must prepare ahead for the needs of the day and then enter into rest. So also, concerning the coming millennial rest, it is written, "Let us labor therefore to enter into His rest" (Hebrews 4:11) This is used in a future tense. We prepare by learning and following God's Word, by overcoming sin, and thus growing in faith.
The goal of Sabbath observance is to see a vision of the Messiah who created the world in seven days, and to see a vision of the Messiah's coming kingdom. The goal of the Torah is Messiah. Sabbath is a shadow picture concerning Messiah. Through faith we must prepare for the Messianic Sabbath. And when we are in the Messianic Kingdom, we will still observe the memorial seventh day Sabbath (Isaiah 66:23).
Yeshua is our creator and the one who makes us righteous. Do we delight to do something that is a memorial to Him as creator, and also prophetic of His coming kingdom, and that keeps a picture of Him before us?
It was also HE~Yeshua, who celebrated the first Sabbath with man, on the very next day after He had created them.
*******************************************************
Let's look at some scripture, and some common misunderstandings.
Messiah is the goal of the Torah's Sabbaths
The goal of the Torah is to show us Yeshua the Messiah -- who alone makes us righteous. The Apostle Paul said, "Messiah is the goal of the Torah, to make righteous everyone that believes" (Romans 10:4). This was written after Yeshua's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension; it says that the goal of the Torah is (still) ( notice present tense ) Messiah.
Yeshua said that all of the law and prophets hang ( not REPLACE!) on these two commandments:
Love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). The first five of the ten commandments show how we are to love God. The last five show how we are to love our neighbor. Observing Sabbath, the fourth commandment, is a part of loving God, according to Messiah's own words.
The goal of Torah's Sabbath keeping must be that we see and love Messiah!
1. The Sabbath Day is a memorial to Messiah as creator and sustainer
In what sense do we rest?
Elohim (God) did not need rest after six days of creating (Isaiah 40:28).
Adam should not have needed to rest immediately following his creation at the end of the sixth day, because the body did not need this rejuvination before the fall.
2. The Sabbath Day is a prophetic picture of the Messianic Kingdom
The Apostle Paul said to a gentile congregation (Colossians 2:16-17), "Let no man condemn you . . . for observing the Torah Festivals, Rosh Hodesh (New Moons), or Sabbaths, for these are a prophetic shadow of things to come, and Messiah (for whom we are looking) is the body casting the shadow!"
The KJV translation reads, "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."
This is sometimes used to teach that we may freely choose whatever days we wish for holydays and Sabbaths, and no one has a right to question our judgment. However, the term "judgment" here means condemnation, and refers to condemnation of gentile believers for keeping Jewish - or rather Biblical - Festivals and Sabbaths.
In other words, unbelieving Gentiles of Pauls day were condeming those Gentile believers for keeping a Jewish holiday, and it still is so today, they just don't understand that it is G-d's HOLY DAY, not a Jews, or Christians.
The word used for Sabbath or Shabbat is from Shevet, which means "to dwell"
The weekly Sabbath is in preparation of the millinial Sabbath to come. As Moses instructed the children of Israel to gather on the 6th day to keep in store for the seventh day, so we too much prepare now for that Sabbath rest to come in the New Kingdom. Emmanuel (God with us) is coming shevet - to dwell on earth with us!
The Sabbath Day is a picture of the Messianic Kingdom. It is not a detailed picture, but a shadowy one.
3. Sabbath: Day of Eternity
In the Genesis account of creation, the seventh day had no evening and morning. God's rest from His creative activity has continued to this day. In the Revelation account, those who are raised in the first resurrection will live through the Millennial Sabbath on this earth, and then through eternity on the New Earth; that is, their Sabbath will extend into eternity.
We read repeatedly in Psalm 37, which was quoted by Yeshua in Matthew 5, that the meek shall inherit the earth, and dwell therein forever, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace - the shalom of the Sabbath Day of eternity.
In John 14:2 we read that Yeshua was going to prepare a place for us. In Revelation 21 we read that the prepared place - the New Jerusalem, is coming to an earth renewed by fire, where God (Emmanuel) will dwell with His people and be their God. We also find here that the items mentioned in Genesis as being in the Garden of Eden are restored to earth, such as the tree of life, and the river of living water (Revelation 22). In this restored Garden of Eden (also called Paradise) our Sabbath will continue to eternity. (Paradise is from the Greek word Paradeisos, used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew term Gan Eden -- Garden of Eden.)
4. Today is our Preparation Day for the Sabbath of Messiah
We also read in Revelation 21:7-8, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his G-d, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." We must be prepared if we are to enter that great Sabbath, which will continue into eternity for the righteous.
One cannot know Sabbath by reading lists of prohibitions; one must prepare ahead for the needs of the day and then enter into rest. So also, concerning the coming millennial rest, it is written, "Let us labor therefore to enter into His rest" (Hebrews 4:11) This is used in a future tense. We prepare by learning and following God's Word, by overcoming sin, and thus growing in faith.
The goal of Sabbath observance is to see a vision of the Messiah who created the world in seven days, and to see a vision of the Messiah's coming kingdom. The goal of the Torah is Messiah. Sabbath is a shadow picture concerning Messiah. Through faith we must prepare for the Messianic Sabbath. And when we are in the Messianic Kingdom, we will still observe the memorial seventh day Sabbath (Isaiah 66:23).
Yeshua is our creator and the one who makes us righteous. Do we delight to do something that is a memorial to Him as creator, and also prophetic of His coming kingdom, and that keeps a picture of Him before us?
