Greatest Battle Ever Fought #17
#8387
Let us pray.
Gracious, heavenly Father, we just approach Your Throne of Grace tonight, with the thought in our mind that we would want, Lord, You to restore Your Word taught to us.
We know that, You are the only One who can do it, as Brother Branham said, “Anybody’s hands can open the book, but only, You Lord, can open the truth of the pages of this book.”
So we pray tonight, You’ll give us understanding that the prophet tried to give us; so that we will not go beyond ourselves, stretched beyond ourselves, neither come back, Lord, but rather may we be right in harmony with what he gave us, therefore, then being in harmony with You, because we know that Your Word never changes.
God was in the prophets and God is still in the prophets bringing the Word to us. So we are confident, Lord, we have the Word Lord, as far as the actual mechanical is concerned, but we’re concerned tonight, more so about the spiritual part of it Lord, the real meaning of It.
So help us Lord to get the proper and real understanding of the mechanics, so it might be dynamized of You Father, we’re looking to You tonight, we believe that You heard our prayer, we believe we have the answer, we thank You for It, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
You may be seated.
Now, this is number 17 in The Greatest Battle Ever Fought, and in our last lesson Brother Branham has just finished speaking about putting on the ‘full’ and he emphasizes the ‘full’ not partial, but the ‘full’ armor of God which can only come by the fully revealed and vindicated Word through the prophet.
Now this is the special emphasis in this hour, concerning the armor because there is a very definite emphasis at the end time, when everything is coming to ‘seed’ or to ‘harvest’.
And so the Word of God is coming to It’s fullness, so this will be the armor that you’re putting on now, not something of the sixth age or the first part of the seventh age, but of this hour as spoken of in Revelation 10:7, “At the days of the Voice… when… of the prophet when he shall begin to sound.”
So the admonition is to put on the full armor of God, take the whole Word that was delivered to us by the prophet. Now, this spiritual equipment, this armor will repulse Satan and his army; which brings death, sorrow, and sickness, and futile frustrations, and at the same time this armor will guarantee our lives to be full of life, faith, joy, peace, and all spiritual blessings which are of God.
So what you’re looking at is a very perfect armor, It’s the living Word of the living God, which is going to give you all the things which are found in Christ Jesus our Lord, we’re armed with It, and can destroy, categorically, all the things that are of the enemy and at the same time we all know that we have difficulties in putting away the thoughts that we have gathered over the years concerning our own teaching.
Of course, I’ve said, and I say it again, “It’s not too hard for most Roman Catholics, they make the best.”
I’m not trying to favor anybody here, but it’s just the truth. They actually make the best Christians, because they have had really nothing but tradition and for years everything was said in Latin. What did they really know? They didn’t really know a great deal.
And so when the Bible is open because the Bible was not open to them, except the last few years… they seem to have the ability to just absorb It exactly as the prophet taught It. I was just talking to Roger Smith today, the same thing is happening up there.
A young Catholic boy, nineteen years of age, and he just loves… he just… he said, “Just look, Roger, I can’t understand… I just believe It, the way It’s coming across.”
And he said… he loves the singing, he loves the scriptural songs, that meant so much, and I thought, that’s really good, because this is the truth about it.
And we living then in this hour and I want to say this to you people, because you… most of you, not most of you, but some of you had had this problem of disassociating your mind from the credo dogma which was just drawn from the Word but perverted word.
Now, if you notice what I said here, that this armor we have today is able to destroy all death, sorrow, sickness, futile frustrations.
See, at the same time, it’s guaranteeing life, faith, joy and peace and all those things, so that we have the absolute certainty that no matter what we formerly knew, and what we rested on, is absolutely erased from our lives.
Now it may take a little time to do it, but it’s going to do it, period. So don’t get worried about it. Just thank God you’ve come as far as you’ve come, and say, “Great, we’ll just get the next step also, everything’s going to be fine.”
Now that’s the attitude you have to take, because if this living restored Word can’t do what It was sent to do, then God has failed entirely. So you see what you’re thinking, you can’t ever let your mind go to the negative. Follow what I’m saying.
Now that I’ve been equipped and I am, I have now in my possession that which will positively restore, and we’re in the process now, and remember, It’s piling Word upon Word, until Love which is God Himself.”
Not an attribute of God, but the God of the attribute; He who is Love is here now, and He is being positioned as the complete Lord, which we’ll see more of this as we go along in this Message.
Okay. Since there is nothing made, now listen carefully, since there is nothing made, except by the Word of God, which is both ‘person’ and ‘utterance’. Logos is a ‘Person’.
“In the beginning was the Logos and the Logos was with God,” and it turns out that the ‘Logos’ is a Person who is God. So listen again, since there is nothing made, except by the Logos or we say, the Logos of God, which is both person and utterance.
For the one who was the Person said, “Let there be light.” Now, He’d already said, “Let there be land masses and let there be universes and let there be this.” And I don’t know what all He said, but look it, He said It. And that’s how It was done… God did It.
So, since there is nothing made, except by the Word of God, which is both Person and Utterance, we are happy to know that He, the Word in Person is here, and that He descended with a Message, which was uttered by the voice of the prophet, so that we could receive and know both the Creator and his Creative Word, which is now spiritually among us, so that we can defeat the enemy and his emissaries.
Now, that is a very inclusive, powerful statement. Now the point is, that’s true, it’s true.
And we have no confidence in ourselves, or in the flesh, but in Him who was made flesh. And He who became flesh is here, in the form of the Holy Ghost in a Pillar of Fire, putting all things under His feet for the great day, when we crown Him King of kings, and Lord of lords and He’s doing it now.
The great battle has been engaged in by faith, we shall overcome. The Bride Church, according to Brother Branham is ready for battle. And he’s admonishing that we join in battle, as we start reading page 47, the first paragraph.
Now, though… there… now… he’s taking about the two forces, the enemy’s force, God’s force. He’s talking about the two armies.
[46-3] Now that’s the two great forces that’s coming together right now. [That’s God’s Army and Satan’s army.] They’re battling; they’re battling right here in the building right now. [So that means us here, too.] They battle day by day with you. Every force, Satan following you along, that great big, kingly, priestly Goliath trying to scare the liver out of you, that he’s right…
See, then you’re wrong. Now he says, “He’s here in the building.”
Now Brother Branham made a statement, he said, “We don’t come to church to have fellowship, we come to be corrected.”
Now we do come, of course, to have fellowship with the Lord, and to worship the Lord, and we do come to get correction by the Word and that is very true. So we don’t just come for fellowship, but we come to battle the enemy and to project the Kingdom of God, to bring on the positive.
So therefore, we don’t really come to church with the faith to draw from the Word of God, so that it will be inspired to us, and we’ll be able to apprehend it as we ought to, but there is lying in there the fact, that we are going to in the meetings, when we come in… project the Kingdom of God, and bring on the positive.
In other words, we’re constantly advancing in the Kingdom and the Kingdom of which we are apart, we are forcefully, forcefully, we are forcing to cause It to move forward. Catch that? All right, look, we’re engaged in a battle; light against darkness, truth against error and so on.
Where do you think it’s going on? Here in us. So, we come to church in order to receive the restorative corrective power, which is the living revealed Word of God, equipping us thoroughly so that we project the Kingdom. Nobody else is going to do it.
Brother Branham stood alone and projected the Kingdom. Nobody else did it. I don’t care what anybody says, nobody else did it. See, because all tables are full of vomit.
Now, in the same truth, we must now gear our minds to except that, we are an integral part of the Kingdom and we will project it, in the positive toward the negative, so the Kingdom of God can advance on earth. Look it, it was man through Satan that put it into a defeat.
Who, but God in a person, will bring It into victory? So therefore, we are positioned at this time, in this battle, as the forces of God, and remember, God is doing battle by us, whether we want to recognize it or not, and our non-recognition is on the grounds of the constant, former legalistic attitudes that we have had, that we just weren’t good enough.
