|
1 Good morning, friends.
I certainly deem this a privilege to be here in this church. And I kinda like
the name of it to begin with. It's called "Jesus' Name." I like that. And I--I
think that's--that's... That's the Name that I was redeemed by, that lovely
Name of the Lord Jesus. And then to be in here with my good friends, assembled
here on this lovely Sunday morning, right here in Phoenix. I don't know of any
place I'd rather be, 'less it'd be in glory with all of you. And that's the
great event we're looking forward to someday.
And I had a--a sick call to come up here on today. And I was speaking to Brother
Outlaw, my precious friend, and he--he invited me so graciously to--to come
up. And all the ministers here at Phoenix has been really good to me.
3 I wonder sometimes
why I moved down to Tucson. I've been down there three years, and ain't never
been invited to any pulpit. So I--I suppose I've just have to do my--my visiting
up here at Tucson--or here at Phoenix, where I feel welcome. Well, maybe they'll
get used to me some... You know, I preached down there the other night, and
I preached three hours; no wonder they didn't ask me back.
But I have such a--a feeling in my heart for God and His people. And I'm so
slow, and I--I'm afraid I'm going to leave out something and not get enough
in, till I put about three or four messages in one. So I certainly... To you
people that were down there, I apologize for keeping you that long. I shouldn't
have done that.
5 And also glad this
morning to be here with Brother Carl Williams, and young Jimmy here, and the
choir, and my friend the Mosley brothers; see Brad, Brother John Sharritt, and
so many of my friends; Brother Pat Tyler here from way up in Kentucky, and--and--and
so many friends just to be gathered in this--this assembly this morning. See,
saw a lot of my friends from Tucson and so forth setting here.
I'm thinking of one day when all of this is over, then we'll gather where we'll...
We won't... We--we won't never have to stop listening to this fine music. You
see? I just happened to notice that Brother William's son, setting back there;
he made a testimony the other night down to Ramada Inn. And I think he's just
about close to six foot tall. But I tell you, after that testimony, I believe
he was ten foot tall. He--he just... Really appreciated what the boy said, such
a wonderful testimony.
7 When I hear these fine young fellows testifying of their faith that's centered in Christ... And I--I'm getting old, and I... One day I've got to--to--to quit and go home. And see these young fellows coming on who's ready and preparing themselves to pick up where I leave off... And that's the way we do. That's the way life is laid out. That we... One generation will move up, and father and mother. And they raise their little ones, and see them marry; and the grandchildren come along. And after while, down goes daddy and mother to the dust. And then by that time the children then is ready again for grandchildren; and then down they go. But there'll be a great, general resurrection one of these days. We'll all be called into the Presence of God to give an account for what we have done with what God gave to us: Jesus Christ. And so, I'm so glad to know that I've lived in this generation with such a fine bunch of people, that's around the world, that I've met. I--I just--just thankful to God. And someday when my summons comes, well, I'll--I'll have to go meet the deeds that I've done. I want them to be all to the glory and honor of God.
8 There's many of the things as I--we're approaching the New Year that I--I wished I could--could forget about, but I know that I've confessed them as wrong to Him and--and He put them in the Sea of Forgetfulness, and He won't never remember them no more. Now see, we're not made that way; we'll always remember. We can forgive one another, but we--we can't forget about it, because we are--we are--we are made different. But God can forgive it and forget it. He can just wipe it out as though it never was. See? Because He has access to that Sea of Forgetfulness, but we don't. Just think of it, that God cannot even remember that we ever sinned. Think of that. Choir, you young folks, what if... What about that? God don't even remember that we ever sinned. See? He can forget the whole thing, and never will be brought into memory anymore. Wouldn't that be something? A...
9 This is not just no
place for joking. I don't believe in that joshing or joking at... It reminds
me of a--a friend of mine. He's gone on to glory now. But he--he told a little
story one time, about a--a couple that had moved into the city and-- from the
country. And they had a... This young couple had a old father, and he was really
on fire for God. So the young lady (that was her father) the... So she had got
into some classical people, you know, where you have this all kind of classical
entertainments. And so she was going to have some sort of an entertainment that
day in her home.
And--and her--her daddy, after he'd have his lunch, why he--he'd get the Bible
and go out in the room and he'd read awhile. And he'd lay It down, and he would
cry, and shout, and scream, and carry on, and get up and put his glasses on
and read again. Then find something, and lay down his glasses and start crying
and shouting. She said, "That would interrupt my party, so I--I--I got to--I
got to do something with dad, and I don't know what to do." So she decided that
she'd let him go upstairs, and get up--up over the--the place.
11 And--and she got
to thinking, "Well now, I can't give him his Bible, 'cause he'd do the same
thing up there." So she just give him an old geography, and sent him up there.
Said, "Dad, look at the pictures around the world and things while we're having
the party." And said, "We won't be too long. We'll--we'll be down... You come
down after while." Said, "I know you don't want to get around where all them
women are."
He said, "No, that's all right, honey. I'll--I'll go up there."
So he... She fixed him a light and a little place. And he got... And she thought,
"Well, that--that settles it. Now, he'll just look at the pictures and read
a little bit of--of geography, and then... and after while he'll come down.
And it'll be all right."
14 So about that time
they got in the middle of their drinking their pink lemonade, you know, and
having their party... Was after while, the house begin to shake, and the old
man begin to run up and down the floor a-screaming and a-jumping. And--and she
thought, "What happened to him? He didn't have the Bible up there. That... He
must've got ahold of a Bible."
So she run up the steps, and said, "Daddy." Said, "That's not the Bible you're
reading. That's a geography."
He said, "I know it, honey. I know it! But," said, "you know, the other day
I was reading in the Bible where Jesus said that He put our sins in the Sea
of Forgetfulness (See?) and wouldn't remember them anymore. And I was reading
here to where they say they can't even find the bottom of the sea some places,
in the Geography." Said, "Just think, they're still going."
That was making him happy. So you can find God wherever you look. See, if you'll
just look around, everything will talk for Him.
18 Now really, honestly,
I--I told Brother Outlaw, "What shall I speak about this morning? Have you spoke
your Christmas message?"
Said, "Yes."
I said, "Your New Year's Message?"
"No."
So I had some outlines here whether if I get a invitation somewhere, I'm going
to speak my New Year's message. I thought I'd leave that to Brother Outlaw for
his, next week.
So I thought maybe I'd drop back on a little text here that might keep us for
a few minutes, the Lord willing. And we trust that He'll bless us. I want to
thank Brother Outlaw and the church here for inviting me up to speak here. And
I... As Brother Outlaw said, that "our friendship has never been seared," but
the grace of God has kept us through all these years. This is the first church
that invited me, and I come to, was at Phoenix.
21 I know... I believe I'm looking at Brother Trow, here. I'm not sure, setting in front. Is that right, Brother Trow? I believe he was along at that time. I've got some little things that he gave me during that time; little... They mold it out or something another, little copper things from up here where you live. And you look around... And I just wonder what it'll be that morning when we cross over, you know, and get to see people... They say, "Well, there..." You know, we'll look so much different then, than what we do now. We'll... That's right. We won't be any marks of sin or old age. We'll be perfect. Oh, I long for that time (Don't you?) where all the troubles will be over.
22 And now, I have a Message from God that I--I feel. And I'm... I don't want to be different, but I must be honest. And If I don't speak my convictions, then you can't have no confidence in me. Because I--I--I'd be more like a traitor or a hypocrite. And I--I want to be anything else besides that. You see? I might lose a few friends on earth, but I--I want to stay true to my convictions to what I think is right.
23 Now, years ago, it
was very easy when I first started out; and the signs, and message, and preaching.
Everywhere was a arm open, "Come Come. Come. Come." But then (You see?), every
genuine sign from God has a--a Message, a voice (See?), that follows it. If
it isn't... God don't give anything like that just for the fun of giving it.
He--He sends something forth to attract attention to what He's fixing to say.
Like we have this wonderful singing this choir done; what was it to do? To quieten
the people for an oncoming message.
That's what--that's what a sign does. Moses had the signs that we spoke of the
other night, and that signs had Voices. And the... When the Voice spoke... Jesus
went forth also healing the sick. He was a great Man. But when it come time
that that--that Prophet, that was on earth... That they hadn't had one for four
hundred years, and here He was on the earth and doing signs. Then He was a fine
Fellow: everybody wanted Him. But when the Message that followed that sign (the
Voice), when He set down one day, and said, "I and My Father are One." Oh, my.
That--that--that was something different. They--they didn't want that. See?
And that... The world is just like that though, friends. See? They... Anything
that they can get, if they can--they can help themselves with. You see? That
they --they feel that as long as it don't bother them, why, they'll--they'll
do it. But when it comes time that they've got to change their ideas about things,
that's when the trouble comes.
26 Now, see, we are
building a building, not a wall. The builders want to take a line of blocks
and just go straight down. Now, any builder can build that. But it takes a real
master mechanic to turn a corner. See? When you got to cut the corner, that's
the time it takes--it shows whether you're a--you're a... really a stone mason
or not; when you can turn the corner with it, and keep the continuity of the
rest of the building, but turn the corner. Now it's on these corners is when
trouble comes. The builders wants to keep building on down. But we're not building
a wall, but a building.
Now, as we approach this, this morning, you pray for me, and I'll--I always
pray for you. And now, let us bow our heads just a moment in the Presence of
the great Jehovah God. And we realize our insufficiency; all of us does. And
we're not one in here but what's in need. And I wonder, while we're praying,
that if there be any of you with a special need?
28 You know, the infinite
God, as I said here at Phoenix the other day in--in the meeting down here...
Just like television, it's coming, Christ is right here in the building now.
See, every move you make, every time you bat your eye, it'll never die. It's
in the ether waves of the air. Television doesn't manufacture that. It just
picks up that wave of you, and produces it on a screen. It's there anyhow. It
always was. Every move you ever made is still alive in the air. Now, you see
what we're going to be at the judgment?
So God is here in the same manner. We don't see Him, just like we don't see
those television pictures. It takes a certain tube or crystal of something to
pick up the voice, and reproduce the picture, and so forth. That was here when
Adam was on earth, but we just located it. God is here this morning. And one
of these days in the millennium, we're going to realize. It's going to be just
more realer than television or things, that He was right here in the meeting
this morning.
Now while we... Upon that thought, keep in your heart what you have need of,
and just raise up your hand to Him. Will you do that? Say, "Lord,..." And in
your heart, think of the thought.
