Meanings of the Sabbath Revisited: Time and Space, Presence and Dwelling

ABSTRACT: The seventh day of creation is the day of the Presence, the day of God’s dwelling with the created world. The Sabbath becomes the reverberation of this reality. However, are there levels of access that can be discerned in the sabbatical experience? Regarding the Sabbath as sacred time, we can distinguish at least two levels or stages of proximity, one general and the other one special. These stages can be delineated more precisely if we first identify them in space before tracing them in time. Thus, starting off from the general stage of the Presence and further building on it, both the meeting and the fellowship comprise together the superior, ultimate stage – the Holy Grail of the sabbatical experience. The full experience that is referred to is expressed in the text in terms of “rest.” KEYWORDS: seventh day, Sabbath, Presence, meeting, fellowship, rest