Well, let’s face it, we just aren’t good enough. Nobody is a match for the devil, except God. But now, we are more than a match for the enemy. Now Brother Branham said, “The battle and the battery is going on, and the battle scars usually, are in the mind more than any place else.”
So there’s a fight going on. Now we battle day by day, and they battle us every day. Every force, in other words, Satan throws everything he can, against us. He’s following us, right along and many times; “He is that great big kingly, priestly Goliath who scares the liver out of you.”
Now that is the hierarchical system within the church. We don’t have it here, from the preacher on down. Now I know there’s a big attempt by many people to try aggrandize the preacher and make some big thing of it.
Like you know… you’re going to get there by following a certain pastor; well, I’m going to tell you right now, you ain’t going to get there by following Lee Vayle.
And I’m not trying to use reverse physiology, because, look, what do you think we’re building for in this church? to cause you to be adult spiritual Christians, to handle the things of God.
I could be out of here tomorrow, and where are sitting if you’re looking at me. If I don’t leave you some kind of legacy beyond myself, you’re dead, dead, and I mean… dead. So therefore, you must spiritually mature. You won’t make it on the count of Lee Vayle. Get that flat.
I don’t want to lead you anywhere, except into problems, if you want to know the truth. But if we both stand with the Word, then together, we shall go somewhere trusting in the Great One, who is amongst us, which is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit.
Now Brother Branham is bringing this out so much and so many times, and so many sermons concerning the clout of the organization, which is based upon creeds and dogmas, and the effect and the power of their little universe, lies in their own human reasoning and organization.
It does not lie in the fellowship and the communion and power of the Holy Ghost. So, I am looking at this as though, he’s warning us to watch out for what lies ahead, that there will be plenty lying ahead when they come against those of us who will be remaining here if we do remain here, because the pressure will come down more and more and more.
All right, now he says here,
[46-3] By God [Himself,] you’re fortified, [He says,] “To you and me here; we are not fortified by simply a dead Word, or a Word which God laid down even in a printed page and handed to us. We are fortified by the life of God Himself and the Word being a conduit which we receive.”
So he said,
[46-3] You’re fortified by God [Himself,] (Amen) with the Gospel which is the Word of Truth around your loins.”
Now the word ‘loins’, of course, means ‘hips’, it means… like… ‘the pelvic area’ and all. And of course, many times it’s an extension which like it says like, “Levi was in the loins of his great-great-grandfather Abraham,” so you know what you’re talking about there then is life.
So therefore, if anyone is, and we speak, of course, of that in terms of the injection or the projection of life which comes, of course, through an act of procreation, and that’s what you’re sort of looking at here, if in fact you actually are, that’s the truth of the matter.
But you’re resolving this into the position of where, you and I are equipped with life-giving factors which are from God, not from within ourselves. As it says, “Gird up the loins of your mind.”
In other words, the ‘loins of the mind’ would then be the productive activities of the mind. Gird them up and see that they are absolutely one with the Gospel, which has been revealed in this hour.
And that’s exactly what it says over in the book of first of Revelation here and 10th chapter and 7th verse where it’s speaking of this end-time prophet.
(07) But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel [messenger], when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared [the good news of the Gospel by] to his servants the prophets.
So you’re looking at the end-time Gospel which is an epical message in an epical season. Now, that’s the loins.
[46-3] Glory. Preacher, that’s what it is: (now he says,) helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the Sword waving in your hand.
And remember in his hand there came the Sword, he said he felt something, he looked up, and it was a beautiful, shining, sharp Sword. Okay, now, he’s asking us here to engage the enemy and not back off, but confess our faith the same as he, whenever circumstances allowed it or time permitted it.
Now he’s talking now, giving us an illustration of perhaps what you think in your mind or you… or compose in your heart what you’re going to say. And he said by waving that Sword, having the shield of Faith, the helmet of Salvation, the girdle of Truth, you say,
[46-3] Satan, I’m coming to meet you.
Now again you’ll notice, that he’s talking in terms of David and Goliath… the illustration, because he said, “This great big Goliath here.”
[46-3] “Satan I’m coming to meet you. You meet me in the name of science; you meet me in the name of culture; you meet me in the name of organization; you meet me in the name of this, that, or the other; but I meet you in the Name of the Lord God of Israel. I’m coming after you. [So] give way.”
In other words, he actually letting you know the same as David did, “Look; I’m going to take your head from off your shoulders.”
And the giant said, “I’m going to put you at the end of my spear.”
“Well,” he said, “Let’s find out who wins?”
Anybody can talk. So evidently, it was God talking through David, which was the devil talking through the old boy standing there.
Now he says,
[46-3] Even death itself can’t stand there.
Now William Branham here is talking about himself, because he never ever saw defeat against anybody, at any time, God never left him standing high and dry. Never at one time. And at five times, we know at least, the dead were raised by his ministry.
Now he said,
[46-3] Even death [itself] can’t stand there. Chop a hole right through it. That’s right.
Now you’ll notice, of course, that this is the weaponry, as we said many times before, you’re going to chop a hole right through death, and you’re going to do it yourself, not by positively praying for the sick, but you yourself are going to do it, for yourself by what God gives you.
And the 15th chapter, 1 Corinthians, 51st verse,
(51) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
(52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
Now you notice, right here, it tells you there’s going to be a trumpet sounding and that’s the time the dead are going to be raised, and that’s the time that the Bride who is living here shall not die, because she’ll be clothed in incorruptible garments.
Garments of immortality, healing in His wings, He rises upon the Bride with healing in His wings. Now, this is the trump spoken of in Revelation 10:7, ‘at the last trump’.
This is not the trump of Revelation, the seven trumpets under, which come forth after the seventh seal is open, under the sixth seal when the plagues come. It’s not so. It’s entirely different.
There are different series of trumpets in the Bible. This is number seven which is the last age message, which is going to put us into the Rapture.
All right… next paragraph;
[47-2] Satan’s army brings diseases, and God’s army is commissioned to cast them out. Amen.
As he said, “Take this Message for healing.” In other words, stand on Hebrews 13:8; in order to bring to pass all the other promises, some of which are lying in Mark 16.
[47-2] Amen. There you are. Every time Satan throw anything on you, God’s army is to cast him out. Amen. Cast out, that’s the very tactic that God used. Satan used the army of destruction to disbelieve God’s Word, and set him up a better kingdom than Michael had, and God, [literally,] cast him out.
In other words here, it’s to assume a ‘militant posture’, most people do not like the militant posture because, of course, we understand from Scripture, and this would be an erroneous application; to be meek, to turn the other cheek, to bear and to forbear.
When you lock combat with the devil, that’s one thing you don’t do. It’s the same in the church, a lot of people think, you know, we should take a very soft attitude about the Word, you know, sort of pussy-foot and try to sneak up on people. Hogwash!
How do you sneak up on the devil? You got to be militant. You got to have an aggressive stand in your heart and in your mind. You positively must when it comes to the Word because it’s live, die, sink or swim. I brought this pretty forcefully last Sunday to show you.
There’s a lot of people out there who have already committed the unpardonable sin, and if this is the devil and not God, we have committed the unpardonable sin. So you see, we’ve come to the place now, that we’re stuck. So you can’t sit on the fence. Not around here you can’t.
Now if I’m of the devil I’ll just simply chuckle at the end of the trail, you’re all stuck with me. It won’t be any chuckling at the end of the trail, not for anybody.
No, actually the only chuckling going to go on is when the saints of God see the devil brought down and say, “Are you? You couldn’t be, you’re so puny, insignificant, rotten, lousy, no-good guy.
You couldn’t have been the one that shook nations. That’s right. You’ll look merrily at it… Phtt! He’s dangerous, but he’s not all that dangerous. How could the devil be qualified as dangerous in the sight of God, when we’re equipped with the things that God gives us.”
