Shalom #26
Questions And Answers#3289
Shall we pray.
Heavenly Father, may we exalt Your Presence, as It ought to be exalted. We know, Lord, before we can do that there has to be reality granted unto us concerning that same Presence and Majesty.
We do not ask to have what the prophet had, Lord, but we would ask for our portion whatever it might be that we might praise You in spirit and in truth.
And not just fulfill an obligation, Lord, but fulfill a life, which life certainly is barren, Lord, without a true worship and understanding and knowledge of You. May we come more and more to that place as the Day Star, Lord, which has risen continues to rise within our hearts.
Not with signs and wonders and miracles that are manifested to the world, and the healings and the things that people look for, but in the great miracle of grace that brings a changed life and gives back Your reflection in purity and sanctification, in Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
You may be seated.
Now, we just have one question handed in which I was fully convinced that’s what would happen. I guess I’m rewarded according to my faith. So, we won’t deal with questions.
We’re going to continue with Shalom. And of course, this is number 26, which we’re looking at it.
And since it is indeed true that the Sovereignty of God, couched in omniscience, can tell how many fleas there would be and exactly how many times they would bat their eyes, or as Brother Branham said, “…take to make a pound of tallow,” and also as Brother Branham said to the audience one time, “God knew that I would be here in this pulpit preaching at this very moment and you would be in the pews listening,”
Thus, even the preliminary remarks of Shalom would be preordained and would have a bearing on the people in some particular regards as concerning the subject of God’s “Peace”, for those remarks would have to be in the Sovereign Will of God if we understand Sovereignty correctly and they would be appropriate to the Peace of Almighty God.
So, we have certain remarks that Brother Branham made. And one of those remarks, you’ll recall, was that a certain believer is dying of cancer and Brother Branham remarks that death is the only avenue whereby we get out of here.
That’s normal… “It is appointed unto man once to die and after that, the judgment.” And he also spoke concerning himself and his demise to come. He explained that we don’t actually die, for it is only the body that dies.
So that we getting out of here is not the body getting out of here but what gets out of the body going over wherever it’s supposed to go. We leave the body but we continue to live. Then, without saying it as plainly as he did in other sermons, he brings out that the body is the only way we have of getting here and being identified.
It is through a physical means, and the body is physical. Then, to get out of here, we have to leave this body to get back where we came from. Now then, since Alpha is “getting a body to identify the life”, Omega is “getting another body if the life is going to go on being identified.”
Now, we realize that the soul goes to the theophanic form, but that is merely a stopping station, and could hardly be called a true form of identification although identification does lie in that particular area but when you’re dealing with Brother Branham’s thoughts here, you have to be very specific and see where the absolutes are.
And the absolute is positively the Omega which for the perfect identification must be a physical form. Since we are not identified by our spiritual body which is from Heaven, then we do not look to it for fulfillment but to a glorified physical body.
Now, that’s exactly what is said in 1 Corinthians by the man who ought to know and Brother Branham was preaching what Paul preached so, we look at it over here in 1 Corinthians 15, and Paul says in verse 16.
(16) [And] if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
(17) And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
Now, he’s talking of his body. Now, Christ would go back to his theophanic form which he left aside and, like Brother Branham said, “He went back to a Pillar of Fire.”
It’s all very great, very fine, but you know, what if He had never raised from the dead?
(17) And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain…
So, therefore, the ultimate faith and the ultimate of faith is to receive a glorified body. It’s not to “get out of a body” but to “get into a better body”. See? Then it says,
(18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
(19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
So, the “hope in Christ” is what we’ve already looked at here… is the ultimate of God in identification. Now, there again, we are a little bit delinquent in our thinking of an ultimate of identification being in a human body.
But, that’s exactly what it is. Now, I think it is very evident… what we just said here about this Omega situation of this body I think it’s very evident by way of Brother Branham’s vision beyond the curtain of time.
He did not tell us that he recognized any person there in their spirit-bodies. In fact, it was brought to his attention that a beautiful young-looking woman of sixteen years of age was a woman he ought to have known because she was converted in his meetings at the age of ninety-one.
So, there is no thought of the ultimate and a true identification in that particular area, though it is there. And it’s wonderful, there’s no doubt about it.
But certainly, in the resurrected body returned or the resurrected body returned, we’re going to recognize each other, as Brother Branham had a vision of the Millennium where he saw his daughter as a full-grown young lady.
Also, Brother Branham tells us, “Since we are spirit-beings intrinsically spirit-beings, we have never and cannot ever see each other.”
Who and what we are can only be manifested through a physical means or forms and at the same time, since the vehicle of flesh used for that purpose to identify the spirit within, it is evident that we are able to identify each other as what manner of spirit is dwelling in the body, whether it’s Christian or not.
Now, Brother Branham tells us that; he said, “Since the body is literally the vehicle for the spirit” which he refers to now in the term of the spiritual part of man which is the soul… because, remember, the soul only came from God as a part of God, and the spirit is not from God; it is not of God, in the sense that it is a part of God but it’s allowed of God.
So, he’s speaking in terms of the spiritual which is a combination of soul and spirit. And, of course, the soul lies within us, and that soul [strange to say] comes under a problem of the body and the spirit because the spirit works in conjunction with the body and the mind. And then it picks up everything by its five senses.
