24-0531A_IT WASN'T SO FROM THE BEGINNING

Mar 7:9  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 

Mat 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 

*AND WHEN MAN GETS A HOLD OF ANYTHING, HE PERVERTS THE MAIN CAUSE. AND MAKING ANYTHING PERVERTED IS DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL.

BUT.FROM.THE.BEGINNNING.IT.WAS.NOT.SO_  JEFF.IN  THURSDAY_  58-1002

  E-12    And when man gets a hold of anything, he perverts the main cause. And making anything perverted is different from the original. Like unrighteousness, unrighteousness is nothing more than righteousness perverted, what perverted mind of man change around.

God made man to live happily with one another. Perversion changes them and makes them enemies one to another. Man makes us enemies one to another, while God made us brothers one to another. Man made man to be immoral. God made man to live true to his wife. But man comes along and perverts that around, and he's not satisfied with his own wife, but wants to live with the rest of the wives. God gave us good clear water to drink. Man's got to mix alcohol or something else with it before he drinks it. It's perverting from the real beginning of it.

HE DOESN'T TAKE IT JUST THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN, BUT HE GETS HIS OWN IDEA MIXED INTO IT.

BUT.FROM.THE.BEGINNNING.IT.WAS.NOT.SO_  JEFF.IN  THURSDAY_  58-1002

  E-13    And in doing so, we find that in the church these things is taking place, because man begin to tamper into the things of God. And he draws his conception of what it means. He doesn't take it just the way it's written, but he gets his own idea mixed into it. And then by that he makes a tradition. And he teaches that.

And Jesus said when he was on earth and found such, He said, "In vain do you worship Me." Now there is then possibility, and it is so, that there can be a genuine worship of God wrong. "In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of man."

BUT.FROM.THE.BEGINNNING.IT.WAS.NOT.SO_  JEFF.IN  THURSDAY_  58-1002

  E-14    Now, in our Scripture reading tonight, if you would read on, you would find that where God said, "Honor thy father and thy mother. And if a man dishonors his father or mother, let him die the death." But He said, "In your traditions you have made the commandments of God of non effect," and said, "if it is... If a man dishonors his father or mother, that it is a gift, and he shall just go free." You see how man gets things twisted up?

*AND I'M SURE AFTER THE ABSENCE OF CHRIST FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS, SOMETHING HAS GONE WRONG SOMEWHERE, BECAUSE WE GET TOO MANY IDEAS.

 BUT.FROM.THE.BEGINNNING.IT.WAS.NOT.SO_  JEFF.IN  THURSDAY_  58-1002

  E-15    But they like to worship. And they think that they are worshipping right, when they're worshipping wrong. And I'm sure after the absence of Christ for two thousand years, something has gone wrong somewhere, because we get too many ideas. And tonight there's almost nine hundred different denominations of churches in the world; that's Christian denominations. Different ideas and each one holds their traditions.

But, oh, how they love to say that my tradition is right. And then when one church will explain it in such a way and say, well, make it just almost perfect, that that church is right... And we've been through that in the last few nights here of why we are not a denomination.

*BUT GOD WANTS US TO STAY FREE. HE WANTS US TO A PLACE THAT WHERE IF HE GIVES US SOME LIGHT, WE CAN RECEIVE THAT…

BUT.FROM.THE.BEGINNNING.IT.WAS.NOT.SO_  JEFF.IN  THURSDAY_  58-1002

  E-16    And when a denomination is started, it started on the basis of someone gets a revelation of something, which may be altogether good. But he makes a denomination out of it, and then he cannot go any farther.

But God wants us to stay free. He wants us to a place that where if He gives us some light, we can receive that, and get some more light, and some more light, and just keep on going. That's why we like to stay free, so we can just preach the Bible the way It's written and believe It just that way.

*WE DON'T CLAIM TO PREACH THE GOSPEL BY OUR OWN INTELLIGENCE. WE PREACH IT BY THE POWER OF GOD. 

