WEBVTT
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You’ve heard us talk
for decades here on
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Tomorrow’s World about
obeying the Ten Commandments,
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including keeping
God's Sabbath day.
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But just how do you
keep the Sabbath?
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As always, the answers we
need are waiting for us
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in the divine word of God.
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Join us for this episode of Tomorrow's World where we will
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give you God's own instructions on How to Keep the Sabbath.
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♪
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Welcome, from all of us
here at Tomorrow's World
00:30.196 --> 00:33.333
and from our sponsor,
the Living Church of God.
00:33.400 --> 00:35.869
All of us here work very
hard to help you understand
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your world through the pages
of the Bible, and we're very
00:39.339 --> 00:40.540
glad you're here.
00:40.607 --> 00:44.310
Longtime viewers--and even
most new ones--are aware that
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we here at Tomorrow's World
are passionate about keeping
00:47.414 --> 00:50.950
the Ten Commandments, including the Fourth Commandment about
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keeping the seventh-day Sabbath.
00:53.119 --> 00:55.021
Jesus kept the
seventh-day Sabbath.
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His first-century followers, both Jew and Gentile, kept it,
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and a continuous line of faithful Christians throughout
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history have kept it, as well--just as God commands.
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And the free resource we're offering all our viewers today,
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Which Day Is the
Christian Sabbath?
01:12.472 --> 01:17.544
has proven this truth over and over to the more than 100,000
01:17.610 --> 01:19.412
people who have requested it.
01:19.479 --> 01:22.882
Be sure to keep your eye on the screen for the information you
01:22.949 --> 01:27.387
need to get your own free copy of this life-changing resource.
01:27.454 --> 01:32.058
But exactly how do you keep
the seventh-day Sabbath?
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Well today, we're going to
give you God's own answer
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to that question.
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But first, I want to highlight two ditches to avoid.
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The first is believing we
should look to Hebrew or
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Jewish practices and Judaism
to understand how to keep
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the Sabbath.
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This is a mistake for
a number of reasons.
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First, over the centuries,
Judaism added many additional
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man-made regulations, restrictions, and conditions
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that God never intended to
be part of Sabbath-keeping.
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In fact, one of the themes
of Jesus Christ's ministry
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in the first-century was
His confrontations with
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the Jewish leadership
about how they'd made
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God's Sabbath a burden.
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For instance, let's look at
His example and instruction
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in Mark chapter 2,
beginning in verse 23...
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"Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on
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the Sabbath; and as they
went His disciples began
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to pluck the heads of grain.
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And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is
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not lawful on the Sabbath?"
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Now, you can search the Scriptures from Genesis
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to Revelation and see no
passage at all in which
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God says you can't feed
yourself by plucking a
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few heads of grain
on the Sabbath day.
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Now you'll find instructions
not to use busy times of the
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year, such as plowing and harvesting times, as an
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excuse not to keep the Sabbath--
that's in Exodus 34:21.
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But no one would rightly call what Jesus and His Apostles
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were doing "harvesting."
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They were violating the overly strict, unbiblical regulations
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of Judaism, but they were
not guilty of breaking the
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Fourth Commandment.
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If they were, then Jesus
was too--yet we know that
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He never broke even
one of God's commands.
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So after highlighting how the high priest in King David's day
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had done a better job of administering God's law
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according to its intent, Jesus concludes in verses 27 and 28...
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"The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
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Therefore the Son of Man is
also Lord of the Sabbath."
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There are multiple insights
to be gained here, and we'll
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touch on some later.
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For now, note that Jesus
pointed out that the Sabbath
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was created by God to benefit man, not the other way around.
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And the unbiblical requirements that the Jewish authorities
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had added to the Sabbath command were turning it into a burden
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God never intended it to be.
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Such examples of Jesus' instruction to the supposed
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experts concerning proper Sabbath keeping abound
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in the gospels.
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The scribes, Pharisees, and priests may have been experts
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in Judaism, but that doesn't equate with being experts
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in how to keep God's
laws as He intended.
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And that is still true today.
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Paul spoke of his fellow
Jewish citizens as...
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"hav[ing] a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge."
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It is God's Spirit working
through the ministry of
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His Church, the Body of
Christ, that brings truth
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and understanding of the Scriptures--not an obsession
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with any one historical language, culture, or people.
