Presents
Pamphlet 1945 Hebrews kc 8-2
Why was the preaching of the gospel of no benefit to the Isrealites in the wilderness?
Presents
Pamphlet 1945 Hebrews kc 8-2
Why was the preaching of the gospel of no benefit to the Isrealites in the wilderness?
Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
[2] For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Paul has already told us.
It is because they did not have
the conviction [pistis],
the trust and reliance on the Word
of God to remain steadfast,
to endure unto the end.
Instead, they "erred" and were drawn away from Him and followed after idols and ungodliness.
Had they truly believed by trusting and relying on the
word preached unto them,
they could have entered into His rest, even into the
promised land.
The point is, do not allow the same thing happen unto you.
Understand the words with which
Paul opened this great book of Hebrews explaining
that God "at sundry times and in
divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
[2] Hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds
(Heb. 1:1-2).
You see, Jesus Christ is the Word of God and it is Jesus Christ who does the saving and leads us into His rest.
Do you trust and rely in Him... which is to say, Do you trust and rely in the Word of God?
A word to the wise (virgin) is sufficient.
James 1:21-22 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.[22]But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
It is by our hearing (hearkening unto) His Voice and not hardening our hearts that we enter into rest.
So we know... it is by our hearing mixed with "faith",
faithfulness to His Word,
i.e. by being a "doer" that we enter into His rest. Therefore,
get to know the Lord Jesus Christ. You can only do that through His Word.
Read it! Study it! Eat the little book/His body!!
Make your abode with Him, for He is the living Word
of God.
John 14:23 "Jesus answered and
said unto him, If a man love me, he will
keep my words:
and my Father will love him, and
we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
The plan of God and the "rest",
that eternal rest He has prepared for His children who love Him,
was appointed even before foundation
of the world, which means before the overthrow of Satan
in the "world that then was (1
Pet. 3:6)". (See appendix 146 in the Companion Bible.)
[4] For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
After the same manner, Christ entered
into that place after He had finished His work
whereby He said, "It is finished
(Jn. 19:30)".
How is your work coming along?
Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
The "rest" that remains is for His children to come to Him and to love Him and to enter into His abode.
Jesus Christ has prepared that place, a resting place, an abode or mansion (Jn. 14:2) for you IF you will come and enter in.
Hebrews 4:5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
[6] Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Paul has emphasized this point because he wants to be sure we understand what constitutes belief and unbelief!
Those who do believe can enter into His rest or dwelling places.
In fact, if you truly understand His rest, you can enter into that rest To Day.
Will you hear His saving voice, To Day, and cast aside the idolatrous traditions of men?
[7] Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Or using James terminology, "Do you receive with meekness (humility) the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls?"
The logic Paul reasons to us with is that after all that
time, 500 years later,
David again speaks of hearing His voice and not hardening
your heart and entering into His rest.
In other words, that alone shows us that the rest Joshua
gave the people was not,
and could not have been, the "day" which God limited
(i.e. appointed) even from the beginning.
It was but a type of the true rest, the "sabbatismos", which is fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
That is the true rest into which we enter.
[8] For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
The "rest" that Joshua gave them
was but a foreshadowing of the spiritual rest
into which we can enter through
faith and trust... and that rest is a "sabbatism",
i.e. the Sabbath which is Christ.
Read
and digest I Corinthians 10:11
and
what it means to us spiritually.
This Greek word translated "rest" in this verse in not "katapauo" as is the case in the previous verses. This word is "sabbatismos" which is a rest on a much higher plane. It is the heavenly rest. It is the rest that comes from "finished work".[9]There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Note: The subject of the sabbath is a difficult one for many people who feel that the keeping of a certain day of the week is required to show themselves approved unto God. Then too, there is the argument as to which day of the week that should be, Saturday or Sunday, the basis of which shows a lack of wisdom and understanding concerning the sabbath, which only goes to document Paul's point about Christians who do not "take heed" to the things written of old, the foreshadowings in the law and the prophets which all give witness unto Christ.sabbatismos = sab-bat-is-mos' Strong's #G4520
From a derivative of G4521; a "sabbatism", that is, (figuratively) the repose of Christianity (as a type of heaven):—rest.
The fact is that Israel's sabbaths were calculated from
the vantage point of the first day of the year
according to the Solar Calendar which is the Vernal Equinox.
For example, read Lev. 23 and you will see that the high
day of Christianity,
which is the Lord's Passover, was to be "in the fourteenth
day of the first month
at even is the LORD'S passover (Lev. 23:5)".
The point made is that the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox
is basically a fixed calendar date (March 20-21)
according to our Gregorian calendar.
It is much like Christmas or New Year's Day which are
affixed to specific dates,
which means that the date does not change but the day
of week certainly does.
Therefore, the argument as to on which day of the week
does the sabbath fall, Saturday or Sunday,
is based on a false foundation and is akin to arguing
on which day of the week does Christmas fall, Saturday or Sunday?
Those who have listened to men,
instead of hearing His voice,
and have become subject to the
law contained in ordinances, be careful to do your homework.
You wouldn't want to be keeping Saturdays or Sundays as sabbaths if the sabbaths were all on Wednesdays this year, would you?
(You can do you own research to
find out when and by whom the weekly sabbath was affixed to Saturday...
in the bringing forth of the great
synagogue.)
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
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