Shall we bow our heads for prayer? 00:01:12.64\00:01:14.42 Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the awesome opportunity 00:01:14.45\00:01:20.05 of coming into Your presence to open the Holy Word, 00:01:20.08\00:01:23.82 which You have given to us as a way to determine 00:01:23.85\00:01:27.86 what is Your will in these last days. 00:01:27.89\00:01:31.05 I ask, Father, that You will open our minds and our hearts 00:01:31.08\00:01:34.57 to receive the seed of truth. 00:01:34.60\00:01:36.28 And Father, I just plead that those who will watch this 00:01:36.31\00:01:42.35 presentation, those who are watching it this very moment, 00:01:42.38\00:01:46.23 might receive a blessing, and might choose to follow 00:01:46.26\00:01:50.58 the Lord all the way. 00:01:50.61\00:01:52.48 I thank You, Father for hearing my prayer for I ask it 00:01:52.51\00:01:55.98 in Jesus' name, Amen. 00:01:56.02\00:01:58.88 The title of our study is Hidden Sabbath Truths. 00:01:58.91\00:02:06.82 I'd like to give you a little bit of background. 00:02:06.85\00:02:10.75 I grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist household. 00:02:10.78\00:02:14.76 My father was a minister for over forty-one years. 00:02:14.79\00:02:19.54 I studied in Seventh-day Adventist institutions through 00:02:19.57\00:02:25.46 all of my levels of education: primary, secondary, college, 00:02:25.49\00:02:30.39 and post-graduate. 00:02:30.42\00:02:32.81 I also had the privilege of teaching theology in one of our 00:02:32.84\00:02:38.21 institutions for a period of six years, and I've been a pastor 00:02:38.24\00:02:42.57 for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for over thirty years. 00:02:42.61\00:02:46.36 And in the course of this period of time, until very recently, 00:02:46.39\00:02:51.59 as I read the story of creation, in Genesis, I had a serious 00:02:51.62\00:03:00.65 question, actually two serious questions, that 00:03:00.68\00:03:05.74 had perplexed me for years. 00:03:05.77\00:03:07.67 The first of those questions is this: if the Sabbath is so 00:03:07.70\00:03:14.23 important, as the Seventh-day Adventist Church underlines, 00:03:14.26\00:03:20.16 why then didn't God give Adam and Eve a direct command 00:03:20.19\00:03:27.36 to keep the holy Sabbath in the Garden of Eden? 00:03:27.39\00:03:31.17 You see, Genesis says that God rested on the seventh day. 00:03:31.20\00:03:36.06 Nowhere are we told that Adam and Eve rested 00:03:36.09\00:03:39.70 on the seventh day. 00:03:39.73\00:03:40.76 And so I've hoped throughout the course of the years that 00:03:40.79\00:03:48.08 I could find an explanation as to why God had not given 00:03:48.11\00:03:52.72 Adam and Eve a direct command to keep the Sabbath, 00:03:52.75\00:03:55.96 if that was God's plan for them. 00:03:55.99\00:03:59.23 The second question which I had was concerning the expression, 00:03:59.26\00:04:04.45 the evening and the morning. 00:04:04.48\00:04:05.54 You see, Genesis 1 explains that after each day of creation 00:04:05.57\00:04:11.70 there was an evening and a morning, 00:04:11.73\00:04:16.18 but when we read about the seventh day, 00:04:16.21\00:04:19.20 there is no reference to an evening and a morning. 00:04:19.23\00:04:23.61 First day, evening morning, second day, third day, 00:04:23.64\00:04:27.10 fourth day, fifth day, sixth day, we're told there was 00:04:27.13\00:04:30.27 an evening and a morning, but when we come to the seventh 00:04:30.30\00:04:32.90 day, there's no reference to an evening and a morning. 00:04:32.93\00:04:35.92 And so my two questions were, why, if the Sabbath is so 00:04:35.95\00:04:39.35 important, didn't God command Adam and Eve to keep 00:04:39.38\00:04:42.61 the Sabbath? And secondly, why in Genesis don't we have 00:04:42.64\00:04:46.85 a reference to an evening and the morning for the seventh day? 00:04:46.88\00:04:51.20 And then a few months ago, as I was studying the story of 00:04:51.23\00:04:56.63 Genesis again, suddenly, I believe that God's Spirit 00:04:56.66\00:05:01.23 through a study of the word, revealed to me two things 00:05:01.26\00:05:05.03 which I had never thought of before. 00:05:05.06\00:05:07.54 And this is what I would like to share with you 00:05:07.57\00:05:10.83 in our study today. 00:05:10.86\00:05:13.72 The first thing that I want us to notice is that God is the 00:05:13.75\00:05:18.18 subject of the story of creation, 00:05:18.21\00:05:21.48 of the six days of creation. 00:05:21.51\00:05:23.67 More than thirty times in the first chapter alone we find 00:05:23.70\00:05:28.23 expressions such as, God created, God said, God saw, 00:05:28.26\00:05:34.15 God called, God made, God blessed; 00:05:34.18\00:05:39.09 over thirty times in just the first chapter. 00:05:39.12\00:05:42.41 We're told that God did everything during 00:05:42.44\00:05:46.69 those first six days. 00:05:46.72\00:05:48.46 Man did absolutely nothing. 00:05:48.49\00:05:51.48 And then when the creation account reaches its end, 00:05:51.51\00:05:56.22 in Genesis 1:31, we find this fact underlined that God was the 00:05:56.25\00:06:00.68 subject of creation. 00:06:00.71\00:06:01.93 God is the center of creation; the six days of creation. 00:06:01.96\00:06:07.22 Notice what we find in Genesis 1:31. It says there: 00:06:07.25\00:06:13.59 Notice, everything that He had made. 00:06:19.02\00:06:21.86 Do you see in this verse, at the conclusion of the story 00:06:30.62\00:06:34.80 of creation, that God was the one who made everything? 00:06:34.83\00:06:39.46 God saw everything that He had made, and it was good. 00:06:39.49\00:06:44.12 In other words, at the center of the first six days of creation 00:06:44.15\00:06:47.73 week is God Himself; God does everything. 00:06:47.76\00:06:52.49 And it's not less true, also, about the seventh day. 00:06:52.52\00:06:57.27 God is at the very center of the seventh day as well. 00:06:57.30\00:07:01.26 In fact, let's notice Genesis 2: 2, 3 concerning the seventh day, 00:07:01.29\00:07:08.70 and see if God is at the very center of the 00:07:08.73\00:07:11.67 seventh day as well. 00:07:11.70\00:07:13.85 It says there in Genesis 2:2. 00:07:13.88\00:07:17.08 Somehow I think that the author wants us to know 00:07:45.43\00:07:48.95 that God did this, that God worked the six days, 00:07:48.98\00:07:53.84 and it was God who rested on the seventh day. 00:07:53.87\00:07:58.22 Now the word rested here is used twice in Genesis 2:2, 3. 00:07:58.25\00:08:06.48 And the Hebrew word for rested both times is Shabbat. 00:08:06.51\00:08:12.75 Now it's important to realize that the word Shabbat means 00:08:12.78\00:08:18.08 to cease. It means to stop. 00:08:18.11\00:08:23.25 In other words, the word Shabbat does not refer to the manner 00:08:23.28\00:08:28.87 in which God rested on the seventh day, but it's telling us 00:08:28.90\00:08:32.92 that after the sixth day God Shabbat, God ceased. 00:08:32.95\00:08:37.78 We could give an analogy. 