The Supernatural Sabbath Portal to the Kingdom of Heaven...Paul Blocked Gentiles From It
"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in" (Matthew 23:13).
When we practice the Sabbath properly, that is to say, lay aside our work and toils, our buying and selling, our concerning ourselves with the acquisition of money or provision, we actually go through a spiritual door (or portal) that leads out of this world into the Kingdom of Heaven, into a place, for a day, where the judgment on Adam, that is to say, that he would work and toil to pull his food from the earth by the sweat of his brow (Genesis 3:17-19), doesn't apply.
On the Sabbath, we are in a place of rest as the Father was on the 7th day of His creation week. A place where we can understand more fully the words of Jesus when He said to, "...seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33), because we can seek the Kingdom without any worldly distractions.
In today's blog/podcasts we'll explore how and why this is so, and why the Sabbath is a privilege and a pleasure for those who truly honor it as they leave behind the burdens of this world. Instead of a restrictive "you can't do this or do that" day, the Sabbath is more about what you can do, that is, to spend the time laying aside this fallen world and resting from it while also having the opportunity to search out, without distraction, the Father and His Kingdom through prayer, His Word and a calm fellowship with your family, friends and other Believers. It's in this place in the Father's Kingdom where we find His joy, peace and love and in so doing we are strengthened, because the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
THE SABBATH PORTAL CLOSED TO THE GENTILES BY PAUL
We've addressed Paul's diminishment and negation of the Sabbath in great depth in another podcast, so we will in a more brief way touch on it today, but here's a link to it in case you want a deeper dive:
Contrary to Paul, we know that anything that the Father created and put forward for us to honor is a good thing. Jesus said, "...the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath..." (Mark 2:27). This confirms that the Sabbath was a gift toward us, and was made directly for us. How then can Paul negate it as if Jesus' own words about it mean nothing?
By the Father inventing and observing a Sabbath day of rest Himself on the on the Seventh Day of His Creation, He showed that the Sabbath is indeed good, and yet we ask again, how can Paul diminish and negate it as if the Father had nothing to do with it?
And not only was the Sabbath good, but we see here that the Father blessed and sanctified it. To sanctify means to set apart as holy. How can the Father set it apart as holy and Paul make it seem so unimportant?
PAUL'S FOLLY IN HIS EPISTLES
Paul's folly toward the Gentiles with regard to the Sabbath is laid bare in the epistles to the Romans and Colossians:
Paul's teachings from Romans and Colossians are clear: if one thinks the Sabbath is important, then it's important TO HIM. If another thinks it's not important, then IT ISN'T. Thus he transforms Sabbath observance into a matter of spiritual relativism and personal choice (as if the Father never plainly stated His own position on the matter) and implies that anyone who judges one who doesn't observe Sabbath as being wrong and essentially a legalist.
Paul also deems the Father's word on the matter (which is what Jesus is, THE WORD), as "blotted out" by Jesus' shed blood and nailed to the cross. How can Jesus blot out Himself? He instead said that not one jot or tittle would be done away with the law until heaven and earth pass and all is fulfilled.
We see in Jesus' mention of the law how the Kingdom of Heaven sees the breaking of the least of the commandments of the law and especially among those who don't honor it. The use of the words "least in the kingdom of heaven" might imply to some that those who teach against the law are still "in" the Kingdom. But that's not what that preposition means: it's more like the word by, that those "in" the kingdom would call those who teach against the law "least". It's more like they would be called "least" by the those in the Kingdom of Heaven. Breaking God's laws without repentance does not get one into that Kingdom.