In other words, we must become more militant in our thinking.
All right.
[47-3] God’s method is to cast out the evil, cast down reasoning, cast down superstitions, cast down worry, cast down diseases, cast down sin. Amen. You’re above it, resurrected in Christ Jesus sitting in heavenly places with every devil under your foot.
Now, is that true? Yes, we have entered into a spiritual resurrection, which presages or prefaces, the physical resurrection. Brother Branham said, “We already have had a spiritual resurrection.”
Now, in this portion of the Scripture, this verse, this paragraph here, he said, “You’re above it, resurrected in Christ Jesus, sitting in heavenly places with every devil under your foot.”
Okay, now we know that to be, 1 Corinthians 15, based on 1 Thessalonians 4:16, ‘where the Lord descends with a military shout’, which the ‘military shout’ is the command to put the army in marching orders and get her on the move aggressively.
That’s why I preface the… started out the way I did on the subject here. We are to be more aggressive. And remember, that is a heart condition and a mental condition.
Okay, Paul is speaking here in the 15th chapter, and he said, in verse 20.
(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.
(23) But [notice] every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His [‘Parousia’… at His Presence… at His Appearing… at His coming… down here in the form of a Pillar of Fire, the form of the Holy Ghost in a Pillar of Fire. Notice…]
(24) Then the end will be, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
(25) For he must reign, til he hath put all enemies under his feet.
Now, quoting this Scripture here, and going on is very, very confusing unless you really follow closely, who is doing what? That’s the big thing. Notice:
(24) Then [cometh the end,] when he shall have delivered up the kingdom of God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and [all] power.
(25) For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
(26) The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
(27) For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under, it is manifest, that he is [left out] which did put all things under him.
So you’re talking about two people, two different people. You’re talking about One who is putting everything under the feet of that other person, except He, Himself.
See, and it goes on until such a time then, when all things that have been put under this one person’s feet, he now hands it back to the Person who did put everything under his feet. That’s what you’re looking at. What’s going on now? Jesus is on the throne.
He ripped the seals off the Book, climbed on the Father’s throne and the Father came down here. That’s the Lord that descended with the ‘military command’.
Now watch, it says here,
(27) For he hath put all things under his feet. But it says when all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, [or left out] which did put all things under him.
(28) And when all things shall be subdued unto Him then shall also the Son be subject unto Him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Now that sounds like a very verbose statement and very garbled, but it’s not. It’s simply telling you that God is here now, which in his own form of the Holy Spirit in a Pillar of Fire.
He’s the One that came down with a military command, because the words ‘subdue’ and ‘subject’ is the same word. So now He’s doing it. See? And that’s what you’re looking at.
Now, let’s see how this is really done. Now I’m going to tell you with my understanding of this based on, of course, many things Brother Branham said. 2 Corinthians the 10th chapter.
(01) Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:
(02) But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
(03) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: [Notice:]
(04) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; [Now Paul is talking about himself.]
(05) Casting down [reasonings] and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; [What a man that fellow was.]
(06) And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
He’s telling you right there, the word can be for ‘avenge’ or ‘revenge’, I think it’s the same word. In other words, to stand right there and judge what’s going on and make a declaration concerning Him.
Now, he said, I’m looking to see you get to fill your obedience right to the full, and he said, we’ll pronounce against the disobedience, we want to see you go on.
Now he said in verse 7,
(07) Do you look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.
(08) For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, [in other words, leave you guys in the lurch…] which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
Now Brother Branham categorically came on the scene like Paul not to harm anybody, but to bring us all out of a mess. So therefore, if they turn it down they will bear their own judgment.
(09) That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.
(10) For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. [Kentucky hillbilly.]
(11) Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we’re absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present. [And that’s the truth about God, the same God that wrote the book is here now and they’re finding it so, but they don’t believe it.]
(12) For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. [That’s going on right now.]
(13) But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed [in me] to us, a measure to reach even unto you.
(14) For we [‘I’] stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though [‘I’] reached not unto you: for [‘I’] come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: [He’s telling, Look, he said, we’re right in this thing together.]
(15) Not boasting of things, without [beyond] our measure, that is, of other men’s labors; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our [or ‘my’] rule abundantly,
(16) To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our [or ‘my’] hand.
(17) But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
(18) For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but [‘he’] whom the Lord commendeth.
Now Paul right there said, “I am the vindicated one amongst you, you’d better learn to sit down and shut-up.” But they wouldn’t do it. The Corinthian church… ah… prided itself, on ‘gifts of the Spirit’; not on the ‘Spirit’.
And that’s what you got right today in the charismatic movement. They’ll stand up and defy the man that had the authority. They did it in Paul’s day, they got to do it in this day, because everything has got to come full term.
But at the same time there has got to be an Ephesian church that’s seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, who know positively that their baptism with the Holy Ghost will recognize the Baptizer Himself, and the revelation of God that brings forth the dead, and changes them, and puts them in a Rapture.
They recognize the one who has it. It is not given by God alone.
Like I tried to tell this church and down in Cincinnati, when Paul the apostle, I’m going to present you and he said, Christ is going to present to Himself, telling absolutely the… how it’s going to come, it is got to come basically down here first.
If it isn’t here first, where the negative is, bringing it to the positive, there will never be a positive, now people don’t want that. Oh… they want their own little group, their own little cliques, their own little clan, their own little something.
Let’s face it brother/sister, as the Scripture said, “What have you got but what you received it”. Then if you just received it, why do you boast as though you had it. Boasting is excluded.
Then you can tell right away that people who vaunt themselves against the authority of God, according to this Word, the prophets and so on, Hebrews 13:8, you can tell that they actually believe, they have got something of themselves and God has to say, “Aren’t you wonderful.”
Now come on, I’m not laying it on thick, I’m telling you the truth, this is White Throne, I will stand right here and say the same words, because those words will come back very shortly, the day after tomorrow, and I am not the least bit fearful.
I’m not boasting, I’m just telling that I’m not the least bit fearful, because I’ve just quoted you Scripture showing that they are wrong in their thinking, their thinking cannot be of God. It can only come from one source, because you see, if they say, “All right then, this thought is surely of God,” and unvindicated?
And a vindicated man stands there? Where’d his thoughts come from? Shall we play your thoughts against his thoughts, stinking filthy pride, brother/sister. Let’s be honest, as though they’ve got some special hold on God, I can’t buy that.
All right, let’s go further.
[47-4] You know you’re dead, and your life is hid [with Christ in God.] What is dead? You’re dead to your senses; you’re dead to your conscience.
In another word ‘conscience’ means ‘moral consciousness’, if you begin with. I kind of like to think here, that Brother Branham is saying, your conscious of so many things, that in life here, that you’re letting it have an influence on you.
But anyway, the word ‘conscience’ in the Greek means, ‘moral consciousness’, and it comes from the root word, ‘to understand’ or ‘to be aware’.
So let’s just look at that word for the sake of Brother Branham using it as a ‘conscience’, s-c-i-e-n-c-e. And in Titus 1:15, we got one word… it’s many times it’s been used.
(15) Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and [their] conscience is defiled.
So therefore, if Brother Branham is using this word purely scripturally, he’s letting you know that you better we dead to your own understanding of ‘moral attributes’.
In other words, you are not fit and I am not fit to judge what is right or wrong, and that is true according to Malachi. It is only under the Word of Elijah restoring, that we can differentiate between righteousness and unrighteousness, we are now at the place where Cain and Abel were, and there is a difference.
All right,
[47-4] ...you’re dead to your conscience (your own human will would say, “Yes I guess…”) dead to your reasonings, dead to all those things, and you are buried in the Name of Jesus Christ and raised with Him. And wherever He is, there you are also”.