00:08:37.81\00:08:40.13 You know, in a court of law when the prosecution finishes 00:08:40.16\00:08:46.85 presenting its case they say, the prosecution rests. 00:08:46.88\00:08:53.46 Now that's not talking about the quality of rest. 00:08:53.49\00:08:56.89 It's simply saying that the lawyers are finished presenting 00:08:56.92\00:09:03.31 the case. They have ceased to present the case. 00:09:03.34\00:09:06.77 And so the word Shabbat used twice in Genesis 2:2, 3 00:09:06.80\00:09:12.84 simply means that God ceased, that God stopped creating 00:09:12.87\00:09:18.87 on the sixth day, but it does not describe the manner 00:09:18.90\00:09:22.88 of His rest on the seventh day; that is to say how He rested 00:09:22.91\00:09:27.09 the seventh day. The emphasis is He ceased working 00:09:27.12\00:09:31.02 after the sixth day. 00:09:31.05\00:09:32.20 In fact, from Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, 00:09:32.23\00:09:37.34 we find this interesting statement: 00:09:37.37\00:09:39.66 The writer of Genesis 2:3 is not stressing rest from work, 00:09:39.69\00:09:47.21 but rather God's ceasing from His creative work 00:09:47.24\00:09:52.65 since it was complete. 00:09:52.68\00:09:56.61 So the emphasis is that God ceased. 00:09:56.64\00:10:00.01 God stopped creating. 00:10:00.04\00:10:01.84 He suspended His work of creating. 00:10:01.87\00:10:05.37 It's not talking about His quality of rest 00:10:05.40\00:10:08.22 on the seventh day. 00:10:08.25\00:10:09.71 Now immediately we have to ask the question, Okay, God ceased 00:10:09.74\00:10:14.87 after six days of work, but how did God rest on the seventh day? 00:10:14.90\00:10:20.14 Obviously the seventh day was a day of rest, even though the 00:10:20.18\00:10:24.34 word Shabbat means that He ceased creating after six days. 00:10:24.37\00:10:28.05 We would like to know how God rested on the seventh day 00:10:28.08\00:10:31.87 before the weekly cycle began again. 00:10:31.90\00:10:34.51 Allow me to read you a statement that we find in the book, 00:10:34.54\00:10:37.91 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 47. 00:10:37.94\00:10:40.80 This book, Patriarchs and Prophets, is a magnificent 00:10:40.83\00:10:44.96 history of the Old Testament. 00:10:44.99\00:10:46.90 In fact, it begins with the fall of Lucifer in heaven, 00:10:46.93\00:10:50.27 and it goes all the way to the period of the monarchy. 00:10:50.30\00:10:53.58 This is what it says on page 47: 00:10:53.61\00:10:56.71 Are you catching this? 00:11:05.70\00:11:07.16 In other words, God wasn't tired, He was well pleased 00:11:32.80\00:11:36.87 in the work which He had created. 00:11:36.90\00:11:39.48 In other words, He looked upon His works with satisfaction 00:11:39.51\00:11:43.34 on the seventh day. 00:11:43.37\00:11:44.53 For God it was a day of contemplation. 00:11:44.56\00:11:48.05 By the way, are you aware of the fact that it was not only a day 00:11:48.08\00:11:53.73 of contemplation for God, but also for all 00:11:53.76\00:11:56.91 of the heavenly hosts? 00:11:56.94\00:11:58.02 Notice what we find in the book of Job 38:7. 00:11:58.05\00:12:04.42 And I'm going to begin earlier, actually around verse 3, 00:12:04.45\00:12:08.52 where we are told something very interesting about this 00:12:08.55\00:12:12.66 moment of creation. 00:12:12.69\00:12:14.27 It says there, God is speaking to Job: Where were you when I 00:12:14.30\00:12:20.91 laid the foundations of the earth? 00:12:20.94\00:12:22.95 Tell me if you have understanding. 00:12:22.98\00:12:26.72 Who determined its measurements? 00:12:26.75\00:12:29.20 Surely you know. Or who stretched out the line upon it? 00:12:29.23\00:12:34.65 To what were its foundations fastened? 00:12:34.68\00:12:38.13 Or who laid its cornerstone? 00:12:38.16\00:12:41.21 And now notice this: after speaking about God doing the 00:12:41.24\00:12:44.87 work of creation. We're told: 00:12:44.90\00:12:46.94 What happened when God created this world? 00:12:55.57\00:12:59.63 We're told that the stars of heaven, as they're referred to 00:12:59.66\00:13:06.53 here, the morning stars did what? 00:13:06.56\00:13:09.50 They sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy. 00:13:09.53\00:13:14.28 In other words, all of the heavenly hosts also celebrated 00:13:14.31\00:13:19.01 the work of creation on the seventh day. 00:13:19.04\00:13:22.09 They contemplated, they meditated upon the magnificent 00:13:22.12\00:13:26.87 work that God had done. 00:13:26.90\00:13:28.98 Now it becomes obvious that God did not rest on the Sabbath 00:13:29.01\00:13:34.04 because He was tired. 00:13:34.07\00:13:35.10 We noticed that in that statement from 00:13:35.13\00:13:37.60 Patriarchs and Prophets. 00:13:37.63\00:13:38.72 It's also biblical. 00:13:38.75\00:13:40.29 Notice Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 40: 28. 00:13:40.32\00:13:46.94 It's speaking here about creation, and it says: 00:13:46.97\00:13:50.98 God doesn't faint. 00:14:10.37\00:14:12.04 God doesn't get weary. 00:14:12.07\00:14:14.39 And so it becomes obvious that that rest on the seventh day 00:14:14.46\00:14:18.81 was not a rest because God was tired, or because God was weary. 00:14:18.84\00:14:24.80 It must have been some other kind of rest. 00:14:24.83\00:14:27.85 And as we've noticed, it was a rest of meditation, 00:14:27.88\00:14:30.70 and contemplation of the magnificent work 00:14:30.73\00:14:34.20 which He had performed. 00:14:34.23\00:14:35.51 By the way, we have a clear nuance of this in scripture. 00:14:35.54\00:14:40.32 We read a quotation from Patriarchs and Prophets, 00:14:40.35\00:14:42.83 but in scripture we have clearly revealed the manner of 00:14:42.86\00:14:47.83 God's rest on the seventh day. 00:14:47.86\00:14:49.92 Notice Exodus 31:17, Exodus 31: 17. 00:14:49.95\00:14:58.40 It's speaking about the Sabbath as it related to Israel, 00:14:58.43\00:15:02.97 but the Sabbath was not exclusively for Israel. 00:15:03.00\00:15:05.78 It says there, God speaking about the Sabbath: 00:15:05.81\00:15:09.18 By the way, that's the word Shabbat, the same word 00:15:24.39\00:15:26.95 that's used twice in Genesis 2. It says: 00:15:26.98\00:15:30.10 And now notice how the verse ends. It says: 00:15:32.75\00:15:35.66 It's the Hebrew word nephesh. 00:15:40.66\00:15:43.51 And basically nephesh means to sigh, or to take a breath. 00:15:43.54\00:15:50.12 You can imagine an artist who has just made a 00:15:50.15\00:15:56.02 magnificent work of art, and when he gives the final strokes 00:15:56.05\00:16:01.53 of paint to the canvas he steps back and he goes, 00:16:01.56\00:16:06.50 Ah, it's beautiful! 00:16:06.53\00:16:12.30 That's what God did. 00:16:12.33\00:16:14.63 Nephesh, He was refreshed. 00:16:14.66\00:16:17.46 He ceased and then it says, that He was refreshed. 00:16:17.49\00:16:21.62 In other words, He gave a sigh. 00:16:21.65\00:16:24.22 He took a breath, a deep breath, because of everything 00:16:24.25\00:16:28.13 that He had made, which was absolutely gorgeous, 00:16:28.16\00:16:30.90 and beautiful. And maybe even God thought, 00:16:30.93\00:16:33.31 I even outdid Myself. 