The Sabbath from Creation was a special day that was made for man and stamped a seal of Gods authority here that could not be denied.
o understand the importance of Gods Sabbath as it pertains to his authority we begin at the first day of creation.
Genesis 1:1-5
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was [a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning were the first day.
Thus the first day finished and we are told that Jesus was here with God as part of the trinity and yet he didnt make any claim for this day or mark it as a special day for man. Now contrast this with the way the seventh day is set aside:
Genesis 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [a] from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
So the creator of the heavens and earth rested from all his work on the seventh day and blessed it and made it holy. Was he tired after all those days of creation, of course not. He was making a exclamation point on his creation that it was his, and to drive the point home he set his standard or mark on it, the seal of his authority. This seal or mark. much as one see's on the front of stands of world leaders, was set on this planet to show his domain, lay claim, delineate his area of authority. Nothing was made on the sabbath so there was no reason for him to create it except as a gift which he had the power and authority to do. God placed His presence in the Sabbath by resting on that day. He "sanctified" the Sabbath, i.e., separated it, set it apart for holy use or purpose. He, not man, made the seventh day then made it the Sabbath and made it Holy and gave it to us.
Now since sin had not yet occurred on earth the concepts of murder or stealing had no meaning to Adam or Eve so God put the test of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They still had a choice to obey, they were not held back from sinning but being in Gods love they had no need for anything in sin. God tells Man the results of going beyond Gods authority and into that of another, of making this choice which results in the wages of sin.
Genesis 2:15-17
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
This is why Satan fights so hard to wipe of the evidence of creation and do away with peoples belief in it as it sets Gods domain and the Sabbath his mark for all time. All the other commandments man could hide his sin or keep their sin from being uncovered so God put a clear mark showing his standard, so to follow the Sabbath it had to be evident, a clear sign to others of our love for God.
So a change to Gods mark of authority has much more than one would think. For what we see today that man does to brings his standard or flag and plants it to claim the domain of their King or Country so that all can see their declaration of authority, so the Sabbath at creation was Gods flag. It shows who put his standard on this earth at creation and claimed it as his own and put a sign of his authority on it, and who the usurper is when it comes to worship.
"..The change from Sabbath to Sunday was not simply one of names or numbers, but of authority, meaning and experience. It was a change from a holy day divinely established to enable us to experience more freely and more fully the awareness of divine presence and peace in our lives, into holiday which has become an occasion to seek for personal pleasure and profit...." HOW IT CAME ABOUT:FROM SABBATH TO SUNDAY ? Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Andrews University
o understand the importance of Gods Sabbath as it pertains to his authority we begin at the first day of creation.
Genesis 1:1-5
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was [a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning were the first day.
Thus the first day finished and we are told that Jesus was here with God as part of the trinity and yet he didnt make any claim for this day or mark it as a special day for man. Now contrast this with the way the seventh day is set aside:
Genesis 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [a] from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
So the creator of the heavens and earth rested from all his work on the seventh day and blessed it and made it holy. Was he tired after all those days of creation, of course not. He was making a exclamation point on his creation that it was his, and to drive the point home he set his standard or mark on it, the seal of his authority. This seal or mark. much as one see's on the front of stands of world leaders, was set on this planet to show his domain, lay claim, delineate his area of authority. Nothing was made on the sabbath so there was no reason for him to create it except as a gift which he had the power and authority to do. God placed His presence in the Sabbath by resting on that day. He "sanctified" the Sabbath, i.e., separated it, set it apart for holy use or purpose. He, not man, made the seventh day then made it the Sabbath and made it Holy and gave it to us.
Now since sin had not yet occurred on earth the concepts of murder or stealing had no meaning to Adam or Eve so God put the test of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They still had a choice to obey, they were not held back from sinning but being in Gods love they had no need for anything in sin. God tells Man the results of going beyond Gods authority and into that of another, of making this choice which results in the wages of sin.
Genesis 2:15-17
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
This is why Satan fights so hard to wipe of the evidence of creation and do away with peoples belief in it as it sets Gods domain and the Sabbath his mark for all time. All the other commandments man could hide his sin or keep their sin from being uncovered so God put a clear mark showing his standard, so to follow the Sabbath it had to be evident, a clear sign to others of our love for God.
So a change to Gods mark of authority has much more than one would think. For what we see today that man does to brings his standard or flag and plants it to claim the domain of their King or Country so that all can see their declaration of authority, so the Sabbath at creation was Gods flag. It shows who put his standard on this earth at creation and claimed it as his own and put a sign of his authority on it, and who the usurper is when it comes to worship.
"..The change from Sabbath to Sunday was not simply one of names or numbers, but of authority, meaning and experience. It was a change from a holy day divinely established to enable us to experience more freely and more fully the awareness of divine presence and peace in our lives, into holiday which has become an occasion to seek for personal pleasure and profit...." HOW IT CAME ABOUT:FROM SABBATH TO SUNDAY ? Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Andrews University
