Answering Sabbath Objections
within Charlie Kirk’s Pro-Sabbath Book

Charlie Kirk’s new book, “Stop in the name of God” was posthumously released and was the #1 best selling book on Amazon.
In his book, he brought up 10 Biblical reasons why one should observe the Sabbath, but also 10 popular arguments against it.
They are: “Colossians declares the Sabbath a Shadow Fulfilled in Christ”
“Romans 14 Affirms Liberty Regarding Sacred Days”
“Galatians Warns against Returning to Calendar Observance”
“Jesus offers a Deeper rest than the Sabbath Could”
“Hebrews Teaches Rest is Spiritual, not Ritual”
“The Jerusalem Council Did Not Require Sabbath Observance”
“Christians are not Under the Law but Under Grace”
“Jesus’ Resurrection became the Church’s Rhythm”
“The Sabbath Law is Part of Fulfilled Covenant”
“The Gospel Warns against Legalism and Bondage”
We go into greater detail in refuting these popular points against observing the Sabbath,
while highlighting the fantastic points that Charlie made in his impactful and popular book.

Link to this study on EliYah.com

A book came out this week by a man by the name of Charlie Kirk. Obviously, most of us know that name. Charlie Kirk passed away earlier this year. I was very surprised to learn that he was a professing Sabbath keeper. And saw several videos where he talked about him observing the Sabbath, beginning at sunset – what he called – Friday to sunset Saturday.

And I was even more surprised to learn he had a book coming out later in the year where he would be promoting Sabbath observance. And so, the book – I’m going to be going over it today because I actually read it – I picked it up this week, and it’s called “Stop in the Name of G-O-D, God.”

Now as one here who has been practicing Sabbath now for 36 years, I was pretty excited to get my hands on this book. It is actually the number-one selling book of all categories on Amazon. And so, I drove an hour away actually to pick it up at the Barnes & Noble, and I have to say it’s very good. It really is very good. It is basically, as Charlie kind of put it very eloquently, he said, “It is a manifesto against modern life.” A manifesto against modern life. He has some really, really good quotes in this book.

I imagine right now how many people are learning about the beauty of the Shabbat, the beauty of the Sabbath right now, and maybe somebody out there is observing it for the very first time.

And so, I want to share some of my favorite excerpts from this book. He said, “In a world that regards exhaustion, the Sabbath invites us back to Eden – to simplicity, to stillness, and to sacred time set apart.”

He said, “The human spirit, body, and society thrive under this cadence. Work finds purpose when it moves toward rest. Rest finds holiness when it reflects the Creator’s own pause.”

And he said, “In remembering that rest, we remember who we are. Not slaves, not machines, not commodities, but image-bearers,” because our Father also rested on the Sabbath. He said, “Slaves don’t rest. Free people do.” I love that one. “Rest is not a luxury for the privileged, but a birthright for the liberated.” Wonderful, wonderful thoughts.

“A command to stop,” – back up here – “utterly, decisively, rhythmically, (and) is perhaps the most radical command (ever given) humanity. In a world governed by unrelenting drive, by the mantras of ‘faster, harder,’ and more, the divine voice says something astonishing: Stop.” And that’s actually what the word Shabbat means. It means “to cease”.

And then he says, “The Sabbath then is a political act. It is a weekly declaration of allegiance – not to Pharaoh, not to empire, not to machine, but to Yahweh.” – And he used Yahweh’s name there. – “You cannot serve two masters. You cannot simultaneously live by grace and by quotas. The Sabbath draws a line. It divides those of us who are free from those still in chains.” – Wow.

And then he says, “It calls you to lay down your illusion of self-sufficiency and remember that your life is not your own – it is a gift”. “Not a place, but a sanctuary carved out of time itself. Like those magnificent cathedrals, it demands that you stop, that you look up, that you remember who you are…”

He says, “It is a weekly act of resistance against a tyranny of the urgent, a recalibration of our humanity toward peace and praise.” “Not a denial of joy, but an invitation to deeper joy.” “Not…a rule to restrict us, but…a mercy to restore us.”

“Not a weekly burden, but a life-giving rhythm.” “Not just a cultural tradition, it is a health blueprint designed thousands of years before we had words like burnout or cortisol.” “It is not legalism – it is liberation.”

“Not merely a day off, but a sacred rhythm, a return to Eden, a protest against Egypt.” “Not a burden to bear – it’s a grace to embrace. And in a world that never stops, one of the holiest things you can do is stop. Stop running. Stop working. Stop striving. and remember that you are not…”, – and he says, “God.” I use the word “Elohim.” I can explain it in some other study, but he says, – “but you are not Elohim, you are His. And so rest. Not because you must. But because He did.” – Very very good thoughts here on Shabbat, very philosophical, but very good, very good thoughts.

And he also mentioned the Seventh-day Adventist community in Loma Linda, California is one of the Earth’s five Blue Zones. A Blue Zone is an area of the world where people routinely live past a 100 years old. I looked it up. It’s more than one out of three residents in Loma Linda are Sabbath keepers, attending, and maybe even more than that, but at least that many are Seventh-day Adventists.

He mentioned that studies link Sabbath keeping to reduced rates of depression. One study showed that Sabbath keepers had a 33% lower risk of dying over a period of 16 years. Think about that. So needless to say, I’m very elated that so many people are learning about the blessing of this day of rest. Maybe some people, you know, like I said, are keeping it for the first time.

And then his wife Erika said, “Before he started keeping the Sabbath, Charlie was a good husband. After he started keeping the Sabbath, he became a next-level husband.” – You know, I would say that when I decided to keep the Sabbath 36 years ago, it changed my life also.

Many times you’ll see unbelievers come to the altar, and they get saved, and they’re crying in tears and everything going on, and they connect with our Savior the first time, but then the weight of the world just slowly, they start slipping, and it’s usually a very slow fade, and they go right back in the world again.

The Sabbath provides us with one day where we can just unplug from the distractions of the world and focus on our relationship with our Heavenly Father, and our relationship with one another. And that’s the benefit of it. And our Father knew that we need it. And I can tell you, as I’ve kept the Sabbath, really, the Sabbath has kept me. Because whenever things got difficult during the week, I always had this day to reconnect, regroup, get back in the things that matter in my relationship with our Heavenly Father.

