Before the holy days, life often becomes frenetic with trials, distractions, and intensified activities. Yet, when the feasts arrive, a sense of relaxation emerges. Preparations are complete, problems hopefully resolved, and we can fully enjoy the fellowship, food, messages, and planned activities. The Feast of Tabernacles, in particular, brings this feeling of rest, serving as a foretaste of God's rest, pictured as the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ as King of kings. This feast allows us to step out of the world for seven days, plus the Last Great Day, offering a small glimpse of what the Millennium will be like. God's rest, often misunderstood, ties to the concept of the Millennium. It is linked to the seventh-day Sabbath, which prefigures God's rest after six days of creation. Just as man has six thousand years under satan's influence, the seventh day represents God's thousand-year period of influence over humanity. The Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes this rest, embodying a harvest, an unsettled existence in booths, and a process of judgment over seven days, all pointing to the thousand-year reign of Christ. In Psalm 95, God's rest is directly addressed, tied to the Sabbath and the Millennium. It reflects creation, personal salvation, and a future prophetic time. The term for rest here, "menuchah," means a resting place or period of rest, derived from "nuwach," implying repose, settling down, or quiet after a journey or labor. In Genesis 2, however, the word for rest is "sha'bat," meaning to stop or cease, not primarily to rest. God's cessation from work on the seventh day does not imply He needs rest, as He never tires, but rather sets an example of stopping physical labor. Rest, as a result of stopping, is part of the Sabbath, but the primary focus is ceasing one's own labors to engage in God's activities. Isaiah 58 emphasizes stopping personal ways and pleasures to honor God by doing His works, such as helping the oppressed and feeding the hungry. Thus, rest on the Sabbath includes both cessation and active engagement in godly pursuits. In the context of God's rest, as seen in Hebrews 3 and 4, the Greek terms "katapausis" (cessation) and "anapausis" (uplifting rest) clarify this dual nature. Jesus Christ uses "anapausis" in Matthew 11:29 to promise rest for the soul, highlighting the refreshing benefit of stopping burdensome work. God's rest in the Millennium is not merely a time of inactivity but a period of conversion for humanity. It mirrors the Sabbath by stopping ungodly, rebellious activities and starting godly ones. This future rest, as described in Hebrews 4:9 with "sabbatismos," links the weekly Sabbath to the thousand-year reign of Christ, indicating a cessation of certain works and the beginning of divine efforts. Isaiah 56 extends this rest to both Israel and Gentiles, showing a global transformation from rebellion to righteousness, where justice and righteousness will cover the earth. Thus, God's rest is a time of active change, not just relaxation, as humanity shifts focus to godly purposes during the Millennium.

In a nation driven by relentless work and self-sufficiency, the sweetness of rest after long hours of labor is undeniable. Yet, true rest often eludes us, as even after a grueling day, more tasks await at home—mowing the lawn, fixing the faucet, or running errands. The endless cycle of work persists, casting a shadow over vacations with the constant pull of emails and office demands, preventing genuine relaxation. From the beginning, God warned that life would be filled with unending, hard, and often unfulfilling work due to sin, a stark contrast to the ease and satisfaction once known in the Garden. Work has become drudgery, fatiguing and relentless, with even sleep offering only a brief respite before the grind resumes. Solomon, reflecting on his own mighty works, lamented the lack of lasting rest or satisfaction, noting that all labor passes to another generation unaware of the effort behind it, rendering it seemingly futile. Yet, God promises His people true rest, a profound peace that can be experienced in part even now through His presence within us. Each Sabbath offers a foreshadowing of this greater rest, a time when we cease our labors as God ceased His creative work on the seventh day. This stopping, or shabbat, leads to nuach, a state of quiet and stillness, as seen when the ark rested on Ararat after the turbulent Flood, finally still after fulfilling its purpose. God's rest, linked to His Kingdom, signifies a complete cessation of human carnal works, a future where unrighteousness ceases entirely. This rest, still ahead of us, is typified by the Sabbath, where we stop our own ways and embrace God's, preparing for the ultimate peace when all humanity aligns with His path. Until then, the Sabbath remains a vital practice, a weekly reminder to cease from our works and focus on building faith through diligent study of God's Word and bold prayer, ensuring we do not fall short of entering His promised rest.