31 Now, heavenly Father,
we only have this one approach, and that's by the way of prayer. And we--we're
coming in the Name of the Lord Jesus. We're--we're not worthy to breathe the
Name, to use It. We're not... In no means we think that we're worthy, but because
we've been invited to do it... And knowing this, that He said, "If you ask the
Father anything in My Name, I--I'll--I'll grant it." And we are... If our faith
can only stand behind that, being His Word and Who He is, then we're sure to
get what we ask for. You seen every request. You seen my hand. You know my request.
And, Father, I pray for each one of them, that everything they have need of...
Lord, I don't believe that a group like this would ask for anything wrong. It
would be for something for the advance of their kingdom; it might be for their
own healing; and in doing that, they'd want--or their own understanding. They'd
want that so they could further the Kingdom of God. And I pray, God, that each
and every one's request will be granted.
33 Bless this church,
it's pastor, it's associates, and the deacons, trustees, all of its members,
the visitors, strangers. They're not strangers, Lord. We're all Your children
by grace and by Christ. And we pray that You'll give to us this morning the
Bread of Life now, that we might go from here with the understanding that these
requests that we asked has been granted to us.
Bless the Word, Lord, as I read It. There's no man that--that's able or sufficient
to interpret that Word. John saw the Book in the hand of Him that set upon the
throne, and there was no one in heaven, or on earth, or beneath the earth that
was worthy to even look at the Book. But one of the elders said, "Behold, the
Lan--the Lion of the Tribe of Judah has prevailed." John, looking to see a--a
lion, he saw a Lamb that had been slain; a--a bloody Lamb come forth and took
the Book, climbed upon a throne, and set down. And all the celebrity of heaven
took their crowns from their heads and bowed and knowed He was worthy.
Lord, we pray that He'll come to the throne of our hearts this morning, climb
up and take possession of every thought that we have, and take the Word, and
speak to us, that we might know more about Him and His plan in our lives. We
ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.
36 Now, if you wish
to turn in the Bible to the... The Scripture's found in St. Matthew the 21st
chapter, and beginning with the... I think we read the--the 10th and the 11th
verse of the 21st chapter of Matthew. Be good, when you go home, if you haven't
already done it through this holidays, if you would read this chapter through.
It's very good. It's all good. This especially, for this season, and with the
message I hoping that the Holy Spirit let me bring you this morning. Notice
the 10th verse as we read, and the 11th:
38 Now, we know the time that it is, and many of you are familiar with the Scripture of this certain chapter. It's on, really on the day that Christ came into Jerusalem, riding on this little donkey. And we... There's a legend says that it was a white donkey, I'd imagine, in prefigure of His second coming on a charger. That time, the prophet said, that "He would ride... Your King comes to you upon the foal of an ass, and is lowly and meek." That's how He come and--and--upon a--a little donkey, a little burden-bearer. But the next time He comes from glory (in the 19th chapter of Revelation), He comes as a mighty Conqueror. His vesture dipped in blood, setting upon a white horse, and all the host of heaven's following Him upon white horses. And the legend (not Scripturally or historically), but the legend believes that He was riding a little white donkey as He come into Jerusalem.
39 Now, that I have
chosen this is still... Because that we're in the shadows of the--in the time
of the yule season of Christmas, and--and New Year's: the ending of an old year,
and the bringing in of a new one. A few days from now, many people will be turning
new pages, and--and doing new things, and making new vows; and it's beginning
of a New Year. And it never seems to me too much like Christmas. I don't know
why. I always like to call it Santa Claus Day." See? Because there's not much
really...
It couldn't have been Christ's birthday. It just absolutely could not have been.
He'd have had to been born in March or April, 'cause He was the Lamb. And He
was a male sheep and borned in under the ram, Aries. It had to be. You see?
And--and sheep are not born in December anyhow. Sheep are born in the spring.
And then another thing, the hills of Judaea now, there's twenty feet of snow
on them. How could the shepherds have been out there?
41 So it really comes
from Roman mythology, which was the sun god's birthday. The solar sun as it
passes, the days lengthen and lengthen, and the nights grow shorter. And between
the 20th and the 25th of December is the sun god's birthday, under the Roman--Roman
mythology. And then their gods... And then they celebrated the sun god's birthday.
And Constantine in--in drawing up the constitution of the church and state and
so forth, he said, "We will change it (not knowing what the day was) and put
it over on the sun god's birthday, and make it: Son of God's birthday." See?
Which... But we don't know what day it was.
But now, there's taken so much of Christ out, till it's everything... Some again
brought back the mythology of some creature that lived, supposingly, by the
name of Saint Nicholas or--or Kriss Kringle, some German mythology. And it's
all just a myth, and Christ is not in it at all.
And the people has turned in to buying whiskey, and--and gambling, and fashions.
And a--a man that... A merchant that can sell his goods through Christmas time
can live the rest of the year almost. See? It's such a great holiday, commercial.
And poor little kids on the street, their parents are not able to--to visit
them with a--a present like from Santa Claus, and they walk down the street,
and their little dirty hands and their little red eyes. I--I just hate to see
it come along. It ought to be a solemn day of worship to God, instead of a heartache
and a headache. And the things that's done, there's nothing to Christ about
that. But we're right in the midst of all this now.
44 We find ourselves,
something like they were then. See, it's just entering in now to a great feast.
Jesus was coming to a Feast of the Passover. And He had entered Jerusalem--or
entering Jerusalem. And the prophesies of everything He did must be fulfilled.
Everything in the Bible has a meaning. Every name has a meaning. There's nothing
written in the Scripture but has a--a profound meaning.
I spoke the other night at Tucson, on "Why Did It Have To Be Shepherds Instead
Of Theologian?" He was born right in the side of the church. And the Holy Spirit
going way out into the wilderness and picking up, not theologians, but shepherds,
it had to be that way. Theologians wouldn't have believed such a message. So
they--it had to be shepherds.
I preached up here, a few years ago (two years ago), "Why Was It, It To Be Little
Bethlehem?" The Lord willing, next Christmas, I want us to preach on, "Why Did
It Have To Be The Wise Men?" These "Why's," they got answers to them, and they're
right here in the Bible. And we're living in a marvelous time, the greatest
time of all ages. We're living to when, anytime that it--time can cease and
eternity can blend right in with it and go on. The ages of all the prophets
and sages looked forward to... We ought to be every hour on our guard, watching
for His coming.
47 We find ourselves
at this Christmas, just about like they did the first Christmas though. The
world's just about to fall apart, as I preached on once somewhere, about a Christmas
message, "The World Falling Apart." And the world again is just about to come
to pieces. Look at the earthquakes over here in California. I predict before
the coming of the Lord Jesus, that God will sink that place. I believe that
Hollywood, and Los Angeles, and them filthy places over there, that God Almighty
will sink them. They'll go beneath the bottom of the sea. And it's so much sin
(You see?), it's the barrier.
Civilization has traveled with the sun, from... And it started in the east going
west. And now it's at the west coast. If it goes any further, it'll be back
east again. So that's the barrier. And sin has traveled with civilization, and
it becomes the cesspool of all ages. Things they do that--that human beings
in any other age wouldn't have thought of such a thing. Women has throwed theirself
to such a filth, till no woman in any age would've ever thought of such a thing
as we do today. And then still call ourselves Christians. What a disgrace.
49 No wonder the great
prophet raised up, and he said, "I'm not a prophet nor the son of a prophet,"
but said, "The lion has roared, and who cannot fear? And... God has spoke, and
who can keep from prophesying?" See? There's--there's something that's got to
call out. We're in a critical hour; the world is. But the Church, the real Church,
not the denomination, but the Church, Itself, is ready for the greatest triumph
It ever made: the coming of the Groom to the Bride.
We are coming apart, looking for a messiah, something to come and save us, get
us out of all of it. We look down the troubles down in the east. We look over
in Africa to the uprises, and the racial problems, and the integration, and--and
segregations. And we all fussed and hollered here not long ago, our colored
friends, about, "We must have--we must have integration. That's what we need.
We must have integration: every man, equal; every man well..." That's perfectly
all right. That's perfectly all right. I don't believe in slavery. Them people
wasn't slaves to begin with. They're not slaves.
52 God is a segregationalist.
I am too. Any Christian's a segregation. God segregates His people from all
the rest of them. They're... They've always been a segregation. He chose a nation.
He chooses a people. He is a segregationalist. He made all nations. But still,
a real genuine Christian has to be a segregationalist, separating himself from
the things of the world and everything, and come into one purpose: Jesus Christ.
But they holler that. I've tried to tell them, "That's not the thing that's
going to save our nation. That's only a political scheme. It's a--it's a thing
of communistic background." I think Martin Luther King's going to lead his people
to a biggest slaughter and massacre, that they've ever been into. And they...
You see, that ain't going to pull the world together. That ain't going to save
us. We give them integration. Now, it's worse than it ever was. See, that isn't
the... That isn't the question. There's only one thing that can: that is God.
And they certainly don't want it.
They didn't want Him then. They were falling apart, and their politics was coming
apart; their nations was breaking; their church was breaking up, and they crying
for a Messiah. They wanted Him. "Oh, send us a Messiah." But when He come...?...
55 God gave--gives the
answer to your prayer. You asked, and you shall receive. And that's... I could
stop here for hours on men and women, Christians even, praying for something;
and God gives the answer and they don't even recognize it.
And now, God gave them the answer. They wanting a Messiah. They knowed that
they'd had Caesars, and they'd had--they'd had Davids; they'd had Solomons the
wise man; they'd had David the mighty warriors; they--they'd had all kinds;
but they knowed they had to have help from heaven and they... God had promised
them a Messiah. And He sent them that Messiah in answer to their prayer, but
they didn't want Him.
57 I wonder today, if our prayers... You hear them say, "Pray for a great revival. Pray for this. Pray for a breaking forth. Pray for unity." I wonder, if God would send such a program, if we would accept it. I just wonder if we would accept what He sends to us. You see, He... The reason that we pray for these things, because we know it's needy. But when God sends it in the way that He wants it, then it's not according to our taste, and therefore, we won't receive it. And that's the way it was in that day. If He was not in the taste of their belief and their... They--they would not receive Him again today. That's the reason they asked this question, "Who is this? Who is this fellow that's coming?" See, it was a--a tremendous time. Oh, everybody was--a tension. Something was fixing to happen.
58 Look at the world today, what a tension the whole world lives in. You go down the street... It's--it's not even safe to drive. It's not safe to be on a four lane highway. Everybody's at a tension, snapping and... What's the matter? Quieten down. Where you going? That's what's making the insane institutions fill up. That's what's got the church in such a turmoil. They're--they're so head-bound on certain thing. They won't stop and consider God's Word and the hour that we're living: all under a strain, tension.
