23-0109P_GETTING OFFENDED

Mat 11:1  And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. 

Mat 11:2  Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 

Mat 11:3  And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 

Mat 11:4  Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 

Mat 11:5  The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 

Mat 11:6  And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 

We are all acquainted with the Beatitudes. Over in the—the Book of Matthew the 5th chapter, Jesus taught the Beatitudes when He’d taken the people and went up on the mount, just before the beginning, or just as His ministry started. He became their Leader.

And He went up and taught the Beatitudes. And begin “You’ve heard them say, them of old time, but I say unto you…” and so forth.
9 And He said, “And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” See? “Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers.” Blessed are, blessed are, and way over here, He slips this Beatitude in again. See? “Blessed…And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” Oh, it was a great time, in those days.

Now, we find that what caused this to start, was just after the ministry of this great, rugged, New Testament Elijah, John the Baptist. And that’s who the message was sent to. And John had been placed in prison because of his ministry.

And oh, what a rugged fellow John was. And he was really truly, the messenger Jesus said “that shall go before Me.” And he was an outdoor man. And how when they caught him, he was perfectly like Elijah, who his spirit was anointed. He was the anointed Elijah of the New Testament.

10 How that Elijah was a—a kind of man that didn’t like the way Jezebel, immoral women lived, and John, the same thing. And Elijah lived in the wilderness, John, the same thing. John was a kind of a—stood by alone, just like Elijah did. And that great, rugged man from the wilderness, and then had him down in an old musty, wet, damp jail.

That must’ve been a horrible experience for John, a man that had been free out in the wilderness, having his meat with the locusts, honey, and the wilderness journey, out there where he could kill what he eat or take what he wanted out of the wilderness. And now, he’s down in a little old, musty, dirty jail, perhaps, dark in a dungeon somewhere. Because that wife Jezebel, of—Herodias had had him throwed in there because that he had told him that it wasn’t right for him to take—Herod to take his brother, Philip’s wife, and live with her. It wasn’t lawful for him to do it.

11 And John was one of those men that did not hold back any punches. He just let her fly. It made no difference to him. If it was a head off, it was a head off. That all. Just like Elijah. He was right out forward with what he had to say. What was right, was right. If it was wrong, it was wrong.
God, we need more like that today, men who will stand on real genuine convictions of the Word of God. Speak it and don’t hold your peace. Speak it out.

And then we find there that John, down in this little old, musty, dirty jail, with some dirty bread they’d probably throw in to him once in a while. He’d probably gotten thin and no way to read his Bible. And he would…got kind of…he’s…As one writer wrote about him one time, said, “His eagle eye got filmed over.”

17 John, his eagle eye truly had filmed over. And John was—become weary. He and Elijah was a great deal alike, because the same spirit was upon this—a different man. See, God never takes His Spirit; He just takes His man. God took Elijah, took Elijah’s spirit and put it on Elisha. Then He took it off of Elisha, and put it on John. And promised to put it on again just at the end time, another one coming at the end time, another Elisha. Which we all as Bible readers know that that’s promised to us.

Now, we find out then that the devil takes his man but never his spirit. And he just keeps it coming right on down just the same way. And we find out that those two are together.

And we find that—that Elijah and John was a great deal alike. They were real nervous men. Both of them almost had a nervous breakdown: both of them.
And men who live close to God are mostly considered neurotics or something wrong with them. That’s right. They’re always considered that.

18 Paul, this morning, when I was speaking to the ministerial group…Agrippa said to him, or Festus said, “Too much learning makes you mad, or crazy.”
He said, “I’m not mad. I’m not crazy. I’m sober.” See? “And I—I’m all right.” And to…They claim like, William Cowper I believe it was, when I stood at his grave there at London. And he wrote that famous song.
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins,
Where sinners plunged beneath the flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.

