Okay, cool. I'll explain.
The first Sabbath as we all know was instituted at creation, for, being the reason why, in six days the Lord created the heaven and earth and everything that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Now some say that that first seventh day was alone. That there is no command or evidence that the Sabbath continued in a weekly fashion. Yet the very existence of the seven day weekly cycle refutes that argument. Not to mention Exodus 16, which before the law was written, revealed an already existing Sabbath concerning which the Lord was reminding Israel to observe... To see if they will keep my judgments and my statues and my laws.
Then came sin. We don't know how long after creation sin entered the world. It doesn't matter. But sin changed everything. It destroyed relationships, and it brought death. So God needed to remedy the situation. First, He promised a savior. Speaking to Satan He said, He shall bruise your head. Later, He killed an animal and clothed Adam and Eve. All sorts of imagery and symbols in there. The sacrificing of animals became the accepted true expression of faith in a coming Savior. A Savior who would Himself die in our place.
When Israel was established at Sinai, God revealed to them the gospel. He did that through the imagery and symbolism of the sanctuary service, the various feast days and rituals surrounding the offerings, and the work of the priest and High Priest in the sanctuary itself. All conveyed deep spiritual meaning and spiritual realities that were to teach object lessons regarding man's need of a savior, and God's mercy and grace in providing Him.
The feast days were particularly rich in meaning and depth. Each different day was to convey truths regarding the ministry of Messiah. The savior. We are all familiar with Passover. But there's also the wave sheaf, pentecost, atonement and Tabernacles, all integral to the gospel message, all essential components to the way of salvation for not only Israel, but the whole world because Jesus, the true Messenger or Angel of the covenant, came to fulfill every single detail of that original pictorial portrayal of the gospel to Israel, and Jesus came not just for Israel, but He came to save the world from sin. Those sabbaths, those yearly feast days, were the shadows spoken of by Paul in his letter. In the OT, strangers, that is people outside of Israel, were always welcome to join in the benefits of the sanctuary services and the gospel portrayed thereby, but Israel through it's self centeredness and introverted way shut them out. This was never God's intention.
Anyway. The sabbaths of those feast days were a part of the gospel remedy for the sin problem. They were separate and distinct to the weekly Sabbath. They fell on specific days of the calendar. There were three in the autumn, and I think four in the spring. I might have that back to front. Sorry, just writing from memory. But each one of those feast days were to find literal fulfillment in the future. Shadows of things to come. They were a prophecy. Each day was a prophecy of an event which would take place in the future which would accomplish righteousness, atonement, peace, forgiveness, mercy, grace and eternal life for mankind. And all of them accomplished in and through Christ. We've seen most of them fulfilled. One is in the process of being fulfilled now, the last one will be in the new earth.
The weekly Sabbath was never a part of the gospel... The remedy for sin. The weekly Sabbath was instituted before sin. It continued after sin. And it will continue in the new earth long after the gospel is completed in the final removal of sin and death from all creation. The weekly Sabbath is as long enduring as the law itself. And in observing and accepting the Sabbath in ones life, one is revealing that God has authority as Creator and Savior in your life.
Observing the Sabbath, just as one observes any other Commandment, is not a means by which one gets to be saved, but obedience reveals that one is saved.
Now you will likely ask, does that mean that because I don't keep the Sabbath I am not saved? Not at all. I was not always a Sabbath keeper. I've been a Christian for over 45 years. I didn't immediately become a Sabbath keeper. Nor did I immediately overcome lust, greed, selfishness, covetousness, or idolatry. I didn't know what righteousness was...I didn't know what sanctification was... But right at the beginning of my Christian walk I asked God to make my life one He would approve of. So began a journey. Accepting the relevance and importance of the Sabbath was a part of that journey. It may not be a part of your journey. Yet. But we must be open to where the Spirit leads us.
There is no justification in scripture for setting aside any of God's Commandments. Not even the Sabbath.
