Message Of Grace #02
The Prince Crying, “Here’s The Headstone!”#0687
Heavenly Father, we’re again grateful for this privilege to stand in Your Presence Lord, knowing that the prophet said, “My message is to declare that He is here,” and knowing Lord, that this is true we realize that we are not sincere enough about it perhaps that’s going to take a deeper fuller greater revelation Lord, which it is, we’ll pray for that that it might be so.
He also told us to take this Message for our healing because it is restoration. Help us Lord, to understand that the message of Your Presence this hour Lord, this is the day of the Lord, we know that, the day of vengeance and wrath but also the day of peace and joy and transformation.
Lord, may we dwell upon that which is ours and make full capital, oh God, in Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
You may be seated.
Now we’re not going to have to recap on what we took last Sunday because we are just now to the point where we can read Brother Branham’s text wherein he is taking his text and context to preach the message, The Message of Grace. And he starts on page 8, paragraph 46.
[46] Then I chose this morning, being that that Message was so attacked, [that’s the Message of Grace] another thing… I’ve… gotten so after about is preaching grace. I want to speak on that this morning as I read the fourth chapter of Zechariah, a portion of it:
So the two things that were attacked really were the oneness of the Godhead, one God manifesting in three different offices and then the message of grace.
[46] And the angel that talked with me… again, came and wakened me, as a man which is wakened out of… sleep, …And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: [Now this is the exact description, of course, of what Moses was told to make for the tabernacle. All right, this is added:]
And two olive trees by it, and one upon the right side of the bowl, …the other upon the left side thereof. And I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?… the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
[47] [Brother Branham interjects:] Do you see? The message will not come by some great… human effort or authoritarian human power, but by the Spirit of God. Last verse, seventh verse. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shouting, crying, Grace, grace unto it. (Grace, grace unto it.)
Now since all… since any Scripture or any and all Scripture used by Brother Branham is relevant to this hour to be fulfilled and of course, there isn’t a great deal of Scripture he ever gives us when he preaches, you’ll notice that it is limited, then we realize that this Scripture here is actually for this very hour, this portion we just read here in paragraph 46 and to 47.
Now this is, of course, what we’re looking at here for this hour is what you see in Revelation chapter 1. Now many people don’t like to take the Old Testament and relate it to the New as it is supposed to but here we find in verse 12.
(12) And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
(13) And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like [to] the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
(14) [And] his head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
(15) And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
(16) And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
(17) And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
(18) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. [Now, also we might read.]
(19) Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
(20) [And] the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the [seven messenger to] the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Now that goes with Zechariah 4:7. Which was,
(07) Who art thou, O great mountain? [that would be great authoritarian source of great power. Mountain can refer to government] before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. [Grace, grace unto it.]
Now with Revelations 1:13-14 which we were looking at here, he said, “In the midst of the candlesticks,” that’s the seven golden candlesticks, one like the Son of man and this One, of course, is set forth as the Judge at this particular time and also in Revelation 3, now that’s the One that is to be to come forth, also Revelation 3.
(20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and… sup with him, and he with me.
(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.
So what we’re seeing here then is a… His presentation or the coming forth of the Headstone and of course, this comes through the Shout which is 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “When the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a Shout.”
So, Brother Branham goes on,
[48] We are well acquainted with this Scripture… we who read the Bible, we’re acquainted with the Scripture. We know that this was during the time of the preparation of the restoration of the temple.
Now that’s the clue key right there. The restoration of the temple, and of course, remember the Bride is the true temple of the Holy Ghost.
And Zerubbabel was a great prince amongst the people, and he had laid the foundation of the building. Now… I want you to put on your spiritual thinking, anointed jacket, this morning, as we think. And this great prince had determined to rebuild the house of the Lord. And then, when he did, he… laid the foundation stone.
[49] And as we read on farther we find out that God said, “Zerubbabel has laid the foundation with his hands; and he… shall also bring forth the headstone.” And I want you to notice He never said, “He shall bring forth the Cornerstone”; “He shall bring forth the headstone.”
Of course, that’s true because the cornerstone had already come and was set at naught by the builders so… those builders, of course, were rejected then.
[50] And we know that the Scripture says that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone, and He’s also the Headstone. Now if we will think for a few minutes, that the seventh church messenger was to restore the Faith of the children back to the fathers. In other words, rebuild the church again under the power of the Holy Spirit. “Not by power, nor by might, [That would be some type of humanistic and governmental force] but by my spirit saith the Lord.” Not by organization, not by denomination, but by the Holy Ghost God will bring forth the church in this last day.
Now this paragraph here is literally what you might call a summation of ‘Doing God A Service Apart From His Will’ which you’ll notice in there Brother Branham stressed very greatly the fact that God has His man who is to do the service who is to actually then do the bringing forth of the Headstone at this particular time.
That’s what you’re looking at and he’s placing himself in that particular position so that we don’t want you alarmed about that, we just want you to really understand what is being said at this time and how great a person this prophet was in our midst.
So this relates to everything that is being said then as in every sermon relates to this hour, the prophet and the Presence of God, the relationship of one to the other, what has happened to prove that relationship and what is going on now with us. All right.
[51] Zerubbabel, the prince with Joshua, [Now Joshua means ‘Jehovah Savior’, so Zerubbabel, a prince, just forget the name and you get the context, and you get the understanding, the prince who is with Jehovah Savior] was the one… to bring forth this headstone.
Now this is exactly Malachi 4 because remember Malachi 4 does not tell Elijah to come on the scene by himself. Elijah is on the scene at the same time the great God is on the scene.
So we might as well go back to Malachi 4 and we can become so conversant with this, this is like second nature or really our entire nature is what it should be to really get so conversant with Scripture. Now he says,
(01) …behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, [and] leave them neither root nor branch.
(02) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;
So now you’ve got actually what you might say is a three-fold picture there although we’re not going to try to divide God into one, twos, and threes.
He said here, “Now the day cometh that the Lord of hosts is going to burn up everything leaving neither root nor branch. But there’s a group there that feared the name of the Lord and unto them the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”
In other words, there’s going to be immortality set in and that’s not a matter of two gods; that’s a matter of the one God who is going to come with the promise of immortality and the promise of destruction. They’re both promises. Remember the cursings were shouted from Ebal and the blessings from Gerizim and they both stand on a promise. And it says,
(05) [At that time] Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: [wherein the burning takes place.]
The reconciliation of God’s people to God and the restoration is not the great and terrible day of the Lord. Now remember, God always comes with a blessing and a curse and it’s up to the people to decide which they want.
Now you cannot have God without both of them. It’s utterly impossible. I know you sit here tonight and you say, “Well, wonderful Lord we love You;” He’s gracious and kind and you go on trying to build yourselves up and try to flatter God. Why don’t you just relax and stop trying to flatter God and get down to the truth? Because God respects truth because He is truth: He kills and He makes alive.
