Resurrection Message 1997

This heavenly father, we thank you for your presence and especially thank you, Lord, that we can identify with you having come down upon earth here and interrupt your prophet for a specific period of time, showing us the truth and the revelation of who you are and what you are doing. We ourselves identified with you so that the prophet could say, you're looking at me, aren't you? Same thing right back to the days of Jesus, which. We know that many people, when they first saw Brother Branham, they said, Bible days are here again. The ministry of Christ returned to this earth. And then they just turned around because he did not say what they wanted him to say. He only said, Lord, what you wanted him to say, and therefore he was shunned. Now we have the same thing today, Lord. And without a doubt, as the prophet said, the squeeze will come down. We shunned also. Doors closed as far as they know. All these things coming upon us, but Lord, you carried us hitherto. You brought us into the light and we know nothing can come against the light. Even as your Holy Scripture has said, the condemnation's in the world and light came in the world and men could do nothing about it. But Lord, we are here this morning to receive truth in the inward man and put it deep within our hearts. Not only consume it spiritually, but it consumes us spiritually so we become one with you. Help us today in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Now, this is a resurrection message this morning, and we're going to take a little while to get to the actual substance, the point of it.

I remember we had a dedication service here a little while ago, and I went into several scriptures until I lost, I'm sure, the mother and the father and everybody else, and the grandfathers, when I was going to get to something said about dedication, but I fooled them. I suddenly took a quick turn, and it made them realize that sometimes you have to take a circuitous route to go home. Like, you know, the lovers used to say, the longest way home is the shortest way. Because, you know, if you're in love, you can go a long, long way. It's still a short way to get home. So we're going to be looking at the ministry of Christ on earth, which was defiled by his death. And we look at the fact of... He had a ministry in the future that depended upon his resurrection. And there is also a ministry today that he has. And all this points to the fact that we're looking at an imminent resurrection. Imminent, of course, terms mean it's going to be, it's standing out very prominently and could happen any time. And that's the point.

Our years are just a day with the Lord. We don't want to get ourselves too anxious about that resurrection because, as it was in the Old Testament, only those under 20 were able to enter into the Promised Land, all except Joshua and Caleb, who were foreordained to that. And so we're going to look at the Scripture on resurrection, but first of all, we'll just read you from my notes and take you up to where I want to take you. to show you from the Scripture where we are actually today, and make no mistake about it, because it's vindicated, and there is a resurrection very shortly. And whether we're part of it has nothing to do with it, except in this sense, if there weren't people who had a part in God's program, there wouldn't be any sense for a resurrection. So there is an actual binding of us to this Word. on the grounds that we do believe. We believe what the prophet said. Every now and then, I just start in a minute or two, but every now and then I hear from somebody or hear of somebody, and the question comes up, that person doubts that person's salvation. Well, I think what is wrong with that person or persons is this. You're simply not looking at the word. You're looking at yourself. You're looking at the word like the... The Bible said, James says, you look in the mirror. And then when you turn your face away from the mirror, you promptly forget what you were looking at in the sense of the visible things you wanted to see. You just walk off and you forget. Well, you don't do that with the Word. What the Word says in there, you must not forget. You can come to a place of tragic indecisions during your lifetime. You can actually hurt yourself by... turning away from God's revealed Word. As I told you years and years ago, I was just very, very young, just started in the ministry, and just thinking of the Word of God, how righteous the Scripture said that we were through Jesus Christ. And I looked at that Scripture, and then the devil put the thought in my mind, yeah, that's wonderful, but you just, don't have that. And as I looked at myself and as an unclean person under the blood, like a voice within me said, call not that common or unclean which God has cleansed. And I said, yeah, but that wouldn't apply to me. I'm going to tell you, I lost something that I may never ever recover by turning on what God said to me from his scripture. And you, if you've got a doubt of your salvation, you better forget yourself and stop sassing God. Stop mocking God. Go to this scripture here, and you see, according to vindicated prophet, when you believe this message, you are born again. You can't find the old Pentecostal doctrines in the Bible. You can't find the things that men put in there. They are not there, and they've been exposed. The devil has been exposed, and God has been exposed. Now, who are you going to take? God? You're going to take the devil? It's up to you. It's up to you entirely. You can take that word and stand on it. It says, God said so. And that's what it is. God said so. And we have thus said the Lord thousands and thousands of times. And Brother Branham categorically said, You're born again by the baptism with the Holy Ghost. He said, There's no such thing as an altar call. It is a water call. And the Bible said, Repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Didn't say tongues. Didn't say interpretation. The gift of the Holy Ghost. Coming without sensation. Why? To you. Because you... do not actually in birth have a sensation or you can feel things, but you cannot recall a sensation. Maybe psychiatrists say, well, when you were born, there was a hard birth and that thing's imprinted in you. Well, I'm going to tell you what. If you had a hard birth and that's imprinted in you, what about a birth you can't remember imprinted by God? Forget your dumb birth. Forget your other things. Get with this word because there isn't any hope outside of it. You're not going to get anywhere without it. So they say, well, I wonder if I'm saved. One of them born again. You have to wonder. Look in the Bible. Find out. Listen to what the prophet said. Find out. He's the one that came to tell us. Then why would you and I then begin to look in these things and think we know something? I'm going to bring it up and show you Scripture for it too. If I ever get preaching. I'm just exhorting right now. But you must not. When preachers' wives and different women and different ones can say, I wonder if I'm even saved. Or how do you know you're saved? What have they been doing all these years?

To whom have they been listening? What are they harboring inside? You know, listen, the Bible teaches that too many people are like a man who was starving and he dreamed he was eating and he woke up hungry and ever.

A man thirsty, famished for water. He bleeds, he's getting water, he wakes up and his throat's more parched than ever. Hey, get with it. Never mind your daydreams and these things that come to you. Get with the Word of God. Nothing else matters. The Bible says old men shall dream dreams. I dream dreams and they're lousy. They're stupid. I haven't got one biblical dream for so many years. It's pitiful. Is that going to change me? Forget it. I'm not a guy to listen to dreams and pipe dreams. Phooey. You've got an infallible Word of God. It's going to take place whether you go with it or not. So it's a good thing to go with the Word of God. All right, remember, God has sent forth waters from the temple, the eastern gate, and there was waters up to the ankles, up to the knees, up to the thighs, waters to swim in, waters to carry over. We have come to the place of waters to carry us over. Do you want to get back to your ankles where old Luther was? Get up to your thighs where old Wesley was? Or get up to your hips where the old Pentecostals were? Forget it. I want waters to carry me over. We sing that song, Sweet Cherry, Come a -fore to carry me home, but the water won't do, bless God. You've got to have a second sign or a second something, get with it. You're not going to get it. You've had your last sign. Brother Branham discerning, hundreds of times turned his back. You've had your last sign. You're not going to get any more. Now, if you want a bunch of peelings, I can help you right there. Just where do you want to get kicked? Might

as well hold it up to ridicule. I mean, that's the only way people ever learn anything, is hold it up to ridicule, say just where they're going, what they're into. I don't mean to be rude and ignorant here on anything, but... All right, now we're going to talk about the resurrection. We're going to get to it on the grounds that we're looking at the proximity. Now, last Friday night, as we studied the crucifixion of Jesus, that's where it's got to start, because he's the first fruit. If there isn't any first fruits, there can't be second fruits. In other words... There's got to be the first thing, like they say, what started, what was first, the chicken or the egg? Well, if you think the egg was first, you're crazy. Because the chicken was first. You got a chicken, you get lots of eggs. Hopefully. So, all right, you got to have a starting place. And the starting place had to be in the death to have a resurrection in order to have a first fruit. See? And the first fruit was Jesus. I could just start preaching at this point and forget my notes, but I'm not going to do it. Because then I would be too long. But the thing is, you see, instantly your mind can begin to click when you come upon a principle which is in the Word of God, sanctified truth, and especially truth vindicated. That truth vindicated. Now, he was the first fruit. So there's going to be more like him. See? Now, remember, he was also a firstborn. So all firstborns are first fruit because of the image of Christ. They were in him as he was in God. So all the fullness was put into him and come down to Adam, down to us. Then he himself took a part of our flesh. Not exactly the same, but he took a part of it. See, he wasn't born humanly. Now, the processes were human in the fact that the gestation and the delivery. But the woman only supplied the chemical elements of the earth through her body to nourish that one. But believe me, Brother Branham was so correct, he couldn't be otherwise, that the egg... and the sperm were created by God, and that life in there was that actual life of Jesus, though many millions of times greater than you and I, the spirit without measure. And he came the same way as we came. We came the same as he came, except one way. The one thing different was, we can't remember back there because we didn't have that word or that spirit body, which now we have a word body. And by the baptism with the Holy Ghost is commensurate. Well, how's it commensurate? It means we're going to get everything that he got. He didn't have to go through that process. Okay, last Friday night, we studied the crucifixion of Jesus. We enumerated six major errors made by Israel that led to the death of Messiah. Those errors absolutely were based upon a lack of a definitive revelation that pertained to the entire subject of redemption. as enunciated by their prophets to Israel. Israel had an absolute, entirely wrong conception of redemption. They didn't know redemption had to go back to Adam, had to go back to every single one to get them out of the pit of sin. They figured redemption was a principle that came upon the nation. Now remember, they still believed in a resurrection. They couldn't put it together. There was no way they could do it. See? So they entirely couldn't understand what God was doing to them and for them and through them. The doctrine of the restoration of Israel and how it was to be accomplished by Messiah was saturated with so much error that when it was taught as truth, which it was, the doctrines, traditions of men as true doctrines, taught as truth, and received as such, not John the Baptist or even Jesus, who was a vindicated prophet,

