THE SABBATH by L. A. Phippeny

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Apr 5, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 14.

THE SABBATH

By L. A. Phippeny

BY L. A. PHIPPENY

A SABBATH IN THE DOMINION RESTORED.

In the earth made new the Israel of God will enter into a realization of peace and rest which will far surpass the fondest dreams of the present. And yet the Lord wishes us to have even now a foretaste of that rest, a present experience which passes all human understanding. And he wants to keep us in that experience. Will we not let him?

A Typical Rest.

Canaan was the type of the eternal home of the redeemed. It was the type of eternal rest. The Israel that came out of Egypt failed to enter into that rest then prepared for them. They did not permit the Lord to make of them types of his idea of soul-rest, of salvation. And so it remained for others to enter into the prepared rest. Therefore every one who finds Jesus, and is freed from worry and from sin, every one in whom the character of God is manifested, has entered into the present experience of eternal rest. This is the broader signification of the Sabbath idea as prepared by the Lord in Christ from the foundation of the world. The rest in the beyond will be a continual Sabbath in the same sense as the entering into rest in Christ is a continual rest of the soul now.

The Covenant Everlasting.

But there will be in that new age the Sabbath institution also, the weekly Sabbath. God's everlasting covenant will not cease with the passing away of sin. It was made with the first dominion before sin entered; it promised everlasting life and a restored dominion; it was forever made sure when Jesus the Testator died. In a prophecy of the new heavens and the new earth the Lord speaks through Isaiah thus: 'And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.' Isa. 66:23.

What the New-Earth Sabbath Signifies.

Just what the fulness of the Sabbath blessing will be in the new earth will be better known then than now. But as there are special blessings now, assuredly there will be special blessings then. It will not be a renewing of flagging physical energies, for there will be no deterioration in that respect. It will not be the healing from sickness, for there will be no sickness. Life with its ceaseless impulses of divine energy will course through the veins and arteries of all. But the Sabbath will signify then just what it signifies now touching the creation and the great fact of redemption. For the Lord will have created a new heaven and a new earth, and redemption will have been accomplished. The blessings and need of the Sabbath in that dominion restored will be the same as they were in the first dominion before sin entered, with all that the plan of salvation embraces in the way of significance, added to it.

It is well to consider that conditions in the earth made new will be real conditions, not dreams. The earth is to be inhabited; it will not go to waste. Houses will be built, and vineyards will be planted, and the earth will blossom as the rose. There will be pleasant occupations, in harmony with the Lord's plans in the beginning; there will be no idleness. There will be the city of the Great King; for God Himself will place His throne in the earth made new. The record does not tell us that there will not be other cities, but leaves us with the conviction that there will be only the one great capital, the New Jerusalem. Some will dwell in the city; but the beautiful earth will everywhere be peopled. And over all will be the peace and gladness and joy of eternal youth, without sin.

The weekly cycle for this dominion will continue, and the six secular days—as we call them—will be employed in regular occupations. Then on the seventh day, the Sabbath, 'all flesh shall come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.' What wonderful gatherings those will be! If our spiritual hearing were quickened, methinks that even now we might in imagination catch some strains of the song of Moses and of the Lamb that will burst from the redeemed throng surrounding the throne on assembly days. It seems to me that the absorbing topic of conversation and worship will be the one great story of redemption. For that matter, we can not imagine that the week-day conversation will ever be anything but elevated discourse pertaining to that theme and to new revelations of the love of the Father toward His children.

Granting that this must be so, what danger would there ever be of forgetting God, even should the Sabbath not be kept? Indeed, God would be forgotten without the Sabbath, and sin would ravage again. But this will not be, 'Affliction shall not rise up the second time.' The Sabbath with its significance and its part in the everlasting covenant will be a vital element in the experience and lives of the redeemed. The law of God will be forever written in their hearts. Then what are some of the blessings which will be received in the Sabbath as all flesh comes up to worship before the Lord? Why! one blessing at least is revealed in the words of the prophecy itself—they shall come before the Lord, the great God, on that day. What then?—He will reveal to them His glory. They shall see Him face to face. During the week, nature has been speaking to them of the wonderful operations and secrets of life; on the Sabbath day the Spirit of Life Himself speaks to them and electrifies them with His majestic and life-giving presence, with no vail between. Will they forget God?—Verily no! And because of this close communion with God Himself, and the revelations of character through this communion, the day will be the brightest day,—the day of keenest delight and joy—of all the seven.

God's Purpose for Us Now.