He blesses and He curses, He does what He wants and when He comes He’s every one of those things. And every time you see something like this which is a juncture you cannot get away from cursing, you cannot get away from blessing.
The blessing—listen!—the blessed will be blessed; the cursed will be cursed. That’s proven by the time that Isaac tried to go ahead and bless Esau and he couldn’t do it; he blessed Jacob. Jacob didn’t have to resort to subterfuge; that was his stupid mother, nice girl but stupid.
She had no business trying to direct her son in spiritual things; he was way ahead of her. See? And he said, “Yeah, he shall be blessed.” See? So you got to understand what we’re talking about. So, all right.
There’s a blessing and a cursing at this time. And this is the time then because of Elijah and only because of Elijah, not interceding and not necessarily intercepting but being the messenger. “Unto the messenger which is in the church of Laodicea, Elijah, I’m talking to you and you talk to them.
They don’t know who I am, what I’m doing.” Do you follow what I’m talking about? This is what you’re looking at. So, all right.
Now this is also 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,” with a military command, which is what? 1 Corinthians 15, putting the Church in divine order to get away, separating the righteous from the wicked, those who serve God from those who don’t and those who serve God are, number one, discerning the Lord’s body, the prophet, vindicating as the one servant of God, the prince with God.
Now it all depends if you’re going to believe like Moses, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” You got to leave where you are and follow the Lord. You got to open the door to let Him in. So this is what you see going on here. All right.
Paragraph 51: it’s for the last day church…
[51] Zerubbabel, the prince with Joshua, was the one… to bring forth this headstone. He has laid the foundation,…
Now the question comes, can any man bring forth the headstone? See? As though the man did it and the answer is no.
There isn’t any man can bring forth the headstone because it’s already denied up here that it’s not by organization, it’s not by might but it’s not by power but it’s by the Holy Ghost. And who does the Holy Ghost work through? The messenger.
Now that’s what you’re looking at. So the messenger per se cannot do it. Now so what have you got? You’ve got Zerubbabel and Joshua which is Jehovah Savior. You’ve got William Branham, and the Lord Jesus Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit, our Savior. Now it said,
[51] He… laid the foundation, and he… took the people back to the foundation, in type.
It doesn’t say he did, it said he did it in type. Then what’s the antitype? The antitype is laying a foundation which is sowing the seed of the entire Bible from the serpent to the prophet in the former rain, and he’s the prophet of the former rain in the latter rain time.
Now that’s Hebrews, the 6th chapter, the once for all where he fills in everything, the details, making the perfection which is requisite to bring forth the headship. So He sows that entire Bible. In other words, also we got to recognize when you say the entire Bible you don’t take every single verse, you only take in what was left out and you correct the understanding, you have a perfect understanding of “That which is Perfect is come.” Okay.
[52] Which, we all know that these candlesticks, and so forth, represented both Jewish and Gentile church. They were “the olive branches,” the Bible said here. And the olive branch, we are the wild branch that was grafted into the root of the tame olive tree—of Gentiles. And out of these two branches come censer pipes, going to the seven golden candlesticks to give light to the seven church ages. [All right.]
In other words, the Old Testament contains the New, and the New Testament contains the Old. They’re just one Word. There’s only one Bride, though there are divisions that finally make up the Bride at the very end time until all are in. Remember, the 144,000 are not Bride. They serve the Bride. They’re eunuchs. They’re virgins in the New Jerusalem by the grace of Almighty God.
Now let’s just take a look at those trees. They’re over here in Romans, the 11th chapter and as usual we’ll just take our time on these things because we’re not going anywhere anyway until the Lord gets us out of here; beginning in verse 13, I suppose.
(13) For I speak [unto] you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [Now here was a Jew that was an apostle to the Gentiles. What could be strange then about an apostle, about a Gentile apostle who ends up the end ages for the Gentiles?]
(14) If by any means I may provoke to emulation them [that] are my flesh, and might save some of them.
(15) For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall [be] the receiving of them…, but life from the dead? [Now that’s the world of the cosmos of God.]
(16) For if the first-fruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, [also] are the branches.
(17) And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them [partake] of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
(18) Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
(19) Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
(20) Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear:
(21) For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
(22) Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: [See there’s your blessing and cursing] Behold… the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou… shalt be cut off.
And none of them did continue, they left it, so they’re going to be cut off. Everyone was pruned off as Brother Branham said, “Every denomination, there’s no life in them.” They can’t bear fruit. They only got their own life and they’re not going to live forever on the tree so they get cut off.
And at the end time they get gathered and burned. They’re all going to get burned. Then there’ll be a White Throne judgment and the rest of them, then they’ll get burned again.
(23) And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
(24) For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
(25) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
(26) And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
(27) [And] this is my covenant unto them, [and] I shall take away their sins. [and so on]
Now notice all Israel shall be saved. What Israel? All Israel not Israel that calls itself Israel; so the true Israel is going to be saved; Israel is a prince with God. Okay.
Now also we want to read in Ephesians, the 2nd chapter.
(11) Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, [which] are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
(12) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, [In other words, they were a branch without a tree to be in] having no hope, without God in [this] world:
(13) But now in Christ Jesus ye who [were] sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
(14) For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition…
(15) Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
(16) …that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: [In other words, they looked forward to Christ, He came and did the work, and now the Gentiles look back upon Christ, the work was done, so now He fuses through Himself a complete body of both Old and New Testament Bride, no problem.]
(17) And came and preached peace to [them] which [are] afar off, and to them that [are] nigh.
(18) For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
(19) Now therefore [the Gentiles] … are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, …of the household of God;
(20) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [So there’s your cornerstone and one day the Headstone is going to come forth, which is the same One.]
(21) In whom all the building fitly [joined] together groweth unto an holy temple:
(22) In whom… also [ye] are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Remember New Jerusalem does not have a temple. There is no need for it because the Bride is the temple. The whole thing is a complete worship and a complete temple. See? All right.
Now 53.
[53] Now remember, in our teaching on the lessons… we’ve just been through, that we took the great pyramid and studied that for awhile, that Enoch must have built. [And Enoch did build them, that is correct. And that is very strange that that is before the flood. So you see the flood… there was a witness of God before the flood and after the flood on earth, the same as the heavens. The pyramid is the Bible written in stone.]
And the [capstone or] headstone was never put on the pyramid. I’ve been there. The architecture of it could never be replaced even to this day. We have no machines that could build a pyramid; no powers, unless it’s atomic power,
[Now there are those who say it was atomic power that did this, and it’s possible] that could build a pyramid, because it’s too gigantic. Stones that would weigh tons and tons and tons, stand way in the air, so put together [so wonderfully wrought] that even a thin razor blade could not… [penetrate the joint]. And they’re not even cemented. They’re just cut so that they join one with another. [Now he types that.]