That church, and it was because the roots were in the church in the wilderness, which is spoken of in an allegory in Galatians, the fourth chapter, called earthly Jerusalem, which was truly then a human institution organized and devoid of God, though they attempted to worship God. And Brother Branagh said, one day that God that you say you worship is going to destroy you. And that's exactly the way they were. And that's the history we have in the Bible. Now those errors, and no doubt there were others, that we could name were as follows. One, who he was. Two, his ministry and why he had such a ministry. Three, the necessity of his death. Four, his foretold and actual resurrection, which he proved he could do it. And five, his future ministry as to office and why it was required. In other words, what he would be doing. And six, his coming to his kingdom on earth. And eternally and everlastingly bringing us to the new Jerusalem where the headship is turned over to Almighty God. Now, we saw and understood exactly why. We saw and understood exactly all that we looked into last Friday. And I trust you did. That you could see that those were things that they absolutely missed which were pertinent in the Bible. And looking back where you find hindsight is better than foresight. You've got 20 -20 vision right there perfectly, or even better. You can look back and say, oh, that's the way it is. But now what if something comes in front of you, you say, oh my, what is it? And you can't place it. And you place it wrong because of something in the past. And it may have nothing to do with the past except its roots there. But it's put on another branch. See, you've got a problem. And that's what Israel had, that terrible problem. because they could not understand Scripture. So, we saw and understood exactly why that was when we looked into Scripture last Friday. And we see it now in Scripture. We read this morning, put forth by Luke, described historian, because that's what he was. He wasn't one of the disciples. He was a Greek doctor and a historian. And Peter sums it up. Luke

writes it. But as Peter, now looking back, he is able to say, In Acts 1 .1 .11, The former treatise hath I made unto Theophilus of all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up after that he, through the Holy Ghost, had given commandments unto disciples whom he had chosen. This man really knew something, didn't he? He was taught by his language. This was God giving him the words. To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seated them forty days, and speaking them in faith for need of the King of God. And being assembled together with them, commanded them they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith, Ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized the water, but ye should be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When therefore they are come together, they ask me, saying, Lord, wilt thou this time restore the kingdom again to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or season which the Father put in his own power, but ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost come upon you. And ye have witnessed unto me both in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. Now this is not Peter, but Luke talking. And Luke is giving a bird's eye view and a perfect picture of exactly what had transpired. and he's giving them a look into the future so that they know what to expect. And this is now history recorded because the events are past, and the recording of that history is very, very good. Now, notice Luke also proceeds to Acts 1, 15 to 22, by recording Peter's words, and then proceeding to record Peter's words again. In Acts 2, 22 to 41, wherein the ministry of the ascended Christ takes over after his earthly ministry had finished. So we look at those verses of Scripture. 15 to 22. In those days Peter stood in the midst of the disciples and said, the names together were about 120. Man and bread in this Scripture must have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas. which was guide to them that took Jesus, for he was numbered with us, and had received part of this ministry. Obtained it means received it. Now this man purchased a field with reward of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And as it was known unto the dwellers of Jerusalem, insomuch that this field is called the proper name to sell them, that is to say, the field of blood, for it's written in the book of Psalms, that his habitation be destined that no man dwell therein, and his bishopric let another take. Now you'll notice in there that the man... is condemned and the office he had was defiled. And so someone else has to take it because there has to be a certain number of men there. Wherefore all of these men which have come unto us and so on... Well,

I won't read any further in that. Well, we could read on down here further now. It says in verse 25 that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell that he might go to his own place and so on. We find here when Peter is talking, he's beginning to understand now that Jesus has gone, some of the things written in the scripture, which no doubt Jesus told them about after his resurrection, and things are beginning to fall into place as they had not fallen into place previously. Now, let's look at it this way, and I tried to bring it up Friday night also. What they could look at after the fact is so different. When you're looking according to the fact. Because if you don't have spiritual understanding. Or you can't take what the person is trying to give you. Because he is the authority. Because he's vindicated. You have a terrible job receiving that person. You may never receive him. You could blaspheme God. But if you have. If you look back on the ministry. And you wondered. And you couldn't place it. But you knew something was there. But you haven't challenged, you haven't tempted. You can look back and say, oh, look at that. That's easy. You see, hindsight explained to you. It's easy. But when you're looking at that thing, many times it's very, very hard to see what is going on and what God is doing. So Peter, so frustrated with himself, having had a part of a revelation, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Blessed art thou. Simon Peter. Why he said, you're a little rock. He said, upon this revelation which you didn't get. No one gave it to you. God gave it to you. I'm going to build my future church. Build upon the solid rock of revelation. And Peter was a very boisterous fellow. And you can admire him. You can admire all those disciples. Yet, they were those, amongst those, who actually left Jesus and denied because they did not have that which was necessary. to stand with Him. Number one, revelation, although that really is number two, is number one should be the baptism with the Holy Ghost, and number two, the revelation confirmed because the Holy Spirit is within you. That is what gives people the iron in the blood and the strength to become martyrs and stand with the Word of God. Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. See, they loved not their lives unto death. It didn't matter. But so we see Peter looking back, and now, not even full of the Holy Ghost, but taught by the Lord in the resurrection, a period of about 40 days. He is able to know these things, but you'll notice even at this point he makes a mistake. He decides by a vote they should put in Matthias. As Brother Branagh said, no one ever heard from him again because God was the one to appoint the apostles. Now Peter himself admits that God appointed them, that Jesus appointed them. Now he's going to step in and do the work of Jesus. Isn't that like organization, the stupidity of humankind? It is tragic. But look, brother, sister, if this Bible is not a mirror that we can't look into and see ourselves and see history and see everything going on, there's something wrong with our eyesight at this particular time. We've got worse than cataracts. Because a cataract is only a growth. But blindness can be a spirit. And that's where you get a really, really bad situation. Now watch how Peter talks in the second chapter of Acts. He's full of the Holy Ghost. And this brother here, Peter, knows the Scripture. And he's been taught a certain amount by Jesus. Quite a lot, in fact. Three and a half years and then the 40 days of the resurrection. Now, we're going to look then at 22. You men of Israel hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man, not a God, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs. That's Deuteronomy chapter 18. Which God did by him. God was in him doing it. God and the prophets. In the midst of you. He was right here with you. As you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. You have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Whom God has raised up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible. He should behold another. For David speaketh concerning and foresaw the Lord all before my face. And he is on my right hand that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad, more also my flesh did rest in hope, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, lest thou suffer that holy one to seek corruption. Now you see, already David saw the fact that Jesus was going to be the high priest. And after Jesus positively rose from the dead and paid the price, entering into that ministry there, David didn't have a worry in the world. That's how he could, he understood. And the prophets had a certain revelation of this, but they weren't able to know it as we know it now. Because we're looking back. And as we look back, we must never make the mistake of looking back continuously. But what is in front of me? As Brother Brandon said, always looking back. Always looking forward. Never getting what's in front of them. See? Now Peter's looking back and he's seeing this. He's doing a good job. And he's even telling us concerning the psalmist David. He said, David speaketh concerning him. I foresaw the Lord all before my face. He's on my right hand that I should not be moved. And so on. He saw the resurrection without corruption. In verse 28, Thou hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us this day. He didn't say that David was with him. He said the sepulcher was. I don't know if he means that David is dead or not. I don't know that I'd agree with that one. Right there, because if David didn't come forth in the... In the first part of the first resurrection, how could he possibly type being the prophet kings? And Jesus being the first group, being the prophet king. And Jesus, of course, would not get exalted to kingship. Except in an intermediate measure, because he's on his father's throne at this point. But the time to crown him king, the king and lord of lords at the wedding supper. So you see, it's all right, though. We're not going to argue with this at all. This man's full of the Holy Ghost. He knows what he's saying. Perhaps I just don't quite understand everything he's saying. I guess that's the truth.

Now, the people standing here, I don't think they were witnesses, but the 120 were. And those that had above 500 saw them. I think that was at one time. therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this which you now see and hear. Now listen, you cannot see and you cannot hear the Holy Ghost. There's no way. But what was seen and what was heard was a demonstration by the energies of the Holy Ghost himself upon men. And so many people take this and say, well, this is the evidence of the baptism with the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues. You're wrong. It is a historical account. of what happened on that day. Because the evidence that Jesus said was to lead you into all truth and show you things to come. It was to be your teacher and your guide. We'll go into that at other times, if not this morning. Now, for David has not ascended. That's not the literal. It said, for David himself was not the one that ascended into heaven. But he, David said, that's a prophet. The Lord said to my Lord, sit down in my right hand. The Lord said to my Lord, sit down in my right hand. That's the same thing as the Lord shall descend from heaven. We're going to meet the Lord in the air. There's no difference. There's no difference because the Lamb is on the throne. He gets off that throne at the time of the trumpet. And the great multitude coming up. And the angels in the chair of him all screaming and shouting. See, it's going to be a great tremendous time. Until I make thy foes thy footstool. He said, you stay there until... The foes are a footstool. We're going to get into that too. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made this same Jesus. And who's this same Jesus? Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you. Here's this man. See? And you've got to recognize he is a man. Now he's the only begotten son. That makes him one of a kind. Son of God. That makes him a son. Has no other persons a son. He's different. He has what we don't have. He is what we are. And we are what he is. Now that's very definite, but you've got to understand I'm talking of the intrinsic and the truth. I'm not talking about the package in which it is and what the package produces. Because remember, you came here in the flesh to be tempted and tried. And if in Adam and Eve, pristine from the hands of God, tested and tried, immediately fell, there's hope for you and me if we fall how many times a day? Seventy times a day. Well, the Bible says, Lord, man falls seven times. Say, Lord, raise him up. But what about 70 times? You've got to forgive a person 70 times. No, you've got to 70 times 70. 490 times. In a day. Or say, days to a thousand years. No, it didn't say that. 24 hours. See? The vessel. Don't look at the vessel. No, don't look at the vessel. You look at that vessel. You've got to see yourself in the Word here, what God says. Then you come away. You keep that always in heart. So, all right, we find here that... What they didn't understand previous to his death. They certainly understood after the resurrection. And they saw in the scripture what was really said concerning him. It wasn't now a bunch of people mouthing off. These people that stood there and said crucify him, crucify him. The whole mob stirred up. Let me tell you. They weren't screaming anymore. They were struck in their hearts. It doesn't mean he even got converted. Although it does say, men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved? And I've got 3 ,000 added one day, 5 ,000 are. There are quite a number. But when you think of 70 AD, I guess there's hundreds of thousands that died in Jerusalem. That's just a drop in the bucket of what really came in. There were very, very few that actually came in. But my point is this, that it was only after the resurrection, when all that was fulfilled, that they truly understood the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we saw how they made the mistakes, and we pointed out Friday that they're making the very same mistakes today in the second crucifixion of Christ. Because the second crucifixion takes time at the hour of perfection when God brings such a definitive revelation and manifested power upon the earth, literally shaking. The foundations of everything that is here because all things are being shaken preparatory for the coming kingdom of Almighty God and people still say, ha, that's the devil. Or they say, I don't know.

Well, just a minute now. This is a life and death question. This is a question of this resurrection. This is a question of eternal life and eternal position. Is this then less valid than the stock market? Are we wondering daily what... Mr. Greenspan's going to do to put the interest up and try to keep away inflation and keep an overinflated market from getting too heated and crash. You bet your life it's going to crash. It'll

crash. It's going to go. It's got to go. Because everything in this world is bound up in the church which is Satan -oriented and Satan heads. He's got Satan heads. And Satan headed. So, all right. Now, He talks about the ministry that's being fulfilled by the ascended Christ in these verses. Having covered the earthly ministry of what he did, why he did it, and what they did to him, and how wicked they were in doing it. Now then, particularly note here verses 37 to 39. Now, when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what will we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children, all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify, and so on. Now, you're looking at what they said to Peter now. What are we going to do about this? Well, he didn't say you better go and hang yourself like Judas. You better go and cut your throats. He said, look, I'm telling you, this is the only way that you can get true salvation for you as an individual, and individuals will make up the kingdom. So you better get individually converted now, because if you deny Messiah now, in the resurrection he'll deny you. It is just that simple. That's what he preached. He said, how do you know? Because he said, listen, you're the ones that killed him. Your wicked hands did it.

