What is The Sabbath Celebrating?
The Sabbath is a weekly gift from , YHVH -YeHoVaH. It provides an opportunity to rest from the curse of Adam symbolically as we look forward to the Millennial Reign. We are to do no work for money, i.e. whatever we do as our occupation from the 1-6th day of the week, we are to cease from that labor (from the curse of Adam). The Sabbath is also a prophetic rehearsal each week for the coming “rest” in the 7th millennium. On this day we meditate on what Yeshua accomplished in fulfilling the Passover and covering our sin. We should understand that YeHoVaH raised Yeshua on The Sabbath and that Yeshua returns again as King of the Sabbath millennium. The Sabbath is a weekly celebration of the return of The King of the Sabbath to rule this Earth for a 1,000 years or The Sabbath Millennium. The reason we “rest” on The Sabbath from our labor is because The Sabbath is a Moedim or rehearsal as we express our faith that in The Sabbath Millennium the curse of Adam that “by the sweat of our brow we labor” will be lifted and our burden lightened.
The Sabbath is a time for the men of YeHoVaH to exercise their authority and responsibilities as Priest over their household. It is a “family” day. A time to spend with our families, do family things, and to teach our family about The Salvation of YeHoVaH… Yeshua.
Traditionally (these are not commands of YeHoVaH) the Sabbath is celebrated in the example of Yeshua when he kept Passover with his disciples just before he died. We use:
• Wine or grape juice with glasses or a Sabbath/Passover Cup.
• Two loaves of bread (challah is traditional) or Matzah crackers.
• A nice napkin to cover the bread
• A special dinner or “offering of fire” Kosher meat cooked over an open flame. Basically this is a feast so break out your grill and fire up some meat!
The Sabbath is a commandment of YeHoVaH
Exodus 20:8-11
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of YeHoVaH your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days YeHoVaH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore YaHoVaH blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as Holy.
In keeping The Sabbath, we are “set apart” from this creation just as YeHoVaH is as His future children and cherished possessions. In Hebrews 4, Paul lays it out very simply. You must keep The Sabbath or you will not enter into YeHoVaH's Rest which is eternal life:
Hebrews 4
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands (Paul is speaking of The Sabbath), let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it (short of His rest by failing to Keep the Sabbath)…. just as YeHoVaH has said,
"So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' "And yet his work has been finished since the (re) creation of the world 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work…
6 It still remains that the remnant sons of YeHoVaH will enter that rest, … when a long time later YeHoVaH spoke through David, as was said before:
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts (against His Sabbath)." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest (when Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land of Canaan), YeHoVaH would not have spoken later about another day of rest still to come (because Israel did not find the prophesied rest at that time, that was not the fulfillment of The Sabbath promise). 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of YeHoVaH; 10 for anyone who enters YeHoVaH’s rest also rests from his own work, just as YeHoVaH did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest (by being obedient to The Sabbath).
Then Paul goes on to teach, that if you don't keep the Sabbath and do not understand the fundamental doctrines that day is intended to instill in us... you cannot press on as a mature son of YeHoVaH.
Paul is describing "what" you do on the Sabbath in Hebrews 6:1 which we re-affirmed each Sabbath Day.
Hebrews 6
1Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Messiah (who is the Passover Lamb, resurrected on the Sabbath), let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward YeHoVaH, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3And if YeHoVaH permits us, we will press on to more mature doctrines.
Each Sabbath we:
• Establish the fundamental teaching about The Messiah, the King of the Sabbath
• Repent of our dead works
• Express our faith toward YeHoVaH by re-affirming The Yahshuaic Covenant
• Ritually cleanse our hands and lay hands on our family members
• Declare our belief in the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment
Preparation and Lighting the Candles
The preparation prayer is spoken by the woman before lighting the Sabbath candles. Traditionally, the woman covers her head with a scarf while lighting the candles. A small pair of candles may also be lit by a child, as they learn from their mother. The woman of the home leads the following prayer:
“Our Heavenly Father, holy is your name YeHoVaH, Your kingdom come, Your will be done as we enter your Sabbath rest. We thank You for the blessings of Your rest and peace this evening. Father breathe your Holy Spirit on each of the members of my home; be with us as we partake of this Sabbath. Fill our hearts and minds with Your Spirit of Truth; give to us Your Shalom: Your peace that surpasses all understanding.