You know, Charlie’s book is packed with so many reasons why one should lock into this rhythm of Sabbath keeping. But then toward the end of the book, he provided 10 Biblical reasons why believers should keep the Sabbath today. And they are, number one, “The Sabbath was instituted at creation, not at Sinai.” It says, (Genesis 2:3) – [So] Elohim blessed the seventh day and made it holy.

“The Sabbath is a part of the Ten Commandments, written in Stone.” (Exodus 20:8) – Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.

“The Sabbath was made for humanity, not just for Israel.” Our Savior said, (Mark 2:27) – The Sabbath was made for man.

“The Sabbath is a sign of Covenant Identity and Sanctification.” He said, …you shall keep My Sabbath, for this is a sign between Me and you. – Exodus 31:13.

“Yahushua” – I call Him Yahushua – “practiced and defended the Sabbath without nullifying it.” (Luke 4:16) – “[And] as was His custom, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day”

Number six, “The Sabbath appears in eschatological prophecy.” (Isaiah 66:23) …from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come and worship before Me. – That’s never happened. That’s a future event.

Number seven, “Hebrews teaches there ‘remains a Sabbath’.” Hebrews chapter 4, verse 9 says – There remains a Sabbath for the people of Elohim.

“The Moral Law still applies under the New Covenant.” Our Savior did say, (Matthew 5:17-18) – “Do not think [that] I have come to abolish the law,…not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.”

“Revelation identifies Elohim’s people as commandment keepers.” It says, (Revelation 14:12) – Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of Elohim and their faith in Yahushua. – So we need both commandments and faith.

“The Sabbath is a gift, not a burden.”(Genesis 2:3) – On the seventh day, you shall rest… – How could it be a burden to sit back and relax? I mean it’s not a ball and chain. It’s a time to sleep, relax, enjoy fellowship with family, other believers, take naps, connect with your Heavenly Father, pray, sing, praise. That’s what the day is all about. And that’s why those who keep it are often kept by it.

He pointed out Seventh-day Adventist, the Sabbath-keeping denomination, 88% of those in Seventh-day Adventism report saying “they are very happy with their life;” 88% compared to 44% of the world said “very satisfied” in a Gallop poll with their life.

The Sabbath day is actually one of four ways that we show love to our Heavenly Father. The first four commandments, the Ten Commandments, are expressions of love toward Him, our duty to Him. And this Sabbath command, as Charlie said, is this bridge to the later commandments of how we love our neighbor. And so, I was very, very, very pleased with his stance on the importance of keeping the Sabbath.

Now, after having shared the 10 reasons why we should keep the Sabbath, he did not hide the 10 reasons, there are 10 reasons, he suggested that people think we should not have to keep the Sabbath. And they say Christians are not bound to it today.

And so as I was going through those 10 reasons, he spent over 200 pages not just talking about the Sabbath, but about why the Bible is legitimate, why atheism makes no sense. It was almost a manifesto of his whole belief system, more than even just the Sabbath. But he connected it all to his revelation of Sabbath keeping.

And so, and then when we got to the 10 reasons why people say we shouldn’t keep the Sabbath, sometimes he didn’t really reply to those reasons, and sometimes he did with a very, very brief sentence or two, maybe a paragraph or two. And I thought, you know, there’s probably a lot of people that would like to hear a little bit stronger defense against those who say we don’t need to keep the Sabbath anymore.

And so, now Charlie himself believed that it didn’t matter what day you kept the Sabbath as long as you kept one. Now he himself kept it on the correct day. But I disagree with that, and I’ll share why. I think there’s only one day called the Sabbath in the Bible.

By the way, the study title is called “Answering Sabbath Objections within Charlie Kirk’s Pro-Sabbath book.” I could not shorten the title down, no matter how hard I tried. I know it’s a long title.

But that’s really what I want to talk about today, these objections that are in his book, that he recognized and I recognized, – I’ve heard it many times – why people think, “O ‘we don’t really have to keep the Sabbath anymore.” So let’s go over these objections. There are ten of them.

And the first one is, “Colossians declares the Sabbath a shadow fulfilled in Christ”. So Colossians chapter 2 is what he’s talking about here. It says, (Colossians 2:16-17) – So let no one judge you in food or in drink or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,
¹⁷ which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Messiah.

So let no one judge you in these matters. Now Paul’s advice here to Colossians is in the context of him saying back in verse 8, don’t be deceived by philosophies and vain deceit and traditions of men, and hold on to the Messiah.

Now this passage does not tell us what kind of judgment is being made by outsiders. It just says don’t let anyone judge you in those matters. And so it could be speaking of people saying, “Well, because I don’t keep the Sabbath, you don’t judge me.” Or it could be saying, since the Colossians were in a Gentile culture, not a Jewish culture, that since they were keeping the Sabbath and these other things, the Gentile culture was judging them for it, rather than cleaving to their philosophies and their vain deceit, calling back to verse 8 of that same chapter.

And also I want you to notice it says that these things are a shadow of things to come. It does not say they were. Now some modern translations have flipped that to were, but a literal translation – you can check the Greek – is they are presently, today a shadow of things to come.

And we know that makes sense, because Isaiah 66:22-23 says, – “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I shall make shall remain before Me,” says Yahweh, “so shall your descendants and your name remain.
²³ And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says Yahweh.

So no wonder he would say they currently are a foreshadowing of what’s coming. Not something of a bygone era, they were a shadow back in those days and it’s not here anymore, but something they presently are a shadow of things coming.

And the book of Revelation actually says, (Revelation 11:19) – “[Then] the temple of Elohim was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.” – What’s in the ark of the covenant? The tablets of stone, the Ten Commandments.

I just don’t see that there’s enough proof here in Colossians 2 to suggest that the fourth commandment is cut out of those ten inside that ark. I think the fourth commandment is still there. I don’t think it’s been cut out, sawed out, removed. I think it’s still there.

And so what we have to do is we have to look at each text on its own and of its own merits. It has to be able to prove the Sabbath is no longer in force today or no longer expected for us to be observed today. That commandment has been canceled, abolished, and done away with today. We don’t have to keep it as written today.

And there’s nothing here in Colossians 2 that proves it was done away with. The burden of proof is not on me to prove that the Sabbath is still valid. The burden of proof is on someone who would say it’s not valid. When Yahweh establishes something and then someone says it’s taken away, they have to show me where it’s taken away. I don’t have to prove to them it’s still there. They have to prove to me it’s not there. And so, no, there’s not enough here.

So I have a full study on Colossians chapter 2. It’s www.EliYah.com/Colossians. We don’t have time to go into this because we’ve got nine other points we have to address.