59 And now, we know.
We are aware. The earth has just went through some great birth pains. And the
church is going through some birth pains. It had to go through birth pains 'fore
it could give... Each one of the prophets, when they came into the world, it
was a birth pain to the church. The world has went through a First World War,
Second World War, and now it's ready for a Third World War. And it's in birth
pains again. But there's only one thing that can bring peace, and that's Christ.
All of our schemes, and our ideas, and our ecclesiastical builds ups, and all
of our politics, and all of our science and everything, it's been proved that
it's nonsense. And then we pray for God to--to help us, to intervene, "Come
in and do something for us." And then when He does, I just wonder if we would
be able to understand it; if we would be able to receive it; or even would we
consider it?
61 Now that's what was
done back in them days. They'd been praying; they'd had all kinds of great leaders;
they'd been under governments; they'd been under kingship; they'd been under
everything, judges. But they knowed that there's only one thing that could save
them; that was the coming Messiah. And the "Messiah" means "the anointed one,"
a human being that was anointed, then the human being, anointed with the Word,
the Word made flesh among us. And when He come, He--He wasn't just exactly in
the taste that they wanted Him, not the taste that they had--that He should
come in. So therefore they--they--they cry, "Who's this fellow? What's all this
racket about?" A bunch of peasants down there at the gate, breaking off palms
and...
And he said, "Why, make them hold their peace. They make us nervous the way
they scream, and holler, and carry on."
He said, "If they hold their peace, these rocks will immediately cry out."
64 Oh, time was unfolding.
Prophecy was being fulfilled. No wonder. "The Lion roareth and who will not
fear? And God has spoken; who cannot keep from prophesying?"
No, if He wasn't just in our own taste... If He wasn't just the way we wanted
Him, the way that we thought that He should come, we wouldn't receive Him. Then
it was their creeds had gotten them so off of the written Word. They were so
far off, they failed to recognize Him Who they had prayed for to come. Their
churches had got them so far away, till the very thing that they had prayed
for was right with them, and it wasn't in their taste, and so they--they--they
couldn't believe it. They had to get away from it. They ousted it. They... There's
only one thing you can do when you meet Christ. That's either accept Him or
reject Him. You can never walk away neutral. You cannot do that. It--it's not
for you to do it. It's just that way.
66 Just notice, how few recognized Him to be the anointed Word of that day. See, God in the beginning, being infinite, and knowed all things from the beginning... And the only thing that these things are is the display of His attributes. An attribute... You have an attribute. It's your thought. You think of something, then you speak it, then you take it. That's God. He, in the beginning... If you're... If you ever was or ever will be in heaven, you was in heaven to start with. You're part of God. You were His thought. He knew your name. He knew who you were before there ever was a--a--a molecule, before there was a light. Before there was anything, He knew you and your name, and put it on the Lamb's Book of Life before the world was ever formed. See, you were His thought. And then a... Then you become a Word. And a word is a--a thought expressed. Then you're manifested.
67 That's the way He was. He was in the beginning by Himself. God dwelt alone with His thoughts. He'll never do that again 'cause His thoughts are being made manifest. And that's why we are right here this day: is God fellowshipping with His thoughts being made manifest. See? There we are. So you, by taking thought, cannot add one cubit to your statue. You cannot do this, that, or other. It's God that showeth mercy. It's God. "All the Father has given Me will come to Me, and no man can come except My Father draws him." That settles it.
68 Now, just notice,
how few of them in His day, of the millions upon the earth, that never even
knew of Him being here. Just think; there were ten--millions of people that
never knew nothing about it. And to think, in Israel at that time, there was
two and a half million people in Palestine, of Israelites, and not one-hundredth
of them ever knew it. No wonder He said, "Strait is the gate and narrow is the
way, but few there'll be that'll find it." Just think of how many didn't recognize
Him, didn't know that He was That. And them right around where He was at, that's
the pitiful part.
Those who walked with Him, and saw Him on the street, and so forth, they--they
didn't recognize who He was, because Satan seen that He had the--the most smutty
name that could be given to a person. He was called by the world, the natural
world... He--He was called a illegitimate, because he said that the mother,
was to be mother with Him, by Joseph, before she was married to him. So he give
Him a illegitimate name.
70 And again, the--the
church seen Him in His great power of manifesting. Manifesting what? Not manifesting
a creed, He was manifesting the Word. He was the Anointed Word, Himself. And
when they seen that taking place, the manifestation, the anointed Messiah, they
turned It down. They didn't want It. It wasn't in their taste. That's the pitiful
part. How many... Just think of it. Just as in other days.
See, each had their own interpretation of the Word. That's what--the reason
Israel didn't recognize Moses. That's the reason the world didn't recognize
Noah. That's the reason all the prophets wasn't recognized. They had their own
interpretation of the Word. But God in every age has had His Messiah. To reject
Noah's Message was to rejecting God. To reject Noah was to perish. To reject
Moses was to perish. It was... They were the anointed messiah's for that age,
the Word that was promised for that age. And when Jesus came, He was the Fullness
of the Word, God, Himself, made into a man's structure, with bones and flesh;
the anointed One. And they should've seen that. But you see, their--their church
world had so added here and taken away here and--and so forth, until it was
so messed up till they--they trusted in their church in the stead of--of the
Word. And when they seen their church anointed, then they thought something
great was taking place. But when they seen the--the Word anointed, then they
said, "That's fanaticism. This man is a devil, a Beelzebub." 'Cause it was so
contrary to their church until--their church creeds and what they had done.
And it was that way in every coming of a prophet, the church would be so messed
up.
73 God sent down His
laws and gave them a covenant. And the priest would come in and cut away, and
add to, and take over here, and make a creed out of it. And then, God would
raise out of nowhere, some anointed man that was raised up in the power of the
Spirit. And he was always hated by the priests, by the kings. And--and where
the false prophets wore their soft clothes, and walked humbly, and softly among
the kings and the priests, to deserve big names and--and things, then the real,
true prophet, came from nowhere, none of their organizations.
Where--where was there any in the Bible, where God ever took a priest and made
a prophet out of him? Where did God ever take an ecclesiastical theologian,
trained man, theological trained man, and make a prophet out of him? Never in
the histories of anywhere, did He ever do it, in any age, did He ever do it.
He has to get away from that system and bring it up. And that's what He had
done here.
75 Jesus, when He was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, out of a poor family, and He had no backgrounds as they knowed of, and He's just one of the tribe of--of Judah, and His mother and father was from the lineage of David; they had to come up and be taxed. And here He was, just a young Fellow, around, doing nothing but tearing up the churches. And they hated Him. And they couldn't say but what that Man done miracles. Peter expressed that on the day of Pentecost, said, "Jesus, of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among us, that God was with Him." And not to add to His Word or anything, to make it a little plainer: "He was God made flesh with us. God with us."
76 And saying the other night, that Moses, standing there with his hand in his bosom, he was--that was God in Moses. He holding the secrets in his heart, and extended it white with leprosy. Then pulled it back into his bosom and healed it, and then extended it again to us when He sent down the Holy Spirit; which was God, again, in just another form on the day of Pentecost. And we turn It down. We don't want That. That's the way they did then. That's the way that we probably do it today.
77 We see, every man has his own interpretation. That's why it's so confusing. But you know, the Bible said, that this Word is of no private interpretation. It don't need a Presbyterian interpretation of It. It don't need a Baptist interpretation. Neither does It need a Pentecostal interpretation. God is His own Interpreter. He said He would do it, so He just does it, and that settles it. So that's why they see the Word of promise anointed and then they--they can't receive It. You see, because It's contrary to their--their creeds.
78 What the Messiah anointed One would look like, and what He would do; it was far from their understanding. And then when it was read to them out of the Scriptures, what He'd do, still they didn't understand it. For when these wise men came down from up at Babylon, they were kinda northeast from Jerusalem, and looked down and seen that star leading westward. They followed it for two years, coming down across the Tigris River, and through the valleys and Shinar, and come on down and come to the head city of all the religions, the greatest religion of all the world, in the temple, in Jerusalem. And up and down the streets saying, "Where is He? Where is He that's born the King of the Jews?" Why, nobody knowed nothing about it. It was strange.
79 It even stirred to
the Sanhedrin called out the scholars and said, "Read in the Scriptures where
a Messiah..."
And they went and got the--the Scriptures and read out that Micah said that
"Out... Judah... Bethlehem of Judah, art thou not the least among all the princes?
But out of thee shall come this governor."
See, instead of investigating, they just throwed it off, "Well, it's a bunch
of fanaticism." See? That's why the shepherds took the message. See, they don't...
They have their own interpretation; therefore, they--they miss the real true
thing.
81 But as ever, when He come, He come just exactly the way the Word said He would come. He come into the city just exactly, in our text this morning, the way the Word said He would come. And they said, "Who is it?" Do you see what I mean? They ought to have known Who it was. And here... Not the outside world, but the church world said, "Who is it? Who is this?" When there the Scriptures had plainly said that that's exactly the way He would come. And they say, "Who is it? Who is this fellow? What's all this emotion about? Stop from making all that noise. It makes us nervous." Uh-huh. The... See? The very thing they had prayed for was right there at their hand, and they didn't recognize it. And He come just exactly the way the Scripture said He would come. And if He does today, He'll come just the way the Scripture says He'll come. He ever comes in the taste of God's Word, and not in the taste of some theologian's idea about it.
82 By the way, did you know the Word of God never did come to a theologian? Find the Scriptures where It ever did. The Word don't come to theologians; not at all. But, you see, if the Word was made manifest today, the Word for our day, It would be in the taste of God's Word, not in the taste of somebody's idea. God would take His Word that He promised for this day, and anoint It, and It would happen. That's all. There's no way to keep It from happening. It'll do it anyhow, no matter what the church says and what the rest of them believes and it... God will do it anyhow. There'll be just a very few that'll ever know about it. That's right, just a very few. It's always was that way.
83 See, with their own interpretation, they couldn't do nothing else, 'cause they leaned to what the church had told them. But He would come... He always come then... He did then, rather, and He would every time He comes, and everything He does, it'll be in the taste of the Word. So therefore, we can't put confidence in what other people say. There's only one thing that you can put confidence in, and that's the Word. And the Word is God. And the Word anointed makes the Messiah, the anointed Word of the hour. How beautiful. They missed it, the Word; the right... They had... The Word is always right, but their interpretation of It was wrong.