And, of course, because the body is of the earth, “earthy”, it is not fine tuned to the Spirit of God that is, the real Spirit of God which is our soul that little seed in there as the theophanic form would be. So, therefore, it causes us problems.
But Brother Branham tells us here, that there’s a vibration which is a spiritual thing. He calls it “vibration”; you can put it part of the reflection whatever you want to call it but he does call it vibration. And you can tell a person is a Christian… really can.
Take for example: Brother Branham is speaking along here, “God cannot be seen. Thus He declared Himself through the body of His Virgin-born Son. God expressed Himself in and through a person.
And since He never changes He’s Hebrews 13:8 and God still deals through Hebrews.1:1, God in the Prophet He expressed Himself in and through a body of people by way of a prophet.”
Now, you’re getting right down to the fact here, that the spirit-being which we are cannot express itself, cannot manifest itself, cannot come into any type of realization and recognition until it’s in a body form.
And you find the same thing with God God put Himself in a body. And since “He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever”, and God is in the prophets, then, at that time and even now, He expresses Himself in and through a body of people by a prophet.
He expressed Himself in Israel through a prophet. And in the last day, now, as in the beginning of the church, He expresses Himself through a prophet. So He did the same thing by the Apostle Paul to the Gentile Church.
And He did the same thing today when He came according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “When the Lord Himself descended from Heaven with a Shout, that’s a divine order, commandment, the Voice of the Archangel and the Trump of God.”
He had to use somebody to do that, as it says conclusively in the Greek. It’s shown positively that the Voice when the Lord descended with the Shout it is not said to be the voice of the person who descended.
He simply descends via a Shout. And that doesn’t mean that He descended simply by a prophet speaking. He descended because a was there. There’s your picture.
[Points to the picture of the picture of the Pillar of Fire] There’s your theology. There’s your truth. Now, that’s exactly what you’re looking at.
Same as over here when He came down in the ring of angels [Points to the picture of the Cloud] actually forms of the Holy Spirit partitioning off the Word of God, bring a Message, and those things which were requisite under the Seven Seals.
So, okay… He descends with the Shout. A prophet is on the scene, according to Revelation 10 and 1 and Revelation 10 and 7.
This brings about Luke 17 and 30 which are the days of the Son of man, and this categorically, the Prophet, is Malachi 4 and 6, who by way of vindication proving that it is God delivers the Message of God, just as John the Baptist did and “turns the hearts of the children back to the father.” Now… this, set in motion, is Revelation 10 and 7. All right, Revelation 10 and 7
(07) …in the days of the voice of the seventh [Church Age Messenger], when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as [God] hath declared [the Good News of the Gospel by] his servants the prophets.
Now, this sets in motion Revelation 10 and 7 which is 1 Corinthians 15.
Now, 1 Corinthians 15:49 to 57.
(49) And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
(50) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. [In other words you simply can’t walk into it as a human being.]
(51) Behold I shew you a mystery; [how you’ll be able to walk into it apart from being in the resurrection having died and been raised] 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, and we shall [also] be changed [with them].
(53) For [as their corruptibility had to] put on [incorruptibility]… [So must our living incorruptibility put on immortal incorruptibility] and this mortality… immortality.
(54) So when this corruptible shall have put on [incorruptibility], and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in [a] victory.
(55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? [How far do I want to read… Ahh, let’s read further .]
(56) The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
(57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
All right. So, we see God in a prophet not the prophet bringing to pass 1 Corinthians 15:54 to 57, which is mortality passing on to immortality, but he being here at that time that it takes place.
Because all the mysteries are in Revelation 10 and 7, they must be brought to light and must be brought to pass. And it’s at the time of that particular man.
So, that particular man has to be over here in 1 Corinthians 15. And you’ll notice it says, “The dead come forth at the last trumpet, and it is given to this man in Revelation 10 and 7 to blow a trumpet.”
So you see what we’re talking about. Now, watch… so we see God in a prophet, not bringing to pass 1 Corinthians 15: 54 to 57, but declaring it. Look what it says in verse 58…
(58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be [you] stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
So, what’s he telling you here? He’s telling them to be stedfast. To be stedfast in what? To be stedfast in the doctrine whatever it is at that particular time, that mystery having come forth that is going to make the change.
Because it’s not simply a mystery in the fact the change is made, the mystery lies also in how the change is made… how it comes to pass. He says, “I’ll show you a mystery: we’re not all going to die; we’re going to be changed.”
And notice again, the promise and we’ll bring it all together, hopefully in 1 Thessalonians 4, where Paul is teaching again 15 to 17.
(15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the [Presence] of the Lord shall not [take precedence over] them which are asleep. [It’s one’s the same as the other.]
(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout… [in order to raise the dead and to change the living.]
So what is the difference? God does both of it and they’re both at the same place as they want to be, so there you are… “take precedence over them which are asleep.”
(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
(17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Now, notice what it says,
(18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words…
There’s a declaration, the last trump. The last trump is the trump of the Seventh Church Age Messenger. So, therefore, his declaration is necessary to raise the dead and to change the mortal.
Now, I don’t care if theologians don’t believe with me; they’re crazy. And I’ve got the mind of Christ, because I’m preaching a vindicated Message from a vindicated prophet. This is exactly what happens.