All right, so the next one, very common, “Romans 14 affirms liberty regarding sacred days.” A lot of people will point this out.

But Romans 14, the context here is this: (Romans 14:1) – Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. – And those who believe that Romans 14 is talking about the Sabbath would suggest that the Sabbath keeper is the one weak in faith and the one who rejects the Sabbath and no longer keeps the Sabbath would be the one who is strong in their faith, because they don’t feel like they have to keep it, you know.

But listen, I don’t find anything written in stone with Yahweh’s own finger being classified as a doubtful thing. It’s written with His own fingers. It’s not like any doubt as to whether it’s something our Father would want us to do.

Look, would anybody among us say that Charlie, a Sabbath keeper, was a man weak in faith? I mean, he lost his life because he was so bold with his faith. He even wanted to be known as a man that courageously stood up for his faith. And he actually said to somebody I read recently that “if I die for my faith, then that’s the way the Father wants me to go.” You know, that’s not a man weak in faith.

And so remember, each passage of Scripture has to stand on its own merits. So the burden of proof is for someone to prove that this passage does away with a particular day being called Sabbath and us having to observe that day.

So looking here, it says (Romans 14:2-6) – [For] one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
³ Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for Elohim has received him.
⁴ Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for Elohim is able to make him stand.
⁵ One person esteems one day above another, another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
⁶ He who observes the day, observes it to Yahweh; and he who does not observe the day to Yahweh, he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to Yahweh, for he gives Elohim thanks; and he who does not eat, to Yahweh he does not eat, and gives Elohim thanks. – Elohim is commonly translated “God” in our Bibles.

Now, is this talking about the Sabbath day? Is there any proof that this is… in fact, the word “Sabbath” doesn’t exist in the chapter, it’s not even there. It’s not there at all!

And so, actually, if you look into the Greek, it does read differently than what we’re seeing here in this chapter. But I’ll give you this. Now, I want to mention, first of all, this cannot be talking about the Sabbath, because there is no mention of Sabbath in the chapter. In fact, there’s no mention of Sabbath anywhere in the Book of Romans.

I say to you, you have to prove to me this is talking about the Sabbath, even though the Sabbath is nowhere mentioned in the chapter. The Sabbath would not qualify as a kind of commandment where a person could decide for themselves whether they’re willing to esteem one day above another. It’s already established in the Book of Genesis. This is a holy day. He tells us to remember it and to keep it holy, right?

It would also disregard other passages in the Book of Romans, like Romans 8:7 says – the carnal mind is enmity against Elohim, for it is not subject to the law. What’s the law tell us? To keep the Sabbath.

And so, unless we want to be at enmity with Yahweh, we would need to keep the law that tells us to observe the Sabbath. Now, I’m not saying that everyone who doesn’t observe the Sabbath is at war with the Father, but at the time period he’s speaking here, they knew better, okay? We are only judged by what we know, all right?

And it says, this Scripture is said to be about doubtful things. Commandments of Yahweh are not doubtful things, especially when He writes them with His own finger.

Now, notice in the passage it says, “the alternative to esteeming one day above another is to esteem every day.” (Romans 14:5) – One person esteems one day above another, another esteems every day. – If this was talking about the Sabbath, it would mean every day is potentially a day of rest, and we would not be able to work at all.

Basically, he would be justifying laziness here in Romans chapter 14. I think this is probably talking about other kinds of days that are not actually commanded to be observed in the Bible. Or, it could be talking about, and if you dig into it even more deeply, it’s actually talking about days on which it doesn’t say ‘observe’ in the Greek; it says ‘judge’. It’s talking about days in which you decide to go to the marketplace and eat food, because some had food offered to idols. They were concerned about that, and so they were weak in faith. They could not help but think of the idol when they eat the food. I go in to great detail in a later study.

But there are some, because of this chapter, believe that we can pick the day that we observe the Sabbath. And actually, Charlie is one of them. And I respectfully, I would disagree. And he’s not here to defend himself, and so I’m not trying to attack him or anything. I’m presenting a different point of view. And he allowed for people to have their points of view. And so I have mine.

You see, when the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures of the New Testament, when it breathed the words out, it identified a particular day as the Sabbath. For instance, Acts 13:14 says – But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue – when? –  on the Sabbath day and sat down.

Again, Acts 17:1-2 – [Now when] they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
² Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths, reasoned with them from the Scriptures.

And then Acts 18:4 – [And] he reasoned in the synagogue every – what? – Sabbath. – All right.

Now, if there really is no particular day that is really the Sabbath, it’s really just any day you want it to be, why would the Holy Spirit inspire the Scriptures to identify a particular day as the Sabbath? Even in the New Testament time period, there is still only one day that is identified as the Sabbath. The Sabbath.

And we see this consistent pattern from Genesis all the way to this point. There really is only one day that was set apart as a holy day for all creation to observe as a rest. Even your animals, He said, must rest on this day. And slaves had to rest too. And even foreigners. He said, “the stranger within your gates should rest as well.” And so it’s not just for Israel.

So, He identified a particular day as Sabbath. And that does not change in the New Testament. There’s still one day called “Sabbath.” And so any claim that Romans 14 allows you to pick some day called “Sabbath” when the Holy-Spirit-inspired Scripture identifies just one day as the Sabbath in the Book of Acts.

Yeah, I would disagree that Romans 14 frees us to choose our own day of rest. There’s only one day is holy, and we can’t make some other day holy. And that day is something that our Father kept and our Savior kept as well.

So yes, our differences are here in this particular point. But in practice, his family and my family are really doing the same thing. We’re observing the Sabbath on the actual day called “the Sabbath.” In one video, he did actually say, I’d love to debate somebody on this, but I don’t have time right now, which he was defending keeping it on the actual day called “Sabbath.”

So listen. Bravo, kudos to Charlie and his family for writing this book. I’m glad it’s popular. I’m sad that we lost Charlie. But I rejoice that this material is now out there for everyone to see.

There’s a full study on “Can we choose the day we observe as Sabbath?” at www.EliYah.com/Romans14 . And we go into that chapter in great detail. And I also show in that same link I should say, same study, that the Sabbath day has not been lost down through the ages. The Sabbath that our Savior kept on the seventh day is still the seventh day on the calendar we see on our walls today. The day that Charlie and Erika observed, and I observe is the same day our Savior also observed in the first century.

