May - June 2000 The Sabbath Sentinel

The Sabbath: A Prophecy of Eternal Life

by Bill Fowler

In my early teen years, my dad gave me some advice that I have remembered-though not always followed as I should have. What he gave was simple common sense -- and it works. He passed down this simple but practical "wise counsel" by introducing it to me with these guiding words: "If you want to be happy and effective in life, with it's continuing problems, then you need to apply this principle." He continued, "When you have a decision to make, if you are not positive that it's the right thing to do -- then don't. Just put it off for now, and come back to it later. See if the thought stays with you.... You will make fewer mistakes in life, if you are confident your decisions are correct. Don't make hasty decisions. Get the facts first".

How could anything be simpler? Yet, such is not a way of life with so many in our, "buy now-pay later" society. Human thoughts tend to be base and instinctual: instant gratification seeming to be a primary need ("It feels good, so I've got to have it -- NOW!").

Thankfully, some of us have learned, over time, that the things in life, which are really worthwhile, are worth planning for -- and waiting for. All good decisions are based on right knowledge and proper timing. Two verses in Proverbs certainly support this principle of not rushing into important decisions.

Proverbs 21:5 "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty."

Proverbs 29:20 "Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

I really came to understand this principle in 1966 when I was first exposed to the Sabbath day and the commitment required to respond to the calling of God. I grew up in the Methodist church; we had many good friends and were involved in Sunday school class, youth activities, men's prayer group, and all of the holidays. We were having a good time; it was family.

My brother and his family had not been to services for a couple of weeks; so, I called him and asked if one of them was sick. He answered, "No, we just don't go to church on Sunday anymore; we go on Saturday: the Sabbath of the Bible."

It hit me like a bolt from the blue. I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. "You WHAT?!" I said.

This didn't make any sense to me -- and I speculated whether he was going to convert to Judaism. Weeks passed into months; then, driving by a park area (on my way to see a customer) one day, who did I see-but my brother and his family having a picnic! Amazed, I wondered why he was doing this on a weekday-and why he wasn't at work.

I stopped my "cool" '29 Ford model A coupe, honked at him, and waved him over to where I was parked. "What's going on?" I asked. He answered that they were "observing the Days of Unleavened Bread."

My first thought was that he had gone over the deep end! My brother was intelligent: he was an aeronautical engineer with a master's degree from college. Why was he doing all this Jewish stuff?

It was time to get serious and show him how he was wrong in rejecting Christian traditions. Dad's advice came to my mind; I knew I had to approach this in a logical way. "Don't make hasty judgements," I thought, "Do some logical research to prove him wrong."

I knew this was going to be an easy job, after all, the majority of all churches observe Sunday, "the Lords Day." Yes sir, I wouldn't be hasty. I'd get the facts to show him. This wouldn't take long at all....

After about six months of intense study and research at the library and at home, sometimes several hours after midnight, I knew I had a problem. I could not prove my brother wrong. It wasn't just the validity of the Sabbath, the Holy Days, and all TEN of the Commandments -- it was also the issue of Christmas, Easter, Valentines day, and Halloween. I was overwhelmed-this was a moral crisis which would mean a major change of life-style!

Well, there's an old saying: if you can't beat them, .... So, we started attending Sabbath services. Going to church on Saturday was quite different than what we were used to-yet, the warmth of these people was so very helpful-we were treated like long time friends.

Passover was coming up in a few months; we had not been baptized yet -- and my wife was pregnant with our fourth child. Back then, many of the women were having "natural childbirths," so I got it into my head that maybe "WE" should have this fourth child by natural child birth too.... She thought I was crazy!

The truth is, I was pushing her. What I had learned in the last six months was so exciting and invigorating, I forgot my dad's advice about not rushing into a decision. I knew we had entered into a new way of life-but, I didn't realize then how much change was to come into our lives, and the trials of overcoming that would test us greatly.

