Labor To Enter Into What Rest?

[Episkopos]

You have made a number of assumptions in your question that need to be answered.

When is the Son of Man/God given dominion over the peoples of the earth?

When Jesus returns at the first resurrection....which is the resurrection of the saints.

Does the Son of Man/God have to exercise his dominion over the people of the earth, (which allows people a choice as to whether or not they will worship Him), by being physically present on the face of the earth?

Yes, and rules with a rod of iron.

Does Satan have a back up plan for when he is in the Bottomless pit for 1,000 years to continue his influence of darkness over the peoples of the earth during this 1,000 years of his absence?

No he must wait until he is released.

 

[Episkopos]

When does God establish His Everlasting Kingdom here on the earth?

In the next age.....after Armageddon and the new heavens and new earth are established.

 

[Jay Ross]

When Jesus returns at the first resurrection....which is the resurrection of the saints.


Yes, and rules with a rod of iron.


No he must wait until he is released.

Thanks. You have answered all of my question about your knowledge on the scriptures even though you only answered two of the four questions.

To help you out I will answer them for you: -

Q1. When is the Son of Man/God given dominion over the peoples of the earth?

The Son of Man/God is given dominion over the peoples of the earth in the same place and just after the Beasts of Daniel 7:1-10 are judged and as noted in Isaiah 24:21-22 imprisoned for many days before they will be punished in Daniel 7:11-12 in verses 13-14.

Daniel 7:11-14: - 11 "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

13 "I was/continued watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
​

and,

Isaiah 24:21-22: - 21 It shall come to pass in that day

That the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones,
And on the earth the kings of the earth.
22 They will be gathered together,
As prisoners are gathered in the pit,
And will be shut up in the prison;
After many days they will be punished.
​

Q2. Does the Son of Man/God have to exercise his dominion over the people of the earth, (which allows people a choice as to whether or not they will worship Him), by being physically present on the face of the earth?

The bible is silent on this topic. Revelation 19-20 seems to indicate that Christ "remains" in heaven and exercises His priestly function in conjunction with the saints that have lost their heads because of their faith by leading the worship of God in Heaven.

Q3. Does Satan have a back up plan for when he is in the Bottomless pit for 1,000 years to continue his influence of darkness over the peoples of the earth during this 1,000 years of his absence?

Jesus told us twice plainly that Satan will have a back up plan for when he is imprisoned for 1,000 years in the Bottomless Pit. He will give the means to continue his purposes here on the earth to his faithful trustworthy servants during the time that he is away.

We treat these two accounts of Satan's plans while he is away in the Bottomless pit as parables because many have not been able to understand the meaning of the information that Christ was giving us in the two recorded accounts of what he was telling us. Satan has cleverly diverted the focus from himself to Christ as having the lead in both accounts, but a careful examination and an understanding of the character of Christ debunks Satan's lies with respect to these accounts.

Q4. When does God establish His Everlasting Kingdom here on the earth?

The answer can be found in these passages: -

Daniel 7:14: - Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom

Daniel 2:35: - 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:44-45: - 44 And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold - . . .​

What time period is God inferring in these three passages? A time in our near future when God will judge the kings of the earth and their armies at a place called Armageddon. We know that it is in our near future because we have seen the sign of the three foul frog like spirits go out to the whole world to do signs and wonders to draw the kings of the earth to go to Armageddon to do battle on the great day of the Lord when they will be judged.

Shalom

 

[Jay Ross]

In the next age.....after Armageddon and the new heavens and new earth are established.

Just saw this reply which is IMHO in agreement with what I posted above.

 

[Enoch111]

Who do they rule over?

The nations.

 

[Dave L]

I actually do understand the kingdom of God. Here is a question for you....When Satan and his demons are locked up for 1,000 years....who then is the Lord of this world during that time.

Think carefully.


If Jesus is in our midst physically (in the future) ...and running the show...then the kingdom of God will also be in our midst.

It is happening now. If you think Satan's binding exceeds not being able to deceive the nations (gentiles), you are adding to Revelation.