Brother Branham doesn’t raise any dead; he doesn’t change anybody. It’s the Word that does it. It’s the promise of the hour being manifested. And the manifestation has got to be in the human vessel. So, this is exactly what we see here and we’re happy to see it.
Now, with this, watch what it says following in 1 Thessalonians 5:1 to 10.
(01) But of the times and seasons, brethren, [you] have no need that I write unto you.
(02) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
(03) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
(04) But [you], brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
(05) [You] are all children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
(06) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober…
Now, certainly we’ve got to go to bed and sleep; there’s no way you’re going to stop yourself. You’d just zonk out whether you want to or not unless you’ve got some formidable disease you can’t control.
He’s not talking of that; he’s talking, as Brother Branham said, “Look up, and watch. Notice what is going on.” So, therefore, don’t go to sleep on this thing. See? Don’t put it aside. Don’t shelf it. Keep it before you at this time.
(07) For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunk are drunken in the night.
Now, it tells you that… there’s two kinds of drunkenness. ‘Be not drunk with wine in its excess, but be ye drunk of the Spirit’, See? being full of the Spirit.
Now,
(08) But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
(09) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
(10) Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live… with him [together].
Now, that last statement is a take-off from what he said over here in the fourth chapter. He said, “Listen! You people that are living, when it comes time it’s going to take Jesus to do all of it bring up the dead and to immortalize the mortal.” “ Now”, he said, “I want you to be awake to it.”
So, what am I looking at here? I’m looking at the fact of what Brother Branham preached on Shalom a time of light and a time of darkness.
And he said, “At this particular time, “Shalom [Peace]”, because you are now acquainted with the Truth and the Mystery and are participants in the Mystery, and therefore you have no reason to fear.”
He said the same thing that Paul said: “As long as you… [what does he say that?] He said, “ You are [a] companion of Christ as long as you keep in mind the Word that was presented to you.”
And when you say, “Well, how does that take place?” It’s simple: “A sower went forth to sow. And some seed fell on the barren sidewalk and the road. The fowls came and gobbled it up.
Some also fell into a rocky place and there wasn’t any place for the thing to grow, so pretty soon the… what happened to it was that it withered away.
And then there was that which fell in a good place and it was able to grow and to bear.” And that’s what you’re seeing, the same thing here. You’re seeing that you are aware and awake to the Word that was sown.
And the Word is sown many places, and people come into a meeting like this like Brother Branham’s, and other people who preach this message and they sit there without a Wedding garment on.
They’re interlopers; they will not come and put the Wedding garment on. They cannot sell out to the Truth. They come in and they pretend they believe, and lo and behold, they are nothing but hypocrites because they are trying to put a new patch on an old garment.
And if you don’t believe that this Message is full of the most idiotic and rotten thing the world has ever seen, then you don’t even know that you’re living. And if you’re scared by it, you don’t even know your Bibles.
Because there in the Garden of Eden, there in the Presence of the Tree of Life, there in all the virgin land and things that God… look at the beautiful flowers just washed by the rain. What must Eden have been like?
And there came the old Devil right in there to take over, and did the dirtiest, rotten, foul thing that anybody could do seduce another man’s wife and ruin a whole race of people. Then you get shocked about what’s going on?
Let me tell you something: You need to come up here and let me slap your face on both side of your ears and wake you up. You’re not even fit to be here.
Now, that’s preaching, whether you like it or not… because you ain’t alive to nothing. Little stupid kindergarten kids running around. How do you think AIDS came on?
A type of spiritual fornication men rotting… and determined to take everybody down with it. Can’t you see what you’re into? The filth?
Filth in the church polygamous, everything else, rotten filthy scum. Shalom darkness, gross darkness, but infinite pure and wonderful Light.
Look at 2 Thessalonians 1st chapter:
(07) …you who are troubled rest with us, [When? At the time] when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty [messengers],
(08) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God… that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: [Verse 10]
(10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe [because our testimony among you was believed] in that day.
Now, notice, it says, “Because of the testimony these are going to be glorified.” So, evidently they don’t believe a testimony that comes forth in the last day.
They don’t believe Paul’s message resurrected. They don’t believe in Paul’s message restored. Well, I read it… 2 Thessalonians tells you they don’t believe the Truth. They believe a lie. Then, I want to ask you one question: Who is it that brings the Truth so that the lie can follow it?
Who brought the Truth in the Garden of Eden? Well, who do you think did? Who brought the lie? Satan used an emissary. God Himself came down and dealt with Adam and Eve, and the Devil used an emissary.
Can’t you understand that? God Himself came down. [Points to the picture of the Pillar of Fire] But he’ll send an emissary; he’s had one for years the Harlot Church. Shalom.
2 Thessalonians 2:
(01) Now we beseech you, brethren, by the [Presence] of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him.
What was the Presence? The Lord descending with a military command, the Lord descending to subdue the Church and put it in Divine Order, the Lord to bring the Church back to Himself, a Virgin, and putting the world under His feet by the power of Almighty God.
This One here [Points to the picture of the Pillar of Fire] is doing a work right now, brother/sister, that’s going to take us right up to the Wedding Supper where It becomes incarnate in Jesus Christ and from that time on you watch everything under His feet and under our feet because He is merely the Head to the body He is not the whole body, He is merely the Head.
That’s right. The Bible says every joint is supplied from the head. So, if you begin to try to look at this and glorify God in a way that says, “Hallelujah, Jesus!” That’s wonderful!
