Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: SUM
Program Code: SUM000015
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:13 Father in heaven, as we open Your holy word once again, 01:20 we ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. 01:23 We realize that this book was inspired by that Spirit, 01:27 and only through the Spirit's aid will we be able to 01:31 understand what it means for us today. 01:33 And so I ask that as we open Your holy book, 01:37 that You will instruct us, and You will give us the willingness 01:41 to live in harmony with what You teach us. 01:44 And we're thankful for Your being willing to hear our 01:48 prayer, for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, Amen. 01:53 I'd like to begin our study by going to the fourth commandment 02:01 of the holy law of God. 02:03 It's found in Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 20:8-11. 02:14 This is the central passage that we studied in our first part of 02:21 Hidden Sabbath Truths. 02:23 And, basically, when we study this passage of scripture, 02:27 we notice that the original reason for the Sabbath was 02:32 in order to remind us of creation. 02:34 In other words, it's a commemoration 02:37 of God's work of creation. 02:39 I'm going to read the passage so that we can grasp this clearly. 02:46 Verse 8 says this: 03:16 So basically God is saying, work six, rest the seventh. 03:23 And then He gives us the reason in verse 11. 03:27 That means because. 03:45 Or made it holy. 03:46 In other words, God is clearly saying in the fourth commandment 03:49 to us, work six and rest the seventh, because at creation 03:57 I worked six and rested the seventh. 04:00 In other words, follow My example. 04:04 In this sense, the Sabbath is a creation ordinance. 04:08 It comes into existence before sin. 04:12 It comes into existence before the cross was needed. 04:16 So the original intention of the Sabbath, 04:19 the original meaning of the Sabbath has to do with the fact 04:23 that it is a sign of creation. 04:26 However, when sin came into the world, the Sabbath now 04:33 had an additional function. 04:35 And we're going to notice that actually, it has a third 04:39 function as we reach the end of our study today. 04:43 But the Sabbath, as a result of sin, now had a second meaning, 04:49 or a second reason for observing it. 04:52 Go with me to Deuteronomy 5, and we're going to read 04:57 verses 12 through 15, Deuteronomy 5:12-15. 05:03 This is a repetition of the fourth commandment, 05:06 but we're going to notice that it has a different 05:09 motivation clause. 05:10 In other words, it gives us a different reason 05:13 for keeping the Sabbath. 05:15 In Exodus 20 the reason for keeping the Sabbath is 05:19 a commemoration of creation. 05:20 In Deuteronomy, chapter 5, the motivation for keeping 05:25 the Sabbath is different. 05:27 It's the second reason for keeping the Sabbath; 05:29 the post fall reason for keeping the Sabbath. 05:33 It says there in Deuteronomy 5:12: 06:18 And now notice the motivation clause. 06:43 Now the reason for keeping the Sabbath in this passage 06:47 is not creation, it is redemption from bondage. 06:50 And you remember that the sign of the redemption from bondage 06:55 was the Passover. 06:56 And the Passover actually pointed forward to the 07:00 liberation that would come through Jesus Christ. 07:04 In other words the Sabbath, after the fall, has a second 07:08 reason for its observance. 07:10 It is a post fall reason for the observance of the Sabbath, 07:14 and that is that God, who created, 07:17 is also the God who redeems. 07:21 In other words, the Sabbath is a sign of the Creator, 07:25 and it is also a sign of the Redeemer. 07:29 Now in our subject that we're studying now, we are going to 07:33 take a look at the Sabbath and its meaning in redemption. 07:38 In our first study we noticed the meaning of 07:40 the Sabbath in creation. 07:41 Go with me in your Bibles to the gospel of John 5:45, 46, 07:50 John 5:45, 46. Here Jesus is speaking to the Jews of His day. 08:00 He's speaking to the Hebrews, to the Israelites, 08:03 and notice what He says to them: 08:25 Notice in these verses that Jesus is saying to God's people 08:31 of that day and age, If you believe Moses, 08:34 that is the writings of Moses, you would believe Me, 08:39 because Moses wrote about Me. 08:42 In other words, the central meaning and content 08:45 of the writings of Moses is Myself. 08:49 Now in our study we want to take a look at one of those verses 08:54 that is found in the writings of Moses, 08:57 which pointed forward to Jesus Christ. 09:00 Go with me to Deuteronomy 8:3 and remember, as we're looking 09:05 for this verse, that this verse, written by Moses, points forward 09:11 to Jesus, because we're told here in John chapter 5 that if 09:16 the people believed in Moses, they would believe in Jesus, 09:19 because Moses wrote about Jesus. 09:22 So what I'm saying is that this verse that we're going to look 09:25 at now, is centered in Jesus. 09:29 Moses was speaking about Jesus. 