CHAPTER 6 – Sabbath in the Future

QUESTION: Are there any Jews still observing the Sabbath?

Yes, Orthodox^[1] Jews still observe the Sabbath.

There are many Jews around the world who still observe the Sabbath. In Israel there is a division between those who fight for maintaining strict Sabbath observance, versus those who do not see the need for it. Here are links to a few articles about this continuing struggle:

28 arrested as Haredim^[2] riot over Shabbat opening of Jerusalem parking lot

By Nir Hasson, Jonathan Lis and The Associated Press
Published: Jun.26, 2009, 9:35 PM

http://www.haaretz.com/news/28-arrested-as-haredim-riot-over-shabbat-opening-of-jerusalem-parking-lot-1.278906 (Hasson and Lis 2009)

Shabbat Divisions Cross Social Divides

By Gabe Kahn, 2/27/2012

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/153220#.T3RmguxSSBd (Arutz Sheva 2012)

Additionally, there are many Christians who observe the seventh-day Sabbath, and others who observe Sunday as their Sabbath.

QUESTION: Will there be Sabbath observance in the future?

Yes.

Sabbath during the Great Tribulation

The following excerpt is from the GotQuestions.org article, “The Great Tribulation.” The complete article is available on their website.

The Tribulation is a future time period when the Lord will accomplish at least two aspects of His plan: 1) He will complete His discipline of the nation Israel (Daniel 9:24), and 2) He will judge the unbelieving, godless inhabitants of the earth (Revelation 6–18). The length of the Tribulation is seven years. This is determined by an understanding of the seventy weeks of Daniel (Daniel 9:24–27; also see the article on the Tribulation). The Great Tribulation is the last half of the Tribulation period, three and one-half years in length. It is distinguished from the Tribulation period because the Beast, or Antichrist, will be revealed, and the wrath of God will greatly intensify during this time. Thus, it is important at this point to emphasize that the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation are not synonymous terms. Within eschatology (the study of future things), the Tribulation refers to the full seven-year period while the “Great Tribulation” refers to the second half of the Tribulation. (Got Questions Ministries 2002)

The sample articles at the beginning of this chapter shows that there are still Jews who adhere to strict observance of the Sabbath. Imagine what Orthodox Jews would do to believers today if the hasty departure initiated during the great tribulation occurs on the Sabbath (Matthew 24:9). Jesus gave an early warning about this to believers who will be alive in Israel at that time.

“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),^[3] then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.” (Matthew 24:15–21)

In these verses Jesus was not teaching anyone to observe the Sabbath. Instead, He is pointing out that while the judgments are being meted out by God (Revelation 6–18), there would be pressure from the Orthodox Jews against true believers who dared to travel “unlawfully” on the Sabbath in order to escape persecution and destruction.

Pray that it isn’t on the Sabbath

Commentary based on Matthew 24:20.

And then verse 20, He says, “Pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.” And this is just to stress the urgency. Pray that it isn’t in winter, it might be cold, it might be raining, it might even be snowing because there are parts of Israel where there is snow. And so you have to pray that it’s not going to be a time when you cannot travel swiftly.

Nor on the sabbath day. Pray that it isn’t on the sabbath, particularly if you have to run or drive through certain sections of Jerusalem. Because if it happens to be the sections where the radical legalistic Jews live, they’ll stone you if you do that because they hold to the sabbath law of two thousand cubits being a maximum sabbath day journey and if you even today tried to go through those areas, they’d stone you. We drove through them, not on the sabbath. We walked around that area and that is another indication that our Lord is saying just hope it isn’t at a time when you are hindered from your journey. Just hope it isn’t a time when you’re going to have to face some difficulty in getting out of town. Just hope you’re not physically in a situation where you have an infant or you’re pregnant. Just hope that you can run as fast as you can run and don’t have to go back to get anything. Get out because the holocaust is so inconceivable. (MacArthur, Warnings of Coming Peril – Resource #2370 1984)

Is it lawful to flee on the Sabbath?