Let’s just take a little bit of Scripture on that for looking at it, Romans 6: this is one way to cover the Bible, 1-4.
(01) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
(02) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
(03) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ [this is Holy Ghost baptism,] were baptized into his death?
(04) Therefore [because he had to die first, see?]… therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
In other words, we’re raised up to a completely new life when you’re baptized with the Holy Ghost. Ephesians, the 1st chapter, and the first few verses in there…
Okay, 3rd verse,
(03) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
(04) According as he hath 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, according to the good pleasure of his will,
(01) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
(02) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; [That’s the same thing back in the days of John the Baptist, you see, when Elijah came on the scene.]
(03) Among whom also we all had our conversation [or ‘behavior’] in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
(04) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.
(05) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved;
(06) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
(07) That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
So there you’re seeing what Brother Branham said to us there, and that’s a very good definition. We are dead, dead to our senses, dead to our conscience, dead to everything except Christ, we’re alive to him on the grounds of Hebrews 13:8. We know positively where we stand.
All right, the next paragraph.
[47-5] What happened when… one of them doubters got in heaven? God kicked him out. And what did He say to the soldiers that’s raised in Christ? When the devil comes (by), along kick him out. Cast him out.
Now this one that was cast out of heaven, and we are supposed to do the same thing; cast him out. Brother Branham talks about that in a little tape that Jack Bell sent to me, for this very quote I’m going to read to you in just a minute once we go to Luke the 10th chapter, and Luke 10:17 read.
(17) And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
(18) And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven,
(19) Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
(20) Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Now, you can see how fantastic it is to know that our names are written in heaven. When you begin to see all the things God allows us to do through the power He gave us.
All right:
(21) In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent; and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight
(22) [For] all things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. [That tells you right there, where do you get a trinity on that one? Well…. supposed to be two, not three.]
(23) And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see these things that ye see.
(24) For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desire do to see these things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
That’s like in our day. Okay, with that, let’s read beginning at verse 14.
(14) And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
(15) But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
(16) And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
(17) But he, [said] knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
(18) If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
(19) And I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore shall they [ought to…] be your judges.
(20) But if I with [by] the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
(21) When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. [The strong man is ‘faith’.]
(22) But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
(23) He that is not with me is against me: [and he that gathereth not with me scattereth] he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
Okay, now, I want to read you what Brother Branham said about Luke 10.
THY HOUSE TIFTON.GA 61-08-08
[E-69] This, I saw Satan, fall from heaven, he said, that was immediately after Jesus gave the disciples power against unclean spirits and they went out casting out devils, two by two. Now that’s right, that’s what happened. He said, Go not to the Gentiles but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and heal the sick and cast out devils, and they came back rejoicing, happy.
And he said, rejoice not because devils are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. He said, I beheld Satan, fall from heaven as lightning, See, the power of that church moving forward. It just upset the whole kingdom of Satan.
And he saw him as he dropped from heaven, casting him plumb out of the holy places and everything by the power of that church for he said unto them, I give you power over unclean spirits, and that really upset the kingdom of Satan. What can we do with it today?
Now there is the understanding of my opening remarks at the top of this page, where we must come together as militant believers, not trying to flex our muscles as though we’re trying to show anybody, anything. But that we’re believers in the Lord.
And Satan cannot ruin our armaments by us refusing to manifest faith. He said, “Kick him out”; because it’s already in progress. The same One that was here in flesh, empowering the church, is the same One here in Spirit doing the same thing. Because He’s obligated to do for us what He did for them.
[47-6] When Jesus trained His army and commissioned them to got to the ends of the world, he said, “Go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be dammed.
…And these signs shall follow the believers, my soldiers; in My Name, they’ll cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, or drink deadly things it wouldn’t harm them and if they laid hands on the sick they [would] recover”.
All right, this thought here, is a major one, “My soldiers, in my Name shall cast out devils”.
Now this literally is as Doctor E. W. Kenyon brings out; is not a matter of simply mouthing the name of the Lord, and it lines strongly with the Scripture that says, ‘You shall not bear the name of the Lord in vain’. And that’s not cursing.
That means to literally to call yourself a Christian, and don’t manifest that you are a Christian. To call yourself, a son of God and do not line with the Scripture that positively reveals what a son of God is; what he looks like, what she looks like, what they do and so on.
In other words, we are not allowed to take the name of the Lord and not return a ‘dividend’ for God. We are not allowed, or should not carry the name without the life of the Name being manifested.
Now Dr. Kenyon brings this out as the ‘power of attorney’. The ‘power of attorney’ means this, that when Jesus left this earth He left his name, and that name signifies that when we use it according to the testament, which is the Word, which is laid down, that is just the same as though He Himself were here using it.
The ‘power of attorney’ means that if I give you power of attorney, you can sign every one of my checks and get every single cent I have and take every single thing I’ve got and use it. But then again, when you’re dealing with God it is not as though the churches can do this, because they do it and they just think they’re doing it.
But the true believer is one with this Word, and his power of attorney which is given to him of God is one that he shows by the virtues and the manifestations of those talents which God has invested in him, that he is a true child of God, like Brother Branham spoke of the ‘adoption’.
When he sees that he is a true son, a faithful son, he’s faithful to the father, the father says, “Look, his name is the same as my name on the check”. Here it is, you start manifesting. Now that is what we are looking at.
So, when we take on the Name in the power of attorney, we take on the authority of the Name, we actually take on the authority of the Name, we are identified with that Name and we bear the Name, which is what God wants us to do.
In other words, when we accept as we have for this hour, Hebrews 13:8, then exactly what lies in that revelation we must stand for. Now it doesn’t mean that everybody is going to be praying for the sick.
Brother Branham categorically said, “All people do not”. But it means, the stand that the church takes in a unified form is that everyone is just as important a believer, see, as the elders that are called to pray, or the minister, or anybody else. They are a part.
The Bible distinctly tells us, that when Jesus Christ set this church in order, you can go to the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, right through 13 and 14, go all the way through, even 15 has a great deal in concerning the church in order.
You’ll find that the apostle Paul absolutely magnifies the true church order which is, there is not one person without a significant input to the Bride of Christ.
The hands, the foot, the toe cannot say to the hand, “I am not a hand, therefore I have no power, and I’ll just let you go ahead.” Hey, the authority falls on you, you do something.
Brother Branham categorically said, “My gift does not work unless you cause it to work”.
See, in other words, there is the constant application of faith, this church must constantly stand, we come here to hear the Word of God, and if Lee Vayle is nothing more than a brass doorknob, a dumb dodo, we’ll pull it out of him anyway.
I’m going to get something coming here. I’m going to put my faith to work. If people start needing prayer for their bodies, I’ll be right there putting my two bits in, and if I haven’t got two bits, I’ll put my dime in, by the grace of God I got a dollar to put in.
Until you begin to do that you cannot rise, the way you want to rise, you’ll just not do it, my brother, my sister. See, all we need is a little handful, all you need, it just took one little David to knock the spots off of Goliath, just cut his head right off, and Israel got so happy they just mopped the whole bunch up.
Well, I’ll tell you, we’ve had our David in the person of William Branham, God manifesting through that man; it’s time we begin a mop-up operation, as Jack Bell says, “Lee, I hear you’re preaching, I just can’t figure why you aren’t healed.” I just can’t figure it either. Maybe I’m tickling?
But you see look, there’s a time and a season for everything, and the big thing is to understand this, I am not selling you Mark 16 short of 3 John 2, that you may prosper in your soul, then your body because I can lose my hand and get to heaven, but I can go to hell with two hands. If my eye offends me, pluck it out.
So we’re looking at these things in the proper application, so therefore, we see the authority vested in the Name of Jesus Christ as Brother Branham used it.