00:16:33.34\00:16:35.92 And then we catch another nuance of the manner of God's 00:16:35.95\00:16:40.10 rest on the seventh day by going to Exodus 20:11. 00:16:40.13\00:16:44.14 Go with me to Exodus 20:11 and lets notice the last portion 00:16:44.17\00:16:51.27 of the fourth commandment of God's holy law. 00:16:51.30\00:16:54.56 It says there in Exodus 20:11: 00:16:54.59\00:16:58.01 Now if you go to the original language in which 00:17:15.40\00:17:19.47 the Old Testament was written, you find something very 00:17:19.50\00:17:21.50 interesting about this verse that is found in the fourth 00:17:21.53\00:17:25.15 commandment of God's law. 00:17:25.18\00:17:26.53 You notice that the word rested is used here. 00:17:26.56\00:17:29.85 It says that He rested on the seventh day, therefore the Lord 00:17:29.88\00:17:33.70 blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 00:17:33.73\00:17:35.77 Do you know that the word rested here in Exodus 20:11 is a 00:17:35.80\00:17:40.36 different word than Shabbat in Genesis 2:2, 3? 00:17:40.39\00:17:44.66 It's not the same word. 00:17:44.69\00:17:47.75 The word rested in Exodus 20:11 is the Hebrew word nuach. 00:17:47.78\00:17:53.89 And basically nuach does mean the experience of rest. 00:17:53.92\00:18:00.68 It's referring to what happens after God Shabbat, 00:18:00.71\00:18:05.11 after God ceases, He enjoys the experience of rest. 00:18:05.14\00:18:10.44 Now what does that mean, He enjoys this experience of rest? 00:18:10.47\00:18:14.96 Well, this same word is used many times in the Old Testament, 00:18:14.99\00:18:18.59 but there's one particular one that I want to make mention of 00:18:18.62\00:18:21.37 and that's in Esther 9:17, 18, and I'm not going to read 00:18:21.40\00:18:25.97 the verses, I'm just going to tell you the story. 00:18:26.00\00:18:28.37 You know that they were delivered from their enemies. 00:18:28.40\00:18:30.71 Haman wanted to destroy all of the Jews, and Esther came and 00:18:30.74\00:18:36.90 interceded and God's people were delivered 00:18:36.93\00:18:39.58 from their enemies. 00:18:39.61\00:18:40.66 And it says there in Esther 9: 17, 18, that God's people had 00:18:40.69\00:18:47.50 rest, nuach, the same word as in Exodus 20:11. 00:18:47.53\00:18:54.15 But not only does it say that they had rest, but the same 00:18:54.18\00:18:59.58 verse said that they celebrated the day with feasting 00:18:59.61\00:19:03.94 and with gladness. 00:19:03.97\00:19:06.69 In other words, their nuach was an experience of feasting 00:19:06.72\00:19:12.47 and of gladness. They were resting from the destruction 00:19:12.50\00:19:16.73 that their enemies intended to execute upon them. 00:19:16.76\00:19:21.34 And so the word nauch means that God took a deep breath 00:19:21.37\00:19:26.66 after creation in the contemplation of His work. 00:19:26.69\00:19:29.94 The word nuach means that He experienced rest and gladness. 00:19:29.97\00:19:34.72 And we've already noticed in Job 38:7 that all of heaven rejoiced 00:19:34.75\00:19:41.02 when God created this planet. 00:19:41.05\00:19:42.82 The stars of heaven, and the sons of God rejoiced 00:19:42.85\00:19:46.34 in the work that God had created. 00:19:46.37\00:19:48.58 In other words, it was a joyous rest in meditation 00:19:48.61\00:19:53.86 and contemplation of the great work which God had done. 00:19:53.89\00:19:57.91 In other words, God took the seventh day simply to step back 00:19:57.94\00:20:01.64 and look at the work that He had done, to meditate in it, 00:20:01.67\00:20:06.78 and to enjoy it with gladness and with feasting, 00:20:06.81\00:20:11.28 if you please. Now we come to a very important question, 00:20:11.31\00:20:17.24 and that is when was the Sabbath sanctified and blessed? 00:20:17.27\00:20:26.53 You know, I used to think that God blessed and sanctified 00:20:26.56\00:20:31.83 the Sabbath as the seventh day was beginning. 00:20:31.86\00:20:35.18 In other words, the Sabbath was about to start, 00:20:35.21\00:20:38.61 and God pronounces, He says, Now the day that is coming 00:20:38.64\00:20:42.61 I am blessing and I am sanctifying. 00:20:42.64\00:20:45.69 But as I've studied, I've discovered that God did not 00:20:45.72\00:20:51.54 bless and sanctify the seventh day until after 00:20:51.57\00:20:56.68 the seventh day had ended. 00:20:56.71\00:20:59.13 And this, we're going to find, is an extremely important detail 00:20:59.16\00:21:04.69 in the study of the Sabbath, and it explains the reason why 00:21:04.72\00:21:08.08 God did not command Adam and Eve to keep that Sabbath. 00:21:08.11\00:21:11.32 You'll notice that what we've studied so far is that God 00:21:11.35\00:21:14.86 Himself kept the Sabbath. 00:21:14.89\00:21:16.43 The heavenly beings kept the Sabbath. 00:21:16.46\00:21:19.02 They rejoiced with feasting, with gladness, taking a deep 00:21:19.05\00:21:23.66 breath, if you please. 00:21:23.69\00:21:24.78 They experienced rest: Exodus 20:11, 00:21:24.81\00:21:27.98 enjoying what God had made. 00:21:28.01\00:21:31.24 But it was an experience of God. 00:21:31.27\00:21:33.59 It was an experience of the heavenly hosts. 00:21:33.62\00:21:37.64 Now the question is, what about man? 00:21:37.67\00:21:41.01 Genesis doesn't say that man rested, and we're going to find 00:21:41.04\00:21:45.45 that the reason why God did not tell man to rest has to do with 00:21:45.48\00:21:48.97 when God blessed and sanctified the holy Sabbath. 00:21:49.00\00:21:51.99 The fact is that God did not make the Sabbath holy 00:21:52.02\00:21:56.00 until the Sabbath day ended. 00:21:56.03\00:21:58.07 God did not bless the seventh day Sabbath until 00:21:58.10\00:22:02.42 the day came to its end. 00:22:02.45\00:22:04.33 Allow me to read you, first of all, some statements from the 00:22:04.36\00:22:08.42 writings of Ellen White, and then I'm going to prove 00:22:08.45\00:22:11.33 that what she says is in perfect harmony with scripture. 00:22:11.36\00:22:13.95 And, by the way, I've read dozens of books on the Sabbath 00:22:13.98\00:22:17.28 and no one that I have read has ever caught what I'm 00:22:17.31\00:22:21.95 going to share with you save Ellen G. White. 00:22:21.98\00:22:24.91 Not even the greatest scholars in the Seventh-day Adventist 00:22:24.94\00:22:28.09 Church that have written books on the holy Sabbath 00:22:28.12\00:22:30.18 have I been able to find that they caught this point 00:22:30.21\00:22:33.61 that I'm going to share with you now. 00:22:33.64\00:22:34.95 But Ellen White caught it and she has it 00:22:34.98\00:22:37.71 all over her writings. 