The seventh day is mentioned more than any other day in the Bible. Like a thread connecting Genesis to Revelation, God talks about this day in almost every book. He calls it a day of rest from labour, a sign of loyalty to Him, and a memorial of creation.

The first time we read about the seventh day is in Genesis. Jesus had just finished creating the world, and was taking a break. Here God set apart the seventh day as a time for rest and a memorial of creation.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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. 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

The next time God mentioned the seventh day, He put it in the middle of His law. He began His statement about it with the word, "remember", letting us know that our rest on the seventh day is important to Him and that He is aware of our forgetfulness. In this commandment, God reaffirmed the seventh day as the memorial of creation, and a day of rest - His Sabbath day.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11

In the New Testament Jesus explained that the Sabbath was made especially for the human race.

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Mark 2:27

Jesus remineded people throughout the Old Testament to keep the Sabbath. When He came to earth He kept the Sabbath, too.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Luke 4:16

Jesus also made it clear that He expected the Sabbath to be kept by His followers even after He returned to heaven. In Matthew 24:20, when He predicted the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, forty years in the future, He said: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: Matthew 24:20

On the weekend when Jesus was crucified, His followers were careful to keep the Sabbath. They delayed embalming Jesus' body, so they could honor God's commandment to rest.

This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 23:52-56

After Jesus had returned to heaven the disciples and apostles continued to follow Jesus' steps in keeping the Sabbath. Luke writes about this in his chronicles of Paul's journeys and the ministry of Peter and the other apostles.

And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Acts 13:42,44

And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. Acts 16:13

And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures... Acts 17:2

And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Acts 18:4

John, the disciple who was closest Jesus, kept the Sabbath throughout his lifetime. While recording the last message Jesus sent him, he said:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet... Revelation 1:10

Here John used the words, "the Lord's day" to refer to the Sabbath. Jesus had forever linked His title, Lord, with the sabbath. During one of His talks while He was on earth He said:

For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. Matthew 12:8

Jesus tells us in the Old Testament that the Sabbath will continue to be kept in the new earth, after His second coming.

For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. Isaiah 66:22-23

The key message of the Bible is its call for us to decide whether we will follow Jesus.

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:14-15

God tells us that the Sabbath is more than just a day off; it is a special sign of our loyalty to Him. It is the sign that we have chosen Him as the LORD of our life.

Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. Ezekiel 20:12

The Sabbath is important to Jesus especially because of this reason. He longs to be the Lord of our lives. He says:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

The Sabbath is Jesus' special gift of rest and restoration to the entire human race. Jesus gave us the Sabbath at creation. Two thousand years later He reminded us about it when made it part of His Ten Commandment law. He promises a special blessing to everyone who keeps it.

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 58:13-14

Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:2, 6-7

Jesus gave us the Sabbath because He knows us. As our creator, He knows that we need a day of rest each week and a reminder that He is our creator. He also knows that we need time to spend with our family and with Him, to keep our relationships strong. When we keep the Sabbath we can experience the quality life that comes from taking time to stop, rest and refocus. Beyond that, when we keep the Sabbath we show our commitment to Him and our appreciation for life and all He has given us to enjoy.

All Scriptural quotations taken from The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

For additional seventh day information, see: http://www.andrews.edu./~samuele