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Keeping the Sabbath doesn't
mean adopting practices
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rooted in Judaism or the teachings of various so-called
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"Hebrew roots" movements.
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God's commands are often
far simpler than people
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give them credit for.
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To keep the Sabbath, no one needs to adopt Judaism or any
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of the many movements that seek credibility by imitating it.
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The other ditch we need to
identify at the beginning is
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the mistake of treating the Sabbath as if it were a generic
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principle of "one day in seven," and not the specifically
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designated seventh day of the week--the only day of the week
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God set aside as the Sabbath.
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Now we saw earlier in the book
of Mark how Jesus said...
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"the Sabbath was made
[or created] for man..."
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This points to a profound
truth about the Sabbath:
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That it was directly
created by God.
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Let's read about that
creation in Genesis 2.
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Now when we do, we'll see that
the Sabbath was very unique--
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something God made
by not working...
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"Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them,
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were finished.
05:49.682 --> 05:53.920
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done,
05:53.986 --> 05:58.057
and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work which
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He had done.
05:59.292 --> 06:03.362
Then God blessed the seventh
day and sanctified it,
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because in it He rested from
all His work which God had
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created and made."
06:09.869 --> 06:13.106
Now here we see that God
did not set apart just any
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day of the week, but the
seventh day, specifically.
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We see this reflected in the Fourth Commandment itself
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in Exodus 20, beginning
in verse 8...
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"Remember the Sabbath day,
to keep it holy.
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Six days you shall labor
and do all your work,
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but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the LORD your God."
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We'll read the rest of the
commandment later, but notice
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how plain it is that God, who alone has the authority to
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designate holy time, set apart the seventh day of the week,
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specifically, as the Sabbath.
06:49.075 --> 06:51.444
To observe any other
day of the week is simply
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not Sabbath-keeping.
06:52.845 --> 06:54.180
Resting?
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Sure.
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Taking some "me time"?
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Perhaps.
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But not keeping the Sabbath.
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In fact, this truth--that only the seventh day of the week has
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been set apart by God as His Sabbath--is recognized by major
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nominal Christian denominations throughout the world,
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as documented in
today's free resource,
07:14.433 --> 07:17.136
Which Day Is the
Christian Sabbath?
07:17.203 --> 07:20.072
In this easy-to-read and
revealing booklet, you'll
07:20.139 --> 07:22.441
find a list of admissions
from the major Christian
07:22.508 --> 07:26.312
denominations that Scripture acknowledges the seventh-day
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Sabbath and no other day, including the first day
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of the week.
07:31.184 --> 07:33.319
If you're curious about
what the Sabbath is and
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how to use it to walk more
closely with Jesus Christ
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and His Father, then Which
Day Is the Christian Sabbath?
07:40.426 --> 07:42.628
is exactly the guide you need.
07:42.695 --> 07:46.299
Order your free copy right now, and I'll be right back to begin
07:46.365 --> 07:50.036
explaining the three simple
keys you need to begin keeping
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the Sabbath as God intended.
07:52.104 --> 07:53.306
Don't go away.
07:53.372 --> 07:54.173
♪
07:54.240 --> 08:00.913
For today's free
offer call...
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Or go to...
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This clear and straight-
forward resource will
08:09.488 --> 08:11.691
help you understand
this vital truth--
08:11.757 --> 08:15.061
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
08:15.127 --> 08:17.196
If you're calling
for the first time,
08:17.263 --> 08:19.999
you will also receive a
free annual subscription to
08:20.066 --> 08:21.801
Tomorrow's World magazine.
08:21.868 --> 08:25.438
Six inspiring issues
discussing news, science,
08:25.504 --> 08:28.274
and modern culture will
help you make sense of
08:28.341 --> 08:32.078
your world from a
biblical perspective.
08:32.144 --> 08:34.847
Call today and join
millions around the world
08:34.914 --> 08:37.383
who are turning to
Tomorrow's World for
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truth, prophecy, and hope
in these confusing times.
08:43.389 --> 08:44.590
Call now!
08:44.657 --> 08:48.728
Or go to...
08:48.794 --> 08:53.900
♪
08:53.966 --> 08:55.167
Welcome back.
08:55.234 --> 08:58.371
Let's begin our look at
three keys to keeping God's
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Sabbath by starting with the
Sabbath command, itself.