09:32 Let's notice Deuteronomy 8:3. 09:36 It's talking about the manna which God sent to Israel. 09:41 It says there: 09:46 That is, Moses is saying, God humbled you, Israel. 09:59 And now notice the reason why God gave the manna. 10:04 It wasn't to provide Israel with physical food primarily. 10:09 It had a deeper intention, a deeper meaning, and that meaning 10:14 pointed forward to Jesus Christ. 10:16 Notice the last part says, He gave the manna... 10:35 Why did God give manna? 10:37 He not only gave manna to satisfy the physical hunger 10:41 of Israel, but He gave manna in order to teach Israel that 10:46 man will not live by bread alone, that is physical bread 10:50 like the manna, but man will live by every word 10:54 that proceeds from the mouth of God. 10:57 In other words, the manna represented the word of God. 11:04 God gave Israel the manna to teach them that they were to 11:07 survive, they were to live, by the word of God, as they were 11:12 living by consuming the manna that God had provided. 11:16 In fact in 1 Corinthians 10:3, 4, 1 Corinthians 10:3, 4 11:25 we find that the manna was not mainly, 11:28 or primarily, physical food. 11:30 Let's read there in 1 Corinthians 10:3, 4, 11:35 speaking about Israel's trek through the wilderness. 11:40 All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank 11:46 the same spiritual drink. 11:49 What kind of food was this food? spiritual food. 11:53 What kind of drink was this drink? spiritual drink. 11:57 For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, 12:03 and that rock was Christ. 12:06 So, you see, the manna had a deeper intention, 12:10 a deeper meaning than just being physical food. 12:13 The manna was a spiritual food. 12:16 The manna represented the Word of God. 12:21 Now the question is, who is the Word of God 12:26 according to scripture? Jesus. 12:29 Go with me to John 1:1-3, John 1:1-3. 12:37 Here we're going to find who is the Word, 12:41 according to scripture. It says there: 12:53 Who is this Word? Jesus. 12:56 Later on it says that the Word was made flesh. 12:59 It says in verse 2: 13:11 So God gave the manna to teach Israel that they should not live 13:15 by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out 13:18 of the mouth of God. 13:19 And the Word of God is Jesus. 13:22 He was trying to teach Israel that the only way that they 13:25 could subsist spiritually was to partake of whom? was to partake 13:30 of Jesus, the Word of God, who was symbolized by the manna. 13:35 Now in John 6:48-51 we find Jesus explicitly referring 13:44 to the manna, and He applies the manna to Himself, 13:48 spiritually speaking. 13:50 John 6:48, and we'll read on till verse 51. 13:56 Here Jesus is speaking to a group of Jewish 14:00 people and He says: 14:29 And now notice; this is very important: 14:42 So what did the manna represent, more specifically? 14:46 The manna represented the flesh of Jesus. 14:51 Did you catch that? 14:52 I'm going to read it once again, the last part, 14:56 actually verse 51. 14:58 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. 15:01 If anyone eats of this bread, that is of me because 15:05 He's the one who came down heaven. 15:06 He will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is 15:10 my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. 15:15 So we found that the manna represents the Word of God. 15:19 The Word of God is Jesus, and Jesus says that the manna 15:24 represents, primarily His what? His flesh. 15:28 That's what the manna represents. 15:30 Now why is this important? 15:32 Go with me to Exodus 16 and lets read verses 19 and 20, 15:38 Exodus 16:19, 20. We're going to remember, or recall 15:44 the experience of the manna that fell in the wilderness. 15:47 What happened if the manna was picked up on Tuesday 15:52 and it was saved for Wednesday? 15:54 It had two characteristics. 15:59 We're going to read that in a moment. 16:01 1. It bred worms, and it stank. 16:07 Two characteristics, bred worms, and stank. 16:12 I want you to remember that. 16:14 If it was picked up on Monday for Tuesday, 16:17 Tuesday for Wednesday, Wednesday for Thursday, 16:19 Thursday for Friday, Sunday for Monday, 16:22 invariably it bred worms, and stank if you 16:28 saved it for the next day. 16:29 But what happened when the manna was picked up on Friday 16:34 and the people took it out on the Sabbath? 16:38 The Bible says that the manna did not breed worms, or stink. 16:44 In fact it was as fresh as ever. 16:47 Let's read Exodus 16:19, 20. 16:55 He's speaking to Israel. 17:16 So notice when they picked it up for one day for the next 17:20 other than on the Sabbath, the manna bred worms and stank. 17:26 But what about when it was picked up on Friday for Sabbath? 17:29 Notice Exodus 16:23, 24. 17:37 This is Moses speaking to the congregation. 18:18 So when the manna was picked up on Friday and saved for the 18:22 Sabbath, the manna was as fresh on the Sabbath 18:25 as it had been on Friday. 18:29 Now what did God want to teach by this miracle 18:35 that He performed? 