The Sabbath

  1. The Sabbath was introduced on the seventh day of creation week as a memorial of God's creatorship. On that day God rested; then He blessed the seventh day and set it apart for a holy purpose. Genesis 2:2, 3.
  2. After Israel left Egypt, God again made plain the obligation of the seveth-day Sabbath to His people, and included it in His Ten Commandments. Exodus 16:4, 5, 14-30; 20:8-11.
  3. In the centuries that followed, the obligation of the Sabbath was kept before Israel by the prophets. Ezekiel 20:12, 20.
  4. It was because of their violation of the Sabbath that Israel and Judah went into captivity. Jeremiah 17:27.
  5. After the Babylonian captivity, Sabbath reform was prominent among the needed changes as the people were established again in their homeland. Nehemiah 9:14; 10:31; 13:15-22.
  6. The life and teachings of Jesus highlighted the sacredness and significance of the Sabbath. Mark 27, 28; Luke 4:16.
  7. The coming of apostasy and turning away from the Sabbath was foretold in prophecy. Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13.
  8. Special emphasis is placed on the commandments of God and the restoration of the Sabbath among God's people in the last days. Revelation 14:7, 12; Isaiah 58:12-14.
  9. The sabbath is to be a test for the world in last days. Revelation 13:17.
  10. The Sabbath will be kept by God's people in the new earth. Isaiah 66:23.