21-0129A_THE INVISIBLE UNION OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

THE INVISIBLE UNION OF THE 

BRIDE OF CHRIST

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  1      `    I canceled a hunting trip, so I keep service to the Lord. So it's a... We're glad to be here. I believe, the last time here, I told you: each time we come, there is someone missing. And if we shall come back next year, the Lord tarries, there'll be somebody missing.

2    One was very, very close to me in heart, spirit. That was Brother Lyle. I've always had a welcoming, coming in, standing back there and listen, in Brother Jack's study, of the old quartet singing. They're singing in Glory, tonight. Well, there's one of those voices already over There, waiting for the other three. I guess I'll never hear it here on earth no more. But I certainly am looking forward to hearing it again, Brother, Sister Moore here, in that Land where they'll... it'll never be dimmed.

 

 

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  4      I know, as long as this is a tabernacle here, and I--I know he'll... his voice will still be here. You can hear it. Sister Anna Jeanne and--and her sister, playing the organ and piano, how they never had to wait. Brother Palmer just stand here and he just pick the song up, go on. They'd catch it. And I never... I looked forward to hearing him lead the song.

5    To his children; to his wife; and to Brother Jack, his bosom friend, they been friends for all these years; and Brother Brown, Sister Brown, all you tabernacle: God bless you. I miss him, too. God rest his gallant soul, until we meet him in peace.

Let us bow our head.

 

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  6      Gracious Heavenly Father, just speaking of this great servant, I missed him, tonight, him shaking my hands, and that cunning little smile he always had when he said, "God bless you, Brother Branham," when we'd walk in the door. I know he's come up to Your House, tonight. So I pray, dear God, that You'll let the fruits, his works that follow him, be great, continuing on with his children, his wife. We pray that You'll bless her, Lord. You said You would be a husband to "the widows that were widows indeed." I pray for our Sister Palmer and for all the children. I know how to sympathize with both, losing a companion and also losing my dad.

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  7      So, Father, while we're here, tonight, we pray that You'll prepare our hearts, also, for that hour. We don't know. It might come as sudden as his did. We don't know when it will come, but we know it's got to come. So we pray, God, that You'll search every heart that's in here, tonight. God, don't leave mine out. Search mine, too, and try me. Lord, if there be any evil in us, take it out. We want to serve You. That's our full objective, is to serve You.

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  8      Pour out Your Spirit upon us, tonight, and the rest of this week. Bless this tabernacle by the name of the Life Tabernacle. May it receive full blessings of that name and be full of the Life of God, this week, to save every lost soul, to fill every believer with the Holy Ghost, and renew the hopes that's in us, Lord, again. We pray that You'll also heal all the sick and the afflicted that comes among us. May Your great Holy Spirit be here, Lord, and just heal. And anoint each one to believe. Grant these things, Father.

9    God, help me now. If it fall, has fall my turn to bring the Message. I pray, God, that You'll just let the man part stand to one side. May the Holy Spirit come in and move upon us, Lord. May the Holy Ghost take the meeting, Lord. We know that we're so insufficient. We could not do it, none of us. We don't claim to be able to do it. But, Lord, we know that Thou art the One. So we're looking to Thee, Lord. Move, Spirit of God, and fall fresh on us. We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  10      Now I want to pass greetings on down the line, to the churches now that's hooked up across the state. We're on the telephone hookup, which is a fine little system that we have been able to get, through our Brother Pearry Green from Beaumont, Texas. And the churches, completely, that's following the Message, all the way across the United States, is hooked up, tonight. We send greetings, up and down the West Coast, all the way from Vancouver down to Tijuana, Mexico, through San Jose, Los Angeles. All the groups over in there, we greet you from Shreveport. Also, all the way to Prescott, Arizona, to the group up there that's waiting on the Lord, we send greetings to you, and to Tucson, also Sierra Vista. All the way to New York, up and down, across the nation, the Lord bless you, each one. Wish you were here, tonight, this beautiful old state of Louisiana, where it seems like a second home, to me. I...

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  11      You know, you people up in New York, you all kind of laugh at you a little bit, the way you talk. I'm right at home tonight. Yeah. Everybody down here, you know, they said, "Hello, d'ere, Brother Branham. You bring Sister Branham and all the young'ns and come over to see us." Oh, my! That makes me feel good. That's real English, to me. Not disregarding you people in the east and the north, and different places. But, you know, I guess I was just born an old Reb' and have to stay that way. I--I kind of like it, myself. It's real English.

