I don't want to lose you in the details so let's start with the summary:
The Sabbath is the sign you are worshipping the Creator
The Promise of Prolonged Life on Earth
The Promise of Eternal Life
The Promise of His Holy Mountain
The Promise of His Eternal Kingdom
Now, let's look at each promise individually.
1. The Sabbath is the sign that you are worshipping the Creator
How do you know your worshipping the Creator of the bible? You worship the way He asked you to. By observing Sabbath, you are showing Him you SUBMIT to His authority over your life. I believe your faith must be proved through obedience, faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Your Sabbath observance is the SIGN YHHW designates for those who take ahold of His Eternal Covenant.
YAHUAH spoke to Moses, saying, Exo 31:13 "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for [this] is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am YAHUAH who sanctifies you." Exodus 31:12
"It (the sabbath) is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days YAHUAH made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased [from labor], and was refreshed." Exodus 31:17
"Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am YAHUAH who sanctifies them." Ezekiel 20:12
"I am YAHUAH your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them. Eze 20:20 'Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am YAHUAH your God." Ezekiel 20:19
The absolute highest form of worship is OBEDIENCE. Resting on Sabbath proves you are following HIS voice, not the world's. It proves you submit to HIS law, not the traditions of man. You may be shocked to know that "going to church" is not in the bible. Also, if you are thinking this sign applies only to the Israelites, please read my post on the biblical proof that sabbath applies to everyone here.
2. The Promise of Prolonged Life on Earth
I will warn you this is deep. YHWH uses physical realities to teach us spiritual truths. Be patient while I try to weave this together in a way that is understandable. Our life on earth is referred to as a shadow:
For we are [only] of yesterday and know nothing, Because our days on earth are as a shadow. Job 8:9
My days are like a lengthened shadow, And I wither away like grass. Psalm 102:11
So life is a shadow. But of what? Your physical life on earth is a shadow or a pre-curser to your eternal life. Yahuah presents us with the physical (something we can see, feel and touch) to help us understand the spiritual (something we CAN'T see, feel or touch). Said another way, we experience the physical before we can experience the spiritual. YHWH tells the Israelites that obedience to His laws will prolong their days on earth.
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Proverbs 3:1-2
"You shall walk in all the way which YHWH your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong [your] days in the land which you will possess." Deuteronomy 5:33
"Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which YHWH your Elohim has commanded [me] to teach you, that you might do [them] in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear YHWH your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged." Deuteronomy 6:1-2
"You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; so that you may prolong [your] days on the land which YHWH swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey." Deuteronomy 11:8-9
When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, "Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, [even] all the words of this law. "For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess." Deuteronomy 32:46-47
Prolonging our days on earth, or our physical life, is meant to teach you the truth of the spiritually prolonged life, or eternal life.
3. The Promise of Eternal Life
Before we can understand His promise of eternal life, we first we must understand the biblical definition of being cut off. Of course, we will use the bible to define the bible. The verse that defines what "cut off" means just happens to be about Sabbath. Ironic. Or not.
"Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.
The physical death resulting from disobedience is a physical reality of a spiritual truth. Said another way, the reality of physically dying is meant to teach you the spiritual truth: obedience leading to life, disobedience leads to death. That promise was as true in the Garden of Eden, as it was to the Israelites, as it is today.
"My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips." Psalm 89:34
Yahuah makes the following statement for those that keep from profaning His sabbaths and holds fast to His covenant:
"I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off." Isaiah 56:4-5
An everlasting name points to eternal life, while being cut off means killed. Those that observe Sabbath and keep their hand from evil will be given eternal life. Incredible.
4. The Promise of His Holy Mountain
I'll just include our Creator's words, He clearly says it best: "
"Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahuah, to minister to Him, and to love the name of YHWH, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath and holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples." Isaiah 56:6-7
I don't know about you, but I want to be on that holy mountain all joyful, snug as a bug in a rug in His house. Yes please.
5. The Eternal Promise Land
The kingdom promise made to Jacob was the physical promised land. In the physical kingdom was the capital city of Jerusalem. The physical promise land is a foreshadowing of the spiritual or eternal promised land. The city of Jerusalem on earth, being the replaced with the Jerusalem that descends from heaven.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2
Now let's read what our Creator says:
"If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your [own] pleasure on My holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy [day] of YHWH honorable, and honor it, desisting from your [own] ways, from seeking your [own] pleasure and speaking [your own] word, then you will take delight in YHWH, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you [with] the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of YHWH has spoken." Isaiah 58:13-14
The physical heritage of Jacob was the promise land. The spiritual version of that heritage is the spiritual promise land, or kingdom of heaven. That kingdom of heaven will also have Jerusalem as the capital city, as described in the last two chapters of the bible, Revelation 21 and 22. I want to be with Messiah in the everlasting kingdom of YHWH, the eternal promise land. I am happy to observe Sabbath.
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