 

[Dave L]

Coming soon to a city near you . . .



Jesus said that if His kingdom were of this world, his disciples would fight.

There is a time coming . . .

Revelation 19:11-13
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

And then, when the Son of Man comes in glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon His throne of glory . . .

Having waged war against His enemies, Then He sits on His throne of glory, to reign over the earth.

Much love!
Mark

You are adding to Revelation by saying this.

 

[Phoneman777]

In Hebrews 4:9, believers in Christ were told that there remains a Sabbath rest unto the people of God, and in v.11 that they were to labor to enter into that rest.

What was it/ is it, and how were they/ are we to labor to enter into it?

The seventh day Sabbath is the "rest" that remains unto the people of God to show outwardly that rest that the Christian has inwardly, just as baptism is the outward expression of the inward death, burial, and resurrection we have with Christ.

Lamsa correctly translates that text, "It is therefore the duty of the people of God to keep the Sabbath..."

 

[Phoneman777]

I always assumed we entered our rest when we stopped keeping the Sabbath and the Law, relying on Christ's righteousness and not our efforts for righteousness.

So, we enter into the rest of Christ by working on the day He asks us to rest upon,

...which He Himself established on the seventh day of Creation,

...and reminded His people of after 400 years of heathen house arrest,

...and declares will be kept in the kingdom of God for all eternity,

...but somehow that period between the First Coming and the Second Coming, we're supposed to treat the Sabbath as a symbol of "salvation by works"?

Doesn't seem to make any sense at all...

 

[Dave L]

So, we enter into the rest of Christ by working on the day He asks us to rest upon,

...which He Himself established on the seventh day of Creation,

...and reminded His people of after 400 years of heathen house arrest,

...and declares will be kept in the kingdom of God for all eternity,

...but somehow that period between the First Coming and the Second Coming, we're supposed to treat the Sabbath as a symbol of "salvation by works"?

Doesn't seem to make any sense at all...

You assume too much trying to legislate the Sabbath for all time. Paul says;

“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.” (Romans 14:5–6) (KJV 1900)

 

[Phoneman777]

These three answers are similar to what I always believed as well, but I'm now questioning that interpretation. I'm not fully in agreement with Logabe on the rest of his answer, but now that I've been looking at the passage in a new light, the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth makes a strong case for being the "rest" they were laboring to enter into, with the millennium being the "Sabbath" or 7th "day" of creation in keeping with 2 Peter 3:8 (and yes, Dave. I know you would not agree with that position at all, LoL).

But let me post the passage, starting with Chapter 3:
____________________
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
____________________________

Now. Here he states that the "rest" the Israelites "could not enter into" in v.16-19 was the promised land. If you look at the other New Testament writings, the spiritual promised land was something the New Testament saints had NOT entered into yet. Look at 1 Corinthians 19, where Paul talked about the same subject matter:
____________________________
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
______________________________

The phrase "upon whom the ends of the ages" points to the promised land they were seeking, but they had not attained it yet. All of his examples of the Israelites "falling" here are taken from the forty years in the wilderness, BEFORE they entered the promised land. The Israelites were eating and drinking of Christ, but had not yet entered the promised land, and likewise the New Testament saints were eating and drinking of Christ but needed to be careful lest they likewise fall before reaching the promised land themselves.

So you combine the two passages and you get, A. The "rest" of God was the "promised land," and B. They had not attained to that "promised land" yet during New Testament times.

Now skipping ahead to verse 11 of Hebrews, Chapter 4:
_______________________________
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
________________________________

Again we have the New Testament saints being compared to those who fell in the wilderness BEFORE reaching the promised land. Just as the Israelites fell by the sword, so too would the NT saints fall by the sword of God (i.e. His word) if they continued to live in persistent sin (see 1 Corinthians 11:29-34; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5; Revelation 2:22-23).