19 That man was so inspired till he after…He tried to take a rope and hang hisself, the rope broke. He tried to go to the river to commit suicide, and the cab couldn’t even find the river, it was so foggy. And just to show that how that that inspiration catches a man, catches him away…

Then when he comes out of that…Like Stephen Foster gave this nation it’s greatest folk songs. “Old Black Joe,” “Down On The Swanee River,” “Old Kentucky Home.” Every time that he’d get inspiration and write a song, then he would get on a drunk. Finally, he got under the—out from under the inspiration and called a servant and took a razor and committed suicide.

20 And I think about Jonah the prophet, God inspiring him, that great eagle for the air of that day. God inspired him so, till he went down there and laid in the belly of a whale for three days and nights, walked out upon the bank and give a message that made even them people put sackcloth on their animals.
And when the Spirit left him, he went up on top of the hill, and set down and asked God to let him die. That’s right.

We find this great Elijah, who John was a type of, the great eagle of that day, mighty, rugged man, great woodsman, lived in the woods in a cave. And he came out, stomped out into—amongst the people, and God would take him up into places that the Israel knowed nothing about and declare the message and say, “It’s THUS SAITH THE LORD,” and stomp back into the wilderness again.  

61-0425E - The Forgotten Beatitude Rev. William Marrion Branham

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-2    One time, I, in my home church I'd been preaching just as hard as I could and trying to do something for the Lord. And I went out. Someone said, "I appreciated that message tonight, Brother Branham."
I said, "Thank you. Thank you kindly."
Someone, lady walked up, said, "Say, that was a marvelous message, Brother Branham."
I said, "Thank you. Thank you."

And somebody else said something and went down. There was a minister visiting there. He said, "Well," he said, "I don't like for people to brag on me."
I said, "Well, there's just one difference." I said, "I do." And he said... And I said, "I always like if somebody tells me whether I'm doing right or wrong. I like to know where I'm standing."
He said, "Well, I wouldn't want nobody telling me that I'd done good."
I said, "I do." And I said, "I believe there's just one difference between me and you."
He said, "What's that?"
I said, "I'm telling the truth; you're not."

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-3    We all--we all like for somebody to tell us if we're... And I think any good thinking person would appreciate good clean criticism if you're really wrong, somebody just tell you you're wrong and show you where you're wrong, I'd appreciate it. I want to be right, if somebody can make me to be right.
Oh, there's so many things that I want to say that... Thank you so much for the compliments, brother, and so forth. And everything's just fine. I love you the same way, Brother Joseph. I realize that Brother Joseph has been nation after nation, place after place, putting schools together, and sending ministers, oh, just a whole life worked up. I certainly have the greatest honor and respect for Brother Joseph Boze. He's my--truly my brother.

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  

E-4    Then thank you for saying happy birthday to my lovely little wife tonight. She got in too late to get to the meeting, but I'm going to take all that warm welcome and tell her about it when I get home over there. How she'll appreciate that. She is in... And that's one thing: Brother Joseph bragged a little about me, but he didn't over brag it on her, 'cause she--she really is worthy of everything could be said. She's forty-two years old today. She's just a kid. You see? I married a child, and so...
She--she has stood by me, though, like a real, real chum. And Billy, when his mother died, I was about twenty-five, twenty-six years old. And he had no mother, crying, and no one to take him to. And she was just a little girl, like, then--about seventeen, eighteen. She taken care of him.

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-5    And later on in years, not even thinking no more about ever marrying that child than I would some strange person setting out there, not that much. Her father and I were hunting partners together, and we was just raised up. Why, her... I'd... She'd probably fuss at me, and I'd slap her for a piece of candy. So that's the way it was, you know, when we just come up, kids. So we just growed up together like that, and I never thought about marrying her.
But I tell you: it was certainly a God-sent gift to me when I--when God gave me my wife. And thank you so much. And through there He's given me three lovely children.
And she taken Billy Paul over. And usually a mother, a stepmother, to come in, you know how it is about that. I can say this (She's not here, but it's true. Anyone knows. My neighbors are here.), that she loves that boy and just been... She's better to him than his--his mother. I seen his mother give him a spanking when he wasn't six months old, but Meda has never touched him at all.