12    I was at a Business Men's breakfast, here not long ago, and they said, "We will now stand and sing the national anthem." And I stood up, said, "For my old Kentucky home, far away." Well, to me, that was the national anthem, all I knowed about it. So, we send you greeting. Now to the...

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  13      I believe they're going to try to broadcast the breakfast, also, the Business Men's breakfast, Saturday morning. Brother Green will tell you, as he's at the microphones out there now. So he'll tell you what time the breakfast starts, and what time, each night, to tune in. We thank you very kindly. Pray for us.

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  14      Now, to the local assembly here, and Brother Jack's tabernacle, I just going to ask you a favor, tonight. Being that I was going to give my thanksgiving Message across the--the nation, tonight, to our local churches that's following the Message. In this, I--I may be a little lengthy. And then, again, I may preach some Doctrine. So, if so, and you don't agree with It...

15    Just like I always said about eating cherry pie, when I run into a seed. I don't throw the pie out. I throw the seed out, just keep on eating pie.

16    So if I happen to mention something tonight, I... Well, that's one reason I took this invitation, tonight, to be here, to bring my thanksgiving Message to the groups across the country, was because Brother Jack always so freely open his door and says, "Preach what's on your heart." So I feel real at home.

17    So it may be that in here, in the local assembly here with Brother Jack, there might be ministers and some people that would disagree with Doctrine. Usually I have the courtesy not to mention doctrine in a man's pulpit, that has invited me to come speak for him. So, after tonight, I suppose I'll just be praying for the sick and doing the regular service. But I thought I would let you know beforehand, that if something that I say that might be disagreeable, why, just allow it to my ignorance, I guess, and know no better. And pray for me.

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  18      So now let us turn in the Word, to a chapter here. I wish to refer to many places tonight, because I've got several Scriptures and little notes wrote out here in a tablet.

19    I remember the first time I climbed on the platform at Life Tabernacle, twenty years ago. I--I didn't have to write down my Scriptures and reference. I was just twenty years younger then. But now I've done passed twenty-five, so I... the second time. So I've... can't remember it like I used to. I have to write my Scriptures down, and sometimes brief down something another I want to refer to.

20    And now the Lord bless as we read out of God's Word, and the Book of Romans, the 7th chapter. Now, I want to kind of teach this like a Sunday school lesson.

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  21      I know there is people standing. And at the tabernacle, usually, at Jeffersonville, we want to greet you all, tonight, too, know that you're hooked up there at the tabernacle. And looks like be at the tabernacle, tonight, if you were down here, the people around the walls, and overflowed. Now, I suppose you're that way, too, all the people that's up in that part of the country, that come in for the Message.

 

 

 

I'M NOT LOOKING FOR REVIVAL IN OUR GENERATION. I'M LOOKING FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD, IN OUR GENERATION.

  22      Now we are going to use this like a Sunday school lesson. And it's not directed to anything, any certain persons, or anything; just to the Church, the Body of Christ that we're trying to lead to deeper thoughts and higher objectives, believing that the Coming of the Lord Jesus is at hand. We believe that. Much more, it's twenty years closer than it was the first time I come to Shreveport. Oh, so much has happened since that time! Now we're looking forward for the Coming of the Lord, in our generation. I'm not looking for revival in our generation. I'm looking for the Coming of the Lord, in our generation.

 

 

 

THIS--THIS MESSAGE OUT OF HERE, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S ON MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE, BUT IT REALLY ISN'T. TO ME, IT'S A PROPHECY FOR THE CHURCH IN THE LAST DAY.

  23      Now in Romans 7. Trusting that you have your Bibles open, everywhere now, across the country. We want to read closely now. This--this Message out of here, it seems like it's on marriage and divorce, but it really isn't. To me, it's a prophecy for the Church in the last day. Let us read.

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

For the woman which has a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

So then if, while her husband liveth, she is married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be joined or should be married to another, even to him who is risen from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

For when we were in the flesh,... motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  24      And now let us pray.