[54] That’s the way the body of Jesus Christ should be, so cut by the Holy Spirit, [or so formed] by God’s great instrument and tool, that we’d be joined as one person. We are not divided. We should be one person. And it goes to show that no machinery [that would be organization, organization like up top he mentioned here] can do that that way. It takes God to do that. [Okay.] No mechanics of organization, no lodges, none of these things can ever do it, as good as their intentions are. They can never do it, because… it takes God to do this, by the Holy Ghost.
Now we already have read Ephesians 2:22 and on and we could read Ephesians, the 3rd chapter into verse… chapter 4 but I won’t do that, that’s where he speaks of the great mystery of the foreknowledge and predestinating power of Almighty God that the Gentiles would be brought in. Then he mentions how that this is done which is done by the Holy Ghost who’s working through a ministry to bring it to perfection.
Now not included in here which throws about everybody for a loop and makes them really reprobates literally in their thinking is the fact that Elijah is not placed in here nor is any one prophet placed in here although Paul himself does place himself here and it is true that Elijah would be placed here that without those men, the great Word prophet ministries, there would not be any five-fold ministries to bring a church to perfection to bring the headstone.
Now if they had never fallen there would have been no need for an Omega prophet. There would have been no need for it. But the church fell and fell and fell until it’s wretched, miserable, blind and naked and thought that that shame was her glory. She was completely bereft. She was a harlot before Almighty God. See? So, you can understand then I won’t read that but you can see that for yourself.
Now, “Headship restored is,” as Brother Branham said, “a spoken Word is original seed,” and I’m saying that because he said here, “We are not divided. We should be one person. We don’t need machinery set up by man, mechanics, organization, lodges. No matter how good the intention is, that can never do it. It’s going to take the Holy Spirit.”
And he says in Spoken Word is Original Seed “that the Bride will have the Word and know what to do with It,” so therefore, they’ll literally be as one individually tutored and led by the Holy Spirit, but when the Spirit is doing it, it will be the same as your body doing it though it be many members, the body is doing it.
Now this will not be some great show that the world will be forced to recognize. The show is over. Even Brother Branham was rebuked by the angel of God because there was too much sideshow in his ministry which I myself could never see it but evidently there was a discrepancy there that God saw and He wanted corrected. So the world will not understand it because they can’t recognize it. It’s beyond them.
Now, going on speaking concerning headship, and all nature, even the American government recognizing it, yet not recognizing it.
[55] I don’t think I have a dollar bill in my pocket, but there is… Yes, I do, I have a dollar bill. On the back of this dollar bill you’ll see the seal of the United States on the left side, looking towards you. From me it’s… on the left side; yours, …right. It’s the eagle, and also in there the coat of arms, and so forth. But on this side here, right side [this is the right side] to me, you see the pyramid. And… notice above the pyramid is the capstone, [is the capstone] and beneath there says, “The Great Seal.”—even… our currency, [shows] that we have to recognize this. [What is this? The understanding of capstone; it’s there somewhere, not here, the nation knows He’s not our capstone, He’s not here but they’re looking for some future date for it. You know, everybody, everybody, everything has to recognize this understanding of the capstone, Christ.]
No infidel can stamp out Christianity. Every letter that you date, dates the birth of our Lord. Every calendar, everything, speaks of Him. And even on our currency the Headstone, which is Christ! Why did… they not put the Headstone on the pyramid? [Capstone, whatever you want to call it.] Because the headstone was rejected when He came.
[56] But now, according to the prophecy, …there will come the Headstone.
Now that’s what the prophecy is here, and remember, it’s to be brought forth through the prophet and Brother Branham associates that exactly with himself and with this hour which is Elijah fulfilling Malachi 4.
Now that’s… you can’t get away from that if you believe this message. All right. Now can the prophet bring Him forth? There’s no way the prophet can bring Him forth. See? Can’t do it, as though he can say, “Hey, it’s time to come on.” But he can bring Him forth the same as Jesus did, delineating, declaring Him which is the process of exegesis, whereby he gives you a full declaration. Now,
[56] But now, according to the prophecy, there will come the Headstone. And I want you to notice that when the Headstone comes, the prince that’s going to cry out the message will cry, “Grace! Grace!”
Okay, he’s called a prince. Now is this a prince with God? Or is this the prince of God Himself?
Now we might just look over here at Daniel 12:1 for a second.
(01) And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: [Now remember, Brother Branham said, “Michael was Christ.”] and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation… that same time:… that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found in the book.
(02) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall wake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
(03) And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Now I know what you’re looking at there. You’re looking at the time when… Michael shall stand for the people and you are connecting in your minds without meaning to, this portion of the first Resurrection which will take place even before God turns to the Jews. But you’ll let your minds go, right?
Because you’ve been taught a bunch of hogwash. So your minds accept this to the Jews and you get the first Resurrection completely out of chronology. That’s a nice way to be. That means we take from the book, we all get lost. If you think I’m kidding, you know I’m deadly serious because this is what the human mind does to you. And I say this because I know what the human mind can do.
The human mind is the enemy of God because that’s where reasonings come. Everybody wants to reason instead of just taking the truth. I read you what the prophet said. William Branham, actually, took the place, the nerve, the guts, whatever you want, and he’s the prince.
The Roman Catholics, the pope, calls himself the prince. Everything the Catholic Church ever had was real but it’s gone. God has His princes. He’s had seven for seven church ages, six or seven church ages. God’s had everything. And everybody takes it and messes it up and this is the hour to get unmessed.
All right.
(04) But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge… be increased.
(05) Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, one on this side [and so on]
Now what are we looking at here? We’re looking at the fact that the book was sealed. When did the book become unsealed? Revelations 22:10. Who did it? God did it. How? By a prophet. See? So what we’re looking at then is a truth we don’t want to let escape.
Now, let’s also go to Genesis 32:28. “One place we find Michael, the prince,” Brother Branham said, “that was Christ in a pre-incarnate form.” Okay. Let’s look at then we said 32:28 of Genesis.
(28) And he said, Thy name shall be called… Jacob, [not Jacob] but Israel: [Which is what? Prince with God.] for as a prince thou [hast] power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
And Jacob was an overcoming prophet. So we got two princes. Right back to Malachi 4 which is the same as Zechariah, Zerubbabel and Joshua, the Prince which is Jehovah Savior; again we have Prince which is Jehovah Savior.
Remember, the angel said to Brother Branham, “You were meant to be a leader. You were born to be a leader.” What are princes? They’re the sons of kings. See? They’re the ones that are helping administrate, administer the kingdom and so on. Now, he said,
[56] Now… I want you to notice… when the headstone comes, the prince… is going to cry out the message will cry, “Grace! Grace!”
Okay, let’s go to Isaiah 40.
(01) Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith [the Lord].
(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.
(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 [made] plain:
Now that tells you there’s going to be a common denominator to bring everything down so that anybody can get it. You don’t have to worry about being big, little or anything else, you can have it.