And you see, I’m really a person who am just so holy and pure in my right attitudes that I would never dare to presume that I’d be a part,” and “He’s all of it and I’m nothing”, you have just done cut your throat and made God a liar, and destroyed any portion you have in the Kingdom.
Because you’ve got to recognize this: the Body is many-membered and it doesn’t have a Head here on earth until it comes back with His Head. The Head, right now, is the Holy Spirit and He’s here as that Capstone which is spiritual. One day it’s going to be perfect.
There you are. What it says over here in Isaiah… it says, “Rise and shine. The glory of the Lord is come upon you… gross darkness upon the people.” It also says what it says in… over here in 1 Thessalonians 5 and 3 to 5.
(03) For when they… say, Peace and safety; then [cometh] sudden destruction… as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [In other words… Listen! As the Bride brings to birth, in a sense of the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, causing Him to come and manifest upon the earth, so this filthy woman brings forth a child also antichrist.]
You know, I’ll tell you something: I’m not sweet like Brother Branham; I wish I were. And I could be wrong in what I say, so you can be the judge, but Brother Branham always blamed the hierarchy instead of the people.
But there’s a certain Scripture in the Bible that talks about the filthiness of Israel and said, “My people want it so.” Now listen, if the people really got up in arms and did something, something else would take place.
But the people let their leaders think for them, and do everything for them until we’ve got a government in America that’s supposed to be Democratic.
And we send them right back to Congress; we send them to Washington; we send them to Columbus wherever the State Houses are and we say, “This is what you said; we agree, this is what we want.”
And soon as they get there, they do what they want. They forget every promise and everything but their own crud. And do you know what happens? The people vote them right in again.
Do you know why? Because money is… the government’s run by lobby. There is no such thing as representation; you ought to know that by now, and neither has the Church member an individual; it is strictly by hierarchy and organization, and they’re doing their lobbying.
And everybody sits back and just takes it. The church will never rise. I can see why Brother Branham was so sympathetic and sorry for them, but I tell you what: I’m not as nice as he is.
(04) But [you], brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
(05) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor [are we] of [the] darkness. [Shalom!]
So, Brother Branham starts out Shalom by telling us that some die and some don’t die. Shalom! The resurrection is at hand complete identification with Christ as spoken by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3. Let’s go to Philippians 3… Brother Branham brought this to our attention Paul said here,
(10) …I may know him, and the power of his resurrection…
(11) If by any means I might attain unto the [out] resurrection [from among] the dead. [Now, he knew Him in the power of His death; he’s seen Him in His resurrection, Present, but he hadn’t got into… [it]?… himself.]
(12) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect [finished my course; it’s all over 1 Corinthians 13:9]: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which… I am apprehended of Christ..
(14) [He said…] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And Brother Branham said, “That was the complete conformity to Christ, the complete identification, which could only take place in Revelation 10 and 7.”
…which means, what Paul is speaking of here, is the same thing in 1 Corinthians 13:9 ‘when that which is Perfect is come’ the Perfect Revelation and fulfillment of the Word of God.
It is not enough to have a perfect Revelation. Who needs a perfect car if he can’t own one? Why do I want a perfect revelation if that’s all it is? That’s not what it is.
The Perfect Revelation is to do something for you and me. That’s why the Lord descended with a Message, the Voice of the Archangel, and the Trump of God.
Now… therefore, we find that Philippians 3 is fulfilled for 1 Corinthians 15, and also by Revelation 10 and 7. Positively, there is no other way that it can be fulfilled. Now, notice it… we go to 1 Thessalonians again the 4th chapter,
(13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
(14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring [forth] with him. [In other words, they’re going to come out of the ground and they’re going to be displayed with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now… “God will bring forth with him”…]
Let’s go to Romans the 14th chapter 13 and 14 no, 7 to 9.
(07) For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
(08) For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
(09) For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Now, there you are right now… there’s coming a time when the Lord Jesus Christ who at this particular time is God of the dead in so far that they have a promise to be raised from the dead that’s their body raised up though they themselves are living in their theophanic form, He is also the God of the living and there is a promise made to them that, “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
And the Bible also says, “He that believeth this, shall never die.” He’s the God of the living and the dead. And so, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. And so, therefore, the Lord Himself is doing all of this.
But He’s doing it in a way that people do not understand. And that’s one of the great Mysteries under the Seventh Seal wherein are the Seven Thunders the great mystery of immortality coming, linked up with the Appearing, which nobody knows anything about, except we who have been taught by Brother Branham. Nobody has a clue to it… not anybody. No way.
Now, Brother Branham spoke of himself and to himself, “Shalom”. He spoke of himself as manifesting God, reflecting God as a part of God.
At this point he did not quote 2 Timothy 4:1 to 5, and as usual, leave off 6 to 8, which we will look at in 2 Timothy this was brought to my attention years ago after Brother Branham died.
(01) I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; [now, it tells you right there the Judge will be at the Appearing going to come and look it over… like God said, “I’m going to look over what’s going on down” to Abraham.]
(02) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine [at that particular time, now].
(03) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall… heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [It tells you right there: they will turn away from the vindicated Truth of the end-time Messenger.]