IT.WASN'T.SO.FROM.THE.BEGINNING_  SANTA.MARIA.CA  SATURDAY_  62-0630B

We don't claim to preach the Gospel by our own intelligence. We preach it by the power of God. You ministers do that. And that's the power of God comes upon you and anoints you. And even in your own--your ministry you say things, and sometimes you... "Why'd I change my text?" And you know how it is. See? That's God doing it. You see? And He--and He... You might think that the whole audience missed it. And maybe one little individual setting out there, God was directing that entire message right to that one person.

*LET'S TAKE OUR LORD AS OUR EXAMPLE BECAUSE HE SAID HE WAS OUR EXAMPLE. NOW, HIS LIFE IS IN US.

IT.WASN'T.SO.FROM.THE.BEGINNING_  SANTA.MARIA.CA  SATURDAY_  62-0630B

  E-11    Now, let's take our Lord as our Example because He said He was our Example. Now, His Life is in us. Now, we think like this--for just to get a little thought of a--not a text to preach from, but Jesus said one time, speaking about marriage and divorce, He said, "It wasn't so from the beginning."

Now, we will have to go back to the beginning to get every thing, because every thing had a beginning, that we see now. It's eternal things that had no beginning, 'cause eternal never began, never ends. And it's the things that has a beginning has an end, everything. Now, Genesis is the seed chapter, so we'll have to go back to Genesis.

IT.WASN'T.SO.FROM.THE.BEGINNING_  SANTA.MARIA.CA  SATURDAY_  62-0630B

  E-12    And studying through many books of the history of the church, the Hislop's "Two Babylons" (you've probably studied it), and Foxe's "Book of Martyrs," and--and the Pre-Nicaea Councils, Nicene Fathers, and so forth. You go back and find that every spirit in the land, and every cult, and everything, if you go back, it begin in Genesis. It's coming up to a blooming time, a blossoming time. You see them come out like Cain and Abel. And watch those two boys come right down to be Judas and Jesus. And just right on through (You see?), it comes right on out into this last days, where the antichrist and the Christ Spirit, so close, it'd deceive the very elected if possible. Now, we're taught that, and we know that's true.

*WE REFLECT GOD, AS GOD IS IN US.

IT.WASN'T.SO.FROM.THE.BEGINNING_  SANTA.MARIA.CA  SATURDAY_  62-0630B

  E-13    Now, we take our Lord. When He was here He did not claim to do miracles. He said it was the Father, God, that dwelt in Him, and He was... He expressed God through Himself. God, in otherwise, built Himself a body that He lived in Himself. God came down, was manifested in flesh in Christ. And it was not Jesus, the body, the Son of God; it was the God of glory in the Son of God, showing the glory of God (You see?), through Himself: the God of glory manifesting the glory of God. And in Him... God dwelt in Him, and He reflected God.

Now, that's the way each of we ministers do. We reflect God, as God is in us. And then that's the only way that God can move, is--and people can see God, is through we, His servants. That's how... People won't read a Bible, but they'll read you. See? And so you reflect Christ. Your walks, your talks, your actions all reflect Christ.

*JUST YIELD YOURSELF TO THE SPIRIT, AND GOD WILL REFLECT HIMSELF THROUGH YOU, AS I SAID, LIKE A VINE.

IT.WASN'T.SO.FROM.THE.BEGINNING_  SANTA.MARIA.CA  SATURDAY_  62-0630B

  E-14    You might not think that people are watching you, but they're watching every move you make. You are a Bible to many people. Therefore, we got to watch what we do, our business deals, and everything that we do in our entire walk. Just yield yourself to the Spirit, and God will reflect Himself through you, as I said, like a vine. Jesus said in John 15, "I am the Vine; ye are the branches." Well, now remember, the vine does not bear fruit; it's the branch that bears fruit. But it gets its life from the vine.

*IF A VINE PUTS FORTH A BRANCH OF A GRAPE VINE HERE,… AND JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER.

BUT.FROM.THE.BEGINNNING.IT.WAS.NOT.SO_  JEFF.IN  THURSDAY_  58-1002

E-42    If a vine puts forth a branch of a grape vine here, the next branch will be grape vine, and the next branch will be grape vine, and the next branch will be grape vine. And Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And He can only have one type of branches, and that's Pentecostal branches in His church with Pentecostal experiences. Oh, you say, "Brother Branham, just a minute. I am loyal to my creed."