The King James Version of the Bible renders Matthew 24:20 as, “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.” Here is commentary on Matthew 24:20 from John Gill’s “Exposition of the Entire Bible”, based on the King James Version of the Bible.

Mat 24:20 the word “day” is not in the Greek text; and some (i) have been of opinion, that the “sabbatical year”, or the seventh year, is meant, when no fruits would be found in the fields, and a great scarcity of provisions among people; who would not have a sufficiency, and much less any to spare to strangers fleeing from their native places; but rather the sabbath day, or “day of the sabbath”, as the Persic version reads it, is designed; and Beza says, four of his copies read it in the genitive case: and so four of Stephens’s. And the reason why our Lord put them on praying, that their flight might not be on the sabbath day, was, because he knew not only that the Jews, who believed not in him, would not suffer them to travel on a sabbath day more than two thousand cubits; which, according to their traditions (k), was a sabbath day’s journey; and which would not be sufficient for their flight to put them out of danger; but also, that those that did believe in him, particularly the Jerusalem Jews, would be all of them fond of the law of Moses, and scrupulous of violating any part of it, and especially that of the sabbath; see Act 21:20. And though the Jews did allow, that the sabbath might be violated where life was in danger, and that it was lawful to defend themselves against an enemy on the sabbath day; yet this did not universally obtain; and it was made a question of, after the time of Christ, whether it was lawful to flee from danger on the sabbath day; of which take the following account (l).

“Our Rabbins teach, that he that is pursued by Gentiles, or by thieves, may profane the sabbath for the sake of saving his life: and so we find of David, when Saul sought to slay him, he fled from him, and escaped. Our Rabbins say, that it happened that evil writings (or edicts) came from the government to the great men of Tzippore; and they went, and said to R. Eleazar ben Prata, evil edicts are come to us from the government, what dost thou say? נברח, “shall we flee?” and he was afraid to say to them “flee”; but he said to them with a nod, why do you ask me? go and ask Jacob, and Moses, and David; as it is written, of Jacob, Hos 12:12 “and Jacob fled”; and so of Moses, Exo 2:15 “and Moses fled”; and so of David, 1Sa 19:18 “and David fled, and escaped”: and he (God) says, Isa 26:20 “come my people, enter into thy chambers”.”

From whence, it is plain, it was a question with the doctors in Tzippore, which was a town in Galilee, where there was an university, whether it was lawful to flee on the sabbath day or not; and though the Rabbi they applied to was of opinion it was lawful, yet he was fearful of speaking out his sense plainly, and therefore delivered it by signs and hints. Now our Lord’s meaning, in putting them on this petition, was, not to prevent the violation of the seventh day sabbath, or on account of the sacredness of it, which he knew would be abolished, and was abolished before this time; but he says this with respect to the opinion of the Jews, and “Judaizing” Christians, who, taking that day to be sacred, and fleeing on it unlawful, would find a difficulty with themselves, and others, to make their escape; otherwise it was as lawful to flee and travel on that day, as in the winter season; though both, for different reasons, incommodious.

(i) Vid. Reland. Antiq. Heb. par. 4. c. 10. sect. 1. & Hammond in loc. (k) Maimon. Hilch. Sabbat, c. 27. sect. 1. (l) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 23. fol. 231. 4. (Gill 1763)

Sabbath during the Millennium

The Bible talks about the literal, and physical reign of Jesus Christ on the earth, in the future. Here is an excerpt from the Compelling Truth (Got Questions Ministries) that explains this. The complete article is available on their Website.

What is the Millennium / Millennial Kingdom?