18:36 Well, we need to remember that the manna represents whom? 18:41 The manna represents Jesus. 18:44 What particular aspect of Jesus? 18:48 His flesh, which He was going to give for the world. 18:52 Jesus Himself said so. 18:55 So the manna represented the flesh of Jesus. 18:59 Now lets take a look at what happened a little less than 19:05 1,500 years later down in history when Jesus comes. 19:11 It is the sixth day of the week: Friday. 19:16 In fact the gospels call it the preparation, 19:20 and it's late on Friday. 19:23 It's late on the sixth day of the week, 19:26 and Jesus is hanging on the cross of Calvary, 19:30 and He's about to finish His works of redemption. 19:34 He's about to finish providing the means by which men 19:41 and women can be delivered from slavery to sin, 19:45 as Israel had been delivered from slavery, 19:48 literal slavery to the Egyptians. 19:50 Do you notice that what happened in the Old Testament is literal, 19:54 and when the fulfillment takes place it is spiritual? 19:58 In the Old Testament it was literal manna, a literal rock, 20:01 literal water, literal task masters, literal deliverance, 20:07 literal passing through the Red Sea, etc. 20:10 But all of these things represent spiritual 20:14 realities in the future. 20:16 In other words, the manna is a symbol of Jesus, 20:20 and Jesus the sixth day, which is the day in which the manna 20:24 fell, where they were supposed to pick it up for the Sabbath, 20:27 and it was not going to spoil, breed worms, 20:30 or stink on the Sabbath, Jesus says those famous 20:34 words, It is finished! 20:39 Does Genesis say that after creation He finished His works? 20:45 That very word is used. 20:49 Now on the sixth day Jesus says, It is finished! 20:53 And, by the way, it is late on the sixth day. 20:57 The sun is about to set on the sixth day. 21:00 The sixth day is about to end. 21:02 Notice John 19:30, the words that Jesus spoke on the cross. 21:08 He's going to say, I have finished now the works of 21:10 redemption, and He finishes late on the sixth day. 21:14 It says there in John 19:30: 21:33 Now I want you to notice the sequence of days 21:36 that we have here. 21:37 Go with me to Luke 23 and we're going to read verses 54 to 56. 21:44 I want the sequence of days to be clear your mind, 21:46 because some people say, well, how do you know that Sunday is 21:51 not the seventh day? 21:52 Do you know that it's common today for people to say that 21:54 Sunday is the seventh day. 21:55 Well, the fact is that that's impossible. 21:58 Sunday is not the seventh day. 22:00 The Bible says that Sunday is the first day. 22:02 It's the day in which Jesus resurrected. 22:05 So much for the calendars in Europe. 22:07 I have nothing against the Europeans, but in many countries 22:11 the calendar begins on Monday, which means that which day 22:16 would be the seventh day? 22:18 Sunday would be the seventh day, but that does not square 22:22 with holy Scripture. 22:23 Notice Luke 23 and beginning with verse 54; it says here: 22:31 Joseph of Arimathea. 22:49 The day when He said, It is finished. 22:56 What was about to begin? 22:57 The Sabbath was about to begin. 23:16 ...Sunday... 23:19 Thank you. I knew that you would protest. 23:22 I just wanted to make sure that you were awake out there. 23:25 It says that they rested which day? on the Sabbath, 23:29 according to the commandment. 23:31 Let me ask you then, which day did Jesus die? 23:34 He died on Friday. 23:36 What time on Friday? 23:37 Very late; almost when the day is ending, when the Sabbath 23:41 is going to start. 23:42 What is the day after the death of Jesus? 23:45 It's the Sabbath, which is what number of the days of the week? 23:50 It's number seven, because in the very next verse, Luke 24:1 23:56 it says that Jesus resurrected early on the first day 24:00 of the week, which means that on the seventh day 24:04 Jesus rested where? 24:08 He rested in the grave. 24:11 In fact, lets read again John 6: 51, because it's very important 24:17 that we understand this specific verse when it comes to what 24:21 happened to Jesus while He lay in the grave. He says there: 24:42 So the manna represented the flesh of Jesus. 24:45 When the manna was picked up on Friday no worms, 24:49 and it didn't stink on the Sabbath. 24:51 Let me ask you, when Jesus rested in the tomb 24:56 on the Sabbath day, did His flesh begin 25:01 the process of decomposing? 25:04 No, it didn't. His body was as fresh on the Sabbath 25:10 as it had been on Friday when He died. 25:13 Notice the prophecy, the Messianic prophecy that we find 25:17 in Psalm 16:8-10, and I'm reading from the NIV because 25:23 the translation is more accurate. 25:25 Psalm 16:8-10, this is a prophecy about the Messiah. 25:31 It says there: 25:51 By the way, do you know that that word that is translated 25:54 body in the New International Version, that is not the best 25:58 translation. The King James translates that word 26:02 in a more proper fashion. 