(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 [grass] field:
(07) The grass withereth, the flower [fades]: because the spirit of the LORD [blows] upon it: surely the people is grass.
(08) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of [the Lord] shall stand for ever.
(09) O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good [things], lift up thy voice with strength; lift up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! [Behold your God! Who said that? John the Baptist. What about Matthew 25? Behold, the Bridegroom. See?]
(10) Behold, [your] God will come with [a] strong hand, and his arm shall rule [over] him: behold, his reward is with him, his work before him.
He’s been working all along fulfilling the Church Ages, making the Bride His victory, getting ready New Jerusalem. It’s just about all over. His work was before Him then. Now His work is pretty well behind Him. Right? Not too much to go.
(11) He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:… gather the lambs [in] his arm, [and so on]
That tells you who is doing it. So what are we looking at here? You’re looking at the fact what we’ve been talking about. There’s going to be a messenger who as John the Baptist cried in a certain manner and at this end time the messenger is going to cry, “Grace! Grace!” That’s going to be a powerful message.
[56] Now, for it’s by grace that we are saved, that not of works, lest any man should boast.
In other words, no one could do anything to bring about the Resurrection and the Rapture; it is sovereignly done. And this message will speak on it.
In other words, everything that Brother Branham brings us, The Revelation of Christ, Christ the Mystery of God Revealed, Doing God a Service, End Time Sign all these things he brought out, absolutely have to do with the grace of God because the church was in a position of utter destruction had not God done what God wanted to do purely on His own and from His own heart of love and grace.
Now watch what he says here,
[56] And the Message of grace has been tramped under the feet of men until it’s become a disgrace. Some of them run out into eternal security, some run out into… everything. But the true Message of grace remains the same, and that’s where Satan tries to knock it out from the church. But it’s the grace of God that we’re all saved by.
And you know, of course, we’re referring to the fact that he said, “If I don’t send Elijah I’ll utterly destroy.” And you know also the fact that it says in Acts 3, how that after this great revival of healing, restoration will come and it’s after restoration that those who are not restored but deceived are then destroyed.
Now, keep that in mind when he says, “The true Message of grace remains the same.” This messenger is crying, “Grace! Grace!” It’s what he’s supposed to do. Now he’s making a comparison.
[57] So in the Deity of… Christ, [like I said awhile ago, Christ revealed,] …So in the Deity of Christ, if the Lord God could come there and confirm that that is the Truth—not only that, but by His Word He confirms it’s the Truth, and by signs and wonders He confirms it’s the Truth—then, also, grace is the Truth.
Now what’s he saying here? He’s saying, “Look, we proved Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit is now doing what He did when He was here in the flesh,” absolutely vindicating the prophet that this is God.
Now he said, “If God vindicated Himself that He is that One, then surely He will also vindicate by the same vindication the same confirmation that what the prophet is teaching from the Scripture is the truth, the Bible rightly divided.”
So there you are. So therefore, we say a section of the doctrine is just as much truth as the whole body of Truth and this is the part that needs restoring according to Brother Branham right here, what true grace really is, not disgrace but grace.
[57] Then why could anyone criticize and say that grace is wrong, that we’re saved by [grace] works?
Now the reason Brother Branham said this is because the tabernacle evidently is full of a bunch of legalists.
And remember, before Brother Neville really understood sovereignty, when we were there years ago, I don’t really believe that he is preaching too much a Message of grace, not that it is his fault, he came out of Methodist background; they’re legalists.
Nazarenes, Pentecostal, Mennonites, the whole bunch are legalists. They haven’t got a least conception of what grace is. When you can… see a people that wear black clothes and put on little crazy black hats and white hats and think that makes it God, I never heard of anything so stupid in my life. Where are the rest of these that wore black hats? They’re all in hell. Never heard of such nonsense in all my life!
Let me tell you something, brother/sister, it isn’t you making up something about your clothes; it’s what God said about your clothes. He never said a thing about black hats and white hats. He said, “Long hair and clothes that cover the men’s body and the women’s body.”
Not what somebody said about it, what God said about it and been vindicated. What nonsense people preach and they… don’t believe in grace. There’s no way they believe in grace. See, you can’t do it.
Now, we’ll keep on reading here.
[57] Then why could anyone criticize and say that grace is wrong, that we’re saved by works? We are saved by grace, that through faith, [and that through faith] not by works. Works shows that you have been saved, but what saves you is the grace of God. Grace saves you. Grace is what God does for you. Works is what you do for God, to show appreciation of what God did for you; but by grace are you saved.
Now a vindicated Message, therefore, proves grace and to reject it constitutes Revelation 22:18-20 wherein if you add or take which would be a miss division, a misinterpretation, taking out of context or any refutation whatsoever in our minds of the prophet means spiritual death, the lake of fire because Brother Branham took Malachi 4, “leaving neither root nor branch,” and took it right down to the White Throne and annihilation.
Whether people want to believe it or not, how many foolish virgin are there? Ha, a dozen of them for all we know. How many true Elect are going to stand here and be transformed? You can understand, straight is the way and narrow is the gate whichever way you want to put it, straight and narrow. It doesn’t matter to me, just a little tiny crevice as it were. Now that’s true.
The gates of hell are against… and all of hell against that He is here and one man responsible. It’s right against it. That narrows it down to the teeniest teeny bit. How many people are going to believe that?
[58] Some people think, “Because I… joined the church, put my name on a book, that’s all I have to do.” Some people think, “Because I shout, that’s all I have to do.” Some… think, “Because I speak with tongues, that’s all I have to do.”
[That’s the worst of the worst right there because they’re getting all multitudinous.] Some think, “Because I’ve got power to heal the sick, that’s all I have to do.” It’s not! It’s the grace of God that saves you, God’s amazing grace. I cannot trust in any merits. Some said, “Well, …there’s a great man. That man, I’ve heard him stand up and do this, I’ve heard him stand up and do that.”
Now he’s speaking here of tongues which would embrace interpretations which would embrace prophecies which would embrace miracles, healings, and all of those things.
Let’s go to Matthew 7, and just take a look at that because that’s what we’re interested in at this particular time, that thought.
(15) Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
(16) [You] shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? [Now this is actually Matthew 24:24.]
(17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree [brings] forth evil fruit.
(19) Every tree that bringeth not… good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
(20) [Therefore] by their fruits [you] shall know them. [He’s talking about a whole tree here, too, now you know.]
(21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Now look!
Do you realize that very word there, that very verse “shall enter into”, positively shows that this is an end time phraseology, an end time indication here because it speaks of entering in, and there’s going to be people standing here that will not enter in and there’s people standing here that will enter in.
So this is an entering in time.
(22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?… in thy name… cast out devils?… in thy name done many wonderful works?
(23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Now let’s go back to Matthew 25.
(01) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. [end time]
(02) …five were wise, and five were foolish.
(03) They that were foolish took their lamps, [but] took no oil with them:
(04) …the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
(05) …the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
(06) …at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom; come out to meet him.