84 I wonder if this
great thing, this Ecumenical Council that we got in the world today, and the
World Council of Churches forming together make us all one, I wonder if they
realize that that is exactly what the Scriptures said they would do. But they
think it's the most wonderful thing in the world, that all of us can join hands
and be one. Said, "Jesus prayed that we might be one." That is true. But not
that kind of one.
He said, "Be one as I and the Father are One." Yeah, be that kind of One. Then
how will that be? The Word in us would be the anointed Word. That is the oneness
of God. See, the oneness of God is the Word anointed in you. See? And then you
become a son, a messiah of the age.
86 Now, we find the people much the same. The people doesn't change. These people were divided in three groups. And we'll look at that for a few minutes now. I know I'm going to run just a little bit late, if it's all right with you. I'm just so slow, I--I--I just... I don't know; I--I get in and write the Scriptures down, and little notes. And then I--I get there and the--the Holy Spirit grabs ahold of one, and I--I--I--I... Just look like it just no end to it. It just keeps on going. But, now, to our text.
87 They were divided
there in three different groups, with three different opinions. Some of them
believed Him. Some of them hated Him. And some of them didn't know what to do.
See? That's--that's just the way we got it. I preached, I believe in this church
once: Believers, Make-Believers, and Unbelievers, them three in the group, you--you
have that everywhere. This is three in the group too; seeing this state of the
people has always been. We can go way back and prove, that's the state of the
people always. They've always been in that kind of a condition.
Then seeing that it's always been that way, then it makes us prone to believe
that God designed people to be that way. Why, He'll make His enemy to praise
Him. Everything... Paul, writing, in Romans, 8th chapter, said, "Oh, foolish
man, can the--can the clay say to the potter, why makest my--me thus? Doesn't
He have power to make one vessel to honour and another to dishonor?" What if
He hadn't made no night? You'd never appreciate the sunshine. If it'd been all
sunshine, you wouldn't know how to appreciate it. What if there'd been no sickness?
You'd never know how to appreciate good health. What if there'd been no evil
people, no evil women? A good woman wouldn't be honored. See? They wouldn't...
Honor wouldn't belong to her, 'cause it's just all that way; it's just one flat
thing. But it's a law of contrast.
90 God makes it thus: one to be so dishonorable to show up the honorable one; one to be so far wrong it shows up... If it wasn't, that would be the right thing. If there wasn't... There cannot be a bogus dollar until there is a real dollar. And then the bogus is... If it was just made a bogus to begin with, then it would be the real one. But it's--it's a copy. There cannot be... there cannot be sin until there's righteousness. Because righteousness is the--the right thing, and sin is the perversion of righteousness. In other words, a truth is a truth. A lie can't be a lie until there's a truth first to pervert that truth into a lie. So all sin is nothing but righteousness perverted.
91 Therefore, there
is a system in the world: two systems, and one of them is the right system,
and the other is a perverted system. And one of them is God's Word, which is
right; and every man's word is a lie. And this denominational system we got
today, forming a World Council of Churches to make a mark of the beast to emerge
them together is the wrong thing. And men are blindly walking into it.
God's done put the thing on earth for them to be delivered by. But they think
it's a bunch of fanaticism. They don't want it. They turn it off. They think
they've got to do something about it. They got to make their own system. God's
got the system already here: His Word. But we don't want That. So we find ourselves
today, just like they was then.
93 Now, seeing that
people are designed to be that way... Notice, you say... I know I take a lot
of time, but I don't want to keep watching that 'cause it makes me nervous.
See?
Politics: now we take like... Let's just take for instance, see if people's
designed to be in three--three classes. Let's take politics. There's some that's
red-hot for a man. And another group hates him. And another group don't know
what to do about him; they don't know which, and it throws them into confusion.
This man said, "Oh, he's a great man. He--he'll make us the best President."
The other one said, "He's nothing but a renegade."
Then the in-between said, "Now, I don't know what to do." See? See, we're designed
that way. We're made up that way. That's the way human beings are. It had to
be that way to fulfill God's great economy. And to make His achievement that
He's going to achieve upon the earth, man had to be designed thus. One is right.
The other one's wrong. And the other one's in between the two. It's always been
that way.
97 Notice, they do that
every time that they don't know... The man in between, it's a bad place, because
one can show the matter, why he thinks he's right; the other one can show why
he thinks he's wrong; and the one in between don't know nothing about the matter;
he don't know which way to turn. And that's just the way it is in religion.
People do the same thing today about their eternal destination.
Now we're going to hurt, just a minute. They do it about their eternal destination.
A man will go down here to a--at this--to eat. And if you'd find a spider in
your bowl of soup, you'd want to sue that company or that restaurant. Why, you
wouldn't eat that soup; it'd be poisoned. You--you--you--you wouldn't take it
at all, a big roach or something boiled up in a bowl of soup. Why, you wouldn't
have it at all. It would make you sick to think about it. But yet, you'll let
some bunch of theologians push something down your throat that'll send you a
million miles from God, and gulp over it, when man shall live by every Word
that proceeds out of the mouth of God. It's a chain that your soul is hanging
over hell with. And as I've said before, "A chain is its best at its weakest
point." One link to break... that's all you have to do is break one of them;
that's all. The rest of them lets loose with it. It's only as strong as its
weakest link.
99 Now... And a person
that knows if you eat that soup with a poison spider in it, it would probably
make you sick. You'd have to go to the hospital, and--and have your stomach
pumped, and a lot of trouble to go through. And it could actually kill you.
But, my, you'd... Why, you'd never go around a place like that. You'd never
want to darken the door again, because you--you--you're afraid you'd get poisoned
and die. And then you'll absolutely join up, put your names on books, and fight
for the very cause of the thing that the Bible said that's not damning your
body, but sending your soul to hell. See? How strange that people do. They--they've--they
take their eternal destination, base it upon some theological term. And you
can bring them the Scripture, said, "This is what the Bible said. Here it is
right here."
And the theologian look at It, "Well, that was for another day." (See?) And
you listen to him. You see what God says. A real, true Christian only listens
to that Word, and that's all. Men of God live by that Bread.
101 Notice, some--some
believe in the Word. While there's others believe in their denominational interpretation.
And there's others, by this confusion, that don't know what to believe.
Now, some of them said, "Oh, this World Council of Churches, that's going to
be the thing. It's going to make us all one. Oh, that's just it."
And others say, "Why, it's of the Devil. Here it is in the Scripture."
Then the man that don't take time to set down and pray and seek it out, he said,
"Oh, forget it." Uh-huh. Forget it? It's your--by your statement, brother, by
your position, by what term you take, is going to send you to your eternal destination
where you'll be forever. Don't do that.
105 It behooves us to
set down when anything like this rises up. And a question... Like in the days
of Jesus; when they come, the church said, "Oh, He's just a renegade. There's
nothing to Him."
But One said, "Search the Scriptures." He said, "In Them you think you have
Eternal Life, and They tell you Who I am."
Then men, women, with any Christian status at all, or interest in their eternal
destination, ought to search the Scriptures and see Who He was. Then the question
wouldn't have been, "Who is this?" They'd say, "Here He is." That's the difference.
See, it's men; they--they--they just prone to be that way. Some are ordained
to it. It's hard to say that, but it's true. It shows it. See?
108 Now, today some
says, "I believe the Word. The Word is Truth, every Word of It."
Others say, "Aw, our pastors go and learn that kind of... They know what to
say about That."
Another said, "Well, I don't know. I joined this one. I didn't like it. I went
over here and joined this one. I--I don't know which one to belong to." See?
That's just the way it was then, same kind of a crowd. But it's always been
that way from the beginning, and it always will be.
111 Now, let us consider
the Bible Truth on this matter and see if It's right just for a few minutes
now. Adam... In the beginning it started off like this, the way we got it right
today, hasn't changed a bit. Adam was a believer. Satan was an unbeliever; he
did not believe the Word. So he got Eve, who was not sure whether It was right
or not. See? Satan, the unbeliever... God said, "The day you eat there, that
day you die."
Satan said, "That's not right." See, and he didn't believe it. Adam did believe
it. So he worked on the one that was in between that just couldn't tell; she
just couldn't tell.
113 Now, notice, the
woman here represents the future denominational church called bride. It all
come up in Genesis. It's a seed. You start in Genesis; you'll get your picture
straight. See? Now, here, she represented the church of this day because some
says (Now, we take Presbyterians, and Lutherans, and all of them coming around,
these businessmen and so forth.), "We'd like to have... We want the baptism
of the Holy Ghost. We--we'd like to get it."
Do you realize the day that we could be in? See? It could be that they never
get It. Do you know Jesus said, "When they, the sleeping virgin..."
Now, remember, the sleeping virgin come to call for oil. It was all sealed out.
She didn't get It. She never got It. Do you realize that after the Bride is
done gone, raptured to heaven, churches will still go on, people think they're
getting saved and everything just like they always did. Continue just like it
was in the days of Noah. They went right ahead eating, drinking, and everything
just like they always did. They didn't know it, but the door was closed. And
it could be, friends, that the door could close at anytime. Maybe already, for
all I know. We don't know.
116 There just going
to be a few of them go in. We know that "As it was in the days of Noah (eight
souls were saved), so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man." There just
be a few souls saved. I don't say eight. Might be eight hundred or... I--I don't
know how many: eight thousand, I--I don't know, eight million. I...
But you see, the Bride's not going to be made up of just what little group's
here on earth now. When the seventh watch, when He came, all those virgin raised
and trimmed their lamps. All the way back, every one that believed the anointed
Word down through the age come forth. Like the pyramid (the bottom part), and
come on... But the Headstone had to come to pick the whole thing up to make
it a--a pyramid (See?), put it together. Now, the Bride will be made up of all
those through the ages that's believed and has accepted Christ as their Saviour.
118 Now, Eve wasn't
sure. Adam told her, said, "Now, God said, honey, 'that the day you eat thereof,
that day you die.'"
But they said... Satan said, "Surely that can't be right. You imagine a--a father
would treat his children... Just a little fun, a thing like that. Surely it
ain't so." See?
And what did she finally turn? She turned to the "surely." And that's just exactly
what the church does today exactly. "Oh, surely... We're a great church. We're
a great people. We been a long time... All this stuff that they call fanaticism
out here, this--this stuff that they call the baptism of the Holy Ghost and
all... That's nonsense. See, that... There's no such a thing as that. Aw, surely...
I pay tithes. I go to church. My mother went to the... Surely God..." But God
said different. And that's the way it's going to be. See? Just as they would
taste of His Word. He said what this Laodicea church age would be. I got a special
book coming out it pretty soon, the Lord willing (See?) of this Laodicea, to
show that it's already over; that she's already sealed in there, and Christ
is on the outside. Never did say He come back in again, you know. So we find
it today, putting the Word out, just as it always was.