26:04 You see, in the Greek language the word for body is soma. 26:08 That's not the word that is used here, soma. 26:12 The word for flesh is sarx. 26:16 The word that is used here is sarx. 26:19 In other words, flesh. 26:21 It's the very word that is used in John 6:51, which connects 26:26 John 6:51, the manna is the flesh, My flesh that I will give 26:32 for the world, is the same word that is translated body here 26:36 in the New International Version. 26:37 And so really what it says is, Therefore my heart is glad 26:41 and my tongue rejoices. 26:43 My flesh also will rest secure, or as the King James says, 26:49 my flesh will rest in hope. 26:51 What does the flesh of Jesus do? 26:53 It what? It rests in hope. 26:55 Why? Because His body is in the tomb which day? 26:58 His body is in the tomb on the seventh day Sabbath. Verse 10: 27:14 Are you catching what this is saying? 27:17 The body, or the flesh, of the Messiah was going to rest 27:22 in the grave in hope, and His body was not 27:26 going to see corruption. 27:27 His body was not going to decay. 27:30 And the question is, why is it that His body was 27:33 not going to decay? 27:34 Because Jesus was the living what? He was the living manna. 27:41 And when the manna was picked up on Friday for the Sabbath, 27:44 it was as fresh on the Sabbath as it was on Friday, 27:48 so Jesus died on Friday, and His body was as fresh on the 27:52 Sabbath as it had been on Friday. 27:54 His body did not begin to decompose. 27:57 Someone might say, Pastor is this really 28:00 a Messianic prophecy? 28:01 Well, lets go to the sermon of the apostle Peter 28:05 on the day of Pentecost. 28:06 Acts 2:25-27, Acts 2:25-27. 28:12 And once again, I'm reading in the New International Version 28:15 with the exception of the word body, which really should be 28:20 translated flesh, it's a good translation. 28:23 Notice Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost. 28:46 Once again it's the word sarx in Greek. 28:55 By the way, the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint, 28:58 the Greek translation of the Old Testament is sarx. 29:01 So we know that it should not be soma, it should be sarx. 29:06 Verse 27. 29:07 Because you will not abandon me to the grave... 29:11 The King James Version says, You will not leave, what? 29:16 My soul in hell. The New International Version says, 29:20 You will not allow me to remain in the grave. 29:23 So the soul is me, and hell is the grave. 29:27 Are you catching the point? 29:29 And so it says in verse 27, Because you will not abandon me 29:33 to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 29:39 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me 29:44 with joy in your presence. 29:46 And then lets go down to verse 31, Acts 2:31. 29:51 Now Peter is going to interpret the meaning of this passage. 29:54 He says: 30:05 Once again, it should be flesh. 30:11 Have you ever heard of those people who teach that 30:15 the crucifixion took place on Wednesday, 30:17 and Jesus resurrected on Sabbath? 30:20 This prophecy makes that impossible. 30:23 Jesus could not have been crucified on a Wednesday, 30:29 and resurrect on a Sabbath to fulfill this prophecy. 30:32 Because the only day in which the manna fell when it was 30:37 as fresh the next day as the day it fell was when it was 30:41 picked up on Friday for the Sabbath, 30:43 not Wednesday for the Sabbath, not Thursday for the Sabbath, 30:47 Friday for the Sabbath. 30:48 So this shows that really the Messiah was going to die 30:53 on which day? on Friday, and His body was going to rest 30:57 in hope, and His body was not going to see decay. 31:00 It was not, in other words, going to breed worms, 31:04 or to stink. Now somebody might say, Pastor Bohr, are you saying 31:08 then that eating the manna means that we eat 31:11 the physical flesh of Jesus? No. 31:14 We need to understand the way in which Jesus says that we 31:18 assimilate Him as the manna. 31:20 We assimilate His flesh. 31:22 It's not by eating His physical flesh, it's actually by 31:26 consuming His word. 31:29 Notice John 6:63, because when Jesus said these words, 31:35 the people said, Oh, this man is teaching us to be cannibals. 31:38 He's saying we should eat His flesh. 31:40 That's gross! That's forbidden in the law of Moses. 31:43 You see, Jesus wasn't saying, eat My physical flesh. 31:47 His physical flesh is assimilated by studying 31:52 the word, because Jesus physically is composed of flesh, 31:56 but His word is Jesus in written form. 32:00 Now notice John 6:63. 32:02 Jesus says to these people: 32:10 In other words, it doesn't do you any good to eat My physical 32:13 flesh. Then He says this: 32:20 In other words, we assimilate the flesh of Jesus through 32:23 partaking of His word, because the manna represented 32:27 the physical flesh of Jesus, and the physical flesh of Jesus 32:31 represented His written word. 32:34 By the way, 1 Peter 1:23 speaks of the word of God 32:40 being incorruptible, just like His body was. 32:43 Notice what it says there in 1 Peter 1:23. 