What are you going to do? Wish I'd got news for you. There was a purpose in this. Now, you didn't know what you're doing and you killed him. And so when Jesus said, Father, forgive me, they don't know what they do. These people that repented, they're the ones who got forgiven. And so were the apostles also. They didn't know what they're doing either and they walked off.

Now, listen. Now that they do know what they did, what do you do now? You repent. So I just don't know how I can do that. Because look at the terrible thing I did. It may haunt you as it haunted Paul that he thought he was doing God a favor by killing God's own bride. It may haunt you and make you say, I'm the greatest sinner of all. But not for one minute did Paul deny that he was the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ.

Now that's true repentance right there. And we never, most of us never did understand that or got to it because our sins always haunt us and everything about it. But true repentance means... It's 100 % forgiven. There's no record. There's nothing against you. You never did it in the first place. Why? Because you're justified.

You see, a seed could never be idolatrous. That's why adultery cannot be forgiven on a woman. But you see, the bride is never idolatrous. She never was. She's never adulterous.

Never. All right. And notice, they that gladly received his word.

They're glad they got off the hook.

And why have we got people today in the church always beating themselves on the head?

That's what's wrong with these poor sisters that wonder. Am I saved? Why beat yourself on the head?

If you're truly sorry, if you truly want God, there's no way you're going to miss Him. If you're seed.

And if you're not seed and you truly want God, it's tend to when you're kidding yourself you want Him for something that God hasn't got for you in the first place.

Because God only wants to be a first and not even a last in your life, but always the first. Because there isn't any last when you belong to God. Always wants Him to be first in your life.

Make him your priority in the areas in which he said he is the priority. So don't get any crazy ideas about physical things, because they'll only betray you. And I haven't got time this morning to preach six hours and go into hundreds of scriptures, which I could.

No, they repented. They took God at his word, that God forgave him, so they forgave themselves. And they said, look, we did wrong, but from now on it's a different story. Now with this, we instantly turn to Ephesians 1. So we can somehow get you to the resurrection this morning. We put a long tape on, a two -hour tape. Broasts are going to be slowly done. They'll taste better. They'll fall apart on the fork. Paul, an apostle to Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. It should be even to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. From two people, whether you want to know it or not. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and blessed with all spiritual blessing, heavenly place in Christ. You know, I like this. It says, grace and peace be from God our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. I can just see God up there having his ears bent, his arms open for the people to give his people help. And I can just see Jesus on the mercy seat. He's just waiting for somebody's prayers to get up in his name.

One fellow told me years ago, he said, Brother Dale, I don't think I believe in prayer to God. I said, why not? Well, he said, he's got enough troubles of his own without having mine. And I said, you've got to be kidding. I said, his only concern is to help us, and he's very concerned if he can help us. Or words to that effect. I think the words right now are better than the words I gave him. Got more experience. But it's the same thing. Now, am I telling you the truth or am I not in this resurrection morning? Well, come on, read your scriptures. Read your scriptures, you're going to find exactly what I said. Are we trying to make God useless and Jesus useless? Are we trying to break up a fellowship and communion? Or are we believers? Hey, listen, prayer of veils has been scientifically proven. Prayer of veils is a scientific study that has been made in different areas. Not maybe double blinds and so on and so forth. But they found out even with people who did not believe in prayer necessarily and did not even know they're being prayed for. They did not want prayer necessarily. They got better and quicker than those who never had any kind of prayer. And those that wanted prayer and knew they were being prayed for and were prayed for, they got better and quicker than anybody.

If you want to know the truth, if you want to know how plants get big and beautiful, play Mozart. Yeah, play Mozart. Scientifically prove it. You want to kill your plants? Play rock and roll.

Now, maybe it's not just pollution that's killing the plants.

You ever go down the road and these kids have their boom boxes, they're calling these cars, wham, wham, wham, wham. Oh, my heaven.

Take the boom box and smash it. Okay. Blessed be the God and Father, Lord Jesus Christ, and blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. That's the only way you get to them. Yep. According as he hath chosen us and him, and that's the select people, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him. In love having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise and glory of his grace, wherein he made himself accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath bounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure of which he purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth, even in him, in whom also he obtained to inherit, as being... predestinated according to the purpose of him that worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. That's to get this inheritance, you see. Not only us, but everything is all predestinated. There isn't one thing that isn't predestinated. That we should be to the praise of his glory who first hoped in him. That's what trusted, but I guess the original word is hoped. That means earnestly desire. In whom he also hoped after he heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that he believed. You received with the Holy Spirit a promise. Now, he leaves out water baptism. But that's no problem. Because Paul practiced it.

You see, the point is, it wasn't water baptism that saved you.

See, like the thief on the cross. It's repentance and God doing something in and through you. And to you, rather. So the water baptism, though pertinent, part of the first two things we do, God's bound to do the third. Brother Branham said so, and that's the scripture. Not tearing and waiting and everything else. How do people take Brother Bram? He said, one day you're going to find out you always were saved.

Why? Because he said, my ears, my nose, my feet. Who's me?

Part of God. Part of God needs saving? No, part of God just needs being brought back. So God gets it back. We came from him. Devil stole us for a while. Jesus rescues, ransoms us, buys us out of the marketplace. He's the King Almighty God. Now ready to go back. I mean, these are things that are absolutely true. And, of course, the psychiatrists and psychologists, they say, well, you're just saying that to make yourself feel good. Well, I think we should say it all day long and all night, stay awake at night, too. And they ought to do it, too. Because they haven't got such good feelings. How come they've got such good feelings? More psychiatrists commit suicide than anybody else. The only trouble is they didn't do it soon enough.

There, boy. I think I'm past the first page. I'm not even reading the first chapter. Now, listen. Which is the earnest of our inheritance or the redemption, the purchase of possession, and the praise of the glory? Now, the Holy Ghost couldn't come until after the resurrection. So right now you're seeing part of the resurrection morning message. This is it. You couldn't have it without it. And every morning is resurrection morning. See, because he's risen from the dead. Now that he's risen, he dieth no more. Nothing to substitute for sin. It's all over. This is what you call the panacea. Panacea is a general... You might say pan -world cure.

Works for everything. Takes care of it all.

Jesus died upon Calvary and made the way for this. That's it. That's it. And if we miss anything, it's our own fault. Because there is that room in there that I've been preaching on, stewardship, which is an office which God grants you a position that you are to fulfill and everything... that you need is in that position from God so you can fulfill it. Now let's see who wins the races. Let's see who gets the crowns.

See? Too many people esteem it a small thing. They get so lost in certain phases of Scripture, they can never take the whole Scripture. By the grace of God, we had a prophet who brought us the whole Scripture. Now we have it. Wherefore, also I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints. Cease not to give thanks for you. Make you mention it.

What's he saying here? He's telling you there's coming a time when God himself will make sure to you every single thing he's spoken out. And you'll be heir to it and you'll walk right into the kingdom of God with both eyes open. And if your mouth may be flapping with the praises of God, you won't miss one heartbeat. You're changed to immortality. See, I told you right here. How do I know? Because this is it. It's

predestinated. This here now cannot be superimposed upon it, add to it, or take away from it. This tells you how you get it.

Right before the resurrection, into the resurrection. Seventh seal. Time mingling with eternity, just like us. Roman candle. Burst. Keep bursting and moving until we're right up to the white throne. Right past the white throne to the new Jerusalem. The holy city. Right there in the great pyramidal city. New Jerusalem. The Lamb on the throne. The pillar of fire above the throne. And the rest bringing their glory into the holy city where there is no night. And no need of a light because the Lamb is the light thereof. And the tree of life is there with roots on both sides of the river. That's what you're looking at. Hallelujah. It's wonderful to realize this is what's going on now. Everything in divine order. See, right here. Now he tells you that your eyes are going to be enlightened to what he's told you here. And remember, Ephesians 1 is from eternity to eternity in a nutshell.

Dr. Sauer, the German theologian, wrote a book from eternity to eternity. I don't think he had a clue, but I'm sure he had some kind of a clue. He's a good man, but he would not know what we know.

See, the two worlds are blending at this time. Transition. A mingling time and a journey.

He's telling you right here, this is the consummation of that which in a nutshell shows you here from God back to God and how it's performed at the end time. And it takes a resurrection and a rapture and it's over for the Gentile church. Food is virgin, go to the tribulation and die. Now, notice in here, which we read, verses 37 to 39, the book of Acts, second chapter. Repent and be baptized, everyone, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost promised unto you, and so on. And that took us right over here to Ephesians, where Paul had the definitive revelation that Peter, though he knew in his heart this truth, he could not propound it the way Paul could, because Paul received the revelation for the Gentiles.

And where Peter had a part, Peter was an apostle, but he was not a word prophet the way that Paul was. See? Okay. So, turning to Ephesians 1, where Paul, the vindicated apostle to the Gentiles, by revelation from Jehovah Elohim, in a pillar of fire, speaks face to face to Paul, and in this epistle, chapter 1, Paul gives the Gentiles what Peter at Pentecost gave to Israel, only more definitively and more powerfully, and with a greater depth of revelation. In fact, Paul's revelation was so great that Peter said, I'm a little afraid that people are trusting what Paul said to their own destruction. But Peter could not deny that Paul had the revelation. Because he certainly did. Now, this is what we're looking at because of the resurrection. And this is ours this morning because he is risen from the dead. And he's the high priest for us to face God to make sure that we get there. Now remember, there's no such thing as a hard shell here who believes that you can have salvation and regeneration and the holy city without a means to an end. The hard shell believes you're just going to get it without the means. The means having been set forth by the death and resurrection of Christ. That is not so. Everybody must repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and then God is obligated. If you're a seed. You'll receive the Holy Ghost. And remember, we believe we are seed on the fact that we are listening to Scripture. Now, we read Ephesians 1 here, and with it, I could have read, but I'll read now, Acts the 10th chapter.