So what did Jesus' His blood sacrifice fulfill? Firstly, there is no more need for animal sacrifice, for His blood took care of that once and for all (Hebrews 9:16 - 10:4, Paul did not write Hebrews). Jesus also did away for the need for any buildings for temples for worship, because He made our bodies the temples as He sent back the Comforter to indwell us (John 4:20-24, John 14-16). Therefore we are now the kings and priests (Revelation 1:6) and there's no more need for a Levitical priesthood to look after tents and buildings, we look after these bodily temples and prepare and maintain them to make welcome the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Note also that Paul said to the Colossians 2:14 that that the law of God was contrary to us! What??? Psalms 119 exclaims,
"O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day"(Psalm 119: 97).
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).
How can this word that is a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path and that should be our meditation all the day be CONTRARY TO US???
How then can Paul nail the Ten Commandments to the cross and say we're not accountable to them while also making his own rules for which he says we will inherit damnation if we don't follow them?
How can he unilaterally make his owns lists of damnable sins (many of which (but not all) overlap with the Father's law while saying not to pay attention the Father's law while making up his own lists of damnable sins? How was this man able to come in a change the laws of the Father? So do you see how he blasphemed the Father's laws, made them of none effect and made His own traditions? This is truly the spirit of the Pharisee as Jesus described but also the spirit of antichrist in Paul of which Daniel speaks in chapter 7 of his book:
We see that not only does he change times and laws, as Paul tries to do, but that he "wears out the saints of the most high..." What better way to do so than to rob them of the one day of the week the Father uses to refresh and reset us, to bring us into His Kingdom, and to strengthen us for another six days of going about our lives in this world?
Paul's negating of the Sabbath, as well as his entire denigration of the Father's Words from all of the law, fulfills what Jesus said of the Pharisees:
"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in" (Matthew 23:13).
How the Pharisees accomplish this Jesus succinctly enumerates when He said,
Jesus' chief complaint of them was that they reduced the Father's Words to "none effect" while elevating the traditions and doctrines of men. This is exactly what the book of Acts and Paul's epistles have done to both the Torah, the prophets and the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. (Acts deviates and contradicts what Jesus told the apostles to do and preach and thus cannot be a true representation of what he apostles really did nor of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is proved most simply by Acts 15 having James (not an apostle) send a letter to the Gentiles saying they needed to observe only four things: don't eat things sacrificed to idols, or blood, or things strangled, and don't fornicate, and this is enough of a law for them. While in Acts 21 James tells Paul that Jewish converts to Christ must still keep the law 9including Paul), thereby creating two laws, one for Gentiles and one for Jews. This was never the Father's intent or Jesus's. Jesus told the apostles to teach the nations all things whatsoever he had (already) commanded (Matthew 28), not some new thing. And the Father Himself does not change on matters and throughout the Torah and the prophets he consistently said there would be one law for the home born and one for the stranger who attached himself (Exodus 12:49), that included with regard to circumcision and the Sabbath, which we will specifically address now).
GENTILE CONVERTS ARE TO OBSERVE SABBATH!
We have proof in the Book of Isaiah that the Father in no way intended for formerly Gentile converts to neglect observing the Sabbath. This scripture below makes it plain that the Father always intended for converts to keep the Sabbath as a signs of their allegiance and affiliation with Him, and of His acceptance of them as His children.
One of the biggest travesties of Paulianity is that the epistles and Acts have successfully negated Sabbath observance as a commandment and thus have been kept from walking into the Father's rest and learning what they should about His Kingdom. The benefits of keeping Sabbath are manifold, and they never really know the Father by not observing this (and all the other commandments), but going through the Sabbath portal to the Kingdom of Heaven strengthens you to better observe all of the law, because that day each week is one of great deliverance and freedom, of breaking of yokes of bondage, of liberation. Those who don't observe Sabbath remain yoked to this world.
THE FATHER BLESSED, HALLOWED, & SANCTIFIED THE SABBATH
But what does the Father say of the Sabbath? We already know from the Genesis creation story that he created it, observed it and blessed and sanctified it. Did He need the rest? No, but He established a pattern of rest from work that He wrote into the very DNA of His creation. Then He codified it in the Ten Commandments which He spoke OUT LOUD to the Hebrew people so they ALL COULD HEAR from the mount:
So how can Paul in one fell swoop delegitimize something the Father went to such great lengths to establish and sanctify for Himself, and to command His people, including Gentile converts to observe? Who is this Paul to be able to do this with a quill pen? Who are we to believe the liar Paul?!?!?!