32:49 It says, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, 32:54 but of what? Incorruptible through what? 33:00 Through the word of God, which lives and abides forever. 33:07 And so, interestingly enough, the Sabbath not only points 33:12 backwards to creation, but the Sabbath also, 33:16 in the Old Testament, pointed forward to what Jesus was going 33:20 to do when He died on the cross. 33:21 The sixth day, towards the end of the day, He was going to say, 33:24 It is finished. His body was going to be placed in the tomb. 33:28 On Sabbath it was going to rest in hope. 33:31 His flesh was not going to see decay. 33:35 It was not going to see corruption, 33:37 because He was the living manna. 33:40 In other words, we have a beautiful Messianic prophecy 33:44 here in John 6, as we compare it with Exodus 16. 33:53 But do you know that the Sabbath has another dimension? 33:56 The Sabbath also has a future significance, 34:00 and this future significance would have never come up 34:04 unless man had sinned. 34:07 Are you understanding that the Sabbath has a primary 34:11 significance, and it has secondary applications 34:14 as well after sin? 34:15 Before sin the purpose of the Sabbath is 34:20 to commemorate creation. 34:21 After sin it still commemorates creation, but now it also points 34:27 forward to redemption, where the Creator is going to finish 34:32 His works the sixth day. 34:33 He is going to rest in the tomb on the seventh day 34:35 like He did at the beginning, from is works of creation. 34:39 And the Sabbath also points forward to the end of time 34:44 when God will create a new heavens, and a new earth, 34:47 which is necessary because of sin. 34:49 In fact, lets go to Isaiah 66 and read verses 22 and 23. 34:57 Isaiah 66:22, 23. It says there: 35:16 Is this verse talking about a new heavens and a new earth? 35:20 God making a new heavens and a new earth? Absolutely! Verse 23: 35:26 In this new heavens and new earth. 35:33 By the way, New Moon could be translated from one month 35:37 to another, because the New Moon marked the beginning 35:41 of the months among the Hebrews. 35:44 You know that the months are lunar months. 35:47 Am I correct? Even today the months are reckoned by the moon, 35:51 and the days are reckoned by the sun. 35:54 So, in other words, it could be translated, from month to month. 35:59 And then it says, And from one Sunday to another... 36:04 Ah, you're still out there, and awake. 36:09 It says, And from one Sabbath to another, all the Jews shall 36:16 come to worship before Me, says the Lord. 36:20 It doesn't say, All the Jews. 36:23 So the New heavens, and the New earth is just for the Jews? 36:27 Of course not! It says here, From one Sabbath to another 36:31 all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord. 36:37 Now the question is, why are we going to go there to worship 36:42 before the Lord from month to month? 36:44 Obviously, we're going to go and worship before His throne, 36:49 because that's where, according to Revelation, people are going 36:52 to bow before God on the sea of glass, before His throne. 36:57 So why are we going to go every month? 37:00 Well, Revelation 22:1, 2 has the explanation. 37:04 See, Revelation explains the Old Testament. 37:08 You can't understand Revelation without going back 37:10 to the Old Testament. 37:11 So those who say that they're New Testament Christians 37:14 are really studying with one hand behind their back; 37:18 tied behind their back. 37:19 Notice what it says there in Revelation 22:1, 2. 37:33 And what is there? 37:58 So why is it that we are going to go to worship 38:03 before the Lord every month? 38:05 Clearly, we are told here, that we will go to partake 38:11 of the tree of life. 38:13 Did you know that we, even in the kingdom come, 38:18 are going to be conditionally immortal? 38:21 In other words, we will continue to live because we will continue 38:25 to eat from God's tree. 38:27 We will not be inherently immortal. 38:31 Our immortality will be derived from God's tree. 38:35 We will have to go every month to eat from the tree of life, 38:39 to continue living forever and ever. 38:42 But then there's the issue of going every Sabbath. 38:45 Why are we going to go to worship before the Lord 38:50 from Sabbath to Sabbath? 38:51 Folks, Isaiah 66 makes it clear. 38:55 It says that it's because God is going to make a new what? 38:59 God is going to make a new heavens and a new earth. 39:04 Now the question is, why would God have to make a new heavens, 39:07 and a new earth? The book of Revelation makes it very clear. 39:13 You see, when Jesus comes back to this earth, 39:17 the earth is going to return to the condition it was 39:21 at the beginning, before creation. 39:24 You remember that in Genesis 1: 2 it says that the earth 39:30 was without form and void? 39:34 And the planet was what? in darkness. 39:38 Notice Jeremiah 4:23, Jeremiah 4:23, speaking about the 39:46 condition of the earth after the second coming of Jesus. 39:49 It says there in Jeremiah 4: 23, I beheld the earth, 39:55 and indeed it was without form, and void; and the heavens, 40:00 they had no light. 