The Sabbath Rest Still Remains for God’s People

Praise the Lord Jesus! Welcome as we delve into the Word of God.

Before we explore the deeper implications, it’s essential to first understand the foundational meaning of the Sabbath.

What Is the Sabbath?

The word “Sabbath” means rest—ceasing from work, entering a time of peace, and being refreshed. In the very beginning, God created the heavens and the earth in six days, as detailed in Genesis 1:1-31. On the seventh day, He rested. This was not because He was tired, but to establish a pattern for humanity. God, who is all-powerful, chose to rest to set apart this day as holy, which we read in Genesis 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. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

This seventh day was blessed, sanctified, and set apart as a day of rest, not only for God but also as an example for humanity. Thus, the Sabbath was meant to be a sign of God’s perfect work and a pattern for His creation to follow.

Later, when God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel, He commanded them to keep the Sabbath day holy as a reminder of His creation and His covenant with them:

Exodus 20:8-11 (NKJV)

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 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 as More Than Just a Day

However, the Sabbath wasn’t just about resting on a specific day. It was about entering into God’s rest—a concept that transcends one day or year and points to a deeper spiritual reality. The concept of the Sabbath finds its full meaning in the idea of divine rest, which was set out at creation but had a greater fulfillment to come.

For instance, in Leviticus 25:1-4, God instructed the Israelites to observe a Sabbath year every seventh year, during which they were not to farm the land but let it rest.

Leviticus 25:1-4 (NKJV)

“The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.'”

This was a further extension of God’s pattern of rest, and it teaches us that both the people and the land need regular rest in order to be restored.

But it didn’t stop there. After seven cycles of seven years (49 years), the 50th year was to be declared the Year of Jubilee, when the land would again rest, and debts would be forgiven. This year of liberation and rest points to the ultimate liberation God promises His people.

Leviticus 25:11-13 (NKJV)

“That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession.”

The Year of Jubilee symbolizes ultimate freedom and restoration, a glimpse of the eternal rest God has in store for His people. It points us forward to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise—a rest that goes beyond physical land or a specific time, but into the eternal peace and joy found in His presence.

The Spiritual Fulfillment of the Sabbath

While the Sabbath observances in the Old Testament were important, they were ultimately a shadow of the true and eternal rest God had planned for His people. This deeper rest is what we read about in the New Testament, especially in Hebrews 4. The author of Hebrews reveals that the promised rest, the true Sabbath rest, is not just about a day, a year, or a physical land, but about entering into God’s rest through faith in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 4:8-9 (NKJV)

“For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.”

Here, the author is making the case that if the physical land of Canaan had been the final promise of rest, then God wouldn’t have spoken of another rest. This shows us that the rest promised to Israel was merely a type of the eternal rest that comes through salvation in Christ.

Hebrews 4:10-11 (NKJV)

“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”

This teaches us that true Sabbath rest is found in ceasing from our own works and entering into God’s work—trusting in Christ’s finished work on the cross. This is the rest that remains for God’s people, and it’s available to us now through faith.

The Final Fulfillment of God’s Rest: The Millennial Kingdom

As we look forward to the future, we see that the ultimate fulfillment of the Sabbath rest will occur in the Millennial Kingdom, a time when Christ will reign on earth for 1,000 years. This is a time of peace, joy, and rest for God’s people, as described in Revelation 20:4-6.

Revelation 20:4-6 (NKJV)

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

The Millennium represents the ultimate “rest” that God has promised, where Christ rules and His people enjoy perfect peace and fellowship with God. It’s a picture of the eternal rest to come, the final Sabbath where God’s people will live with Him forever in perfect harmony.

Conclusion: Entering God’s Rest

In conclusion, the Sabbath is not just about a day of rest or a yearly break—it’s a symbol of the ultimate rest God promises to His people. The physical rest commanded in the Old Testament points to a deeper spiritual rest found only in Jesus Christ. As believers, we are called to enter this rest by ceasing from our own works and trusting in the finished work of Christ.

Hebrews 4:11 (NKJV)