Jovial,

             You had written:

“Because the earthly was patterned after the heavenly and the heavenly existed before the earthly one.”

In light of what you said, I thought of the following two places in the scriptures:

 

Hebrews 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:

5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

 

The Levitical priests, as well as the tabernacle itself, also serve a s shadow of heavenly things. Then also the following:

 

Colossians 2: 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

 

Even the sabbath itself is a shadow of things to come, of good things to come.

First, it is a shadow of good things to come now, in Christ, during the church age.

But I also believe that the sabbath is a shadow of something yet wonderful to be seen, in eternity, which like other things, we cannot imagine.

For example, the sabbath was established, where they were to work six days, but to rest on the sabbath, and to keep it holy.

Absolutely no work was to be performed on the sabbath, with the dramatic account of the man picking up sticks.

Now, for us, in the church age, as good as that weekly sabbath was, in the old testament, for Israel, that sabbath still is yet a shadow of what we have now.

Before we were saved, we also worked, all of us, to try somehow to work for our salvation.

But the gospel came to us, and revealed to us Jesus, who spoke to our working:

 

Matthew 11:28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 

Just like the sabbath, he promised to give us rest.

However, even more than that:

 

Hebrews 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 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.

5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

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

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.

8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

 

It sure seems that Jesus himself is our Rest.

Jesus is our Sabbath.

As with the weekly sabbath, no works whatsoever were allowed for that sabbath.

So also with Jesus, there can be absolutely no works allowed for salvation, it is only by grace, through faith, that we enter into that Rest, Jesus our Sabbath.

 

As to how the weekly sabbath is also a shadow of something yet wonderful to come, in eternity, well I can only go this far:

 

I Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

 

                          Gino