00:22:37.74\00:22:39.19 The first reference is in Patriarchs and Prophets, 00:22:39.22\00:22:42.61 page 47. Listen to this: 00:22:42.64\00:22:46.43 Did you catch that? 00:23:00.47\00:23:01.50 When did God set the Sabbath apart as a day of rest for man? 00:23:01.53\00:23:05.66 After God rested on the seventh day. 00:23:05.69\00:23:10.72 Once again, after resting upon the seventh day, 00:23:10.75\00:23:13.50 God sanctified it. 00:23:13.53\00:23:14.74 That means He made it holy, or set it apart 00:23:14.77\00:23:17.89 as a day of rest for man. 00:23:17.92\00:23:20.73 In The Desire of Ages, page 281, we find this 00:23:20.76\00:23:25.76 very interesting statement: 00:23:25.79\00:23:27.29 Why did God bless and sanctify the seventh day Sabbath? 00:23:47.89\00:23:51.81 She says, because he had rested on the Sabbath. 00:23:51.84\00:23:56.71 In other words, He rests the whole day, and then He blesses 00:23:56.74\00:24:01.31 and sanctifies the Sabbath. 00:24:01.34\00:24:03.58 A couple of other statements. 00:24:03.61\00:24:05.63 This is found in the devotional book, My Life Today, page 259. 00:24:05.66\00:24:11.02 The Lord's day, she's speaking about Revelation 1:10, 00:24:11.05\00:24:15.09 where it says that John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. 00:24:15.12\00:24:17.66 The Lord's day mentioned by John was the Sabbath, the day on 00:24:17.69\00:24:24.35 which Jehovah rested after the great work of creation, 00:24:24.38\00:24:29.21 and which He blessed and sanctified because 00:24:29.24\00:24:35.28 He had rested upon it. 00:24:35.31\00:24:38.30 Notice, He blessed and sanctified it because on it 00:24:38.33\00:24:42.16 He had what? He had rested. 00:24:42.19\00:24:44.96 And one more quotation, Volume 4 of the Testimonies, page 247. 00:24:44.99\00:24:50.21 She says, God blessed and sanctified the seventh day 00:24:50.24\00:24:53.95 because He rested upon it from all His wondrous 00:24:53.98\00:24:58.66 work of creation. 00:24:58.69\00:25:00.41 So the day wasn't even made holy until the day was over. 00:25:00.44\00:25:05.66 The day was not blessed until the day was finished, 00:25:05.69\00:25:09.43 and you say why? Very simple, you see it's the presence of God 00:25:09.46\00:25:14.34 that makes something holy. 00:25:14.37\00:25:15.73 And each minute of the Sabbath that passed, God was making that 00:25:15.76\00:25:20.18 minute, He was making that hour holy by His presence 00:25:20.21\00:25:24.22 in those minutes, and in those hours. 00:25:24.25\00:25:26.36 And it wasn't until the last second, the last minute 00:25:26.39\00:25:30.22 had passed that that minute and that second was holy, 00:25:30.25\00:25:33.51 because it's the presence of God in those minutes, and seconds, 00:25:33.54\00:25:37.42 and hours, which makes those minutes, and seconds, 00:25:37.45\00:25:39.88 and hours holy. And it could only happen after God had been 00:25:39.91\00:25:44.72 present in those time periods at the end of the Sabbath. 00:25:44.75\00:25:49.26 Now you say, Pastor Bohr, does the Bible corroborate 00:25:49.29\00:25:54.09 what Ellen White says? 00:25:54.12\00:25:55.52 How is it that she caught this? 00:25:55.55\00:25:57.31 The greatest books on the Sabbath have missed it. 00:25:57.34\00:26:00.17 Well, I believe that she had more than human wisdom, 00:26:00.20\00:26:03.47 and she was in harmony with scripture. 00:26:03.50\00:26:06.59 Notice Genesis first, chapter 2, and verse 3, Genesis 2:3. 00:26:06.62\00:26:12.80 It was there all the time. 00:26:12.83\00:26:13.86 I don't know how I've missed it in all of my experience in the 00:26:13.89\00:26:17.14 Seventh-day Adventist Church, growing up in a pastor's 00:26:17.17\00:26:20.08 household, being a pastor myself, teaching theology, 00:26:20.11\00:26:23.54 going to our schools. 00:26:23.57\00:26:24.84 I don't know how I missed this. 00:26:24.87\00:26:27.07 It's so clear and so simple. Genesis 2:3 says: 00:26:27.10\00:26:31.14 Is that clear? It said that God what? 00:26:44.53\00:26:48.88 He blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it 00:26:48.91\00:26:54.09 He rested from all of His work. 00:26:54.12\00:26:56.06 Notice also, once again, Exodus 20:11, which is the last verse 00:26:56.09\00:27:02.17 of the fourth commandment of God's holy law. 00:27:02.20\00:27:05.35 And we're read this before It says: 00:27:05.38\00:27:09.16 Now notice this: 00:27:18.35\00:27:19.38 That is because He rested on the seventh day. 00:27:22.76\00:27:25.85 Is it Biblical that God on the Sabbath day and He made it holy? 00:27:30.87\00:27:35.97 It's very Biblical. 00:27:36.00\00:27:38.13 We find it in Exodus 20:11, and we find it in Genesis 2:3. 00:27:38.16\00:27:44.18 It says, very clearly, therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day 00:27:44.21\00:27:49.94 and hallowed it, because He had rested upon 00:27:49.97\00:27:53.75 the seventh day Sabbath. 00:27:53.78\00:27:54.97 Now we're going to find in a few moments that this has tremendous 00:27:55.00\00:27:58.79 implications as to why God did not command Adam and Eve 00:27:58.82\00:28:03.58 to keep the Sabbath in the Garden of Eden. 00:28:03.61\00:28:05.84 Now, let me ask you, is it clear in your minds that this 00:28:05.87\00:28:09.84 first week is God's week? 00:28:09.87\00:28:11.88 Is it God's week? It's God who worked six days. 00:28:11.91\00:28:16.92 Is that right? It was God who rested on the seventh day. 00:28:16.95\00:28:22.05 In other words, this is God's week. 00:28:22.08\00:28:24.17 This is not man's week at all. 00:28:24.20\00:28:25.97 At least not at this point, not this first week. 00:28:26.00\00:28:29.67 In a few moments we're going to notice that God gave 00:28:29.70\00:28:32.57 the week then to man, but this first week is God's week. 00:28:32.60\00:28:35.87 He worked six and He rests on the seventh day Sabbath. 00:28:35.90\00:28:40.39 Now we know the reason why the seventh day had 00:28:40.42\00:28:45.37 no evening and morning. 00:28:45.40\00:28:48.13 You say, Why not? Let me ask you, has God created any more 00:28:48.16\00:28:57.15 in this world since creation week? No. 00:28:57.18\00:29:04.13 Notice Hebrews 4:3, and I'm reading from the 00:29:04.16\00:29:08.43 New International Version. 00:29:08.46\00:29:09.77 Hebrews 4:3, and I'm reading the last part of the verse. It says: 00:29:09.80\00:29:15.66 And yet His work has been finished 00:29:15.69\00:29:21.77 since the creation of the world. 00:29:21.80\00:29:24.62 And this is over 4,000 years after creation. 00:29:24.65\00:29:30.48 What does the apostle Paul say? 00:29:30.51\00:29:32.41 He said His work is what? finished since the creation 00:29:32.44\00:29:36.92 of the world. In other words, since creation week, 00:29:36.95\00:29:39.88 what has God been doing with regards to this world? 00:29:39.91\00:29:42.41 He has been what? resting from His works of creation. 00:29:42.44\00:29:47.13 Has He not? Allow me to read you a couple of statements from 00:29:47.16\00:29:52.02 Ellen White, where she corroborates 00:29:52.05\00:29:53.89 this Biblical point. 00:29:53.92\00:29:55.15 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 115, she says: 00:29:55.18\00:29:59.87 Are you understanding that point? 