At the culmination of the creative process, as depicted in Genesis 1:31 through Genesis 2:4, the concept of rest emerges as a pivotal theme. The key term here is "rested," which signifies a state of completion and satisfaction. God rested from His labor, not out of weariness, but from a sense of fulfillment in a job well done, taking joy and pleasure in His accomplishment. This rest, rooted in the Hebrew term that forms the basis for Sabbath, illustrates that true rest occurs only when God's will is fulfilled, either for us, in us, or through us. It is God who rests from His work in creation, particularly in us as His new spiritual creation, finding satisfaction in the transformation from chaos to beauty and peace. This rest also carries forward as a symbol of God's ongoing purpose. In Hebrews 4, rest is presented with multiple dimensions: a future entering into a Sabbath rest that marks the fulfillment of God's plan when He ceases His labors, the literal keeping of each Sabbath as a type of that ultimate culmination, and an immediate entering into God's favor and blessing as a foretaste of what is to come. Observing the Sabbath looks both backward to God's resting during the creation week and forward to the completion of His spiritual plan. Rest does not imply idleness but involves intense spiritual activity, focusing on God's work of creating His image in us, as we cease customary labor to devote the day to spiritual pursuits such as prayer, study, and meditation. Furthermore, the Sabbath serves as a time for evaluation and resolve, allowing for a recharging both physically and spiritually. It is a moment to reflect on the past week's efforts, acknowledging failures and weaknesses, and striving to cooperate more fully with God's creative work. True Sabbath rest is achieved through yielding to God's will, producing a sense of satisfaction, well-being, and peace, though complete rest remains unattainable until God is fully satisfied with His work in us. Even now, the rest we experience is a small foretaste of the greater peace and fulfillment that lies ahead in His kingdom.

The concept of rest is central to understanding God's promises and the spiritual journey of His people. Rest, as highlighted in Hebrews 4, carries profound significance, appearing nine times in the chapter to emphasize its importance to our spiritual well-being. It is linked to the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who lived nomadic lives despite their prosperity, always yearning for a settled existence that remained in the future. This restlessness contrasts with the promise of a permanent land where they could establish a righteous family society based on the worship of God. Rest, in a national sense for the 1st century Jews, became a code word for a time when Israel would enter their own kingdom and land under a righteous king, free from political turmoil, evil social pressures, warfare, and foreign temptations. It signified peace, prosperity, and leadership of a quality they had never fully experienced. However, their understanding often focused on an earthly kingdom, missing the broader spiritual intent. The author of Hebrews uses three different Greek words for rest—katapausis, meaning reposing down or abode; katapauo, meaning to settle down or cease; and sabbatismos, meaning the repose of Christianity or Sabbath—each drawing attention to different facets of this concept. The Sabbath immediately comes to mind with one usage, symbolizing not just physical cessation but a deeper spiritual rest tied to God's promises. Hebrews warns that if we do not believe God more strongly than the Israelites in the wilderness, we will not enter His rest. Their failure to enter was due to doubt and a lack of faith when God did not act according to their timeline. The rest remains unfulfilled for many, yet it is promised to the people of God, signifying a future inheritance that is both physical and spiritual, expanding from a specific land to worldwide possession as part of God's eternal plan. The weekly Sabbath serves as a type of the fulfillment of these promises, memorializing when God ceased His work after creation, celebrating the physical creation, and typifying both the Millennium and the eternal kingdom rest of the children of God. It is a sign of the certainty of the coming kingdom rest, reminding us to keep focused on God's promises through continued observance and perseverance in faith. True believers are assured that they will enter into God's rest, a purpose formulated from before the foundation of the world, even though it has not yet fully occurred.