BIG PICTURE: The ultimate antitype of Sabbath (“rest”) is the salvation we have in Christ Jesus. Neither the Sabbath-rest nor the rest in the Promised Land constitute the ultimate rest, for in Psalm 95, “a long time later” (4:7), God still invites people to enter his rest, on the condition of persevering faith (4:2, 11). The ultimate rest, the writer of Hebrews insists, can only be the Gospel, in which men and women cease from their works (as God rested from his at Creation).

Definitions:
Sabbath means “rest”
Typology analyzes how New Testament persons, events, and institutions (called
“antitypes”) fulfill Old Testament persons, events, and institutions (called “types”) by
repeating the Old Testament situations at a deeper, climactic level in salvation history.

Warning 1: (a moralizing reading of Psalm 95) Avoid Israel’s example of unbelief, Christian: persevere or perish (3:7-19).

Warning 2: (a typological reading of Psalm 95) Christian, make every effort to enter into the ultimate rest, which is the salvation we have in Jesus (4:1-13).
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Simplified Biblical Time Line

 The “faithless generation” of Israelites are delivered from Egypt, but die in the
wilderness over a span of 40 years (circa 1540 - 1501 BC).
 Israel enters into the “Promised Land Rest” under Joshua, circa 1500 BC.
 500 years later, the psalmist writes Psalm 95, circa 1000 BC.
 Hebrews is written sometime before AD 70, around 1100 years after Psalm 95.