00:30:06.01\00:30:09.56 And then she quotes the Bible. She says: 00:30:16.10\00:30:18.27 But then she adds this: 00:30:23.20\00:30:24.62 In other words, He ceased creating during creation week, 00:30:33.11\00:30:37.98 but He still upholds, and sustains that which He created 00:30:38.01\00:30:43.43 during creation week. 00:30:43.46\00:30:44.98 Another interesting quotation is found in 00:30:45.01\00:30:49.18 General Conference Bulletin, February 18, 1897, 00:30:49.21\00:30:53.33 where she says this: 00:30:53.36\00:30:55.69 So, in other words, God is still resting from His works of 00:31:11.02\00:31:14.90 creation in this world, because God has created no more. 00:31:14.93\00:31:19.02 And so for God, so to speak, the seventh day did not 00:31:19.05\00:31:24.73 come to an end because God is still what? 00:31:24.76\00:31:27.18 He's still resting from His works of creation. 00:31:27.21\00:31:30.97 Now let me ask you, when is God going to break that rest? 00:31:31.00\00:31:36.22 In our second study we're going to notice that God is going to 00:31:36.25\00:31:41.81 break that rest when He once again creates this world 00:31:41.84\00:31:46.19 in six days, and rests the seventh day. 00:31:46.22\00:31:49.53 So you don't want to miss the next presentation 00:31:49.56\00:31:52.85 that we're going to give the second part of this, 00:31:52.88\00:31:55.06 Hidden Sabbath Truths. 00:31:55.09\00:31:56.19 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 00:31:56.22\00:31:57.93 In other words, this is God's week, from God's perspective. 00:31:57.96\00:32:01.82 Now don't misunderstand me, we know that for man, 00:32:01.85\00:32:06.25 the Sabbath has a beginning and end. 00:32:06.28\00:32:08.92 It has an evening and a morning for man. 00:32:08.95\00:32:11.09 But this first week is whose week? 00:32:11.12\00:32:14.36 This first week is God's experience. 00:32:14.39\00:32:16.89 He works six, He rests the seventh, He's still resting, 00:32:16.92\00:32:20.68 because He has created no more. 00:32:20.71\00:32:23.02 When He breaks His rest, when He creates this world again, 00:32:23.05\00:32:27.77 then He will work, we're going to notice, six days and then He 00:32:27.80\00:32:32.09 will what? He will rest on the seventh, 00:32:32.12\00:32:34.54 as He did at the very beginning. 00:32:34.57\00:32:36.84 Now some people they say, Ah, Pastor Bohr, but what do you 00:32:36.87\00:32:39.58 do with John 5:17, 18, where Jesus says, My Father has been 00:32:39.61\00:32:45.04 working until now, and I have been working? 00:32:45.07\00:32:48.09 That question always comes up. 00:32:48.12\00:32:51.07 Let me tell you that the works that are being spoken of there 00:32:51.10\00:32:54.51 are the works of upholding, and sustaining the universe. 00:32:54.54\00:32:57.92 He's not talking about works of creation, He's talking about 00:32:57.95\00:33:01.62 works of redemption. 00:33:01.65\00:33:02.68 Very clearly, in the context, He has just restored the legs 00:33:02.71\00:33:07.28 of a man who was paralyzed to what they should have 00:33:07.31\00:33:10.22 been at the beginning. 00:33:10.25\00:33:11.28 In other words, He's restoring his ability to walk. 00:33:11.31\00:33:16.22 He is not doing a work of a new creation, 00:33:16.25\00:33:19.01 He's actually upholding, and restoring that which was already 00:33:19.04\00:33:23.38 created, according to the context. 00:33:23.41\00:33:25.91 In other words, the works that He's talking about here, 00:33:25.94\00:33:28.56 that He and His Father are performing, are not new works 00:33:28.59\00:33:31.91 of creation, because those were finished from the 00:33:31.94\00:33:34.45 foundation of the world. 00:33:34.48\00:33:35.51 They are works of what? 00:33:35.54\00:33:37.14 They are works of redemption. 00:33:37.17\00:33:40.33 Now I don't want you to misunderstand. 00:33:40.36\00:33:43.04 For God there was no evening and morning to the seventh day, 00:33:43.07\00:33:48.03 because God is still resting from His work of creating. 00:33:48.06\00:33:50.88 That doesn't mean that for us there is not an evening 00:33:50.91\00:33:54.24 and a morning, because God told us to work six days, 00:33:54.27\00:33:58.58 and rest on the seventh, on a weekly cycle basis. 00:33:58.61\00:34:01.86 We know that the seventh day the sun rises, and the sun sets. 00:34:01.89\00:34:05.57 Correct? We know that God said that from even to even 00:34:05.60\00:34:08.89 you shall keep the Sabbath. 00:34:08.92\00:34:10.07 So we know that for us, once God gives the week to man, 00:34:10.10\00:34:13.89 then the seventh day has an evening and the morning. 00:34:13.92\00:34:16.83 But because this first week is describing God's working, 00:34:16.86\00:34:20.63 and God's rest, no evening and morning is mentioned 00:34:20.66\00:34:24.07 with regards to God. 00:34:24.10\00:34:25.79 Are you following what I am saying? 00:34:25.82\00:34:28.20 This is very, very important. 00:34:28.23\00:34:29.95 Now, whom did God create the week for? 00:34:29.98\00:34:37.75 You notice that this is God's week. 00:34:37.78\00:34:40.49 The first week is God's week, but God doesn't need a week. 00:34:40.52\00:34:44.46 God, obviously, is molding the week, and He's going to give 00:34:44.49\00:34:49.81 the week to whom? to man. 00:34:49.84\00:34:52.59 That's why Mark 2:27 says, And he said to them, the Sabbath was 00:34:52.62\00:35:00.32 made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 00:35:00.35\00:35:04.80 In other words, even though this week is, this first week is 00:35:04.83\00:35:07.90 God's week, because God worked six, God rests on the seventh, 00:35:07.93\00:35:13.24 He's still resting because He has created no more since 00:35:13.27\00:35:17.38 creation week. God marked off this week in order to then give 00:35:17.41\00:35:25.13 it to man. Allow me to read you an interesting statement in 00:35:25.16\00:35:29.43 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 111. 00:35:29.46\00:35:32.52 Now notice this: 00:35:44.87\00:35:46.43 So what did God do the first week? 00:35:51.45\00:35:54.52 You can see Him using a tape measure: six, seven. 00:35:54.55\00:36:01.56 So He measures off the first week... 00:36:01.59\00:36:04.46 Did you notice, once again, the idea that God rested 00:36:35.96\00:36:39.21 and He then blessed this day, and set it apart 00:36:39.24\00:36:42.74 as a day for man? 00:36:42.77\00:36:43.82 Another scholar, Henry Morris, staunch creationist, 00:36:43.85\00:36:50.30 in his book, Biblical Creationism, page 62, says 00:36:50.33\00:36:56.20 something similar to what Ellen White had to say. He says this: 00:36:56.24\00:36:59.85 What did God establish during creation week? a what? 00:37:16.09\00:37:18.84 a permanent pattern. 00:37:18.87\00:37:20.67 He worked six, He rested on the seventh, continues resting 00:37:20.70\00:37:25.11 because He's created no more, and then He takes the measured 00:37:25.14\00:37:28.08 off week and He gives this measured off week to man, 00:37:28.11\00:37:33.20 and He says, now you work six, and rest on the seventh, 00:37:33.23\00:37:36.42 and your rest is not going to be continual without interruption. 