25    Dear God, we have just read what we believe to be the sacred Word of God. And that's what we are believing, that not one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from This until all is fulfilled. And we believe that our Lord told us, in Revelations the 22nd chapter, that, "Whosoever shall take one Word from It or add one word to It, the same, his part, will taken from the Book of Life."

 

 

BY MISREPRESENTATION OF THIS WORD, AS SATAN MISREPRESENTED IT TO EVE, CAUSED HER TO DOUBT ONE WORD, THREW THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE INTO A FALLEN CHAOS. JUST ONE WORD!

26    And we see that, by misrepresentation of this Word, as Satan misrepresented It to Eve, caused her to doubt one Word, threw the whole human race into a fallen chaos. Just one Word!

27    Then we see in the middle of the Book, came our Lord and Saviour, and He gave us this quotation concerning It. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

28    Then the solemn warning in the last Book, of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, "Whosoever shall add a word or take a Word away, his part will be taken from the Book of Life."

 

THE.INVISIBLE.UNION.OF.THE.BRIDE.OF.CHRIST_  SHP.LA  V-2 N-15  THURSDAY_  65-1125

  29      O God, knowing, seeing how fragile we are, knowing that we're walking on the brittle threads of life, of this mortal life, not knowing what time that we're going to be summoned to answer on High. Let us, O Lord, lay aside everything in our heart, everything in our mind, and look straight to Your Word, tonight, and for You to come and interpret It with living oracles. Grant it.

 

SPIRIT FALL UPON US AND ANOINT THE WORD TO OUR HEART, THAT WE MIGHT GO FROM HERE, THIS EVENING, BETTER PEOPLE THAN WE ARE NOW, THAT WE MIGHT HAVE A CLOSER INSIGHT ON JESUS CHRIST.

30    May Your Spirit fall upon us and anoint the Word to our heart, that we might go from here, this evening, better people than we are now, that we might have a closer insight on Jesus Christ. Grant it, Lord, that we might understand the day that we're living in, and the preparation of God for His people in this hour; this great, crucial, dark time that we're now living in. God, anoint it, not only speaker, but hearer. And, together, make our hearts to tremble at Your Word. "For the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom." Grant these things, Father, for we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

 

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  31      I'd like to title these few remarks that I was going to make here, and some Scriptures that I would like to follow up closely behind, if the Lord willing, to the--the thanksgiving Message, to the invisible, of: The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ. The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ. Doesn't sound like a thanksgiving Message. Though, any Scripture, we're thankful for all of It.

 

BUT, STILL, I THINK THIS RIGHT NOW IS A GREATER TIME, BECAUSE IT'S A TIME THAT HE'S COMING TO TAKE THE PEOPLE THAT HE'S REDEEMED…

32    I am thankful to God, to be living in this time, of the closing scenes of this world's history. I don't know. If I would have had a say-so before the foundation of the world, and the God would have laid out the whole program to me, and said to me, "I--I want you to preach. And now what age do you desire, to go to the earth to preach?" I would have chose this age, for I think this is the golden age.

33    I certainly would have loved to have been here during the time of His visit to the earth. But, still, I think this right now is a greater time, because it's a time that He's coming to take the people that He's redeemed, nearing the resurrection when all the redeemed will come forth. What a glorious opportunity we have, to speak to a dying people, great time! We are enthused about it.

 

THE WORLD'S HISTORY WILL SOON BE OVER, THEN WE'RE GOING TO STEP INTO A NEW DAY, TO THE GREAT MILLENNIUM.

  34      And we know that history is closing out. The world's history will soon be over, then we're going to step into a new day, to the great Millennium. That, as one believer, I believe in the... in a Millennium, a Millennium reign with Christ, a thousand years upon the earth; the physical return of the Lord Jesus, to take a physical people, glorified, by His cleansing Blood.

 

 

 

SET IN ORDER HERE THAT WE, AS A--AS A CHURCH, CAN NO MORE BE MARRIED TO THE WORLD AND TO CHRIST

  35      Paul here is giving an illustration, in our Scripture, about the law and grace, and illustrating it like marriage and divorce. This passage is very seldom preached on, because it's, more or less, pertains to, like, marriage and divorce. But it also pertains to a greater portion of marriage and divorce, of how that he's trying to set in order here that we, as a--as a Church, can no more be married to the world and to Christ, at the same time, and--and be legal and lawful about it, than it can be for a woman to be living with a husband while she's got a living husband. And I have my own thoughts of that, and I believe that what the Bible says is the Truth.