If your creed teaches that all you have to do is shake hands with the preacher, Jesus said, "It wasn't so from the beginning."

You say, "Brother Branham, I belong to a great denomination. And my church says that the days of miracles is past."

Jesus said, "It wasn't so from the beginning." Where was the beginning? Pentecost, where the power of the living God fell upon an hundred and twenty people and baptized them with the Holy Ghost and power for the services came. That changed the known world.

*"I WILL RESTORE THAT PREDESTINATED ROOT." HALLELUJAH. AND ALL THEM NAMES THAT WAS BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD PREDESTINATED…

PRESUMING_  S.PINES.NC  SUNDAY_  62-0610M

E-76    Then along come the church, begin to grow. Then here come these four termites in: one, the same insect, just different stages. Along come the--the palmerworm. What did it do? First thing, it took the fruit, brotherly love, off of it. Next thing come around was the cankerworm. It come another worm come around, and eat off the joy, the leaves, the fellowship. The next come along. What did he do? He eat off the bark, the cankerworm. What next come? The caterpillar, and sucked the life right out of it.

But there was a stump, 'cause Joel said, "I will restore that predestinated root." Hallelujah. And all them names that was before the foundation of the world predestinated, "All that the Father has given Me will come to Me." Yes, sir. "All that He foreknew He called. All that He calls He justifies, and those that He justified, He has glorified."

*RESTORE WHAT? ONE WITHOUT AN ORGANIZATION TOUCH TO IT, ONE WITH THE PURE UNADULTERATED WORD. IT HAS TO COME.

PRESUMING_  S.PINES.NC  SUNDAY_  62-0610M

  E-77    Paul according to Ephesians 1:by--or Ephesians 1:5, He said, "God predestinated us before the foundation of the world to the adoption of sons in Jesus Christ." How you going to stop it? All devils in hell, you might as well quit fussing about it. It's going to be there without a spot or a wrinkle. It's going to be a what? A bride church. Hallelujah. God said, "I will restore." Restore what? One without an organization touch to it, one with the pure unadulterated Word. It has to come.

Why did we get a bunch of denominations this time out of this revival? We sowed denomination seed. What we need today... Brother, you can say what you want to about it, we need the Gospel, pure, holy, unadulterated Word of God, sown. And when this Light comes out it'll bring forth that church, God's predestinated. Amen. Don't presume about nothing. Take God's Word and move right on. He promised He'd be here. He's here. Amen. I'd better stop.

*BUT SHE IS COMING BACK WITH THE PURE, UNADULTERATED WORD OF GOD BEING MANIFESTED.

CHRIST.IS.THE.MYSTERY.OF.GOD.REVEALED_  JEFF.IN  V-3 N-7  SUNDAY_  63-0728

412      Now, you can see now, the end-time Message, why It's rejected. Can you? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Now, no denomination, but the revelation of His mystery. See, no denomination. The revelation! God is not known by denomination. He is known by revelation.

Joh 15:1  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 
Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 
Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 
Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 
Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 
Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 
Joh 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 
Joh 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 
Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 
Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 
Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 
Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 
Joh 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 
Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 
Joh 15:17  These things I command you, that ye love one another. 
Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 
Joh 15:20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 
Joh 15:21  But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. 
Joh 15:22  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 
Joh 15:23  He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 
Joh 15:24  If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 

 

 

24-0527P_THE TESTIMONY OF A TRUE WITNESS PT-14 (CONCERN)