DID JESUS DO AWAY WITH THE SABBATH?
If Jesus did away with Sabbath, why did the ladies who wanted to spice his body not buy spices on either the Passover Sabbath (Thursday that week), nor on the weekly Sabbath (Saturday), but did so on Friday? Also, why did they not go to the tomb to spice His body on the Sabbath if Jesus had taught them to not observe Sabbath?
Also, why did Jesus tell us to pray that "our flight be not on the Sabbath day" during the tribulation period, which would be well after His death, burial and resurrection, if He intended to do away with it?
HOW BELIEVERS NEGLECT SABBATH & REMOVE ITS PURPOSE
Believers who follow Paul/Acts and neglect to obey the Father's commandment with regard to keeping the Sabbath never learn to enter into the Father's Sabbath rest because in thinking they are not responsible for the commandment and the rules that surround it (which are for our benefit), they ultimately do not walk through the door which causes us to leave behind serving this world and leads into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Observing the Sabbath involves us as Believers discontinuing 1) conducting our own business/concerning ourselves with our own earthly provision, 2) participating in commerce (buying or selling), and 3) even thinking our own (worldly) thoughts and doing our own (worldly) thing.
The Sabbath gloriously gives us a rest from all these things and allows us for a day each week to detach and singularly focus on the things of the Father, His Word, and His Kingdom. In so doing we learn the lesson Jesus taught when He said,
"...seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
and,
"...man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).
The Sabbath is the day to feed on the Word, (which is Jesus), who is also the bread of life.
In partaking of the bread of life (the Word) and in doing the Father's will, we spiritually strengthen ourselves to the point where the remainder of the week we can actually endure and overcome all that the world, Satan, and his demons throw at us.
Obeying the commandment to keep the Sabbath leads to walking through this doorway, or portal as the modern vernacular might put it, into a deeper understanding of what it means to seek ye first the Kingdom of God because the entire day is dedicated to that purpose.
Obeying all of the Father's commandments, including the Sabbath commandant, serves as the overall portal to His Kingdom, but the Sabbath coupled with keeping the rest of the law shows us what the Father's creation was meant to be like as well as what it is like in His heavenly Kingdom, and what it will be in the world to come when this current system, that is to say, this heaven and earth are done away with for something brand new: a new heaven and a new earth.
Jesus, The Sabbath & The Kingdom
HOW HONORING THE SABBATH TRANSPORTS YOU INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
When one truly honors the Sabbath he is brought into a state of such lack of worry or concern for this world that he can in practical terms return to a pre-fall state, to that of the Garden, or better still, to what the world to come will be, where the curse that was placed on Adam, that he would pull food from the earth by the sweat of His brow, is not in place, where everything is provided and you can be at rest and peace, as they were in the Garden and as we will be in eternity. In this way, the Sabbath truly is a type and shadow, that is to say, a representation, of the Father's Kingdom, of His original intent for creation.
This is why Isaiah tells us that we are to put even all our worldly thoughts, and for me, by extension, even own troubles and grievances and disagreements with one another, away on this day, or at the very least take them to the Father in prayer and then let Him release us of them to enjoy the day with Him:
The Father is trying to get us to see that in so doing, that is putting the world behind us and the business and troubles of it, and focusing on Him, this will cause us to rise above this world, we will enter a spiritual realm that is that of His kingdom, where all of our provisions of peace, joy and sustenance comes directly from Him.
