The Sabbath: A Blueprint of God’s Plan

by Russ Schmidt; 3/4/2025

For the majority of Christianity, the Sabbath and Holy Days described in Leviticus 23 and elsewhere in the Old Testament, are a thing of the past. They were a shadow of what was to come in Messiah, Yeshua the Christ. The predominant reason is that Jesus overcame the law and we are no longer bound by it.

If that’s the case, why do we still honor the Ten Commandments? And if it is just certain aspects of the law that no longer apply, for instance the Sabbath and Holy Days, why do we still call it the Ten Commandments? Wouldn’t it make more sense calling it the Nine Commandments, since we a dropping the fourth Commandment out?

Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, the same people who claim the law has been done away with, also say the Sabbath and Holy Days no longer are valid, yet, they will agree that to go out and murder someone is against the law of God. Well, if the law has been done away with through Christ, why do we still hold on to certain aspects of the law?

Let’s make some sense of it all, and let’s see what Jesus Himself says about what He has accomplished. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” The original Greek word used that is translated as “destroy,” is “kataluo.”

Although destroy is pretty descriptive in translating kataluo, I believe there is a better translation that can be used, and why I always like to have a concordance open when I am studying scripture. A concordance will give you alternative translations or definitions of a particular word in helping us understand better of what’s being said.

In this particular case, the Greek word kataluo can also be translated as “dissolve.” If we use this word in that verse, I believe it makes what Jesus was saying much clearer, He didn’t come to “dissolve” the law and the prophets, but to fulfill.

But, to even make it clearer, Jesus goes on to say this in verse 18, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

The word “jot” is referring to the smallest part of the law, and “tittle” means the least part of the law. So, Jesus is making it clear that not one aspect of the law will pass away until all is fulfilled! Until what is fulfilled? “Until heaven and earth pass away.” The last I looked; heaven and earth are still intact.

Although this article is not about defending the Sabbath and Holy Days legitimacy, I always feel like I need to establish that anytime I discuss them. Many Christians will contemplate on how the Jews don’t see that their Messiah has already come in Jesus Christ, when the Old Testament scriptures like Isaiah 53, and Zechariah chapter’s 12 through 14, just to name a few, are so clear to Christians. Yet, when it comes to the relevance of the Sabbath and Holy Days to Christians, they are just as blinded as the Jews are to those clear references to their Messiah.

But, the reason for this article is to give you an even clearer reason to see the importance of these biblical days, to not only Jews, but to Christians alike, that God says “These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times” (Leviticus 23:4). 

At this point in time, only four of the Holy Days have been fulfilled. There are still three whose appointed times have yet to come fulfillment. So, to neglect them is to disregard what the Father is telling us here, and that is to proclaim them until their appointed time.

Let’s break this verse down to see the seriousness and importance that God is placing on these appointed feasts. The original Hebrew word used that is translated as “feasts” is “moed.” Not only is moed translated as “feasts,” it is also used again in the verse and translated as “appointed time or season,” depending on which translation you are using.

What is this word moed, and why is it used for two different words within this one verse. Well, the word moed comes with a connotation of being a “solemn assembly,” or one could say, a “holy assembly”, or just mean “appointment.”

I want you to consider, if your boss at your place of employment, or if you are in your own business, your client, who is technically your boss, sets an important meeting that you are required to attend; how many of you would just disregard them and just assume the meeting wasn’t important to you? How do you think your boss or your client would view that? I don’t think they would view you very highly. It might even be grounds for dismissal. 

How much more important than your boss is the Creator of the universe when He calls for a holy or solemn appointment to meet with you? You can always go out and get another job or client, but there is only one chance for eternal life. 

Now, I am not saying whether or not disregarding the Sabbath or Holy Days are grounds for being denied entry into the Kingdom of God. I’ll leave that up to God to determine. However, when you see the importance of these days and how they layout, like a blueprint, God’s plan for the redemption of man, you will have a much different view of these days. You will want to observe them out of shear reverence to the God who drew out this plan just to save you and me!

The Sabbath

As we all know, the creation week in Genesis ends with a day of rest. Here is what Genesis 2:2-3 says about the Sabbath: 

“2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

Notice the text I have highlighted in bold. “God blessed and sanctified the seventh day!” The first definition I came across for the word “sanctify” was to “set apart for sacred use.” It becomes clear by the time we get to Leviticus that God didn’t just set apart that one Sabbath day after finishing creation, but all the Sabbath days to come. Leviticus 23:3 reads:

“Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.”

Why should we observe the Sabbath? Because it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. Who is the “all” here? There is a great misnomer even among Christian preachers and teachers who call these days “Jewish” Holy Days. But who is God speaking to here in Leviticus 23? Let’s go back to verse 2 to get our answer. “Speak to the children of Israel…”

Who are the children of Israel? That would be the twelve tribes or the twelve sons of Jacob. The Jews or the tribe of Judah is just one of those twelve tribes. So how can anyone who teaches say that these are Jewish days? Yes, the only tribe left that we know of from the House of Israel is the tribe of Judah or the Jews. But that doesn’t mean that the Sabbath is just for the tribe of Judah. They are still meant for the remaining tribes as well. We might not know where they’ve gone or who they are today, but God does.

