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The Promise of God's Eternal Rest (the end of striving to be at one with God) is detailed throughout the Book of Hebrews as follows:
“The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (1:3)
Yeshua the Messiah (that is Jesus Christ) is God, full of His glory and power, wherein He is holding the entire world together by His Word, His Authority. After His life, death and resurrection, wherein He cleansed man from his inability to walk and live in perfect love, He rested and is now seated at the right hand of God, His Father in heaven, awaiting the Father's command to go and get His bride, the Church, made up of Jews and Gentiles into one new man.
‘This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.” (2:3-4)
This eternal rest (or firmly established relationship with God Almighty) was first preached by Yeshua throughout His entire ministry. He called it the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. And it was summed up in His command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. The reality of this Kingdom of God was confirmed by the signs, wonders and many different miracles that Yeshua released throughout His lifetime on the earth as He was destroying the works of the enemy and doing the will of God, His Father. Then when He returned to heaven, the Holy Spirit was given to further confirm and establish the Kingdom of God in the lives of every man and woman, wherein they were given, not only life, but gifts, each according to the will of God.
“In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.” (2:10)
Yeshua restored man back to the glory he had at Creation, in the Garden of Eden, wherein he could fully experience and properly utilize the gifts of Eternal Life (knowing God), Intimacy (being fruitful, multiplying and filling the earth), Authority (subduing the earth and having dominion over every living creature) and Resources (utilizing every herb and seed bearing tree for medicine and food), thus living in the blessings of abundant life, rather than the curses and death of misusing the gifts of Eternal Life (not knowing God), Intimacy (worshiping and having intimate relationships with anyone or thing outside of a marriage relationship between one man and one woman), Authority (raping the earth and lifting one's self above others in pride rather than serving others in humility) and Resources (becoming addicted to plants and hording in greed one's money rather than giving it in joy). Furthermore, God planned and designed that His Son the creator of our salvation (eternal rest in His Kingdom) would be molded, perfected and matured through His suffering, persecution, tribulation and passion. In order to conquer Death, He had to face the Destroyer (Satan) head on and demonstrate to all of creation that He had the character, faith and power to be the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Bridgegroom, the Tree of Life! He gave everything He had to the entire world and was given all of creation as His possession, thus fulfilling and releasing the gift of Resources. He humbled Himself to the lowest point of existence, so that His Father could rightfully exalt Him to the highest point of existence, having all dominion over all of creation, thus fulfilling and releasing the gift of Authority. He lived in absolute purity and holiness, not worshiping any one or thing and was given an beautiful bridge (the Church), thus fulfilling and releasing the gift of Intimacy. He died the ultimate death, being separated from His Father, laying down His life, so that He could be raised up again to Life, thus fulfilling and releasing the gift of Eternal Life. As a Son of Man, the 2nd Adam, and as the Son of God, He redeemed what was lost, purchasing our ability to live by faith in the fullness of Eternal Life, which releases Intimacy, which releases Authority, which releases Resources to establish His Kingdom in the earth, His Promised Rest.
“So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried ME and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.” (3:7-14 & 19)
God selected the family (nation) of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) to demonstrate His character, ways and purposes to all families (nations) throughout history. During their wilderness (tribulation) period, after He brought them out of captivity to Egypt (the slavery of Satan's Kingdom) through the shedding of the blood of their Passover Lamb (a foreshadow to what Yeshua that Messiah was going to do for them), the Israelites tested God's faithfulness to them for forty years. It was not His desire that they wander and die in the wilderness, but because of their unbelief (lack of faith in His Word to enter the rest of His Promised Land) and disobedience (unwillingness to do what God commanded them to do to enter into His Promised Land) He provided for them food and protection, but they did not enter His Promised Land of Rest, instead their children went in, conquered and received rest from their enemies. We are encouraged to not follow their example of unbelief and disobedience, but rather to forsake sin (walking in perfect love towards God and man), to rest in what Yeshua the Messiah has provided for us (live in His spiritual Kingdom) and to persevere in faith until the very end of this age, wherein Yeshua will return and physically establish His spiritual Kingdom that is flourishing in the earth today!
