The Sabbath in Prophecy: A Sign that Still Stands

IN A TIME when many Christians dismiss the Sabbath as merely an Old Testament relic, the Scripture boldly affirms that God’s Sabbath rest remains both relevant and prophetic.

Far from being abolished or outdated, the Sabbath continues to point toward God’s ultimate plan of redemption and rest for His people.

The seventh-day Sabbath is not just a memorial of creation—it is a prophetic shadow of the Kingdom of God and a sign between God and His covenant people (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12, 20). Its observance is not only valid today—it is vital.

Jesus and the Sabbath

One of the strongest arguments for Sabbath continuity is the example of Jesus Christ. Nowhere in the New Testament did Jesus abolish the Sabbath. Instead, He affirmed its purpose:

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

This foundational statement affirms that the Sabbath was created for humanity's benefit—not just for Jews, but for all mankind, from the very beginning (Genesis 2:2–3).

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus observed the Sabbath faithfully. He taught in synagogues on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16), healed on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10–17), and defended the proper understanding of the Sabbath when confronted by the Pharisees.

His healing acts were not violations but demonstrations of the Sabbath's true intent—relief, restoration, and rest.

As scholar Craig Blomberg writes:

"Jesus’ actions on the Sabbath never suggest He is abolishing it, but rather returning it to God’s intended purpose."¹

The Apostles and the Sabbath

After Christ's resurrection, the Sabbath did not disappear from Christian practice. The book of Acts reveals that Paul and the early Church continued Sabbath observance. Paul preached to Jews and Gentiles alike on the Sabbath (Acts 13:14, 42–44; 17:2; 18:4). These weren’t merely evangelistic strategies—they were patterns of worship rooted in continuity with God’s law.

Luke, writing decades after Christ’s ascension, still uses the phrase “on the Sabbath day” as a normative reference, never hinting that Sunday replaced it.

Hebrews 4: Sabbath Rest in the New Covenant

A striking New Testament passage confirms the Sabbath’s prophetic relevance: Hebrews 4:9 declares, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” The Greek word for “rest” here is sabbatismos—literally, "Sabbath keeping." This is not a vague spiritual rest; it refers to the observance of God’s seventh-day Sabbath by New Covenant believers.

Hebrews 4, introduced the continuity of the Sabbath this way:

"Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Hebrew 4:1-2 NKJV)

As scholar Dr. Joseph Pipa notes:

“Hebrews 4:9 is the clearest affirmation in the New Testament that Sabbath observance continues for God’s people.”²

The author of Hebrews draws a parallel between God’s rest on the seventh day and the believer’s hope in entering His eternal Kingdom rest. The weekly Sabbath is a rehearsal—a prophetic shadow—of that future reality (Hebrews 4:1–11).

"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:11)

Colossians 2:16–17 – 'Shadows of Things to Come'

Some argue that Colossians 2:16–17 abolishes the Sabbath, where Paul writes:

“Let no one judge you… regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come.”

But this passage doesn't condemn Sabbath observance—it highlights its prophetic nature. These observances were not "shadows of things that have passed,” but “of things to come.” The Sabbath foreshadows the coming millennial rest, the reign of Christ, and the restoration of all things.

As theologian Samuele Bacchiocchi explains:

“Paul is not speaking against the Sabbath per se, but against legalistic impositions surrounding it. He affirms that these holy days still point forward to future realities.”³

The Sabbath in Prophecy

The Sabbath is deeply embedded in prophetic literature. Isaiah foresaw a time when God’s people—including foreigners—would join themselves to the Lord and “keep the Sabbath” (Isaiah 56:6). In the New Earth, the prophet declares, “from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me” (Isaiah 66:23). This is not symbolic—it is literal. The Sabbath transcends covenants and remains in force even in the age to come.

Moreover, Ezekiel 20 reveals that Sabbath-breaking was a sign of rebellion against God’s covenant, and Sabbath-keeping is a sign of sanctification and loyalty to Him.

A Sign Between God and His People

God declared the Sabbath as an everlasting sign:

“Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them” (Ezekiel 20:12).

This sign has never changed. If we are God’s people today, we are to bear His sign. The Sabbath is not just a day of rest; it is a declaration of who God is—the Creator, Redeemer, and coming King—and who we are, His sanctified people.

The Sabbath Still Stands!

The Sabbath is not a relic of Mosaic law, nor a ceremonial shadow discarded at the cross. It is a sign, a prophetic foreshadowing, a continual weekly celebration of God’s creative and redemptive work.

The New Testament bears witness that the Sabbath was kept by Jesus, honored by the apostles, affirmed in Hebrews, and surely it is destined to be observed in the Kingdom of God.

Therefore, to reject the Sabbath is to reject one of God’s greatest gifts and signs. The Sabbath remains a powerful and prophetic rhythm of life that prepares believers for the eternal rest that awaits in the Kingdom of God.

References:

1. Craig L. Blomberg, Contagious Holiness: Jesus' Meals with Sinners, IVP Academic, 2005.

2. Joseph A. Pipa, The Lord’s Day, Christian Focus Publications, 1997.

3. Samuele Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity, Pontifical Gregorian University Press, 1977.