How to "Keep the Sabbath Holy"
In this brief study, we will learn the difference between the Sabbath, and the Sabbath Day. And we will learn what it means to "keep the Sabbath holy" as Father directs us to do in the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8).
First, keep in mind that "holy" [Heb. kodesh] means "separate," as in separate from worldly things. See Bullinger’s notes in the Companion Bible on Exodus 3:5. This is very important to understand. God is "holy" because He is separate from that which is worldly. We are to follow in His footsteps, so to speak.
Also keep in mind that "sabbath" simply means "rest."
Finally, keep in mind what was to be accomplished on the Old Testament Sabbath Day. It was a day of rest from worldly things, and a day of hearing God's Word. So, on the Old Testament Sabbath Day we were to separate ourselves from the worldly things and embrace God's Word.
So we have two things we need to understand in order to fully grasp how to "keep the Sabbath holy." We need to understand the difference between that which is worldly and that which is holy, or "separate". Let's take a look at both:
That which is worldly (also called "profane" in Ezekiel 44), consists of this flesh age and its rudiments, including the traditions of man disguised as "religion." (But as you know, all that is worldly is doomed, for it will no longer exist in the third age. This flesh age and its rudiments will end, and the traditions of man will give way to the Word of God.)
On the other hand, that which is holy consists of those things which are separate from the worldly rudiments and traditions of man. It consists of those things which are Godly and eternal. It consists of God's Word, which includes God's Plan, God's Purpose, God's Will etc. It is the opposite of the traditions of man. That which is holy also consists of those children of God who have renounced the worldly rudiments and vain traditions of man, and have embraced God's Word instead. By doing so, they have separated themselves to Him. [When the Scripture says "Be ye holy, for I am holy" God is saying "be ye separate from the world and its rudiments and traditions, for I am separate from them."]
So, that which is holy is that which is not part of the worldly rudiments and traditions of man, but instead, chooses to walk and dwell in the simplicity and purity of the Word of God.
With that in mind...
As you know, we are taught in the book of Hebrews that Christ is our Sabbath, or "rest," every day. And, of course, He is the Word of God. So, we actually "sabbath," or take our rest in God's Word each day. It is what refreshes and rejuvenates us each day. It is our very life. When we rest in His Word -- through daily study and practice -- we learn to dwell in His Word. And as we learn to dwell in it, it becomes our eternal reality. That is our Sabbath. From now throughout eternity. It is the act of taking our rest in God's Word on a daily basis, so that it becomes our eternal reality. By "sabbathing" in His Word each day, we learn how to walk and dwell in it forever.
So, "keeping the Sabbath holy" means keeping it separate from that which is worldly or profane. It means not mixing the profane (i.e., the worldly rudiments and traditions of man) into the Word of God, and calling it Christianity.
Today, modern Christianity – which should be called "churchianity" because it is not very Christian any more – mixes the profane with the holy. That is, it mixes God's Word with the worldly rudiments and traditions of man -- and calls it "Christianity." To do such as thing is to profane the Body of Christ. As Paul said, "for what communion hath light with darkness?"
So, "keeping the Sabbath holy" means separating yourself to the simplicity and purity of the Word of God and keeping the worldly rudiments and traditions of man out of it. It means refusing to mix the two together. You keep the Sabbath holy [separate] when you refuse to blend the Word of God with the traditions of man, and make a religion or a denomination out of it. When you are walking in the simplicity and beauty and grace of the Word of God rather than walking in the worldly traditions of man dressed up as "religion" then you are obeying the command to "keep my Sabbath holy." You are separating yourself from the profane, worldly traditions of "religion", and embracing the purity and simplicity of His Word as a way of life. Remember, Christianity is not a religion, it is a reality. It's that simple!
In Ezekiel 44:23 we are told that the during the millenium the Zadok will "teach my People the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the clean and the unclean." In other words, we will teach God's children how to keep the Sabbath holy! We will teach God's children the pure unadulterated truth of God's Word, and show them how they had previously mixed the worldly rudiments and traditions of man into God's Word and called it "religion." And we will demonstrate for them that the end result of this is always apostacy.
We will show them that because they did not separate themselves from churchianity (man's traditions disguised as religion) and turn instead to the simplicity and purity of God's Word, the end result was that they couldn't even tell the false messiah from the true Messiah -- i.e., they ended up worshipping the devil himself thinking he was God. And all because they did not keep the Sabbath holy -- they did not keep God's Word separate from the worldly rudiments and traditions of man.
Okay, let's move on to the Sabbath Day. Just as the Sabbath Day of the Old Testament was the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath Day of the New Testament is the seventh thousandth year of this earth age since Adam. Remember that Peter taught "A day to the Lord is as one thousand years." He was saying that the Lord's Day would be one thousand years.
So, the Sabbath Day, also known as the Lord's Sabbath, is the millenium. It is that 1,000 year long "day" in which God's children will be taught by Christ and His elect how to "keep the Sabbath holy."
In other words, His wayward children will finally be taught how to separate themselves from the profane traditions of man, and embrace the Word of God in its purity and simplicity, so they can never be deceived again. This is why Exodus 20:10 states that the "seventh day" is to be called "the Sabbath of the Lord." It is on that "day" (lasting for 1,000 years) that the children of the Lord will be taught how to "sabbath" (rest, abide) in His Word forever.
It is that 1,000 year "day" during which those children who are not already "sabbathing" (or, "abiding") in God's Word when Christ arrives will be disciplined in His Word until they get it right.
So, in a sense, in terms of the elect v/s the rest of God's children, our Sabbath is now and forever, and theirs starts on the Sabbath Day when they will correctly be taught how to keep the Sabbath holy (again, meaning how to walk in the purity and simplicity of God's Word, and not muck it up with a bunch of vain traditions that can only lead to pain and deception.)
So, to sum up:
The Sabbath is our eternal rest in God's Word.
We "keep the Sabbath holy" by not mixing together God's Word with the traditions of man and making a religion out of the mixture. Instead, we separate ourselves from the worldly and profane, and embrace His Word in its simplicity and beauty.
And the Sabbath Day is that one thousand year period in which the rest of God's children will be taught how to "keep the Sabbath holy."
Regards,
Steve Barwick