With some wise counsel given by the local pastor, I slowed down, and did ease off of trying to influence my wife's decision. Then, without my prompting pressure, on her own, she chose to have a natural delivery.... Later, she said that this parturition of our last child, was the easiest of all; ... and I was there to witness the miracle of our daughter's birth!

We have been blessed so much since that time, 34 years ago, and it all started with my unsuccessful attempt to prove the Sabbath was not the day that our Heavenly Father had set apart for us to be with Him and our Savior. Like many others, we entered into a rest that has changed our lives. ... The foreshadowed end result of this rest will be the Eternal Love, Joy & Peace.

As the months turned into years, with new tests and trials to strengthen us, our understanding of the reality of the Sabbath day has become our motive of striving to walk in His Way. The Sabbath has been a major factor in our understanding that the very goal of life is to be at rest from sin -- for ever. So, we see that the delightful Sabbath foreshadows our Spiritual birth as Children of the Eternal.

This purpose for mankind is revealed in the "beginning" book of the Bible; Genesis 1:26-27, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

After creating mankind in Their image and to be like Them in character, the Sabbath was made for mankind. Jesus made that clear when He made this statement, in Mark 2:27, "And He said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." The Sabbath was intended to show us the ultimate rest of being born again: resurrected into the very Family of God.

Humanity has not learned this principle because of continual rejection of God's laws of Love: the 10 Commandments. It takes time, and the experience of living, to grasp the magnitude of Creation and the Sabbath rest which follows.... Several years ago I heard a "saying" that I'll never forget and that has helped me to better understand God's Creation of mankind-to be like Him. It goes like this:

"Think about your life as if it were a bank account. Yesterday is a canceled check, you can never spend it again. Tomorrow is a promissory note, you can't receive its value yet. Today is cash, spend it wisely and it will pay great dividends."

Our bankers want us to make wise decisions to make sure our account is balanced, with plenty of reserve to sustain us in times of uncertainty and the possibility of depression. Our Heavenly Father also wants us to "balance" our account with him, with a reserve of faith to carry us through the times of trial, which He permits for our strengthening. A major factor that He gave to mankind, to help us stay "balanced" in life, is the Holy Sabbath day.

Our Spiritual Bank Account: Proverbs 11:1 "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight."

Proverbs 20:23 "Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good."

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (tomorrow).

Yesterday (history)

Luke 9:62 "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God."

Today (overcoming)

Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread"

Hebrews 3:14-15 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation."

Tomorrow (Kingdom of God)

Matthew 6:34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Matthew 19:16-17 "And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

John 12:25 "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."

John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

Revelation 14:12-13 "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."

Let's look at the Sabbath command from the book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 "Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.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."

We see from the Scriptures we are to cease from our labors, the carnal works of mankind. This ceasing from our labors and doing the Works of God is what the Sabbath is about, for eternity.

God's people were in slavery, bondage to a people that did not know God. Just as He took them out of physical bondage, He is calling His Creation to cease from the works of unrighteousness and do His Works, with Him and Jesus for eternity. No more works of men-instead: His born again Children doing His Will in Love, Joy and Peace.

The universe will see the results of the "Sabbath rest" for eternity. Just like the prodigal son, His Children have come home, wanting to do His will.

Luke 15:21-24 "And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."

Philippians 4:4-8 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

As we think on verse 8, we know "these things" will be a part of the Sabbath rest-now and forever. Our true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy Sabbath is a "shadow" of great and wonderful things to come! Amen!

Bill Fowler and his wife Jo Anne have kept the Sabbath since 1966; he is the pastor of the Wichita [Kansas] Church of God-7th Day and the chairman of the Liaison committee of the Churches of God Outreach Ministries. CGOM is a group of interdependent Sabbath-keeping churches and fellowship groups in the USA, Canada, England and Australia. Bill answers phone requests for literature and other resource material (from various Sabbatarian Groups) for the CGOM information center in Tulsa, Oklahoma (1-800-611-8080); he can be also be reached via e-mail < BFOWLER@kscable.com >.

TSS

May - June 2000 The Sabbath Sentinel