Joh 1:15  John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 

Joh 1:16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 

Joh 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

Joh 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 

Joh 1:19  And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 

Joh 1:20  And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 

Joh 1:21  And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 

Joh 1:22  Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 

Joh 1:23  He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 

Joh 1:24  And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 

Joh 1:25  And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 

Joh 1:26  John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 

Joh 1:27  He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 

Joh 1:28  These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 

Joh 1:30  This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 

Joh 1:31  And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 

Joh 1:32  And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 

Joh 1:33  And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 

Joh 1:34  And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 

Joh 1:35  Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 

Joh 1:36  And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 

Joh 1:37  And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 

Joh 1:38  Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 

Joh 1:39  He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 

Joh 1:40  One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 

Joh 1:41  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-25    Now, we are living in a terrible time. We're living in a time of a great falling away. We know that. We are aware. Last evening I was preaching on the subject of "Presuming" down at the other church: people taking some kind of a something, and just presuming they are Christians. And the word "presume," as we explained last night, means "to adventure without authority." And too many people are presuming today. "Well," they say, "I did such-and-such. I joined church. I--I was immersed in water. I presume I am a Christian." That won't work. That... You can't presume what... You've got to be sure you are. See? You--you got to really know that you are a Christian.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-26    So today, I feel, in the face of... Our nation has more membership-Christians than the nation's ever known of. But did you know, last year according to the statistics that there hasn't--the--no seminary--one just barely compared with the year before, but every other seminary, or school, or Bible school fell under its quota of ministers. Where young people with calls in their life to go out into the field, and so forth, that goes for their training, and so forth, how they used to stand in line to be enrolled in the schools; and now you can hardly persuade them in. There's something wrong somewhere. See? I believe with all my heart, without any, hoping not to be saying anything wrong, but I believe it's because of a lack of interest, concern--not enough concern. There's too much concern about making a atomic bomb, too much concern about who is going to get on the moon first, and--and... I ain't caring about getting on the moon. I want to get in heaven, is where I--I want to get.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-27    You know they're always hollering about "We got a man in space first." Russia keeps hollering to us, "We put a man in space." Why, we've had One in space for two thousand years. Sure, we ain't got...?... They're--they're so far behind. They're two thousand years behind us. We had a Man in space way back yonder not two thousand years ago, rose up out of the grave, and is in space, and all over everywhere. Certainly. So that's the One that we are looking to. He'll take us to where He said, "In My Father's house are many mansions, and I'll go and prepare a place," somewhere beyond the space yonder. I do not know. But He'll come back to receive us. That's the thing. "Let not your hearts be troubled, neither be afraid." Oh, I love that. That just lets me know that there's a home in the rock somewhere, way beyond the mountaintop, as the poet said.

THIS FALLING AWAY IS A LACK OF CONCERN FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST. 

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-28    Now, this falling away is a lack of concern for the body of Christ. I believe that maybe the right thing hasn't been presented. So many young students that would take a call in life sees so many failures out here, and really see that the order and program of the day has failed. Not... Christ hasn't failed, but the system that we have created has failed. Christ's program hasn't failed, but the people's system has failed. Now, Christ has a program that we must enter in.

GOD'S WORD IS SO PERFECT. AND BECAUSE THAT ONE LITTLE JOT OR TITTLE CAN IN NO WISE PASS OUT, IT CANNOT PASS AWAY UNTIL IT HAS BEEN FULFILLED.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-29    Now, we could stay a long time on these few little Scriptures and things I wanted to refer to. But to hurry along, let's begin now and start back in the Book of Isaiah, and begin with John's first being called "a voice of one crying in the wilderness," some 712 years before his birth.

And when... Zacharias, his father, a priest in his day, was a minister in the temple of the Lord. And he and his wife, Elisabeth, was well-stricken in age. And the Holy Spirit came to Zacharias, and blessed him, and told him about the child, as we all know. But it must've been a strange thing, and a feeling in the heart of that aged couple, when this promised son arrived. And his speech--he'd been dumb until the time that he gave his name, according to God's Word.

See, God's Word is so perfect. And because that one little jot or tittle can in no wise pass out, it cannot pass away until it has been fulfilled. Jesus is coming, and He's coming for a church without a spot or a wrinkle. And not one Word, or one Iota, of That will ever fail. The church will be in that shape when Jesus comes. They're waiting on us.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-30    Now, notice that Zacharias and Elisabeth... As they were well-stricken in age, they knew that they would not be able to live out the span of life to long enough to see their son--what God had for him in store. But they knowed that God was with him, because the Holy Spirit had promised that promise, and they knowed God would take care of their son. Now, according to the history, they're--they died when he was about nine years old.