We saw his identification with that Name and he bore that name gracefully and beautifully and brought to us Hebrews 13:8, and we may from it use and utilize thoroughly, Mark 16. But above all, enter in with Him, this is what we see on both sides of the pictures are ours tonight, in 1 John 1, I’ll read it.
(01) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, [and we got a photograph of it…], which we’ve looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life; […but we haven’t got that way.]
(02) [But] the life was manifested, and we [saw] it and we bear witness to show you that eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested unto us;
In other words, in Him was ‘Zoe’, in Him was the ability to come right into a human form; and He did it.
Associating with all forms, that’s why I spoke on Friday night… Thursday night, at the Thanksgiving meeting concerning, when the Seals were broken, everything in the earth, in the ocean, everything began rejoicing.
The trees of the field began clapping their hands, the beasts of the field began losing their fear, something is going on, nature… the earth is beginning to get ready to erupt… do you follow? Volcanoes, they’re cracking, bringing forth the beautiful new nature.
Why, hallelujah, brother/sister, we’re right in the… we’re right here.
Now listen, “It was manifested, that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, [said Brother Branham,] that you may have fellowship with me, and truly my fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”
That’s true, that’s all. Yup, and these things write I unto you, that your joy might be full.
And he tells you right on here, “And this is the message then, that we have heard of him, I have heard from Him for you, and I declare unto you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
In other words, if there is no darkness there is no time that darkness will not be dispelled, because in Him was light and light dispels darkness. So if there is no darkness in Him there is no time when darkness is not dispelled. So all you got to be is there in it. If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.
In other words, it tells you plumb flat, if you are off the Word of God, you are walking in darkness, and you are not in the Truth. I know that people don’t like that, what you think they wouldn’t kill us for that? You got to be kidding.
The first murder took place when Able gave his testimony, and we’re right back to it. What happened outside of the Garden, has got to happen in this hour, because it’s all part of the scenario.
There’s nothing that hasn’t been, that isn’t going on and will go on. God doesn’t change either His Ways or anything He does, and neither do the people.
1 John 1:
(07) Now if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us…
It tells you right there, so if we walk in the light, if we believe this Word, and walk in it. See, as the prophet walked in it, as Christ walked in it, as the disciples; we’ll have fellowship with each other, and the Blood of Jesus Christ is effective, but not under any other consideration.
Now, where do you go on statements like that? You can’t put your head in the sand and say, “Oh well, I just believe, anyway.”
You know… how could… how could anybody be that way. That’s like saying, “Come into my house… well, I’m just going to take these cooking vessels with food here.”
“Like fun you’re going to take them.” Who said, “I’m just going to take them? Well, I’m just going to get my club out and bust you out of my way.”
“Well,” Brother Vayle, “you got to be sweet and nice.”
“I’m not going to be sweet and nice. Why should I be sweet and nice when you want to steal my stuff? Go get your own.”
Look at the Word here: How’s the Blood of Jesus Christ going to cleanse you, you go on your own and act as though you got the Blood of Jesus Christ and tell me what to do with it. It’s His Blood! Then He’ll do with It, what He wants to do with It.
And these are the conditions see, Jesus Christ died so there wouldn’t be any condemnation, but there is condemnation, and he said, “Phttt!” like that. No, no, no. He tells you, it’s the light. Always they turn down the Word, always. Then they want the blessing.
What if the nothingness out there… how can you describe nothingness? Even that is a terminology designated something. What if there’s something out there and I say there’s nothing.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and then respond to that, I ain’t going to do it, no, no, no, I won’t respond to your Word. You tell me… you tell me when God says something that there won’t be a response. And how’s man going to respond against God, and stand up against God.”
And the last day that spirit has to come amongst us, to reveal God and the whole secret of the dead being raised is in the revelation of God. You say what you want, I don’t care what you say.
I’m going to stand here and tell you anyway, and it’s White Throne and I’ll meet you there in the next twenty-four hours, give or take thirty minutes. Give or take. I’m going to tell you flat, that’s what it says right here and you try to change it. That’s what’s wrong with people. Can’t do it.
All right, in my name, we’ll get to the book on Brother… Doctor Kenyon sometime, maybe we’ll talk about it.
Now,
[47-6] Onward, Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus Going on before. [That’ right…]
“I’m [I’ve been] crucified with Him; nevertheless I live; [Yet not I] not me that live, but He that liveth in me.”
The life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. You do not even live by your own faith, it’s the faith of the Son of God.
It doesn’t say faith ‘in’ the Son of God, it says, faith ‘of’ the Son of God. It’s a possessive pronoun. Now that’s Galatians 2:20.
He said,
[47-6] “The Word going on before, God cutting away with His sharp two-edged sword…”
Maim him, in other words, cripple the devil, cut his feet off. Cut your own feet off. When you hand gets in the way, cut it off. Your eye gets in the way, pluck it out. Your foot gets in the way, rip it off, see.
Okay, let’s look at Galatians the 5th chapter… all right, 10-12, I guess what I want.
(10) I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever [whatever it may be] he be.
(11) And I brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, [shall I] why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross ceased.
(12) I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
(13) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
(14) For all the law is fulfilled [even] in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor…
What I’m really looking at is this, this statement up here, Paul is talking of the troublemakers, who went to the Galatians, who sold out the Word, that they would have plucked their eyes out to serve Paul, given the shirt off their back and so on.
He said, How am I become your enemy all of a sudden? He said, I’ll tell you why, those Judi-izers have come amongst you, and they’re a hundred percent wrong because they’re off the Word. The Word of the hour does not speak of circumcision, except in the heart.
All right, now watch, he said, I would they were even cut off which troubles you. Now, the word ‘cut off’ means like Paul was wishing that they were dead, the actual word is ‘castrated.’ And a castrated man he may go through the act, but he cannot produce life.
And so Paul is saying, I would to God that these people were cut off, utterly stopped, from perpetrating anything amongst the congregation, bringing them a life the same as the serpent brought through Eve. He wanted to see the thing dead.
So would we in our right minds being spiritual want to see every influence of every church, and organization and denomination and every single individual’s influence killed dead. The man literally castrated, emasculated.
So he cannot do those things. That’s not an evil thought. The world doesn’t like that. Billy Graham had the recipe for rape, he said, “Castrate them;” everybody got mad at Billy Graham. I made loud cheers myself.
Yup, that’s why I say when AIDS come on, anybody in this church goes out and lives in sin and you get AIDS, I will not pray for you, not to get better, I can’t do it, because the Word of God says, when you do things like that God Himself visits… it’s right in the book of Romans. I’ll find it and read it to you.
Let’s begin to understand some things, brother/sister, you break down the immune system, which is the Word of God, that filter Brother Branham spoke of, and remember, until Brother Branham preached “The Filter” (The Thinking Man’s Filter), AIDS could not come on the scene.
The first… the first real case of AIDS that we know of is a fifteen year old little black prostitute boy and nobody knew what it was, 1969, so they kept some of the tissue, and they found it was AIDS.
All right. Listen to what it says here… now in verse 25, Romans 1:
(25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
(26) For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
(27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.
A special disease, alright, they want to keep doing it. So you think they’re going to be cured? Hogwash! They’re trying to tell you right now, massive doses of vitamins C and this and that, it’s going to do it. It’s not going to do it. There’s nothing going to do it, because it’s the Word of God.
Now you can pray for a person’s soul. Now you say, well, now, the world… the people are rising up and say, “We’re gonna, we’re gonna, we’re gonna start killing those people off.” I’m not suggesting it’s being done, but notice where the mind goes.
He say, “Listen, you guys, did this, we didn’t. You’re trying… we’ll get rid of you if that’s the way it is, there’s more of you, more of you people got… more of us don’t have AIDS than you that do, so then we’ll just knock you off.”
Now Paul is saying the same thing in a spiritual sense… to stop the whole thing, see, now you notice the people, Paul doesn’t do it. But you notice those very people tried to stop Paul.
