A Comparison between Jesus Christ and the Sabbath Day of the Lord

A Comparison between Jesus Christ and the Sabbath Day of the Lord
The Sabbath Day	Jesus Christ
Mankind are urged to imitate God in their behavior, who rested on the Sabbath Day. God chose to meet and join mankind in “rest” as one on the Sabbath. (Genesis 2:3)	Jesus Christ is the meeting place between mankind and God. He is the Immanuel (God with us). He, like the Sabbath, is the meeting point where God and mankind meet. (Isaiah 7 & 8 and Matt. 1:23) "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us ... (John 1:14 ESV)
The Sabbath is a symbol of the Millennial reign of God, a 1,000 year period at the end of the age, where God and mankind will rest together (Genesis 2:3 and Psalm 90)	Jesus Christ will be God’s representative of earth and we will join with him in the Millennial age (Revelation 20:3) that will last for 1,000 years and is called a keeping of a Sabbath (Hebrews 4:9)
When the Sabbath arrives, a person enters into it. (Heschel, The Sabbath)	When a person becomes a Christian, they are said to be “in Christ.” (Galatians 3:26)
The Sabbath is a day of rest (Exodus 20:10) and those who enter into it are refreshed, renewed and reborn weekly. (Heschel, The Sabbath)	Jesus Christ is a person of rest (Matthew 11:28-30) and all who enter into a relationship with Him are reborn, refreshed and will be raised from the dead.
There are no gender differences on the Sabbath, which is a symbol of the world to come. (“but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter … Exodus 20:10 ESV)	In Christ and in heaven, there are no gender differences at all. (Galatians 3:28 – (“there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 ESV) St. Peter also said that husbands (men) and wives (women) are “heirs together in the grace of life.” (I Peter 3:7)
There are no social distinctions of human beings on the Sabbath (no slaves and no foreigners). All are one on the Sabbath (your male servant, female servant … or the sojourner who is within your gates. (Exodus 20:10 ESV)	In Christ, there are no social differences at all. (There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28 ESV)
On the Sabbath day, “work” (understood as  ‘purposeful acts from which advantage is derived’ – Danby, The Mishnah) were forbidden. So all during the Sabbath were the same in God’s eyes.	In Christ, no one has an advantage over anyone else. (“you are all one in Christ Jesus” – Galatians 3:28 ESV)
On the Sabbath day, the “works” of mankind were to cease on that day.	In Christ, mankind also ceases to work, knowing that our “works” are not adequate for salvation.
On the Sabbath, no one could buy or sell anything and one’s economic power could not be exercised. All, in that sense, during the Sabbath, were equal. As such, this enhanced the spiritual time aspect of the Sabbath. There were serious consequences for those who violated the law of the Sabbath.	Early Christians who pursued a life “in Christ” sought to live a permanent Sabbath-like existence by rejecting material advantage and seeing to it that monetary power was not exercised in the early Church “and it (money) was distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4:35 ESV) There were serious consequences for those who lied to the Spirit.
The moon, which is reflected light, has no influence or part of the Sabbath. The governance of the timing of the Sabbath is totally dominated by the Sun, which is a Biblical symbol of goodness/life.	Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is called the “Sun of Righteousness” in the book of Malachi (Malachi 4:2 and Psalm 19:5)
The arrival of the Sabbath in the mystical circles of Judaism had elements of a wedding celebration associated with it (Heschel, The Sabbath)	Our attachment to Christ Jesus has elements of a marriage agreement. (Matthew 25 and Ephesians 5:32)
The Sabbath was to be a day/time of joy/delight (Isaiah 58:13) and mirrors what heaven will be like in the future.	Joy is a major fruit of the Holy Spirit of God and the believer and is one of God’s central attributes (Galatians 5:22,23)