The Sabbath and God the Creator(1)

God's people, who keep the appointed feasts of God, can realize God's providence contained in the feasts and can also understand the love of God who spares no pains to save the souls of His children. So, they love God's commands more than pure gold and keep them holy (Ps 119:127; 50:5). The Sabbath, one of God's feasts described in the Bible, is a day for us to commemo-rate God as the Creator who made all things and to worship Him. God completed His work of creation in six days and rested on the seventh day. Then He blessed the seventh day and made it holy. In the time of Moses, God commanded His people to "remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy" as the fourth of the Ten Commandments. It's because the Sabbath is a day which God blessed and a day for His people to commemorate the power of the Creator (Ge 2:1-3; Ex 20:8-11). The Sabbath was kept not only in the age of the Father but also in the age of the Son; in many parts of the Bible we can see Jesus and His apostles keeping the Sabbath as their custom. Thus, the Sabbath is an essential element of Christian faith, which shouldn't be overlooked. By keeping this day holy, the people who worship God are sanctified and come to understand the providence of God the Creator in everything.

Elohim who created all things

It is not too much to say that the entire contents of the Bible from Genesis to Revela-tion explain the process of God's physical and spiritual creation. Let's take a look at the scene where God created all things, through the book of Proverbs which Solomon wrote, being moved by the Holy Spirit.

Pr 8:22-31 『"The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, . . . and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.』

Solomon said that he already existed before he was born in the flesh on this earth, and that he rejoiced in the presence of God when He created the heavens and the earth. Then, what did God look like whom Solomon saw before the creation of the world?

Ge 1:26-27 『Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.』

When the work of creation was being done, God the Creator whom Solomon saw was not only one. The Bible describes God the Creator as the plural form "Elohim" who created all things—light and darkness, the water under the expanse and the water above it, the earth and the sea, trees, animals and so on. In other words, Elohim who said, "Let us . . . ," the male image of God and the female image of God—our Heavenly Father and Mother, created the world. It is Elohim who created all things in six days and rested on the seventh day and blessed it. Therefore, those who believe in Elohim the Creators and honor Them ought to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy and also should give thanks and praise to Them. If they do so, they will become a royal priesthood and inherit the kingdom of God, as God's true people. Through the Sabbath, God distinguishes His people who recognize and receive the Creator from those who do not.

God the Creator who came in the flesh

God, who created all things, came to this earth in the flesh 2,000 years ago. He was Jesus Christ.

Jn 1:1-14 『In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.』

The Word who was in the beginning—the God who created all things—came to this earth to save mankind. Since the Creator Himself came, all men created by Him should have given thanks, glory and honor to Him. However, the world didn't recognize the God who came in the flesh but rather rejected Him. All people born on this earth were the spiritual beings who watched God create all things at His side, like Solomon, but since they were born in the flesh, their spiritual eyes were covered by the veil of sin so they couldn't recognize the God who came to this earth—whether He was the One who created our souls or He was a mere man born into a poor carpenter's family.

Mt 27:24-26 『When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.』

They rejected the God who came to save them and didn't hesitate doing such wicked things like spitting on Him, striking Him with their fists, trying to stone Him to death and finally crucifying Him on the cross. How wicked and sinful they were! Jesus, the source of life, atoned for our sins on the cross, broke the power of death and resurrected three days after His crucifixion. 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus gave His disciples the command to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven in Samaria and to the ends of the earth, and was taken up to heaven before their very eyes.

Ac 1:6-11 『. . . After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."』

"The same Jesus . . . will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." This means that Jesus will come in the flesh again so that we can see Him. The same prophecy is recorded in the book of Hebrew.

Heb 9:27-28 『Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.』

Since the Bible says that God, who always exists in spirit, will appear a second time. This is a prophecy that Jesus will also appear in the flesh at His second coming, as He did at His first coming. 2,000 years ago, most people didn't recognize the God who came in the flesh and came to destruction. However, when the Creator appears a second time, all people must receive Him and come to salvation.