121 Now, notice, Moses, the anointed Word, or either we call him... I--I hope you will understand, when I say that he was the messiah. He was the anointed Word that had been promised for that day. Moses was. Do you believe that? Sure, the word--the word "messiah" means "the anointed." See? Now, Noah was the anointed of his day. Abraham that spoke that there would--His people had sojourned four hundred years in bondage, and they'd be brought out by a mighty hand, and what he'd show: his signs and wonders, and--and the generations that was coming on, and what would do... And Moses stood there, that anointed Word of that day. That's why he could put his hand in the bosom. Why? He was standing in the Presence of God (Amen.), the great Shekinah Glory all around him. Every move he made represented God. That's where the church ought to be standing now. That's right. Instead of that, we're off on some tantrum of some denominational something.
122 But Moses had been
attracted, and he come aside. And there was that Pillar of Fire hanging there
in that bush. And here stood Moses anointed. No doubt the man didn't even know
what he was doing. The symbols that he was given when he stood there with his
shepherd's staff, and know that that would be a rod in the wilderness. It turned
into a serpent, then become an atonement; that serpent did, in the wilderness.
All the things that he done... They were signs and voices speaking to the people.
See, they were something was connected with him. And Moses might not even knowed
it himself, but he was the anointed Word of that day. He was the anointed messenger.
So if he was the messenger of that hour, he was the messiah of that hour. He
was the anointed one.
Now, he, Joshua, and Caleb, was the believers in the group (Notice.) and tried
to teach others the truth. But see, Satan (Dathan and Korah) caused others to
perish in the wilderness. Now, what was the trouble?
123 God had called Moses.
He didn't want to go. Those prophets had such things to do till they--they...
It was a hard thing to do. They didn't want to be going out and be scorned at.
They wanted to have fellowship, and go in with the rest of them, and--and go
along with brothers. But you see, just like... I believe... I forget what prophet
it was, said, "If... I don't want to do this (in other words), but my whole
heart will catch afire. God has spoken and I must deliver it." Whether they
liked it; whether they crucified him; whether they stoned him; whatever they
did, God has spoke in his heart, and he must say it, not to be different, but
be obedient. "Obedience is better than sacrifice; hearkening, unto the fats
of rams." See, It was in his heart. He must do it. It was his life. He couldn't
hold it. There was something, a pulsation, that pushed them. They couldn't bless
it or curse it. God had so much complete control of them till He--He was their
voice, their action. Hallelujah.
Give me a Church that's so completely anointed with God till their every action
and move is THUS SAITH THE LORD, right in that Shekinah Glory, I'll show you
a Messiah (anointed one of God) standing upon the earth.
125 There stood Moses
by this burning bush and the Shekinah Glory. Standing there, anointed, he didn't
know what he was doing hardly. He was just obeying what the Voice said do, "Stick
your hand in your bosom. Pull it out. Take up that rod. Turn it into a serpent.
Throw it back down again." No matter what anybody else said, he was doing it.
Said, "Lord, show me Your Glory, and I'm ready to go to Egypt. I'm not an eloquent
man. I can't speak well. But You just let me see Your Glory." And He showed
It to him. And he went down and took these same things. And to show that he
was the anointed messiah, that man picked up dust off the earth and throwed
it into the air, and flies and fleas flew out of that dust, and covered the
earth. What could create, but God? Took water out of the river and poured it
upon the bank; and every drop of water throughout Egypt turned to blood. What
could do that, but God? What was it? He was so completely surrendered to God's
anointed Word till he was the messiah.
The Egyptians tried to turn it down this way. The unbelievers tried to turn
it down. The make-believers tried their scheme. But God's Word took them right
straight on to the promised land. That's right. They were anointed. They were...
He was the messiah.
128 Now, the question
comes up out in the wilderness. Here's where it brings... (See, now, I want
you to watch, my brethren.) Now, remember, these people enjoyed them blessings.
They enjoyed the preaching of this prophet, this anointed one. They believed
him. They followed him. But there arose up in the wilderness, one by the name
of--of Dathan and one by the name of Korah. And they said, "This has got to
be a one-man affair. Moses thinks he's the only one God's called."
That one-man message, they didn't want it. No, they didn't want It. And God
never did deal but with one person at a time. It's always a one-man message.
When did ever He deal with the people, outside of just one person? It's an individual.
It ain't a group. You're responsible to God, each one of you. You say, "Oh,
I believe it." You just... What you do, you just entertain it. You entertain
a thought.
130 Here's a woman standing here. I'm a young man, waiting to get married. She meets my specifications in every way. She's a lovely Christian: she looks like one, she dresses like one, she acts like one, she lives like one. I'll admit she'd make me a good wife. But she isn't mine till I take her for mine. That's the way the Message is. You can sympathize with It and say It's right. But you've got to take It yourself to become part of It. Then you and the Message become one. Then the anointing's with you, as it is with the others.
131 Now, Satan, he didn't
believe It. Dathan... He got Dathan and them not to believe It, caused all of
them to perish.
But you say, "Wait a minute, Brother Branham, you said three: Moses, Joshua,
and Caleb." That's exactly right. That's what they was. "But here you only say
two. Are you saying here that there was a..."
You say, "The supernatural Satan..." But there was supernatural God too, anointing
these three. Now, Satan's only anointed. But the other one's coming; the other
one's coming; just watch for a few minutes. He comes on the scene; his name's
Balaam. He's a money-loving prophet (so-called prophet), false prophet.
133 There's always all
kinds of prophets. And always with Israel and along with the group, there was
always prophets: them soft soap soaping, peddle pushing prophets, that walked
along and want the king's good word, and a hand out, and... All right, like
Ahab had four hundred of them, all dressed up in ecclesiastical style. And he
told... He told the--the--the great king up there, the Jehoshaphat, said, "Why,
sure, I got four hundred, all well trained, Hebrew prophets."
And they all come and prophesied. But that man had enough of God in him to know
that that was wrong, 'cause he knowed Elijah had cursed that thing. And how
could God bless what he had cursed? He couldn't do it. He said, "Have you got
one more that we might inquire?"
He said, "Yes, you got one out here: Micaiah, the son of Imlah." But said, "I
hate him." Said, "He's on us all the time condemning me and telling me everything
evil." How could... The Lion had roared; God had spoke. Who couldn't speak the
Truth? When it was contrary to the Word of God, he had to curse the thing. Always
they've had this--the false prophet. But they've had a true one always too.
Remember, there wasn't a whole school of them. There was one of them. And that's
the way it is in any day. That's the way it is today.
136 The Prophet of the day is this Word. That's right. The Prophet today is not all these here different... Here's the Methodist prophet, a Baptist prophet, a Pentecostal prophet, all kinds of prophets around and across the country. But still remains: there's one true Prophet, the same yesterday, today, and forever. That's right. Jesus Christ, and He is the Word. That's right. He is the Word, the Anointed Word of the hour.
137 Notice Him now, as we travel on. We find out that Joshua and Caleb... And then here comes Balaam in, the hireling prophet. What did he do? He walked right over every Word of God, after God showed it to him. (He represents the denomination today. We'll show that just in a few minutes: Dathan, what he was, and what the rest of them was.) Now, Balaam represented the denomination. A person who ought not--ought to know better. He knowed that was wrong. But what did he do after that? God gave him a warning, and still he walked right across that warning. He was so crazy about money and popularity that he could belong to them. And so is the churches doing today, walking right into that World Council of Churches. And every warning is blasting across the country, and signs and wonders in this last days. They walk right into it anyhow, because they love the praise of men more that they love the Word of God.
138 I've got a good friend out there that's preaching that message: a Pentecostal, out telling people, trying to unite the church together, saying that we must come into this, this ecumenical move. Why, some in them... The Church of Christ... Many of these denominations that don't even believe in the virgin birth, and all these different things, and they all belong to that. How can two walk together unless they be agreed...?... Then, you said, "Amen" to that, I wonder about this now: Then how can a man say that he's a Christian and filled with the Holy Ghost, and deny that that Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever? The Holy Ghost in you will punctuate that Word, every Word, "Amen. Amen. Amen." When the Word says anything, you say, "That's Truth." Amen. The... 'Cause you're agreed with the Word. You're agreed with God. You and God are one. God is in you. You're His son or His daughter, makes you a messiah for Him, the anointed Word living out in you.
139 Notice, Balaam walked
right across these things. He was a perfect denomination and a perfect answer
to their taste. That's what Dathan wanted. That's what Korah wanted. They wanted
to make an organization out of it, said, "We got holy men all out through here."
I don't care how perfect two men would walk together, there's a difference in
them. Our noses is not alike. Our thumb prints are not alike. There's many things
about us... Yet we can give one another a blood transfusion, even into twins,
and they still are different. Then (You see?), God just gets one person into
that swing, and the other believes to that.
141 He made one man, and many men from that man. As all die in Adam, all live in Christ. He made one way of death, and they all walked into it. And He made a way of Life, and there's many walks in there that has Life. Off of one Man, not a dozen men come dying. Dozen men didn't have to sin. One man sinned one sin. One Man paid the complete penalty. It don't need any more crawling on your knees, and saying Hail Mary's, and all these other kind of things, and paying tributes to dead people. Jesus died that the Gift of God could be free. He paid the debt completely. But you see, we want to have something else to say into it.
142 Watch this now.
These fellows walked up there and said, "Well, you try to make yourself the
only man in the bunch. You think you're the only one."
And Moses was wore out with him. He went back, said, "Father..."
He said, "Separate yourself from them. I--I--I..."
"All--all that's on God's side, come over here." And He opened up the earth
and swallowed them up. Is that right? Just think of it, brother. (Oh, my.) Why
did they not believe him? Why didn't they believe that--that--that--that this
Moses was that leader, of God? Why did they want to fuss with him? Always murmur
and complaining, when they seen the hand of God and moved under... And Moses...
God had proved that--that Moses was His anointed messiah. You see? And then
just... See, down in their heart, they were wanting something different.
146 What happened to
you Pentecostals? A few years ago you come out of that mess called denomination
to make yourselves Pentecost. Why did you want to go back in it again? The husk
had to come. (The Grain wasn't here yet.) See? Notice, that's just the way they
did. That was in their heart. They had to do it.
Now, see, Dathan had a idea that they could all make a great religion out of
it. You know, even the apostle Peter had the same idea on Mount Transfiguration.
He said, "Let's build three tabernacles here: one for Moses, and one for the
law, and one for the prophets, one..."