Now we’re not stopping anybody preaching, we’re simply standing here with the Truth, but you watch, they’ll close our doors, we’ll have a real nice building for them to close too, well, that’s good. We don’t mind, we’ll give them a good one, by the Grace of God.
All right, he said, here,
[47-6] I’m crucified with them nevertheless I live… the Word going on before, God cutting a way with the sharp two-edge sword, [maim him, cut him down, ruin him.]
[48-2] No wonder, when Grant took Richmond, and that little southern woman seen Grant coming in, the inspiration struck her and she said:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He’s tramping out the vintage where the grapes with wrath are stored;
He’s loosed the faithful lightning with His terrible swift sword;
His troops are marching on. Amen.
[48-3] How did Grant take Richmond? Just as he come to it. [I like that.] Amen. That’s how he took Richmond. That’s how God’s soldiers take sin, sickness; just as they come to it. Amen. That’s the way they overcome their doubts, and fears, and things. When one rises, they chop him down, move out of the way. Oh, my. That’s it.
In other words, it’s like the white cells in our body, ‘phagocytes’, I think they call them ‘leukocytes’, I forget all the names. Anyway, you go in there and I saw a picture, I didn’t see it on camera.
I saw a series of pictures taken from a camera, and the strangest thing is when this white cell goes out and attacks a germ, it envelopes the whole thing entirely; then suddenly something happens to the germ, it just explodes, inside the cell and it’s gone, neither hide nor hair.
So you can see this immune system by the Word of God is very, very powerful and we should learn to identify with the one who said, I’ve got that perfect faith by a perfect vindication. And a perfect vindication means a perfect Word. So now you got a perfect vindicated Word which is a living Word, God back, which we have.
And we’re not putting enough time on that, we’re not coming to church with that in our minds, we’re not going to work with that in our minds, we’re not going down the road with that in our minds; there’s too many other things in our minds and it’s got to stop. I mean that’s all there is to it. We’ve got to put more and more time on this.
You see? Now, here’s the simplicity Brother Branham is bringing out. The simplicity is knowing your God’s capability and when you really know His capability and know and are really assured that He came to demonstrate it to us and for us, then we will start this good fight of faith as never before.
We’ll come to church with different attitudes, and we’ll meet with different attitudes. We will have a ‘true’ superiority complex, and the complex will be God’s people working in unity. That is the complex, and it’s a superior one because it can beat anybody. See?
Now…
[48-3] That’s it. God cast them out, like He did in heaven. Our great Chief Captain showed us how it was done.
We read it in Luke 10,
[48-4] [Brother] Roy Roberson, Brother Funk, many of you old veterans here, you know what a real captain is. [That’s their old warriors, Second World War.] One time I was just watching the Jeffersonville Fire Department, [he’s going to go straight now,] Pfau’s place had caught on fire, and here was the Jeffersonville Fire Department standing down there, and the captain walking around said, “Spurt a little water up here. Spurt a little water up there. Spurt a little… [and the] Clarksville captain said, “Spurt a little water up there. Spurt a little water over there.” And the building burned down.
[49-1] [In the meantime, they had to] call Louisville; and here came trained men. Oh, how those sirens rang across from over there. And here’s the chief captains (of Jeffersonville) along here of these fire departments, say, “Spurt a little water up here; spurt a little water down here”: untrained men. Brother, as soon as that engine [from Louisville] stopped, who was at the head of the ladder? The captain. When that ladder went up, he went up with it.
When it struck the window (he hadn’t got through the window yet), he grabbed his axe, and threw it through the window, and said, “Come on, boys.” And the fire was out just in a few minutes. A captain. He was not a captain who said, “Spurt a little water here; try a little bit here,” but, “Come on, boys.” Amen. He led the way; he showed how it’s done.
Now that’s Matthew 12: Brother Branham demonstrated that.
And let’s go back to Matthew 12 again, and I’m going to bring out something there, that we saw before, when he talked about the Name, okay, and it says here, in verse 17.
(17) That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet saying,
(18) Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. [In other words, he’s going to come down, and vindicate, show who’s right and who’s wrong.]
(19) [And when he does it] he [will] not strive nor cry, nor any man hear his voice in the streets. [No, no…]
(20) A bruised reed shall he not break, [No, he just keeps on going,] and smoking flax shall he not quench, [just keep on going, but he’s going to do something in restoration] till he sends forth judgment unto victory. [In other words, the last judgment will bring about a victory.]
(21) And [it says,] in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
So, that which was delivered to the Gentiles, which was the power in the Name of Christ Jesus, to use it, under the Word conditions that God set forth in His Bible, it must come to ‘seed’. It’s got to come to pass where the Cornerstone becomes the Headstone, one and the same.
He that started it, will finish it, and Paul started it for the Gentile church under tremendous power, as we read in 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians also, it is manifested that he stood there as the one that God had told to do it and God proved it and backed him up.
So there you have it, you have here Matthew 12 demonstrated; the Captain, God Himself, doing what He is supposed to do in this age, and the one He did it through was William Branham, because God must have a man.
Remember, Jesus, was not God, that is the little baby born in the manager, was not God. It was God with us from the river Jordan. It was someone born of God, from God’s own loins, so to speak.
God was the One who created by Spoken Word, the egg and the sperm which were joined in the womb, and brought forth through the mechanical, or the chemical processes in that little beautiful woman, Mary.
Okay, Brother Branham said,
[49-1] I thought, “That well-trained fire department, they had that fire out in a few minutes.” Why? They had a captain there who knew what he was doing.
I’m going to ask you a question. Do you believe the One that came down is the Captain? If He wasn’t, why did He give the military orders? Why was He the one who said, “Boys, follow me.”
See, He’s the One who demonstrated and showed. So therefore, we can encourage ourselves more and more in this Message, not to become dynamic operators of gifts, but to be dynamic in the pursuit of the True Revelation of the Word, and the dynamism in our souls believing It; out of that will come Mark 16.
We don’t have to deliberately try to major in Mark 16, we major in Hebrews 13:8 then let everything else come out of it. Set our hearts forth, and you watch.
I remember, a friend of mine, old Brother Reynolds, oh, you talk about a fantastic preacher, that man had a flow of words and a reserve of energy you can’t believe. He just got the book open… his mouth… words just begin to flow, he was fantastic.
He had a fantastic… you know, vocabulary, and everything that went with it. And I used to see people getting healed all the time there, full of the Holy Ghost.
And I said, “Brother Reynolds,” I said, “Tell me exactly why is it that this church here is so different from others?”
I said, “You’re always… somebody getting healed and full of the Holy Ghost.”
He said, “Son, you get what you preach for. We preach for it, we get it.” And I thought, you know, that’s the secret. That’s the whole secret.
I preached all these years, for a church to have one thing and that’s the Word. You are not, brother/sister, united, outside of one faith in this Word. No, you have no excuse, say, Well, I don’t understand this and I don’t understand that.”
I know there could be an excuse there, but I think we’ve broken it down to a place where, my heavens, the mechanics at least got to be somewhere, within the space between the two eardrums. There ought to be something there by now.
Now saying there’s not. Just saying there ought to be. I think we’ve laid that foundation, I think we’ve seen enough results to know, that something is happening, but how much is going to happen is up to you and me, in a limited degree.
In other words, there is much that you and I can do with what God gives us, but there’s only… but, many times there’s only what God does, what He wants to do, with what He is, and what He has and that’s by election.
In other words, you and I cannot say, “Well, I’m a foot, therefore, I want to be the head. You cannot do it.” You got to get yourself in that frame there.
All right, they knew what they were doing.
[49-3] Brother, talk about all your theology you want to your man-made denominations, your organizations. Play with it. I’ve got a Captain that told me how to do it.
William Branham’s own testimony, don’t say, “Well, if I can smell it, or I can feel it…” that has nothing to do with it. His ministry was all about one thing, restored Word and the power thereof, through faith, no anything else.