09:01.974 --> 09:04.210
But this time, though,
let's read it in full...
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"Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy.
09:07.380 --> 09:10.516
Six days you shall labor
and do all your work,
09:10.583 --> 09:14.453
but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the LORD your God.
09:14.520 --> 09:18.691
In it you shall do no work:
you, nor your son, nor your
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daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor
09:22.495 --> 09:25.598
your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
09:25.665 --> 09:29.735
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the
09:29.802 --> 09:34.006
sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.
09:34.073 --> 09:38.477
Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."
09:38.544 --> 09:42.181
There are several things worth noting in that commandment,
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but for now, let's focus
on the fact that:
09:44.817 --> 09:48.921
"We should cease from our
work on the Sabbath."
09:48.988 --> 09:52.525
We saw earlier that God
did this Himself at creation...
09:52.591 --> 09:57.196
"on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done,
09:57.263 --> 10:01.600
and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work..."
10:01.667 --> 10:05.871
So, too, He commands us to
cease from our own work on
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the seventh-day.
10:07.273 --> 10:12.979
In today's busy world, it's easy to find ourselves working 24/7.
10:13.045 --> 10:17.616
But God commands us to pause
and cease from our labors
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when the seventh-day begins.
10:20.086 --> 10:22.355
By the way, when does
that day begin?
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As Genesis 1 and other
passages of the Bible reveal,
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God counts days from
sunset to sunset.
10:29.228 --> 10:32.098
So, the seventh-day Sabbath begins from sundown on
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Friday and continues to
sundown on Saturday.
10:36.102 --> 10:39.805
And when sundown arrives on Friday, God commands that we
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set aside our labor, cease
from our regular pursuits,
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and take a rest--just as
He did, 6,000 years ago.
10:49.782 --> 10:51.917
God doesn't get tired.
10:51.984 --> 10:54.920
He didn't need to rest
on the seventh day.
10:54.987 --> 10:57.456
He didn't think, "Wow,
those six days of creating
10:57.523 --> 10:58.724
were really hard.
10:58.791 --> 10:59.992
I need a break."
11:00.059 --> 11:04.296
He did that as an example
for us to follow.
11:04.363 --> 11:08.000
And "work" doesn't just
mean "employment."
11:08.067 --> 11:11.170
How many people spend their Saturdays mowing the lawn,
11:11.237 --> 11:14.974
maintaining their home, or
doing other laborious chores?
11:15.041 --> 11:16.842
The commandment is plain...
11:16.909 --> 11:20.046
"on the seventh day...
you shall do no work"--
11:20.112 --> 11:24.083
neither you, nor those over
whom you have authority.
11:24.150 --> 11:27.453
Now, some of you might say,
"Well, my job has times that are
11:27.520 --> 11:29.655
just too busy to take a break."
11:29.722 --> 11:32.725
If you think this applies
to you, I hear you.
11:32.792 --> 11:35.261
I used to be an actuarial
mathematician for a large
11:35.327 --> 11:38.164
insurance company, and our
department had its own
11:38.230 --> 11:41.634
seasons in the year when
work was especially crazy,
11:41.700 --> 11:44.870
often involving important
legal reporting.
11:44.937 --> 11:47.773
But are we to abandon the Sabbath rest during those
11:47.840 --> 11:49.075
busy seasons?
11:49.141 --> 11:50.743
What does God say?
11:50.810 --> 11:55.581
Consider Exodus 34:21,
which we mentioned earlier.
11:55.648 --> 11:59.051
And as we read it, remember
that ancient Israel was an
11:59.118 --> 12:01.420
agricultural society...
12:01.487 --> 12:06.659
"Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest;
12:06.725 --> 12:12.631
in plowing time and in
harvest you shall rest."
12:12.698 --> 12:15.534
Plowing time and harvest
time were just about the
12:15.601 --> 12:18.571
busiest times of year
in their society.
12:18.637 --> 12:22.575
Yet God told them not to make
an exception in those days.
12:22.641 --> 12:26.679
They were to honor His command and to rest from labor on
12:26.745 --> 12:28.380
the seventh-day Sabbath.
12:28.447 --> 12:31.917
Come sundown Friday evening,
God commands us to focus
12:31.984 --> 12:34.920
on different things, as
we'll discuss further
12:34.987 --> 12:36.689
later in the program.