(07) Then all [the] virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Now look it, they can’t rise and trim their lamps, those that are coming back from the dead; I guess it’s got to be this hour here. Now they got foolish virgin in every Church Age. Don’t you doubt that because Brother Branham said so. Don’t try to explain it; just believe it. It’s not our job to explain it; it’s our job to believe it. Now this is the end time.
(07) …[so they] arose, and trimmed their lamps.
(08) …the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
(09) But the wise …[said], Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
(10) And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
(11) Afterward …also the virgins [came], saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Now it doesn’t say here that this is the Rapture, my brother/sister, it just says the door was shut. The marriage is over. It doesn’t say Marriage Supper. Marriage. There’s going to come a time when nobody else can come in.
This is Marriage time, this is union time, and they’re going to say, “Lord, Lord, open to us.” Altar calls, everything else, but He said, “I don’t know you.” Same thing as Matthew 7, it’s the same thing he’s talking in here because that’s what he told us.
Now do you see what I’m doing? I’m trying to bring your minds up to the current, to the present. We’ve had too many years of our mind fogging way out here somewhere. Get it now. These scriptures are used for this hour. If they were used for another time he’d have told us. And he doesn’t use many Scriptures.
That’s why I use these sermons of Brother Branham’s like I use my Bible. I take every single thing I can and relate it and bring it into something which is cohesive and coordinated. See? So that’s what you’re looking at.
Today Matthew 25, today Matthew 7, today this picture where men cannot stand amazing grace, the grace of God having a prophet ready, foreknown billions and trillions of years ago, way back in eternity that at this very hour this man would be born, raised up, thoroughly vindicated, God having vindicated Himself to the prophet, the prophet now vindicated to the people, and the Word coming out thereby vindicating God so we can see this very hour.
[59] Paul said in I Corinthians 13, “Though I speak with tongue of men and angels, and… have not discernment, [though I have discernment] …I got gifts, I’ll take all my goods to feed the poor, …move mountains with my faith, …all knowledge to understand all things, I am nothing till love comes in which is grace.”
[Why does he say that? Because God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son. That’s grace. So therefore, when you’re faith you get grace and love which is the same thing. It’s grace.] God has to do it. [No] …I am nothing till loves comes in [which is grace]. God has to do it. You can do all these things and still be lost.
[That is speak in tongues and have those things up there.] You can do all these things and still be lost. It’s grace that saves you, God’s grace to the human race .
[60] Just think of Him… I was thinking of that grace immediately after what happened… Friday morning, just at the break of day, up there in that field. When I sat on a log, later, and tears came down in my eyes, [What was that? The three rainbows out of that one vessel, as it were. God manifesting in three offices.]
”O God, your grace has stooped to save me. Why did You ever have such pity upon a poor, illiterate wretch like myself? [Well, John the Baptist didn’t have much to talk about either.] How did You ever come down to our humble little Tabernacle, where peace, and people of low walk of life, poor, have nothing of this world? And still your grace is spread abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that You heal our sickness and… (save us from our sins…) and make us your people, and deal with us?”
Now you see that’s grace, so therefore, we find that a church filled with the poor and more or less ignorant, rather than the well-heeled and the highly educated are a better bet than the others because they got something to show for themselves and then it’s pretty hard then to let God have His show.
That’s why He said to the church, he said, “If there’s anything amongst you that causes a problem,” he didn’t say pick an idiot up or somebody that’s mentally deficient, he said, “You get the person that doesn’t have an office in the church and may not be looked to as some great particular individual, that in the world but the one that perhaps has the least in this world affairs and yet you know he is a good godly man, he’ll make the right decision for you.”
So notice it says,
[60] …make us your people, and deal with us?” [That is grace. It was grace that picked Moses. Moses wasn’t smart enough to pick God. Nobody is, that would be ridiculous.]
[61] Then I thought of David, how that when he took a notion to build a house unto the Lord, said, “It’s not right for me to live in a house of cedar, and the ark of the covenant of my God under sheepskins, just a tabernacle.” [That’s the thing you could cart around, the whole thing, you know.]
[62] God told the prophet, “Go tell my servant David, ‘I took you from the sheepcote, from feeding those few sheep out there of his daddy’s, and made you a great name [or made him a great name] like all great… like great men in the earth.”
Now Brother Branham is going to use that as an illustration concerning his own life. And remember, David was a king.
[63] I thought of the grace of God, how that He could do that, save to the uttermost. And then would take a poor wretch like myself, and give me the opportunity to preach the gospel and to see others saved, to see them healed; see homes that’s been broke up straightened up again; see lives that have been ruined made right again. And to give me grace! I thought, “Oh, it’s amazing grace!” Then come to a degraded, low, squirrel hunter out into the woods, and then form Himself in the form of a rainbow, which means ‘a covenant’, with a Message that He would give me to preach, and form it there in a covenant, that He’s behind it.
Behind what? The message which is a covenant, a promise of God made, the covenant of God. And remember, as Mediator, God was His own Mediator. And as a Covenantor and a message of covenant God was His own messenger of His own covenant, just like He was His own Savior which Brother Branham will talk about. See, He’s behind it. …And He’ll be behind it, because the message is of… Christ and His glory.
What is His glory? Vindication. Share the glory, I want to share the glory I shared in the beginning, way back when God by Christ Jesus formed the world and all those things there. Let me have again the glory. So what happens?
In this hour the Father of glory comes down and shows the glory that is in Christ that’s by vindicating a prophet, vindicating His Word, vindicating His own Name.
That’s why He’s called the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory came down. The messenger of the covenant, just the same as John was, Brother Branham is.
Now notice,
[63] …came to a degraded, low, squirrel hunter…
That’s that same thing we quote always from The Anointed Ones at the End Time, he said, “I against my better judgment I wanted to be a hunter, that’s all I wanted. When He wanted me to be His voice,” but he said, “I never brought this Message on my own. I just say what He told me to say.”
So Jehovah is disposed to show through the great healing revival, through discernment which is perfectly Scripture, through proving Hebrews 13:8 that a Word of covenant of this hour and the covenant, “Behold, I send Elijah,” right, just at the time of the first Resurrection, right in that period.
At that time when I must come to find out as I did with Sodom and Gomorrah what’s going on in that perverted homosexual bunch down there. I’m going to burn the thing up and he said, I’m going to have Elijah there and I’ll come with my covenant of mercy and also with judgment.
That’s exactly what you see. And this one here, William Branham, was chosen to bring forth the Headstone as you can see in that picture if it wasn’t covered up. It’s exactly right because that One appeared with him, had His picture taken. See?
Now, keep reading…
[64] How He’s let me go all over the world, around the world to the nations, to the millions of people, saw millions coming to the Lord and accept Him as personal Saviour, saw them filled with His goodness and sanctified by His power, saw them healed by His great omnipotent power. [That’s exactly what he saw in Acts 3, Matthew 12, right down the road. That’s Christ revealing Himself to the people.]