All right, so now let’s look at another point brought up — “Galatians warns against returning to calendar observance.” All right, well, let’s take a look.

Galatians 4:8 says – But then, indeed, when you did not know Elohim, – commonly translated “God” – you served those which by nature are not mighty ones.
⁹ [But] now after you have known Elohim, or rather are known by Elohim, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years.
¹¹ I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Now, Charlie would actually identify this “days, months, seasons, and years” as inclusive of the Sabbath; but the context of the passage is that they are turning again to what? Turning again to this — mighty ones that they used to serve.

The Gentiles are not turning again to Sabbath keeping because they were not Sabbath keepers when they were unbelievers. And so, to turn again to something means you’re going back to what you did before.

Also, this phrase right here, “observing days, months, seasons, and years,” was a common phrase of that time period. In fact, there was a Jewish philosopher by the name of Philo – that’s where we get the term “philosophy” from, where he mentioned these “days, months, seasons, and years.” He said, “Some people have such a desire for astronomical speculation that they spend their entire lives investigating the motions of the stars and the causes of things that happen on the earth, attributing everything to the movements of heavenly bodies…Others occupy themselves with the natures of – and it’s the exact same words – days, months, seasons, and years, supposing that from these cycles they can discover primary causes of good and evil fortune.”

Pagan things. Same exact thing that Paul brought up in his book to the Galatians. Same word, same word order. The only difference is the word for “months” in Galatians is in the accusative form and Philo uses the dative form, but it’s the same word.

And so Paul in his exasperation, is not only upset that the Galatians have departed to another gospel where you had to be circumcised in order to be saved; he’s also saying that they’re going back to observing days found in paganism. No wonder he is so exasperated, saying, “Well, it seems like I labored in vain then.”

And so that’s what they’re turning again to. They’re not turning again to Sabbath keeping. I would think, actually, those who observe Sunday and those who are keeping Christmas, I mean they’re observing days and months and seasons. They’re doing it, right?

And so if really it was a blanket against all days, months, seasons, then everyone’s guilty because we all have days in the calendar that you observe. And so I think the Sabbath here is still law in the same way I believe “honoring your father and mother” is still law. The same way that “do not murder” is still law.

Now, Charlie did not believe it’s law anymore. More like an optional suggestion. But there’s nothing uniquely oppressive about Sabbath keeping that suddenly when you start keeping it, you become legalists. It’s a blessing. And I can’t think of a better book I’ve ever read that shares what a blessing it is.

And it’s probably really harder for people to refrain from lying and lusting than it is to keep a day of rest, because, I mean, listen, it’s not hard to be lazy for a day. It’s not hard to connect with your family for a day, and with Yahweh for a day, unless we got something really, really wrong with our relationship with Him, right?

Now, I do have a full study on the book of Galatians at www.EliYah.com/Galatians.

And then he brings up this point, objection number 4, that “Yahushua offers a deeper rest than the Sabbath could.” Let’s take a look at it.

He said (Matthew 11:28-29) – “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
²⁹ “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Well, very good. I agree with what he said. But this passage does not abolish the Sabbath. Our Savior is offering rest for the soul. Our souls are in trouble. Our souls, apart from Him, are headed for the lake of fire. Yahushua said (Matthew 10:28) – “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” – See, He made a distinction between the body and the soul, didn’t He? He said – “[But rather] fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”, right?

And so there’s a distinction between the body and the soul. He didn’t say, “Come to Me, and I will give you rest for your bodies.”

The Sabbath is a rest for the body. It’s a way to improve our relationship with the Father. In that way it helps our soul out. But it doesn’t give rest to the soul. We need a Savior to give rest to the soul that’s otherwise headed for the lake of fire.

(Proverbs 11:30) – The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. – The soul needs to be won. And our Savior is the One who wins our soul.

And so this passage does not do away with the Sabbath. It simply points out that faulty leadership does not lead to rest for the soul. He says, “Take my yoke on you. Take my burden on you.” The Pharisees were always laying heavy burdens on people hard to bear. They themselves wouldn’t lift with one of their fingers the burdens they were laying on others. He says, “Come to me, and your soul will be at rest.” Whereas the Pharisees were like, “You gotta be this, this, this, this, this, this, and then we’ll accept you.” Yahushua says, “I’ll accept you right now if you turn your heart to Me. And then I’ll lead you gently.” And that’s going to lead to salvation.

The pharisaical method was leading people not to salvation, but He said, “You turn them into twice the son of hell that they were before.” (Matthew 23:15)

And so He’s not talking about Sabbath here in Matthew 11 verse 28. If He was, then He was teaching that we don’t have to keep the Ten Commandments. And He was teaching people it’s okay to sin. And therefore, He couldn’t even be our Savior, because He Himself had sinned and transgressed the law our Father had given Him.

All right, so let’s look at our fifth objection. It says, “Hebrews teaches rest is spiritual, not ritual.” Well, there is a physical rest. And there is a spiritual rest, which we just talked about. Spiritualization of something does not mean that you’re free to ignore the original command.

For instance, Book of Revelation talks about this spiritual harlot that sits on a beast. We don’t interpret Scripture now to say we’re free to commit physical harlotry because now spiritual harlotry has somehow taken over the physical side, right? And so the Heavenly Father is only concerned about the spiritual harlotry now, He’s not concerned about the physical harlotry anymore. No, He wants both physical and spiritual harlotry not to be practiced, right? And so He wants to give us spiritual rest, but He also wants us to practice physical rest as well.

And so the spiritualizing of something does not mean now the physical is done away with. And so, if you study Hebrews more deeply, you’ll find out the rest actually He’s referring to, He goes back to Joshua where they had given them rest, right? And that rest was a rest from their enemies.

Now, there’s a 7,000-year plan, I believe, in Scripture. The 6,000 years is a time when we’re dealing with the enemy; we’re trying to fight against sin and all these things. But the last 1,000 years, this millennial reign, is representing a Sabbath of sorts when we have rest from the enemies. Why? Because he’s in the bottomless pit for a 1,000 years.

And so we have rest from the enemy. And this is the 7,000 year plan I think he’s talking about here in Hebrews chapter four.

And so, the Sabbath is also a day where we get to rest from our enemies because we’re not out there in the work world and dealing with the world, we’re home in our secure and loving environment around people that we care about and people that love us and people that we love. And we connect with our Father in heaven. And so we can take a break from the enemy and his unrelenting pursuit of destroying our souls. All right.

