Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed #16

The Purpose And Plan Of God
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Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, again we want to commend ourselves unto You and Your grace this evening hour, knowing Lord, we’re here to hear Your Word and this Word we know is the conduit of eternal life because the gospel of grace is what is preached for men to believe.

So Father, we pray that we have understanding tonight with joy in our hearts to build us up in the most holy faith to worship You in spirit and in truth, to know You correctly according to the revelation of Scripture who You are that we might worship You in that respect.

Thereby know that we might have salvation, oh God, impress our hearts and our minds with the beauty of Your Word tonight.

Help us to understand and have fellowship with You and Yours in the light in Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

You may be seated.

01

Now I suppose this could be about number 17, somewhere in that area, of Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed, as preached by Brother Branham, many years back now.

And I just want to say in the little preambles, some thoughts and it is to me unbelievable that a Supreme Being Who is both omniscient and omnipotent who would not have a plan and a purpose that would both express and be worthy of His glorious essential Being.

Now that’s pretty well the way I wanted to say that because that is the truth. It’s very, it’s absolutely unbelievable that a Supreme Being, and that’s God, Who is both omniscient and omnipotent would not have a plan and a purpose that would both express and be worthy of His glorious essential Being.

If He conceived a purpose below His wisdom and administered it less than His prudence He could not evoke from Himself a worthy estimation of His majesty let alone expect it from His creation unless He were a capricious God. Now that goes without saying.

02

But there are those who feel that God is a capricious person. And we find that over in the Book of Matthew 25, I suppose, about verse 24, somewhere in that area.

And this is at the White Throne judgment or pretty well in that area and it has to do with the handing over the talents till the Lord comes back. And it says,

Matthew 25:24

(24) Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, [That’s an austere man] reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not [winnowed]:

In other words, one coming in and with all authority and power can do exactly what he wants to do, but this man has a wrong idea because God is not capricious. He is a God of mercy and righteousness but also a God of judgment.

As Brother Branham said, “This idea of an old bearded man, a dotty old grandfather is not God.”

But He is also a God of justice, even though He is a God of love.

So there is no place for anyone to believe in a capricious God, a vacillating God, a God who changes His mind, a God who does not have a purpose which is worthy of His essential Being, His innate majesty and glory, who does not have a plan which He will carefully consummate.

He is not a capricious God.

03

God’s own testimony of Himself covers the true evaluation of His majestic glorious Person as to His purposeful plan that only He could perform.

So let me say that again. God’s own testimony of Himself, I said He couldn’t assess Himself to be very glorious if He didn’t have a plan worthy of His own expectations and His own ability, but His own testimony covers the true evaluation of His majestic glorious Person as to His purposeful plan that only He could perform.

04

Now we’re going to read extensively concerning that, that’s why I said we’re going to take our time tonight as usual and we read first of all in,

Isaiah 46:5-7

(05) To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?

(06) They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and… [make] it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.

(07) They bear him upon [their] shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall [carry] him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his [troubles].

In other words, he can’t move, if you want him to come, take a hacksaw and hack him in two or melt him down. What’s he going to do about it? Why you say, “Well, that’s just an image.”

But it would be a pretty stupid god if he couldn’t back up his image. What kind of a god is that? Hope you’re thinking now; some of your church’s backgrounds, talking to saints and things. What church is going to pull you out with its idolatries? Council of Churches?

Isaiah 46:8-11

(08) Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.

(09) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, there is none like me,

(10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

(11) Calling a ravenous bird from the east, [I don’t exactly what that means] the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: [That could be thinking in terms of Nebuchadnezzar coming into prophecy.] yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, [and] I will also do it. [See? All right.]

05

Let’s go to Isaiah 40 and reading verses 13, 14 and then continuing to other verses.

Isaiah 40:13-14.25-28

(13) Who hath directed the spirit of the LORD, or [who] being his counsellor hath taught him?

(14) With whom took he [not] counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?…

(25) To whom will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

(26) Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for… he is strong in power; not one faileth. [He does not only create: He maintains.]

(27) Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

(28) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

06

Okay, back to Genesis 1:31, now He’s a creator.

Genesis 1:31

(31) And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Then continuing in Genesis 2:

Genesis 2:1-8

(01) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

(02) And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

(03) And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all [of] his work which God created and made.

(04) These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

(05) And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

(06) But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

(07) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

(08) And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man [which] he had formed.

07

Okay, now let’s go back to Revelation 21:1-7. Now he starts out in the Garden. We’re just going to drop everything off as it was in the Garden, go back to Revelation 21 and in there we’ll just read the first few verses.

Revelation 21:1-11

(01) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. [See, it’s recreated.]

(02) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [All right, there you are again you got a husband and a wife in a very nice place.]

(03) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. [Now that was disrupted back there in the Garden.]

(04) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. [Now there was nothing until that time of sin. Now notice what we got again.]

(05) And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

(06) And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, [I’m going to take them right back to the beginning] the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

(07) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. [Now remember, that promise right there is in the 3rd chapter of the Book of Revelation which we’ll read later on again.]

(08) But the fearful, and… abominable, and [unbelievers and so on will go into]… the second death.

(09) And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. [It’s not Adam anymore and a bride; it’s another Adam.]

(10) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, [Now remember the others come up out of the earth. This is all descending from God.]

(11) Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

Now I’m going to see now, we want to go down to 22 to 27.

Revelation 21:22-27

(22) And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

(23) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

(24) And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. [It’s the same Light we’re walking in by the way. There’s no difference, light is light. God is God.]

(25) And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. [No gates to be shut because there will be no night. There’s nothing can harm.]

(26) …And they shall bring the glory and honour of [all] the nations into it.

(27) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth,… whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

08

Revelation 22:

Revelation 22:1-9

(01) And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

(02) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

(03) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

(04) And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

(05) And there shall be no night there;… [they’ll] need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

(06) And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his [messenger] to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly [come to pass]… [Well, might as well keep reading.]

(07) Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

(08) And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

(09) Then [he] saith… unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Now you notice in there that he didn’t say necessarily he’s going to fall down and worship this man though that seems quite implied. I think the prophet did say that, but he does say here, he said, “Don’t you worship this type of worship.”

In other words, you cannot come through me; you’ve got to go directly. And there’s so many people that want to come through some kind of form, rigmarole or church membership or some priest or orthodoxy or God knows what, it won’t work.

Revelation 22:10-13

(10) And he [said], Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. [What time is that? That’s the time of immortality. The time’s all gone by now. Just keep these things in mind.]

(11) He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: he [that] is filthy,… filthy still: he that is righteous,… righteous still: and he that is holy,… holy still.

(12) …behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

(13) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,

09

And this is the beginning of the end. This is the end of it. This is where we come right back because you make this in this hour where the Seals are open, the Book is open.

And remember, there’s only one person can open that Book, remember the One that was in human flesh opened the Book of Isaiah and closed it.

He’s the only One got authority. In Revelation 5, you see Him take the Book and open the Book and hand it back to the One on the throne.

In Revelation 10, it says; the One on the throne comes down here with the Book and the Thunders are on earth which are the opening of the Seals.

Now what pope, what president, what one of you, what one of us all together are going to open that Book? You better know Who is going to open that Book. And God had better tells us somewhere where the Book is going to be open.