(04) And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth… [How do you know it’s Truth? Just because a book says so and somebody says, “This is what it says”, doesn’t make it true. There’s got to be some kind of a vindication or proof there. Can somebody make it work? Now]
(05) But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Now, watch what he says here,
(06) For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. [That let’s you know right there, when Brother Branham quoted the first part, he would have to leave the scene in death.]
(07) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
(08) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; [but] not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
[Now notice, that goes with Malachi, “When He makes up His jewels for His crown.” See? Brother Branham did not quote that last part concerning his demise, but he went.]
Now, how many love His Appearing? They don’t even know what His Appearing is. I’m almost literally called a hypocrite though the man would never dare call me that by one of my very best friends, because he simply does not believe that listening to me preach is a good thing.
You should just be hearing tapes. True… and he says I’m a dangerous man to listen to. I’m going to tell you something: I would sooner go to Hell trying to help you than I would sit here knowing or believing that I’ve got a call from God and not try to do something for you.
And I’ll never deny what the prophet said about me. You can sit there and laugh if you want. I don’t suppose you do, but go ahead if you want to. Remember this one thing, brother/sister: There’s a Bible open before me, and there’s a God in Heaven, and there’s a picture the said is scientific.
Whether you want to believe it or not, that’s up to you. When you say ‘a hypocrite’, that’s your business. He said it was scientific… he said that was scientific… and I’m not lying to you.
Now, listen… “all that love His Appearing”. They don’t know the first thing about His Appearing in most of the churches that say they believe this Message.
They haven’t got a clue as to Who came down. They don’t know if they’re “Jesus Only” or stuck with two Gods, or Trinitarian. That’s their business, not mine. Now Paul said…
(09) Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
(10) For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia… [and so on].
(11) Only Luke is with me… [Right down the line you can see, and yet in the midst of all Shalom. Brother Branham knew the Peace of God that passes understanding.]
All right, let’s take some quick résumé, going through the Message:
On page 9, Brother Branham exhorts the people on the basis of vindication, to heed the Word. Remember, he warns the women concerning their dress and hair.
And he admonished the men concerning doctrine. So, therefore, you’ll see more and more women want short skirts, split skirts front or back or on the side. They will want higher shoes.
They will cut their hair, on the grounds it is already… the roots are damaged, or the long ends or something. You’ll see more and more of it. I seldom talk this way, but I’m telling you the Truth because it is the Truth and I’m not going to shun it.
The men will get headier and headier and high-minded. And they will begin to believe that they know more than the Minister or anybody else does about the doctrine, and they’ll go haywire with it. And they’ll go back to creeds and dogmas.
How do I know? Because Brother Branham warned, and there would be no warning unless there was a danger. And there would be no problems if the people didn’t succumb to dangers, but they do.
In Paragraph 51, he notes and warns of the hardness that has overcome the women, and the softness in the men, which is a true indication of homosexuality.
That women will take steroids to get hard solid muscles to win world competitions the same as men, is unbelievable. It is degrading. And yet if they get away with it, they become the top figures of the world.
This is a part of the “increased darkness”, and the increasing darkness, because man has refused the Revelation of God as brought by a prophet.
You show me that homosexuality, hardened women, soft “goopy” men, were anywhere near the numbers they are today compared to Brother Branham’s day.
Let’s go back to one of my favorite Scriptures I stand on, because I’m a firm believer in the Word of God as predating Noah. Romans, Paul speaking of the Gospel, which people did not take… verse 18.
(18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold [back] the truth in unrighteousness;
Now, how can you hold back what isn’t there? How can you hold back the wind? Oh, you say, “Well, I’ll build a fence.” Now, come on… don’t be stupid. The wind goes over your fence. “Well, I’ll build a house.”
That’s merely the wind that’s kept from you; but the wind’s out there roaring anyway. You can’t do it. See? “Hold back the Truth”, categorically means that there’s Truth that was given to them but they absolutely deny it.
They won’t let the people have it. They build their fences their creeds, their dogmas to keep away the Light, the Life, the Truth of God. It’s been revealed from Heaven; it tells us that in 2 Thessalonians.
So, now, the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven. Now it says…
(19) Because that which may be known of God is manifested in them; for God [has] shewed it unto them. [Now, like the wind, there has to be some kind of evidence. You can’t see the wind but you’ve got to know that it’s there. So, God has made something manifest concerning Himself.]
(20) [Even in creation]… the invisible things of [God] from… creation… [can be] seen, [and no man is with an excuse because you know there is a God. Then, when God comes on the scene and magnifies His Word and vindicates it, then you know positively you’re hearing from that God.]
(21) [Now, watch] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their [reasonings] their foolish heart was darkened.
(22) Professing themselves to be wise [or sophists], they became fools.
(23) …changed the glory of the incorruptible God [in] an image made like to corruptible man… to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. [They went into an absolute ridiculous idolatry.]
(24) Wherefore God… gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: [Now, that’s what they did back there. They don’t do that way today. You go to Timothy and to Peter and the other Books and you’ll find what they did do. We’ll read it shortly.]
Now, here’s what happened…
(26) For this cause God gave them up [to] vile affections [26]: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
(27) …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, [now, I saw that right on television; they just stood right there and said, “This is it; we’re going to have it.” Then you say the Bible’s not fulfilled?] receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. [They got AIDS for it. Good! Let them have more of it.]