40:03 So let me ask you, Is this planet going to return 40:06 to the chaotic condition it was in before creation? 40:11 Absolutely! So what is God going to have to do? 40:15 He's going to have to make a new heavens, and a new earth 40:20 just like He made when? just like He made at the beginning. 40:25 In other words, He is going to suspend His rest from creation. 40:31 Are you understanding me? 40:34 In other words, God, since creation, as we studied in our 40:37 first subject, has ceased His work of creation. 40:41 In other words, the evening and the morning of the seventh day 40:44 has not come for God, because God has created no more 40:48 with regards to this earth. 40:50 But when this earth returns to the condition it was in before 40:55 creation, God is going to break His rest, and He's going to 41:02 start creating again. 41:04 Let me ask you, how many days do you think God is going to use 41:08 to create again this world? 41:10 Now where did you get that idea from that it would be six days? 41:16 You know, I used to that when God makes the New heavens, 41:20 and the New earth, He's going to say, Let there be the New 41:23 heavens, and the New earth... it's all there! 41:27 But it can't be. You say, why not? 41:31 Because in Isaiah 66 we are told that we are going to worship 41:37 before the Lord from Sabbath to Sabbath in commemoration 41:42 of the creation of the New heavens, and the New earth. 41:44 Now you cannot keep the seventh day unless you have the first 41:50 six, because the seventh is reckoned on the basis of the 41:56 first six days. Are you understanding what I'm saying? 41:58 If we're going to go from Sabbath to Sabbath 42:01 to worship before the Lord, it must mean that there are six 42:05 days before that Sabbath, which means that God when He recreates 42:12 this earth, and He remakes the heavens... 42:15 By the way, do you know why He has to remake the heavens 42:18 and the earth? Go with me to Matthew 24:29, Matthew 24:29 42:26 tells us what's going to happen when Jesus comes. It says there: 42:30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the 42:34 sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. 42:39 The stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens 42:46 will be shaken. What's going to happen with the sun, 42:48 the moon, and the stars? 42:49 They are going to be thrown out of their orbits. 42:52 The powers of the heavens shall be shaken. 42:56 By the way, who are the powers that rule the heavens? 42:59 The sun and the moon. 43:01 Notice Genesis 1:16, Genesis 1:16. 43:07 When God created the sun and the moon, notice what He 43:10 created them for. 43:11 It says: Then God made two great lights; the greater light 43:18 to do what?... to rule the day, and the lesser light... 43:24 ,... to what? 43:25 to rule the night: he made the stars also. 43:30 So who are the powers of the heavens that rule the heavens? 43:33 It is the sun and the moon. 43:35 Let me ask you, when Jesus comes, are the sun and the moon 43:38 going to be thrown out of their orbits? Yes they are. 43:42 And that's the reason why during the millennium we're told that 43:46 the earth is going to be in what? 43:48 The earth is going to be in darkness, because our whole 43:51 solar system is going to be thrown out of whack, 43:54 so to speak. So is Jesus going to have to reorganize 44:00 the heavens and the earth? 44:03 He most certainly is, and He's going to do it in six days. 44:08 Now here's the marvelous thing. 44:10 At the beginning, when God made the heavens and the earth, 44:15 and worked six days to create the heavens and the earth, 44:19 Adam and Eve were not eye witnesses, because God made 44:26 everything before He created Adam and Eve, and furthermore 44:32 when He made Eve, after Adam, but He put Adam to sleep, 44:36 and so Adam did not see the creation of Eve. 44:39 Adam and Eve did not see God create anything. 44:41 In other words, they had to take Jesus, God, at His word when He 44:47 said, I was the Creator. 44:48 I made everything. 44:49 They had to believe it because He said it. 44:51 In other words, they had to walk by faith not by sight. 44:56 But the beautiful thing is at the end of time 45:00 it's going to be different, because God's people 45:03 are going to be alive. 45:05 Can you imagine what it's going to be like when God is going to 45:09 remake this earth again, and organize it 45:12 like He did at the beginning; put it in order and fill it, 45:16 and He says the first day, Let there be light, 45:19 and light appears. 45:20 And then He says, now I have to let twenty-four hours go by. 45:23 Twenty-four hours go by then He says, Okay, now second day. 45:28 Let there be the firmament! 45:29 And God's people are there watching what He's doing. 45:33 Then the third day He says, Let there be productive land. 45:39 Let there be trees, and plants, and flowers. 45:42 And so all over the earth you have these beautiful plants, 45:46 and flowers, and trees sprouting out. 45:49 And then God says, Let the sun, the moon, and the stars occupy 45:54 their places again. 