And if those who track the generations that followed the original tribes of the House of Israel over the course of history are correct, then those so-called “Lost Ten Tribes” went on to develop the European and Caucasian countries we know today.

And once again, if they are correct, then many of us, whether we live in those countries or the US or Canada, or any other western country, we may very well be descended from one of those tribes. That’s something I know I never considered before studying the Bible and Bible history.

You see, the Sabbath should be an integral part of every Christians life. I know many Christians will say, “Well, I go to church every Sunday.” And that’s all well and good. I am not saying it is sinful to worship God on Sunday or any day for that matter. We should be. However, Sunday is not the day that God has sanctified. And strangely enough, Saturdays in churches, activities are generally none existent. 

You’ll rarely find pastors around the church on Saturday because Sunday is a busy day for them so they generally take Saturday’s off. Many will say they will fine tune and finalize their messages they plan on preaching on Sunday. My point is that events rarely happen in the church on the day God sanctified. When that is the day we are instructed to be in church.

But why the Sabbath! If we go back to Leviticus 23:3 from above, it states that “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation.” Let’s face it, life is hard in this fallen world. We deal with the world through work, and just everyday living. And while going through the week, often times it’s a struggle to stay grounded 24/7 in our walk with Christ. More likely than not we are dealing with things of this world, that need to be dealt with, but takes time away from our relationship with God.

Satan is good at what he does. He is a master at stealing every hour he can in a 24-hour day. The trials and tribulations we go through takes us through a gamut of emotional swings. We never know, when we wake in the morning what we are going to be up against as the day progresses. Oh, yeah, you may have a schedule of tasks for the day, but we all know that many times that schedule or plan goes awry. And God knows that too.

We all know the phrase, T.G.I.F., or Thank God It’s Friday! There’s a reason for that. By the time Friday comes after a week of working and dealing with the obstacles of life, we need a rest. Now, when God finished creation, did He need a rest? I highly doubt it; He was just setting an example for us and sanctifying that for our benefit.

God also knows that without a little nudging we can easily put aside our relationship with God, without even realizing it at times, so we can keep up with the fast pace of life. Especially fast when you start a family, and the kids get involved in extracurricular activities in addition to school. It seems there aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all.

And therein lies the point of the Sabbath! It’s not for God at all, it is for us, so we can step back and rest from our work and recharge our spiritual batteries by spending time with God and likeminded brethren. That’s also why we are told in Hebrews 10:24-25:

“24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

If we can assemble Saturday and Sunday, great! As a matter of fact, some of the early Christian churches did just that. Because they were torn between which day is the right day to worship, they made it a point to come together both days to be sure they were doing the right thing.

I just want to end with this. I firmly stand on the same premise that Paul did. He commended those of Berea for not taking his word for it, but to take what he was telling them and search the scriptures daily to be sure they were doing the right thing in God’s eyes. And that’s what those in Berea did. 

Today, research is so much easier than it has ever been. When I was young the only way to research anything was to go to the local library, and search out books to read. But today not only do we have the internet, but now we have Ai to help us research topics. Is all that information perfect? Of course not, but we do have God’s word and the Holy Spirit to help us decipher what’s right and what’s wrong.

Are we always going to get it right? Not at all. And I’m the perfect example of that. I’ve been humbled many times by the Holy Spirit thinking I had the right answers, only to find that I was missing it, sometimes badly missing it. But this is how we progress and grow in the knowledge and understanding of God. And the only way to do that is to be sure we are setting enough time aside to stay grounded in the Holy Spirit, and focusing on what’s important.

It always takes me back to my wife’s favorite scripture in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

I’ve studied the topic of the Sabbath and Holy Days for years, but I must say, with each passing year I am more convinced than the year before that these days have never been rescinded by God and that they are just as important to Christians today as they were to the twelve Hebrew tribes when God ordained them. 

Do we see them in the same light? Of course, not! With the advent of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we understand their significance far more than the ancient Israelites every could have. We’ve seen the fulfillment of the first four Holy Days, and we wait for the fulfillment of the final three.

By honoring the Sabbath and Holy Days, it forces us to set that time aside. Christianity today, for the most part, meet on Sunday, but it is not looked at as a requirement. If I have something better to do, I’ll skip Church for this week; no big deal. That didn’t happen under the Sabbath law. Everyone was required to meet on this “holy convocation.”

I know many will say, “That’s being legalistic! Jesus did away with the law!” First off, as I’ve proven above by quoting Jesus Himself in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill,” that is far from the truth.

Let me tell you, when Christians throw out that phrase, “legalism,” that’s just another ploy of the devil. He has brainwashed Christians into believing that. Is it just legalism to say, “Do not murder?” Or “Do not covet thy neighbor’s wife?” We need to believe in the whole law, or not believe at all. By justifying certain parts, is denying the true nature of God!

The Sabbath as well as the seven Holy Days God gave us in Leviticus 23, is a blueprint of the plan of God, and rather than denying them, we should be honoring them and teaching them to our children, so they will teach their children until the day that those Holy Days point to, comes to pass in full, and that is the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to take us home where we will spend eternity with Him and live happily ever after in what will be an eternal Sabbath Day!

Click here for Part II: God’s Blueprint: God Appointed Days that Reveals His Plan