The Sabbath is the Holy Ghost

Spiritual Building-Stone No. 196

Hebrews 4:8-11, "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."

Brother Branham said: The only way I teach the New Testament is by the Old Testament shadow, just like the Holy Ghost here for the sabbath day and so forth. Everything is a shadow back there (Hebr. 10:1). [1]

Some man wrote me a letter even... I got it today, and said, "Brother Branham, do you keep the seventh day, sabbath? I heard you say that you... this morning in that breakfast that you eat sausage and eggs." Said, "A holy man like you eat sausage?"
"Well, brother, I love you with all my heart, but if I never do more than eat sausage, it'll never keep me out of heaven."
Notice, brother, keeping sabbath day was... It's all right if you want to do it. I make a principle in the pulpit, talk about nobody's religion. That's right. But for the sake of it, now I say this, that the sabbath day keeping was only a shadow of the real sabbath. God would've give them sabbath right there when they crossed the Jordan. Jordan represents death. And when you're ready to die out to yourself, God will give you sabbath. Amen.
I said, "The Sabbath is the Holy Ghost." Said, "Nonsense. The sabbath is a day." I said, "It was at one time limited to a certain people, but today the Sabbath is the baptism of the Holy Ghost." That's right.
He said, "Oh, it can't be." "Why?" He said, "God gave the day and sealed it with a memorial that it was a day keeping."
I said, "For a people, but today Ephesians 4:30 said, 'Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you're sealed till the day of your redemption.'" [2]

Notice, our Adventist brethren say that the Seal of God is keeping the Sabbath Day (Gal. 4:10-11); but I want one speck of Scripture on it and show that Sabbath--or keeping the Sabbath day is the Seal of God. See, it's just a--somebody drawed that idea. But read Ephesians 4:30.
You're sealed, not until the next revival. When you're once sealed with the Holy Ghost, it's a finished work that God has received you, and there's no getting away from it. You say, "Well, I had it and I went away." No, you didn't have it. God says it goes on to the day of redemption. [3]

The Sabbath, as we know it from the New Testament, is NOT the keeping of a certain day. We have no command whatsoever to keep Saturday for a Sabbath, nor do we have any commandment to keep the first day of the week, which is Sunday. Here is the truth of the Sabbath, which means "rest."
Hebrews 4:8, "For if Joshua (Jesus) had given them rest (or rest day), then would He not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest (Sabbath keeping) to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His." Did you hear that key phrase in the last part of the verse? "God ceased from His own works."
God gave Israel the seventh day for their Sabbath, in commemoration of His own work wherein He created the world and all that was therein, and then stopped creating. He ceased from His labors (Gen. 2:1-3). He rested. Now it was fine to give a Sabbath rest to a people who were all in one place at one time, so they could all keep a certain day. Today half the world is in light while the other half is in darkness, so it wouldn't work at all. But that is just an argument from the natural.
Let's see what the Bible teaches us about this Sabbath rest. "For he that is entered into his rest." This entering in is not only entering in, but remaining in, the rest. It is an 'eternal rest' of which the seventh day is but a type. 'Seven' is completion. 'Eight' is the 'first' day again. Jesus' resurrection was in the first day of the week, giving us eternal life and eternal Sabbath rest. Thus we see why God could not give us any one certain day of the week as a Sabbath (rest). We've 'entered into' and do 'remain in' our rest, which Israel could not do, having only a shadow of the true substance which we enjoy. Why go back to a shadow when we have reality now?
How we receive this rest, or continuing Sabbath, is at the invitation of Jesus. He said in
Matthew 11:28-29, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me;... and ye shall find rest (or keeping of the Sabbath, not a day, but eternal life, Sabbath) unto your souls."
No matter how long you have been laboring under your load of sin, whether it is ten years, thirty years or fifty years, or longer, come with your tired weary life and you will find His rest (the true Sabbath). Jesus will give you rest.
Now exactly what is that rest that Jesus will give?
Isaiah 28:8-12, "For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people. To whom He said, This is the rest (Sabbath) wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest (or keeping of His Sabbath); and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear."
Here it is prophesied right here in Isaiah. And it came to pass about 700 years later at Pentecost when they were all filled with the Holy Ghost exactly as it was said they would be (Acts 2:1-4). This is the true Sabbath that was promised. Thus when they were filled with the Holy Ghost they ceased from their worldly works, their worldly doings, their evil ways. The Holy Ghost took charge of their lives. They entered into rest. There is your rest. That is your Sabbath. It is not a day, nor a year, but the eternity of being filled and blessed in the Holy Spirit. It is you ceasing, and God doing. It is God in you willing and doing of His good pleasure. [4]

