What is the one-world religion described in Revelation?

 

The Sabbath is the only commandment with a promise.

Calvin quotes Augustine to show that the Sabbath day foreshadowed Christ’s coming and our salvation and spiritual rest in him . Thus the commandment given to Israel was always only a promise of something much greater .

It has become increasingly common for business professionals, life coaches, and pastors to talk about embracing sabbath or taking a sabbatical.

The idea is that people need prolonged seasons of rest and refreshment.

The focus on taking a sabbath is, of course, that people would become more productive in their employments while also caring for their spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being.

While sabbaticals may address a common, therapeutic need for rest, God has given us the Sabbath day to serve as a sign of the greater spiritual need we have for the rest that He provides in Christ alone.

From the beginning of time, the Sabbath day was set as one of God’s creation ordinances (Gen. 2:2–3).

In redemptive history, it was the fourth of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15). Both at creation and in the fourth commandment, the Sabbath served as a covenantal sign holding out the promise of a greater Sabbath rest.

After creating a world in which His image bearers could dwell, the Lord set apart the seventh day as the Sabbath day.

The Sabbath day served numerous purposes at creation.

It was to be a day of worship and rest. It was also a reminder that mankind is finite and dependent.

Since we are dependent creatures, God saw fit to give Adam this creation ordinance to remind him of his need for rest from his physical labor.

Adam was to set apart the Sabbath day to worship the God who “gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25).

However, it was not simply a day in which man was to cease from his labors and embrace physical and spiritual rest; it was a sign pointing to something higher—the hope of entering eternal rest.

The eschatological-sign nature of the Sabbath day was tied to God’s covenantal dealing with man in the garden.

In Eden, God condescended to initiate a covenantal relationship with Adam.

Had Adam obeyed the command related to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, it’s likely he would have secured an eternal dwelling place for righteous image bearers to reflect the holy character of God.

Had he obeyed, he would have gained a right to eat from the Tree of Life.

The two trees in the garden served as signs and seals of the covenant of works, together with the Sabbath day.

That is, the Sabbath ordinance was one of the signs and seals of this covenant in Eden.

The Sabbath was a sign insomuch as it pointed to the promise of the eternal rest that man would have entered had Adam obeyed the demands of the covenant of works.

In redemptive history, the Sabbath prominently resurfaced again as a covenantal sign in the Mosaic covenant.

Within the context of the Mosaic covenant, the Sabbath day continued to point to the promise of eternal rest.

These two elements of the Sabbath day—creation and redemption—are found in the distinct reasons added to the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:11 and Deuteronomy 5:15.

Creation and redemption form the background for the significance of the Sabbath day as a covenantal sign.

The Sabbath day reminds image bearers of their obligation to worship and serve the Lord, and to trust God for the redemption that He freely provides in Christ alone.

Where Adam failed in the covenant of works, Christ succeeded.

As the last Adam (Rom. 5:12–21), Jesus came to secure the eschatological Sabbath rest for His people.

Jesus performed numerous healing miracles on the old covenant Sabbath day, revealing Himself to be the One who alone can provide rest for the souls of His people.

The restorative Sabbath-day healings foreshadowed the ultimate healing that Christ secured for believers in the resurrection on the last day.

The Sabbath healing of the man with the withered hand (Matt.
12:9–14) was tied to Jesus’ gospel invitation: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–29, emphasis added).

Jesus purchased eschatological Sabbath rest for His people by taking upon Himself the judgment they deserve when He hung under the wrath of God on the cross.

Picking up on Psalm 95:7–11, the writer of Hebrews alluded to the abiding hope of entering into eternal rest in glory with Christ, since Jesus entered into His everlasting rest (Heb. 3:7–4:12).

The circumstances surrounding the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ provide further basis for our understanding of Jesus as the Rest Provider.

Just as He looked back over His newly created world and pronounced it good, the Son of God looked back over the completed work of redemption and cried out, “It is finished” (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; John 19:27).

Having finished His labor to provide redemption, Jesus rested as His body lay in the ground on the old covenant Sabbath day.

Almost the entirety of modern Christianity considers Sunday its day of worship, while the Bible speaks consistently of a seventh-day Sabbath.

How was the day changed? Does it make a difference? Have you been misled?

Are professing Christian ministers "hiding their eyes" from the very sign God gave to identify His people? By whose authority was the fourth commandment changed or "done away?"

Major denominations are splitting over issues such as homosexuality, abortion and the authority of the Bible. Thousands of "mainstream" churches go along with most any doctrine or behavior as long as they can teach their people to "love Jesus."

But which Jesus do they have in mind? And how will all of this dramatically affect your very life in the near future?

The Jesus Christ of the Bible clearly warned: "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). Jesus Christ consistently taught obedience to all ten of the Ten Commandments.

It was He who, as the God of the Old Testament, gave those commandments to Israel (1 Corinthians 10:4), and He did not "change His mind" later on.

In the "Sermon on the Mount"—His foundational teaching of New Testament Christianity—Jesus said: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets…. whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:17–19).

The word "Sabbath" translates to various terms in different languages, reflecting its significance across cultures.

Translations of "Sabbath"

Here are some translations of the word "Sabbath" in different languages:

-Spanish: Sábado
-French: Sabbat
-Italian: Sabato
-German: Sabbat
-Hebrew: (Shabbat)
-Arabic: (Sabt)
-Russian: (Subbota)
-Dutch: Sabbat
-Swedish: Sabbat
-Finnish: Sapatti
-Hungarian: Szombat.

Common Phrases.

In addition to the word "Sabbath," here are some common phrases related to it in various languages:

-Hebrew: (Shabbat Shalom) - "Peaceful The Church of God Sabbath-Keeping".

-Spanish: Feliz Sábado - "Happy Sabbath".

-French: Bon Sabbat - "Good Sabbath".
-Italian: Felice Sabato - "Happy Sabbath".
-German: Glücklicher Sabbat - "Happy Sabbath".
-Swahili: Sabato Njema - "Good Sabbath".