12:36.755 --> 12:39.725
Part of making this work
is properly preparing
12:39.792 --> 12:41.360
for the Sabbath.
12:41.427 --> 12:44.530
God taught ancient Israel
this principle after freeing
12:44.597 --> 12:45.998
them from Egypt.
12:46.065 --> 12:49.068
Many people have heard of the miraculous "manna from heaven,"
12:49.135 --> 12:52.538
but few realize that a major purpose of the miracle was
12:52.605 --> 12:55.975
to test God's people to see
if they would take the Sabbath
12:56.041 --> 12:57.676
command seriously.
12:57.743 --> 13:02.148
I recommend you read the
entire account in Exodus 16.
13:02.214 --> 13:05.317
But for now, let me summarize
it by saying that, for the
13:05.384 --> 13:09.288
first five days of the week,
God rained down enough manna
13:09.355 --> 13:12.091
for one day, every day.
13:12.158 --> 13:15.094
But on the sixth day,
what we'd call Friday,
13:15.161 --> 13:19.698
He rained down two days' worth, so they could prepare enough
13:19.765 --> 13:22.768
for that day and for the
Sabbath day that followed.
13:22.835 --> 13:27.273
And on the Sabbath, they were not to go out looking for more--
13:27.339 --> 13:32.178
since God had given them enough for two days the day before...
13:32.244 --> 13:36.916
"Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath
13:36.982 --> 13:40.753
to the LORD; today you will
not find it in the field.
13:40.819 --> 13:44.290
Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day,
13:44.356 --> 13:46.859
which is the Sabbath,
there will be none."
13:46.926 --> 13:49.695
Now it happened that some
of the people went out on
13:49.762 --> 13:52.932
the seventh day to gather,
but they found none.
13:52.998 --> 13:57.236
And the LORD said to Moses,
"How long do you refuse to
13:57.303 --> 14:00.172
keep My commandments
and My laws?"
14:00.239 --> 14:03.642
God had warned them to
prepare properly for the
14:03.709 --> 14:07.112
seventh day during the
time leading up to it.
14:07.179 --> 14:09.281
And that's what we
should do, as well.
14:09.348 --> 14:13.052
God wants us to protect the blessing that His Sabbath
14:13.118 --> 14:17.456
represents by planning for it--
taking care of household chores
14:17.523 --> 14:21.894
and other mundane work on the other six days of the week, and
14:21.961 --> 14:25.931
preserving the seventh-day for the divine rest God intended.
14:25.998 --> 14:30.569
Yet the Sabbath is about far more than mere relaxation.
14:30.636 --> 14:34.640
As helpful as physical rest is, the real power and blessing
14:34.707 --> 14:38.444
of the Sabbath begins to be unlocked as we engage with
14:38.510 --> 14:40.212
the two keys that remain.
14:40.279 --> 14:44.016
We'll explain the second vital key in our next segment.
14:44.083 --> 14:47.219
But first, let us take a
very brief break to give
14:47.286 --> 14:49.888
you the opportunity to
request today's free offer,
14:49.955 --> 14:52.891
Which Day Is the
Christian Sabbath?
14:52.958 --> 14:56.295
In this easy-to-read booklet, Roderick C. Meredith answers
14:56.362 --> 14:59.632
many questions about
Sabbath-keeping, including:
14:59.698 --> 15:01.934
If the Bible teaches the seventh-day Sabbath,
15:02.001 --> 15:04.336
why do so many keep
Sunday instead?
15:04.403 --> 15:07.606
On what day was
Jesus resurrected?
15:07.673 --> 15:11.010
What about verses some say
"do away" with the Sabbath?
15:11.076 --> 15:14.580
Will the Sabbath be kept
after Christ's return?
15:14.647 --> 15:17.750
There is no charge or
obligation whatsoever.
15:17.816 --> 15:20.919
Just call, write, or
click to get your copy.
15:20.986 --> 15:24.256
And I'll be right back to
dive into the second vital
15:24.323 --> 15:25.924
key to Sabbath-keeping.
15:25.991 --> 15:26.892
Don't miss it.
15:26.959 --> 15:27.860
♪
15:27.926 --> 15:34.500
For today's free
offer call...
15:34.566 --> 15:39.905
Or go to...