And remember, Paul was not with Jesus, but Peter was. And in 10 and 34, down to about 38, Oh, I could read further, I guess, but I don't think I need to. Peter opened his mouth and said this when he opened the door to the Gentiles, to whom Paul wrote this letter. Of a truth I perceive God's no respect to persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. That word I say you know which was published throughout all Judea and began from Galilee. After the baptism which John preached. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power. Who went about doing good and healing all the oppressed of the devil. For God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and of Jerusalem. And they slew and hanged him on a tree. Him God raised up the third day and showed him openly. Not to all the people unto witnesses chosen before God. Even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And remember on Friday night we found Jesus eating a piece of fish. and some honeycomb. Now, that's going to blow your minds right there. Are people going to eat fish and linen? Don't ask me. And don't even think about it. You say, well, you know, there's one thing you could think about, angel food. The Bible said God, the psalmist said that God fed his people angel food, which is manna. Who will eat manna? I'm not an angel. What am I going to eat? Who cares? It's going to be good, though. That is the fruit of stuff we have here. If you're supposed to eat spinach and don't like it, you'll eat it up there.

You're going to like everything for a change. So now Peter set forth Christ in the resurrection office and ministered as Redeemer and Keeper. In a barren, simple words, he did it. And he showed positively that Jesus was vindicated and so therefore they knew that he was that one. And then Paul, of course, as I read here, comes along and he goes into it in much greater depth even than does Peter because he goes back to eternity where Peter does not. Peter merely brings the issue and as well... It should be. It's like Spurgeon preached on elect, foreknown of God. And the people wondered and said, well, now just a minute. How does that line up with whosoever will may come? And he said, well, over the door of the church is written whosoever will may come. But over the sign of the altar where you repent before God, he said, elect foreknown from the beginning of the world. See, you don't know. Brother Branagh said, I'm glad they didn't say Bill Branham. They said whosoever because there might be a hundred Bill Branhams and I wouldn't know which one was which. But whosoever. And that whosoever means that you don't know. But the sheep hear the voice. Then they'll follow the shepherd. And so therefore there's a built -in apparatus in the sheep of God somewhere so they're going to hear and follow. Now you can't deny that because that is the Scripture. So therefore if you have heard William Branham's message, You have something built in that you can receive it. And you are identified with Him and with whoever He is identified. And if it's the wrong party, we're stuck. And if it's the right one, we've made it. Because though there are many voices, there's only two sources. One is God, the reality, the truth, the unbending. The other is Satan who comes in with the Word of God. Perverts, perverts, perverts. Until he gets them down where the Muslims are. In the Bahama, the great prophet. And you ought to see the stupid animal that got painted. He's supposed to have risen up in heaven. He ain't risen to heaven. He's gone down. And their virtue is the virtue of the sword. And they lie. And they said Abraham offered up Ishmael, not Isaac. They haven't got a clue. But you know what? They have the first five books of the Bible. That was the unbending truth of Almighty God. The history. Written down there. And they took it and they perverted it. You see, Satan, iniquity in Satan was perverting the Word. You perverted the Word, you were perfect. Now, when that which is perfect has come, and Brother Brannon defined it as the perfect revelation of the Word of God at this hour, and all of it, then we are perfect. Why? Because we've got a perfect Word. There's no iniquity in us because we don't bend it.

So now you've got two types of perfection. One by the blood and one by a five -fold ministry. And the five -fold ministry is absolutely non -existent unless there is a prophet to bring us back to the Word. Otherwise, they're a five -fold bunch of God -knows -what, just garbage. And there are plenty of those. I'm not naming names because I don't even know who they all are, and I care less. Now, you remember here in Ephesians, the first chapter, we had the first 14 verses. And he started from eternity with God, right down to the Son. This day have I begun my generations indeed. That word begotten means begin my generations as well as I birth you. Because that's what he was. He was born of God. Issued forth from. And in him was placed all of the generations all the way down. So they went to the Garden of Eden and there Adam was. And Adam now became, he took God formed him with his hands. And he breathed in the breath of lives. And he became a living soul. And Adam was every one of the sons of God in flesh was placed into Adam. That's why Jesus had to come and take a part of the flesh on him. identify with us to get us back to our status, our standing, take us away from the sin. So God did that. Now, Paul tells us absolutely that in those 14 verses which we read from beginning to the sealing in, all the thoughts in there of God toward us, and here's what they are. One, foreknowledge. Two, election. Three, predestination under redemption. Four. The inheritance of the entire goodness of God lost in Eden and restored with greatly expanded benefits. Things we didn't even know of. And didn't even have there. But pointed to what could be there if we'd gone that thousand years. The complete and full purpose of God fulfilled in us. Six. The complete gathering of all elect in one place. Seven. The entire congregation with Christ as head giving forth the ultimate in praise and adoration to God. So there they are in one great body as it says in the book of Hebrews, second chapter. He's in the midst and he's leading in praise to Almighty God. It's a great and tremendous convocation which is coming up and it's just around the corner. You better believe it. Now, the entire congregation with Christ's head giving forth the ultimate praise and adoration to God. Eight, all of the above seven purposes of God in manifestation are based upon the initial promise of Jesus. In John 14, 1 to 3.

All of that that Paul mentions, and all of that depends upon you being baptized with the Holy Ghost and sealed into God in order to get all this, because you don't get it this side of the resurrection. Any more than Jesus became high priest, this side of the resurrection. He had a part of it. We've got a part of it. He had everything he needed to be that. And he is that. Now we have everything we need now to be that, which is coming ahead of us. You see? So, okay. Now that we got it, remember, he stops at the ceiling. Then he says, now the Spirit of God comes back and gives you this revelation showing you that all this is yours. The whole thing. Just like Paul did. Now from that point on, there is what? The definitive power of God that raised Jesus becomes ours. Raising the dead and bringing about a rapture. Bringing us into full contact with Jesus, the headship and dominion. Now that's after verse 14. You follow what I'm saying? Now, what in scripture is Ephesians 1, 1 to 14? I just told you. So we're going to go to John 14, 1 to 3 and read it.

Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again and receive you unto myself. That where I'm there, you may be also. And whither I go, you know, and the way you know. Well, that's enough right there. And we go to John 16 and 17 now. And here's what he says there. Then some of the disciples... Oh,

John 16 and 17, not 17. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send Him unto you. So, the first thing that Jesus actually accomplished in the resurrection apart from the atoning blood, the cleansing of the heavenlies, which were more in demand to be cleansed than the pattern from the heavenlies down here upon earth. So now they are cleansed. What is He able to do now? He is able to receive the sinners. Cleansed implicitly, explicitly, 100 % by His blood. Coming as though they had never done it. Coming as though they came fresh from the hands of God the way Adam and Eve did. No sin, no guilt, no blame, no anything. Just standing there before Almighty God as innocent people. Now the Holy Spirit descends. And those people are sealed into Almighty God. And they have completed what Paul says from verses 1 to 14. And from that time on, All of them, even those that die, and you and I standing right here, stand waiting for Ephesians 1 .17 to take place, to take us all the way there. So this is a resurrection message, whether you know it or not. Have you caught on? It's a resurrection message. It's a resurrection message. He's not raised from the dead. Everything I'm telling you is a lie. It's just a false hope. A flash in the pan. Somebody got too drunk. Maybe knocked his head on the wall, besides. Now, taking back, I want you with me where every single thing that God wants you to have, you are heir to. We will be there together. And the Holy Spirit is the one who does it. You. It's expedient that I go away. They said, why would you go? He said, it's necessary. If I don't go, you will not get the Holy Spirit. And if you do not get the Holy Spirit, every single thing that God has outlined all the way down here is wiped out. Wiped out. Now, there's a type in this, although it didn't come to pass. Remember the day that Moses couldn't teach Israel any longer? And they were so hardened and stubborn? God said, Moses, stand aside and I'll wipe them up. And he said, I'll just make a new nation out of you and your wife or wives. And Moses said, no, no, no. Don't wipe them out. I'm going to tell you, without the Holy Ghost baptism, unless you're truly born again, and the evidence is believing the word for the hour, and I can prove that from Scripture, and I've got different Scripture on it. Positively, absolutely, that is your evidence. If you do not have that, this is wiped out.

Now, I didn't say it. The Bible says it. Now, what's for the foolish virgin? She's outside the city. She brings her glory in. There may be millions and hundreds of millions out there. I don't know. But listen. Now, we have taken John 14, 1 to 3, John 16 and 7, and taking that back to Ephesians 1, and reading 1 to 12, which are all the beautiful things in there, the wonderful things, what God is doing right down till He takes them way up there, fulfilling His whole purpose, come from God, go back to God, just the way God wants it, absolute. Like Brother Branham, he hadn't even got to the New Jerusalem, and he's there over the curtain of time. And he stands there. And the beautiful young lady comes up and she hugs him. There's no sensation of sex or anything else there. Just pure, liquid joy in the Holy Ghost. And the angel said, Do you know who that is? She said, No. She was 90 years old when she got saved from ministry. Who are these? These are Branimites. And just rejoicing. He said, We hugged and kissed each other, loved each other, shook hands, but we didn't meet. It wasn't necessary. But it's there. Then he said, Don't, don't, don't. Don't miss it. Listen. If he said, Don't miss that. What about New Jerusalem?

That just gives you an idea, brother, sister, what we're talking about this morning. I cannot put in words what Paul has already put in words. It takes the Holy Ghost to give us the inner joy and the strength and the power to apprehend it and then to enjoy it. Remember, expectation in most cases is absolutely greater. And anticipation and expectation are far greater in 99 % of the cases on earth than realization. But I'm going to tell you something, brother. Realization. will be billions and trillions of times greater than anything I expect or you expect. So if you've got just a little taste now, you better say, Lord, thank God for the resurrection because I'm going to get a real expanded taste now. I love the honey in the rock now, but I want to get to the source. You know, honey in the rock, that's where the shepherd put a little bit of honey on the limestone. The sheep needed the lime, so they licked the limestone to get some lime. Well, you know, they might have got a sore tongue doing it, but sheep can only take some. We get the millennium. Oh, man. You can easily explode. You never get enough. You never get enough of the glory. Now, taking Ephesians 1 and rereading verses 1 to 12, that's up to where he talks about the sealing. How you get all the things he talked about. Then emphasizing 13 and 14, which is the sealing unto the day of redemption, which means your resurrection, and you get all of this completely manifested the way God wanted it and the way you will enjoy it. We find ourselves baptized and sealed into the body of Christ, the true vine, the true church, the true bride, and ready for the resurrection. All that by the Holy Spirit sealing, or the baptism, or rebirth, and ready for the kingdom, whether it be by death, or when we are alive at the last minute change into immortality and incorruptibility at the last trumpet according to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We're one third finished. Now then, we watch the peculiar and

specific Holy Ghost vindicated chronology that we find in verses 1 through 14, followed by wherefore. Now, just turn back there a minute so we just don't get this misunderstood. Not hard to understand. Now, Blessed be the God and Father, Lord Jesus Christ. So I've done all these things and I'm going to take us right down to the praise, the glory of His grace for all things that work together by Almighty God Himself. And we've got all this hair and all these good things, all of this stuff in here. And hallelujah, we've been baptized with the Holy Ghost and positively now we've got it. We are a part of it. It is a part of us. That's it. There's no doubts, no nothing. Even if I botch up, even if I don't want to live the life, God's going to clean me up and take me out of here. There is no one going to get lost. He's not going to lose one of them. There isn't anybody not going to get this. Now, there's some words you might not get, but there's nobody that's not going to get this. Because this is predestinated, period. It doesn't have one thing to do with you or me. Anything we have to do, whatever. Now, and he said, this baptism is the earnest. It's a down payment of this whole thing until the day of redemption when you are in the resurrection. And that's when you begin to get it all because it's all there for you now. Now he says, wherefore. Now watch that. That word is wherefore. And that's a good tough word. What does the word wherefore mean? It means for this reason or because of. Now, you understand what I'm saying? Because you're going to get the cart before the horse as sure as you are alive.

