Understanding who Jesus was, Creator and Lord of the Sabbath.

[reddogs]

Jesus Christ is “Lord even of the Sabbath day" but the fullness of that statement needs to be understood by understanding who Jesus was.

"For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." Matthew 12:8. By identifying Himself as "Lord even of the Sabbath day," Jesus was, in reality, revealing that He Himself was the One who originally made Earth in six days, and rested on the seventh day. The New Testament is very clear that Jesus Christ is not just our Savior, but is also our Creator. Notice carefully:

All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that has been made. John 1:3

He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. John 1:10

God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. Eph. 3:9 KJV

For by Him [Jesus] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Col. 1:16

Thus Jesus Christ is our Creator. The One who created, rested. Thus the Sabbath commandment, when correctly understood in the light of both the Old and New Testaments, points to Jesus Christ

Now some may say but God the great Jehovah created the earth in the beginning, but here is were the mystery of the Trinity has to be understood in order to understand who Jesus was.

Jesus is the Jehovah of ALL the Bible. He is the LORD Jehovah that walked in the cool of the day in Eden. Jesus was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus was Jehovah God who gave the Ten Commandments. Jesus was Jehovah God who was in the pillar of fire by night and cloud by day. Jesus was Jehovah God who appeared to Moses in the fiery bush and declared I am that I am.

What Jesus claims about Himself - John 8:48-59
48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

With solemn dignity Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by Jesus.

Lets look at this story of Moses and the Burning Bush in Ex 3:14-15..

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Ex 3:14-15.

Now scripture shows us even more clearly who Christ is, if we just let the Holy Spirit guide us into truth.

THE FIRST AND THE LAST
Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Revelation 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Revelation 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Isaiah 41:4
Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Isaiah 44:6
Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isaiah 48:12
Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

Now lets look at who is the Savior:

Isaiah 43:11
I, even I, am the LORD ; and beside me there is no saviour.

Isaiah 45:21
Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

Hosea 13:4
Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

1Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

2Peter 3:18
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Philippians 3:20
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Jesus is truly the Creator, Jehovah, the First and the Last, our Saviour and Lord of the Sabbath. It is His day of worship from Creation, the day of rest, made for man not man for the Sabbath..

Genesis 2:1-2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

The Sabbath was not just for the Jews, but for all mankind which the Creator gave us. Our Lord and Saviour shows us.

 

[reddogs]

Here from my friend Amo is more..

'John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Christ created all things. This includes thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. There is no doubt but that the ten commandments is included in the above. Without question though, one of the commandments was created by Christ, and that would be the fourth commandment at creation. For when He had finished creation, He blessed and sanctified the seventh day (Gen. 2:2&3).

1 Cor 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

It was Christ who lead the children of Israel through the wilderness, where they received the law from the same. It was Christ that they tempted during the same, and were destroyed of the serpents. It has always been Christ who has dealt with humanity since the fall. He is the person of the Godhead through whom humanity and God are reconciled. There is no other name in heaven or earth whereby we must be saved.

I do not mean to exclude the Father, or the Spirit, by saying all the above was Christ, for where the Father, or Son, or Spirit is, there also are the other two, for they are all one. Only once have they ever been separated by the death of the Son for our salvation. They cannot be separated by time or space or anything else. Where one is, there the others are also, for God is omnipresent, and they are God. It is therefore impossible that only one of them gave the law to Israel, for they are one.

When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He was first referred to as the angel of the Lord, and then plainly referred to as the Lord.

Exod 3:2-4 "2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I."

When Moses asked God in the burning bush who he should say had sent him to deliver Israel, Moses was to say that I Am hath sent you. When Christ was here on earth, he applied this same title, I AM, to himself.

Exodus 3 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

John 8 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Jesus Christ himself was telling the Jews that He was the angel in the burning bush speaking to Moses, and therefore was God. This the Jews understood, which is why they picked up rocks to stone him. It was the angel of the Lord within the burning bush who applied the title of I AM to himself, Christ applied the same title to himself.

This Angel of the Lord that appeared to many during the old covenant was Christ, which is why the Angel is not just called an Angel, but plainly the Lord.

In any case, it is nonsense to argue that Christ did not give the law to Israel, as though any person of the Godhead could, or would do anything that all did not agree on, and would also do themselves. Moreover, they did do it themselves for they are God. What the Father, Son, or Spirit does, all have done for they are one.'
http://www.sdaforums.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=229&p=772#wrap

 

[reddogs]

So by understanding who Jesus was, the words in the Bible come alive with meaning.

Genesis 26:5
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Exodus 20:6
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Matthew 5:19
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 23:56
And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment


John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.

It is Christ the great I AM, the law giver, the Creator the Lord of the Sabbath who gave man the Sabbath from the begining, and it has not changed.

We also see that the Creator Himself kept the Sabbath day and as He gave it to mankind, Adam and Eve kept the Sabbath

 

[reddogs]

Here is some things you may ponder that I came across on this issue.
Words define thought and thoughts express will. Let’s take a look at the words 'sanctify' and 'blessed', which God used to define the seventh day. In doing this, we will begin to understand God’s intention and purpose for the seventh day.

Sanctify

1. To be set apart, be consecrated.
2. To be honored, be treated as sacred.
3. To observe as holy.
4. To keep sacred.
5. To regard or treat as sacred or hallow.


Blessed
1. To make or pronounce holy; to consecrate.
2. To make happy, joyous; to confer happiness upon; to grant divine
favor to.



Do you believe words have power and meaning especially in the Bible?

Do you believe that when God says He sanctifies, blesses and calls something holy it has a meaning to God?

Mankind should have been honoring the Sabbath since the begining.

Mankind should not have killed since the begining.

Mankind should not lie from the begining.

Mankind should not worship false Gods from the begining.

But we know death came into the world because one man sinned and death has spread to all man because all man have sinned.

When we come to Christ and are born again these words will once again have their life changing power and meaning revealed to us.

 

[reddogs]

The Old and the New Testament speak to us about what God ordained and the Sabbath is part of it from Creation.

Deuteronomy 6:24
(24) And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

Mark 2:27-28
(27) And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
(28) Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Romans 7:12
(12) Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Isaiah 58:13-14
(13) 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:
(14) 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.

Exodus 31:13-17
(13) Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
(14) Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
(15) Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
(16) Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
(17) 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.
Ephesians 2:10
(10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.