00:37:36.45\00:37:40.90 Once you rest on the seventh, then you're going to go back 00:37:40.93\00:37:43.22 and you're going to work six, and then rest on the seventh 00:37:43.25\00:37:45.98 in a continuous cycle. 00:37:46.01\00:37:47.61 And so God then takes the week and He gives the week to Adam. 00:37:47.64\00:37:54.41 In fact, it's interesting, in The Desire of Ages, page 281, 00:37:54.44\00:37:58.12 we find this remarkable statement: Because He had rested 00:37:58.15\00:38:01.65 upon the Sabbath, God blessed the seventh day 00:38:01.68\00:38:06.41 and sanctified it. 00:38:06.44\00:38:07.52 Now notice this very carefully; this is profound. 00:38:07.55\00:38:10.57 Written by a woman who had 21/2 years of primary education. 00:38:10.60\00:38:15.15 Because He had rested upon the Sabbath, God blessed the seventh 00:38:15.18\00:38:18.01 day and sanctified it; set it apart to a holy use. 00:38:18.04\00:38:22.35 And now notice this. 00:38:22.38\00:38:23.48 After He set it apart at the end of the Sabbath, it says: 00:38:23.51\00:38:27.58 When did God give the day of rest to Adam? 00:38:32.32\00:38:35.51 After the day ended, which means that God did not give Adam 00:38:35.54\00:38:42.18 the Sabbath when the Sabbath day began. 00:38:42.21\00:38:44.40 Now let me tell you very clearly the reason why God did not 00:38:44.43\00:38:49.03 command Adam and Eve to keep the Sabbath. 00:38:49.06\00:38:51.68 First of all, it's because in order to keep the Sabbath, 00:38:51.71\00:38:57.12 in harmony with the fourth commandment, Adam and Eve needed 00:38:57.15\00:39:01.82 to work six first. 00:39:01.85\00:39:03.82 Are you with me? 00:39:03.85\00:39:08.32 The commandment says six days you shall labor and do all 00:39:08.35\00:39:11.83 your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 00:39:11.86\00:39:14.70 your God. How could they have rested on that first Sabbath and 00:39:14.73\00:39:18.47 keep the commandment, if they had not previously worked six? 00:39:18.50\00:39:21.55 In other words, what I'm saying is that God did not command 00:39:21.58\00:39:27.64 Adam and Eve to keep that first Sabbath. 00:39:27.67\00:39:29.81 Adam and Eve were commanded by God to keep the second Sabbath 00:39:29.84\00:39:33.81 of human history, after God had set it apart. 00:39:33.84\00:39:37.65 Because the commandment says that they had to work six, 00:39:37.68\00:39:40.91 and then they had to what? they had to rest on the seventh. 00:39:40.94\00:39:44.94 Furthermore, how could Adam and Eve have been commanded by God 00:39:44.97\00:39:50.19 to keep the Sabbath holy if the Sabbath 00:39:50.22\00:39:52.51 wasn't holy until it ended? 00:39:52.54\00:39:54.36 You're not with me. 00:39:54.39\00:39:57.88 Are you with me? When was the Sabbath made holy? 00:39:57.91\00:40:01.80 At the end of the day, which means that God could not have 00:40:01.83\00:40:05.01 said to Adam and Eve, Keep the Sabbath holy, because it wasn't 00:40:05.04\00:40:08.79 yet holy. It was the presence of God in the day 00:40:08.82\00:40:12.13 which made the Sabbath holy. 00:40:12.16\00:40:14.11 Furthermore, we're going to notice that God gave Adam and 00:40:14.14\00:40:18.13 Eve an example of Sabbath observance. 00:40:18.16\00:40:21.23 But let me tell you something, you cannot ask somebody to 00:40:21.26\00:40:24.47 follow your example until you have first given an example. 00:40:24.50\00:40:29.33 In other words, this first week is God's week. 00:40:29.36\00:40:32.81 God worked six days, He rests on the seventh, then He blesses 00:40:32.84\00:40:37.41 and sanctifies the seventh day. 00:40:37.44\00:40:39.15 For, He does it for man, not for Himself, because He still 00:40:39.18\00:40:43.10 continues resting after this. 00:40:43.13\00:40:44.64 He has created no more, but He's doing this for man. 00:40:44.67\00:40:47.81 So at the conclusion of the seventh day God says, 00:40:47.84\00:40:50.56 now I have made the week. 00:40:50.59\00:40:52.15 Here's the week, Adam and Eve. 00:40:52.18\00:40:53.78 Now tomorrow you start working six, and the next seventh day, 00:40:53.81\00:40:58.47 you keep the Sabbath, as you saw Me keep the Sabbath. 00:40:58.50\00:41:02.35 Now we know the reason why God did not command Adam and Eve 00:41:02.38\00:41:07.10 to keep the Sabbath. 00:41:07.13\00:41:08.16 He couldn't, because the Sabbath was not yet holy. 00:41:08.19\00:41:12.15 How could God tell Adam and Eve, Keep the Sabbath holy, 00:41:12.18\00:41:14.88 if it wasn't holy until the day ended? 00:41:14.91\00:41:18.47 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 00:41:18.50\00:41:20.60 Now, which day of the week were Adam and Eve created? 00:41:20.63\00:41:26.81 Let's read it in Genesis 1:26- 28, and then we'll also read 00:41:26.84\00:41:32.92 verse 31. It says there: 00:41:32.95\00:41:36.11 And now we'll jump down to verse 31. It says: 00:42:11.54\00:42:14.45 Ah, thank you. The which day? 00:42:25.64\00:42:30.23 The sixth day. So which day were Adam and Eve created? 00:42:30.26\00:42:33.70 They were created on the sixth day. 00:42:33.73\00:42:35.45 So let me ask you something, were they present when God 00:42:35.48\00:42:39.73 rested on the seventh day? 00:42:39.76\00:42:42.07 Did they see God create anything? 00:42:42.10\00:42:46.06 No, but were they able to observe God's rest? 00:42:46.09\00:42:51.14 Did they see how God rested? 00:42:51.17\00:42:54.19 They most certainly did, because they were created the sixth day. 00:42:54.22\00:42:57.51 They saw how God rested. 00:42:57.54\00:43:00.62 In fact, let's go back to the fourth commandment 00:43:00.65\00:43:03.96 and you'll see that very clearly. 00:43:03.99\00:43:05.86 Exodus 20:8, because some people are going to say, Well, Pastor 00:43:05.89\00:43:10.42 Bohr, you're saying that Adam and Even, what did they do 00:43:10.45\00:43:12.58 then on the Sabbath? 00:43:12.61\00:43:13.64 So we're going to notice what they did on the Sabbath; 00:43:13.67\00:43:15.44 on that first Sabbath. Exodus 20:8. 00:43:15.47\00:43:19.08 God is saying to man, in this case it's to Israel, 00:43:36.94\00:43:41.87 because He's giving the law directly to Israel, 00:43:41.90\00:43:45.02 doesn't mean that the law is only for them. 00:43:45.05\00:43:47.46 The ten commandments, Christians would agree, 00:43:47.49\00:43:49.54 apply to all Christians, but most Christians would say, 00:43:49.57\00:43:52.76 except for the fourth. 00:43:52.80\00:43:54.29 Now that doesn't make much sense. 00:43:54.32\00:43:57.19 The Bible says that if you break one, you're actually 00:43:57.22\00:43:59.70 breaking them all. 00:43:59.73\00:44:00.76 They stand together, or they fall together. 00:44:00.79\00:44:03.96 So God says, work six and rest the seventh. 00:44:03.99\00:44:10.04 Why does He say work six and rest the seventh? 00:44:10.07\00:44:12.05 What is the foundation for working six 00:44:12.08\00:44:14.10 and resting on the seventh? 