Any comments? It seems fairly cut and dried to me that the "rest" of the promised land must parallel the rest of Christ's millennial reign, the 7th "day" or thousand years when Christ will finally rest from His work of bringing forth a harvest from the earth.

It boils down to this: If Christians are not obligated to keep the Fourth Commandment, we are not obligated to keep ANY commandments: which means we may break the First commandment and join Aleister Crowley in his worship of Lucifer, or the Second and carve out for ourselves images upon which we may burn sprinkled incense, etc., etc., etc.

So many Christians today want Ritter's words true and Ryan's false:

 

[Dave L]

It boils down to this: If Christians are not obligated to keep the Fourth Commandment, we are not obligated to keep ANY commandments: which means we may break the first commandment and join Aleister Crowley in his worship of Lucifer, carve out for ourselves images upon which we may burn sprinkled incense, etc., etc., etc.

So many Christians today want Ritter's words true and Ryan's false:

If you need to be told not to steal or murder, you are not born again.

 

[Phoneman777]

You assume too much trying to legislate the Sabbath for all time. Paul says;

“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.” (Romans 14:5–6) (KJV 1900)

You assume that refers to the weekly Sabbath, when comparing Scripture with Scripture reveals it refers only to yearly Jewish ceremonial sabbaths (Leviticus 23) - not the Sabbath of the Ten Commandments which God wrote with His own finger in stone and declares Himself "shall stand fast forever and ever" (Psalms 111:7-8) and never be changed (Psalms 89:34).

 

[Dave L]

You assume that refers to the weekly Sabbath, when comparing Scripture with Scripture reveals it refers only to yearly Jewish ceremonial sabbaths (Leviticus 23) - not the Sabbath of the Ten Commandments which God wrote with His own finger in stone and declares Himself "shall stand fast forever and ever" (Psalms 111:7-8) and never be changed (Psalms 89:34).

The problem is, the New Covenant replaced the Old. And there is no Sabbath requirement in the New Covenant.

 

[Phoneman777]

If you need to be told not to steal or murder, you are not born again.

Tell that to James who says Christians need to continually be looking into that mirror to see if we're being obedient...and blessed of God (James 1:23-25)...or Paul who says we're to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) or Peter who said the rungs on the ladder of faith are that to which we are to refer when making our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:5-12).

It's better to have Scripture on our side than empty, high sounding platitudes.

 

[Dave L]

Tell that to James who says Christians need to continually be looking into that mirror to see if we're being obedient...and blessed of God (James 1:23-25)...or Paul who says we're to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) or Peter who said the rungs on the ladder of faith are that to which we are to refer when making our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:5-12).

It's better to have Scripture on our side than empty, high sounding platitudes.

The NT writers used the OT as a commentary and for instruction. But to place yourself back under any of it is to reject Christ.

 

[Phoneman777]

The problem is, the New Covenant replaced the Old. And there is no Sabbath requirement in the New Covenant.

The fact that the New Covenant has God's Ten Commandments written on our hearts is a problem for you? If you're not prepared to keep the seventh day Sabbath for all eternity in heaven, I urge you to carefully, prayerfully consider the only other alternative.

 

[Dave L]

The fact that the New Covenant has God's Ten Commandments written on our hearts is a problem for you? If you're not prepared to keep the seventh day Sabbath for all eternity in heaven, I urge you to carefully, prayerfully consider the only other alternative.

How so?

“But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;” (1 Timothy 1:8–10) (KJV 1900)

 

[Phoneman777]

The NT writers used the OT as a commentary and for instruction. But to place yourself back under any of it is to reject Christ.

I don't subscribe to the lie of Dispensationalism. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" is just as applicable today as it was when Jesus spoke it on Sinai. That's why He said "Search the Scriptures" - the OT Scriptures.

 

[Dave L]

I don't subscribe to the lie of Dispensationalism. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" is just as applicable today as it was when Jesus spoke it on Sinai. That's why He said "Search the Scriptures" - the OT Scriptures.

We are not under the law. Again, if you need to be told not to kidnap, murder or steal, you are not saved.