(28) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; [Now, watch where they go from AIDS]
(29) …all unrighteousness, fornication…
They just get worse. They say, “Well, the way to control AIDS absolutely, you’ve got to learn to take precautions.” Are you crazy?
The Bible says, right here, with AIDS they’re going to have more fornication than ever. They won’t worry about precaution.
You’re sitting here… a lot of you married people, what about your precautions? EEH – HAH! Lust is the most powerful force on earth! It’d become a whirlwind in a hail-storm.
(29) …wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of [murder, envy], debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
(30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
(31) Without understanding…
(31) …without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
(32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Now, here’s what it says in Titus:
(01) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come… [Now, how are these people going to act like, because they don’t go into idolatry of men and birds and beasts and carved images… although the Catholic church is full of them.]
(02) …[they’ll be] lovers of [themselves], covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents [that’s what they said over yonder].
(03) Without natural affection [homosexuals], trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.
(04) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
(05) [Now, watch these people…] Having a form of godliness […they cannot revert to stupid idolatry, so they go to intellectual idolatry]: from such turn away.
(06) For… this sort are they which creep into houses [Notice, they just ‘ooze’ into houses] lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts
(07) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
(08) Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses… [So, there’s going to be a showdown.]
Now, who was Moses? The prophet of God with the Word, right? Turned him down Jannes and Jambres, they’re not Israelites; they’re Gentiles, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning… faith.
If Jannes and Jambres are Gentiles, then what about the prophet of this hour? He’s got to be a Gentile too, because this doesn’t talk of Israel; this talks about us, the Gentiles. This is Paul the Apostle speaking to us.
(09) … [they’ll] proceed no further… their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as [also was theirs].
(10) [But now, listen: here’s the like-minded people…] But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience [and so on, to live a godly life]
All right, so… he notes women. He notes and warns of the hardness that overcome women, softness overcoming men, homosexuality paying its penalty.
Paragraph 56: Rejection of Light is causing men to pray for a revival and then work against it the very thing that could have brought something to the Church.
As Brother Branham repeated, concerning the time when he was in Finland, when the Russian soldiers broke down and cried and they said, “We can believe in a kind of a God that can do this.”
Do you think Brother Branham just made that up as a lie? No, he didn’t make it up as a lie; he said, “Finland, why did you turn me away? Switzerland, why did you turn me away?” Men pray for revival and then work against it.
Paragraph 64, page 11: He asserts that the visitation of angels is Revelation 10 and 1.
In Paragraph 68, he declares: The woman and the son is Revelation 12, is the Church now endowed to reflect the light of the Son even as does the moon.
His own ministry, or days of the Son of man, is that reflection. And the Bride picks up the Word and gives It back to God as a wife ministers food to her husband the food her husband brought her.
Page 13, Paragraph 71: He admonishes and warns that light can only be light if it is vindicated Word. It’s got to come by a prophet.
Page 14, 75: He admits to warring against the Whore and the Harlot churches the world over. And it is now time for Abraham to meet Melchisedec. You maybe didn’t catch that on page 14, 75.
He’s warred against the Whore and Harlot churches, and it’s now time for Abraham to meet Melchisedec.
His battle is over, to a great degree, and he walks in communion and peace as mentioned the time the storm was stopped in Colorado and God said,” How would you like to walk with Me?” And he said, “From that time on, I have no guilt whatsoever no feeling of guilt.” Shalom.
On Page 15, 75, we feel he is asking us to memorialize the coming Millennium every time we take Communion.
For we’ll soon be taking Communion anew with Him, based on His own thoughts of Abraham meeting with Melchisedec and Communion served the God of Peace, because this was the King of Peace.
Page 16: He speaks of the eclipse of the moon as the Laodicean total darkness. The total darkness is total worldliness.
The counsels of God had been set aside; the counsels of men had been instituted, and there is no life in them at all.
Page 17: This total darkness is a sign that God is turning to the Jews.
Page 20: He makes known to the Bride that ‘rising and shining’ is total separation from the world church.
This step of decision evokes God’s Peace. And the exit of the Bride from the World Church brings in Revelation 18:20 to 24.
(20) Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. [Now, remember, the avenging starts in 2 Thessalonians 1:7]
(21) And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. [So, an atomic bomb from Russia hits it, to start.]
(22) And the voice of harpers, and musicians… of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more… in thee [at all… No. Because they’re incinerated. Never found a man incinerated… blow a pipe too well]; and no craftsman, [or whatever] craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more… in thee [at all];
(23) And the light of a candle shall shine no more… in thee [at all]; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee; for thy merchants were the great men of the earth.
Your priests, your cardinals, your envoys, your presidents, your elders, your great seminarians, they ran the whole caboodle. They’re doing it right now. Look at that black preacher coming to America and saying, “Listen! Apartheid will only go down when they put sanctions upon this country.”
Then they’ll make it like the rest of Africa, and the black man will die because he can’t control industry. He hasn’t been taught; he hasn’t been educated.
What America should do right now is form some union with Africa and send over teachers to train those people, show them industry and help them. Whereby, when they do get a vote, they can run their country.
The Boers have been at fault, not teaching the black man and giving him a chance. The black man had to do a lot of things over here in America to get something going for him, but too many of them don’t want to take life in their stride and amount to something.