Another objection: “The Jerusalem council did not require Sabbath observance.” So, a lot of people think that this is talking about, “Well, which laws of Moses do the Gentiles have to keep?”

 But look at this, what it says. It says, (Acts 15:19-21) – [Therefore] I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are – what? – turning to Elohim, – that’s brand new converts –
²⁰ “but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.
²¹ “For Moses has had throughout many generations, those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

Now, what good would this do if they’re out working on the Sabbath? There is actually Sabbath mentioned here in this ruling. And so the four things here though are not things from the law of Moses. Sexual immorality, we know that Sodom and Gomorrah was judged for that. Genesis chapter 9 tells us not to eat the blood. And no one can say now we’re free to, you know, to somehow being caught up in idolatry was a law-of-Moses thing. All these things were before there was ever a law of Moses, right?

And so this was not a decision on which laws of Moses they had to keep. In fact, you had to be willing to observe these things before any Jewish person would allow you in their synagogue. And there they will learn the rest of the laws, the commandments that they would have to keep as they learn.

But as the Spirit leads, as the Savior leads, not as men coming down from Judea saying, “You’re not even a believer until you get circumcised.” That was a false teaching. And that teaching was thoroughly addressed here in Acts chapter 15.

That’s like, in some ways, it’s like some churches, they say, “You have to believe all of our doctrines, and then you sign on the dotted line, and then you get baptized into our church, and then you’re saved.” I think we get saved the minute we get on our face, and we bow before our Father in heaven, and we accept our Savior Messiah Yahushua for the forgiveness of sin, and we turn away, make a decision to turn away from sin. That’s when He saves us; not when we join some denomination, or in their case, it’s a circumcision club, right? And so that’s what they were dealing with here in Acts 15.

But as long as our hearts are repentant,…and this is why I love Charlie as a believer, even as I love those who go to church on Sunday as a believer and keep Sabbath on a different day or don’t keep it at all as a believer, because if really, if your heart’s repentant and you just don’t see what I see, okay. Well, you don’t see it. There might be things I don’t see that you see. And so I don’t judge people as unbelievers because they have a different understanding of our Father’s will for us.

But we should reason together and seek out what is our Father’s will for us? And so I’m not into what the people in Acts 15 were into, which is, “oh, not until you reach our level of righteousness are you accepted.” And truth be told, as the Gentiles learned more, more was expected of them. I mean, Paul wrote Ephesians and said, “You have to do this,” and Galatians and, you know, the works of the flesh – those who practice those works of the flesh are not gonna be found in the Kingdom. He writes all kinds of lists about things we should be doing or we’re not gonna make it, right?

And so there were more than just four things. But these are Gentiles who are new converts, just turning to the Father, just learning the Father’s ways. And there was an expectation they would learn more of the Father’s ways on the Sabbath. Very interesting.

And it says here, the word “for”, like, this is the reason why I’m only gonna give you four things. Because, or ‘for’, because…there’s other things you can learn on the Sabbath, right?

And actually, in the book of James, he says, “If one comes into your assembly wearing fine gold rings and you make him in a nice comfy seat and you make the poor man sit down, sit on a footstool or whatever…,” that word come into your “assembly” – actually the Greek word there is “synagogue.” If one comes into your synagogue, with gold rings and you got a poor man over here, treat them both the same.

And so synagogue was not just a place for unbelieving Jews, but where believers also gathered. Their congregation was called synagogue. All right, anyway. A full study on Acts 15,  www.EliYah.com/Acts15 .

Then it says, objection number seven, “Christians are not under the law, but under grace.” Well, that’s true. We’re not, we’re not under the law. We are under grace. But if we were under the law, what would that mean? That would mean we’re not under grace, right? Well, how do we get under grace? We make a decision to repent from sin and turn to our Savior Yahushua the Messiah, whom the world calls “Jesus.”

Now to be under the law is a very miserable condition; that means you’re not under grace. That’s a terrible condition. You have no grace. You’re trying very hard to be obedient, hoping that your obedience will be good enough. Maybe your good will outweigh your bad or something and He’ll let you in.

But that’s not the way you get saved. The law can’t save you. The law can only point out how condemned you are, right? The law cannot shed his blood for you. It can’t die on a tree for you. And so if you were under that law in order to find salvation, you would not be saved because the law is only gonna condemn you, right? That’s true.

And the only way for that law to save you, our Savior was born under the law and yet was not condemned because He kept it perfectly. And because He kept it perfectly, He is able to perfect us as well.

So what happens to the law once He has perfected us by His grace? What happens to it? Well, we’re not under it. We’re not under the law. But I submit to you that we’re not above the law either. You can’t act as if it’s not there and live the way you want to.

And so you’re not under the law. You’re not above the law. Where is it? It’s right here in our hearts, in our minds, right? That’s what Scripture says. The law is in our hearts and our minds. And what happens when the law is hidden in your heart? What’s the Psalm say? Your law, (Psalm 119:11) – Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You. – right? That I might not break those laws. That’s why the law is here.

And how did the law get here? Our Savior is the Word made flesh and dwelt among us, right? According to the book of John 1:14. He dwells there. He’s the living law. He’s the living Word that dwells in us. And that’s how it got there. Our Savior is there now, right?

So the fact that we are not under the law: Paul asks the question (Romans 6:15) – What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not! – This is the strongest possible objection in the Greek language. Absolutely not. Pound the table. No way, right?

Well, what exactly is sin? I’m not supposed to sin anymore. Just because we’re not under the law doesn’t mean you can sin all you want. What is sin? According to Romans 7:7 – I would not [have] known sin except through the law. – So the  law tells us what sin is, right? – By the law is the knowledge of sin. – Romans 3.20. And then 1 John 3:4 says – Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The Greek word for “transgression of the law” is the Greek word “anomia.” Let’s take a look at this in the Strong’s Lexicon. It says it’s from Greek word 459, and it means “illegality,” “violation of law.” And then 459, from which this word is derived says “lawless,” “not subject to the Jewish law.” What was the law given to the Jews? To keep the Sabbath. And so the very definition of sin is law breaking. What law? It tells us “the Jewish law.”

It’s for that reason I don’t believe the law has been abolished. It just can’t save you. Your “works of the law” will not save you. We need a Savior for that. We need someone else’s righteousness to be imparted to us in order for us to be saved.