Just--just... She ought to have done a little more maybe, or maybe it'd been different. She left it all up to me. Some people say they don't believe in spanking them, but you know the Scriptures says you'll--if you spare the rod you spoil the son, so I--I believe in correcting children, making them mind. If we had more of that, we wouldn't have too much juvenile delinquency.

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-6    Now, tonight is a Wednesday night, and we're just kind of... a little night when I wasn't expecting very many people in, because of churches. Tonight is prayer meeting night at the churches, and I'm very thankful for the audience. And it's a good thing that all don't come the same night, 'cause we would--couldn't do nothing with them. I said awhile ago, "How many is here, they said, that hadn't been in the meetings before?" And over half the audience. Last night there was two-thirds of them had never been in the meeting before, and it continues on.
Now, there's so many things that we could say. I believe last night, if I'm not mistaken, in my message last night speaking of--of... Forget what text I preached on last night. Something another I was bringing in about... Oh, "The Forgotten Beatitude." I believe that's Saint Matthew, the 11th chapter and the--the 6th verse, or something like that--11:6, the forgotten beatitude, and "Blessed is he who is not offended in Me."

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-7    I was preaching on how people become offended in Jesus. And John had become... He didn't express it that way, but kindly offended because that things didn't go just the way he thought it ought to. Because he'd introduced a Jesus with a, or Christ, the Messiah, with a fan in His hand, and purging the floor, and burn up the chaff; and when He come, He was real meek, and lowly, and gentle. And so he couldn't hardly understand what--what that was. Look like he had a let-down, and he was kind of a little bit of an offense.
Yet he'd saw the Messiahic sign and knowed that it was Him. So he sent disciples to find out if that was Him. Now, that was terrible to say a thing like that, but John was anointed with the spirit of Elijah, and Elijah almost had a nervous breakdown, too, you know, under the juniper tree. And here was John... As long as you're standing there giving it out, it's all right; but when you have to take it in, then it's a little different. See? So, John in jail, his eagle eye had filmed over.

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-8    And so we seen that Jesus never give him any lectures, or tell him how to tell John to do it. He just said, "Stay till the meetings over and see what happens." And after the meeting was over, He said, "Now, go show these things to John. The lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, so forth; and the poor has the gospel preached. And blessed is he who is not offended in Me." Then I begin talking about an offense.
And then I was... I referred to a little child that was from Zion, Illinois, up here. And if I'm not mistaken, somebody told me, or said they thought they were, that that child was in the building tonight. Is that right? Is the mother here with that child from Zion City, Illinois, that had the crippled leg, twisted up under it, and is now walking? She was either to be here tonight or tomorrow.

That's the mother. God bless you, sister. Was you here last night? All right. It's all right. I didn't--I didn't--I... You understood what I mean. You wasn't bringing offense, but you was just... You just wondered what was going to happen to that child. Is that right? All right. The Lord did just what He said He would though, didn't He? That's wonderful. Thank the Lord for that. Have you got the baby with you? It isn't here.

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-9    Well that a... the little mother went out. She had her faith all built. Oh, my, just as soon as I laid hands on the baby, it was going to happen right there. But you see, that really, sometimes... If we--if that's true faith, there isn't nothing going to stop it. So out at the trailer, the little mother brought the baby next day; and she was kind of wondering, her and her little husband, and wanted to know why the baby's leg didn't come down.
Well, I never said nothing, and I thought, "She believes that. And the girl really believes it, so it--it's got to happen, as long..."
When she went out, she said something back to me, "Do you think, Brother Branham, it's the will of God for my baby to be a cripple?"
And I said, "No, sir, it isn't."
That was just what she was waiting for. See? So He honored it and healed the baby.