00:44:14.13\00:44:15.17 God is going to say, because I gave you the example. 00:44:15.20\00:44:17.60 Notice verse 11. It says in verse 11: 00:44:17.63\00:44:21.24 For, that is because, you work six and rest 00:44:21.27\00:44:24.18 the seventh because... 00:44:24.21\00:44:25.97 Do you see what's happening here? 00:44:40.60\00:44:43.20 God is saying, you work six, and you nuach on the seventh. 00:44:43.23\00:44:49.16 That is experience rest on the seventh, because, the reason is 00:44:49.19\00:44:54.11 because I, at the very beginning worked six and what? 00:44:54.33\00:44:59.14 and rested on the seventh. 00:44:59.17\00:45:00.54 In other words, you are to follow My example. 00:45:00.57\00:45:05.61 But how could man follow God's example unless God 00:45:05.64\00:45:09.93 first gave the example? 00:45:09.96\00:45:11.74 Allow me to illustrate what I mean. 00:45:11.77\00:45:15.27 Have you ever seen these Lego's that people, you know, 00:45:15.30\00:45:19.39 kids don't use those anymore. 00:45:19.42\00:45:20.45 They only want video games now. 00:45:20.48\00:45:22.41 But, you know, there used to be a time when you had these Lego's 00:45:22.44\00:45:25.25 where you fit one piece into another and you'd build things? 00:45:25.28\00:45:27.67 Some of them could be very complicated. 00:45:27.70\00:45:31.21 You know, I never had Lego's. 00:45:31.24\00:45:33.74 I never, we never really bought our kids Lego's very much, 00:45:33.77\00:45:37.05 maybe once or twice. 00:45:37.08\00:45:38.11 But I've seen a father who will sit down on the living room 00:45:38.14\00:45:45.06 carpet, and his little son is there, and the father says, 00:45:45.09\00:45:50.22 son, come here. I'm going to show you how to do this. 00:45:50.25\00:45:53.86 And so the father starts putting piece upon pieces. 00:45:53.89\00:45:58.60 Are you watching? Are you watching? 00:45:58.63\00:46:00.36 And then he builds it, and then the father takes all of the 00:46:00.39\00:46:03.62 pieces off and he says, now you do it. 00:46:03.65\00:46:06.00 That's exactly what we have at creation. 00:46:06.03\00:46:09.11 God observes the Sabbath, and then He says to Adam and Eve, 00:46:09.14\00:46:13.99 Did you see how I did it? 00:46:14.02\00:46:15.05 Now you do it the same way. 00:46:15.08\00:46:18.70 You keep it as you saw Me keep it. 00:46:18.73\00:46:21.41 Once again, in this magnificent book, Patriarchs and Prophets, 00:46:21.44\00:46:25.28 page 47, we find this comment: 00:46:25.31\00:46:27.82 We read this part already. 00:46:31.77\00:46:33.17 And now notice this: 00:46:39.62\00:46:40.75 Did God rest upon this sacred day? Yes. 00:46:50.69\00:46:54.77 What did God do when He rested upon this sacred day? 00:46:54.80\00:46:57.12 It was a day of what? joy, gladness, contemplation of His 00:46:57.15\00:47:00.78 magnificent work, His masterpiece. 00:47:00.81\00:47:02.34 He was just enjoying what He had made, 00:47:02.37\00:47:04.44 along with the heavenly host, according to what we read. 00:47:04.47\00:47:07.56 The author continues saying: following the example 00:47:07.59\00:47:11.68 of the Creator... 00:47:11.71\00:47:12.74 Notice, look upon the heavens and the earth. 00:47:18.03\00:47:21.42 That means to meditate. 00:47:22.98\00:47:24.42 Does that sound like the Sabbath was a curse? 00:47:39.35\00:47:41.84 You know, Christians today say, Oh, 00:47:41.87\00:47:43.74 the Sabbath was for the Jews. 00:47:43.77\00:47:45.39 That was this burden that nobody can bear. 00:47:45.42\00:47:48.35 You know, they're really casting a shadow upon God, 00:47:48.38\00:47:52.52 because God made the Sabbath. 00:47:52.55\00:47:55.80 God exemplified Sabbath observance. 00:47:55.83\00:47:58.59 And then God said, I worked six. 00:47:58.62\00:48:00.48 You saw Me rest on the seventh. 00:48:00.51\00:48:02.73 You saw how I did it. 00:48:02.76\00:48:04.03 In fact, probably, God gave Adam and Eve the scenic tour, 00:48:04.06\00:48:07.34 if you please. And then God said, Now the day has ended. 00:48:07.37\00:48:12.95 I'm setting it apart. 00:48:12.98\00:48:14.40 I've given you an example. 00:48:14.43\00:48:15.85 Here's the week for you: now you work six, and next Sabbath 00:48:15.88\00:48:20.15 you keep the Sabbath like you saw Me keep it. Amazing! 00:48:20.18\00:48:25.12 In another statement, which we also find in Patriarchs and 00:48:25.15\00:48:29.88 Prophets, page 48. We find this: 00:48:29.91\00:48:33.79 The Sabbath was what? essential for man where? in Paradise. 00:48:42.98\00:48:50.76 Let me ask you, if the Sabbath was necessary in Paradise, would 00:48:50.79\00:48:53.46 it be much more necessary today to remember God? Of course! 00:48:53.49\00:48:57.11 And now notice the purpose. 00:49:11.24\00:49:13.17 Once again, I like that! 00:49:26.30\00:49:28.79 He needed to lay aside his own interests 00:49:28.82\00:49:31.31 and pursuits for one day... 00:49:31.34\00:49:32.62 Are you starting to comprehend the purpose of the Sabbath? 00:49:58.15\00:50:02.06 why God established the Sabbath at the very beginning? 00:50:02.09\00:50:05.43 It was so that man would remember Him. 00:50:05.46\00:50:08.77 That's why the fourth commandment begins by saying, 00:50:08.80\00:50:11.82 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 00:50:11.85\00:50:14.91 And at the end of this commandment it says the reason 00:50:14.94\00:50:18.66 why I want you to remember the Sabbath day is because it 00:50:18.69\00:50:21.69 reminds you of the great Creator of the heavens and the earth. 00:50:21.72\00:50:25.47 His greatness, His power, and His love towards you, 00:50:25.50\00:50:28.90 in giving you everything, without even asking for it. 00:50:28.93\00:50:32.92 You'll hear many Christian churches speak irrespectively 00:50:32.95\00:50:39.62 about the Sabbath of the Jews. 00:50:39.65\00:50:43.19 But do you know something interesting in scripture? 00:50:43.22\00:50:45.96 Whenever the Sabbath appears in scripture, it is called 00:50:45.99\00:50:51.66 the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 00:50:51.69\00:50:55.69 In other words, it's a day which belongs to whom? 00:50:55.72\00:51:00.46 It belongs to God. 00:51:00.49\00:51:02.39 It's the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 00:51:02.42\00:51:04.89 Not once is the Sabbath referred to as the Sabbath of the Jews. 00:51:04.92\00:51:09.92 It is always the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 00:51:09.95\00:51:13.11 In fact, in Isaiah 58 God calls the Sabbath My holy day. 00:51:13.14\00:51:20.31 In fact He says, You take away your foot from stepping on 00:51:20.34\00:51:24.85 My holy day. How dare someone say that the Sabbath 00:51:24.88\00:51:30.72 was for the Jews. 00:51:30.75\00:51:31.78 You know, in order for the Sabbath to be the 00:51:31.81\00:51:33.53 Sabbath of the Jews, the Jews should have been the ones who 00:51:33.56\00:51:37.98 rested first on it, if it was their Sabbath. 