Because nobody but us reads this right.

Now, start over again. The predestinating God. God, Elohim, sovereign. Who can deny His will? Who can stop Him? Who can tell Him? Who can start Him? Leave Him alone. Just leave Him alone. And He's not going to leave you alone. Let's get this flat. He's sovereign. And every single thing here is working to the end. Of your glorification. Your goodness. He loves you. He's going to give you all of this. It's already sealed. And it's already bagged. And because it is. This next thing happens.

This thing that happens now doesn't make the previous 14 verses happen. The previous 14 verses are necessary. Then this happens. Because it says this above here. For all of these 14 verses. Therefore, this is necessary. Because of that, we're going to get this. So, if there is not a genuine born -again bride at the end time, Christ will not appear to her in the form of the Holy Spirit.

And if there is, then there is. And he's got to come. It says right here. Now, everybody gets a cart before the horse. They get this so skewed up, it's pitiful. They think that Paul is talking the same thing he's talking here in verses... 13 and 14, He is not. Because the word is wherefore. Just as I might say, we ran out of water. Wherefore, we had to go to the store and buy some. So therefore, this is the running out of water. Because there's nothing more left. They've all been baptized with the Holy Ghost now. There's nobody else coming in. It's the end time. And the few people coming in, they'll just be in. They'll be child trained. And at the same time, God himself will be standing right here on the earth because of this bride.

And when he comes, what's going to happen? Revelation. The same as thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. God, you revealed yourself to me. Your Son, everything's revealed. Remember the Bible said you can't have the Father without the Son. You can't have the Son without the Father. Then where's Jesus' only bunch standing in? Paul the Apostle fought the Jesus' only bunch. Here's what my brother said. There's something radically wrong. Something radically wrong with people.

They don't want left hand from right hand. It's a terrible condition. So wherefore? And because of the previous 14 verses, especially the 13 and 14. Because you are heir to this. You've been sealed into it. God himself now, who is the token, comes down and seals in the boxcar. And we're ready for takeoff.

On the Lord's hallelujah train to glory. Now you're beginning to see what I'm talking about.

Okay. Now Paul is saying wherefore. Because when we all have been sealed in, there is only one thing left, and that is for God Himself by His Spirit to come to you for the purpose of verses 17 to 18, which is Revelation, which end in 19 to 23, which is caught up in the rapture with the resurrected, and there with Jesus Christ, the head of the church, absolutely in control. They worship Him, and the fullness of the body is there. First resurrection, A and B, the two parts.

And of course, the attendance, whatever God wants there, will be there. Now, to get this very clear, and I believe I am teaching this correctly based on what Brother Branham said in Daniel's 40th week when he quoted those verses. The Spirit of God comes into the church to make known the church tower which lives in the great mysterious secrets of God. That's verses 17 and 18 in Daniel 40 week. Now, teaching this correctly based upon what Brother Branham said, that verse 14b then, which is until

the redemption of the purchased possession. The redemption of the purchased possession, I believe absolutely is John 3, 37 to 39. Now we're getting into the teaching here, which

is why I'm very strong on these scriptures.

In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come in me and drink. That's Isaiah. Oh, everyone that thirsteth, come to the wells of water, without money, without price.

The only price is repent and be baptized. And anybody that doesn't want to get rid of his sins, carrying that huge burden is crazy. And you can get rid of it for nothing. Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ paying the price. Come into the wells and get water. After you get your water without paying anything for it, you can have milk and honey. Manna from heaven. Yes, enter the joy of the Lord. Now, he says here, everyone that thirsts, let him let me drink. He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said. That's going to take a divine revelation right there because they got the Scripture all messed up at that time. Christ tells them flat. He said, you won't get it the way you're believing as the Scripture says. Scripture, Scripture. For in them you think you have eternal life. And they are they that testify me. Where is your eternal life if you're turning down to any part of Scripture? Moses said, don't add and don't take. And you're taking away from me. You're cutting me out. Well, you're going to cut yourself out.

You know, and here's the fact of the matter. Nobody ever hurts anybody. You really only hurt your own self. When they crucified Christ, the hurt wasn't on Christ. He suffered, that's true. But they hurt themselves. They crucified themselves.

You know, it's a terrible thing when we realize we get out of the Word of God. Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, but this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him, they. that believe on him should receive, for the Holy Ghost does not get given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. So here we are, resurrection morning again, talking about the baptism with the Holy Ghost, because that is what the resurrection is all about.

You don't get in that first resurrection, and the good part of the second resurrection, without the blood and the Holy Spirit. Because you see, they have something. Like Brother Branagh said, virgins are virgins. Now, and is unequivocally the same as 1 Corinthians 12, 12 -26.

Well, we may never see each other again, so bear with me. I got almost half done. Maybe I can cut it off sooner than I think. But hey, we've got to understand this. Now it says in verse 12 here, For the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so is also Christ. Well, that's simple. For by one Spirit are we all, every single member baptized into the body. Whether we Jew or Gentile, bond or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit, that is absolutely John 7, 37 to 39. For as the body is one member, but not many. For the body is one member, but not many. So it tells you right there, there's no difference between every single person that comes in. There cannot be. I don't care who he is. I don't care what he's done or what he's going to do or how favored he is with God. When you come to this without the baptism with the Holy Ghost, you simply ain't. You aren't. a part of the body of Christ, which is as though it were one member. And remember, Jesus was baptized in water and the Holy Ghost came upon him. So how, and you, how can you and I be different? Why, it's ridiculous to specify something different. You know what? It's not only just inappropriate, it's blasphemous. And it shows terrible conceit.

Well, figure it out. Doesn't it? Isn't that the same pride the devil had? I will have a better kingdom than Michael. And here, listen, this old fellow is pretty smart. You know, he's a cherubim. And you know, I showed the scripture in Ezekiel. And over in Isaiah. God manifesting through the cherubs and the seraphim. But particularly cherubim. And Satan's a cherubim. He had every right to manifest God and could have. And here's a son. He's manifesting himself in a lower creation. Archangel. Big shot. Satan. See where it all comes from? Pride.

God gives you something to do, and you think you're great because you're doing it. Oh,

stewardship, brother, sister, stewardship. I wish I could live my life over again. What I know now, but it's too late. But I can teach others. Keep on reading. Now, for the body is not one member but many, but yet it's still just one. If the foot shall say, I'm not the hand, I'm not the body, therefore so and so and so and so. And then let's go down here, where the whole body is hearing, where he says there, and the eye and everything else. And that doesn't look good. Now, he said, what if the whole body were just an eye? What if the whole body were just an ear? But now hath God, verse 18, God set the members, every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. Sovereign act of God to place you in this body wherever he wants you. See? And if they're all one member, where were the body? A whole bunch of arms or feet, everybody talking in tongues, everybody praying for the sick, everybody this or that. Now the eye cannot see, I don't need you, and so on. Verse 22, Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. Which seem to be more feeble are necessary. A fellow told me, and he told me wrong about my wife and her problem with the stroke in the brain. He said, you see, the body's smart, and it'll shut down the part of the body you really don't need. Well, if you don't need your memory and intellect, merciful God, what do you need? But you know, the guy was right on the fact. The lesser member of the body would say, well, now if I had to lose my eye or my hand, let me see. Well, that's a tough one. If I had to lose my eye or my finger, well, take a finger. See, but the finger is just as much a part of my body as the eye is. And the cells that make up my heart are just as much the same cells that make just the skin on my body. Not the same cell identically, but it's the same life and the same purpose in it. So you see, there's nobody that's inferior and there's nobody superior. And Brother Branagh said, there's no great ones amongst us. There are no popes, no holy ones, no doctors. He himself, the great one, is here. See, that's what you're looking at. So if a man aggrandizes himself, except he boasts in God and puts the honor and glory where it really belongs and he's humble enough to do it, then that's fine. Otherwise, boasting is excluded, as Paul says.

Verse 23. And those members of the body which we think are less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor that our uncomely parts have the more abundant comeliness. In other words, God is not stinting in anything. And the position you have doesn't make any difference. It's whether you're faithful because it's required of a steward that he be found faithful. If my finger's faithful, that's as good as my eye being faithful. If my toe's faithful, that's as good as my heart being faithful. See, if you say, well, I don't think that's true. Well, then the Bible lied. It's that simple.

We're all equal. That's why Brother Bram even put democracy in the church. The democratic voice can bring in the Holy Spirit. And I believe there's times when we've got people that the Holy Spirit brings right in and teaches good lessons too.

I don't think we're different from Israel the time when God said, now you kill everybody in that land and don't let anybody fool you because I want that land cleared for a purpose. That purpose is you. And the Gibeonites came, I think, behind and they circumnavigated way, way round and round. They came up behind and said, oh, we've been traveling for months. Our clothes are worn out and this bread is like a hunk of dry rock. It's terrible. They didn't ask the Lord. The Gideonites lived around the corner.

Don't fool with God. Don't pretend you know something. It's the place where God is everything. We learn to get out of the way. Humility. We don't have extravagances. We're known by our moderation. That we're supposed to be. I'm just quoting the word. Now, let's keep reading. For our company parts have no need. See? That tells you right there, the higher the office, you don't need much help. You better help the other fellow. But God had tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to the part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body, but the members should have the same care one of another. What I'm talking about is still John 7, 37 to 39. Every one of the seed of God. are entitled to receive the baptism with the Holy Ghost, and it puts you in the body of Christ, even if you were just a toe in the body, or the toenail in the body, and the fellow above you was an eye, like a great all -seeing prophet from God. There is no difference whatsoever at all when it comes to membership in the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, so

John 7, 37, 39 is unequivocally, 1 Corinthians 12 to 26, which does not suggest, but demands a commonality, as in Galatians 3, 26 -28.

So here we are.

Pardon me, 3rd chapter.

For we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as you have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, born nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to promise. So there's a commonality there we must recognize. But when you look at 1 Corinthians 12, 27 to 31, the commonality disappears.