And John... How strange these fellows are. Now, it looked like that John, being out of the home of a priest, that he being a religious man, and knowing there was a call in his life, he would've went right straight down to the school and become a priest like his father. Now, that would've been the natural run of thought. When a boy gets a call in his life, the first thing they think about is run over to the seminary somewhere (See?), run to the school, or something on that order: wait till you get your degrees, and so forth, before you preach. And now, John did just vice versa to that.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-31    Instead of going to the school that his father came out of... He knew there was a call in his life, and he knew that he was to announce--he was to introduce to the world the Messiah, because he was to go before Him, and there couldn't be a mistake in it.

So, instead... He knowed if he went down to the school and told them, "Many of you don't understand it here, but I'm the one that was born of Zacharias, the priest, who got his schooling here in this school of theology. And I've--I... You know my mother, a righteous woman, and you know who I am. So I come down, Bishop, Archbishop, so forth, to--to learn what this Messiah will look like, because I'll have to know what He looks like. I'll have to be sure, because He's going to be a Man. And I'm going to have to know what He looks like so I can truly introduce Him to the world."

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-32    Now, that's an important office. And my brethren, you know we got that same office? Right: truly introducing to the people the Messiah.

So he knowed that if he went down to the school that every man would have a different idea about it, and it would only cause confusion. But John at the age of nine years old went to the wilderness to be alone with God, so that he would not make a mistake. He wanted to know what this Messiah would be, how he'd find Him, what He would look like so that he could introduce Him.

And we find that instead of going to take all of his degrees and come up as a priest as his father was, and follow in the footsteps of his father, he went as far away from the school as he could go, plumb out into the wilderness, alone with God.

I have nothing against the schools. I have nothing against that at all. They're very fine. But sometimes after you have got your degree in school, you still have to go out in the wilderness somewhere to find the will of God. That's right. It is true.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-33    Now John, bearing this great office, went straight to the wilderness and was there from the age of nine until he was thirty years old, in the wilderness.

You can notice the way he talked; he was a wilderness man. "Oh, you generation of snakes." See? He'd been used to the snakes in the wilderness. See, he... See? "Oh, the axe is laid to the root of the tree." See? He was wilderness. See? He--he preached like he had lived, in the environment he'd lived in. And he give those symbols of the things that he had learned out there in the--the wilderness.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-34    Now. Why was John so sure? Did you notice, he didn't say, "Perhaps this is..."? He said, "Behold, this is..." How would he be so sure?

Now, let's read another verse, the 26th verse I got written out here. I want to see what we get out of this 26th verse here.

And John answered them, saying, I baptize you with water: but there standeth one among you, whom you know not;

Look. John knew. How was John so sure that right among that bunch somewhere, standing there then, was that Messiah? "There's one standing among you now who you don't know, and he's the one that's going to baptize with the Holy Ghost." See? He knew Him. Why? Because the time was at hand.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-35    Brethren, the time is at hand. It pays the Christian not to just join the church, or to depend upon some maneuver, some sensation, or something on that way, but to be sure that you're right. Now, there's so much today that we have. Some allows it to schooling, some allows it to learning creeds, some allows it to little funny feelings, some allows it to different things, which, I don't have nothing against that. That's all right. But that's not what I'm talking about. You can have that without having the real thing. See? And that's what we're trying to say. We must be sure, because the time is at hand for the--the real pouring out of the Holy Spirit. He promised He would pour it out in the last days.

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL BRING FORTH A HOLY LIFE.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-36    Now, there's so many people say if you quiver, hold your eyes shut, and do all kinds of things and get sensations. You get spirits, friends, but if your life don't tally up to what you're professing, then there's something wrong with the spirit you got. See? It's--it's true. See? You--you must be sure. The Holy Spirit will bring forth a holy life. That is right. And if the desire's in your heart... If you have to force yourself constantly to try to press, and do what's right, and the world's still hungering in you, then there's something wrong. See, the Holy Spirit in you will not hunger for the world; It'll hunger for God. If it's hard for you to go to church, and press yourself to come when the church is open, there's something wrong with that spirit. It's trying to keep you away from God. The Spirit of God will run you right straight to the church every time the door opens for fellowship. Yes, sir. See? So you've got to be sure of this now. The time is at hand.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-37    Now, John knew that the time was at hand. So, therefore, he said, "There's One standing here somewhere among you Whom you don't know." Neither did he at that time, or he'd have said, "Here He is, or there He is. That's Him standing there."