After the rapture of the church, after the seven-year long tribulation, after the war of Armageddon and the resurrection of the saints, Jesus will rule on the earth for one thousand years (Revelation 20:4–6). The purpose of the Millennial Kingdom is to establish Christ as King in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David (Luke 1:32–33) and to fulfill the promises God has made to Israel. They will bless the other nations, fulfilling the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1–3). They will take control of the promised geographical borders, fulfilling the Palestinian covenant^[4] (Deuteronomy 30:1–10). And they will experience forgiveness and a renewed relationship with God, fulfilling the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:10–13). (Got Questions Ministries 2002)

(See also Daniel 2:44–45; 7:13–14; Revelation 3:21; 5; 20:4–7)

The restoration of Israel

The Lord will restore all twelve tribes of Israel to their land as one nation during His Millennial reign on the earth.^[5]

For thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. (Ezekiel 34:11)

“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.'” (Ezekiel 37:21–22)

“Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. (Ezekiel 39:28; see also Ezekiel 34:11–31; 37:21–28; 39:25–29; compare with Psalm 23)

When the kingdom of God is established in the Millennium, His laws and statutes will also be established and observed, which includes Sabbath observance.

“And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath^[6] to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 66:23)^[7]

“In a dispute they^[8] shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts and sanctify My sabbaths. (Ezekiel 44:24)

“It shall be the prince’s part to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the drink offerings, at the feasts, on the new moons and on the sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts^[9] of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 45:17)

Work will cease on the Sabbaths

The basic meaning of the word “sabbath” is rest; therefore, it follows that on the Sabbath during the Millennium there will be a rest from regular work.

‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “The gate of the inner court^[10] facing east shall be shut the six working days; but it shall be opened on the sabbath day and opened on the day of the new moon. “The prince shall enter by way of the porch of the gate from outside and stand by the post of the gate. Then the priests shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate and then go out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. “The people of the land shall also worship at the doorway of that gate before the LORD on the sabbaths and on the new moons. “The burnt offering which the prince shall offer to the LORD on the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish; and the grain offering shall be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs as much as he is able to give, and a hin of oil with an ephah.'” (Ezekiel 46:1–5)

“When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings as a freewill offering to the LORD, the gate facing east shall be opened for him. And he shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he does on the sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and the gate shall be shut after he goes out.” (Ezekiel 46:12)

QUESTION: Will any other feasts or special days be observed during the Millennium?

Yes.

First Month, First Day of the Month

Ezekiel 45:18–20 (see also Exodus 12:1–2; Deuteronomy 16:1)

Feast of Passover & Unleavened Bread

Ezekiel 45:21–24 (see also Exodus 12:14, 17, 24, 42; Leviticus 23:4–8; Luke 22:16–18)

Feast of Booths

Ezekiel 45:25; Zechariah 14:16–21 (see also Leviticus 23:33–43)

New Moon

Ezekiel 46:1, 6 (Numbers 29:6; Psalm 81:3)

QUESTION: Why wait for the Millennium to observe the Sabbath, and the other feasts?

Someone might say, “Since there will be observance of Sabbath and the other feasts in the millennial kingdom of God, why not practice it now?” Here are some points to consider:

CONCLUSION

Presently there are many Jews who continue to observe the Sabbath. There are also many Christians who observe the seventh day Sabbath, but some of them treat the first day of the week—Sunday, as their Sabbath.

The Bible teaches that there will be Sabbath observance in the future. Jesus prophesied that Christians living in the time of the Great Tribulation should pray that they will not have to flee from persecution on a Sabbath because there will be great tribulation; Orthodox Jews alive at that time will not allow anyone to travel more than a Sabbath day’s journey.

After the Great Tribulation when Jesus Christ returns to the earth, Sabbath will be observed. During the Millennium, Israel will be restored to their land. Through the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, the Lord prophesied that from Sabbath to Sabbath all mankind will go to bow down before Him. He said that the priests and Levites will keep His laws, statutes, appointed feasts, and His Sabbaths.

Additionally, work will cease on the Sabbath. The gate of the inner court facing east will be opened for the prince. The priests will provide the prince’s burnt offerings and peace offerings. The people of the land will also worship at the doorway of the gate on the Sabbath.

Other feasts observed during the Millennium will be New Year, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Booths, and New Moon.