Guide each of us that we may bless one another with our words and actions. We ask Your blessing over our home and family. Pour out Your Spirit upon us as we set ourselves apart from this world and partake of Your Sabbath, Your rest. May our home, our hearts and our minds be used by You to bring the news that Your Messiah has come, has risen and will come again! I ask these things in covenant with our High Priest Yahshua the Messiah. Let it be so. HalleluYeHoVaH”
Lighting the Candles
As the woman lights the candles remember that YeHoVaH chose another woman, Mary, to bring forth "The Light of the World" (John 8:12).
Blessing in Hebrew: “Baruch atah YeHoVaH Eloheynu, melech ha-olam, asher kid-shanu b'mitz-votav, v'tzinvanu l'hadlik neyr shel Shabbat”
Blessing in English: Blessed are you, YeHoVaH our God, King of the universe! Who has set us apart by Your commandments and has enjoined upon us the kindling of the Sabbath light.
The first candle (light the first candle) represents creations.
Genesis 1:1, 3
"In the beginning YeHoVaH created the heavens and the earth...And YeHoVaH said, 'Let there be light' and there was light."
The second candle (light the second candle) represents redemption. Yeshua said,
John 8:12
"I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Faith expressed through works leads to righteousness. We cannot simply have “faith” in The Sabbath, we must also “keep it”.
James 2
14 What does it profit, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith alone save him? 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Below is a step by step guide to expressing the fundamentals of our faith as expressed by the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 6:1.
1. Teaching about the Messiah
We should have the proper understanding that Yeshua was sacrificed on the Passover and he is The Passover Lamb of YeHoVaH. Yeshua was resurrected 3 full days and 3 full nights later on The Sabbath. This is why Yeshua is called The Passover Lamb and King of the Sabbath. YeHoVaH promised a human King and High Priest who would offer his life as a sacrifice to YeHoVaH on The Passover to save the sons of God. Yeshua was that prophesied Messiah. Yeshua as the Eternal High Priest offers himself before the Throne of YeHoVaH daily as “a Lamb that has been slaughtered”. Yeshua is our substitute for sin and mediator before YeHoVaH.
Revelation 5:6
and in the midst of the elders before the throne of YeHoVaH, stood a Lamb (Yeshua) as though it had been slain … and all creation sang: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
2. Repentance from dead works
Understanding that Yeshua’s blood was given in payment of the blood covenant entered into on Mt. Sinai with YeHoVaH’s chosen peoples. His blood covers our sin, wrong understanding of the Torah, we must repent of our sin for that blood to be effective. We are to repent of our sins and dead works and perform works of righteousness which is defined in the Torah.
Physical expression of our faith: Remember faith without works is dead. We must express this faith for it to be counted to us as righteousness. To express our faith, each one of us openly asks YeHoVaH to forgive our sins against Him.
Everyone present should repeat after me:
“Our Father in heaven, holy is YOUR NAME YeHoVaH. I believe that in covenant with Yeshua You have promised to forgive my sin and make me righteous in keeping Your Torah. I humbly profess that I forgive all who have wronged my family and I and ask that you forgive me of my selfish will and my inability to fully obey your commandments. I give thanks for Your Spirit of Truth to help guide me and give me a heart for your Torah as it is a light unto my path. I believe that in obeying Your Torah that Your love is perfected within the Temple. Yeah, I AM The Temple of YeHoVaH.”