15:39.972 --> 15:43.008
This clear and straight-
forward resource will
15:43.075 --> 15:45.210
help you understand
this vital truth--
15:45.277 --> 15:48.380
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
15:48.447 --> 15:50.516
If you're calling
for the first time,
15:50.582 --> 15:53.519
you will also receive a
free annual subscription to
15:53.585 --> 15:55.287
Tomorrow's World magazine.
15:55.354 --> 15:58.957
Six inspiring issues
discussing news, science,
15:59.024 --> 16:01.794
and modern culture will
help you make sense of
16:01.860 --> 16:05.030
your world from a
biblical perspective.
16:05.097 --> 16:08.400
Call today and join
millions around the world
16:08.467 --> 16:10.869
who are turning to
Tomorrow's World for
16:10.936 --> 16:16.642
truth, prophecy, and hope
in these confusing times.
16:16.709 --> 16:18.010
Call now!
16:18.077 --> 16:22.014
Or go to...
16:22.081 --> 16:27.386
♪
16:27.453 --> 16:29.988
In our last segment,
we discussed one vital
16:30.055 --> 16:32.224
key to keeping the
seventh-day Sabbath:
16:32.291 --> 16:34.226
"Ceasing from our work."
16:34.293 --> 16:39.131
A second vital key is that "We should keep the Sabbath holy."
16:39.198 --> 16:42.334
Far more than a mere day of rest, the Sabbath is a day
16:42.401 --> 16:45.337
that is holy and set
apart by God.
16:45.404 --> 16:48.874
In fact, we see this mentioned in the Fourth Commandment even
16:48.941 --> 16:50.743
before we're told to rest.
16:50.809 --> 16:53.712
Look with me again at the commandment listed in
16:53.779 --> 16:55.581
Exodus chapter 20...
16:55.647 --> 17:00.953
"Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy."
17:01.019 --> 17:03.255
There it is, right
at the beginning.
17:03.322 --> 17:06.058
We saw this in Genesis
chapter 2, as well.
17:06.125 --> 17:09.728
Let's read that again and
note what God does...
17:09.795 --> 17:13.365
"Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them,
17:13.432 --> 17:14.533
were finished.
17:14.600 --> 17:17.436
And on the seventh day God
ended His work which He
17:17.503 --> 17:21.607
had done, and He rested on
the seventh day from all
17:21.673 --> 17:23.375
His work which He had done.
17:23.442 --> 17:28.013
Then God blessed the seventh
day and sanctified it,
17:28.080 --> 17:31.417
because in it He rested from
all His work which God had
17:31.483 --> 17:32.985
created and made."
17:33.051 --> 17:36.021
Now notice, God didn't just
rest on the seventh day.
17:36.088 --> 17:40.893
He blessed it and sanctified it--made it holy.
17:40.959 --> 17:43.762
Those who want to say that
the sacredness of the Sabbath
17:43.829 --> 17:47.299
began at Mount Sinai or that
it's only for Jewish people
17:47.366 --> 17:49.601
have no leg to stand on.
17:49.668 --> 17:53.071
The Sabbath was made
holy from creation.
17:53.138 --> 17:56.875
As a day sanctified and set apart from the other days as
17:56.942 --> 18:00.979
holy time, the seventh-day Sabbath is not a day we spend
18:01.046 --> 18:02.514
like we spend other days.
18:02.581 --> 18:06.218
After all, you might "rest"
or "recharge" on a Sunday,
18:06.285 --> 18:10.689
Tuesday, or Thursday all sorts of ways--go to the movies,
18:10.756 --> 18:14.693
watch some sports, play a
little golf, go to a concert,
18:14.760 --> 18:17.863
or read a few chapters
in your favorite book.
18:17.930 --> 18:21.700
But the Sabbath isn't
just a "day off" or some
18:21.767 --> 18:24.169
restful "vacation" time.
18:24.236 --> 18:28.707
It is holy, sacred time,
set apart by God for
18:28.774 --> 18:30.609
special purposes.
18:30.676 --> 18:33.445
God highlights this
in the book of Isaiah.
18:33.512 --> 18:37.616
In Isaiah 56 God makes plain that He's speaking to people
18:37.683 --> 18:41.954
of any origin or nationality, not just Jewish people,
18:42.020 --> 18:43.455
and He says in verse 2...