And so (Romans 6:15) – What then? Shall we sin? – Shall we walk in violation of the Ten Commandments which tell us that we should keep the Sabbath? Absolutely not. We don’t violate that command, right? In fact, he says in a later verse, (Romans 6:2) – How can [we] who died to sin continue living in it? – We died to those things.

And so for this reason, I think the Sabbath is still something – yes, it is important for us to obey and actually He commands us to do it. Now we may not know He commands us to do it, and so there’s grace there; you don’t know any better. But once you know, (James 4:17) – To him who knows to do good and does it not, then it becomes sin. – Right? And our Savior taught us in John 9:41 – “If you were blind, you would have no sin.” – If we’re blind to something, we’re not held guilty. But once we see it, then we’re accountable. All right.

Let’s take a look at our next objection. “Yahushua’s Resurrection Transformed the Church’s Rhythm.”

Acts 20 verse 7 says – [Now] on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

And then we see 1 Corinthians 16:2 – On the first day of the week let each of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

Now these two Scriptures are often used to say the early Church met on the day called “Sunday,” first day of the week. However, if the early Church actually continued to observe the Sabbath day, if that’s what they were doing, as had been practiced for thousands of years, these verses do not prove the day of worship had changed at all.

First of all, we already demonstrated the seventh day of the week is the day called “the Sabbath” in the Bible. And that’s the day where Yahweh had commanded everyone to gather. He said, “Have a holy convocation on that day.”

So what’s going on here? Well, you notice in Charlie’s book that he said he observed the Sabbath from sundown to sundown. There’s something significant to that because Biblically a day does not begin at midnight. In Genesis 1 verse 1, it says – In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.
² The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. – Beginning of creation. What’s there? The heavens and the earth and also darkness. So the very first day began with an evening, with a darkness. – And the Spirit of Elohim was hovering over the face of the waters. – The earth was there. There was water that was there on the earth.
³ [Then] Elohim said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
⁴ [And] Elohim saw the light, that it was good; and Elohim divided the light from the darkness.
⁵ Elohim called the light Day, darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning [were] the first day.

Evening first, darkness first, up here. Darkness is first and then light. Evening is the beginning point of the darkness and morning is the beginning portion of the daylight portion of the day called “day.”

And so, that’s why it says in Leviticus 23:32 – from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath. – Our heavenly Father does not go with the Roman midnight as the beginning of the day. The day ends when the day ends. When the sun goes down, the day is over. A new day begins. All right.

So Biblically speaking, think about what was going on here in Acts chapter 20 and 1 Corinthians 16:2.

To this day, the Jews practice something called the “Havdalah.” Havdalah is when they gather to close out the Sabbath, because Yahweh said to cook your meals ahead of time, before He even gave the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 16, He said, cook your meals ahead of time – bake what you will bake, boil what you will boil. – Exodus 16:23.

No cooking was done on the Sabbath. And for that reason Sabbath ended. Now they’re together, they’re having, it looks to me, like a Havdalah-type thing where they could now cook. And that would be the beginning of the first day of the week.

So actually at this time of the year, in the winter time, when people gather and what they think is Sunday night, they think it’s still Sunday. But in reality, it’s the second day of the week, according to Biblical reckoning of time.

And so what’s happening here is the sun went down, first day of the week begins. They come together to have a meal and now they can cook because it’s not Sabbath anymore. And then also they can deal with business matters because they don’t deal with business matters on the Sabbath.

To break bread does not mean communion. To break bread is simply a euphemism meaning they got together, they had a meal together. It does not mean communion at all. I can say, here at our fellowship in Ava, Missouri, a lot of people are still here after the sun goes down. We’re having a first day of the week, it’s still here, we’re all still gathered.

And so the early disciples spent a lot of time together. And so when Sabbath – that’s what Sabbath does to people: we just keep hanging out pretty much the whole day.

So, the focus is on relationships and praise and getting in the Word together and singing and fellowship. You know, in our modern culture, you know, the way that people are observing Sunday nowadays is they can’t wait to get out of church because football game already started or a football game will be coming up soon. And forget it, the rest of the day is to the world.

But the way we keep the Sabbath is that we love it. We’re here all day and sometimes well after evening as well.

And so listen, this does not prove anything changed. It actually would support the idea they were observing Havdalah and they were gathering to deal with business, and have a meal, and Paul continued to preach until midnight and left the next morning, okay?

So, also a lot of people say, “Well, we gather on the first day of the week because of the resurrection.” Because that’s what they think the Lord’s Day is. But what day is our Savior Master of? What day is He Lord of? The Sabbath. And so what day really is the Master’s day? It’s the Sabbath. It’s the day He’s the Master of.

We make this assumption that it’s actually first day of the week is this Lord’s Day. But you know does it make sense that our Savior was in the ground resting; He was in the grave resting on the Sabbath. He rose and then on the first day of the week He ascended to go and prepare a place for us, right? And so we’re going to work when He rested and rest when He rose up to work.

We assume that all because “resurrection we’re going to do it this day.” But we don’t get to really invent our own thing here, our own sabbaths, our own days. And if you want to gather that day, I’m not going to say you’re a bad person.

But actually look at the 5th century historians, what they said about Sabbath keeping. They said, “For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.” – (5th-century church historian Socrates Scholasticus (also known as Socrates of Constantinople), in his Ecclesiastical History (Book V, Chapter 22))

So most of the world was keeping Sabbath, but only in Rome and Alexandria, because of some ancient tradition, stopped doing it.

And then we see another historian, 5th-century historian saying, “The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or Alexandria.” – (5th-century historian, Sozomen (Book VII, Chapter 19))

You know, maybe the writings of the Sabbath-observant church fathers did not survive the Roman Catholic’s church domination of Christian religion. And that’s why it’s assumed that the early church did not observe the Sabbath. They destroyed the church fathers that were Sabbath-observant church fathers, and the ones that were in favor of the Roman Catholic tradition of doing first day of the week and disregarding the Sabbath, were actually the ones that survived. And they preserved their writings and threw away the rest.

I think that’s probably what happened based on what we’re seeing here. Two separate 5th-century historians, Sozomen, and then the other one was Socrates Scholasticus here. And so both are 5th-century historians. And this is still going on, people keeping Shabbat.

All right, let’s take a look at our ninth objection. “The Sabbath Law is Part of a Fulfilled Covenant.” A fulfilled covenant.

What’s that mean to fulfill a covenant? A covenant is an agreement. However, a lot of people might miss this, but the New Covenant also contains law, right? Hebrews chapter 8:10 – For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts.