Now I want you to understand this because it's very important to get this.

26. No, 27. Now we are the body of Christ and members in particular. Now we are. We're all in. One door. One faith. One Lord. One baptism. One everything. Here stands the church. Glory to God. You don't think so? Hold your thumb. Hit over Ephesians, the fourth chapter.

There is one body, one spirit, even your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through you all. But every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. That's where the separation comes right there. Every one of you is given something even though you're all members. All members mean a commonality. Just like Brother Branham categorically said, God does not take a cat's cell and then build a dog's cell and a cow's cell and everything else. It's impossible. So therefore, it's word, word, word. When he talked about the body, but I'm going right back to the same thing. If you are bride, it's bride, bride, bride, bride, bride. I don't care who you are, what you are, what you've done, what you haven't done, what you will do, and what you're recognized for and what you're not recognized for. Forget it. But you look like anything else. If you're a bride, you came just one way because you were a sheep that answered the call. And you came by water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, baptized with the Holy Ghost. You are now a member of the bride. But watch now from this point on. Now we are the body of Christ, even members in particular. And God has set some in the church. First apostles, secondary prophets, thirdly teachers. After that, miracles and gifts of healing, health, government, diversity of tongues. He leaves a part of the five -fold ministry. But I want you to know the five -fold ministry is no more important than every single person sitting in the pew as long as each one does the job assigned to them. But when you begin crossing over, you mess up the program of God and you get messed up just like the devil because he crossed over. I'm not worried about you too much. All right. You'll notice in 1 Corinthians 12, 27, 31, the commonality disappear. And the same God who made you all one in the body of Christ now separates you as to offices for stewardship as required. And no crossing of office, either getting or giving, is outside of the headship. Except in some cases that are fluid, as gifts in the church where Brother Branham said, you may speak in tongues at one time, never again, prophesy never again. And those gifts, but at the same time, You will have a certain ministry which I do not know, but only you and God will know. And as your hand does things because it's a hand, and as the ear does things because it's the ear, and because the heart does what it's supposed to do, so you will be doing what you're supposed to do because Brother Branham said this end time is going to be like simple living, natural eating, breathing, and so on.

You don't need any great mysterious call, any great mystical thing. You don't need a flash out of heaven. I'm going to tell you flat, when a baby boy is born, they know it's a boy. Of course, they don't anymore now. So forgive me. That's because they're so trashy. Little girls the same way. They know what they are. And I'm going to tell you, I would find it presumptuous to believe that we have not got enough faith to know that we are part of the Bride of Christ, not just members commonly, but uniquely, individually sitting there so that we do have ministries.

Now, women might think, what ministry have I got? You've got the most important ministry in all the world. We'll talk about that in stewardship if the Lord ever lets us get that far. But here, commonality goes by the board. You see?

Special ministry there. Now, we are allowed to have a zeal for them according to verse 31. The zeal to have the gifts in the church. The covenant earns the best gifts, yet I show more excellent way unto you.

So the gifts are there. Brother Branham suggested, he didn't suggest, he said, that every church local could have all nine gifts in there. I've never seen it done. He couldn't get his own church doing it. He tried to and they walked out.

As soon as he said, you've got to have someone judge and so on, discerning the spirits at the door, and then written down and judged, they said, you're putting us on the spot. He said, well, ain't I on the spot? So if the Holy Ghost can tell him in his office, wouldn't the Holy Ghost tell us in our little offices? See, I'm going to tell you what's happened, brother, sister. People got carried away with gifts and the gift age is over. And they want to be big shots. Now a church in Canada, they're saying, we're going to put into effect John Mark 16. Mark 16 has always been in effect. We've had it here. They've had it all over the world. What are they talking about? They're going to force issue. I'll tell you, let them force issue. See what happens.

I want to tell you how it's done. You really want something done? When Brother Branham came to Lima, he said, Brother Vail, I'm going to give you a meeting. I said, Brother Branham. There's other people who need meetings more than I do, and they've got better places. No, Lee, he said, I'm giving you a meeting. I said, Brother Branham, Covington, or Fenserville, Ohio. It's just a little small place. It's a little tiny Baptist church there. We don't have much, but what about if I go to Lima and get a big building? He said, you got it. That's it. Lima. Well, I said, okay, who's going to preach for it? He said, you are. I said, no, I ain't. I said, not me. I said, I'm going to be the guest pastor. And I'll set the meeting up. But you better get some priest. He said, Denny ain't coming. I said, okay, I'm preaching. He

was a pretty sneaky guy, you know. Maybe he will tell you that, too. I said, okay. So we had to prepare the scene for him. We went back, and I told the people in the little Baptist church, because they did understand gifts of the Spirit, and they saw certain demonstrations. And people were healed sitting in their seats. Like one woman had a bone tumor, very bad pain. One night I said, hey, you've got to bother with your leg, aren't you? That bone bothers you. bone, thing, fist, beard like that. Another woman, another man had fits. He took a fit right in the church. I said, hold it, hold it, hold it. Don't worry. I'll run down and pray. We prayed. He said, you'll never have it again. He never did. Another fellow was dying. I said, he's not going to die. I said, he's going to live. God told me. He lived. Next time he got sick, I said, don't pray. He's gone. He went. Time after time, it just got moving all over the place. So the people understood a little bit about it. So when I explained Brother Brown and we started to pray, and we began praying and praying, we finally got actually chained prayer. For all but a few hours at night. And every night we came together and prayed. And we asked God for certain things. That's the first and last time, the first time in five years, the gift of healing went into operation. And if I'd have said, when Brother Branagh sneezes, 800 people get healed, I believe they would have been healed. Everybody he called out was healed. Everybody. And many people that weren't even there to be prayed for, didn't understand it, were healed. We prayed that God would force people to hang on to their seats lest they fell down under conviction. A man came and told me, he said, Brother Vail, if I hadn't held on, I'd have fallen down in the aisle. There wasn't one prayer. Listen, do it the Bible way and you're going to have anything in the Bible. Don't try to force God's hand. Like the same guy who said, I prayed and fasted three days. Brother Branham said, don't do more than that. But he said, I didn't get my answer. Then why don't you just say, God, it's in your hands now. I beg the prophet. I think maybe in 20 years you'll have 40 millionaires sitting there at Big A. Of course, you won't be sitting with them. You won't be here. You won't be a millionaire either. I ask you, what has this message come to? What's it come to?

I want to know. What's happening?

Is it all a dollar bill? Is it all semantics? Is it all practice? What's it come to? I pray God takes me out of here lest I do something foolish. I've been foolish enough now, stupid enough now, to get a comeuppance.

But I've been all through this for year after year after year.

Now, let's

go a little further here now. We said here that these verses of Scripture showing the commonality also showed where it's not common. Where there's an actual division where people can do one thing and other people cannot do that certain thing. Because it's given to them and to them only. Now, let's go to 1 Timothy 2.

Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding, she'll be saved in childbearing if they continue in the path in charity and wholeness of sobriety. It tells you right there what a woman was created for. And it tells you right there she didn't need apples. It tells you right there she got off the word and that's what made the childbearing wrong. It wasn't the act. It's who she did it with. Because sexual intercourse is actually a righteous act because God put it down. That's what it is. And nothing that God gives can be unrighteous. It's only what you do with it and how you do it. And Brother Branham was plagued with that by what people were doing even in his day. It's over 30 years ago. What's it like today? Stewardship. One more time. We'll hit that maybe if God gives me enough strength. I'm going to cover subject after subject before I get off this scene if God lends me. Not that I've been a good person or am a good person. But there are certain things in the Word of God that someone can aspire to. Someone can take up the joy of the Lord in the Word of God and stand there like a saint of God like William Branham did. Yeah. Not like a deceived people deceiving others. Even above and beyond that, you will notice over here in the book of Ephesians, the fourth chapter, what we have outlined here, Paul speaking concerning the church. about this commonality of the one body which I read to you in the first six verses there, or verses four to six. And then it says, But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. It also says, Paul says, We've been given a measure of faith to exercise the gifts that are given us. So therefore, anybody that has a certain place in the body of Christ, I don't care what it is, if it's even forgiving with a sweet smile, if it's even serving somebody, giving a glass of water, going to prison, or this and that, and don't try to make big deals out of it. Or a big program. Just do it. It's your call to do it. If you're called to something, it doesn't mean you've got to call 1 ,500 people to help you.

Making some big program. Next thing is this, it's that. As one fellow once said, if you build a, any time a bunch of people build a car, someone's going to have to drive it.

See, so in here he tells you. Everyone's got enough faith. Everyone's got enough grace. Everyone's got enough office. Everybody's got enough everything. Now let God begin to use it by learning to get out of the way. It's the greatest gift that he had. Wherefore, he saith, when he sent up on high land captivity, he gave gifts unto men. Now he, the descendant, what is he? First of all, the descendant of the lower parts of the earth. And he, the descendant, is the same also sent up above heaven. He might fill all things. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some advances and pastors and teachers. He gave a fivefold ministry. And that fivefold ministry is to perfect the saints, which is an active ministry apart from the blood, where the blood passively, Because it's already shed, cleanses every single person that comes that way. See? Now your act of faith takes over. And you can get messed up in a calling like mine. Mine's been a distinctive calling. Not distinguished, but distinctive in the sense that I know that I teach. And I couldn't be reconciled for years to be a teacher. I wanted to be evangelist. Then I thought, well, I'd pastor a bit. And every time that it was a matter of teach, teach, teach. Open the Bible and suddenly the thing just began to unfold. When did it unfold? As soon as I received the Holy Ghost. The Bible is a brand new book. Oh, I didn't know that was there. I didn't know that was there. When did I miss that? Oh, I missed that over here too.

It became a lie. And anybody full of the Holy Ghost tells you the Bible becomes a lie to you.

So therefore, you don't have to say, well, I don't have enough faith in this. How am I going to stand up? And Brother Branham said, man, teachers, he can take the Bible back and forth, read the Scripture back and forth. You don't have to be worried. You'll do it because you're equipped to do it. Can a fish swim? Well, throw a fish in the water and find out. Aren't we greater than fish? You bet your life we're greater than fish. We eat them.

We hook them. Some people shoot them just for fun.

Thou shalt not mostly doctor tread without the corn. Was that written for the oxen or the man? Paul said, for the man altogether.

So you see, we're much more valuable than that. That's why I can't understand these crazy people with their animal leagues, animal protection. Well, why don't they take God and hit him with a baseball bat? He killed two sheep to clothe Adam and Eve.

If my wife would like a fur coat, I'd buy her one. I'll tell you the honest -to -God truth. She doesn't like them. We were in Norway in 1970. I could have got her a full -length, white, wild meat, beautiful meat coat for $100. She said, I don't want it. I can't wear it, so I'm not going to buy it.

