Using the tongue of the great prophet Isaiah, God foretold of the holy Ghost baptism, describing it as a "rest" for the spiritually weary. We read from Isaiah 28, "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, 'This is the rest, wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing': yet they would not hear." Jesus promised this rest to all who would come to him for it, when he said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt. 11:28). Approximately one hundred and twenty men and women were blessed with this heavenly rest when it was first poured out from above, as recorded in Acts 2, but many others soon followed.

Referring to Isaiah's prophecy concerning this blessed rest from sin and death, Paul wrote to the saints, "Brethren, be not children in understanding. Howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be ye men. In the law it is written, 'With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.’ Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not..." (1Cor. 14:20-22). Yes, tongues are a sign to those who are struggling in the flesh to know and to serve God while carrying on their backs the heavy burdens of the doctrines of men. It is a sign to those who are living in sin and bearing the heavy weight of guilt and shame. Tongues are a sign from God, a sign of where to find real peace with God, real joy, and real forgiveness of sins. My friend, if you want to know the way to God, follow the sign which He gave to you.

Not only did God give verbal prophecies of this blessed rest; He added prophetic symbols in the Law of Moses. In particular, he gave to Israel the days -- and even entire years -- of rest. The weekly sabbath which God gave to Israel was only one of many rests which God commanded them to keep. The first and last days of the Feast of Unleavened bread were sabbath days, regardless of which day of the week they happened to fall upon. The first day of the seventh month was always a sabbath day, and there were many others. Every seventh year the fields were to be given rest from tillage, and every 50th year was the year of Jubile when debts were to be released and original inheritances to be restored to their owners. This was the ultimate sabbath in Israel. Even though Israel never kept these laws as they should have, they were given by God to represent the coming of the Spirit, which would bring to our hearts the deep peace of God and give us rest from the confusion and despair of this mad world. Praise the name of Jesus for his extraordinary love for us!

Paul, called the holy days and sabbaths of the law "a shadow of things to come" (Col. 2:16-17). And, oh the wonder and glory of the things which have come! Praise God for the body of believers, the "nation born in one day", and for the fellowship of "just men made perfect", and the "access to the Father", and the "hope that entereth into that within the veil." We are blessed! blessed! blessed! in Christ Jesus. Words cannot utter it. It is as Peter said, "joy unspeakable and full of glory." Yet even this present life in the Spirit, so rich and so free, is itself a mere foretaste of what "God has prepared for those that love him."

Yes, my dear reader, the holy Ghost baptism, itself so great as to be prophesied about, is just a taste of the glory and joy which awaits those who are faithful to Christ Jesus. The Spirit continually directs our steps toward the great Day of Rest, the thousand-year reign of Christ on this earth, when the redeemed of all the ages are resurrected with bright, immortal bodies that shine as the stars, and are given authority over the nations to "reign with Christ a thousand years" (Rev. 20:4). One can only imagine the immense joy that will fill the hearts of the children of God as they are privileged to work not only for Christ but with him on this earth! This thousand-year reign of Christ is that glorious "Day of the Lord" spoken of by the prophets:

“Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low....And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made, each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”
aaaaaaaaaa excerpts from Isaiah chapter 2

The Apostle Peter wrote that "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2Pet. 3:8). There have been but six thousand years of history, recorded in the Bible. Anyone with an ability to add numbers and with just a little knowledge of world history can know that according to the scriptures, the beginning of the seventh "day", or seventh millennium of human history is swiftly approaching. Surely, this will be the great Sabbath, for which the saints have prayed, when "his rest shall be glorious." Saints, pray! The coming of the Lord cannot be far away. He will come to rule this earth "with a rod of iron" and to share his authority with those who have borne the reproach of his holiness in this present life.

Beyond the thousand-year Day of the Lord, there still "remaineth a rest to the people of God!" The good news only grows greater and richer with the passing of time! For the thousand-year reign with Christ, glorious as it will be, is but a taste of the eternal bliss of an entirely new earth promised to those who serve God acceptably. O! Praise God for our hope in Christ! It is beyond all human capacity to perceive. Who could know that after the high honor and blessing of being raised from the dead and given a glorified body, "like unto his glorious body", that Jesus will destroy both this heaven and this earth and make room for "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2Pet. 3:10-13). As Paul said, "Eye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man what God hath prepared for those that love him."

There will be no wicked for the saints to rule on the new earth, no rebellions to quell, no fear, doubt, or unbelief. All will be utmost peace, utmost joy, utmost brightness of life. As said the ancient prophet, "At his right hand there are pleasures forevermore." And, "The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein...with an overrunning flood will he make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies...he will make an utter end. Affliction shall not rise up the second time."

The Old Covenant sabbaths of days and years, the blessed holy Spirit, the thousand-year reign with Christ. All of these are ever-greater foretastes of the eternal life in a new universe which God desires to share with us, and will share with those who are obedient to His will in this present, evil world.

Send for your copy of the series of sermons on "What Must I Do To Be Saved?" 12 messages by Pastor John Clark, which make clear the answer to that ancient question. If you think salvation is "by faith alone", you need to hear this!