Vindication brings faith and faith brings action. Vindication brings faith and faith brings action, don’t forget that, that’s true.
[49-4] “…I can smell it, I can feel it…” Oh nonsense. Here’s the way the Chief Captain said it’s done in Luke the 4th chapter. I ain’t got time to read it; read it yourselves, [this morning, or some morning…] Luke the 4th chapter begin at the 1st verse. [That’s the temptation of Christ, of course.]
He never said, “Now I tell you. You go over here, and you make a great organization; you get presbyters, and deacons, and you get cardinals and bishops and you get this.” He never said that. When Satan met Him, [this is the battle, the great battle] he said. “Now, you’re hungry; turn these stones into bread.”
Now that is the offensive that Satan used. What was his offensive? Perverted word, perverted word, misapplied word. What was Jesus’ defense?
[49-4] “It’s written.” [Notice the offense of the enemy, perverted word. Our defense, therefore, is true Word. “It’s written.”] He said, “Up here, we’ll take you up here and show you something.” [See, again–misapplication.] [He said,] “It is written.”—[his defense.] “I’ll do this if you’ll…” “It is written.”
Then that’s the defense. Then the offense, Jesus’ offense; not that He’s offensive, but He’s making an offense, He’s making an attack, now Jesus attack. He was… He was attacked by the devil, so He said, “Okay, it’s written,” then He makes His attack.
And He said, “Get thee hence, get out of My life.”
Now,
[49-5] That’s how the Chief Captain [did it.] [That’s how it was done. He’s talking to a little girl, sister, to a little kid that was on the cot,] It’s written: “If you lay hands on the sick they shall recover.” [Now, he’s talking about himself with that little girl.] It is written. “In My Name they shall [will] cast out devils.” [If the devil’s there, he’ll cast him out.] Amen. What is it? It’s written.
Now Christ proved it in the flesh, when he was here, “It’s written.” Then he proved it in the spirit right through that man. Now, we know it, and we know that God meant it.
Now, that’s the thing that Brother Branham, was constantly dinning to us, and try to get us into the place where we understood it. God meant it or He wouldn’t have said it. God demonstrated to prove that He meant it. So now you got a double; that’s like God saying it, and God’s swearing by Himself’.
[49-5] Amen. It’s written: “In My Name they shall cast out devils.” [Now that’s the authority, Amen, what is it?] “It’s written.” [That’s the Captain’s orders.] “It is written:”
“Whosoever heareth My words and believeth on Him that sent Me has Eternal Life.” Now that’s what he said, that’s the Captain. You hear it, you believe it.
It’s written, it’s written, it is written: that’s the orders; [or those are the orders], that’s the soldier; that’s the way; that’s the artillery we move up.
Now remember, the weapons of your warfare, there’s only one; that is not defensive. Everyone is on the defense. There is only One that is on the ‘offense’; that’s the sword. So therefore, they’re one and the same. The defense and the offense is one and the same.
You don’t have any other, so if you’re going to more your artillery, you move the Word of God, you move the big guns, and the ‘big gun’ is Hebrews 13:8, little artillery is Mark 16 and so on.
Now, not only this, but remember, Brother Branham said, “I saw the Word come to Life and you were in some of my meetings where you saw It come to Life.” And quoting 1 John 1: again, he said, “If you believe it; you’ve got the same thing I’ve got, you’re right in the same ranks.”
[50-1] What did he do? David walked right up there to Goliath, he showed… [he demonstrated the way to do it]. How did David show the army how it was done? How did David show Israel how it was done? David means ‘beloved’ or ‘Saviour’. See? How did David do it, [He said,] “Here’s the way it’s done: trust in the Word of the Lord”.
Now David had a bit of experience, you see, when he went down to tackle that guy. You know he killed a bear, and the bear just slaughtered the sheep, so he just killed the bear… a little tiny guy.
And a lion came by, and I can just see, David whacking at the lion and the lion backing up stronger, so David said, “That’s not going to work,” he grabbed him by the beard and said, “Hold it,” and whacked his head off.
You say, “That took guts”. You bet it did. Now, that’s a gutsy little fellow, he didn’t back down, the guy didn’t… the guy didn’t know what it was to fear.
Do you think we could get that way? You can, if, we all can, if, we follow this route. It means the mind will have to come under divine order, the same as Brother Branham’s mind came under divine order.
When he upset the hornets, he said, “I’m sorry I disturbed you and I want you to go back where you came from.” They went back. Said to the bull, “I’m sorry I disturbed you, you go lie down and go to sleep.” The bull went and laid down, closed his eyes and went to sleep.
He said, the man that fell across his feet; “Satan, you’ve challenged the most High God, you’ll fall across my feet.” The man fell across Brother Branham’s feet, they had to pull him off because Brother Branham couldn’t move, he had him pinned down by the feet.
[50-2] Goliath come out (there), said, “You know what? I’ll pick you up on the end of this spear, and I’ll feed you to the birds.”
[50-3] And David said… [now Brother Branham referring to himself again and no doubt it has an implication for you and me. He said,] “You meet me as an organization; you meet me as a modern scientist; you meet me with your great big fourteen foot sword; you meet me with a helmet of brass and with a piece of shield that I couldn’t even life off the ground;
…you meet me as a trained warrior; you meet me with Ph.D., and L.L.D. and double L.D.; you meet me in [with] all these things; but I come in the Name of the Lord God of Israel, [THUS SAITH THE LORD] and today I’ll cut your head from [off] your shoulders.” Amen.
Now, it is not necessary to believe that David had a vision or a revelation, but he knew from his daily walk of righteousness, the power of God.
We do not need visions, we don’t need extra revelations; we just need to begin to take a stand, bringing ourselves under the persuasion of the Word, dissuading ourselves entirely from all of those things that have come previously from organization, from our minds, or whatsoever; and just stand with the Word of God.
[50-4] That little bitty wart, [came] out there [to fight] that giant, but he [knew] where he was standing. Israel just shaking back there, [said,] “Oh, poor little fellow.” Goliath said, “I’ll show you what I’ll do,” and here he [came]. [David] had F-a-i-t-h (See?) i-n J-e-s-u-s, [which is five… you know, Grace and Faith] five rocks, five stones. One little stone in there to start it off [with].
Whirling it around like that, the Holy Ghost got a hold of the rock and away it went; [and] Goliath went [down] to the ground. That’s the way it’s done.
You see, David had faith in a sling that worked, the Theorem Principle, and It did it. One Word of faith that’s all one needs. One mustard seed of faith; mustard seed of faith will move a mountain. All faith moves a mountain; so therefore, faith will do anything, just one word.
[50-4] [Here’s what Jesus said], “Now, if you brethren are going out on the field, if you want to know how to conquer these [those] devils, I’ll show you how it’s done.”
[And] Satan said, “I’ll meet you [like] Goliath; I’ll show you what I can do. You’re hungry; if you are the Son of God, I’ll challenge you. You say you’re the Son of God; I’ll challenge you. If you’re the Son of God, turn these stones into bread. Eat, you’re hungry. And if you are the Son of God, you have power to do it.”
Now, you know, that’s misrepresenting the Word, misplacing and everything else.
[50-5] “But,” he said, “it’s written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” Oh, that’s the way the Chief Captain did it.
Now that to me signifies that man shall respect Hebrews 13:8 above every other scripture; that man shall desire to prosper in his soul, according to the revealed Word in the last day, above everything else, ‘though He slay me, yet I’ll trust Him.’
Then from that will come the other, you got to be entrenched in that, if we do not get entrenched in the vindication of Hebrews 13:8 we cannot go on to where we’re supposed to go. That’s the big thing because remember even Elisha died with a sickness, wherewith he was sick.
Don’t play a major, a minor against a major. Go with the major. Look, if you can play big league, you can play minor league.
