Acts 17:30-31
30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
When people don’t know the truth, they extend the truth they know, so when a new truth is revealed, they can’t understand it.
THE SABBATH
The first mention of the word Sabbath was found in Genesis 2:2;
Gen 2:2-3
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
The word rest is the Hebrew word Sabbath, rest is always associated with blessings – rest is a blessing.
Q? Is the sabbath important to God?
The answer is yes – matter of fact, God gave a specific command for us about the Sabbath:
Ex 20:8-10a
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
Ex 20:10b-11
“In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
The Sabbath was so important to the Lord that after Israel had sinned, it looked as if it were the last coin to fill the basket before it broke.
Ezek 20:8
‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.
Their first sin was idolatry…
Ezek 20:10-12
Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the desert. 11 I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. 12 Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.
Ezek 20:13
“‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws — although the man who obeys them will live by them — and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the desert.
After idolatry was the desecration of the Sabbath!
The people kept with their rebellion, and we know from the Bible that they were destroyed by God.
As the end of the age approaches, God is calling His people back to His basics, His law, and He commands all people to repent that we might not be judged.
We need to repent of our modern desecration of God’s Sabbath so that we may be spared from His judgment – we must return to His law, His commandments.
Acts 17:30-31
30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
The Mitzvah is a word used in Judaism to refer to the commandments of which there are 613 given in the Torah. There are two divisions of this laws: the Divine commandments and the Moral laws.
The moral laws are also known as the negative commandments as they always begin on a negative tone, don’t. There are 365 moral laws that corresponds to the number of days in a year – this implies that we obey them daily!
And there are 248 of what the Torah calls as positive commandments – the Divine laws. The number 248 corresponds to the number of bones in the human body.
Is the Church supposed to go back to these 613 laws of Judaism?
No! we were commanded to obey His commandments spoken in the Bible…
Matt 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
These two commandments also have two divisions: the Divine (laws towards God), and the Moral (laws towards men); positive and negative. The Ten Commandments also carry this same division; Divine and Moral.
The Divine laws were given by God to protect our spirits and our souls. While the moral laws speak more of the way we ought to carry ourselves daily which would lead to our eternal home.
The 5th commandment is for the protection and respect for family, Inheritance, Heritage and Succession.
The 6th is for dignity and protection of life – “you shall not murder.” The image of God is the only adequate basis on which murder can be condemned.
The 7th is for Fidelity—“you shall not commit adultery”, marriage and family are at the core of society and if they fail, society will become poorer economically and spiritually.
The 8th is for the protection of Ownership –“you shall not steal.” Stealing is evil because private property and ownership are good.
The 9th is for Veracity—“you shall not bear false witness.” In today’s culture, “truth has fallen in the street.
The 10th is Desire Versus Greed – “you shall not covet.” One can condemn greed and envy without prohibiting a healthy desire for relationships and things.
We have fought very hard so that we might be able to live this kind of life that is most pleasing to the lord, right? But what about the greatest commandment to love God with all our hearts and minds – do we obey the 1st by obeying the 2nd greatest command to love our neighbor as ourselves?
If “loving God” is the most important and greatest commandment, the question is:
Is this the most important focus of our lives and churches today?
We know that we are obeying the 1st three of the Divine commandments of God: don’t have any strange gods, no idolatry, and we don’t use the name of God in vain!
What we are missing is the fourth:
When did we start to not honoring the sabbath?
- Feb 18, 1884, the Roman Catholic church under Pope Leo XIII, commanded that the sabbath will celebrated on the 1st day of the week – Sunday!
- Sept 2, 1893 the Catholic Mirror published the Feb 18 commandment of the Pope, and since then, the worship of the Lord was held every Sunday instead of the Sabbath which is Saturday.
Even the reformers led by Martin Luther (protestants) followed this edict of the Pope!
How ironic?
Here in the Philippines, when the days of the week were given their names, our forefathers chose to give Saturday the name Sabado which is Spanish word for Sabbath!
It is the only day in Filipino that is not named after a Roman or Greek god.
Saturday was named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture. There are 2 main themes going through the scriptures depicting our relationship with God The Father:
- 1st Our Position As Children Of God.
- 2nd Bride Before The Bridegroom God.
There is a transformation happening in the church today that can be described as nothing less than a “REVOLUTION”! The changes will be drastic and dramatic – a transformation from child of God to Bride of Christ.
There is a short time frame in the life of any woman who is about to marry. From being her Fathers daughter to becoming her husbands wife. This is every woman’s special time;
She is no longer presented as the daughter of so and so, but she will only be presented as “THE BRIDE.”
We are entering this season as a church and it is at hand, NOW!
2 Cor 11:2
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
It is only at the end of time, just before the Second Coming, that the Church is described as the Bride.
Heb 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The joy set before Jesus is the Bride!
We are the Bride!!!
Are you ready for the wedding?