But John, if he'd have went to school, he probably would've pointed out fifty. But, you see, John had went to a different school. John had been before God. John had revealed to him by God exactly the Word of God, what the Messiah would be like. So he was waiting to see the sign of the Messiah. He wanted to see where the Messiah was. God promised, "I'll vindicate that Messiah to you." I tell you now, if you want the Scripture for that, there'll be a Scriptural sign, verse 33. Let's take the verse 33 here and read. Now, watch:

And I know him--knew him not--I knew Him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-38    See, there was... God want--wants to make sure that there is no mix-up about it. God said, "John, I'm going to give you a sign. And then when you see this sign upon Him, that's going to prove that that is the One."

John said, "He's standing out there somewhere, but I--I don't know Him yet." But as soon as he saw the--the Spirit descending and resting upon Him... Nobody else saw it but John. Just think of that. The Holy Spirit came down in a form of a Dove, and rested upon Jesus, and nobody saw it but John, 'cause the promise was made to John.

IT'S FOR BELIEVERS. THE ONE THAT HAS A HUNGER IN THEIR HEART TO SEE GOD, SEES IT.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-39    Now, if there's an unbeliever here that doesn't believe in the baptism of the Holy Ghost, you say, "I just don't believe it," you'll never know anything about it. You say, "I don't believe in Divine healing. I can't see it's right." Certainly you can't. No, sir. But "he that believeth..." It's for believers. The one that has a hunger in their heart to see God, sees it. Nobody...

Them men was with Paul didn't see that Light hanging there over Paul. They didn't see the light, but it was so--so real to Paul till it put his eyes out--so bright that it put one man's eyes out standing looking at it, and the others standing around couldn't even see it. So you see, it's sent to those who believe and are ready to receive it.

The wise men--the Magi from the east, followed the star for two years down across the Tigress River, and through the plains; and come from way over in Arabia over into India, came down to Jerusalem following that star. And it passed over every observatory, and none of them wrote anything about it. They didn't see it; but they saw it.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS HERE. IT'S HERE FOR THOSE WHO ARE DESTINED TO RECEIVE IT, WHO THAT BELIEVES IT, WHO'S A-WAITING ON IT.

CONVINCED.THEN.CONCERNED_  TEMPE.AZ  THURSDAY_  62-0118

  E-40    So I believe tonight that the Holy Spirit is here. It's here for those who are destined to receive It, who that believes it, who's a-waiting on it. It's here to straighten out every one of them spiritual problems. It's here to heal every sick person that's present. It's here. But you've got to come and get in the atmosphere of it, and the attitude to receive it. You've got to come not in emotional workup; you've got to come upon the basis of believing a promise that God made. That does it. That's what does it.

 

24-0524A_THE IDENTIFIED CHRIST OF ALL AGES PT-25 (LOOK TO HIM, IN HIS IDENTIFIED WORD)

Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 

Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 

Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. 

Isa 45:20  Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 

Isa 45:21  Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. 

Isa 45:22  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 

…*ANY DIVINE PROMISE OF GOD, TAKE THE RIGHT MENTAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS THAT DIVINE PROMISE, IT'LL BRING IT TO PASS; 'CAUSE THERE'S NO DEFEAT: FAITH CANNOT BE DEFEATED. THERE'S NO DEFEAT TO FAITH.

SEEKING.AFTER.JESUS_ CONNERSVILLE.IN SUNDAY_ 53-0531

  E-13    Satan taken Him up on the temple and whitewashed the Scriptures for Him. He said, "And it is written." Again, He taken Him up on the mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms, and Jesus said, "It is written," and He defeated this devil by the Word of God, never used any power at all, bringing every Divine blessing down in the--to the reach of the humblest and weakest of Christian, as long as you'll believe that that's the Word of God, and say, "It's written." It'll defeat Satan, anywhere, any time, on any conditions: the Word of God. It certainly will. Dare to put it to prom--put to His promise.

SEEKING.AFTER.JESUS_ CONNERSVILLE.IN SUNDAY_ 53-0531

  E-14    And now, listen to this closely. Any Divine promise of God, the right mental attitude towards any Divine promise of God will bring it to pass. If you can look at it right and believe it in that way that it's written, say, "God, it's Your Word," and take the right mental attitude towards that Divine promise, it'll bring it to pass; 'cause there's no defeat: faith cannot be defeated. There's no defeat to faith.