18:43.522 --> 18:47.292
"Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man
18:47.359 --> 18:50.462
who lays hold on it;
who keeps from defiling
18:50.529 --> 18:54.600
the Sabbath, and keeps his
hand from doing any evil."
18:54.666 --> 18:59.004
Now note: That is a blessing
for not defiling something God
18:59.071 --> 19:01.874
has declared holy--His Sabbath.
19:01.940 --> 19:06.645
He elaborates two chapters later, in Isaiah 58,
19:06.712 --> 19:08.547
beginning in verse 13...
19:08.614 --> 19:11.984
"If you turn away your
foot from the Sabbath,
19:12.050 --> 19:16.522
from doing your pleasure
on My holy day, and call
19:16.588 --> 19:19.992
the Sabbath a delight,
the holy day of the LORD
19:20.058 --> 19:24.796
honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
19:24.863 --> 19:29.801
nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
19:29.868 --> 19:33.906
then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will
19:33.972 --> 19:37.476
cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth..."
19:37.543 --> 19:40.245
So, what do these
words really mean?
19:40.312 --> 19:43.148
Certainly, the Sabbath is a
day we should seek to spend
19:43.215 --> 19:46.318
more time than we normally do
in prayer and in reading and
19:46.385 --> 19:48.320
studying from God's word.
19:48.387 --> 19:50.589
But it really is more than that.
19:50.656 --> 19:54.026
In today's free resource, Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?
19:54.092 --> 19:57.396
Roderick Meredith--an evangelist of Jesus Christ for more than
19:57.462 --> 20:02.801
60 years and one who lived God's way of life for even longer--
20:02.868 --> 20:07.039
explains what God means by
these passages in Isaiah:
20:07.105 --> 20:11.577
"So we are not to be doing our own pleasure on God's Holy Day.
20:11.643 --> 20:14.379
That means we are not to
be pursuing our hobbies
20:14.446 --> 20:16.081
or leisure activities.
20:16.148 --> 20:19.284
That does not preclude doing
any enjoyable things on the
20:19.351 --> 20:22.988
Sabbath whatsoever, for we
are to find delight in it.
20:23.055 --> 20:27.993
The point is that whatever we do, God must be an intrinsic
20:28.060 --> 20:29.227
part of it.
20:29.294 --> 20:32.030
A family walk through a
natural setting, for example,
20:32.097 --> 20:35.667
is a wonderful way to get
in touch with the great God
20:35.734 --> 20:38.837
who made the beautiful
creation we see.
20:38.904 --> 20:42.608
When the seventh day arrives,
we must stop pursuing our
20:42.674 --> 20:46.511
"own ways" (the things we normally do), seeking our
20:46.578 --> 20:51.116
"own pleasure" (just trying to have fun), and speaking our
20:51.183 --> 20:54.786
"own words" (the everyday
things we talk about that
20:54.853 --> 20:56.755
do not involve God).
20:56.822 --> 20:59.358
This last one is often very
hard to follow because
20:59.424 --> 21:02.961
"out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks"
21:03.028 --> 21:04.696
(Matthew 12:34).
21:04.763 --> 21:09.601
To truly keep the Sabbath in spirit, we must focus our minds
21:09.668 --> 21:13.939
on God and those things He
wants us to be concerned with
21:14.006 --> 21:16.008
during His holy time.
21:16.074 --> 21:20.412
Then, as God promises,
we will be truly blessed."
21:20.479 --> 21:24.149
Learning to honor God's command by resting from our usual,
21:24.216 --> 21:28.353
day-to-day lives--and treating the seventh-day Sabbath as
21:28.420 --> 21:32.157
the holy time it is--
truly is life-changing.
21:32.224 --> 21:36.762
Yet there is a vital third
key to keeping that Sabbath,
21:36.828 --> 21:40.966
and we'll address it in the last segment of today's program.
21:41.033 --> 21:44.770
Before that, let me pause
just one more time to give
21:44.836 --> 21:47.506
you the chance to request
your free copy of this
21:47.572 --> 21:51.910
life-changing resource, Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?
21:51.977 --> 21:55.614
The short portion we just read is only a taste of what this
21:55.681 --> 21:57.482
free booklet has to offer.