Now notice what it said back here,

Revelation 22:10

(10) …Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book:…

So therefore, between Revelation 10:5, about 4, where it says, “Seal up the sayings,” and to this period, the Book is opened, the Seals are torn off, and the Book cannot be shut.

And that’s what God says, “Whatever I shut, nobody opens, what I open, nobody shut. I am the beginning and I am the end.”

Revelation 22:14

(14) Blessed are they that [wash their robes; not] do his commandments, [but wash their robes. I don’t know where they got that miserable translation from.] that they may have right [the right] to the tree of life, [we’ll get to that but not tonight]… [that they] may enter in through the gates into the city.

10

This is that hour. This is that time at hand that was stopped in the Garden of Eden. Don’t let them touch. Now you got to touch or you miss it all. Before you couldn’t touch, now you got to touch.

Like Brother Branham said, “Once you could not enter behind the veil to the Holy of holies, it was death but now it’s death not to enter into it.”

Revelation 22:15-19

(15) For without are dogs, [male prostitutes, that tells you flat what they are. They are so-called Christians that take you from the Word.] and sorcerers, [that’s your apothecary, that’s your druggist. He whips up your concoctions to feed you a wrong word that opiates you or peps you up but it will never get you there. It’s sterile.]… whoremongers, [that’s your idolaters] and murderers, [bring you a wrong word]… idolaters, [same thing] and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

(16) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. [And this has been going on for seven solid Church Ages.] I am the root and the offspring of David, [I’m the One they looked for back there. I’m the One they’re looking for now.]

(17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

(18) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

(19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things written in this book.

Now it doesn’t say take his name out of the Book of Life, the Lamb’s Book of Life, uh, uh. This is the Book of Life, because by the time this is done the Lamb’s Book of Life has been completely filled and there’s no way that any one of those can escape. They are the predestinated Elect of Almighty God.

11

Now let’s just reread page 58, paragraphs 3 and part of 4, and with what I have read in the Scriptures in Isaiah, Genesis, and Revelation will with these two paragraphs will spell out perfectly Brother Branham’s title, Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed.

Because you can see what we laid out here in the Bible as His great purpose and plan that God had and it’s all consummated in Christ.

[58-2]  Look! What was once God’s great secret, great mysterious secret in His mind, is now put in the hearts [by the revelation of the Holy Spirit] of the believers, that is the Body of Christ.

What was once God’s… great secret in His mind before the foundation of the world is now made manifest. Think of it! Oh, I’m sure we don’t… get it. Well, I… can’t see it the way I ought to, and I’m sure you don’t either. 

[58-3]  But God’s great mystery, what the Eternal God has had as a mystery, has now been unfolded in Jesus Christ, then was given out down to His Church. What was once in God’s mind is now in the Body of Christ.

That’s why I read what I did in Genesis then took you back and showed you that great purposeful plan that God had, that He admitted on His own testimony He had without any counsel that He had started and He would bring it to pass and nothing is going to stop Him anyway shape and form.

12

All right. Let us recall that God was bringing an Old Testament Bride which by revelation looked forward to God manifest in Messiah and now the New Testament Bride can only look back to Him and nothing else.

Now remember, if we believed the Word, what they looked forward to procured their complete redemption and took the Elect Bride somewhere in some… in heaven likely or some other dimension and they are there now in glorified bodies. Now, not all Old Testament people, but an Elect Bride.

Now if they looked forward to Him to bring about a Resurrection which they have now, the first half of the first Resurrection is passed, then we… we looking to the second part of the first Resurrection to come to this entire consummation of New Jerusalem with the purpose and plan of God what He purposed and planned continuing.

Then we’ll look back to the same One who brought them to the place where we want to be where together we’ll all be in this new dimension, this new kingdom. Do you follow? Okay.

13

Now, the Old Testament Bride looked forward to that perfect One and we look back to the same perfect One.

Now remember, God revealed Himself in various forms and signs and wonders and especially in and through the prophets, which did manifest God Himself until God Himself was fully revealed in the virgin born body of Jesus Messiah.

Then He took up the body after the death and Resurrection into heaven, and now God is again revealing Himself by the anointing spirit in a virgin Bride born of the Word until once more He will take on the virgin born body that is now seated on the throne of the Father.

As Brother Branham said, “When that Spirit that’s in our midst becomes incarnate to us we’ll crown Him King of kings, and Lord of lords,” and that’s in,

Revelation 3:21

(21) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

And that is not said till the seventh Church Age when the Lamb rips the Seals off the Book, and hands it back to the One on the throne and the One on the throne leaves the throne and comes down here.

Then who’s up there? The body, but He’s got all authority and power. It doesn’t matter. Now that body is going to be reincarnated at the time of the Rapture which is not the Appearing. Don’t ever think that is. Get those fallacious statements out of your minds.

14

As the great Father God Holy Spirit once moved to bring His entire fullness into a single body, Jesus virgin born, to give Himself a vehicle for the outworking of His purpose and plan.

He is now bringing the last stages of that progressive purpose into revelation so that the virgin born body will assume its Headship, that’s at the Rapture, and then God will be fully manifested in that flesh headship again for Alpha is Omega. He was once: He’ll do it again.

For almost two thousand years He has manifested in a Bride body of many members, through Himself which is the Holy Spirit. Jesus came back as the Holy Ghost; we showed you that in Ephesians 4. Every Trinitarian knows it but he can’t figure out why there’s still not three gods.

He said three gods. How can they get three when he got Him down to two? Now how are you going to get two when there’s only one because the Bible said, “One mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus?”

Well, God must be stupid to call a man, a man when he’s a God. Now if I was God and God called me a man, I’d say, “Hey, Pop, hey, Father.” I’m getting irreverent now and vulgar which I shouldn’t. I’d have a little showdown. Brother/sister, you got this thing all wrong.

There’s millions and millions that got it all wrong. Roughly a billion people got it all wrong. There’s one God; He’s Holy Spirit, He’s Spirit.

They just forget that that Spirit can do whatever it wants to do under any condition it wants but God is already limited and bound Himself to His Word, the word ‘El Elah’ absolutely means from the beginning ‘the strong one bound by an oath’.

God bound by His Own Word, and He said, “I am one God, there is none beside Me.”

But they can’t understand the Son. Then they use the word ‘eternal Son’. How can… The word ‘eternal’ says there’s no beginning. Sons are not eternal; they got a beginning. We’ll get more and more into this. We’ll see more. See?

15

For almost two thousand years He has manifested in a Bride body of many members, through Himself which is Holy Spirit, and at the end He appears to the Gentiles in Revelation 10:1-7 fulfilling Matthew 12 that said He would do it.

Bringing to pass the mystery of 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a Shout,” which is ‘a military command.’

Which has not just the connotation but the intrinsic absolute meaning of ‘setting something in order’ which is brought out so clearly in Peter which is a stratagem.

At the time of an epical season, a strategic epical season and God works a stratagem. And the stratagem has to do with the fact that He said, “Behold, I will destroy everything if I don’t send Elijah.”

So Elijah is part of the stratagem. So we’ll begin to see more as we go along.