To that end, we find in The Book of Nehemiah the moratorium on buying and selling on the Sabbath:
By not buying or selling or being concerned with our own wealth on the Sabbath, we are in essence putting our complete trust in the Father to handle our provision. We are making no attempts to improve our financial or provision-related position. We set our minds on His Word and consider how we may have broken it during the week. We use the time to search ourselves and repent (if we haven't already), to study His Word, to dive deep into the things of the Father. The things of this world lose all importance on the Sabbath. The Word, which is Jesus, becomes paramount, and fellowship and rest in the Father and His children becomes a pleasure. Setting aside the world becomes glorious. It can be difficult to do at first, but once you do, you will never regret it.
PREPARATION FOR THE TRIBULATION
In separating ourselves from the world and from your own business and commerce to focus on Him alone on that single day per week, we learn that we can achieve this rest in Him and receive His provision all the other days of the week, and that when the time comes that we can't buy or sell without the mark of the beast (Revelation 13), we will already be accustomed to trusting the Father so much we will not fear when this time arrives.
This is no small matter, the practice one has in trusting the Father completely prior to a major challenge to one's faith can be critical in helping you get through it. Faith is like a muscle that can built up and strengthened over time. It will be quite a shock to the system to many who have not trusted the Father when the time comes, and some will not make it because their faith in the Father as Provider may be too weak, which can result in them returning to the world and taking the mark.
THE SABBATH GIVES US A CHANCE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE FATHER AND TO LEARN BETTER HOW TO HEAR FROM HIM
Because one can spend so much time in the Word and in prayer, praise, worship and thanksgiving on the Sabbath for provision as well as being accustomed to communicating with Him directly (as we do on the Sabbath when properly observe it), and by entering into His Kingdom for an entire day each week because we will have done so on Sabbath 52 weeks per year, this by default means the person will get closer to the Father and more accustomed to hearing and obeying His voice. Diving into the Word on those Sabbaths will also lead to the Holy Spirit being able to bring to our remembrance all things whatsoever Jesus has said.
SABBATH PUTS PROBLEMS IN PERSPECTIVE
Sabbath allows you to reset completely from the world and its issues and even from the problems of your own life, those problems that seem to become over magnified without the reset of the Sabbath. The Sabbath helps to put all of life in perspective, and being that you're entering the Kingdom of Heaven for the day, and leaving this world behind, you discover that the world doesn't matter so much, and that by spending time with the Father on this day He miraculously resolves so many of the problems you had over magnified.
When we keep the commandments, the Father is always working behind the scenes on our behalf. When we put Him first He does amazing things for us in the background, that we can't see, but when they come to pass we realize the Father had our backs all along.
PESKY JOBS THAT WANT YOU TO WORK ON SABBATH
Trust in the Father must be engendered when considering your job, because you will have to tell your employer that you can't work that day, or share with a potential new employer the same. I have often told employers right from the get go that I can't work that day, but at times, I did not even say it was for religious reasons. But I would say I could work any Sunday they needed. This always seemed to alleviate any issues without questions.
Many jobs require working on Sabbath, but we cannot take those particular jobs or must insist with the employer that we not work on that day to do the job. We can work all six other days of the week, but not that day. When you stand on this you truly are trusting in the Father as your Provider because this stance can limit your options with regard to jobs, and the enemy will try to use this fact that to cause you to over worry about whether or not you can find a job to pay your bills that won't require you to work Saturdays. But when you dig in your heels to do right by the Father you will see that He provides for you and honors you for honoring Him. His provision will come, and you will trust even more so that it's from Him because when it does come in a fashion that allows you to not work Sabbath you'll know it's from Him. Sometimes you may even find yourself unemployed for a bit while you seek this out, but this will really show your trust in Him, that no matter what, you are going to do right by Him and His commandments, and when we do this, the Father will prove Himself strong on our behalf.
THE SABBATH IS SUPERNATURAL
The story of how the Father gave the Hebrew people manna in the desert a double portion of manna on the day before each Sabbath and that it would actually keep overnight (when all other nights it would go rancid), is an amazing representation of how the Father creates supernatural provision through the Sabbath and how those who honor it enter the supernatural realm. God is a Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, and through our faith in Him shown by our obedience, His supernatural provision is manifested.