21:57.549 --> 22:00.419
If you've never studied this subject before, you are in
22:00.485 --> 22:02.821
for a major life-upgrade.
22:02.888 --> 22:05.023
Roderick Meredith will teach
you about the history of
22:05.090 --> 22:08.427
the Sabbath, the prophetic significance and symbolism
22:08.493 --> 22:11.263
of the Sabbath day, how a counterfeit Christian faith
22:11.329 --> 22:15.200
came to substitute Sunday
for the seventh-day Sabbath,
22:15.267 --> 22:18.737
and how a faithful flock
has continued keeping that
22:18.804 --> 22:22.407
Sabbath for 2,000 years--
just as Jesus and the
22:22.474 --> 22:24.342
first-century disciples did.
22:24.409 --> 22:27.946
Take just a moment to request your own free copy, and I'll
22:28.013 --> 22:31.850
be right back to explain this vital, third biblical key.
22:31.917 --> 22:32.718
♪
22:32.784 --> 22:39.691
For today's free
offer call...
22:39.758 --> 22:45.063
Or go to...
22:45.130 --> 22:48.133
This clear and straight-
forward resource will
22:48.200 --> 22:50.402
help you understand
this vital truth--
22:50.469 --> 22:53.538
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
22:53.605 --> 22:55.607
If you're calling
for the first time,
22:55.674 --> 22:58.610
you will also receive a
free annual subscription to
22:58.677 --> 23:00.579
Tomorrow's World magazine.
23:00.645 --> 23:04.049
Six inspiring issues
discussing news, science,
23:04.116 --> 23:06.752
and modern culture will
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23:06.818 --> 23:10.455
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23:10.522 --> 23:13.391
Call today and join
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who are turning to
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23:16.094 --> 23:21.733
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23:23.201 --> 23:27.239
Or go to...
23:27.305 --> 23:32.410
♪
23:32.477 --> 23:36.615
We've covered two important keys to keeping the Sabbath the way
23:36.681 --> 23:38.850
God designed and intended:
23:38.917 --> 23:41.653
"We should cease from our
work on the Sabbath."
23:41.720 --> 23:44.689
"We should keep
the Sabbath holy."
23:44.756 --> 23:47.125
Now many sincere
people stop there,
23:47.192 --> 23:50.362
but doing so prevents you
from experiencing the full
23:50.428 --> 23:53.999
blessings of the seventh-day Sabbath as God designed it.
23:54.065 --> 23:57.936
For that, we need the
third vital key, as well:
23:58.003 --> 24:02.607
"We should meet in holy
convocation on the Sabbath."
24:02.674 --> 24:07.012
We see this explained in
Leviticus 23, beginning in
24:07.078 --> 24:08.680
verses 1 and 2...
24:08.747 --> 24:11.983
"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children
24:12.050 --> 24:15.420
of Israel, and say to them:
'The feasts of the LORD,
24:15.487 --> 24:18.857
which you shall proclaim
to be holy convocations,
24:18.924 --> 24:21.726
these are My feasts.'"
24:21.793 --> 24:24.129
Now notice here that He
doesn't call these days
24:24.196 --> 24:28.233
"the Feast of the Jews" or
even the "Feasts of Israel."
24:28.300 --> 24:31.536
God says that these
are His Feasts...
24:31.603 --> 24:34.172
"The Feasts of the Lord..."
24:34.239 --> 24:37.542
And He says further that they are "holy convocations."
24:37.609 --> 24:38.743
Let's continue...
24:38.810 --> 24:43.748
"'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a
24:43.815 --> 24:48.386
Sabbath of solemn rest,
a holy convocation.
24:48.453 --> 24:51.723
You shall do no work on it;
it is the Sabbath of the LORD
24:51.790 --> 24:53.725
in all your dwellings.'"
24:53.792 --> 24:56.795
Now as we've seen, God
speaks to the holiness of
24:56.862 --> 25:00.198
the Sabbath and the need to
treat it as a sacred rest.
25:00.265 --> 25:04.169
But again He highlights that
it is a "holy convocation."
25:04.236 --> 25:05.604
What does this mean?
25:05.670 --> 25:08.073
Well, we've already covered
what it means to be "holy"--
25:08.139 --> 25:12.177
something set apart by
God for His own use.
25:12.244 --> 25:15.847
And a "convocation" is a
calling together of people
25:15.914 --> 25:18.783
out of the world to a meeting.