16

Whether it’s believed or not by anyone else we have today a repeat of number four, Elijah. Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist, William Branham, number four. Let’s go to Isaiah 40 and let’s begin to read.

I always get gloriously steamed up when I talk about the prophet and the things that God has done. I have no trouble at all. It’s all a beautiful, beautiful situation.

Isaiah 40:1-2

(01) Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith [the Lord] saith your God.

(02) Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

The word ‘double’ is very simple here. I’ve got a piece of paper I can use.

Now the ancient way is they write all the sins and the transgressions and the debts owed by people, like I might be over there in the East and I might be a wealthy person and you owe me all kinds of money, and you’ve done all kinds of despicable things and you won’t do a thing about it.

So I write all these things down one day and I put it on the wall right out here before everybody in public.

They run by it and say, “Hey, those nephews of Lee Vayle and those kids aren’t they horrible what they did.” One day get a change of heart I get very sorry for you and I just do this to the paper [Brother Vayle folds the paper.] and nobody can see a thing anymore; it’s all gone. That’s what it means to double. Okay.

Isaiah 40:2-17

(02) …received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

(03) The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

(04) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

(05) And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

(06) [And] the voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

(07) The grass withereth, the flower [fades]: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

(08) The grass withereth, the flower [fades]: but the word of [the] God shall stand for ever.

(09) O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; [and] say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

(10) Behold, the Lord… will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. [Now right there you’ll notice that that’s showing something down the road that didn’t take place in the actual ministry of Jesus Christ when he was on earth.]

(11) He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather [his] lambs [in] his [arms], and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. [Now you know that didn’t happen. That’s got to happen… had happened down the road. It’s been happening.]

(12) Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in balance?

(13) Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

(14) With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him,… in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed… him the way of understanding?

(15) Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very [small] thing.

(16) And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

(17) All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted… [as] less than nothing, and vanity.

17

All right. Now, you have here where John the Baptist literally foreran Almighty God in the form of human flesh because it says over here in the Book of Luke 1; we’re all very conversant with it concerning John the Baptist.

Luke 1:16-17

(16) [That he’s going to turn]… many of the children of Israel… to the Lord their God.

(17) And [John] shall go before [the Lord their God] in the spirit and power of [Elijah], to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, [even] the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

18

Now, in here he says,

Isaiah 40:10

(10) Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him:

Now that did not take place but it does not break the understanding: the Lord God will come with strong hand, and he did, and it says here, “John went before the Lord God of Israel which was the One who is doing all of these things.”

Isaiah 40:10

(10) [and] …behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Now his reward with him at that particular time would be for the redemption of Israel, but that does not cover the whole scope because the scope is covered when Jesus himself tells exactly what is going to happen.

And we read it over there in Matthew 12 of the appearing to the Gentiles. But now look again.

Isaiah 40:10-11

(10) Behold, the Lord… will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

(11) [And] he shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather [those]… in his bosom, [and so on; and this is the One that we recognize as to be the Lord God, the Creator Himself.]

Now, this Elijah of this hour has literally the same ministry that the other Elijah had which was the forerunning of God Himself to Israel, and of course, that was in a human form.

So therefore, now at the end time we have the Message that God gave through Brother Branham, “As John the Baptist foreran the first coming of Christ so your Message will forerun the second coming of Christ.”

And the words that I think here that are so important with me are the fact of the authority and the government that God Almighty has always signified would take place through Christ, now this is not physical Christ at this time, but the anointing which would come to the Church through the form of the Holy Spirit.

19

So what I’m looking at over here is in, the 1st Ephesians [1 Corinthians] the 15th chapter and at this particular time it says here,

1 Corinthians 15:20-22

(20) But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept.

(21) For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

(22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Now you know that’s the out-Resurrection from among the dead because as in Adam all die, every person is not made alive. It’s only those in Christ which were originally in Adam.

1 Corinthians 15:23-24

(23) But every man in his own order: [that tells you about the order, there’s orders of resurrections.] Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his [Appearing]. [That’s His Parousia, that word ‘Presence’ there.]

(24) Then cometh the end, [Notice…] when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God,

Now it tells you between that time there is a place in there in this particular area, at the time of the… at the hour, that is to say in that particular time, or that epical season of the Resurrection that the kingdom has to come finally to a place where…

1 Corinthians 15:24-28

(24) …all authority and [all] power [is put down]. [For it says in…]

(25) For he must reign, [until all]… he hath put all enemies under his feet. [Now watch that language.]

(26) [And] the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

(27) For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he [says] all things are put under him, it is [absolutely evident]… that he [that is putting all things under this person’s feet is left out.]…

(28) And when all things shall be subdued [or put under him, that is brought into a divine order, this is the same word you get, ‘the Lord shall descend with a shout’]… then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that [shall] put all things under him, that God may be all [and] in all.

So what you see here is what we’ve been talking about. This great purpose and plan of Almighty God absolutely depends upon a second half of the first Resurrection as did the other, the first half of the first Resurrection.

Now, if you’re going to have a perfect sequence that you can follow where Alpha is Omega there had to be positively a forerunner before that Resurrection. Now let’s get the picture so you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

God put man in a garden where man was supposed to be living in a sort of immortal condition with Him, immortal under mortal conditions.

Now man goes astray and separation takes him by death, but the promise of God and the plan of God was to have that man there, so therefore, now God has to make a way to get that man out which God knew He’d make a way to get the man out because God being a Savior He had to predestinate a sinner to give Himself a reason and purpose of being.

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Now let’s just keep listening. So therefore, the main conclusion and understanding is what is this purpose and plan of God. Now just hold that thought right there in your minds. We’re going to go to,

Ephesians 1:3-6

(03) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places…

(04) According as he hath chosen us in him before the [Garden of Eden ever came into being, Adam and Eve or anybody else was there, or one speck of stardust,]… chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

(05) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, [who did all these things] according to the good pleasure of his will,

(06) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Now that’s exactly the plan of God, period, and everything with it. Then it said blood came on the scene to get you there. So what’s the purpose and plan of God in this hour? To get us into that Resurrection.

All right, then there was a forerunner back there to receive Christ who would die to bring a Resurrection. But He’s not going to die again. We just need to get Him here, then we’ll get a Resurrection.

That’s why He said, “Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet and he shall turn the hearts of the children back to the fathers,” and there’s no mention of the atonement. What is there a mention of?

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Let’s keep reading back in Ephesians again.

Ephesians 1:7-11

(07) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

(08) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; [That’s part of His wisdom and prudence, and He couldn’t get the full cup of glory worthy of His own essential being until all this is come through redemption.]

(09) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

(10) That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: [Notice what He’s doing.]

(11) In whom we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

You notice there’s no blood mentioned there except in one little verse? No blood at all mentioned, so don’t get carried away with the wrong principles. Get to understand God had this plan and He’s going to get it to pass.

He’s going to get this plan perfectly functional and He’s going to get us back exactly where He wanted us. Now sin entered and death by sin so God brings about the atonement. That’s once and for all.

Now you’re dealing apart from sin directly with Almighty God what He accomplished through grace by the Holy Ghost. Let’s keep reading and prove it.