45:55 And He's going to organize the cosmos. 45:57 He's going to organize the heavens. 45:59 He's going to place the sun, the moon, and the stars 46:01 where they were before they were thrown out of their 46:04 orbits when Jesus came. 46:06 And then the fifth day He's going to say, Let the sky's 46:10 have birds in them, and let the waters be filled with fish. 46:14 They all died as a result of the plagues. 46:17 And then the sixth day He's going to say, Let the Earth 46:21 produce living creatures. 46:22 And He's going to create all of these wonderful animals 46:27 that we've come to love: cats. 46:31 I see my wife smiling. 46:35 Dogs, pet rats; You don't like those very well, do you? 46:43 Some people do. The world is going to be a gigantic zoo. 46:49 But everything will be perfect. 46:52 Animals will not kill animals. 46:54 And then Jesus is going to say, I've made this whole world 47:00 in six days. Now come, I'm going to give you the scenic tour. 47:06 And so now He's going to show us everything that He has made. 47:11 And see, He started working again. 47:13 He suspended His rest. 47:14 Now He's working six days after He does the work on six days, 47:19 Man does nothing like at the beginning. 47:21 Now God steps back and He takes a breath, Nafas! 47:27 And God enjoys the experience of rest in gladness and joy, 47:32 and the heavens are singing, nuach! 47:36 He's enjoying the work of His hands like a master artist. 47:41 He's contemplating the beautiful things that He has created, 47:46 and so He will give His people the scenic tour. 47:49 And then He will say to them, now this day is holy. 47:56 I've rested on it, therefore, from now on you will come 48:03 into My presence from Sabbath to Sabbath to commemorate 48:08 the glorious work of re-creation. 48:11 In other words, the Sabbath has a prophetic dimension. 48:16 It has a future dimension. 48:18 It points forward to the times when God is going to create 48:22 a new heavens, and a new earth, and God's people 48:25 will be eye witnesses. 48:27 And He will once again establish the Sabbath after creation 48:31 as a sign that He's the wonderful, 48:33 generous, loving Creator. 48:35 Now some people say, Pastor Bohr, there's not going to be 48:40 any monthly and weekly cycle in the kingdom. 48:44 Haven't you ever read Revelation 21:23? 48:49 Well, let's go to that verse and take a look at it: 48:52 Revelation 21:23, and let's read it carefully. 48:58 We need to read things carefully. It says there: 49:16 Does it say that the city doesn't have them? No. 49:22 Does it say that there's not going to be all over the earth? 49:25 No. It's the city, and the city has no what? no need. 49:31 See, we've got to read carefully. 49:44 Maybe I can illustrate it. 49:46 How many of you have seen a person with a flashlight 49:52 trying to find their way around at high noon? 49:57 I mean, if you shine your flashlight on the ground 50:04 on a 110 degree day in Fresno, when the sun is beating down, 50:12 can you even see the ray on the sidewalk? No. 50:17 It's shining, but the light of the sun is so bright, so bright, 50:22 that you actually, it's like you don't even have a flashlight. 50:26 That's what's going to happen with the sun and the moon. 50:30 The sun and the moon are going to have to step aside, 50:33 and they're going to allow the glory of God to shine 50:37 in the holy city. 50:38 Notice also, Isaiah 24:23, Isaiah 24:23. 50:47 This is related to what we just read in Revelation 21:23. 50:53 It says there, speaking about after the millennium when God 50:56 makes the new heavens and the new earth, it says, 50:58 Then the moon will be disgraced. 51:03 It doesn't say that the moon is going to disappear. 51:04 It says the moon will be disgraced, and the sun ashamed. 51:09 How come? Ah, it says, for the Lord of hosts will reign 51:15 on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem before His elders gloriously. 51:21 Now allow me to read you a statement, as we near the end 51:26 of our study, from Early Writings, page 41. 51:29 This is a powerful statement. 51:31 Ellen White says this: The powers of heaven are the sun, 51:37 moon, and stars. They rule in the heavens. 51:41 The powers of earth are those that rule on the earth. 51:46 The powers of heaven will be shaken at the voice of God. 51:53 Then the sun, moon, and stars will be moved 51:59 out of their places. 52:01 That's what I was talking about a little while ago. 52:04 She says, they will not pass away, but be shaken 52:08 by the voice of God. 52:10 Now let me ask you, do you think the devil 52:15 loves the Sabbath? 52:16 The devil hates the Sabbath. 52:20 In fact, the devil has led Christians 52:23 to despise the Sabbath; to call it a Jewish institution; 52:26 to call it a yoke of bondage, but the fact is the Sabbath is 52:31 not a yoke of bondage, it's not a Jewish institution. 