Part 3 · The Sabbath and God's People in the Last Days
Part 3 of 3 · The Sabbath and God's Law
As human history draws to a close, is there a final sign that identifies God’s people? Through Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the Three Angels' Messages of Revelation 14 (KJV), we discover why the Sabbath is God's seal for those who keep the commandments of Jesus.
Why Is the Sabbath a Sign of God’s People in the Bible?
What did God call the Sabbath when He established it as the sign of His relationship with His people?
Verse: “Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.” (Ezekiel 20:12, KJV; see also verse 20)
Explanation: In Part 2, The Sabbath in the Life of Jesus and the Apostles, we saw how the Sabbath was observed throughout the New Testament. Here, God reveals its deeper purpose: the Sabbath is a “sign” of sanctification—it marks the people who know Him as their Creator and who have surrendered their lives to be made holy by His grace.
What will the Sabbath be in the new heaven and the new earth?
Verse: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 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.” (Isaiah 66:22–23, KJV)
Explanation: The Sabbath is not a temporary law that passed away with the old covenant; it is a memorial of God’s creative power that will endure for eternity. Even in the new earth, all creation will gather “from one sabbath to another” to worship the Lord who made them, as we studied in our series on God's enduring law.
How does the Bible define those who are prepared to meet Jesus at His Second Coming?
Verse: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12, KJV; see also Revelation 12:17)
Explanation: The final generation of believers, described in the closing chapters of Revelation, are identified by two characteristics: they trust in the redeeming power of Christ (“the faith of Jesus”) and they honor the entirety of His moral law (“keep the commandments of God”), including the Sabbath commandment that He never changed, as explained in our pillar on Daniel and Revelation.
What Is the Final Conflict Over God’s Law?
What power did Daniel prophesy would attempt to change God’s law and sacred times?
Verse: “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” (Daniel 7:25, KJV)
Explanation: Daniel’s prophecy speaks of a religious-political power that would arise to challenge God’s sovereignty. By thinking to “change times and laws”—specifically the Sabbath commandment, the only part of God’s law that involves a specific time—this power seeks to divert humanity from the true worship of the Creator.
What is the heart of the first angel’s message, and why is it a call to return to true worship?
Verse: “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:7, KJV)
Explanation: The first angel’s message is a final global appeal for the world to return to the worship of the Creator. Significantly, this call uses the very language of the Sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:11: “for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is”), directing the world to the true Sabbath of creation as the standard for allegiance to God before the final judgment.
What is the great Sabbath blessing promised to those who refuse to profane God's holy day?
Verse: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 58:13–14, KJV)
Explanation: God’s call to honor the Sabbath is not a demand for cold duty, but an invitation to experience a deeper delight in His presence. When we honor Him on His holy day—not by following our own desires, but by walking in His ways—He promises a heritage of blessing that sustains us even in a world that has forgotten its Creator.
Conclusion & Personal Appeal
The Bible reveals that God’s seal of authority is found in the Sabbath—the sign that we know Him as the Author of both creation and redemption. As the final call goes out to the world to worship Him who made heaven and earth, God is calling a people to stand firmly on His commandments and the faith of Jesus. Will you accept His invitation to call the Sabbath a delight, and find your rest in the One who promised to be with you even unto the end of the world?
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