*LOOK BACK IN HIS WORD AND SEE WHAT HE'S DOING, THEN WE'LL HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING.THE.RAPTURE_ 

YUMA.AZ  V-5 N-14  SATURDAY_  65-1204

     47      God lotted His Word out to each age, and each one of those age has to manifest that. And He also foreordained men for that age, to fulfill that Word. Every time He lotted His Word, He lotted a man for It. When He lotted Moses' time, He lotted Moses to It. When He lotted the time for the Son of God to be born, He lotted Him to it. Every age, He's lotted His man, foreordained, as the Bible said. Nothing...

     48    If God is infinite, Almighty, all powerful, omnipresent, omniscient, why, He knowed all things from the beginning. So, He knowed. There's nothing out of cater. It's just us that thinks it is. It's everything run. Look back in His Word and see what He's doing, then we'll have an understanding.

*NOW, IF YOU CAN LOOK AND LIVE WHEN YOU SEE THE--HEAR THE GOSPEL PREACHED, ON THE BASIS OF THE WORD, THAT SETTLES IT.

GLORIFIED.JESUS_  PHOENIX.AZ  FRIDAY_  55-0225

  E-17    Now, if you can look and live when you see the--hear the Gospel preached, on the basis of the Word, that settles it. You're healed right there. But you cannot be healed by mental faith. You've got to be healed by a real living faith from your heart. When... No matter how much you're worked up up here, and no matter how much you disbelieve up here, if something down here tells you it's over, it's over; that's all. That settles it. There's no more fear at all. Nobody could tell you any different. You don't know why you believe it. It's not reason; it is faith. You just believe it and that's the way it takes place. You believe it and go on, no matter what you're sense knowledge would say, be all out of reason...

It was out of reason for Abraham and Sarah to have the baby, but they believed it anyhow. It's all out of reason for a man to stay alive in the belly of a whale, but he did anyhow. It's all out of reason for a man to raise one from the dead, but He did it anyhow. See? Yes, it is true. It's not reason, it's faith.

*BUT GOD IN HIS LOVE AND MERCY HAS SO APPROPRIATED A WAY, THAT BEFORE DIVINE JUDGMENT EVER STRIKES, THERE IS A WAY.

THE.ARK_  JEFF.IN  V-26 N-18  SUNDAY_  55-0522

67    Notice. But God in His sovereign grace, before the end time... He referred to it now in Jesus: Jesus did, said, "As it was in the days of Noah before the flood, what people were doing, that's that kind of a repeat will come again." And we see it. So we--we just have to be spiritually blind, or we can see it. Open up, look around.

There's such a great difference between physical blind and spiritual blind. I believe if I had to take my choice, I'd take physical, any time. Yes. There's such a thing as being blind.

78    And today, men are stricken blind because they are rejecting God, mercy. That only leaves judgment left. But God in His love and mercy has so appropriated a way, that before Divine judgment ever strikes, there is a way. God makes a way of escape for all those who desire to follow that way. That's the mercies of Him, making a way of escape. "Not willing that any should perish, but all might come to repentance."

*IF A MAN REFUSES TO LOOK INTO GOD'S WORD AND SEE THE PLAN, AND SEE GOD,…..HE HIMSELF SHUTS UP HIS EYES TO THE THINGS OF GOD.

THE.ARK_  JEFF.IN  V-26 N-18  SUNDAY_  55-0522

What if I, today, was to reject to have my eyesight, letting it be put out? If I refused to keep my eyes, I'd take something and stab them out. I don't want to see then.

That's the way it is spiritually. If a man refuses to look into God's Word and see the plan, and see God, he automatically puts out his eyes. He himself shuts up his eyes to the things of God. What a day. What a time. What a lesson we ought to learn today from looking around at the end time.

*GOD, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, MAKING A WAY OF ESCAPE FOR THOSE WHO WANTED TO COME GOD'S WAY OF ESCAPE...