And while he was yet speaking, there was a Voice come down, said, "This is My
beloved Son. Hear ye Him." That's when they looked back they seen Jesus only.
There He stood. He was the Word. That's all you have to hear, is that Word.
That's Him in any age. See what the Word says for that age, and watch God anoint
It, and go with It. That's all.
149 They followed the Pillar of Fire to the promised land. Those that went all the way through did; the others perished. Notice, they wanted the Word mixed with the world. 'Caused them to error. And notice what it did to them. The Word... They missed It because they wouldn't accept the anointed Word. See, you have to have the counterfeit... First you have to have the real one to make a counterfeit off of it. And there they had it, and God showed that He wasn't with it.
150 Think how perfect
the Word had been made known to them, by being made vindicated to them. Everything
that Moses prophesied would take place, that he had called to take them to this
promised land. Everything that Moses prophesied happened right there. Not a
Word of It failed. What a privilege that that should have been, to know that
you were walking in the wilderness. And there, after... When he told them the
message, they had to believe it first. But after he got them out of there, then
God said, "I'll prove to them that I am that Pillar of Fire that you met in
the wilderness."
So He said, "Gather them all together around the mountain." And He come down
on the top of Mount Sinai. And God begin to thunder out.
And the people said, "Don't let God speak. Let Moses speak. Don't let..."
God said, "I won't speak to them no more like this, but I'll raise them up a
prophet that'll speak in My Name." See? So we find out that that's what God's
always done. Why couldn't they see that in the beginning? See all these things,
and then murmur against the message that was taking them to the promised land;
that started them out right, and taking them to the promised land. But they
still... They had to murmur against it. Think, how perfect, how they could've
walked everyday, walking with the Lord. What a life to live, right in the wilderness.
At night time... Eat manna of the morning, that fell over the night.
154 You know, it become so common to them till they said, "Our soul loathe this bread." See? And that's the way it's been with us. I just think of the little groups that we--just in my own little ministry, across the nation. Seeing not only healing and things; that's always been. Healing; God always had a healing outlet somewhere. Even He had a--a--a Angel on a pool once. And He... Oh, all kinds of things... The--the brass serpent in the wilderness. You've always had symbols of healing. (That isn't what I'm talking about.) Healing is one thing attracts the attention of the people. Anybody will donate to a healing service. They'll--they'll donate to a song festival. But when it comes to a poor lost soul, ain't got nothing to do with that. See, now isn't that about right? We done everything... To a poor lost soul, don't want nothing to do with that. They'll let him grope out into anything. Say, "Well, that's all right; he belongs to the church. It won't hurt anything."
155 But now, we find
here... (Coming to a close as quick as we can here). Think of how perfect it
was. I look down through the--the days that we have been here on this earth.
Look what the Lord God has done. Started off in great signs, and wonders, and
miracles, which we all enjoyed. Then watch. Then come the message behind it.
Watch what's taken place. Walking around, not just by yourself, men along with
you. See a cluster of Angels come from the heavens, shake the whole earth, just
stand there. And the newspapers write it up; when it's predicted months and
months beforehands would take place. There He stood there, and said, "The time
is at hand, return back. Open the Seven Seals of mysteries that's been hid all
through the reformations and thing, bring it out." Then comes preaching serpent's
seed, and all these things like that. And what does the clergy do? Instead of
saying... "Why, Luther said this or such." They just... They'll never see it.
See? But what a privilege it is for us who believe to walk in the Presence of
God, every day.
157 Stand there and
see a whirlwind come out of the sky. It blowed a mountain half in two, standing
there where we was at; cut the top of trees off and things like that. And a
blast of Word come out and shook there three times, said, "Watch it go to the
west coast." Went right over there and shook down Alaska. And coming right down
the west coast now. Just exactly.
Day before, I took a rock and throwed it up in the air, and said, "THUS SAITH
THE LORD, The hour is here; judgments will start into the earth. Earthquakes
and everything will be taking place. And all the west coast will be shook and
so forth." Look how perfect, day by day, everything just exactly the way He
said. How can we turn back, brethren? Let us keep our faith towards Him.
They say, "Who is this?" We know Who It is. It's Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
today, and forever, the Pillar of Fire. When Moses time, look what it did: typed
the Pillar of Fire today. It's always... Why did they not believe Jesus to be
the Word? They had the wrong interpretation and understanding. Just as Eve did,
so do they now.
160 Then Balaam and his doctrine was just right for them and just met their taste exactly. At the feast, look... At the feast of the Moabites... See? Oh, what He said. Look here's how a picture that is today, how it types back. (I'm keeping you too long). But look, notice, just for a little while. The feast of the Moabites... See, if He couldn't get them right out there one way, Balaam did, then he organized them together. If he couldn't curse them hisself... The more he cursed, the more God blessed. Just kept...
161 See, that's what
he done to the Pentecostals. They said a few years ago, when you all start up,
"You wouldn't go nowhere. There wasn't nothing to you. You'd--you'd burn out.
You just a bunch of fanaticism." But every time they tried to curse you, you
come right on back again. God kept revealing His Message. Down from the old
Assembly, way back in the beginning, the General Council. Then He brought in
when they received the Name of Jesus Christ for water baptism. Then one jumped
this way, and one the other, and one went off organized this and that. God kept
blessing.
Now, when he seen he couldn't curse you (See?), so what's he going to do? He's
going to organize you. Bring you... "Oh, we're all one anyhow. (See?) We all
believe in the same God." So that's just what Balaam did. And didn't Jude warn
us of this? They erred in the way of--in the doctrine of Balaam and perished
in the gainsaying of Korah. Doesn't Jude, the foster brother of Jesus, warn
us of this in the Bible? They're like Cain, from the beginning, the hireling,
the one that went to church and built churches and--and built a altar and sacrificed.
They err in the way of Cain. They run in the way of Balaam, and perished in
the gainsaying of Korah. Jude lays the whole thing out just like we're doing
it this morning here before you, like we've been doing it. The whole thing lays
there.
163 They perished in the gainsaying of Korah. Just think of that, how bad that was. Just to think of what that Korah... See, he said, "Now, we'll all go up to a feast. We're all one." The Moabites believed in God. That was Lot's daughter's kids. See? "We all believe in one God." Fundamentally, they were perfectly right. Watch Balaam up there, just as fundamental as any good Baptist or Presbyterian today. He come up there and there was Israel, that undenominated... They was a nation. Israel wasn't a nation. It was a people at that time. They didn't want to go God's way after while. They wanted to be like the rest the nations. That's when they fail. But as long as they want to stay with God, all right.
164 Balaam come out, he looked down, said, "Well, my, I know one of them ministers married another man's wife." All these other things, oh sure, they had plenty. He forgot to hear the shout of the--of the King in the camp. He never seen that smitten rock, and that brass serpent hanging there for an atonement. He didn't realize that they wasn't hooked up to any organization. They was hooked up to God's covenant, and were walking in that. See? And Balaam said (fundamentally), "Build me seven altars." That's what Jehovah required. That's what Jehovah got on both sides. "All right, put seven calves upon it." That's what they was doing down there in that camp. "Put me seven rams on it because there's coming a Messiah someday." All right.
165 See, fundamentally,
they were both right: fundamentally. See? But one day when he seen he couldn't
get him on that, he said, "If we just organize ourself together then." And that's
where they made their mistake...
And that's just exactly where Pentecost made its mistake, when it organized
back like the rest of the churches. I'm not your enemy. I'm your brother. Some
of these days you're going to find out that that's the truth. May take a little
while yet (few turns of the sun), but someday you'll see that that's right.
Then Balaam's doctrine hit them just... That's what they wanted. "We're all
one." See? So there they went. All of their prophets and all went right with
them. And was at the feast, the same said, "And we all believe that there's
one God. Let's believe it." Just what they would been looking for, just exactly.
168 Now, when the Methodists and Baptists can't hardly get together because of their organization, but when there's coming a master organization, that we can all get together, all right. "Oh," you say, "the Pentecostals will never receive it." They won't? What'd they do the other day in Missouri? You read your papers, surely. See? You won't? No, not you Pentecostals, you people; but it's not you; it's that government up there that's moving you. That's the head that's turning you. That's right. Don't you go with it. You stay away from that thing; that's the mark of the beast. You get free of that as quick as you can. See? That's an ecclesia... It's that governmental head that does the moving.
169 We'd have never went over and had war with Germany or any of the rest of this, hadn't been some of these big politicians setting up here to make new guns and start... I don't want money out of--blood money out of my own child, that has to get out there and die for it. See? But that's what it is; it's politics that does it. And the whole world's controlled by the Devil. That's exactly what Jesus said. And it'll never be right until the millennium, when Jesus comes and takes over. But now we're having these troubles. (Hurry up so we can get through. Now, watch.)
170 Just what has been
looking for, just the thing, that's just what they wanted: Satan's victory at
the Moabite feast. He's got another one coming too. He's getting them all in
the same way. Wait... All at once... Just think of what they done. Same as it
was. It never had to take a great big, long, three or four years to draw it
out. They--the false prophet, the man that walked over the Word of God... Every
warning that God has sent across the nation, and told them, "Get out of it.
Get out of it. Get out of it." They won't do it. They'll stay right there.
They ignore the Word of God, ignore the Words, ignore the signs, ignore the
things that we're in, go right on, "We're going to have it anyhow. We're going
right on over. We got to have it. That's all. We're all one." See the folly
of the Devil? That's the same thing they did at the Nicaea feast, at Nicaea,
Rome. They made a organization out of it, and that's what happened. Satan had
a Nicaea feast. Oh, my. And ever since... Listen, I'm going to say a great big
word here now. And you on a tape that want to argue about this, argue it to
yourself, and history, and the Bible (See?) but not to me.
172 Listen! Every time that God sends a messenger and gets a Message started... And when that church, when that group of people becomes to the denominational feast... That's where they do it. That's where you Assemblies done it. That's where you Oneness done it. That's where the rest of you done it, at your denominational feast, throwing yourself right back in the same thing that God cursed from the beginning. That's exactly the truth. Any time that the church ever had a revival... In Luther's time, then a... What happened? Methodists, all down through the ages, Zwingli, Finley, Finney, all of the rest of them, when they had a revival, what did they do with it? Throwed it right into a denominational feast, and crawled in with the rest of them, put a brand on you like the rest of them. Then you got a bunch of men controlling you. The Holy Spirit can't move no farther. That's exactly. You start to preach something the Bible teaches, like it, and the denomination don't believe; they put you right out. Try it once and see if it's right or not. You'll see that it's the truth. See, at denominational feast every time they're called to it, that Balaam feast, trouble sets in. Oh, Luther, Wesley, Pentecost, and all of them are victims of it.