00:51:38.01\00:51:42.12 But the reason why the Sabbath is called 00:51:42.15\00:51:45.17 the Sabbath of the Lord your God, is because God rested 00:51:45.20\00:51:49.38 on the seventh day Sabbath, therefore He's saying, 00:51:49.41\00:51:52.17 this day belongs to Me, because I rested on the Sabbath. 00:51:52.20\00:51:55.77 And so He says, now I want you to respect My holy day. 00:51:55.80\00:52:01.44 I want you to respect my Sabbath, because I rested on it. 00:52:01.47\00:52:05.23 It's mine. I made it holy. 00:52:05.26\00:52:06.90 I rested every single minute of the Sabbath day, 00:52:06.93\00:52:09.48 therefore it's My day, and if you want to enter My rest 00:52:09.51\00:52:13.84 you have to enter My rest on My holy day. 00:52:13.87\00:52:17.06 You know, many Christians today say, you Seventh-day Adventists 00:52:17.09\00:52:23.80 keep the seventh day as your Sabbath. 00:52:23.83\00:52:27.12 I keep the first day, Sunday, as the Sabbath. 00:52:27.15\00:52:32.71 Do you know, it's absolutely impossible to keep Sunday 00:52:32.74\00:52:36.43 as the Sabbath? Do you know the reason why? 00:52:36.46\00:52:39.31 Genesis makes it clear. 00:52:39.34\00:52:41.14 You cannot keep Sunday as the Sabbath, because Sunday is 00:52:41.17\00:52:45.47 not the day that God rested. 00:52:45.50\00:52:46.87 It's that simple. If you're going to enter God's rest 00:52:46.90\00:52:52.22 you have to enter His rest on the day in which He rested. 00:52:52.25\00:52:56.61 He never rested on Sunday, therefore you can't enter 00:52:56.64\00:53:00.88 His rest on Sunday, because God did not rest on Sunday, 00:53:00.91\00:53:04.96 He rested the seventh day. 00:53:04.99\00:53:06.31 And if we're going to enter His rest, we have to enter His rest 00:53:06.34\00:53:09.71 on the day which He rested. 00:53:09.74\00:53:11.72 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 00:53:11.75\00:53:14.25 So as I examined these things, I said, Now I have the answers 00:53:14.28\00:53:20.11 to the questions that have kind of tormented me 00:53:20.14\00:53:22.75 for such a long period of time. 00:53:22.78\00:53:24.81 Why didn't God command Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden 00:53:24.84\00:53:30.63 to keep the Sabbath, and why doesn't the seventh day 00:53:30.66\00:53:34.20 have an evening and a morning? 00:53:34.23\00:53:36.41 And when I realized that the first week was God's week, 00:53:36.44\00:53:41.05 that God worked six, that God rested on the seventh, 00:53:41.08\00:53:45.93 and therefore the seventh day is God's. 00:53:45.96\00:53:48.60 It belongs to God. 00:53:48.63\00:53:49.77 It's His rest day. 00:53:49.80\00:53:51.30 Now I knew why there wasn't any evening and morning, 00:53:51.33\00:53:55.21 because really, when God finished His work the sixth day, 00:53:55.24\00:53:58.75 and rested on the seventh day, He has continued resting 00:53:58.78\00:54:02.02 from His works of creation. 00:54:02.05\00:54:03.81 In other words, for God there has been no evening and morning. 00:54:03.84\00:54:06.71 For us there is an evening and morning, but not for God, 00:54:06.74\00:54:09.71 because God is still resting from His works of creation. 00:54:09.74\00:54:12.97 He has created no more with regards to this world. 00:54:13.00\00:54:16.27 And I discovered also the reason why God did not command 00:54:16.30\00:54:20.66 Adam and Eve to keep the Sabbath in the Garden of Eden, 00:54:20.69\00:54:23.08 because God could not command Adam and Eve to keep the Sabbath 00:54:23.11\00:54:26.83 holy before He made it holy. 00:54:26.86\00:54:28.89 God could not tell Adam and Eve, keep the Sabbath and follow 00:54:28.92\00:54:34.23 My example, unless God had first given the example. 00:54:34.26\00:54:37.37 God could not tell Adam and Eve, six days shall you labor and do 00:54:37.40\00:54:41.89 all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 00:54:41.92\00:54:45.13 your God, if Adam and Eve had not worked six. 00:54:45.16\00:54:48.39 You see, the commandment not only requires keeping 00:54:48.42\00:54:52.32 the seventh, or resting on the seventh, the commandment also 00:54:52.35\00:54:55.54 requires working six first, and Adam and Eve 00:54:55.57\00:54:58.73 had not worked six days. 00:54:58.76\00:55:00.28 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 00:55:00.31\00:55:02.96 And so as we look at the Sabbath at creation, we see that it's 00:55:02.99\00:55:09.25 part of God's original plan for the human race. 00:55:09.28\00:55:12.84 It's not something that God gives as a afterthought 00:55:12.87\00:55:17.40 to the Jews in the wilderness. 00:55:17.43\00:55:19.23 It's part of God's original plan before sin. 00:55:19.26\00:55:24.20 He gave the week and the Sabbath to Adam and Eve before sin. 00:55:24.23\00:55:29.65 Some people say, Well, the Sabbath actually pointed 00:55:29.68\00:55:32.77 to the redemption of Jesus when He would die on the cross. 00:55:32.80\00:55:35.76 The fact is folks that that is a secondary meaning of the Sabbath 00:55:35.79\00:55:39.53 as we're going to notice in our second lecture, 00:55:39.56\00:55:41.38 but it is not the primary meaning of the Sabbath. 00:55:41.41\00:55:43.78 The primary meaning of the Sabbath is that God gave this 00:55:43.81\00:55:47.92 as a day of rest, to look backwards not forwards. 00:55:47.95\00:55:51.54 The purpose was to look back at the magnificent Creator; 00:55:51.57\00:55:56.74 the work that He had done. 00:55:56.77\00:55:57.86 His generosity, and His goodness in giving Adam and Eve, 00:55:57.89\00:56:01.91 and all of their descendents this beautiful gift: life, 00:56:01.94\00:56:06.76 and a beautiful world to live in. 00:56:06.79\00:56:08.91 In other words, the Sabbath is part of God's original plan 00:56:08.94\00:56:14.30 for the human race. 00:56:14.33\00:56:16.08 It is not an afterthought. 00:56:16.11\00:56:19.46 And as we're going to see, in the second part of this 00:56:19.49\00:56:23.08 mini series, Hidden Sabbath Truths, we're going to notice 00:56:23.11\00:56:29.61 that the Sabbath is going to be observed in the earth made new. 00:56:29.64\00:56:34.83 So the Sabbath points us backwards, and the Sabbath 00:56:34.86\00:56:39.89 also points us forward to when God is going to break His rest, 00:56:39.92\00:56:45.33 and once again He is going to create a new heavens, 00:56:45.36\00:56:51.49 and a new earth, as we'll see. 00:56:51.52\00:56:53.42 And He's going to create it in six days, and then He is 00:56:53.45\00:56:57.70 going to rest on the seventh day, giving us an example, 00:56:57.79\00:57:01.09 and then He's going to say, now you work six days, 00:57:01.12\00:57:05.46 and rest on the seventh day. 00:57:05.49\00:57:07.74 And you come and worship before Me; all flesh come and worship 00:57:07.77\00:57:14.44 before Me on the seventh day in commemoration 00:57:14.47\00:57:18.43 of the new creation. 00:57:18.46\00:57:20.32 How marvelous is this gift of the Sabbath, 00:57:20.35\00:57:23.74 which God has given us. 00:57:23.77\00:57:26.37