“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. Now we who have believed enter that rest. It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (4:1, 3, 6, 9-11, 16)
Today, anyone who has faith and will be obedient can enter into His Promise of Rest, His Kingdom. The Door to the God's throne room of mercy and grace is still open to anyone that will believe His Word and receive what they need by being obedient to His ways of living Life in perfect love towards Him and others through the gifts of Eternal Life, Intimacy, Authority and Resources. There is a way to live life without stress, no striving, total peace, fullness, completeness and confidence in God's provision, protection and prospering. It is by approaching God's grace with faith, by entering into His presence, recognizing who He is, worshiping Him only, and gratefully receiving whatever we need from His Face (love, joy, peace, patience/hope, kindness, goodness, faithfulness/faith, gentleness/humility and self control) and His Hand (food, shelter, clothing, etc.). Everything is provided for anyone to enter in. Go for it!
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him . . . We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” (5:7-9, 11-12, 15)
During His existence on earth, Yeshua maintained constant communication with His Father about everything that He thought and experienced, even to the depths of His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He was heard because recognized who He was, a Son and who His Father was, the God of the Universe. As a Son, he pioneered the path through everything that the Destroyer (Satan) could put upon Him in this world, to become the Tree of Life, so that we could follow Him, destroying the works of the enemy in our lives and those around us, so that we could partake of the Tree of Life, Him. On this side of His return, as King of Kings and Lord or Lords, we are commanded to endure suffering and tribulation with the same amount of faith in His Word and obedience to His Commands of Love so that we may persevere to the very end and completely obtain what we are hoping for, His Promised Rest. Throughout our life on this earth, it is a matter of endurance, just waiting in faith and hope, being obedient to whatever He commands us to do, until we experience what He has for us at the appointed time. Just like Abraham, he simply had to live life honorably before the Lord, until he was 100 years old before He would received what was promised to him, that of a son by his wife, Sarah. He could nothing to make life go any slower or faster. He simply had to wait until the appointed time, even though he didn't know when that appointed time was. But he maintained his faith in God, his hope in God's promise and his obedience to God's ways of perfect love and thus truly received the fulfillment of what was promised.
“The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. ‘This the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” (8:1-2, 6, 10-12)
Yeshua, is our High Priest, who has completed His training (suffering, persecution and tribulation), fulfilled His duties (being the Lamb that was slain and the Son that was resurrected from the dead) and now serves in the very presence of God our Father, making intercession (requesting mercy and grace) for us until we obtain what has been promised, His Rest, His Kingdom, a oneness with God, wherein we will know Him and His ways completely, experiencing the fullness and blessings of Eternal Life, Intimacy, Authority and Resources. From before creation, God planned to redeem what would be lost during the Fall of Man, through the House of Israel, the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) and thus establish a people for Himself, made of Jews and Gentiles, male and female, wherein we would not cease to be who He created us to be, but rather reflect the infinite variety of His creation at one with Him in one Body, one Soul and one Spirit. When someone establishes a relationship with God through Yeshua, that aren't transformed from being a male Jew or a female Gentile, but rather they are transformed into being a male Jewish believer or a female Gentile believer that knows that God of creation and has a specific role to play in the further redemption of all nations.
“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he enter heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (9:15, 24, 27)
Yeshua the Messiah, is the Anointed One, the Promised Seed, who completely fulfilled, finished and brought to completion the new personal covenant of faith that was initiated between God and Abraham, wherein he believed God and it (his belief in God) was credited to him (Abraham) as righteousness (right standing with God). Abraham looked forward to the coming of His Messiah, who would take away the sins of the world, just as we look back to the Messiah who came and is yet to come again. The "first" corporate covenant, the Law of Moses, that exposed and held the Israelites accountable for their sins, was just a guardian, a set of rules and regulations designed to contain the sinfulness of Israelites (as a nation, a people before God) until it could be completely destroyed by the Messiah as the Passover Lamb. The Law of Moses is perfect and God used it to keep His people holy (set apart from the world) so that His Son could come at His appointed time in history, but it had no power to remove the personal believer from sin or sin from the personal believer. The Law of Moses could over cover the guilt of sin and hold back to power of the Destroyer (Satan), the curses that come from misusing the Gifts of Eternal Life, Intimacy, Authority and Resources. On the other hand, Yeshua destroyed the power of sin, personally removing every believer from the slavery of sin and upon His return He will remove the sin personally from every believer by giving them a new resurrected body, that can not sin and thus we will all completely enter into His Promised Rest, that we are now experiencing by faith in our Spirit and Soul (Mind, Will and Emotions).
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for his who promised is faithful. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere (be obedient) so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (10:19-23, 35-36)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” (12:1-2, 7, 11, 14, 28-29)
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others (establish His kingdom), for with such sacrifices God is pleased. May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead of Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will (in establishing His kingdom), and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (13:15-16, 20-21)
The Promise of His Rest is experienced daily on the earth by men of faith who are obedient to Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”