Ephesians 1:12-18

(12) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

(13) In whom ye also [hoped], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

(14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance [the very thing God wanted for us, the blood had to be shed to get back to it] until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. [What did God do? Redeemed our bodies, going to get us out of the ground. Listen!]

(15) Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

(16) Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

(17) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: [Now another spirit comes on the scene.]

(18) [That] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that [you] may know what is the hope of his calling, [You’re going to get to know something at the end time, whenever this Spirit comes that has to do with His calling, not ours] and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,…

And he Jesus, worked through every single thing. What did He inherit? The Name! And it says it’s a name that the Gentiles trust because the man himself isn’t there, but the God of that man is there. And notice,

Ephesians 1:19-20

(19) And what is the exceeding… [even] what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

(20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand… [when that spirit comes, the Resurrection is about to take place.]

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So therefore, you can see what this is all about. This is what that Shout is all about. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a Shout,” and after the Shout is over he takes us up and we meet the Lord in the air.

“As the Lord said to my lord, sit on my right hand.” As God said to Adonai. God said, “Thou God, Your throne is forever.” God speaking to God, no: God Elohim speaking to Adonai, the respected one, the great One because Adonai can be ‘Mister,’ a title of authority, prestige.

Well, you talk about ‘El, Elohim, Jehovah,’ Jehovah said to Adonai; that’s two different things. It was not Adonai that stood before Abraham. No sir, not in the unfolding of the drama. That was Elohim. All right.

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Thus, this is Elijah, before the literal second coming in flesh and is known as the Appearing and we have to watch what it is doing and that is over here in 1 Corinthians 15 where he’s bringing the church into divine order.

It’s the same thing that John did, to make ready the people prepared, see? There has to be a return ministry.

Malachi 4, “Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the hearts of the children back to the fathers, lest I shall destroy utterly the earth with a curse.”

And why is the earth cursed? Because of its abominations. Now hear me carefully, you missed that word, you weren’t paying attention. Abominations is a key word for down the road because the curse is on the land and the people, and the land forces the people out.

God takes the people out then the Tribulation comes and the people are forced out by what happens upon the land. The earth goes into cataclysmic eruptions. So, all right.

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But as we continue in Brother Branham’s message, page 59, paragraph 2, we find in this hour of the Exodus, the revelation of God will be rejected.

And as we all know that only… that only the Elect can receive it and follow it so we are not greatly surprised but we can sorrow as did the Apostle Paul.

So we go to page 59, reading.

[59-1]  And these men resisted it…

They’re resisting, it actually should be in the present tense but he’s speaking of the Pharisees that they resisted Jesus as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses. But this Scripture is written for this hour and in 2 Timothy 3:1-9, so I’ll read it again.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

(01) …know [this] also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. [What are the perilous times?]

(02) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

(03) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

(04) Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; [Now this is the church, not a bunch of rowdies out there, the Mafia cutting up people.]

(05) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:…

In other words, they take to themselves the right to authentic what exactly they want according to church but they don’t have the authority of God behind them; they don’t have the Word. They got their own creeds and dogmas.

2 Timothy 3:6-8

(06) For of this sort are they which creep into houses, [Notice, you can see them just oozing in, yuk, okay..]

(07) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. [There’s got to be somebody that gets it though because he’s warning the people down here about perilous times. Somebody’s going to take a warning.]

(08) Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

Now Jannes and Jambres had signs and wonders. The only church that really had them was Pentecost and that’s where they are. Now the Roman Catholics, Methodist, Baptist, everybody’s got them in their own little nucleus.

So they’re all identified, as Brother Branham said, “The Baptists want the Methodists, and the Methodists want the Baptists, but the Pentecostals got them all.” All right.

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As they resisted Moses.

[59-1]  …[They are] able to produce a church… a group of people… But their folly will be made manifest when Jesus takes His Bride and sets Her up here and says, “This is She,” and… goes away with Her. That’s right. Their folly will be made known.

In other words, I said the other day, they learn after the fact, that’s always the trouble. He’s constantly pointing to the Scripture to the Alpha and Omega principle.

Let us realize the secret of God in flesh two thousand years ago is now going on in this age to climax the complete revelation as the Scripture says, “when that which is perfect is come” in 1 Corinthians 13:9.

Now let’s take a look at it.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10

(09) For we know in part, [No… (08)]

(08) Charity [love] never [fails]: prophecies, they shall fail; tongues, shall cease; knowledge, shall vanish away.

(09) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

(10) But when that which is perfect is come, then that which… in part shall be done away.

Now he’s talking about parts. That’s exactly Hebrews 1, “God in sundry times and divers manners,” in many parts, in many ways, Seven Church Ages, seven joints, seven measures of the Holy Spirit by the Word poured out and then it’s all over, no more to go like I showed you on the board the other day. All right.

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Now when that which is perfect is come, conclusion, fulfillment, finalization, it’s over, the Seals are open, the Thunders been out, Elijah’s come, it’s… the Perfect is come. Now what did God say that would be? Restored Word.

Acts, the 3rd chapter, let’s go back and see it. Look, don’t you see that’s what John did? The restored Word is a revelation of the Word for that hour. They had the Word but they were wrong in their revelation so John came and turned the hearts back to God.

He turned the prophetic Word to the people, the prophetic Word was against the people because they had gone from God but he turned the prophetic Word to the people, the people of God: God currying favor, manifesting Himself to the people to gain their attention.

3rd chapter, 19th verse, the middle part of It:

Acts 3:19-20

(19) …when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

(20) [Even] he shall send Jesus Christ, which [was appointed or proclaimed in advance] unto you:

Now it says there’s got to come a certain time of refreshing, a great revival, a revival with… That word ‘refreshing’ means ‘like a breath of fresh air coming’.

Now you know that’s a spirit, the Spirit breathing a revelation at that time. Now it says Christ is going to come physically, but He can’t, for the heavens must retain Him.

Acts 3:21

(21) …until the times of [restoration] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

What restoration is that? To get the people to a place where God can work what He wants worked. He got the Old Testament out of the ground. He’s got to get this out of the ground.

He’s got to change us here and get us out of here. That’s what’s got to be changed. The earth doesn’t get changed. He’s got to bring us to a place of what? Faith! Faith is a revelation.

Acts 3:21

(21) …the mouth of all [the] holy prophets…

In other words, at this time as Moses came on the scene as a historian and a giver of the Word, you’re going to have the same type of fellow come on the scene.

He’s got to recap to the beginning which is what? Calvary and Pentecost. We can’t be what he’s supposed to be, this has to be continuity brother/sister, because Moses is in here.

Acts 3:22-23

(22) For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. [Now listen.]

(23) And it [will] come to pass, that every soul, [that] will not hear that prophet, shall be [utterly] destroyed from among the people.

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That did not happen when he was on earth. He said, “I forgive you. I take the pressure off of you. But when that One comes and you call Him the devil,” Israel called him the devil then. They don’t call Him the devil now.

Oh, they said, “We made a mistake, he’s a prophet.” Now He comes on the scene in William Branham, behind the thing, all right, we know the picture. We see the mighty works of a prophet. They say, “That’s the devil.” Be my guest.

Go ahead, blaspheme, that’s fine by me. Look, I’m not here to worry about you or me, in a limited sense I mean that with all my heart, now in a limited… I got to watch what I say of course.