And the whites are no better. So, who’s going to run the whole thing? Why do you think the Pope calls himself a Prince, and his cardinals are princes, and everything else? Why, it’s the Church doing it.
(23) …for by [their] sorceries were the nations deceived.
Who were the sorcerers? The preachers giving the poison medicine. Now, if you think it doesn’t pay off to be a druggist, whereby you kill people, just remember, when President Reagan… they asked him, “How are you going to balance the balance of trade?”
“Why,” he said, “Nothing to it. We’ll sell them pharmaceuticals and supplies.” So you can tell where the money is.
The drug companies own the doctors. So you can’t get help for cancer even if it was available. You’ve got to go to Europe or someplace else.
The best we can do now if you’re dying; the doctor can’t help you you can persuade him to write a prescription. You can send overseas and get it shipped in.
Oh, the FDA’s finally got very magnanimous. Now, listen… well, I won’t say it.
(24) And in her was found the blood of [the] prophets, and of saints, and of all [them] slain upon the earth. [This is the end-time. That’s what Brother Branham tells us; we know it to be true.]
All right, Page 21: He speaks of the Pillar of Fire being the same One over Moses, and Paul, and now William Branham… that’s something to choke on.
“Well, bless God, we can believe that about Moses, and we can believe that about Paul, but how’re we going to believe that about you?”
I’ll ask you one question: How did Moses prove he had the Pillar of Fire? How did Paul prove he had the Pillar of Fire?
You say, “Well, we know one thing: It was seen on Mount Sinai.”
That’s very good. That could have been just thunder and lightning. How’re you going to prove that? You just heard some thunder; you don’t know if it’s the Voice of God or just mutterings.” And when Jesus… they said it thundered. Somebody said, “God spoke.”
He said, “Yes, He did speak.” But they only heard thunder. He told them what God said. Now how many people actually saw the blinding light at the time of the Apostle Paul?
That could have been a fluke. You know jolly well, every person had vindication. He had ‘THUS SAITH THE LORD’ and the Name of the Lord, and God vindicating it. But they don’t believe that.
Now, William Branham, the Light God has now brought Light the Word. So, Logos and Rema are One; and we, one with both, and therefore, become Light and walk in the Light, being Light. Therefore, it’s all Light in darkness Shalom.
Page 22, let us know we may not feel we’ve entered into this Oneness with God. He lets us know we may not feel we’ve entered in.
But, he says, “Be patient; wait on God. Look up. Your strength comes from God. Even as trials come, move on; keep looking up.”
Then, he elaborates on the trials of the men of faith in the Bible Abraham and Job, and so on and uses himself as an example to us even as Paul did. Paul used himself as an example, having written the 11th chapter of Hebrews.
Page 26: He definitely promises us the Millennium and Eternity, as based on vindication.
If God shone that Word of promise on us or that Word-Promise on us, which is Light if God shone that Word-Promise on us, we with unveiled faces reflect It back and become the Promise fulfilled and manifested.
The One who proved the present by His Presence, also has proven, by His proof, the guarantee of the future Kingdom.
Then on Page 28, Brother Branham begins his famous illustration of Shalom, how to enter into Peace. He shows you that it’s like a Symphony, where the Great Composer writes the Score.
And from that time on, the Conductor must receive the Spirit of the Composer and enter into it in order to bring to pass the Score and have it acted out to the people.
Actually, you will find that the Conductor is more of a narrator because Jesus himself did not claim to do any works or any miracles. He said, “I do not speak of myself, neither do I work of myself; it is the Father who speaks in me, and the Father who does the works.”
So, he was the Great Narrator, but he was there so that God could bring to pass the great drama that was at that time.
So, Brother Branham tells us the same thing: that he is here helping us to understand the Great Drama that is unfolding, that we may know that which we should know of it.
Then, at last, again, he goes back to the thought of darkness pressing against light. And as he does, once more strangely, he brings in the trials of life and leaves us looking unto Jesus by pressing into the Light.
In other words, to me, there is veiled not a threat, but there is veiled the understanding that the squeeze will be very effective in a most uncomfortable way.
But we know this: that there is no such thing as God allowing anything to happen unless the people are fully prepared even as we are told in 1 Thessalonians, and also 2 Thessalonians, that there is no great harm or danger to the Bride because she’ll be thoroughly sanctified by the Word, thoroughly separated unto God.
And Brother Branham said, “He is going to get her out of here before there is any great Tribulation.” There certainly will not be one.
So, all right, you can see here what we’ve dealt with in Shalom. It’s a new age we’ve entered into. They’ve a vindication of the prophet… is so stupendous, that he based everything he had upon it.
And it consistently got greater and greater in Revelation. And we, too, are in that particular position where “the Light is shining more and more unto the perfect day.”
So, you might say and it could well be said that the children of Light have been given Light by the Light Himself, to go to that Light in the Kingdom of Light.
He’s granted us Peace. The Peace is thoroughly based upon vindication. Brother Branham did not fail in his hour of trial. He went to his death knowing he was going to his death.
He knew he was going to be taken out of here; there is no way that you can disbelieve that. Of course, there was a pressure to it, as there’s a pressure with anybody and everybody, but he went out with the Peace of Almighty God.