Animal rights. What are they talking about? What about the bleeding sheep? Struggling as they cut a stroke with maybe even a dull knife. What are they talking about? Mostly stupid women like Brigitte Bardot. The filth scuff bag of France. Brother Branham called her a sex deposal. Oh, he was flattering her with that one.

Romans, the 12th chapter, shows the separation also. The commonality. and yet the distinct separation. And now having looked into the Scripture, my point is that Acts 1 and 8, and Acts 2, 1 to 4, is the fulfillment of John 7, 37, 39. So let's go back to Acts 1 and 8. But you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem. Now everybody then that's full of the Holy Ghost will be a witness, and that his gift will manifest that witness.

Yeah. Now that's easy. Just manifest Christ will fall in line.

If you live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit. All right, let's go a little further. Let's go to the book of Acts, the second chapter.

And it says, All was on the court in one place, and a mighty wind came down from heaven, and a cloud of fire appeared upon the tabernacle. Little tongues came down. They all filled with the Holy Ghost. That's absolutely John 7, 37, 39. And it follows, Matthew, come to the well and drink. Ho, everyone that thirsteth. Come on. Here's water. Without money, without price, come and get it. Whoever endures it, he that cometh to me. You're thirsty. You drink. Out of your belly flow rivers of living water. This speak ye of the Spirit. That's commonality. That is John 7, 37 to 39. See? Now, let's understand this.

If you understand it, no one will come after me and say, Brother Vail, I can tell you places where Brother Branham was wrong. Because if you do, I'll laugh at you and have the elders carry you out. You'll get a straight jacket. Because spiritually, you're not just sick. You got something right, it'd be right. I don't mean to say these bad things, but look, come on, I've been off through that chance for years and years and years.

I wonder the times of the prophet was right every time proved right. Every time. 16th chapter and verses 7 to 9. It said, Nevertheless, if I don't go away, the Holy Spirit cannot come. Now watch. When He has come, He'll reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment, of sin because they believe not in Me, of righteousness because they go to My Father and you see Me no more, of judgment because... The prince of this world is judged. Now, what you're seeing here is also over there in John where it says, When the Holy Spirit come, He will teach you all things and lead you into all truth. Now, that is not commonality. There are only certain members in the body of Christ that are ordained to teach truth. And that is a true fivefold ministry headed up by an absolutely vindicated word prophet such as Paul and William Branham.

So what I'm looking at you this morning and telling you, when it comes to your own life as an individual member of the Bride of Christ, you are very free to follow the leading of the Lord, whithersoever you will go and how you will do it, as God leads you by the Scripture and presses you by the Spirit under certain circumstances, how you might behave yourself according to the Word of God and as a true Christian. When it comes to these other offices, you ain't got to think coming. You don't have a word to say. Like one fellow a while ago, he challenged me. He said, furthermore, I don't agree with what you taught the last two Sundays. I said, what's to agree? Let me tell you something, brother. I own that pulpit. That's mine. I will answer to God and to nobody else. And you or nobody will tell me one thing. I do not invite conferences with anybody.

Here is my conference. And I don't have a book of Brother Branham to show you conference time every day of my life.

That's my ministry. And it's not a common ministry. And Brother Johns is not a common ministry. And anybody who also aspires to be an elder and takes a position, he also is not simply common. We are common in each other as being born into the body of Christ and baptized by the same Spirit, the same way, in the same body, and all things there being equal. But once God begins to separate and ordain, that is why no woman can preach. No woman can preach. She is anti -Christ.

Now, the word Antichrist, my brothers and sisters, is not against Christ. It's instead of Christ.

So no woman can be full of the Holy Ghost and be a preacher. That's reserved to the men. It also speaks of men praying in a way that women cannot pray because it said, Let men everywhere, lifting up holy hands. And that word in the Greek is male, signifying the male in contradiction to the female. It doesn't mean women can't pray. But it says men are to do a special kind of praying.

And when you hear the prophet tell you to pray and fast three days and that's it, you better find out how he prayed and fasted before you even commit yourself to that.

So you see, when we're talking about these things, we're talking a little deeper than what people want to see. Now, this brings me back to Ephesians, the first chapter, to show you why. Brother Branham is 100 % correct with Paul. And when I read, or heard rather, maybe heard, yes, in Daniel's 70th week, What he said, the Spirit of God comes into the church at the end age in order to show the church the time in which it was living and various things, the great secret things of God. I knew right away here it was in Ephesians. And here it is. At the end time, ready for resurrection, ready for the rapture, this happens. What happens? Elohim comes down. The same as He came down to the Apostle Paul. Because Alpha and Omega consist all the way through the Bible. There's nothing you can do about it. Even the first resurrection has two parts. Alpha, Omega. And we're looking for the Omega. Huh? Well, certainly it's right. How can anyone judge the Bible? Couldn't be them. Now, Paul prayed that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Quoting Matthew 16, Flesh and blood is not revealable to my Father which is in heaven. What is he telling you? He's telling you the very same thing in the book of Luke 17 and 30. How to identify the right spirit. It's going to be the Son of Man days return to earth. And the Son of Man himself did not have any days except the fact that he was here in a body for a certain length of time. But he said, it's only what my Father does through me and it's only what my Father says through me. Otherwise, I'm a blank. So then what is going to happen? The days of the Son of Man, then God has to use a prophet once more and himself come down and do this. The same as he did with Jesus. The same as with Paul. The same with Moses. But people don't believe it. They don't want it. They say there's no such thing. The Bible is full. Who needs a prophet? I got the Holy Ghost, bless God. I can tell what's in there. You're a liar and the truth isn't in you. Because if that's the case, then Pentecost never should have come on the scene because the Methodists and the Presbyterians and all of them already come together and they said, we'll tell you how it's done. Why did they dare step out of line when the Holy Ghost is in the community?

And an individual comes along and tells me without vindication, Brother Bannum's wrong or this is wrong. I tell you, don't even talk to me. I haven't got time for you.

Commonality. Brother or sister is fine for the whole body. I am a commonality person right here. Ears, eyes, nose, throat, no matter what it looks like and who cares. Every part of me is common to me.

That's the way the body of Jesus Christ is. But I've got eyes. And they do a certain job. And William Branham was the eye, the last thing that moved. I don't have eyes anymore. But I've got ears, and by my ears I can see.

That's just like Samuel now, you see. Samuel never saw anything. He heard. And God said, tell... Tell Eli the vision.

You want to have eyes like a prophet? Then you better have ears. Because

his eyes are your ears. See? Don't ever, ever, ever get fooled by commonality. And there is a common salvation. And you know where it is? Who knows where that word is? Nobody. I don't blame you. It's okay. But isn't it surprising that word is used in Jude? The last book before Revelation about a common salvation and

a bunch of very foolish people who thought their commonality counted for something or they were somebody because they had an office. Listen to what Jude said. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called, mercy and peace be unto you and love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation. It was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for this faith, which was once for all to the saints concerning commonality. But there were certain men who crept in ordained to this condemnation, absolutely lascivious. Yeah, they're just like the angels who left their first estate. They're like Sodom and Gomorrah. They're like the devil contending over the body of Moses. And Michael knew that he was only an archangel and Satan was a cherub. And he said, the Lord rebuke you. Why, they have Cain, the intrusion upon the human race, and Balaam, the false prophet.

In other words, you've got a common salvation. You're a common people. Don't ever rise up as though you've got a boat or you've got something in your heart or your mind that you can tell an ordained minister or a man of God or a prophet where the ins and outs are. Just sit quiet and learn to listen. And Peter said, if you let a man speak, speak as the oracles of God. This is a resurrection message, my brother, my sister.

Matthew 12. Based on Matthew 4, as Brother Branham taught it. Christ coming to the Gentiles in the form of the Holy Spirit. Elohim coming down. Bringing the very ministry of Jesus Christ.

Closing out the Gentile age. For the Jews are back in Palestine. I'm cutting my notes shorter. I hope I can anyway. Now then, if you follow me. You can see what resurrected Christ's era or Christ in his own resurrection ministry has broadly been doing. But we have not looked at how this was done.

The ministry, baptizing people of the Holy Ghost, his own sheep. Setting ministries in order to bring the bride right up to top peak perfection. Knowing the blood did his perfect work and now there's a ministry of the word. A true five -fold ministry for true sheep. We're going to hear that word and come right up to the peak, right to the head. And Brother Branagh said it would take a ministry to bring the head down. It must fit perfectly. And that ministry was what? The ministry of the Son of Man. What they cut off in His death. And He went back up there and finished it. Sent the Spirit down in order that we might have every single thing ready for Him to come down and put the final finishing touches on. Where the bride now could have the Spirit of God in her. And as Brother Branagh said, if the hand does it, He said the whole body does it. And He was telling you that He did it. He was the one over here in Hebrews 6. I'll read it off to you. What came under his ministry. And the people knew it. And they still know it. And they want to defile it. And it says right here.

Verse 4. For it's impossible for those who are once for all enlightened. Taste of the heavenly gift. May partake of the Holy Ghost. Taste of the good word of God. And the power of the world to come. And they'll fall away.

There's your Matthew 12. There's your Matthew 4. There you see it. It all opens up before us. See? Now, the offering of the blood ushered in the everlasting covenant, into which covenant we are placed as heirs of God, enjoyed heirs with Jesus Christ, as seen in Hebrews 2, where he stands in the congregation, and set forth by Brother Branham as he taught the future home of the heavenly bride, earthly bride in the heavenly bridegroom. Thus the covenant was set up, and the pattern in heaven purified, so that the pure and purified one himself could enter and minister as both head and high priest. through which He could both mediate, intercede, and propitiate, because He is the propitiation. You're going to have to go back over the tape. I haven't got time to explain it. Now remember, He came in His Father's name to accomplish all this, which we have before us. But what happened in that coming? He was crucified as the Lamb of God, not as the Messiah God in good works and healing, raising the dead and stilling storms and doing all those wonderful things. He came to take away the sin of unbelief. And that's what they didn't want. They wanted their unbelief and they wanted everything else to pile up as though they were justified. He never came to take away the results of sin, which were death and sickness and all those various things. He never came for that. He just showed in doing it, he could get at the root of it all, which was unbelief, and save them from themselves and bring them into eternal glory. The faithful son was revealed and is about to receive his kingdom at this very moment. If you look at 1 Corinthians 15, 35 to 57, which we don't have time to read, in there you will find that God Himself came down to put all things under the feet of Jesus Christ, Himself being accepted in doing it. For God is always above Christ. For the order is, man is the head of woman and Christ is the head of man. And God is the head of Christ. We also know man is the head of the woman. And Christ is the head of man, typifying simply in the bride position. But you've got the whole thing in there. God has always been His head. It's always been blessed to be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not only just been the Father, Father, Father. That is erroneous. It's God and Father. It is God who is the Father. And therefore now having a Father who is absolutely supreme, isn't it wonderful to know what kind of a God He is? And what kind of a Father we have. See, all of these things are in there. You just have to look them up yourself. So what is He doing now? In verses 24 to 28. God is bringing all things under the feet of Jesus Christ for the great day which is now at hand in the resurrection. Now, here is what I am asking. If Messiah Lamb came in His Father's name,