173 Notice, it was then (Hallelujah), when Moses stepped forth and said, "Who's for me and God?" Amen. It was then the Levite pulled his sword, went through the camp and utterly slayed everything that was connected with it. Amen. Everything, every man that had a Moabite woman, they killed them right together. Now, the hour's come. Where is that man? Where is Aaron's sons, some of the priesthood that's willing to pull the Word of God, this sharp two-edged Sword? Said, "Who stands for me and God?" Where's he at? Can invite, invite but nobody answers. See what I mean? We don't get it. We just... There's something wrong. Notice, there they was... It was then that Moses stood up and said these things.
174 Notice, their sin
that they did there when they denominated themselves with Moab and made them
one body, that sin was never forgiven them. I'm just going to coast on that
just a minute. (It's late, but just a minute.) Their sin was never forgiven
them. Not one of them ever made the promised land. Jesus said in (Excuse me
a minute.) St. John 6... Jesus said in St. John 6, when they said, "Our fathers
eat manna in the wilderness."... They were Pentecostals. Brother, they eat the
manna, they had the real thing.
Jesus said, "And they're every one dead." They're perished. They're eternally
gone. Their sin was never forgiven them. What did they do? They broke their
covenant with God and organized with Balaam, the hireling prophet that wouldn't
take the warning of God, wouldn't take the Word of God, wouldn't take nothing
of God. But he was determined to get them all one. Can you see the folly? I
could stay on that a long time, but I--I think you got it. See? Notice, their
sin was never forgiven them; not one of them that lived under those blessings
and eat that manna and everything...
176 When the real, true
Message come to a showdown, they organized it. "We'll take Moabites and us together.
They're a great organization, a great nation. We're not even... We're not even
a nation. We'll just marry among one another and we'll--we'll be all right then.
We'll be with them." And it was never forgiven: never, never forgiven them.
Jesus said, "They're every one dead." Translate that word the Hebrew or Greek,
either one, or even in the English, it means "eternal separation," forever gone.
That's right.
Oh, yes, they saw the miracles. They saw the Word anointed. They eat the manna
that come from heaven. They enjoyed the blessings of the atonement. They saw
the smitten rock give Its water. They drank from it. They were personally acquainted
with it. But when it come to breaking that Word... Don't you never forget that.
When Jesus said, "I and My Father are One," didn't say there's three. (Huh?)
When all these other great fundamentals of the Scripture...
179 A man come to me
the other night to show me where I was wrong, or to talking about the trinity.
I got thousands of good trinity friends. They're in that Babylon. I got a lot
of Oneness friends in that Babylon too. See? But what happened? He said, "It's
terminology, Brother Branham. You believe in the trinity?"
I said, "Certainly." I said, "I'll take your word: terminology." I said, "How
do you believe it?"
He said, "I believe in one God."
I say, "You do well." See?
He said, "I believe there's one God, and three persons in the Godhead."
I said, "Aren't you a--a student of BIOLA?"
He said, "Yes."
I said, "Sounds like it." I said, "That don't speak very good for your education."
I said, "Three persons in one God?" I said, "According to Webster there, it
has to be a personality before it can be a person. You believe in three gods,
mister." You cannot be a person without being a personality, 'cause it takes
a personality to make a person.
So they say... He said, "Well, Mr. Branham, you know, even the--the theologians
can't explain it."
I said, "That's exactly right. The Word don't come to a theologian." I said,
"The Bible is all tied into the Revelation, 'Upon this rock I'll build My Church,
and the gates of hell can't prevail against It.'" See? Amen, there you are.
See? But then when it comes to those things, oh, my...
184 Now, we want to
hurry and close right quick if we can. I've got to bypass some of these Scriptures
and notes. See? Now, notice, they never was forgiven of what they did. What
did they do? They enjoyed the blessings. Don't forget that. I'm going to repeat
it again. They never was forgiven for it. Remember, this tape goes around the
world. See? It's played in camps in Africa, India, all around the world; translated
in different languages; and different camps, different places.
The sin was never forgiven. What? They...
You say, "Well, bless God, I--I did this. I--I--I've did this. I've eat the
heavenly manna. I..."
Yeah, they did too. And Jesus said, "They're every one dead." But when it come
to the exact message, where they shouldn't break that covenant with another
nation... God was a segregationalist and He segregated that people, and they
wasn't supposed to have anything to do with any other, marry into anybody. And
the real, genuine Church and Bride of Christ, is joined to Christ which is the
Word. And you don't marry into any organization, any denomination. You stay
exactly with Christ and that Word, as an individual. To do it is eternal separation
from God. I hope everybody gets that.
187 Now, in our text,
it was near the Feast of the Passover; was going. It was a awful time. People
were sleeping on the outside of the gates. Every passover did this. They was
outside laying on the grounds. The inns was all full and everything. It was
the passover. There was great expectations in there. The air was all filled.
(Now, in about five more minutes I'll be out, Lord willing, or ten.) Everybody
was all charged.
Look, there's three classes of people there. See, there was a great expectation.
They knowed that this strange Man was coming up to this feast. Some of them
loved Him; they believed Him. Some of them hated Him; most of them hated Him.
And because one loved Him and the other hated Him, the middle man didn't know
what to do. See? They didn't know. Notice, the air was full of expectations,
one saying, "When He gets up there, I tell you we'll call Him... We'll give
Him a Word test. We'll stand Him up there by the high priests. We'll see what
His wisdom is against Caiaphas." He'd already proved that. See?
189 "But we'll do this:
We'll see... I know that some of the great leaders will take hold of him. Boy,
they'll turn that old guy inside out. They'll let him know what he was, when
they go to fooling with our priests. Boy, they know what they're doing. They're
smart men. They know what they're doing."
Others said, "I wonder what they will do with that guy anyhow."
Others said, "Oh, I'm waiting for Him to come. God is with Him. He is that Word.
Oh, I just--I just want to see Him." See? Oh, they were divided. Now, see, the
ones that did know Him and believed Him, they would've knowed what gate to wait
at. See? They knowed which a-way He was coming. There's great expectation, but
you know, there wasn't too many saw Him. See, there's many didn't see Him. So
is it today.
192 Some of them said,
"He's a good man. Oh, there's nothing wrong with Him. Like Napoleon, Washington,
he was a good man. But, oh, as a teacher, no, no."
Some of them said, "Oh, He's a good man. Oh, He's--He's just all mixed up; that's
all. He's a good fellow. Nobody can say anything bad about Him."
Others said, "No, He--He's a devil. I can tell you that--that there mind reading
stuff and all this other stuff, and that--that's false prophecy. It's contrary
to our creed. Don't you believe such a thing as that."
And the other one, said, "Glory to God, It's God. I know Him. I see." And they
were waiting. Now, that's just the way we stand today, but the same thing: the
Word anointed for this hour, the Laodicea church age.
196 Now, we're going
to close in saying this. (Just a moment.) Three classes waited for Him. So is
it today. That's right, three. Notice, the believers were shouting. See, see?
His ministry had caused Him to be loved by some, hated by others, and wondered
at by another class. See? His ministry... Let me quote that again. His ministry,
whatever it was... We know now It was the Word. But His ministry had caused
some people to love Him. They were predestinated to do that. See, they believed
it. They saw it. There was no more... When Nathanael came up there, and--and
He said to him what He did like that, he said, "Rabbi, You're the Son of God.
You're the King of Israel, no question in my mind."
Simon was standing there, said, "Oh. Andrew, I ain't going over. I've heard
all that there stuff before."
"But Andrew, you ought to come. You ought to come, just come one time with me."
And while he was setting there, Jesus saw him coming up, you know, coming up.
Said, "Your name is Simon. You're the Son of Jonas." There was no question no
more. See, that's all there was to it. They were there. They believed it. They
seen it. They knowed that's what the Messiah was supposed to do when He come.
200 He had to be a Prophet,
for Moses said He would be a Prophet. And the scrupled had been four hundred
years without a prophet. It took a prophet to straighten it out, always in every
age. And here He was standing there.
Wasn't no question to them, they was waiting there with palms in their hand,
"He'll be along after while." Waiting...
The whole city, tense. They said, "That's a bunch of fanatics gathered out there
at the gate."
The other one said, "I wonder what he'll do when he comes up here. You know,
I--I really believe he's a faker. I believe he's got a rabbit foot he rubs on
his ear (you know), or something like that, you know."
And like they say today, "Oh, it's some kind of a mental telepathy. It's--it's
something..." They can explain it all away.
Another said, "That's a devil. You stay over on this side of the city. Don't
you have nothing to do with that. Don't you cooperate in that meeting. Don't
you go down there. See? We'll have nothing to do with it." Three classes of
people...
206 Now, watch. Now,
here He comes riding into the city. Just exactly what the Word said He would
do, riding on a little donkey, coming into the city. Those who were not looking
at the creed, not looking at the temple, not looking at all these other things,
not looking at the priests, what they had to say; those that believed Him, they
were standing there with palm in their hand, just waiting the first move. You
never heard them say, "Who's this coming?" Oh, no. They knew Who was coming.
They know what the Word said. See? And the other class, see them back in the
city? And then when they heard this noise: "Hosanna to the King. Hosanna to
the King that comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna, Hosanna." And all the
screaming...
The priests run out to see what all this religious motion was about. And the
people said, "Who is this?" What were they there for, friends? A religious feast.
The very God that had them to ordain this feast, told them that He'd be there
just like that, and they cried, "Who is it?"
208 Time hasn't changed.
People are designed the same as they was then. Hebrews 13:8 said He's same yesterday,
today and forever. Now, I'm going to close by saying this: The question isn't
to them anymore. They asked who it is. But in 1964, the question is: Who do
you say it is? What's this all about? Have you stopped to search the Scriptures?
Who do you think this is? Is it mental telepathy? Is it some wild something
out of the wilderness yonder somewhere, like they said John was, a man, wild,
drowning people in water out there? When Isaiah said he'd be there, the forerunner,
Malachi said he would be there just exactly. Them prophets said, "This prophet
will rise right up right there to forerun it." And here he was.
They said, "That's a wild man. Stay away from him. (See?) Don't have nothing
to do with him." And here comes the Messiah, just exactly what the Scripture
said that He would ride in the city upon the foal of an ass. Meek and lowly,
upon the foal of an ass, coming into the city, that the Scriptures might be
fulfilled. And here stands the people at a religious feast again like Balaam,
at a religious feast saying, "Who is this?"