3. Faith toward YeHoVaH.
Faith toward YeHoVaH is defined in 1 John as keeping the Commandments of YeHoVaH and in doing so the love of YeHoVaH is perfected within us. The evidence of our salvation and proof we are participants in The Yahshuaic Covenant is in keeping His Commandments. Those who do not are not true children of YeHoVaH:
1 John 2
3 Now by this we know that we know YeHoVaH, if we keep YeHoVaH’s commandments. 4 He who says, “I know YeHoVaH,” and does not keep YeHoVaH’s commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps the commandments of YeHoVaH, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in covenant with Yeshua. 6 He who says he abides in covenant with Yeshua ought himself also to walk just as Yeshua walked as a Torah obedient son.
We are to follow the example set by Yeshua in keeping YeHoVaH’s commandments and express our faith in the promises YeHoVaH made to us. YeHoVaH promised in His Torah eternal life through faith in The Passover Lamb and obedience to His Commandments.
The example we are to follow as we re-affirm each week our commitment to The Yahshuaic Covenant was given up by Yeshua just before he died. Yeshua declared as often (each Sabbath and each Passover) that we do this, we keep alive the memory of the sacrifice he made on our behalf and express our belief and faith in that sacrifice to cover our transgressions:
1 Corinthians 11
23 For I received from the King what I also passed on to you: The King Yeshua, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim your faith in the King’s sacrifice until he returns.
The Blood of the Covenant
Matthew 26
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of The Yahshuaic Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
The prophet Isaiah foretold of the coming sacrifice of The Messiah and that it is through his suffering and the blood he shed that we are healed and made whole. It is through Yeshua’s sacrifice we are brought into complete obedience to The Law as the death decrees have been “nailed to the cross” and our death is no longer demanded. We are forgiven through grace.
Isaiah 53:5
He was wounded because of our rebellion against The Law, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us whole; because of his wounds we have been healed.
Blessing the cup - The wine symbolizes Yahshua' blood that was shed for us. In Matthew 26:27, Yeshua "took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'".
It is interesting to note that when Yeshua "gave thanks", he most likely said the same ancient blessing used here.
Blessing in Hebrew: Baruch atah YeHoVaH Eloheynu melech ha-olam, boaray peree ha-gofen
Blessing in English: Blessed are you, O YeHoVaH our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
As each of us drink from the cup, we humble ourselves before YeHoVaH’s grace and repeat:
Revelation 5:12
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
The Bread of Life
The bread represents Yeshua’s body, broken on the stake. It represents the Sabbath and Passover Meal as Yeshua is The Passover Lamb and King of The Sabbath. In Leviticus 24:5-9, bread was to be set on the altar each Sabbath as a lasting covenant. This bread is a physical parallel of the Spiritual Truth that Yeshua’s body consummated the lasting 7th Covenant. Yeshua is the Living Bread that came down from heaven.
The bread represents Yeshua, the Bread of Life. Yeshua said "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." -- John 6:51. Then Yeshua spoke the same ancient blessing we speak today:
Blessing in Hebrew: Baruch atah YeHoVaH Eloheynu melech ha-olam, ha-motzee lechem min ha-Aretz
Blessing in English: Blessed are you, O YeHoVaH our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
Pass the bread around the table as each person breaks off a piece and eats. Humble yourself before YeHoVaH in faith that Yeshua is the Lamb of YeHoVaH. He is the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever “eats of this bread” or rather enters into The Yahshuaic Covenant will be made whole in keeping The Torah of YeHoVaH and receive eternal life.
4. Instructions about washings.
We wash our hands in a symbolic act as David did to ritually cleanse our hands in innocence so that we may approach the altar of YeHoVaH in blessing our family by the laying on of hands:
Psalms 26:6
I will wash mine hands in innocence: so will I compass thine altar, O YeHoVaH.
Water is used figuratively throughout Scripture to represent the Spirit of Holiness and Revelation as YeHoVaH pours our His Spirit and Blessings on our family.
Isaiah 44:3: “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. And continued in Isaiah 12:3: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation”.
John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
Blessing in Hebrew: Barukh atah YeHoVaH Eloheinu, melekh ho-alam, aher kidishanu b’mitz’votav v’tzivanu, al n’tilat yadayim.
Blessing in English: Blessed are you, O YeHoVaH our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us through Your commandments and instructed us concerning the washing of hands. We dedicate our hands and ourselves to You.