25:18.850 --> 25:22.921
In this case, a holy
meeting of holy people,
25:22.988 --> 25:25.457
commanded by their Holy God.
25:25.523 --> 25:30.428
The seventh-day Sabbath is the day of the week God Himself set
25:30.495 --> 25:35.233
aside for His worshippers to gather together--to praise Him
25:35.300 --> 25:39.304
together, worship Him together, and learn together from His
25:39.371 --> 25:42.774
ordained teachers out of
His inspired word.
25:42.841 --> 25:46.077
And when we meet and fellowship with each other--not on a day
25:46.144 --> 25:50.148
set aside by human tradition
or doctrines, but on the day
25:50.215 --> 25:54.352
the Lord Himself set apart
as holy, we do more than
25:54.419 --> 25:57.355
fellowship with each other--
we fellowship with God
25:57.422 --> 26:00.625
the Father and Jesus
Christ, as well.
26:00.692 --> 26:02.761
It's no wonder that the
Apostle Paul wrote what
26:02.827 --> 26:06.798
he did in Hebrews 10:24-25...
26:06.865 --> 26:11.169
"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and
26:11.236 --> 26:15.140
good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
26:15.206 --> 26:19.177
together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,
26:19.244 --> 26:24.349
and so much the more as you
see the Day approaching."
26:24.416 --> 26:28.453
Today's free offer explains how the seventh-day Sabbath pictures
26:28.520 --> 26:32.457
the beautiful rest Christ is bringing to the whole world.
26:32.524 --> 26:37.095
And as we see that approaching, we should long all the more to
26:37.162 --> 26:41.633
meet in holy convocation on
the day picturing that time
26:41.700 --> 26:43.501
of peace and wonder.
26:43.568 --> 26:48.039
For anyone seeking to truly observe the biblical Sabbath,
26:48.106 --> 26:51.810
just as Jesus Christ and His faithful followers have done
26:51.876 --> 26:55.347
for almost two millennia,
these three keys are the
26:55.413 --> 26:57.115
essential ingredients:
26:57.182 --> 27:01.419
cease from your own work,
keep the day holy, and gather
27:01.486 --> 27:05.790
together in holy convocation with the people of God.
27:05.857 --> 27:08.593
The Living Church of God, sponsor of the Tomorrow's World
27:08.660 --> 27:11.529
program, has Sabbath-keeping congregations all over the
27:11.596 --> 27:15.500
world, and representatives willing to talk to you if you
27:15.567 --> 27:18.303
believe Sabbath-keeping is something you should pursue
27:18.370 --> 27:21.506
to walk more closely with
God the Father and His Son,
27:21.573 --> 27:22.807
Jesus Christ.
27:22.874 --> 27:24.342
If you're interested in
speaking with one of those
27:24.409 --> 27:27.012
representatives, you can
use the contact information
27:27.078 --> 27:30.582
you'll find in today's free offer to find one near you.
27:30.648 --> 27:34.619
Or you can reach out on our website at TomorrowsWorld.org.
27:34.686 --> 27:38.089
And I do hope that you will request that free offer.
27:38.156 --> 27:39.724
Which Day Is the
Christian Sabbath?
27:39.791 --> 27:42.594
will open your eyes to a
closer and more intimate walk
27:42.660 --> 27:45.797
with your Creator than you
ever thought possible.
27:45.864 --> 27:48.666
And, of course, I hope
you'll come back next week.
27:48.733 --> 27:51.436
When you do, you'll find
Gerald Weston, Rod McNair,
27:51.503 --> 27:54.672
and I right here waiting for you, ready to share with you
27:54.739 --> 27:57.809
the life-changing teachings of Jesus Christ, the enlightening
27:57.876 --> 28:01.246
prophecies of God's word,
and the glorious Gospel of
28:01.312 --> 28:03.214
the coming Kingdom of God.
28:03.281 --> 28:05.383
Until then, take care.
28:05.450 --> 28:06.251
♪
28:06.317 --> 28:12.457
For today's free
offer call...
28:12.524 --> 28:16.995
Or go to...
28:17.062 --> 28:20.899
♪
28:20.965 --> 28:23.068
The preceding program
is produced by the
28:23.134 --> 28:24.102
Living Church of God.