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-10    And coming in just a few moments ago... I may be mistaken in this testimony, but there is--if the woman is here... I thought I seen the car out there and the trailer. There was a lady came to my church recently, about, oh, it hasn't been over a year or two ago. That lady was way out, like this, with a tumor. Oh, you never seen such a tumor. The doctors couldn't even touch it; it was such a horrible condition, and so bad that she couldn't even walk. They had to pack her.

Well, she heard I was going to be at the church that night. You know how it is at that little Tabernacle there, so after service was over I did not pray for the sick. I just offered prayer, and--and I guess she was... kind of had an offense too. But however, one of the faithful deacons and some of them, they knew when I went out through the study room, or the deacon's office, at the back. They packed this poor woman around there, great big woman, and that big tumor, oh, horrible. And they laid her down there at the step, where when I come out I'd either have to step over her or something.

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-11    So then when I come out, she spoke the Word, and God gave me the word, and I spoke it back. And about--about last summer, I believe it was, she stopped out front with here husband, on the road back to California. And that woman was just a smooth... That tumor was completely gone. There isn't... And if--if that... I--I saw her at Bloomington the other day, and I said, "Sister, I'd like for--for you to stand up tonight." And some ministers got a hold of me, and I got to talking, and forgot about it. I think that's her car and trailer setting out here with a California license.

If that woman's in here, would you just hold up your hand, sister? Yes, there she is in back. That's right. Would you mind stepping out in the aisle there just a moment so the people could see? Pull back your coat, so the people could see your...? With a tumor so big it was way out... [Sister rejoices--Ed.] If you would've been you in that shape you could've felt like that too.

Now, remember, she was so big that she could not even walk around, like this. They had to pack her, with the tumor out like this. And it's every speck disappeared, went away; and it's gone. See? Now, we don't...

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-12    There's another lady, I think, in this building tonight, a registered nurse. I seen she and her husband the other day here. They're bosom friends of mine. To see how long it lasts... When on the records of Houston, Texas, she's... last hopes, dying, eat up with cancer. And they brought her to the meeting. And when my brother, Howard, was giving out prayer cards that night... He usually comes up front like Billy would do, and mix up the cards, and give the people the prayer cards. And this woman, sitting there, looked over to another lady worse off than she was, this--nurse, and having a feeling for sick people, she gets up and goes all the way to the back and finds her a seat all the way in the back.
That night when Howard came in, my brother, to give out prayer cards up in front, the Holy Spirit said, "Go back and give them out in the back tonight." And she got the prayer card, come in the line. The Holy Spirit told her about it, and absolutely, completely, healed her. And that's been about ten, twelve years ago or maybe more, and she's still a registered nurse, running a nursing home down in Texas. Bro...

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-13    Sister Harris, are you here tonight? She's a registered nurse, somewhere, a lovely, beautiful, woman from... Here she is. That's right, a registered nurse. The last cases of cancer... Doctors on the case down there knowed it'd laid her back. And now, they tell me that doctors, retiring and things, comes to her for help, knowing that she's a God-fearing Christian that gave her life to Christ and God healed her.
Oh, what am I trying to say, friends? Don't be offended. He's... No offense in Him. He's running right on schedule. Um-hum. That's right.

MICAIAH.THE.PROPHET_  CHICAGO.IL  WEDNESDAY_  61-0426

  E-14    Then the Holy Spirit led us to say last night, that we are not way back behind; neither are we advanced. We're just exactly on schedule, this is timely message that we have today.
And if somebody said, "Oh, that's day's a past," and somebody like that, go tell John (your pastor, or ever who it is. See?), the lame walk, and the blind see, the tumors vanished, and the cancers are healed. How long is it lasting? Just as long as you believe it. That's right. That's--that's how long salvation's lasting, so just as long as you believe it...
So now be of a good courage; have faith in God. And Christ is not left us. Don't be offended. If He promised it, He will do it, and He's right on time, just exactly. He's right on schedule every moment. And you say, "Brother Branham, I feel tonight's my night I'm going to be healed." Don't worry. He's right on schedule; you just stay on schedule. And you believe this is your night, this is it. Let us bow our heads just a moment for prayer.