WHAT IS THE SABBATH A TYPE OF?
A shadow of what is to come!"So let no one take you to task on questions of eating and drinking or in connection with the observance of festivals or new moons or Sabbaths. All that is the mere shadow of what is to be; the substance belongs to Christ. (Moffet, Col. 2:16, 17)
A lot of people fall for the Gnostic approach that God has done away with the Sabbath and Holy Days. But, the Bible calls them a shadow of what is to come. The Bible uses analogies and metaphors, so that we can understand deeper principles. For example, our body is compared to a "tent." The Feast of Tabernacles means Feast of Booths or "tents". This physical body of ours is certainly very temporary. In 2 Peter 1:13-14, Peter refers to his weak physical body as a tabernacle. "Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shown me." KJV
Why do most people think that we are immortal already? It is because Satan told Eve "ye shall not die." And she believed him over God. The Bible teaches that we can achieve immortality, but it is not automatic, else why would Romans 2:7 say that we must "seek" immortality.
"Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life..."
Since the Bible says that we must SEEK immortality, it is obvious that no one seeks for what they already have in hand. Aside from that, the scriptures say that God alone has immortality.
"...who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen." 1 Timothy 6:16
FUTURE IMMORTALITY
What is the Sabbath a type of? Did you know that the Bible teaches that there is a clear connection between keeping the Sabbath and eternal life? "...neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus says the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant, (10 commandments) Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Isaiah 56
Did you catch that? God says to the eunuchs...hey, you may think that you are a "dry tree" but IF YOU KEEP THE SABBATH, I'll give you a name better than of sons and daughters, I WILL GIVE YOU AN EVERLASTING NAME THAT SHALL NOT BE CUT OFF.
Why is keeping the Sabbath connected to Eternal life? It's very simple to understand... The Sabbath, pictures our future rest from our physical human bodies and physical labor. The Sabbath or "day of rest" shows that we will have a permanent body someday, we will rest from being a weak temporary physical human being! Our bodies, as Peter says are temporary tabernacles...not our permanent home!
SABBATH PICTURES ETERNAL LIFE!
A REST IS COMING FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD
Let's go to the book of Hebrews to see the connection between the Sabbath and eternal life. Don't forget that the book of Hebrews is written to the first fruits...the first ones to be saved in God's plan of salvation, pictured in the Sabbath and Holy Days. The first fruits are first to gain eternal life and to "rest from being physical human beings." Hebrews 4:1 says, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (entering eternal life)
"Vs 3...For we which have believed do enter into rest, (eternal life) as He said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day (The Sabbath) on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my (God's) rest....
Verse 9 continues this thought..."There remains therefore a rest ("A keeping of the Sabbath") to the people of God. (The people of God will receive eternal life.)
10 For he that is entered into his (God's) rest, he also hath ceased from his own (physical) works, as God did from his."Even the physical works of God...the earth and the heavens are not eternal. Everything physical will eventually cease to exist and the Bible says they will not even come to mind anymore.
NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH!
The permanent will finally come"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." Isaiah 65:17
EVERYTHING THAT IS PHYSICAL, including our temporary bodies and WILL EVENTUALLY GO AWAY FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD, EVEN THE EARTH AND STARS. Now, take a close look at the Sabbath in the FUTURE! According to Gnostic teaching, it is done away now...Is it? No no no! The Bible prophesies about the future, saying, "From one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, (Paniym..."to face" me.) This has never happened before! When has everyone, "all flesh" come to appear before God, from one Sabbath to another! Never! This is futuristic!
Clearly, keeping the SABBATH REPRESENTS COMING FACE TO FACE WITH AN ETERNAL GOD....Therefore, ONLY IMMORTAL and eternal beings and things WILL BE ABLE TO REMAIN BEFORE GOD'S FACE FOREVER. "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, (Paniym..."to face" me) says the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain (a promise of eternal life!) 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, ("to face" me) says the LORD. Not only during the millennial reign of Christ, but throughout eternity! Isaiah 66:22-23
WHEN YOU KEEP THE SABBATH YOU APPEAR BEFORE THE RIGHT GOD....THE TRUE CREATOR GOD!
WE SEE HERE AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SABBATH AND IMMORTALITY. The Sabbath and the Holy Days are when ETERNAL BEINGS will come to appear before God's face and they will do it forever and ever.
Throughout eternity, God's children, the immortal spiritual nations will come every Sabbath to appear before God. At the return of Christ, He will rule the earth for a 1000 years, the millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment are a time of rulership over physical fleshly nations, but when those things are over, and the new heavens and the new earth come, then, there will be a time of God's eternal rulership over spiritual nations. The Sabbath will be eternally kept. This tells you that the Sabbath is connected to the real God.
Psalms 22:27-28 says, "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. ("to face thee") For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations." The physical Sabbath is type of something great to come.
In the future, there will be no need for a physical earth anymore. A spiritual one will replace it. The earth and the universe as we know it, are very, very old, it someday in the future, God will fold the old universe up like a garment. And replace it with a spiritual universe that will never grow old.
In conclusion, Revelation 21:4-6 speaks of our future rest from the HARDSHIPS OF BEING HUMAN...it speaks of a future rest from all the tears, the sorrow, the pain. It speaks of a promise of eternal life....
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former (human) things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (eternal life) This is the "rest" that will come from God...that we picture every Sabbath when we go to appear before God, now and hopefully forever, if we hang on to the truth and to the true God.
Copyrighted by the Churches of God
2005