20160928 Wednesday, September 28 2016
Hebrews 04: The Rest Of Paradise

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"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 ... To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts"

When the LORD (see The Identity Of The LORD God and The LORD God Our Saviour) had finished His Work of Creation, which included the Earthly Paradise and the humans who were given to live in it, He rested on His Sabbath Day - along with His people. There is only one true LORD and one true Sabbath (see the Fact Finder question below).

"2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (Genesis 2:7-8 KJV)

"2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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. 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." (Genesis 2:1-3 KJV)

The fourth chapter of Hebrews begins by referring to that "in the beginning" event (see also What Did Jesus Tell John About Creation?).

"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. 4:2 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. 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.

4:4 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. 4:5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest." (Hebrews 4:1-5 KJV)

The first humans were given their instructions of life. But they later hardened their hearts and would not hear His voice in a righteous way. They rebelled against the Word of God and ran and hid from it - and Him (see also Who Invented Camouflage?). Their true and natural human, that they were given when the LORD created them, was perverted into Satan's nature.

"3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:2-8 KJV)

The Book of Hebrews (see also Who Wrote The Epistle To The Hebrews?) then continues on with that Genesis event, along with a quote from King David who also wrote of it (Psalm 95:7-8) in verse 7 below.

"4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 4:7 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.

4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." (Hebrews 4:6-9 KJV)

The LORD God's "works" were the Creation - in obedience to the Father Who sent Him. The first humans were also given works of obedience - the reason that the "test tree" was there in the Garden. If they had obeyed the LORD without fail, they would have remained for the rest of time. But they became self-righteous rebels who declared their word to be right, and so they were cast out of Paradise where they would be forced to endure a new kind of work that their rebellion created for them (see also Who Created Weeds?): "3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:17-19 KJV)

And so the chapter of Hebrews ends in accordance with the historical basis of the lesson - and the prophecy of how it applies to everyone (see Christ Died For Repentant Sinners).

"4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:10-16 KJV)

Fact Finder: Should Christians observe the LORD's true Sabbath, or should they observe a fraud?
See Why Observe The True Sabbath?