Category Archives: The Sabbath

Keeping Sabbath Holy

By John Thiel, mp3, pdf

Scripture reading: Exodus 35:2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD:

O Jesus, let me ever hail
Thy presence with the day of rest.

Sabbath day is a holy day. And as we worship the Lord of the Sabbath, we want to dwell upon His holiness and the glory of the holy Sabbath day. We want a view of its sacredness, so that as we contemplate the Sabbath and its holiness we may better keep it than we have done in the past. This is our purpose now—to be so affected by the holiness of the Sabbath that we will keep it holy. Read the rest of this entry

6. God of the Sabbath

By John Thiel, Seeking to Please God Series, mp3, pdf

Scripture reading: John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

The time in which we are living is the time of the day of atonement; it is the time of Zechariah 3:1-7—Joshua and the Angel. As we saw previously, this scripture applies specifically to our time. Joshua is a representative of God’s people, and as we stand before Christ, our High Priest, in the judgment hour, we are receiving a change of garment as we examine ourselves closely. Read the rest of this entry

10. Affectionate Sabbath Keeping

By John Thiel, Godly Affections That Motivate Series, mp3

Scripture reading: Isaiah 63:7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, [and] the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. … 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

The Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments and becaus it is, it is often looked upon as a legal expectation and people fall into the danger of coming to the Sabbath as to something which is expected of them and they see it as a bit of a burden. So many Seventh-day Adventists people who have grown up in Adventism, look forward to the end of the Sabbath so that they can do what they want and what they like.

This has been a burden in my heart over the years because I was myself brought up in the Seventh-day Adventist church. I grew up with Sabbath keeping and I saw this sad experience among Adventists as I grew up among them. When the Sabbath came to its end and Saturday night came, it was just about a celebration that Sabbath was over; they could now go out and enjoy themselves. But for me Sabbath became an ever-developing and deeper joy and I wondered what the problem was. Read the rest of this entry

4. Restoration of the Sabbath Glory

By John Thiel, The Last Generation Challenge Series, mp3

Scripture reading: Isaiah 56:1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation [is] near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed [is] the man [that] doeth this, and the son of man [that] layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Read the rest of this entry

The Sabbath in the New Testament

What day did Jesus rise from the dead? The first day of the week, which is on Sunday.

Mark 16:9 Now when [Jesus] was risen early the first [day] of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

What reason do Christians give for keeping Sunday holy? They say they keep Sunday holy because it is the day of the resurrection of Jesus.

“Jews dedicate the seventh, or Sabbath, day to recalling the divine basis of life. Christians follow a similar seven-day cycle but give special prestige to Sunday honouring the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which, according to the Christian scriptures, occurred on the first day of the week.” Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 2000

The Catholic church says;

“We celebrate Sunday because of the venerable resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and we do so not only at Easter but also at each turning of the week”. Read the rest of this entry

2. True Sabbath Keeping

By John Thiel, Hebrew Wilderness Wanderings Conference, Study 2, mp3

Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it [is] a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that [ye] may know that I [am] the LORD that doth sanctify you. 14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it [is] holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth [any] work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 

The children of Israel left Egypt a place where they were captives. It says they were there for 430 odd years. How many years were they in captivity? It wasn’t 400 years of captivity, it was when the next Pharoah came along and inflicted them. Maybe 350 years? Before that time where were the Israelites living? In Egypt. They were free but they were living in Egypt. What was the consequence of Abraham’s seed? The man of Gods offspring living in Egypt. What happened to the children of Israel while they were there in Egypt? Ezekiel was to speak to the Hebrews;

Ezekiel 20:5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I [am] the LORD your God; 6 In the day [that] I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which [is] the glory of all lands: 7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God. Read the rest of this entry

In Harmony With Sabbath Sanctity

By John Thiel, mp3

Genesis 2:2 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.

The Sabbath day is written of all the week the best.  I don’t know about you but some people don’t think so.  Many who have been brought up in the Sabbath detail, when it comes to the end of the Sabbath they are jubilant. The go out and have an enjoyable time as if it’s burdensome.  Sometimes the Sabbath is not what God designed it to be and as a consequence those brought up with the Sabbath, fall into a state of wandering how important really is the Sabbath?  We are pursuing what is written in Amos;

Amos 4:12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: [and] because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. Read the rest of this entry

The Sabbath in History

“Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and write grievousness which they have prescribed” [Isaiah 10:1]. [Zephaniah 1:14-18; 2:1-3, quoted.]

Christians in the dark ages suffering persecution for keeping the Sabbath;

“Some have suffered torture because they would not rest when others kept Sunday, for they declared it to be the holiday and law of Antichrist.” – Sebastian Frank, AD 1536.

By this time in history the Seventh day Sabbath was severely under attack. Read the rest of this entry

14. The Refreshment of the Sabbath in the Sanctuary

By John Thiel, The Sanctuary Series, study 14, mp3

We are now moving into the different aspects that we gain by way of the truths, of the doctrines, that surface out of the sanctuary study. This study enters into a research of the Ten Commandments as they are in the heavenly sanctuary. The Ten Commandments are there, in the most holy place. When Ellen White received the vision, she came into the heavenly sanctuary, and she saw something as these Ten Commandments were opened up. Read the rest of this entry

15. The Refreshment of the Sabbath and How It Becomes Polluted

John Thiel, The Sanctuary Series, study 15, mp3

In the sanctuary, in the ark of the covenant, are the Ten Commandments, and around the Sabbath there is a halo that is brighter than all the other commandments. We have seen that the Sabbath is a day that is the day of the Lord our God, and that therefore Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath has everything to do with our relationship with God. We also touched on the fact that the Sabbath is to be the seal of God because in the Sabbath is the seal, the name, the title and the domain that He rules. In the true keeping of the Sabbath lies the seal of God, not so much in being a Saturday-keeper. Read the rest of this entry

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