And we intend to vacate this land, to get out of here, with the Peace of Almighty God. And we ought to keep looking for more and more Peace in the inner man, which in turn, brother/sister…
Peace is an absence of stress, and therefore, as we have been taught so thoroughly by just about everybody of any note and repute and any scientific order, that almost every disease is psychosomatic.
And almost everything in this world is coming upon us by stress. Of course, there are other added factors, too, such as the things out there, the poisons and things that are going on.
But even then, remember, “A merry heart doeth good like medicine.” Remember also, we have the promises of God that these things cannot inundate us. Brother Branham also taught us to pray that the Word would sanctify and cleanse the food.
So, all of these things are in our favor, where disease and sickness is fading in us not in somebody else. And though, “a thousand fall at our left hand and ten thousand at our right had, it shall not come nigh us” .
Believe me, brother/sister, though AIDS and these things are here, they’ll not touch a Bride. If you’re continent, if you are godly, you don’t need to worry. You can even be subject to it in a sense that it could be all around you.
But you won’t be one of those doctors if you’re a real born-again doctor, and you believe this Message if the vial of medicine breaks like that poor doctor had happen to him and the AIDS blood gets into your system, believe me, you’ve got a greater antidote than your human system or anything else; you’ve got God on your side, the Holy Spirit to take you through, because the Bible said it wasn’t going to affect you.
So, therefore, we have the consciousness of God today through the vindicated Message. And only as we grow in the grace of the vindicated Message are we positively going to have this great Peace that is our portion.
Now, the more we get our eyes off the things of the world, the more we get away to these things in the world… as Brother Branham told us so sincerely, he was worried that the Bride would get taken up with the little things of life… this thing, that thing. And you know today, and I know today…
Look! I came out of the day when we stood, my mother. And I did, myself, help my wife. We had a washboard, and you know something?
We had a washboard… we had the kids with the three sets of diapers; we had everything going against us, and the strangest thing: we had way more time then, than we’ve got now.
She baked bread; she punched it down. She made cake. She made pies. I tell you what: even the last forty years… forty years ago, far more time somehow than we’ve got now.
Everything has conspired to make us turn away into some useless endeavor some useless thing away from the real Presence, and the power of God that lies in lying in the Meditating Word that’s been given to us. Building ourselves up in the Most Holy Faith, really it is.
And it’s even today, what day do you get away from work? What day do you take off? You rush home to work. You ruin your Saturdays by working. You come to church, and that’s a day of work.
Where is Peace gone? Peace is here. It doesn’t have to be grappled with; it just has to be received on the conditions the prophet said it.
Now, I’ve read a lot of those tonight, just various pages, various paragraphs, delineating to you. So, we have it; we cannot complain. If we complain and we say it’s not so, then we deny the very God Whose picture was taken here.
That’s what Peter said: “They will deny; they will say no to God.” Can we say no, that there is no Peace? He’s going to take Peace from the earth but He’ll never take it out of our hearts because He’s done something concerning Peace that hasn’t been done before.
Absolutely. So, it’s a wonderful age in which we live. As Brother Branham said, “If I’d been given a choice, I’d have picked this age.” I used to argue that quite some time. I don’t anymore; I agree with him.
Yup. I’d have been in another age, I’d have been waiting to come up and anxious to get here. Now, God bless, I’m anxious to get out of here, but I want to do it standing up… it is possible.
Let’s rise. The Lord bless you.
Kind Heavenly Father, we thank You again for Your kindness, allowing us together at this time to study Your Word, Lord. We can talk about the good things the prophet laid before us bring out these things, though we brought them out very rapidly.
Yet, I know, Lord, absolutely Your Own Holy-Spirit-Word has said that You’ll bring all things to our remembrance, whatsoever You said.
And I know that’s true, Lord. You’ll help us by Your grace, at the right time, the right place, as is necessary, Lord God, to bring up these things we’ve talked about tonight and the last twenty-five sermons, roughly an hour and a half a piece.
And, Father, we thank You for this time of fellowship that You give us around this Word. We pray You’ll direct us now to another sermon, whatever You want done, or whatever things You want to bring before the people. O Living God, let Your Name be glorified.
Now, Father, we know that we have been finely equipped and geared for every exigency. There is nothing, Lord, that we haven’t got.
Just like You fed Elijah and he could go on the strength of that for forty days, Father, You’ve given us what we need, a prophet said, to put us in a Rapture. And I believe that.
And, Lord, I must believe it for myself, as everybody in this building here, must believe it for himself or herself; and we must not give up on it. And by our united faith in a vindicated Message, each one, Lord, claiming that Promise.
Surely, Lord, there is going to be a manifested growth in the things that we all desire, Lord God, which is even increasing Light and thereby increasing Love-unfeigned to the brethren, and the sweet Spirit of Christ more and more healing the sick until sickness fades right away.
And the strength of our God flowing into bodies brings us forth as Abraham not to get old again and go down into the soil, but as young men and women going right on to the Marriage Supper, and back to this New Earth, Lord.
We know that’s the Ultimate. Help us to see it; help us to believe it; help us to consider it ours. And like Abraham, stand here saying, “This is mine! I’m going to come back and take it.”, for, Lord, You paid the price.
So, Father, bless each one, we pray tonight. May grace and glory, Lord, rest upon the people, as it rests upon the Word and the Word rests in the hearts and minds. We’ll give You the glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
‘Take the Name of Jesus with you.’