If you can play professional hockey, you can play semi-professional, but you better be big league to try to cope in big league, you better be pro to try to cope in the pro, and I’m going to tell you something; amateurs almost always turn professional and you can see why because that’s where the big dough is and the free life.
And I’ll tell you, we may be amateurs here but we can be professionals. But you got to get away from the amateur field, you got to get to the professional field, that’s vindication, brother/sister, to stand on It.
Say, “I stand here in the name of the God that William Branham preached,” and the vindication we saw, and he said, “It was Lord Jesus Christ,” and I stand on that. Brother/sister, that’s where we got to start moving.
And remember, we’re not going to try to heal everybody, get a great big thing done, we’re dealing in the life which is individual, and yet corporate as we move on. But that corporate life can be down in South America, Australia, New Zealand.
How many is in America? We don’t know. We do believe the bulk will be here, because here is where the light is. That’s only natural. You understand that. I think Brother Branham made a statement about that.
Now he said,
[50-5] “It’s written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” Oh, that’s the way the Chief Captain did it.
[50-6] He took Him up on top of the pinnacle of the temple; [see, that’s world… world church, and said,] “if you cast yourself down, he said “it’s written also…”
[51-1] It’s written again: ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’” See what He called Himself? He called Himself, “The Lord God”. [“The Lord thy God”].
In other words, He was actually God over Satan. Now, how could he call himself ‘the Lord God’, for the very ground that Jesus the Christ, the one that was born, at the river Jordan, now became the tabernacle of the ‘fullness of God’ and God was now with man.
That’s why his name was ‘Emmanuel’. Oh, my, what did he do? He defeated him with the Word of God. The tactic of the devil is to get you to disbelieve God’s Word and the Chief Captain said, “Take God’s Word and do it.”
You see what it said awhile ago; his offense, his attack, is to use a perverted word, to make you to think either the Word won’t work or you got it wrong or something else. But that’s when we come back with the same Word, that is properly identified.
It is… remember Brother Branham said, “Never misinterpret, never dislocate, and never misplace.”
Well, with the Word of God we got today, how can you? Because it’s only the Word for the hour. And don’t go looking down the road at the Jews, you’ll end up as Ewald Frank, the mess he got into. See?
Now,
[51-2] Oh, my. What did He do? He defeated him with the Word of God. The tactic of the devil is to get you to disbelieve God’s Word, and the Chief Captain said take God’s Word and do it. “In My Name they shall cast out devils.”
All right, what time we got left? Oh, all right… we just got time to close this, if we work real hard at this. Now, we are looking at Jesus the Christ who is known as, the second… the last Adam or the second man.
In the 5th chapter, let us read about this Great One here, in contrast to Adam.
(12) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
(13) For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
(14) Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. [That’s reverse figure.]
(15) But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Now notice, it was what Jesus did in contrast to what Adam did, under the influence of Satan. The perverted word brought every man to death. Jesus Christ then, is able to raise every single man. And remember, they are sons of God; not sons of the serpent. Every son, God could raise.
(16) And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification… [In other words, we’re born in sin and we practice sinning. But now we’re declared the righteous Bride of Christ.]
(17) For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
And you can go through the whole thing in a flat right here, if it had been manifested in this hour that God, Elohim, Jehovah, is right here in our midst now and has done those mighty and great things and proven who He is and proven that Word.
Then brother/sister, we have every right to believe that He is superior, and ruling in authority; having cast Satan out of the high places, and we are in control, and command with Him; as we base on Him not ourselves. Adam was in error. We are in error, but He has overcome.
We’re looking at the Great One, these are the things that we must look at, the identification with His Name and the authority that lies therein; because that is how we are going to do it with this Word, it begins to build up in here, until the power of God can be manifested.
I like what… if you read E.W. Kenyon, you’ll find out that when he understood the ‘power of attorney’ and began to use it righteously, that God began to use the man, and of course, everybody then began to come against him.
You’ll find they’ll say, well, you know… that E.W. Kenyon, that poor old bird, you know, he believed in eternal security, a few more things, no… tongues as evidence and all. “Why,” they say, “he died sick.” He didn’t die sick. He just closed his eyes one day and went home.
They’ll pervert everything, they’ll tell you Brother Branham died in a drunken wreck as though he was drunk. It spread around the world, that he was a woman-chaser, a womanizer, everything else.
The organization did, the people wanted to but for one reason, they couldn’t produce what he produced, so they said, “Let’s get rid of him.” They couldn’t produce what Jesus produced in flesh, they said, “Let’s get rid of him.”
We’re not here to try to produce in competition with anything whatsoever, let’s get that flat, we are here trusting that the Word of God, may be manifest and evidenced in us as It should be. Not how we want or think, but how the Word is declared and manifested to us.
So that we are those people, not to be known to the world, no, no, no shape or form, but we are those people that are led of the Spirit of God because we have the Word of God, that’s what we’re looking at.
Let’s rise at this time and be dismissed.
Gracious, heavenly Father, we praise You for Your kind mercy, and love that You’ve given towards us this hour, we’re asking You, Lord, now that You dismiss us with Your rich blessing and Your constant blessing, Lord, upon us at all times, whether we eat or sleep or rise or whatever we do, we know that You are with us, we lie down in confidence, we rise with confidence.
We do not want to be of those people who say in the morning, Would God ever leave me? And if the night were, would God ever morning. We can say what we want to be with those people, “Now I lay me down…”
And You give Your beloved sleep, and you can say, “Now I lay me down to sleep and the Lord’s watching over me.”
And I praise the Lord for this time of rest, and in the morning the sun begins to break, whatever, get up, the clock rings, whatever, say, “Praise the Lord, I can now rise and serve the Lord, “and see another day in victory in Christ Jesus and knowing, Lord, that we’re more than victorious.
Help us to get rid of all the negative, and now rise to the positive, just as the prophet indicated absolutely was the way to go and, Father, we do know since we have the Theorem, absolutely proven, we have the Vindication, we have Hebrews 13:8 we know positively there has got to be a people somewhere, that absolutely will fall in line with It, and will manifest, Lord, what You want to come out of It.
And we feel, Lord, that there’s got to be some here, there’s got to be… otherwise, we wouldn’t be preaching, we know we’re preaching the truth, because that’s what the prophet always went to, we’re seeing it here tonight.
So, Father, we are counting ourselves as, none of us being left out, as part of the privileged few, and if every single one of us here, Lord, make the Rapture that’s still isn’t very many, that’s still a very, very few people, to be spread around the world with many others are equal, there wouldn’t be very many at all with five billion people, they wouldn’t even know if we were gone one day.
So Lord, here we are, we’re coveting for ourselves now; not to be what we want to be, Lord, and do something about it but, Lord, we want to be what You want us to be, and to see, Lord, that You have the honor, and the Glory, and You are, as it were, well re-paid in the sense, that You want to be paid, with this faith that You’ve evoked in our lives, You laid It here, so It can be manifested.
Now Father, we know that this is a big thing to learn, to get out of the way, and this is that big battle that Brother Branham taught of, Help us to overcome it, O God. We know that, You are helping us, we know there’s a moving going on, Lord, but we know also, that we’re a little bit shirking in the doing of our duty to compliment Your work in the sense, that we’ve got something to do, too.
And so, Lord, in all these things, may we just now rise to the occasion, Father, you know our hearts.
You know what we’re saying, we’re saying in unadulterated English, we’re still a little bit muddled up here, and we want to get unmuddled, because we know we got all the factors, we know we got all the components, it’s just a matter of coming under Your skillful hand, Lord, that those factors and components become an aggregate formed properly in our lives to bring forth, what you have ordained should be brought forth.
And we want it that way, so Father, help us tonight and we’ll give You, the Honor and the Glory in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
‘Take the Name of Jesus with you.’