But the main thrust of my message is not whether you and I are right, if I’m to preach to you a certain way you like it and you like me a certain way; that’s got nothing to do with it: is this the truth of God or isn’t it?

That’s the thing that counts and we’re basing it on a man. Let’s find out if we can do that.

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Acts, the 13th chapter, you don’t have to be sitting here, you don’t understand these things, I preach all the time on the tape, people sit around and they don’t’ understand it. I talk to some folk after several years, they still don’t understand. Be it known…

Acts 13:38-41

(38) Be it known unto you men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

(39) And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

(40) Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;

(41) Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

That’s the trouble right there. People… Israel said, “I believe in prophets;” turned him down flat.

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So we’re looking at this Scripture here.

Acts 3:23-24

(23) …it [will] come to pass, that every soul, [that] will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. [Well, you know that Jesus per se was not the prophet because God’s His own prophet and it’s God that makes the prophet, God in the man. Then notice,]

(24) Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel… that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

Now Samuel didn’t do any speaking. He did discerning. Moses did speaking and adjudicating, he got the Word interpretation, Samuel followed and he was a discerner. So now you got Moses in there and you got Samuel in there, in fact you got all the prophets in there.

Acts 3:25

(25) Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

Now the Gentiles are brought in there, because all kindreds are in there; they weren’t before, brother/sister, not till 53 AD, or right around that area. Now listen!

Acts 3:26

(26) Unto you first God, having raised up his Son… sent him to bless you,…

Then if there’s a first raising when’s the second raising? The duel, Matthew 12, what he did to Israel he’s obligated to do now outside of his flesh in the form of the Holy Ghost amongst the people in the flesh of somebody else, or through the flesh because he’s got to work through Bride and manifest through a Bride.

There’s your perfect picture. See? Once more God in flesh, the flesh of the Bride but working through the prophet.

[59-2]  Look at it. Having the revelation of this secret made known to them by… grace. [It’s all by grace.]… when this great revelation… revealed mystery is made known to you, then you denounce the things of the world.

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You denounce the religion of men and what conduct it brings with it for all religion produces responses. If you’re taught to confess to a priest, you’ll confess to a priest. That will do you good. If you’re taught to shake the preacher’s hand, that’s great.

We were taught when I was a kid and I turned it down a hundred percent, we were to come to church and join the church and shake the preacher’s hand, and stand up here and take communion and I didn’t want it, my mother forced me.

Well, I was an obedient boy to a point. I prayed in my heart the day would never come. You knew that preacher he’d put that communion on.

I never took communion in that church in that condition, now after I got saved I could take communion. God spared me. That was their idea. Some little… Oh God.

Well that fellow back there was an antichrist reprobate if there ever was one, fine intellectual gentleman, oh, he was a wow.

When he went through the seminary they gave him the big beer stein because he was the… he got the coveted prize for being the most courteous man in the whole group, out of hundreds of the theological seminaries.

They sure did right; they gave him a beer stein. Exactly right. Never mind the communion cup, a beer stein. And he taught that the Book of Genesis was a Christian fable and he came out of a Holiness church called the Nazarenes.

What the Nazarenes were producing way back there then? He must have been born around the turn of the 1900’s before then. God, what a mess; that’s religion, it gets a response to it.

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What did Paul say about that?… Philippians, the 3rd chapter, he said…

Philippians 3:4-9

(04) Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any… man [thinks] that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

(05) Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

(06) Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

(07) But what things were gain to me, those I counted [a] loss for Christ.

(08) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus [Christ] my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but [manure], that I may win Christ,

(09) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Notice there’s two faiths in there. The faith of Christ and the faith that you have toward him and the faith of Christ is absolutely the truly revealed Word of God that He alone can give you and you believe it. So there you’re looking at it.

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Now, he says, and this is by grace.

[59-3]  Now, I’m going to come back once again. [Now here we’re going to get real tough and I think we got just enough time to cover this.] I was not going to say it; I’m pointing to it—the tapes say it.… This tape goes across the world. See?

Now remember, I said, every religion brings its responses. Every creed and dogma has its little nest in your heart where the wormies are and the things you got to watch.

So listen carefully and I’m not being critical of you, I’m watching myself, I’m watching every single person and I will not be rough with this, I’ll simply bring out the truth.

[59-3]  This tape goes across the world. See? You women that claim you’ve got the baptism with the Holy Ghost, and do not have the audacity [that’s the real get up and go about you, fearlessness] to let you hair grow out! when the Bible condemns it and said to the woman—a man’s got a right to put away his wife in divorce if she bobs her hair—honored before God to do so!

The Bible says if she cuts her hair, she dishonors her head,… it’s not just any old [commonly accepted] thing… for a woman to even pray with bobbed hair. [Or to let a woman pray with bobbed hair.]

Now let me tell you something, it may be commonly accepted but it is not common to the Bride, and we’re dealing with Scripture that distinctly says this, God says, “If you turn your ear away from hearing My Word, I will turn My ear away from hearing your prayer.”

Now that’s blank statement of the Word of God.

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Now you keep listening.

[59-3]  See? Wearing shorts and these slacks and things. The Bible said any woman… that puts on a garment that pertains to a man,… is an abomination to God [That’s exactly right. That’s the Scripture.] filthy, [Now listen, to what he says,] filthy, dirty, like an old stinking bathroom somewhere.

Now that’s the part that we don’t like to read. Now I ask a question. Is this same spirit… is this the same spirit of the woman or women in this church when they assess the garments that are wrong for them to wear as did the prophet assess it?

Now that’s a… statement right there and we’ll talk about it a little bit. Do the women in our church and the churches that have been raised up view the wearing of slacks and shorts as a filthy dirty like an old stinking bathroom somewhere?

To get you to understand what we’re saying we’re going to go to the Book of Ezekiel. Now I want you to careful with this because this is something we must understand and not something Reverend Branham just brought us as a passing fancy.

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Ezekiel, we’re going to read a lot,

Ezekiel 8:1

(01) And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell… upon me [there].

Now before I read further I want to warn you that this is not the battle of the sexes. I am not a sexist as though I have anything against any woman, so it’s not the war of sexism.

This is where the church wars against God because we read to you above these very verses I’m reading, in the last days there would be trucebreakers.

Now what is a truce? A truce is an armistice where both lay down their guns but when the truce is broken the party that’s offended can pick up the gun and start war again and will pick up the gun and start war.

So therefore, this age is at war with God whether they want to admit it or not because God’s at war with them because they’ve broken the traditions of the truce.

They’ve broken the conditions of the Blood. They now have the formula of obedience to their creeds and dogmas instead of the Word of God.

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Now what breaks a truce? The breaking of a Word covenant which both agree upon, so therefore, the breaking of the Word in the Garden started a war in heaven against mankind, separated from God.

And there’s a war going on right now because in the end time there’s no truce, period, it’s been broken through the abominations which are in the land. Now that’s not just women wearing these clothes.

Now for a long time women have started to wear men’s clothes, and the church didn’t like it to begin with. They knew it wasn’t just the thing to do.

But women persisted and persisted until it got to be a mode like the cutting of the hair, “Well, what’s that?” Well, then nothing matters anymore.