 

20:40

36    Now, but I believe, also, is to my belief, that it unfolds one of the great mysteries of prophecy. And I hope that the Lord will help us, tonight, as we deliver this to our waiting people across the country.

 

IT SO THRILLED HIM WHEN HE SEEN WHAT, HOW GRACE HAD SEPARATED US FROM THE LAW

  37      It was said, one time. I was reading, when I was writing the note for this, I--I could not exactly remember the book that it's in. But I--I'm sure this is right, that, one of the books I read on Mr. Moody, Dwight Moody, in Chicago. We have a great listening church in Chicago, also, tonight. That, Mr. Moody, after reading Romans 7, ran into the street, and the first man he met, he said to him, "Do you know grace?"

And the man replied, "Grace who?"

Mr. Moody said, "The grace of God."

38    So, it so thrilled him when he seen what, how grace had separated us from the law, and how, that what part grace played. Well, now, anything that I want to do, is when... I always told the people, when I cross the line, on the other Side, I'd like to stand up and sing.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me!

Grace, precious grace!

More of grace to know!

39    "For it's by grace we are saved; not by what we can do." What we can, whatever we do, is not counted to us. Grace is what saves us. "By grace are you saved, through faith."

 

 

 

THE ELECT LADY, THIS MISS GRACE… THE ILLUSTRATION HERE, SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP OF BRIDE TO CHRIST, THE ELECT LADY: AND HOW SHE WAS TO BE BROUGHT TO HIM…

  40      May I add to this Woman, Grace. May I place Her in the Bible, also, is called the elect Lady, this Miss Grace I'm going to talk about. Know, the Bible declares, said, "To the elect Lady." That, if you notice, "elect" come from the word "elected Lady." One Lady, amongst all the other ladies, was elected.

41    Like, the virgin was to bring forth the body of God, on the earth. She was an elected woman. God chose Mary.

42    And, also, God has chose an elected Lady, which is His Bride. She's elected. I hope we're members of that, tonight, across the world, across the nation, rather.

43      The illustration here, showing the relationship of Bride to Christ, the elect Lady: and how She was to be brought to Him; where She would come from; and how that She would be brought to Him. The Church here, in illustration that we got in view, is illustrated by a woman. Which, a woman is always a type of the Church, because the Church is considered a Bride. A Bride, She is the Bride of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God.

 

WATCH THE CONDITIONS AND THE CONDUCT OF WOMEN, AND YOU'LL SEE WHERE THE CHURCH IS.

  44      Always, if you'll watch, watch the conditions and the conduct of women, and you'll see where the church is.

45    Now, this, some of these remarks may seem strange to some of you, but it's complimentary to the Message that I have from the Lord, that I'm trying to get to the peoples. The... You watch everything in the natural, how it's happening, nature, and watch it. It runs sure with the spiritual, also.

46    Now, if you'll see the conduct of women in the world today, watch the conduct of the worldly church today. Just watch. Of course, now, there is also the conduct of the spiritual Bride, the Church. See? Watch That, also. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] Because, the natural so call, claim to be Bride.

 

BUT WATCH WHEN, THE SPIRITUAL BRIDE, WHEN SHE BEGINS TO HAVE A REVIVAL, WHEN SHE BEGINS TO COME BACK AND LINE HERSELF UP WITH THE WORD OF GOD.

  47      Now, please let me say again to the local assembly. Don't feel bad now. I'm--I'm speaking to all out across the country, to the, what I think, the elect Lady. So if there happen to be ministers in here, that doesn't agree, well, just hold your peace for a little while. See? Notice. Just listen.

48    Notice this character. When you see women just go on the rampage, just doing anything they want to do, watch, the church is doing the same thing. Notice.

49    But watch when, the spiritual Bride, when She begins to have a revival, when She begins to come back and line Herself up with the Word of God. Watch then again, you see, how that the Scriptures, at that time, There'll be a Message sweep out to catch that Bride, catch that Woman, Elect.

50    For, as the world, Satan, the deceiver who deceived the first bride, to sinning against the God, by misbelieving His Word.

