Hidden Treasure – A Deeper Understanding

Genesis 2:2-3 KJV
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.

This was in anticipation of what was about to take place.

Genesis 3:6 KJV
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

The fall of man led to the following statement by God to the serpent or Satan.

Genesis 3:15 KJV
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God’s restoration reaches from the beginning of all things (creation) to the culmination of all things. (the earth made new)

1 Corinthians 15:45-47,49 KJV
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. [46] Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. [47] The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. [49] And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly

I like the way verse 45 is rendered in The Amplified Bible.

So it is written [in Scripture], “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL (an individual);” the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving spirit [restoring the dead to life].

Just as with the first Adam we were given an earthly life of flesh and blood. So it is with the second Adam – Jesus, we are given a spiritual life that lives forever.

Galatians 3:23 KJV
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

The sabbath was a microcosm of that truth. It was always intended to be “……..a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.” Ezekiel 20:12 KJV

Jesus broadened the understanding of His people to a deeper appreciation of the Ten Commandments. Under the teaching of Jesus they became, not just a list of do’s and dont’s but deep underlying principles of life. Harbouring hatred in our hearts, can make us a murderer, just as surely as if we had done the deed. (Matt.5:21,22)

The apostle Paul understood this, even as it applied to the sabbath. Abstaining from work on a specific day, and believing this makes us commandment keepers, could be a delusion.

The true Sabbath-rest is our rest in Christ. The Pharisees in Christ’s day did not understand this. They just wanted to embrace the letter of the law. We can fully embrace the true Sabbath-rest without fear or favour from any man. That is what the apostle Paul meant when he said:

Hebrews 4:11 KJV
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest……….
And then in the very next verse say:

Hebrews 4:12 KJV
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

John 17:17 KJV
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Grounded in the Word the seeker will find that rest.
Any counterfeit the Word of God will expose.

That broader rest is anticipated in the Old Testament by writer’s like the Psalmist:

Psalm 118:24 KJV
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

This passage of Scripture is often used in the New Testament,
usually in connection with the resurrection, not creation.
(Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:10,11)

The apostle Paul can appear vague about specific day’s.

Romans 14:5 KJV
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Because he realized that the sabbath commandment was merely a signpost of the true and great reality of Jesus.

The spiritual understanding of the sabbath was to come later. It was not just a memorial of creation it was a memorial of redemption.

Ezekiel 20:12 KJV
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.

This is not something that occurs once a week. It is something that happens on a daily basis.

The law is always something that leads us to Christ.

Galatians 3:24 KJV
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Galatians 3:25 KJV
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
(Rev. 13:8)

The Sabbath was a signpost of His coming.

Exodus 31:16-17 KJV
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. [17] It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

In Adventist eschatology, the “Seal of God” in Revelation 7 is a final test of loyalty to God’s law. 

The alternative theological view is: The Holy Spirit is the Seal of God. Many Christian denominations maintain that the Bible identifies the Holy Spirit as the true seal of the believer:
New Testament Evidence: Ephesians 1:13-14 and Ephesians 4:30 explicitly state that believers are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” as a guarantee of their inheritance.
Internal vs. External: This view suggests that while the Sabbath may be an external sign of obedience, the Holy Spirit is the internal seal of ownership and transformation. 

This was not fully explained to me when I went to a SDA mission outreach program many years ago. It was explained to me then that if I were to keep working on Saturday’s, that would be no different to committing murder or mayhem in the world. I asked the evangelist running this series of programs, “Is this 4th commandment just as important as the other commandments which tells me not to kill or steal?” The answer was in the affirmative. Due to this conversation I feared ‘breaking’ the Sabbath just as much as I feared breaking any of the other 9 commandments.

No mention was made to me of the writings of Paul,  where he says:

God has given us, not the spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim. 1:7)

Romans 14:5 NKJV
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

No mention was made of the Sabbath-rest that Paul talks of so freely. (Heb. 4:3-10; Rom. 14:5,6; Col. 2:16,17)
Such texts as these didn’t fit the narrative of getting people ‘into the church.’ The narrative of fear which equates Sunday keeping with the mark of the beast. Matthew 23:15 NIV
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert……….(I hesitate to print the rest of this verse. It is too confronting for me to say. Jesus only, was in a position where he could say this because he was the perfect Lamb of God)

I was a very new Christian at that time. I remember drawing great comfort and peace from this new treasure chest of Scripture. But it always had to be in the context of Seventh-day Adventism. I think in many ways I was a Pharisee.
Is it any wonder that children brought up in SDA homes are often the most rebellious. Not all I might add. There are many balanced Christian’s in that denomination who have a proper appreciation of the gospel and who have brought up their children accordingly. One can only admire and respect such people.

I am so grateful for the prophetic words…..

Isaiah 43:5-6 KJV
Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; [6] I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

Joel 2:25 KJV
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

Isaiah 54:13 KJV
And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Where would we be without texts such as these! There is truly a “balm in Gilead” (Jer. 8:22)

When we embark on a journey,  do we tie ourselves to the beacons or signposts or do we set sail for our destination putting our faith and trust in God and his signposts?  This was the way Abraham lived. 
Hebrews 11:8 KJV
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Romans 4:12 MSG – they were willing to live in the risky faith-embrace of God’s action for them, the way Abraham lived

This is why Abraham was called ‘the father of the faithful’.

If we’re in a vessel navigating the stormy seas of life trying to find the Way to our destination,  we don’t tie ourselves to a beacon in the shipping channel hoping that will make us secure. We take  note of the direction the beacon is directing us and we set sail.

Perhaps this is why God has laid a burden on me to create this website. So that others do not make the same mistakes as I have done. The true Sabbath-rest stretches from creation to the earth made new. That Sabbath-rest is found only by abiding in Jesus Christ. He is our true Sabbath-rest.

Hebrews 4:11 KJV – Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest……..

And that stretches from creation (Gen. 2:2,3) to the earth made new. (Rev. 22) The words of the wise man may be appropriate here.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 KJV
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Many will be afraid to unshackle themselves from the beacon. But what does God say? The following passage could be an example of Hebrews 4:12, quoted above.

Sirach 2:11-14 KJV
11 The Lord is kind and merciful; he forgives our sins and keeps us safe in time of trouble. 12 But those who lose their nerve are doomed—all those sinners who try to have it both ways! 13 Doom is sure to come for those who lose their courage; they have no faith, and so they will have no protection. 14 Doom is sure to come for those who lose their hope. What will they do when the Lord comes to judge them?

Psalm 18:35 KJV
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

The question should be, is a mere surface reading of Scripture sufficient for the momentous times in which we live, or should we be prepared to dig a little deeper?
Do we keep clinging to the signpost or do we take hold of the reality?

Galatians 3:22-26 NIV
But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. [23] Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. [24] So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. [25] Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. [26] So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

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