52:34 Did Jesus only come to redeem the Jews? 52:37 He came to redeem the whole human race. 52:39 The devil hates the Sabbath because the Sabbath exalts 52:44 Jesus at creation, because the Sabbath exalts Jesus 52:49 in redemption, and because the Sabbath points forward to the 52:53 new heavens and the new earth where we'll go to worship Jesus. 52:57 And the devil hates Jesus, and therefore he's going to hate the 53:02 sign that points towards Jesus. 53:04 By the way, if you want to know how much the devil hates 53:08 the Sabbath, all that you have to do is look at 53:10 the history of the Sabbath. 53:11 That will tell you how much the devil hates the Sabbath. 53:15 From the moment that God gave the Sabbath in the fourth 53:19 commandment, we're told that Israel trampled on the Sabbath. 53:22 They worshipped the sun, they worshipped other gods, 53:26 they trampled on the Sabbath. 53:27 And so God says, Okay, I'm going to send you to Babylon captivity 53:31 so that you learn to keep my Sabbath. 53:35 And so Jeremiah 17 says, that because they trampled on the 53:39 Sabbath, they disobeyed it, they desecrated the Sabbath, 53:42 God led them into captivity. 53:43 But the devil, you know, the devil is very sly. 53:46 So the devil says, I'm going to use this to my advantage. 53:49 God wants to teach them to keep the Sabbath. 53:51 Well, I'm going to tell them that they need to establish 53:53 a whole bunch of laws that will make it impossible 53:56 to break the Sabbath. 53:57 And so the Rabbi's established this system of laws, Rabbinical 54:03 laws, supposedly to protect the Sabbath from being desecrated, 54:06 so that they're not taken captive again. 54:08 Among those laws is if you had false teeth, you had to take 54:12 them out of your mouth because that's carrying 54:14 a burden on the Sabbath. 54:15 If you have a prosthetic leg you've got to take 54:18 the prosthetic leg off, because that's bearing 54:20 a burden on the Sabbath. 54:21 You can't look in a mirror and pull out a hair on the Sabbath, 54:25 because that's the sin of plucking a hair on the Sabbath. 54:28 You couldn't jump over a river, because you might fall in, 54:32 and then you would get wet, and you might fall into the 54:35 sin of wringing your robe, or your garment. 54:38 Nowhere in the Bible do you find these rules and regulations. 54:42 They were Rabbinical rules and regulations. 54:45 In other words, the devil led Israel from trampling on the 54:49 Sabbath to idolizing the Sabbath, and making the Sabbath 54:53 a means of salvation. 54:55 And the devil was preparing the way, eventually, 54:59 for the Christians in the early church to look at the Sabbath 55:03 and say, Look at that Sabbath. 55:05 It's a yoke of bondage. 55:07 It's a bunch of rules and regulations, so let's not keep 55:11 the Sabbath, let's keep Sunday, because it's a happy day. 55:15 It's a day that honors the resurrection of Jesus. 55:18 It's not that old Sabbath yoke of bondage, 55:21 full of rules and regulations. 55:23 Are you understanding what the devil is doing? 55:24 What the devil does, he leads Israel to 55:27 trample on the Sabbath. 55:28 Then he leads Israel to establish a mass of laws to 55:33 protect the Sabbath, which makes the Sabbath a yoke of bondage, 55:37 because eventually he wants to lead Christians to reject 55:40 the Sabbath, thinking that the Sabbath of the Pharisees 55:43 is the Sabbath of the Lord. 55:44 Do you know that the Rabbinical Sabbath 55:47 is not really the Sabbath? 55:48 It is a distortion of the Sabbath. 55:51 Jesus didn't come to break the Sabbath, Jesus came to deliver 55:55 the Sabbath from the mass of human laws 55:58 that had made the Sabbath a yoke of bondage. 56:01 Jesus would not give the Sabbath as a blessing, 56:03 bless it and make it holy, and then curse the Sabbath, 56:07 and break the Sabbath. 56:08 In fact, Jesus came to deliver the Sabbath from the bondage 56:13 that had been created. 56:14 And do you know that Bible prophecy tells us that there was 56:18 a little horn during the period of the middle ages that actually 56:22 thought that it could change God's holy law. 56:25 It's a church in the world today who says, We were the ones who 56:29 changed the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday. 56:31 Let me ask you, who would like to see a change of the Sabbath 56:34 from Sabbath to Sunday? God, No, it would be Satan. 56:41 Because, you see, the change in the Sabbath points to 56:44 the person who changed it. 56:45 The original Sabbath points to God who established it. 56:49 So the question is, who's authority are you going 56:52 to accept? God, who established the seventh day Sabbath, 56:55 or this power which established Sunday as the day of rest? 56:59 The issue is not one day verses another, the issue is whose 57:03 authority do you accept? God's authority or man's authority? 57:09 The Sabbath is a great blessing. 57:12 I enjoy it. It reminds me of my great Creator. 57:16 It reminds me of my great Redeemer. 57:19 And it reminds me that soon we will be in the kingdom; 57:23 in the new heavens and the new earth 57:25 wherein righteousness dwells. |
Revised 2014-12-17