Isaiah said that rest was stammering lips and other tongues would He speak to this people (Isaiah 28:11). And this is the keeping of the Sabbath.
Now, what about that? How's that? Where was it ever changed or anything else? Jesus verified the same statement. Paul in the Hebrews the 4th chapter (verses 6-11) verified the same statement.
That's right. The entering in of the Holy Ghost... Said, "For we," that's got the Holy Ghost, "have... when we have received Christ in our heart we've ceased from our works like God did from His and rested the seventh." That's right. There you are. There's the real Sabbath keeping. See what I mean? It's when the Holy Spirit comes in, God gives you the seal of your faith (Rom. 4:10-12). [5]

What is the Rest? When did the Rest come? When people spoke with other tongues and had stammering lips. Stammering lips, they didn't speak nothing; they stammered. When did that happen? On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost come (Acts 2:1-4). That is the Rest: the Holy Ghost. Jesus said, "Come unto Me, all ye that weary and heavy laden, and I'll give you Rest. I'll give you Life, Eternal Life (Zoe, God's own Life)." God will come into you and be a part of you. He'll give you a birth (John 3:3-8) and make you a son and daughter (Gal. 4:6-7). [6]

This is the rest. Not Sunday ain't the rest day. The Holy Spirit is the Rest day. You Advent brethren, not the seventh-day sabbath is the rest. The Holy Spirit is the Rest. "Sabbath" means "rest." This is the Rest to the soul; you have eternal Rest. [7]
Now, watch, that was the third rest He give. The first: God received it from His work. Second: Israel received it in the law. Third: the Church received It as a part of God.
Three is the number of life. How many knows that? Every time you see three, it's life. Notice, when God created the earth, on the third day was life. How many knows that? The third day, there came life on the third day of creation... (Gen. 1:9-13). The rest of God, the rest of Israel, and the Rest of the Church, the Sabbath-keeping.
So if you've never received the Holy Ghost yet, you have never entered into God's Rest. You don't have to say, "Oh, I couldn't; I want to smoke. I just couldn't do it; I'm a Christian. I really don't want to drink, but I'm a Christian. I just can't... Don't want to drink but yet I'd like to."
If you lust after women, if you do all these ungodly things, you've never hit that Rest period yet. You've never entered into your Rest.
And when you enter into this Rest, you cease from your own worldly works like God did from His. Why? You're a part of God; you rest eternally. There you are. That's the Sabbath, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor." [6]

Look over in Hebrews 4:7-11, didn't he say another rest? God created the seventh day and gave them rest on the seventh day. Another place he spoke of rest saying, "today in David..." Then He give them another Rest, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and heavy laden, I'll give you rest." Enter into this rest. For we which have entered into this rest have ceased from our works as God did from His on the sabbath. Certainly. There's your sabbath, rest. There's your real rest in this promised land. [8]

Reference:
[1] "Questions&Answers On Genesis", COD pg. 51
[2] "Results Of Decision" (55-1008), par. E-37-38
[3] "The Seventh Seal", Seal's-Book pg. 545
[4] "Patmos Vision", CAB pg. 45-46
[5] "Maniac Of Gadara" (54-0720A), par. E-67-68
[6] "Hebrews Chapter 4" (57-0901E), par. 186-191
[7] "Unfailing Realities Of God" (60-0626), par. 220
[8] "Manifested Sons Of God" (60-0518), par. 129

Spiritual Building-Stone No. 196 from the Revealed Word of this hour, compiled by: Gerd Rodewald, Friedenstr. 69, D-75328 Schömberg, Germany, www.biblebelievers.de, Fax: (+49) 72 35 33 06

"There´s coming one with a Message that´s straight on the Bible, and quick work will circle the earth. The seeds will go in newspapers, reading material, until every predestinated Seed of God has heard It." [Bro. Branham in "Conduct-Order-Doctrine“, page 724]