How is the seventh-day Sabbath a reminder of God’s Creation, and our salvation?
The Sabbath is a huge topic because it is a theme that’s found in every book of the Bible, from Genesis to the very last book of Revelation; and it is in Revelation where the Sabbath significance comes to play in Earth’s final hour. Here is what the Bible says:
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’” Revelation 14:6–7
The final call of this first angel to “worship” God is in direct contrast to worshipping the beast by accepting the mark of loyalty to earthly governments that takes place just before Jesus returns to gather His people home (Revelation 14:14–20).
The last portion of Revelation 14:7, the call to worship God who “made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters,” is actually quoted from the Old Testament book of Exodus:
“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.” Exodus 20:11
Let’s compare those two texts:
“…Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Revelation 14:7
“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….” Exodus 20:11
So the Sabbath is the day of worship, set aside from the very beginning by God to remind us of His work of Creation.
In the context of the gospel, the Sabbath is significant for these seven reasons:
1. It is central to the final everlasting gospel call to worship God, instead of receiving the mark of loyalty to earthly governments.
2. The Sabbath points us to God’s finished work (Genesis 2:1–3).
The weekly Sabbath calls us to rest in what God has done for us, without us. This is why it is a vital part of the clarion call of the three angels’ messages that carry the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
3. The Sabbath points to God’s salvation act of re-creation. God is re-creating us in His image. This is why the apostle Paul uses creation terminology when speaking of the change the gospel brings to the human heart (emphasis supplied throughout):
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
The truth of the Creation Sabbath points to the creation act of God. The Word of God has the creative power to give us new hearts.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” Psalm 51:10, 12
This creative power promises to give us new hearts, hearts that love the things we once hated, and hate the things we once loved.
4. The Sabbath directs us to God for deliverance from the slavery of sin. The Sabbath is a sign of God’s delivering power:
“And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” Deuteronomy 5:15
5. The Sabbath is a sign of sanctification, that is, that God alone is able to make us holy. Sanctification comes through the grace and power of God:
“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.’” Exodus 31:13
What we are seeing here is a pattern that follows us from the book of Exodus all the way to Revelation’s everlasting gospel, where we are called to worship God. The gospel is God’s plan of salvation and the Sabbath is God’s sign of that plan.
6. The Sabbath is a sign of the New Covenant. The Prophet Isaiah describes Gentiles, non-Jews, foreigners, and strangers who take hold of God’s New Covenant plan of salvation:
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.’ Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, ‘The Lord has utterly separated me from His people’; nor let the eunuch say, ‘Here I am, a dry tree.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant—even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.’” Isaiah 56:1–7
This Old Testament prophecy is speaking of the New Covenant experience. The New Covenant invites us to enter into a relationship with God based on His promises to us, rather than on our faulty promises to Him (Hebrews 8:6–12). And did you notice that taking hold of the Sabbath is the way into the spiritual rest the New Covenant brings? And that the invitation is for “the foreigner,” and not just the Jew?
7. The Sabbath is the door into spiritual rest. Hebrews 4 speaks to this in a powerful way:
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, [a]not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:1–2
True Sabbath observance was and is to be a constant reminder that our salvation/re-creation is through the finished sacrifice of Christ, not through our own works. Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath to remind those who believe to rest in what He has accomplished on the Cross:
“For we who have believed do enter that rest….” Hebrews 4:3
This is the significance of the Sabbath. If you believe the gospel, your heart will enter into rest. Your mind will enter into rest. The gospel rest calls us to trust in Jesus. We are no longer relying upon ourselves. We are no longer relying upon what we can do. We are no longer relying upon the flesh. We are now standing on the promises of God:
“For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works’; and again in this place: ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Hebrews 4:4–5
In these last two verses God draws a contrast between the spiritual salvation rest and the weekly Sabbath rest. The Sabbath is a sign of salvation rest, but not the rest itself. The call to lay aside our temporal work each week is a call to cease trusting in our works for salvation. We rest in Jesus Christ as our Savior. We rest from our works, just as God rested from His Creation work on the seventh day. This weekly rest is a reminder that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. Fallen human nature needs to be reminded of this essential gospel truth continually.
The Sabbath is a continual, weekly, unchanging reminder that our salvation is totally and one hundred percent in the doing and dying of Jesus Christ. We rest from our labors “as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:10.
How did God rest from His labors? In His first work of Creation, He finished His work on Friday and rested on the Sabbath. In His work of re-creation or salvation, He finished His work on Friday and rested in the tomb on the Sabbath.
So why do we keep the Sabbath? As a sign that we, by faith, believe in the completed, finished work of Jesus Christ for our salvation, and that we are not trusting in creature merit to make it to Heaven. We are trusting in the power of the gospel of God. The Sabbath, being part of the Ten Commandment Law of God, was never given as the means of salvation. The Sabbath is a type or a sign of salvation. Sabbath-keeping springs from the re-created heart of the forgiven sinner—not as a work to earn salvation, but as a desire to remember and honor that unmerited gift.
So listen to the call:
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’” Revelation 14:6–7
May we ever worship God by entering into the salvation rest that calls us to lay aside our works and trust in Christ’s. Amen.