Title: The 'Rest' of Hebrews 4 

Subject: Our Rest Is Yet Unfulfilled
Summary: John Ritenbaugh, focusing upon the promise of rest alluded to in Hebrews 4;9, emphasizes the need to endure, persevere, overcoming doubts and unbelief- something many of our forebears (described in Hebrews 3 and 4) did not successfully attain. When we become impatient (largely as a result of superimposing our timetable, plan, or understanding over God's), doubts and lack of faith automatically arise. Like Abraham, we (as Abraham's seed) have been called to a life of rootless, unsettled wandering- in a pilgrim state- continually on the move- trusting in God to lead us to our ultimate destination- a spiritual life much more permanent than the impermanent itinerant lifestyle we now endure. Until this ultimate objective (the ever-expanding promises made by God to Abraham- co-heirs of the earth and ultimately the entire creation) occurs, we experience temporary privation, temptation, and seemingly perpetual rootlessness. Thankfully, if we (like Abraham) patiently endure the twists and turns, trusting in God's faithfulness to bring to completion what He has started (miraculously transforming our nature)-there will be a time when we will attain the rest (symbolized and typified by the weekly Sabbath) we (the Israel of God — the called-out spiritual children of Abraham) desperately yearn for.

Keywords: Abraham's descendants Children of promise Distress Doubts Endurance Enduring to the end Everlasting kingdom Frustration Gospel Healing Israel of God Katapausis Katapauo Kingdom promises Knight, Allen Little flock Men on road to Emmaus Millennium Pilgrim mentality Primitive Christianity in Crisis Promise Qualifying Redemptive of physical Israel Rest Rootlessness Sabbatismos Stop Weekly Sabbath as sign