The Sabbath is a profound foreshadowing of the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan; exemplified in His 7 Feasts listed in Leviticus 23, especially the Feast of Tabernacles. 

Celebrating the Sabbath 1-day out of each 7 days; 24 hours:  

i.e.  Saturday sundown to Sunday at sundown. 

Exodus 20:8-11    (4^th Commandment)

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Deuteronomy 5:15   Reiterates the Ten Commandments and notes the second thing that we must remember on Sabbath:  "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord, your God brought you forth from there with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day."

What does the Exodus have to do with resting on the seventh day?  It's all about freedom. In ancient times, leisure was confined to certain classes; slaves did not get days off. Thus, by resting on Sabbath, we are reminded that we are free.  But in a more general sense, Sabbath frees us from our weekday concerns, from our deadlines and schedules and commitments.  During the week, we are slaves to our jobs, to our creditors, to our need to provide for ourselves; on Shabbat / Sabbath, we are freed from these concerns, much as our biblical ancestors were freed from slavery in Egypt.  We are freed to commune / dwell with God on those “Appointed Times” God has foreordained (i.e. 4^th commandment; the Sabbath). 

Sabbaths and Feasts  are called "Holy Convocations" in Scripture.  That is to say, they are intended to be times of meeting between God and man for "Holy Purposes". 

Feasts:  aka:  Solemn Appointed Times with the Lord. Lev. 23:1-4

The Hebrew word translated "Feasts" means Appointed Times. 

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.  Lev. 23:1-4

The Feast of Tabernacles becomes the ultimate oneness of meeting with God; to “tabernacle” / dwell with God for eternity.

The question is:  If you are not willing to spend a Sabbath with God, even when God COMMANDS it  (4^th commandment), how do you expect to spend eternity dwelling with God ???

Note feasts relationship to God’s ordained numerical sequencing:

7 day  week ending on a Sabbath

7 months of 7 feasts ending on the ultimate Sabbath, the Feast of Tabernacles

7 years culminating in a Sabbatical year

7 Sabbatical years of 7 years culminating at the Year of Jubilee

7 weeks of 7 days to the Feast of Weeks / Shavuot / Pentecost

70 periods of 7 (Dan. 9:24-27) “End of the Age” prophecy

7 year period at the “End of the Age” (Dan. 9:24-27’s:  The  70^th  7 year period)

70 years symbol of Completion; , see Jer. 29:10-14    30:3,7,11,24    31:31-34, 38-40

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SABBATH  SCRIPTURES:

Exodus 20:8-11    (4^th Commandment)

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

In Exodus 20:11  Because for six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and on the seventh day, He rested; therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

Exodus 31:12-14

Then the Lord said to Moses, say to the Israelites, you must observe my Sabbaths.  This will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.  Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people.

Lev. 23:1-4

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts.  Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.  These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

Deuteronomy 5:12

The Sabbath in Hebrew is called Shabbat. It is said "more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel."  Shabbat involves two interrelated commandments: to remember (zachor) Shabbat, and to observe (shamor) Shabbat.

Isaiah 56:1-2

This is what the Lord says:  "Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed.  Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil."

Isaiah 58:13-14

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by  not going your own way and not doing as you please  or  speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Ezekiel 46:1-4

"'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it is to be opened. The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering and his fellowship offerings. He is to worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.” 

Ezekiel 46:12

“When the prince provides a freewill offering to the Lord--whether a burnt offering or fellowship offerings--the gate facing east is to be opened for him.  He shall offer his burnt offering or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day.  Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut”

Acts 13:42-47

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.  When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.  On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.   When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.  Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly:  "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.  For this is what the Lord has commanded us:  "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."

Acts 16:13-15

“On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer.  We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.  One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. Then she and the members of her household were baptized, …”

Heb. 4:9-10

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.”

See Associated Links:

Sabbath Truth.Com at: http://www.SabbathTruth.com

Feast of Tabernacles links: 

http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id12.html

http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id28.html

Eschatology links:

http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id40.html

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”  Micah 6:8

By Bill Miller email:   wmrmiller@everestkc.net    Updated July 20, 2008

Web site:   http://www.feastsofthelord.net   (Continually updated)