 

AND NOW, TODAY, AS WE SEE THE CHURCH NATURAL, IN YOUR INTELLECTUAL GOSPEL, GOING FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM THE WORD, IN SOCIAL GOSPEL…

  51      And now, today, as we see the church natural, in your intellectual gospel, going further and further away from the Word, in social gospel; we find that the women of the world, on the streets, members of such, is carrying themselves in the same atmosphere. You can't tell them. They've lost all sense of common decency, the people have. See? And that's the way the church has. And you can see it going straight to the ecumenical council, just as certain as anything in the world, and right into Rome as hard as it can go, see, 'cause it's prophesied. And there she is. That's her behavior.

 

BUT THEN THE TIME THAT THE PEOPLE ARE READY TO LINE UP, THERE IS A MESSAGE COMES FORTH, AND THEY LINE WITH IT.

  52      But then watch again to the spiritual Church, how that group of people, called out, the Elected, through every revival. In Martin Luther, it happened the same way in the reformation. It happened the same thing in the time of John Wesley. It happened the same thing when Pentecostal first started. They dropped them women right back in line with the Word, and then they drift away. There she goes right back over into chaos. But then the time that the people are ready to line up, there is a Message comes forth, and they line with It.

  53      Luther was the messenger of one day, of justification, and the Church lined right with it, some of them. The rest of them continued on. Wesley come with sanctification, the Church lined right with it. Pentecost come with the restoration of the gifts, the Church lined right with it, the Elect of that day; and then faded away, went right back off in denominationalism and went right out with the rest of them, all of them right down along the line.

 

WHEN THE PEOPLE BEGIN TO TRY TO LINE WITH THE WORD, THERE COMES A FRESH MESSAGE FROM THE WORD OF GOD, RIGHT STRAIGHT TO THE PEOPLE.

  54      Now, but you notice, when the people begin to try to line with the Word, there comes a fresh Message from the Word of God, right straight to the people. And they catch that Message and line up, every time. It's just in God's... We have that.

55    We have families. Every family in here is custom to that. Sometimes everything will run fine for you, for years. Then, all at once, you'll hit a spell where, we say it many times in the South here, "When it rains, it pours," and everything goes wrong. You're going through a night time. Then there's a day break, then a night time. Everything runs in continuity.

 

SHE CANNOT REMARRY AS LONG AS HER FIRST HUSBAND IS LIVING; SHE, BY NO CIRCUMSTANCES, AT ALL.

  56      The prophet, Paul, here is saying that a woman cannot remarry until her first husband is dead. She cannot remarry as long as her first husband is living; she, by no circumstances, at all. She must remain single as along as her first husband is living. And if she should do such a sin, "she shall be called an adulteress." I'm speaking of the natural now, to type it with the spiritual. If this woman would commit such a sin, then she is marked, "an adulteress," if she has two living husbands at the same time. Therefore, she has forfeited, by doing this, her rights to God and Heaven, by doing so. She sure has. She is an outcast from the economy of God, according to the Scriptures that I've just read.

 

SHE CANNOT BE MARRIED TO A CHURCH OF WORLDLY CREED, AND BE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST, BECAUSE (SHE) ONE IS CONTRARY TO THE OTHER.

  57      So is the church, when she tries to mix creed and denomination with the Word of God. She can't be married to a denomination, and be the Bride of Christ, at the same time. She's got to be dead to one or the other. The law says so, here. There's plenty of laws in God's Word. And that's His law, Paul speaking the same thing here. She cannot be married to a church of worldly creed, and be the Bride of Christ, because (she) one is contrary to the other. Now, remember.

Say, "Well, we believe this, but we don't believe That."

 

IF YOU'RE MARRIED TO CHRIST, CHRIST IS THE WORD OF GOD.

  58      If you're married to Christ, Christ is the Word of God. In Saint John, the 1st chapter, said, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the same was made flesh and dwelt among us." Christ was the living Word. He always was the Word. He is still the Word. He always will be the Word. He was only the manifestation of the attributes of God, for He was the Son of God.

59    And any son is the attributes of his father, and just as you were in the genes of your father, in the body of your father when he was a young boy. You were in him. Yet, he could not have fellowship with you, because he didn't know you. But then, through the bedding grounds of a mother, you were brought forth into the earth and become in the image of your father, then he could fellowship with you.