THE FATHER'S BUSINESS
The Sabbath parallels Jesus mission, who came to do the works of the Father, a spiritual work and not that of the world. This is why He healed on the Sabbath. Prayer and healing have nothing to do with the works of this physical world.
IT'S OUR SINS/IDOLS THAT DISTRACT US ON SABBATH AWAY FROM THE SABBATH
Being involved in the secular or even the religious world (that doesn’t honor the sabbath) is a type of idol which interferes with you going through the portal of the Sabbath to a union with the Father and His kingdom. One of the Father's biggest complaints with regard to breaking the Sabbath is how it was a sign that the people were involved in idolatry. For had they honored the Sabbath purely, their idols would not had been.
If we are not keeping the Father's commandments, it's always an idol that we care more about standing in the way of us keeping His Word. You're either with the Father or against Him.
What keeps you from observing Sabbath will not only show you what your idols are, but what demons are doing to keep you from honoring the Father and keeping His Word.
KEEPING THE SABBATH INCREASES YOUR SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY AND POWER, ESPECIALLY ONCE YOU GET OUT OF SIN BY NOT DOING SO.
Many of us lack spiritual power because of the sin of Sabbath breaking. By breaking this commandment we have broken the hedge of protection that would be about us if we would only properly observe the Sabbath and we give a foothold to demons in our lives that they otherwise would not have.
SABBATH IS A TIME FOR FAMILIES TO SET ASIDE THE WORLD AND WORSHIP TOGETHER
HONORING SABBATH SHOWS UNITY
Our families are so fragmented and disjointed and lacking in spiritual leadership because we refuse to properly honor Sabbath. What a day to set aside to study the Word for ourselves, but also to share with our wives, children and extended families! How much time could you spend in the Word with your children if you had a 24 hour period set aside just of the purpose of the entire house being dedicated to the things of the Father on that day??? How much have we missed out on by not doing so???
IN CONCLUSION
Sadly most people never enter into this rest because they do everything on the Sabbath except put aside their busy lives and focus on their relationship with the Father. The Sabbath day is supposed to be the one day a week to foster your relationship with Him, but also for families to be together doing so, to love on the Father together. Any real relationship that doesn't set aside time for this kind of intimacy will wilt and fade away from neglect. Is it any wonder that most people who call themselves Believers who don't honor Sabbath, if they were to admit the truth of it, don't feel they know the Father at all and see Him as a complete mystery?
Every other day of the week we are distracted by the world and our place in it, but we are not supposed to be so on this day. We literally are meant to transcend the world on the Sabbath, as a unified body, in our marriages, families, and small groups.
We are supposed to be privileged to put aside our worries about everything, our relationship problems, our work and school challenges, our sporting endeavors, and everything else to focus on the Father. In so doing He causes these problems not only to take a back seat, but then, because you are in obedience to the Sabbath commandment, He miraculously resolves many of our problems and causes us to ride upon the high places of the earth. In keeping the commandments we give the Father the opportunity to answer our prayers and prove Himself so strong in our lives. By breaking the commandments, we put a wedge between ourselves and Him and cause Him to not be able to answer our prayers and bring resolution because you’ve put your trust in Him while also keeping His Word.
Meanwhile, because you are honoring Him, He has your back and puts His hedge about you and so many issues that could arise in your life are prevented because He’s gone before you to “make the crooked path straight."
This doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges to face, but walking in the Father’s Word by keeping this and all commandments, gives us peace in the storm, and faith and trust in circumstances which seem against us.
So keep the Sabbath and see what the Father will do. Begin to trust and obey Him and His Word (Jesus) and forget the lies of Paul which took away so many from enjoying this glorious weekly holiday, and from truly entering in the Kingdom of Heaven
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