But listen, it wasn’t very long ago and still today a man wearing women’s clothes is looked upon as a dish of puke and that’s what he is. God hates the effeminate.

And we had our clothes closet transvestites until recently we got our women mayors specifically San Francisco and I think she’s Jewish.

You got a bunch of perverts out there and they’re all over the world and I guess we got a bunch in Washington, too, for all I know and don’t know. Men still aren’t accepted too happily wearing women’s clothes.

Then why are women accepted wearing men’s clothes? Now I can look down my nose and I can snarl and abominate men and women’s clothes.

What’s wrong with women? I want to test your spirits now. I’m not mad at you, see, get this flat. I am just putting this out there to let you know where we stand.

We’re standing on dangerous ground because our spirits are kooked up, they’re messed up, they’re gonged up as Brother Branham says, they’re hybridized, we don’t have a true spirit of God yet.

We’re not circumcised. We’re playing. Until you get that in your heart, not hating people. I feel sorry.

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My boys used to talk about getting these poor perverts aside, these eensy weensy guys, oh God, walking like a woman, acting like a woman. Women are pretty enough and nice enough to act like them if you’re a woman, but it doesn’t work for a man.

They’d say they’d beat them. I say, “Don’t do that. Don’t ever let me hear of you touching anybody,” I said, “maybe that’s one of those guys that can’t help it. He’s born wrong. Not these birds that can help it.

I wouldn’t care if you took them and dumped them out in the lake or the sewer where they belong or something like that.”

Well, we shouldn’t do that and we don’t mean that offensively as though they don’t have a chance of salvation. They can be saved because Paul said, such were some of you. See?

But there’s a time when they don’t give a rip. And the church has opened its doors to the slacks and the shorts and now the men have got messed up, so they got to open the doors to the men where men marry men. Good thing God gave them a little aid.

I tell you what may God have pity. You think that AIDS going to be cured? Maybe amongst a few incipient, they’ll cure it.

They’ll knock it out some simple things like a herb, like black walnuts or combination of drugs and things, oxidation, it will only come back worse than ever because of its sick… and that’s all that the world can do, it’s sickened. That’s doing…

Ezekiel 8:2,5

(02) Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins [outward]… fire; and [and visions of God, okay, verse 5.]

(05) …Son of man, lift up thine eyes now… toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and [out of the north there’s an]… altar [of] image of jealousy in the entry.

Now notice, and behold, northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. What’s jealousy signify? The husband thinks his wife is fooling around but he hasn’t got the proof yet.

Ezekiel 8:6-9

(06) He said furthermore…, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel [commits] here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? [He said I am getting out because he said, of what they’re doing] but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

(07) And he brought me to the door of the court; and… I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

(08) [And he] said, Son of man, dig now in the wall:… I… digged in the wall, behold a door.

(09) And he said… Go in, and behold the… abominations that they do here.

In other words, you got to get below the surface of what’s going on to see what’s going on, and people aren’t interested in getting below the surface.

Ezekiel 8:9-14

(09) And he said, “Go in and behold, [what they do, the abominations.”]

(10) So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping [thing], and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.

(11) And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, [the seventy is… that’s the Sanhedrin] with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. [They’re worshipping.]

(12) Then said he unto me, Son of man,… thou [hast] seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? [They didn’t get this from God. They thunk this up themselves. They pulled this deal themselves.] for they say, the LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

(13) [And] He said, Turn again, and thou shalt see greater abominations…

(14) Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. [That’s the Adonis Greek you know.]

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What were they doing? Showing forth the lust that is risen in them. Years ago men ran off after women, and more men ran off after women and left their families than women ever did, today it’s reversed.

Women are running after men and leaving their kids at home with their husbands. When Brother Branham made that little statement many years back and I kind of laughed at it, “Oh, come on, Bill, that’s not the way it is.” He prophesied.

Literally prophesying it was going to happen. The man crying because the woman has run off: she’s chasing somebody else now. Broken up the marriage, broken up the home, just as she did in the beginning, she’s got to do again.

She’s the one who broke up the lovely home in the Garden, she’s the one that messed the whole thing up and the woman’s got to do it again, and this time it’s not a female, it’s a church. So you got to watch that.

Ezekiel 8:16

(16) And he brought me into the… the LORD’s house [the inner court], and, behold,… the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, [there] were about five and twenty men, [and] their backs [were] toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east;…

You don’t get your face toward the east; your face is toward the west. The sun is setting today. The same sign. Ezekiel’s temple is still, it’s the same temple. Today this is the church.

You know you could read this and know this is chapter 18, 17 and 18 in the Book of Revelations. This is the Book of Revelation.

Ezekiel 8:17-18

(17) …he said… son of man? [You’ve seen this, he said,] Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit… abominations [that] they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to [the] nose. [They thumb their nose at God.]

(18) Therefore will I… deal in [my] fury: mine eye shall not spare,… though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I [will] not hear them.

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That’s yet to come. Why? You notice what they’ve done? They’ve filled the land with violence. Women wearing shorts, exposing themselves; women lewdly exposing themselves arouse up the passions in men because that’s exactly the way Eve was in the Garden.

She went aroused the passions of Adam by no doubt getting him to fondle her and everything else, getting very excited and so he got involved in a sex act. Now I’m telling you what happened.

Now we got the same thing happened in our land over this last generation because I’ve come from the day that they put the long pants on and dressed like a man and the woman that did it in our town her name was… What was it now? I’ll remember later, it doesn’t matter.

She’d be dead by now. And she was a prostitute, yes, she was. And she wore regular mannish suits. So don’t tell me your slacks are patterned after women’s clothes because you’re… took it to mean, you’re lying.

I’m not lying but you’d be lying if you tried to second guess me or try to make yourself ahead of me because I know what I’m talking about. When I was a kid about five years old, I wasn’t even going to school.

She was thin and wore this black suit, as far as I think there was a chain across like a man wearing a watch, a little type of nifty hat and some women wearing hats but you better not wear men’s clothes.

And I was twenty some years of age when the women began to taking off their skirts and putting on these slacks, I mean these shorts, and the Baptist preacher in Red Deer and his wife would go bicycling and she was riding using her shorts, and the town was in an uproar over it.

“Oh, that was fine they came from the States.”

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See what Brother Branham said, “Hollywood, come out of the States, never mind Europe anymore and France?”

Now violence fills the land. Where is the crime coming from? Coming from the fact that men being torn up over sexual powers that lie in their bodies and women ready to gratify all right but standing there and not gratifying because they expose themselves exactly.

Now what do you think they’re going to do to the man that you expose yourselves. Now married women ought to expose themselves and that’s where it belongs in the privacy of the home.

Now you women don’t do that here, but I’m just telling you what’s going on so you’ll understand why the prophet said what he said, “A stinking bathroom.”

But we think, “Well, you know, none of that nonsense.” That is an abomination for the woman to wear it so you mustn’t do it.

Ezekiel 9:1-7

(01) He cried… in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.

(02) And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, [he’s different] with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood [by] the brazen altar. [That’s judgment.]