The writing of His law in our hearts doesn’t cause us to think, “Oh, now we can disobey it.” Actually, the evidence that the law is in our hearts is that obedience to that law is being reflected on the outer layer.

And so, for instance, the law, I say, “The law against idolatry is in my heart.” I go worship idols. That doesn’t make any sense. “Well, the law against committing adultery is in my heart.” And I go off and play with harlots. That makes no sense. The law is not in your heart. You’re not doing it, right?

And so how can I say, “Well, this law is in my heart,”  and I violate the 4th Commandment, which is (Exodus 20:8) – Remember the Sabbath [day], to keep it holy.

And so our Savior, yes He fulfilled all the Commandments. He didn’t just fulfill the commandment about the Sabbath. He fulfilled all of them. So that we could be restored. So that we who have not fulfilled the law can, by His record, have fulfilled the law. But His fulfillment of the law in us does not mean we’re free to now disobey the law. We should not sin that grace may abound, right?

And so we know that refraining from idolatry, that respecting His name and keeping the Sabbath are all expressions of how we’re supposed to love Him according to the law. Well, if that law is in our heart, let’s observe it.

The truth is, there is not a single Scripture in the New Testament that tells us His Sabbath is now optional. You have to read that into the text of Romans 14. You have to inject it into the text. And there’s not a single Scripture that says it’s optional now.

And the burden of proof, once again, will be on those who say it is. And there’s not any Scripture anywhere to tell us that it is.

Final objection. “The Gospel warns against Legalism and Bondage.” That’s true. If done correctly, though, there is nothing about observing the Sabbath that causes one to start observing a works-based righteousness.

I really respect Charlie Kirk for writing this book. I really, really do. It’s clear he was on a journey of discovering our Father’s will in the richness of the Sabbath. And for that reason he had very good reasons for supporting and promoting Sabbath observance.

I also respect his concerns about not allowing the Sabbath to lead him to legalism and to bondage. And so to avoid legalism, Charlie just says this. He says, “You can live without the Sabbath. But you won’t live well. You can survive without it. But you cannot thrive in the full blessing of [God’s] – I say Elohim’s – design while rejecting one of His most generous gifts.”

And so he’s trying to find this sweet spot somewhere, you know, that you don’t need it, but you won’t do very well without it, okay? And so then he concludes with, he says so, “Working seven days a week without pause is not just unhealthy – it is an act of spiritual arrogance. It says, ‘I don’t need the rhythm Elohim created. We can make our own.’”

And so here he’s a little stronger on it, isn’t he? He’s saying, “Well, it’s spiritually arrogant to not observe the Sabbath. It’s spiritually arrogant.” Are we supposed to be spiritually arrogant? Is that our Father’s will, for us to be spiritually arrogant? Of course not, it’s a sinful thing.

And so he’s trying to find this spot somewhere without coming out and saying, he said, “So rest. Not because you must. But because He did.”

We don’t have to be in His image? Well, no, you really don’t have to be in His image, but you’re supposed to be. And he’s trying to find that spot. And so he’s trying to make this as close to a commandment as he can without coming out and saying it’s a commandment.

But the title of his book is his saying, “Stop, in the name of God,” he’s saying. And so I get it; he’s trying to find the right spot. Where do you land on this, you know. Because the minute you start observing the Sabbath, one of the first things other Christians will say is, “You’re a legalist, you’re going back to legalism. You’re going back under that old law again.”

And I hear you, I hear you. Not other commands—you honor your father in extreme ways; nobody calls you a legalist, you know. You decide that you’re gonna get out the best dishes and best meal and tablecloths and everything for a wonderful dinner for your wife. Nobody says, “You legalist.” Because you’re going to extreme measures to show someone love does not make you a legalist.

And so even if you go to extreme measures to keep the Sabbath does not mean you’re legalist. Maybe you just love the Father. Yeah, and some people might be legalists trying to do those things.

But you see, legalism really is this idea that you’re trying to be saved by your own works. And that causes one to no longer be trusting in the Messiah for the forgiveness of sin. And for that reason, you get entangled again in that yoke of bondage.

Listen, there are plenty of people in this world that think they’re saved because they show up at church on Sunday. That doesn’t save you, it doesn’t save you! You walk across the football field, are you a football player? No! Just because you’re there doesn’t mean you’re actually a believer. You’re just there, okay? That’s someone trying to engage in works-based righteousness and legalism because they think they show up in church, therefore they’re saved.

Other people might think they’re saved because they give to the poor. They think, “Oh, am I good or am I bad? Because look how much good I’m doing, giving all the money away to the poor.” That’s great. Hey, it’s all good. But that’s not going to save you. Your own righteousness is not going to save you. You need a Savior for that, His righteousness in you, to be saved.

And so, really the issue is not what command you keep. Keeping a particular command does not make you more of a legalist than other commands. I know people go to extreme measures to show their parents respect and honor. Does it make them legalists, right?

And so, we assume that particular commands are connected to legalism, other ones aren’t. Truth is, no matter what the command is, if you think that’s what saves you, you’re wrong. Only His righteousness is what saves you.

And so, overstressing about legalism actually can be legalism. I know this sounds funny, but listen. Think about this. “I’m so good at not being legalistic,“ you know, “I’m sure I’m saved. And so, because I don’t keep the Sabbath so very strictly, I’m sure He’ll accept me now,” you know.

And so, it’s nothing to do with the command you keep. It’s your motive, why you’re doing it, okay?

Look at what our Savior said here in Matthew 23 verse 23. He said – ”Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. – Did you know justice and mercy and faith are not just parts of the law? Some people think they’re the opposite. They’re actually the weightier matters of it. He said – These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. – In other words, He’s not criticizing them for paying tithe of the smallest little herbs in their windowsill. He’s saying, “Yeah, do that, but don’t leave the big things undone.” He says, you’re –
²⁴ “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat – You’re straining a gnat out of your wine so you don’t consume any unclean insects, but then you – swallow a camel! – You got camel steak at the same dinner table. What good does it have to strain gnats out of your wine or out of your salad, when you’re having camel steak, right? And so you’re paying attention to the small matters and ignoring the big ones. That’s what He’s criticizing. He said,” these you ought to have done.” Do the small things. Do the little things. Yes, but don’t leave the major things undone, right?

And so, think about this. For us to observe the Sabbath on the day He called Sabbath is not legalism, it’s Biblical. It’s the day He says, “Remember,” it’s not legalism, it’s doing Bible things in Bible ways.