THE.ARK_  JEFF.IN  V-26 N-18  SUNDAY_  55-0522

  82    But God in His sovereign grace in the days of Noah, He said, "Now, I want you to go out and make a provision for all those who desire to escape this judgment." Isn't that marvelous? God, not willing that any should perish, making a way of escape for those who wanted to come God's way of escape... So He said, "Noah, I want you to make an ark."

Now, the word "ark" is "a little chest, or a place of escape, a hiding place." There's three of them spoke of in the Old Testament. And we want to look at those three now for a few moments. All those three were typing one great Ark, Christ, to the Church today. Three is a confirmation, all the old things just foreshadowing.

  86    The ark. There was one of them Noah built, a way of escape. Second one spoke of, was the one that Moses was put in. The third was the ark of the testimony to Israel. And the fourth, all fulfilled in the fourth, being Christ Jesus.

And all those who gathered into each ark, or under the--the--come to reconciliation by the ark, all was preserved through judgment. And just as certain as they was preserved in the type, how much more are we to be preserved in Christ, the real Antitype of all the arks. Oh, He's marvelous.

…*BUT YET FAITH WILL NEVER LOOK AT THAT IF GOD'S WORD IS CONTRARY TO IT. IT'LL TRACK STRAIGHT TO GOD'S WORD.

JAIRUS.A.SECRET.BELIEVER_  MACON.GA  SATURDAY_  55-0604

E-10    Now, in order to have faith, faith has to have a basis. You just can't let faith be loose and wild. Faith has to rest itself, not upon the shifting sands of man's reasoning. Faith is based on the solid Rock of God's Word. Faith rests right on God's Word.

If the Lord has said so, then that settles it. It doesn't shift about. Men how sometimes they can explain anything so real and paint the picture so real, but yet faith will never look at that if God's Word is contrary to it. It'll track straight to God's Word.

And when He said, "I'm the Lord that healeth thee," you believe that for God said so. And we believe it because God said so.

IT TURNED THE CRITIC INTO TEARS.

FELLOWSHIP_  MINNEAPOLIS.MN  SUNDAY_  56-0212

E-46    Some time ago John Sproule, a friend of mine was at Alsace Lorraine, France, and they was taking him out through a garden, he and his wife, and was showing them the statues and so forth; and there was a statue of Christ. John stood and looked at it, and he said, "Brother Branham, I looked, and it just didn't look right. I didn't see why they put a statue like that as a shrine to Christ."

He said, "There was no suffering, no pity, just an old piece of rock, looked like hanging there, hewed out on the cross," and said, "The guide said to me, 'Kind, sir,' said, 'you'll perhaps criticizing the statue.'"

He said, "Yes, I am."

He said, "You're just not looking at it right." He said, "You see, there's an altar down below it." He said, "Now, you go and kneel down at that altar, and then you look up, and then come back and tell me what you think."

FELLOWSHIP_  MINNEAPOLIS.MN  SUNDAY_  56-0212

  E-47    So he went down and knelt, he said, at the altar, raised his head up and said his heart almost failed. There was the suffering. There was the--the agony of Christ. The sculptor had cut out into the face of the cruel suffering that He did, and it made a difference. It turned the critic into tears.

That's the way it is with God's Word. God's Word is not supposed to be learned like a newspaper story. It's not supposed to be tried to figure out. It's to get down, look up to it, saying, "God, be merciful to me and give me faith to believe Your Word. I accept now the Blood of the Lord Jesus for my sins." Then it'll look a lot different. It'll make critics believe in Divine healing. It'll make those without the Holy Spirit, never been borned again, knows nothing about God or the new birth, become a seeker of the Holy Ghost and not to be an argue. It'll put a love in his heart when he looks through the Blood of Christ to the Word to say, "Yes, God. You died to make that Word real to me." It'll change your whole attitude. It'll make you a different person.

FELLOWSHIP_  MINNEAPOLIS.MN  SUNDAY_  56-0212

  E-48    Notice what a time. Now, the worshipper then come inside. He was in that blessed fellowship of the believers. And now today when the worshipper comes through the Blood of the Lord Jesus and comes into the tabernacle or the tent of the believers, with the firstborn of the Church, the Holy Ghost Bride, then you have fellowship one with another, for the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.