whose name does the Father come in? His own name. What's His name? Jesus. Isn't that the same one that Brother Branham said went back to the pillar of fire and having left the flesh? Isn't that the same one that Brother Branham said Paul saw on the road to Damascus? Who art thou, Lord? He wouldn't call Jesus Lord. I'm Elohim. I'm Jehovah's Savior. You know, the book of Isaiah is full of the compound words Elohim and Jehovah, Jehovah Elohim. Jehovah Elohim was the one that came down into Jesus. He's the one that came down now. He's the one that pictured. Now, that's not a picture. That's just a fire. That's just your kind of glory, Brother Branham said, which is the glory attendant upon the presence of Almighty God Himself. That's just to let you know He's there. That's what we catch here on the camera, what Paul saw, what Moses saw, what William Branham saw. It's the loudest. But it's not really the real picture, it's a reflection. I think as far as I know, because Brother Branham said, what you saw on the wall was a reflection. But anyway, the camera caught the light. It is said to be by George D. Lacey, who headed the FBI departments in photography, manuscripts and so on. That's the first and only known picture of a supernatural being. So we know that God is behind that. Who is it? It's not the Lamb. He's got his own life he's living out. Just like you and I are living our own lives. But who's ahead? The one right up there. And he's doing his ministry. So who's down here now doing it? Elohim's doing it. He always did it anyway. Jesus never said, I'm doing it. Look what I'm doing. Look what I'm doing. Look what I'm doing.

He said, look what the Father's doing. And therefore, he that seeth me sees the Father. Because I can't do this. You're looking vicariously at God. The great creator and sustainer. What a tragic thing people are missing in this here. It's also 1 Thessalonians 4 .16. The Lord himself shall descend him to shout. And the voice of the archangel trumpeth God. And which I remain to meet the Lord in the air. He's already down here. What Lord's up there? The one on the throne. For Jesus is both Lord and Christ. He's our head and he's our Messiah. Where does that leave God? Over him.

Actually, Messiah was God in the sense God was in his flesh. Redeeming the world to us. Is this the same Jesus that Paul talked to, who had gone back to the pillar of fire? Is it Jesus' brother Brian who said, just think how wonderful, the same pillar of fire that brought the word to Paul is here revealing it to us. So my message this Easter, and I'm sorry like Good Friday I have to cut it short.

My message this Easter, where we take a heathen name and speak the truth of the resurrection. The whole world lies in the lap of the Lord. All kingdoms, all religions, save that of the bride is an idolatry. All Easter. Ashtaroth. Astarta. Whatever you want to call her. Easter. It's all doomed. It's all gone. Yet the Lamb now on His Father's throne as present King. He's that particular form right now. Has brought us now to where as even God raised Jesus. He is now getting a bride ready for the resurrection, the rapture, and the wedding supper. We must make no mistake about it. Brother Branham will have every vision fulfilled. Anything that wasn't done before his decease. Because as far as I know, Brother Branham paralleled this exactly to Jesus. And I trust it is because at the end time, as Paul's ministry is merely vindicated, Brother Branham's went far beyond it. There's no scripture that Paul ever said that his ministry was the son of man. He never did say. I know people think, Brother Branham, you make too much of Brother Branham. Well, who do you make much of? Where's your authority? I've got scripture. Find me where Paul said it.

Didn't say it. Who's going to fulfill it? Anybody that God ordains and does it. What's after you and me? We're going to take a vote. Well, I wouldn't vote for any of you. And if you voted for me, I'd bust your jaw in. I'd call you what you are. And I'd have to think up some new words. And I got a lot of vocabulary.

Maybe study a foreign language. Yes,

you don't. We're dealing with reality. That's not a symbol anymore, Brother Sidney. You don't go up and bow to it like some silly symbol. That's a picture of reality. The light was there. And God is here somewhere. He hasn't gone back. I don't know where He is. He could be in this building. He could be very happy here. Not with me, but with Himself and what His Word is. And then He'd be happy with me too because if I'm His, well, you know, you've got to be happy somehow. Aren't you stuck with your own kids to be happy with them? Well, not too bad a thought either. The Lord's happy with us. Don't think for one minute He's not. God is not angry with us. That anger was taken away through the cross. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. And that peace with God is not you and me having peace. That's God having peace with us. The reconciliation was not us being reconciled. It was God being reconciled to us. Now we can come and join with Him. Now He said, The Lamb now on the Father's throne and the priest -king has brought us now to where as even God raised Jesus. So He's now getting a bride ready, ready for the rapture and the wedding supper. So I say, make no mistake about it. All of Brother Brown's visions have been fulfilled, except he said that one. And I believe that's the one about the tent. And he said, don't worry, that'll be fulfilled. And he told Billy Paul, you won't be an old man before the coast falls down. He said, the token is here. Jesus Christ himself, the God Almighty, the token is sealed the church in, the body, ready for delivery. When the last one in is child trained, it's ready to go, it's gone. How are you going to get child trained? There's only one way. It takes a teacher. Who's that great teacher? The Holy Spirit himself. Who's he doing? He's bringing the people up to His own image and His own glory. The veils have been removed for all the faces. There's no longer any doubt. God has been exposed. Christ revealed. The devil exposed. We know who's bride and who isn't bride. Not individually, but on the reality of a doctrine of designation. And that bride is that one who recognizes the one in the midst and receives the revelation. And William Branham said, I am not Trinity, neither am I oneness.

And they accuse us of being two -ness.

Something's wrong somewhere, brother, sister.

Something's wrong somewhere. It's not with us.

I give you my word on that. It is not with us because there is only one God. And there are many demigods, prophets.

And there's multitudes of children of God. But neither gods in the lower case, G -O -D -S. And all the children and even the Son of God approximate Jehovah Elohim, capital G. capital O, capital D. They're all children.

I don't know why they can't see that.

There are not three of them. There are not two of them. There's one. And

he said, I and the children of God worship God. And Brother Brown has said in that New Jerusalem, which is right on target, right on time, whether we know it or not, the Lamb's on the throne, the pillar of fire above the throne. Well, Brother Sister, that's the Easter message this morning. It's the resurrection message. By the grace of God, I believe the scripture I've given you based upon the prophet has taken us all right to the very hour of

the resurrection and the exodus. So shall we rise and be dismissed at this time.

Now before I go, I want to say again how pleased I am to have been with you all and you to be with us. I would say under many conditions, if I were just a mere mortal man, which I really am and worse than that, but I never give way to pride, I would feel very proud. that this number of people came to visit here, thinking perhaps that there was something here of value in me as a person. But I know you're here for one reason, that you believe the word as we've tried to place it when I've been in your towns, in your homes, around the country and you've been here. It's always the same theme. We've never varied. We've never gone away. The only digression we made is the good digression, is to bring more material of the same substance into the same doctrines. So this morning you saw again more clearly than ever that baptism with the Holy Ghost is a common thing for every bride of Christ. But when you're placed in offices, only God does that in His own uncommon way for the good of everybody all working together. Let no man aspire to be what he's not, but let him believe and be what he is. Don't let God down by not being what He wants you to be. Don't let Him down by trying to be what you're not supposed to be. Eat your humble pie. I had to do mine. I'm no flaming evangelist. I'm a meaner to the teacher. Or my cynical ways of trying to show you truth. I wouldn't change it for a billion dollars. My interest is just one thing. Can I help anybody with this word? Can I show somebody? Can I find something? The prophet said. Can we see reality? That's all. You remember that as we go, we may never see each other again. It isn't just my eyes are getting dimmer every time I... Take services. I take a little longer to recover. One day, happily, I won't recover. Or I will entirely. I don't know what he's going to do. I'm not trying to double -guess God. I'm not trying to figure anything out. But I appreciate your prayers. The only reason I believe I'm here and measure the health I have is because of your prayers. In fact, I know that to be the truth. So I love you very deeply. I haven't had a chance to talk to everybody. But I know most of you. Most of you by name. I love you very much. I appreciate you very greatly and deeply. I count you above. Let's face it, just the whole world when it comes to the Word of the living God. Not that others don't have their little countings too. But we have a communion and a fellowship here with you all whether you come often or not. It is beautiful in my own estimation. I trust in yours too. It is something to covet and something to keep. And I certainly do appreciate it all. And I certainly appreciate in going... I never can say anything, but I have to put a little twist on it. I certainly do appreciate one lady that came, young lady that came all the way from Saskatchewan, and a little Ruth, a mechanic. And I said, Ruth, where's the rest of the gang? She said, who cares?

And I said, that's my girl. She says it just as I would say it. Not that she doesn't care. The point is they could have come and they didn't. And I'm here to get everything I can to have fellowship, to enjoy the people of God, enjoy the things of the Lord. And I just can't think about that anymore. I've got to think about me. I'm going to tell you something. You've got to think about you, brother, sister, now. You've got to think about you. You've got to think about you. Let's bow our heads and be dismissed. Heavenly Father, again, we want to thank you for your love and your goodness, your kindness, O God, that you've extended to this place,

Father, that your name will be taken with us and your word taken with us so that your name shall be glorified. And we shall not now have thoughts of our own. except as those thoughts relate to you and what you would want us to do. Even as Brother Branham said, and it was such a mysterious and yet such a true and pure thing and so simple when he said, I always do what I want to do. I always want to please Him. And I thought, oh my, oh my, why would he say that? It just makes me feel so terrible because I just can't say that. But Lord, I know that by Your grace, And a dedication, every single person can say that and know that it can be done to just simply want to praise you and bring your will into being in our lives through the word of the living God which is living within us. So help us to begin to assimilate these things and to become what we know is in there for us and not try to become what is not in there for us and just be level in this life. As Brother Branham said, come into a place where this Christian life, this end time with you here, Lord, is just a beautiful, natural moving onward so that now no matter what happens, life or death, peril, a sword, nakedness, no matter what it is, we know that you love us and we love you and we're more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord. Again, we pray, Lord, take the burdens from the people and heal the sick amongst us, Father. Many things we don't understand, they're puzzling to us, but we're not going to worry about the puzzling part. We're just going to ask you, Father, heal the sick amongst us. Help us all, Lord, to go day by day until we all meet you in that great and wonderful resurrection and rapture and the wedding supper. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, and visible, the only wise God, be all power, honor, and glory through Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord. Amen. Take the name of Jesus with you.