Suppose a man has seven sheep. He says, “Son, go up on the hill and shear the 7th sheep born on this farm. Her name is Missy. And bring back Missy’s wool to me, please.”

So the man goes up on the hill. The son goes up on the hill. He looks at the seven sheep. He’s like, “You know, I like the first one better.” So he shears the wool off the first sheep born on the farm because it looked prettier. And so he took it. He went down. He brought the wool to his father. Did he do his father’s will? Be honest. No, no he didn’t.

So our Heavenly Father says, “I want to set one day out of the week apart as the Sabbath. It’s going to be called ‘the Sabbath’ for all eternity.” And He says, “This is the day I want you to remember and to keep this day holy. I’ve made it holy. I want you to keep it that way.” And we decide we’re going to keep some other day holy. Are we really doing our Father’s will? Be honest. No, we’re not really doing our Father’s will.

Now, it’s very important because the Sabbath command, it made it to Yahweh’s top-10 list, right? It’s in the top-10 list, the Ten Commandments, the 4th Commandment. And this is an expression of love that we keep this day. Matthew 22:36 says – “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
³⁷ Yahushua said to him, “‘You shall love Yahweh your mighty one with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind.
³⁸ “This is the first and great commandment – This is the most important commandment right here is how we love Him. –
³⁹ “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
⁴⁰ “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” – What does that mean? The first four commandments are hanging off the commandment to love Yahweh, our Father in heaven, with all of our heart, soul and mind.

So the top-four ways that we show love to Him, is not worship idols, and make other things a higher priority than He is, and not mess with His name. That’s why I use the name Yahweh. I don’t participate in the tradition of replacing it with titles like “Lord” and “God.” And the fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath.

These are all expressions of how we love Him. In fact, they are the more important commands because He said these are “the first and great commands” is how we love Him. And the second most important is how we love each other.

And so expressions of love to our Father are the commands that we should take higher precedence and consider to be very important.

It’s just that when you don’t love your neighbor, they immediately respond to you. But when you don’t love the Father the way He wants us to, you have to just trust that what His Word says is true. He expects you to do it and He’ll deal with it on the final day of judgment, right?

So what is legalism? Listen, our goal is this. Here’s our goal. Our goal is: to never let His grace take the edge off of our zeal for obedience to Him. Never take advantage of it. That’s our goal.

But also our goal is this: Never let our obedience to Him cause us to forget we’re not saved by our own righteousness, we’re saved by His. And so what He wants is full, 100% passion for obedience to His commands and expressions of love to Him. As our Savior said, (John 14:15) – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”  – right? And so, to love Him with all of our heart.

And the Sabbath keeping is one way that He told us, “Here’s how you love Me with My love languag.” May not be what you think is a love language, but you have to understand this is His love language, right?

And so it’s not legalism to decide to observe the Sabbath on one particular day and say ,”This is what the Bible teaches.” That’s not legalism. Maybe it’s just love. That’s what our Father wants: love. And just as we honor our parents because we love them, we honor the Sabbath because we love Him, because He first loved us, right? That’s why we love Him.

And guess what? It’s all for our good. We benefit from it. It’s not like it’s all just some devotional thing we’re doing. It’s actually for our own personal benefit, right? It’s for our own spiritual growth. It’s for our own spiritual health and our physical health as well.

And listen. This is what, and all the mess and all the confusion and all the ideas that people have to just justify not observing the Sabbath, it all goes back to this for me right here. This is what it goes back to. (1 John 2:6) – He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.– Just as He walked.

(Hebrews 13:8) – [Yahushua Messiah] He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. – The Sabbath that He kept yesterday and the Sabbath He kept in the Garden of Eden is the Sabbath that He wants to keep in us today. And we read earlier that one day all flesh will come and worship Him on that day. And so it’s a day that will be observed forever.

And Charlie said, and I agree, he said, “If the Sabbath exists in Eden and again in a New creation, then it’s difficult to argue that it’s obsolete in the present.” Very difficult to argue that. It is.

I would only add one more thing. I’m not sure if Charlie would do this or not, okay? But some of you don’t have families with you. Some of you are alone. And some of you, you want to be able to grow spiritually, but you don’t have any Sabbath-keeping fellowship other than maybe a Seventh-day Adventist, which, I really don’t agree with their doctrines—Ellen White and all these things.

And so you’re looking for some way to get spiritual nourishment on the Sabbath through a sermon or a Bible teaching. We do this online Sabbath gathering here on www.eliyah.com/live every Sabbath. We have music, we have a teaching every week. Right now we’re going over all the promises in the Bible. And we’re all the way up to the book of Acts and Romans, and over 150 promises we’ve found so far. The key promises, not every promise, but key promises. And we hope to be an encouragement to you.

Also, you can submit questions and comments through the web. And we address them here live on the air. I sit in the hot seat every week and answer your questions, and also offer a way for you to interact and share your comments. And then we take your prayer requests. And at that time, and after the prayer request, we close out the broadcast.

But listen, this website’s been online for 30 years. I’m here to minister to you. And then after you’re done with the broadcast, feel free to put that phone back in the junk drawer if you want to, and get back into, you know, connecting with your family face-to-face. So, but that’s my encouragement to you.

And I praise Yahweh for his boldness to promote this book in a very, very Sabbath-breaking culture. And even if it’s posthumously, you know, that was released and everything. I think our heavenly Father really is happy to see this go out and it being the number one seller. How about that? Halleluyah!

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, almighty Yahweh, our Creator, the One who made the heavens and the earth.

On this day, we recognize as a memorial to You, to Your creation, as remembrance that we are not slaves to Egypt or the world, but we are free men. Slaves don’t rest but free people do. Thank You for imparting such good words in this book. I pray, Father, it would bear fruit.

But I also pray that people would take another step and not see the Sabbath as merely optional, but see it as something You really, truly want us to keep. And the Ten Commandments really are not multiple choice. And that we are called to observe every single one of them. Not because that’s our salvation, but because we are saved, as repentant people we want to do Your will. May Your name be glorified. Above all names.

And if there’s any in the sound of my voice that has not come to the feet of our Savior Yahushua Messiah, and put our trust in Him for forgiveness of sin, call them into Your sheepfold; they might experience rest, not just for the body, but also for the soul.

All praise and honor and worship belongs to You, forever and ever, in Yahushua’s name, amein.