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Side Note on the Sabbatarian view:
- The "rest" we are to enter is not the Sabbath day (Ps 95)
- Present tense in v.3 is not the Sabbath - Some say that since this is not in the future tense, but in the present, it is saying that faithful people observe the Sabbath. However, the present tense is used in other ways:
- Present used in Is. 9:6 - "A child is born" (used of an event to come in the future)
- Historic Present used a lot in the book of John. eg. - "Jesus says to him," "he says to him" used for dramatic purposes
- If I say "Those who believe go to Heaven" (you understand this to mean in the future)
- The text does not say that Israel did not "keep the Sabbath", but that they failed to enter God's rest,(v.6) which is clearly understood in context as entering Canaan
- Deut 12:9 - Canaan is called the "resting place"
- Deut 12:10 - When they cross into Canaan, they will have rest from their enemies and live in security
- Joshua 1:12-15 - when they obtain the land, they will have rest from God
- Aside from all of this, the text does say that the people DID observe the Sabbath DAY in the wilderness (Ex. 16:30)
- For Those who did not keep the Sabbath DAY, the penalty was death (Ex. 35:2)
- There was an example of a man who didn't keep the Sabbath DAY, and was stoned (Num. 15:32ff)
- So, they did keep the Sabbath DAY in the wilderness
- All of this makes it clear that the Sabbath mentioned is not the "Sabbath Day", but a "Sabbath Rest" which is given by God, which was the promised land for Israel, and Heaven for us
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