Then I… cry… like the prophet, and say, “It’s not by power, nor by might, but it’s by the Spirit of God.” [Now he’s identifying himself a hundred percent with that which was type and is now anti-type, and he says, “This is it.” Now,] not by education, not by theology, but by the Spirit of God He saves the people. By the Spirit of God He heals the people. It’s the Spirit of God that gives the Message to the people. [For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a Message.] It’s the Spirit of God that confirms the Word.
Okay, we know what that says there, go to the message. We know where it is. Ephesians, I beg your pardon, 1 Thessalonians, the 4th chapter…
(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a [Message], [raising the dead, assembling all them on earth who are transformed to rise to the Wedding Supper.]
(07) And to you who are troubled rest with us, [relax] when the Lord Jesus [Christ at the time when the Lord Jesus Christ] shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, [angels are ministering spirits at times.]
(08) In flaming fire [flames of fire] taking vengeance on them that know not God, that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Now just a minute, these people have rest. These people don’t have rest, but when you start reading eight and nine you forget the people that have rest, and you include yourself seven with eight.
Well, if you want to include yourself with seven and eight, you tell the Lord you’re ready to be destroyed in the lake of fire. If you’re not, then smarten up.
I do not belong in verse seven because I have been troubled by these fellows over here and I’m not about to be troubled any longer. Well, you can say, “Well, you say, you sound pretty bold.” I’m not bold at all, that’s what God said. If I’m so stupid I can’t say what God said and vindicated then I’m pretty stupid. See?
If you’re so proud you can’t come on down to where the feed is then you can just stay up there and starve. “Why, I’d like that but you see, I just don’t know.” Well, what are you trying to know? They’re going to be punished.
(10) When he shall come [have come] to be glorified in his saints, [that’s not that bunch in eight and nine, that’s that bunch in verse seven] and to be admired in all them that believe ( …our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
Okay, [2 Thessalonians:] chapter 2
(01) Now we beseech you, brethren, by the [Presence] of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
How are they going to get gathered? By the Shout based upon vindication, by the Resurrection and immortality which is the Voice, and the gathering together is the Trumpet, so therefore, the Message is the literal gathering and the starting of the whole thing. So once you begin to see that you know you’re already past the White Throne.
People don’t understand the law of projection as brought forth by the Scripture. As soon as this hits it’s just as though thousands of years went by. See? Because we’re into it: time mixes with eternity. We’re not fooling ourselves but we know where we stand. Okay.
[65] We’ve got theologians today, we’ve got Doctors of Divinity, we’ve got great men all over the world that are smart, intelligent …educated. [Yup, no doubt about it. Just all the wrong kind.] But it takes the simplicity of believing God to make His Word speak out, to show that Jesus Christ is… [Hebrews 13:8—now Brother Branham tells you the simplicity of believing God. Everybody looks back upon Moses and they think what a great man Moses was. Moses lost his greatness so that God could have preeminence. William Branham like John the Baptist didn’t have any, but God honored him, God can only take the humble] It takes a humble heart dedicated to God [So what do you see here?]
You see here Hebrews 13:8, Genesis 18 as God and John 4, right at this point, it takes a simplicity of believing God to make His Word speak out. In other words, to manifest and show absolutely the Word for this hour what is into full effect what is going on now. And that’s Hebrews 13:8, is going to do it, nothing else will do it. That’s Genesis 18, that’s John 4; Abraham, God, Sarah in the tent: John 4, woman at the well.
[65] It takes a humble heart dedicated to God. [What does that mean?] Preeminence, can God find a vessel in whom He can have preeminence? Now the whole church wants to glom unto that. That’s fine.
We should make Him preeminent but there’s only one who can give Him the preeminence in this hour of doing the service, or doing what God wants which He’s designated as Elijah, the prophet, whoever he is, wherever he is, and whenever he may come, which he’s already come and gone, William Branham, prophet of God.
[65] It takes a humble heart dedicated to God [to do what?] to bring Jesus Christ unto present tense.
That’s what it says. That’s what it’s all about. The prince crying, “Grace! Grace! Here’s the Headstone.” Here’s the capstone spiritually and the same Message is going to bring Christ down to earth, after the burning.
Now remember, the same One there in a human body is the same One that came in a virgin born body, and it’s the same One that stands here today, Elohim, proving that He is Elohim, using a prophet which is what He has to do because He said, “I’m going to use Elijah,” is the same One that will come back to this earth in that glorified human body in which He incarnates Himself, for the Spirit that raises us from the dead, the One that has brought us the message, takes us up and incarnates Himself in that body we’ll crown Him King of kings and Lord of lords.
Now it takes that man to bring Jesus into the present tense. Then He wasn’t there before. I don’t understand why people still cannot tell the difference between father and children. You know, I hate to be x-rated in my preaching but unless I get supercilious, extra x-rated in my speech and horribly ironical, nobody can understand what I’m saying. Well, can you understand this?
Let’s say a woman took a teaspoonful of the male ejaculate and she said, “This is my husband.” What do you think of that? That’s x-rated, right? Do you get the truth now? The life comes from the father but it isn’t the father.
Now the great Baptizer is here because the baptism gives way to the Baptizer and it took this prophet to bring Him into present tense. Well, I’ll never trump that one I don’t think. If that doesn’t clear up the problem, it’s never going to get cleared up.
Brother Branham said, “God wants a spiritual affair with the Bride,” and he called it “sexual”, that’s the induction of life, not the living person himself.
How can you have a sexual affair with anybody unless the person is there? Well, you say, I could have that insemination by you know, what they do now a days, be a… you know how they do it by artificial and so on. Somebody had to be there.
So hard for people to understand that until this time, through all time, God has never been omnipresent, it’s always been omniscient and omnipotent, and thereby seemingly He is omnipresent or thereby not seemingly but He is. But there’s always a part of God, brother/sister that God does not give away. God could fill trillion, it wouldn’t diminish Him one little bit.
[65] …bring… Him to the present tense. Amen! He said, And if it took theology, what would the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, and so forth. We wouldn’t have a chance, we poor unlearned people. But it doesn’t take knowledge. “Not by power or by might,…
And knowledge can be a part of that, as I said before, “If you have a million dollars and I know how to get your million dollars, I’m stronger than you and I’ll get it.”
If you have anything and I’ve got a secret that supersedes anything you have in your power whereby you retain it, I’ll get it from you, so therefore, knowledge of the most high and from the Most High is the only thing worth having. “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” See what we saying here.
[65] “Not by power nor by might, only by My Spirit,”
You know you can go to athletics today, when has there been a time in history when every single year we’ve seen records fall. “Oh, no man will ever run that fast,” [Brother Vayle whistles.] he runs faster and faster. “Now no man will jump that high.” Phoom, now he’s over the top by a foot and a half. “Oh, they can’t swim that fast.” Oh, and he does it. “Nobody’s got a record,” but he did it.
