Bible, King James Version

• blessed by God at the close of creation

Gen.2:2,3  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. [3] And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

• referenced as the 4th commandment

Exod.20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

• linked to the 5th commandment

Lev.19:3  Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

• linked to the worship of God

Lev.26:2  Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

Ezek.20:20  And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. 

• a symbol of His sanctifying power

Ezek.20:12  Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.

• a part of the eternity to come

Isa.66:23  And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

• observed by Christ Himself (even in death)

Luke.4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

John.19:31-33  The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. [32] Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. [33] But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

• observed by the disciples and Gentiles post resurrection

Mark.16:1  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

Acts.17:2  And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Acts.13:42,44  And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath... [44] And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

• part of last-day prophecy

Matt.24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

Rev.12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Rev.14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

• the Lord's Day

Matt.12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Isa.58:13,14  If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14] Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

• the expression of our rest in His salvation

Deut.5:15  And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

Rom.6:16-18  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? [17] But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. [18] Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

2Pet.2:19  ... for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

Heb.4:9-11  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. [10] For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. [11] Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Webmaster's Commentary:

It seems straight forward enough... however, the present confusion and resistence were predicted by Daniel:

Dan.7:15, 16, 23, 25  I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. [16] I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this... [23] Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces... [25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

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