And today, the Scriptures promised for this hour, friends, it's fulfilled right
in our midst, hour after hour. Who do you think it is? Let us study about it
when we bow our heads.
211 Dear God, we are
all thinking seriously, deeply, because we must do this. It's on our hands,
Lord. We see You, the great King. We see Your promise of the Word. We're been
looking for this for years, for this great time to come, when we're living right
now. We see Your anointed Word in Your people, living It out, just exactly what
You said would take place. We see Satan's group anointed out yonder. And we
have patterned it across the nation, back and forth through the Word, so there'll
not be one stone left uncovered. I don't know who You've ordained to Life, Lord.
It's not my business to know; that--that's Your business. But it's my business
to move every stone. God help me, help other men who believe it. Move every
stone, Lord, that there'll be nothing that You've ordained but what shall hear
it.
We want to see Your coming right in our generation, Lord. We believe it. We
believe that--that there's another Palm Friday, Good Friday and a Palm Friday
on, a crucifixion to Your Church, but our triumph when You come riding in.
213 We pray, God, that
You'll bless today, Thy people. Bless this little church. Bless this dear pastor
and his son here, Brother Outlaw and--and his son: both Jimmy Sr. and Jr. Bless
everyone that's in here.
God, may we just never come here this morning... May I... I never drove up from
Tucson just to just... If I had the privilege of speaking to some people, Lord,
it--it wasn't to--to glorify nothing but this Person, Who the people's wondering
Who it is. They know that man can't do this. They know it's beyond man to know
these things. But the people says, "What is it?"
Lord, we know It's You. It's Jesus Christ, in the Person of the Holy Ghost.
He is the Holy Ghost. "I come from God. I go to God." And we see the great Pillar
of Fire among us, Lord, the same as they did in the first part of the Bible
with Moses. We seen It in the middle of the Bible when Paul was on his road
to Damascus. We see It. Now, here we see It at the end time again. Three is
a confirmation. It's been the Message each time.
And, God, may men and women no longer hold on to traditions and creeds. But
may they come out of that thing, give their lives completely to God and believe,
not trust just upon theory and things of men, but trust in the living God. While
these holidays are going on, the cry still is: "Who is this? What is it? What's
it all about?" Religious people say that same thing. And It's the same Lord
Jesus, made flesh in His people, anointing His Word for the Bride. And they
can't understand It. They're all so tore away in Laodicea, till they don't know
what It's all about. But the prophet said, "There'll be Light in the evening."
So now, we're looking for It, Lord. Come, Lord, bless each one.
217 With your heads bowed now and your hearts. You believe this to be the Truth? You do? Just raise your hand, say, "I actually believe that to be the truth, that we're living in the last days. We're here now and I believe that we're so twisted up..." You was at the meeting the other day, when the wheat, stalk... You notice, we haven't had an organization to follow this. I've been right here with your pastor all along, year in and out. Usually, two or three years and it's organized. It didn't organize this time. It can't. The shuck pulled away from it, but there's no farther advancement. The wheat, the ministry's turned right back the way it was at the beginning. It's Jesus Christ among us, friend, not a man, but the Man Christ Jesus that's living in you, and wants to be a part in you, and you be a part of Him. Won't you receive Him today?
218 Is there any here that hasn't received the baptism of the Spirit, yet? Now, you say, "Brother Branham, "I tell you; I shouted one time." That's very good. "I spoke in tongues once." That's very good too. But still that ain't what I'm talking about. How can you shout and speak in tongues and deny the Word? The evidence of the Holy Ghost is believing His Word, always been, every age, if you can receive the Word. Those priests had Jesus beat a million miles when it come to fruits of the Spirit: gentle, and peaceful, and meek, and lowly. He tore up churches, kicked them over, and tore the people out, and called them snakes in the grass, and everything. See? But He was that Word. He was that Word. That's it: believe God. God is the Word. Believe It.
219 If you never received Christian baptism yet, there's a pool here. You never received the real Holy Ghost yet, that makes you know that every Word of God is the Truth; you say, "amen" to It and believe It with all your heart, then you can receive It this morning. And then you won't wonder Who this is that makes people act the way they do. You'll know what It is. If you haven't that experience, would you say, "Brother Branham, remember me in your prayer, and I'll raise up my hand"? And you say, "And I'll--I'll..." God bless you. God bless you. You, you... God bless you, that's fine. God bless you, fine.
220 O God, as the music
sweetly plays... Oh, He's wonderful. Sure: Counselor, Prince of Peace, The Mighty
God, the everlasting Father. I pray that You'll give to these people, Lord.
I can only pray. That's all I know to do, is ask for them. They raised up their
hands. I'm doing as I promised them to; I'm praying that You will give to them
this great experience; not just merely a--a--some kind of an emotion, but a
real experience, meeting God like Moses did there on the grounds in the Shekinah
Glory; and not only there, but never to turn from that Word, to walk right on
into the promised land with It. God, grant it to each and every one this morning.
There's sickness among us today, God. We pray that You'll heal that. Heal every
sick person, every needy. Grant it, Lord. They're Yours now. I give them to
You in Jesus' Name. Amen.
222 I'm sorry, I've
up here right at two hours. But look, you got all evening. You can go home and
recuperate and take a little nap, and... But don't forget what I told you. I've
told you from my heart. I know it sounds strange. A few years ago I come into
Phoenix here with you people, healing the sick by prayer of faith. I never explained
it, didn't want to explain it. I just watch and see what people would do, just
watch the impersonations and things rise. It's been a great thing for me to
watch it.
But now, I'm coming to you with a Message that that sign vindicated. What did
the church... No, it never denominated. But what happened to the denominations
over this revival? What did they do? They went straight into Laodicea. Millions
and millions, and billions of dollars poured into it, and just... And she's
become big and rich, and she builds millions of dollars worth of property and
things like that. And to receive the Message? No indeedy. They turn It away.
What is it? The husk from away from the wheat. Now, the wheat must be that way
to lay in the Presence of the Son to turn to a full Gospel, golden grain for
the Master. Won't you believe it? Who is this, anyhow? Who is it? Could It be
men? Could it be a church? Could it be a denomination? It's Jesus Christ, the
same yesterday, today, and forever. You believe Him?
224 I wonder now, just
with a little worship after a cutting message like that,... Sister, how about
giving us a--a--a chord, for the little choir here, about "I Love Him." You
know the old song?
226 Now, I want you
to do this, while we hum it. Now, we're mixed up when it comes to what we've
been. Remember, my background was Catholic. See? Now, we're all mixed up group
in here, but we've come out of all that stuff now. We are belonging to Christ.
We're His. Now, while we sing this, let's just turn around and shake--just shake
hands. Don't have to get up. Just say, "God bless you, brother. God bless you,
sister," while we do it, just in a real Christian atmosphere. I believe God
likes to be worshipped. Don't you think so? Worship Him, He... God is an object
of worship. And we want to worship Him. And how do we do? You love one another.
You want to treat one another... "As you do to these, you do to Me."
Let us just sing it now, and--and shake one another's hands, and worship will...
229 You heard that testimony,
"Saved."
Thank you, dear Christians. That does me good. I like to come in a place like
this where you feel at home. It's hard for me to get away. I just keep thinking,
look at that clock; and--and I see my daughter setting there, shaking her head
at me, and looking down like that; and--and my son, setting up here, saying, "What--what
you holding here for?" I don't know. I just like to set around and you know. I
don't know. I like fellowship. You know, I don't get it too many places (You know
that.), getting less all the time. But I know I'm drawing closer to there. See?
And someday I'll preach my last sermon, close the Bible the last time. I'm going
to take a little trip then. Come to visit me sometime when I do. Come up; we'll
just set down forever, and talk like Brother Carl said, and live forever.
232 Now, look, friends, I'm going to ask you something I want you to do. Now, I've kept you out of your dinner. See? And now, Brother Outlaw did something awhile ago... He very seldom does anything that I don't like. But he took an offering up for me. See? I wonder if one of them will go back, and take that offering back there, and stand at the door. And you go take it and buy your dinner with it. That's a present from me back to you. See? You do that. See? That'll be fine. He's a sweet man. He always... He never... I never go anywhere or anything less he--he wants to do something to help me. That's his way.
233 There's some men sitting here; I--I'm afraid to call their name, might hurt their feelings. There's a precious Brother that's just gone on to glory, went quickly. His desire... He knowed I liked the woods, so he wanted to buy me a jeep. I wouldn't let him do it. Then after he went, his little wife wanted to do it, and I wouldn't let her do it. But the rest of the boys got together and went over here... And--and there's another brother comes to this church, said, "Brother Branham, I make sand wagons." You know, buggies; ever what you call hacks. And said, "I'll make you one of them." I wouldn't let him. You know what these boys done? They made a--a jeep and a sand hack together. I never seen one like it.
234 When the Tucson
meeting that night, they drove it up in my yard, and said, "This is a present
from the people of--of Phoenix." See, wouldn't even include just theirselves;
just said, "Oh, it's all of us together. You see?" That's... Oh, I--I'm just
know if I can ever get to heaven, I'll live with people like that. That meant
so much to me, you know, just something like that; these little... something.
That makes me feel that way to Brother Outlaw here to say, "Well, Brother Branham,
I just... Go up here to some... Just get someplace till you just get to love
you, and talk to you, and talk about Jesus. And--and the people of... Well,
you know, birds of a feather, you know, they kinda like to get together and
talk about things, fellowship together.
236 And I--I appreciate that, but I--I didn't want the offering, brother, sister. I... my church gives me a little salary of a hundred dollars a week and I do fine on that. So I--I appreciate it. Now, if any of you wants to get your dinner, well, some of them will be back there at the door and you get your dinner on me. You see, it'll be just fine. Some of you, I've kept you away from your dinner. You love Him? Then you got to love me 'cause I'm part of Him. See? Amen. That's the reason I love you. Lord bless you.
237 Let's stand up now.
Don't forget our coming meetings. Anytime you're around, just remember, come
in. You're always welcome. Will you pray for me? I--I'm the person that needs
prayer. Will you pray? How many can realize the burden, what I got to do, and
the things that lays before me? And I know what's coming, right out yonder.
You see? I can see it just the same as I see other things coming. I know what's
coming. See? But no time to talk about that. Let's talk about what's going on
right now. Tomorrow will take care for itself. See? Do you... Will you pray
for me? Now, did you raise your hands you'll pray for me? All right.
God bless you now. I'm going to turn the service back to your lovely pastor,
Brother Jimmy Outlaw. God bless you, Brother Jim.