This is that hour. And this is that hour when the greatest ministry since the time of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and if not even greater has been upon this earth and no true religious historian can deny it.
The only way you can deny it is just what the Protestants and Catholics do, you blind your eyes to it and you quote some little thing way back there as though that’s going to do something for you.
You say, “My grandfather lived to be a hundred and thirty years old, bless God,” and you’re dying of cancer right now at the age of twenty-four. You can boast all you want on your great-great granddaddy. You’re dead, kid, you’re dead at age twenty-four.
People don’t understand. You know why? Because they don’t want to understand: now you say, “I don’t believe that.” That’s true or they wouldn’t be judged. You mean they can’t read and tell?
You mean the Kennedy’s can’t tell by reading history what the Roman Catholics did? And you mean the priests can’t tell? You mean the Catholic people cannot tell? They deliberately blind themselves and they say, “Well, you see, there was some bad folks. Look at the good ones.” Show me a good one. Show me one good one. They blasphemed God. Every last one does.
The Catholic Church knows it that when Pope Pius XII decided that Mary was already resurrected and they cried, they implored and said, “Don’t do it.” But he did it and now they all got to say, “She’s risen. She’s risen. She’s up there.” And the pope can’t prove one thing and they follow like dead sheep. That’s why this generation is twice plucked up by the roots and twice dead.
You can say what you want brother/sister, but that’s the truth. Read it for yourself.
[65] …by my Spirit, saith God, “I’ll unfold this mystery.” And he’ll cry to it, “Grace, grace, with shoutings and cryings.” [In other words, this message will be strongly presented to the people, very emphatically, not academically, but by vindication.] And that’s what it is today, God’s amazing grace to His people.
He’s telling you, “I am fulfilling Zechariah 4. I am fulfilling the opening of the Bible.” Don’t just talk about the Seals. “Oh, Seven Seals open.” Bible open. That’s what it was. Yeah.
The life that God had outlined can now come into continuity because the clothes that were wrapped around Jesus in His death are neatly folded in one little pile so the Bride of Christ goes marching on because she was in that same position.
[65] God’s amazing grace today to His people. How He takes the illiterate… and unlearned, shows that Jesus is the same. [Certainly, that’s not hard to understand, this is his theme song you might want to take.]
[66] When He came, He never come to the great theologians. Neither did He go to Caiaphas, the high priest—only to be condemned by [Caiaphas later on; today, of course, they crucify Him afresh. Who does? The theologians.]
[67] But He took a fisherman, men that were poor and walked the common life. And to that He revealed Himself, and said, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of men”; showed that His grace still reached down even from the Jews to the Gentiles, to call a people for His name in these last days, as we have just been through it. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!
Now notice what he says here, and he revealed himself to common men like Peter and so on.
[67] “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of men”; [that’s what He said back there. Now watch!] shows that His grace still reached down even from the Jews to the Gentiles, [which is Matthew 4, and Matthew 12, appearing to the Gentiles by the Holy Spirit. Do you follow? Okay.] …to call a people for His Name in these last days, [that’s exactly right because in His Name do the Gentiles trust. But why? Because Brother Branham came in His Name and everything was in His Name, so therefore, who is behind it? The man with the Name. What is the Name of God? Jesus! Jehovah Savior! All right.] …how sweet the sound! [The amazing grace proven in these last days, that’s what he’s saying here.]
[68] Grace is old. Grace is as old as the world is. [That’s man’s history what he’s talking about.] Grace was first shown to the human race when we had a beginning of the human race. [as the human race] When the human race was first created in the garden of Eden, on that dark morning when that little woman had stepped across the separating line, and… gone against God’s commandments and enticed her husband to do the same thing, then the law was broken. The law must have a penalty or it isn’t any law. …the law was, “The day you eat thereof, that’s the day you… surely die.”
[69] Remember, the first judgment seat was upon the earth, and it was in the Garden of Eden. And the last judgment seat will be upon the earth [and the Millennium, Eden restored, it’s the judgment seat right now] …upon the earth at the end of time, the White Throne.
He’s using the process of projection again letting you know that that Judge will never now cease to be Judge. You saw what could happen. The picture right there, know about it, now that’s going to go right down to the White Throne. You’re in it.
That’s why I say we don’t have to fear the White Throne. Now we can fear sin and fear we be trapped in sin. We can have fear concerning ourselves, but you can’t have fear of those things that God took the fear away from. Like it says, fear lest any man fall from the grace of God.
In other words, we don’t avail ourselves of everything that is ours. Or we might despise it, prefer a substitute, or do those things which are substitutes or palliative to us, rather than the true grace of God. Now watch!
[70] But when Jehovah came down, I could imagine there wasn’t even a star… shining, it was so dark in that… light little garden that once was, [In other words, the light is gone; it’s all dark.] because sin had blotted… out the light, had taken the light from among them.
[71] That’s what’s the matter with the churches today. That’s what’s the matter with the people today. Sin has blotted out the light of the living God to show that Christ’s still the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He lives to save to the uttermost, [that’s the secret the uttermost] and to heal to the lowest sick person.
Now what’s he talking about? Sin! Which is what? Unbelief. In other words, they are warming themselves by the their own fire. They’re trying to light the way by their own light and the light has become darkness. Now, the sin of unbelief is what he’s talking about and the unbelief today is in the manifestation of the capstone, spiritual. That’s right.
That He is come down to place Himself at the head of the church to raise the dead. Before the dead can be raised He’s got to be the head of the Church. That’s spiritual. The Holy Ghost, God’s here. Bringing the Church into divine order with the Shout, the command, putting it under the feet of Christ, He’s sitting on the throne.
That’s going to go on for one thousand years and after the White Throne judgment in New Jerusalem He will no longer incarnate Himself in Christ, the Lamb, He’ll be in the Pillar of Fire above, but they’re one. Sure, because that’s the body, Son of God, no problem.
People think we teach two gods. How are you going to teach two gods? Haven’t you got sons of your own? Does that make two fathers? I don’t understand people. They won’t let… they got to make a big mystery, the more you make it mysterious, the more mysterious it’s going to get.
If I had to study about every single thing I ate, it might do me good but I’d starve to death in the process. Just go ahead and eat. Don’t be too concerned.
[71] Now that’s what’s the matter with the churches today. That’s what’s the matter with the people… Sin has blotted out the Light of the living God to show that Christ’s still the same yesterday, today, and forever,
What’s the Light of the living God? The Light of the living God today is what? The signs and wonders that were perpetrated upon us by God Himself to prove that He is the Life, “and when Christ who is our Life shall appear, we shall also appear with Him in glory.”
Isn’t that exactly what is said over here in 2 Thessalonians 2, same as the 1st chapter? Certainly it is, right there, verse 10, “when He shall come to be glorified in His saints.” It tells you. We’re in the process.