(03) And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the [cherubim], whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. [Now God’s pulling out; the Holy Spirit has left the church, the Word of God’s gone. He’s outside trying to get back in a Bride.] And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;

(04) And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, [and] through the [streets] of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh… that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

(05) And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go… after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have… pity:

(06) Slay utterly [the] old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

(07) And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go forth. And they went forth,…

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Now my thought on this here why I read this is to let you know are we really sighing and crying over the abominations and the sins that are in the land or are we a part of that spirit that’s live and let live and who gives a rip because they’re doing it anyway, it’s just one of the crowd?

Now this is where we have trouble with kids going to school, the peer pressure. How much is the home doing for the kids? Now let me tell you why what’s wrong today.

Read your Reader’s Digest and read that synopsis in the book at the back where this man tells about teaching and the counselor who is a psychologist said, “The trouble is the parenting has fallen back on the teachers.” I said that almost fifty years ago when I was teaching.

I said that was the day when twelve hundred dollars was twelve hundred dollars and I wasn’t happy because I needed a whole lot more than that.

And I said, “What do they think they’re doing this school board: that they think that I’m going to teach school to be a teacher and I’m going to help the kids with their morals like a preacher, and I’m going to help the kids out of the homes like the parents.

If I’ve got to be teacher and preacher and parent I want at least thirty six hundred dollars and I’m not getting it, I’m quitting. I’ve had it,” and I quit.

Back upon the school teacher and the schools have fallen our children’s problems and now people like you and I, like you and me have to suffer because our kids are getting a bum break in school.

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There’s problems. But you see where it is? You see you didn’t think such a thing could go out of… such a big thing go out of such a little thing? Such a little thing Eve listened, just one little word off. That’s all it took to get her into bondage.

That’s all it takes for people to get off the Word and dress is an important thing. Your shoes are important whether you think they’re not. And if you think you’re better off with the high heels than low heels, you’re kidding yourself; you are not because you’re not.

And you might go to some doctor who’s a seducer in the first place and he doesn’t give a rip or he wants your business to cost you four hundred bucks to get a spur off your toe that you get by putting your stupid slippers on, there’s no spur there in the first place and he just takes your money.

We’ve had that experience. I’ll be honest with you, my wife had bad corns but the doctor he didn’t do one thing for her, just lied. The whole thing is a stinking mess.

They’ll take out your gall bladder and everything else, too, if they can get away with it unless you get somebody really honest. A lot has to do with these things.

So not fussing at any women here, I’m just telling you, laying it out here. These tapes go all around the country, but I have to read this.

[59-3]  Oh my! The filth in God’s nostrils! And then you… try to pray or offer up prayers in such a thing as that! God refuses it… turns it away. That’s right.

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“He that turns his ear from hearing My Word, I also, will turn from hearing his prayer.” That’s exactly right. Okay.

[59-4]  “Well,” you say, “now wait a minute, Brother Branham, you’re talking about the Old Testament.” He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. [That’s Hebrews 13:8.] It’s the full revelation of God. If God ever says anything, He can never change it.

He always magnifies it, not changes it. The law was magnified, [What happened then? It became greater in scope, greater in understanding, greater in dominion, more pervasive and especially at the last day. Why? Because we got a restored Word. See?] The law was magnified, not changed—but magnified.

[60-1]  “Whosoever…

Let me talk about this magnified law. I heard the other day I was just tuned in going to see Dr. Raney up there for a good chiropractic adjustment which I think is good, very symbolically of the hour in which we live, we need a good adjustment in the neck, get our heads screwed on right, scripturally speaking, physically, also.

And I hear Dr. McGee. Now I’m not against Dr. McGee, he sounds like a good old farmer boy. You know, we got that Georgia drawl and what have you and he’s a pretty good guy, said a lot of good things, but he said tithing was under the law and wasn’t New Testament.

Well, let’s just find out if Dr. McGee knows his Bible. I don’t know much about the Bible alongside these savants, these great men, and I’m not being too sarcastic, but the truth of the matter is let’s me read out of chapter 7 of Hebrews, beginning at verse 4.

Hebrews 7:4-8

(04) Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. [Now who is this man? This was Melchisedec, God in a human form, a theophany.]

(05) And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is,… their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

(06) But he whose descent is not counted from them [that] received tithes of Abraham,… blessed him that had the promises. [What did he bless them for? He gave them tithes.]

(07) And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. [Now listen!]

(08) And here men that die receive tithes; [He didn’t say they did receive tithes; he said they do receive tithes.] but there he… of whom it is witnessed… he liveth.

The same One back there that got tithes in Melchisedec is the same One now living that still gets tithes because the tithe is the Lord’s.

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So Brother McGee is wrong, and he’s teaching the people wrong. That’s where your soup suppers and all this junk came in. We don’t have any suppers here. Our money comes in here, bless God, we put on suppers for people.

We don’t have to have little soup gatherings and this stupid thing and that thing. You’re never asked about money. I’m going to explain money one of these days to let you know because I’ve got to as a servant of God tell you these things.

I’ve got to explain about money relationship, so you’ll know the truth because you don’t know the truth at this point.

And I want you to know the truth because it will do something for you. I’m not here to preach something that’s not going to do something for you and you know I don’t want your money, forget it.

There’s no way I’ve done anybody for bucks, never, and I won’t do it. I haven’t done it, just won’t do it. And you know me that well, to know I’m telling you the truth. This man’s wrong.

He said, well, you magnify the law and you just get more. Well, we’ll find out about that. A word [inaudible]

[60-1]  “Whosoever commits adultery shall be guilty of death, but whosoever… looks on a woman [see, it’s magnified] to lust after her…” He never changed the commandment, He magnified it. [Now this explains the causative. This is the causative that he’s talking about. See, what it’s all about.] He never changed the commandment, He magnified it.

So when he says, man looking on a woman to lust after her, tells you he’s bringing why people commit adultery. See?

They stretch it from lust which is a pleasure, which is sexual intercourse is pleasurable, that is true, without it there wouldn’t be children born.

We’re not going to fight that and deny it for one minute, but as I said before, sex is not simply recreational; it’s procreational and when people try to make it simply recreational, that’s why you got men the way they are and women the way they are.

You got these homos, complete perverts. See? Remember, Brother Branham talked about women not wanting to have children, but the mother instinct’s there so they got to mother something, so they go to dogs and cats and God knows what.

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Then he goes on,

[60-1]  “Remember the Sabbath day; to keep it holy.” One day in the week…

But how did He magnify that? It does the same thing. The rest; He magnified it from one day to seven days, every day now because it’s not just sit down on the job and rest and act something out, it’s the Life that comes in you that gives you rest with God.

And he reads this:

[60-2]  The rest comes from keeping the Spirit of God. [from the kingdom which means to receive the Holy Ghost, keeping Him in your life] “Precept upon precept,… line upon line, here a little and there a little; hold fast to that what’s good, for with stammering lips and other tongues will I speak to this people.”

And yet for all that will ye not hear me, saith the Lord. And this is that rest where ye cause the weary to rest; and this is that refreshing: so there is a baptism with the Holy Ghost, and he said,

That’s the refreshing from the Presence of the Lord.

That’s the Seventh Seal. We’re in that hour right now when the Lord Himself descends from heaven with a shout and proves that He is amongst us. Not in us by a little bit of His Spirit, no. See, that’s the beginning of God.