As Priests over our home, we are to ritually clean our hands before approach the Altar of YeHoVaH and seek His blessing over our family members. This is a symbolic act that we dedicate the works of our hands and our lives to YeHoVaH by being obedient to The Yahshuaic Covenant. The Priest of the home pours water over the hands of each family member into the bowl while each family member says:
“Father, I dedicated my life and the works of my hands to serving you”
5. Instructions concerning laying on of hands
1Ti 4:14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
2Ti 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Each man of the family as the Priest of YeHoVaH under the authority of The High Priest Yeshua should take the time to write out a specific blessing for each family member and lay hands on them and recite their blessing. We should ask YeHoVaH to give each family member His Spirit of Holiness as a guarantee of our future salvation as we are passed over the second death (decree) and given eternal life.
6. Resurrection of the Dead, Eternal Judgment, the Second Death...
Those of us who are in The Yahshuaic Covenant are given The Spirit of Holiness and taught to keep YeHoVaH’s Law which is written in our hearts. Where we fail and transgress His Law, the blood of The Passover Lamb covers the death decrees in The Torah that demand our death.
In this way, The Torah is made whole and we are brought into perfect obedience. The promise in The Torah to obedience is eternal life. This physical body must die because we inherited death in our bodies genetically through Adam. However we die innocent in the eyes of YeHoVaH and the death penalty is no longer found just. YeHoVaH doesn’t issue the death decree for us and therefore He raises us from the grave.
Romans 8
1 Now there is no condemnation for those in The Yahshuaic Covenant. 2 For The Law of the Spirit of life in (covenant with) Yeshua the Messiah has made me free from The Law of Sin and Death. 3 For what The Law could not do (bring eternal life as promised) because The Law was made weak by our flesh (because we broke The Law and the decrees in The Law condemned us to death for disobedience), YeHoVaH did (provided Eternal Life as a free gift of Grace) by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (as a man), on account of sin (to defeat it by living obedient to The Law and dying innocent):
(by dying innocent) Yeshua condemned sin in the flesh (making The Law whole), 4 that the righteous requirement of The Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh (disobedient to The Law) but according to the Spirit (of loving obedience to The Law).
Closing Prayer
The closing prayer is offered up as a spiritual sacrifice to YeHoVaH by the man/Priest of the home.
Atonement Prayer
“Our Father in Heaven, blessed be your Holy name YeHoVaH. Thank You for the sacrifice You made of Your Passover Lamb and for choosing each one present here today as sons and daughters in covenant with our King, Messiah Yeshua. We enter into covenant with you through Yeshua whose blood makes us one with You in Mind, Will, Purpose, Spirit, and Family. Worthy is the Lamb for his obedience to Your Will. We all declare before you THE Seal over our minds…
Hear O’ Israel, YeHoVaH our God, is ONE God and there is no other.
Father I come to you today in the name of my High Priest Yeshua who is the Messiah, and whose body is offered continually before Your throne as Atonement for our sin and I ask that you forgive us of our transgression against your Laws, for our selfish will that stands against your Will and Holiness, I humbly ask that you honor Your promise to grant each of us eternal life in The Kingdom of YeHoVaH.
I ask that you give us all the strength to forgive those who have sinned against us and that you make us all a shining example of Your grace.
Father, I give thanks for your blessing on my Marriage and on this home and I give thanks for all that you've given me - Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding that only comes from You as I commit myself to my family as Your priest, as my wife’s husband, as our children’s and their children’s father. Teach us Father your ways that we may serve as an example of your Love, Patience, and Understanding to our family and guide us as we teach them of You. I vow before You today, the Most High, that I will serve you in their lives and present them back to you on that last day as spotless Lambs of God as they are but a gift to us and ultimately they belong to You.
I rejoice with thanksgiving in these things of you, my Father, in the name of my elder brother, my High Priest, heir to your creation, Your Passover Lamb and my King whose name is Yeshua. HalleluYeHoVaH! Let it be so."