People simply cannot understand the process, the renewing of the mind, the changing of the atoms, the mechanical Word giving way to the dynamized, but you’ve got to have the conduit or you can’t have the Life.
My, it should make us real comfortable to know these things, take away all of our worries, our natures, all these crazy feelings we have, just know that this Message is going to do it all. Sure, why? Because we believe. Who hast believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Those that believe the report.
Then who’s going to get it? We are because they’re not going to esteem Him. They’re going to despise him, we don’t. Oh, listen, the Tree of Life is always ugly alongside of the tree of death.
“Why,” Eve said, “why, it’s beautiful, it’s wonderful. Look how nice,” and that Phttt, over here. I mean, you settle for this thing. That’s… I think you got a point. That doesn’t look so great does it? Now that’s a root in dry ground.
I could take a… make a point right there and kind of shock you. My point would be right though. It was a section of… sex. Certainly it was. Satan started glorifying it right there. Think it through for yourself. She said, “Oh, that’s wonderful.” Got completely fooled.
[72] Oh, how it was terrible that morning, darkness hanging in the garden. I’d imagine fog of black sackcloth. I’d imagine every leaf never moved. …no wind stirring. It was dark and terrible, because sin had blotted… out the light.
[73] There came Jehovah down like a roar of thunder, [there’s your thunder, there’s your Seven Seals, closing it up] walking through the garden, crying, “Adam, where art thou?” That’s when Adam realized he was naked and had sinned before God. [It took the Seven Thunders to wake us up and know we’re wretched, miserable, naked and blind and didn’t know a thing, then a prophet had to come and undress us and dress us, rip off the creeds and dogmas and put us in the Word of God.] He hid himself and tried to make himself a religion, but it didn’t work. God killed some sheep, took the skins, and showed that something had to die to cover sin.
So there you are. That’s how Redemption started to come; that little bit of unveiling that was closed up.
[74] Joining a church will never cover sin. [How long do we got?] No dry-eyed confession will ever cover sin. It takes sorrow and repentance and the grace of God to cover sin; for the Blood of Jesus Christ, the one that God killed at Calvary, to cover sin.
It tells you it takes sorrow and repentance and sorrow worketh repentance and remember only God can grant repentance. A lot of people get sorrowful, a lot of people cry, but God never grants repentance because repentance is something the Holy Ghost has got to do for you which is the changing of your mind. It’s all a work of the Spirit of the living God.
Now it tells you right here, the Blood of Jesus cannot work except for that, then therefore, the Blood of Jesus Christ is more in vogue and efficacious today than it ever was and Brother Branham speaks of that Blood being here when it wasn’t here before. I forget the exact quote from one of the sermons we went into.
But you can see how he’s talking now because you see, under that unbelief how could the Blood possibly work? They turned it down. The Bible tells you that. But under faith having been revealed and people receiving revelation then the Blood absolutely covers sin and scatters it till there be none left.
Then how could God not help Himself but declare “You’re righteous, there’s no sin.” He only hears our voice; He doesn’t see us at all because the Blood scatters that sin. That’s as far as we can go because our time has run out. Well, by the grace of the Lord Sunday morning we will recap.
Shall we arise at this time and be dismissed?
Kind heavenly Father, we thank You for the time of fellowship we’ve had again tonight looking at Your Word here, knowing Lord God that always we see the same thing which is indeed what we should see which is Christ in every Word, the Christ of this hour led forth into view, present and manifested, not Lord, what was back through the ages.
We know back through the ages was that little trickle of light, that life, but now that Life Himself has appeared. We believe that Lord, we can’t put our finger on it and say, we’re going to manifest this and make You come forth at our command. Lord, You came forth at Your own bidding and showed it and we believe it. And we believe we’re right here Lord, we console ourselves in this, and we get this understanding more and more and more.
We thank You for it, oh God, that there has not been a decreasing, a diminishing but as Your Word indeed says, You magnify It, and we know we have entered into a place of magnification until by the grace of God, Your grace Lord, and Your goodness this is all we’ll see.
But we see Christ, absolutely, that’s what we desire Lord, that’s what I want, I want to see Him and the people here do as never before completely revealed, then see ourselves identified and then by grace see that same Life manifested in and through us to the degree in what… under any of those conditions Lord, that You set forth so that we know the life is of Christ. Father, we just love to think of that tonight.
Father, we try so hard in ourselves to get people to see things. We know they can’t, help us Lord, to just learn to shut-up and soft-peddle it, just to draw back as the prophet did because Father, nobody can see it unless You’re going to let him see it, but then again Lord, on judgment day maybe I’ll be judged for harsh comments and harsh things but Lord, I don’t know that I’ll be judged on the ground of not having said it, because I’ve said it, Lord and tried to say it in such a way that it would be that nobody could possibly not see it, but then again I know it is impossible Lord.
Man can’t do it; it’s going to take You. We know that Lord. We just can’t blame the poor Catholic people for not seeing it because their eyes are blinded. Look at the Protestants, they’re poor, their eyes are blinded, too and they think they’re open. And we know that no man can tell that they’re deluded because they know that they’re right.
And Father, we know the great delusion at the end time is the people know that they’re right and they’re not right at all. That they won’t die, and they’re already dead because they got manifestations that they think are manifestations of life and Your own Word has already said they’re manifestations of death.
Father God, rigor mortis setting in at the last convulsive throes is simply rigor mortis and they don’t know it. We know it’s all over, Lord. And I hope, oh God, you’ll help us to hold us right in this position to see that as never before and to live as never before in sobriety and sincerity knowing it is all over.
It’s got to close some time and this is the closing of it. There can’t be anymore phenomena. There can’t be anything else, Lord that would do much good. If you want to bring it that’s fine, we know that’s in your divine order, You do it, but Lord, we do know the prophet said, “Everything we need was under those Seven Seals, it’s all there in those Seven Thunders, it’s going to put us in the Rapture.”
And I believe that Lord, because You descended with a Shout with a Message to raise the dead, to call us together, to take us home, to disincarnate Yourself, to bring us back, to fulfill all these things, and Lord, we believe That, some things we can’t see to believe Lord, but we believe That, we know therefore, whatever else we need to know as the apostle Paul said, it will be shown to us.
So we’re not distrustful Lord, by Your grace, we’re not going to worry, we’re not in a bind. We just stand here in Your Presence Lord, and thank You for Your grace and goodness.
Now Father, we pray You’ll heal the sick amongst us, go with us now as we go. May we go Lord, with the Spirit of Christ in our hearts, minds and lives rejoicing in You Lord, knowing wherein we stand and our stand, our foundation stands firm, it will never disappear but we’ll appear with Him in glory, hallelujah, one of these days.
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God be all power, and honor and glory through Jesus Christ, our blessed Saviour. Amen.
The Lord bless you.
We’ll depart singing: ‘Take the Name of Jesus with you’.