We’re talking now of God Himself, the great Begetter, that’s the refreshing, the Seventh Seal.

[60-2]  And yet they would not hear it and wagged their heads and walked away to their denominations. This is the refreshing (see?)—magnifying the seventh day—to you Sabbatarians and so forth. Oh my! He doesn’t change; He magnifies it. Hell has spread her gate to receive them.

Now what is… what are we looking at here? We’re looking at a fact that this is part of Ezekiel’s vision, what’s taken place because they’ve gone to their creeds and dogmas and all these things that don’t obtain but the Scripture.

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And they don’t realize that this is that rest spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 1:7. Now let’s look at It. I’ve gone over this many times with you. Now start with verse 6, no, verse 7.

2 Thessalonians 1:7

(07) And… you who are troubled rest with us, [Relax, come into a state of rest. When?] when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

Now come on. That doesn’t signify an instant of the Rapture; it signifies that the time of that event when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed.

That’s a revelation from heaven with His mighty angels: we believe that’s a picture right there. You say, “I don’t believe it.” Fine, don’t believe it. No problem. I believe it.

2 Thessalonians 1:8

(08) [Now] in flaming fire taking vengeance…

Now what are those angels? They’re flames of spirits that minister. So it tells you ministering angels. Who ministers? The Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost in angelic form came down, the seven spirits before the Throne, the seven eyes came down revealing Jesus. That’s the hour of rest.

That’s the time in this era where we’re entering into the rest of Almighty God which is the Millennium with the opening of the Seals. Mortality goes to immortality; Paul said so in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians.

It’s the last Trumpet, the last messenger when he’ll begin to sound. The gospel’s over. It’s running out. We’re here. He’s magnified It. Hell has spread her gates. See?

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Let’s go to Isaiah 15 that’s where you hear about hell spreading her gates. I tell you this prophet’s Message here, one sermon you can get the whole Bible. You will get the whole Bible thrown at you. I don’t even begin to probe these.

I probe these as good as my poor little old spirit in me allows the Spirit of God to have a little bit of a leeway. Let’s see, I got the wrong chapter here. It’s not 15.

Must be 25, could be, I don’t know, let me see now, I don’t know. If it doesn’t; it doesn’t really matter too much.

Oh,… I can’t even read my own writing. Don’t worry; a lot of people can’t read their own writing, okay,

Isaiah 5:13-25

(13) Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

(14) Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

(15) And the mean man shall be brought [low], and the mighty man be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: [Now you know that just like John the Baptist phraseology, high places brought down, low places brought up and so on, all mountains made low.]

(16) But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. [That’s in our hour.]

(17) Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

(18) Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

(19) [And they] say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! [In other words, they’re putting a challenge to God right there and defying Him. We want our own signs and wonders.]

(20) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;

Now there what you don’t understand unless you understand John, the 3rd chapter of 1st John, or 5th chapter what evil really is; it’s trying to worship God in self-will in the mis-division of the Word of God and…

Isaiah 5:20-25

(20) …put darkness for light, [creeds and dogmas] and light for darkness; [and]… bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

(21) Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

(22) Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

(23) Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous [man] from him!

(24) Therefore as… fire [devours] the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the Holy [Lord] of Israel.

(25) Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people,

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Now that tells you when hell is enlarged, the mouth’s enlarged. It’s in this hour of the result of the abominations in this land that took place at the turn of the Twentieth Century.

And in 1906 the latter rain fell, but it’s the time of the latter rain that the former rain comes, when light comes. So now you got the Word vindicated in power, you got Elijah on the scene, God in the midst of His people, the Holy One, absolutely.

John the Baptist foreran the Holy One so William Branham was standing there when that Pillar of Fire came down and he was on the scene when the mighty angels came down with the Message of the Seven Seals, the Seven Thunders which puts the church in order brings her the revealed Word of God, reveals Christ which is by the Word because He is not here in His personal presence of the physical body.

[60-3]  Now, you can see now, the end time Message—why It’s rejected. Can’t you? Now, no denomination, but the revelation of His mystery. See? No denomination, the revelation. God’s not known by denomination. He’s known by revelation.

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No denomination, in other words, is a part of this or has any part in this mystery, and this is the hour of the Seven Seals because there cannot be a restoration and a revelation of God’s Word unless those Seals are out.

Now even as I said Dr. Bloomfield understood that. He said, “Someone’s got to do it.” Who’s going to do it? Bloomfield can’t do it; he messed up in too many things already.

I think the man’s dead but he’s a wonderful man of God, no problem. But you know and I know someone would have to come vindicated and God only has one man that He uses and that is a prophet.

And what prophet does the Bible say would come? There’s only one prophet that’s Elijah. You say, “That’s to the Jews.” I beg your pardon, I beg your pardon, see, you’re missing the boat.

“Before the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” and that’s the Great Tribulation, he’s got to come to get a people ready.

You say, “Well, there’s no such thing as a Gentile prophet?” I beg your pardon; I want you to show me the Scripture, not off the top of your head. And don’t try to reason because reason’s not in it.

And the minute you try to reason I’ll go back and tell you something then, too. And I’ll tell you this flat; you show me where Noah was a Jew. You show me Enoch was a Jew.

Enoch was a prophet, he prophesied. You show me Abraham was a Jew, out of his loins came them but he himself was literally a Gentile of the brand as was good old Noah, good old Enoch.

Don’t go talking Jew and Gentile. The Bible said He had broken down the middle wall of partition and He’s made them one, and he gave a ministry to the Gentiles, of prophets, apostles and so on.

Who is to say God can’t raise up or won’t raise up a Word prophet? Luke was a Greek, who wrote both the Acts and the Book of Luke.

And I’m going to tell you as a physician that’s what he was, not a theologian, he was a scribe, God directed that man so perfectly he could take word by word and give it by the Holy Ghost.

So there’s your picture coming up.

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That’s as far as we got time tonight, brother/sister, as far as I intended to go, I don’t intend to go any further but the gates of hell are open to receive all those that blaspheme the Holy Ghost in this hour. By the grace of God I hope we don’t…

Remember the Nazarene church, and the Missionary Alliance did when Pentecost came on the scene. They said, “Speaking in tongues was of the devil,” and they died overnight. They’re gone.

And tongues is not of the devil, brother/sister, it’s just not the evidence of the Holy Ghost baptism. That’s all. Don’t fuss about the things of God. Don’t blaspheme God. Stand in line with the Word.

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Do you love the Lord tonight? You don’t have to love me, that’s beside the point. I love you anyway. You’re so nice and kind and good and I hope nobody misunderstood anything because I don’t preach in that real soft sweet way; I try to nail things down and I’m a very poor carpenter.

The Lord was the great carpenter; I’m a lousy carpenter. But I try to nail things down for to try to help you to show you, look, these things are important, there’s not one thing that is not.

And you know yourself, there’s been an up tide, an upturn of the Spirit over the years especially in these meetings here, you can tell something is moving by the grace of God.

It’s not a man. It’s God moving; He’s going to get a Bride out of here. And if we’re not Bride there’s going to be a Bride out there somewhere by the grace of God, brother/sister, and by the grace of God we won’t stand in her way.

Let’s rise at this time.

[tape recording ends]

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