And this is the lesson the Lord wants us to learn now in the Sabbath. He wants us to rest in Him continually; moment by moment, day by day, in every occupation of life. He asks us to rest in a quiet place, in the secret of His pavilion. He intends we should learn of Him in the trees and in the grass, in the flowers and in the grain, in all His provisions for us, and in every experience in the busy world. And then on the Sabbath day He wants us to come nearer Him. He wants us to see his face; He wants to reveal Himself to us for all He is—Creator, Redeemer, Mighty Healer. He wants to show us His glory and place that glory upon us; and dwell with us and in us; and walk with us and in us; and put His words in our mouths, that He may plant the new heavens and lay the foundations of the new earth, and say unto Zion, 'Thou art My people.'

And it is done—by faith. And He says: 'Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.' Let us not wait for the gatherings about the throne in the new earth before we praise Him. If we will but open our mouths, even now I am sure some words of song and praise will come forth, if our hearts are filled with gratitude for present deliverance and blessings. 'Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me,' says the Lord. Let us praise Him, and realize His healing touch and know His life-giving presence.

God's Covenant Purpose Fulfilled.

The entering into eternal rest will not signify the cessation of law and order. On the contrary, the restoration of the first dominion will mean the realization of God's law—the everlasting covenant—in the fullest degree. This law will be written in the hearts of all, for all will be glad participants in the covenant. In fine, the once-wandering earth will have taken its proper place—with special honors—in the harmonious order prevailing among the world-families of the Father's realm, and there will be one universal rule of conduct, one universal law-code, respected and obeyed by all.

There is added beauty and weight of meaning in our study when we consider the fact that the same everlasting covenant is established with every family in the heavens; that the same law is the rule of conduct for all, and, apropos of our subject, that the Sabbath is observed in every world. This is shown clearly in the Word. The covenant-law is the foundation of God's relation to all His creatures, the constitution of His government. 'All Thy commandments are righteousness' (Ps. 119:172); 'Righteousness and judgment are the habitation [establishment] of Thy throne' (Ps. 97:2); 'The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all.' Ps. 103:19. The positive principles of that law are applicable in all places of His dominion. There is not one feature of it that fails of application. And in the face of its perfect application we may learn some beautiful truths relative to the Lord's harmoniously-ordained plan for all worlds,—that they are indeed all members of the Father's household.

A Comprehensive Truth.

By the Sabbath commandment as applying in all places of that kingdom which ruleth over all there is taught a wonderfully pleasing and important truth regarding the creation of every world designed to be the home of a world-family; namely, six days of creation, followed by the Sabbath of rest, with all the significance attaching to it that we have been studying concerning the Sabbath, because it means the same for every other world that it means for this world. Altho there are no other worlds

in the bondage of sin, it is the sign of creation and of redemption for every world, because Jesus the Creator of every world, the Testator of the same everlasting covenant with every world, died once for all, to make the testament sure for all.

No Confusion in His Arrangement.

Some have argued that the Sabbath commandment can not be applicable in other worlds, because—so far as we know—there may be variation in the length of the day in different worlds, hence there would be confusion in God's kingdom, for some would be keeping Sabbath while others were working! The difference may exist, but that has nothing to do with the matter. The Lord is infinite in detail of arrangement in His creative works, and has ordained that every world shall be a dominion, a principality, complete in itself. And surely he has placed the homes of world-families sufficiently far apart to avoid any confusion or anxiety on their part! And yet the same perfect law is ordained for the harmonious government of all. The Lord is the only one who could possibly be confused, and He is not the God of confusion. His rest in establishing the Sabbath for any world does not consist in ceasing to bestow life, for his power must be exercised continuously for all of His creation. When the Jews sought to slay Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath day, He said, 'My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.' He was doing legitimate Sabbath work. He was setting the captive free; He was giving life. His Father was working to that end at the same moment, and He works yet. Life flows forever from the great Fountain of Life. The Lord's rest is in the creature made in His likeness and in His image, in whom he can reproduce His own perfect character. And then He is refreshed.

Deciding for Eternity.

In view of the foregoing considerations, how significant is the Sabbath in these latter days of the present age! What eternal results hinge upon decisions! How intense must be the interest manifested by the inhabitants of countless worlds as the progress of God's truth in this earth is reported to them! Meditation upon the future and the blessings the Lord has in reserve for the faithful are helpful and needful. But the present and the manner in which it is used will determine the future. The conflict is not yet ended. There is a discordant note in the music of the eternal spheres, and the Master is calling for all men to come into harmony with heaven. 'Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,' is His invitation. Have you heard it? Have you entered into that rest? If not, enter now, and let Him find a place of rest.