Revelation of the Love of God

Revelation of the Love of God

Bro. Lee Vayle - October 11, 1966

a) Well, it's nice to here again tonight, enjoy being with you, and trust we'll have a good time in the Word tonight. There are many things in the Word that are there for us, that the casual reading does not bring out. It's takes a revelation. In fact, the Word of God is all dependent upon revelation.

You know, we're a peculiar, I don't use that word scripturally now, like a peculiar people. The word 'peculiar' in the Greek is signified by a dot, with a circle around it showing that God's people are surrounded by Him. "In Him we live and move and have our being." [Acts 17:28a] They're protected by Him, but I mean peculiar the sense we use it. In other words, we should be one thing, but we're a little off track.

b.) You know, many pride ourselves upon our great ability to know the Word. And my, some people can quote it forward and back ward, inside out. That's good, I'm not against that. But, that's not the same as understanding It. (See?) That's what's wrong with our education system. Many people learn many things, but they don't understand. Solomon said that, "Get wisdom, it's the chief thing, but will all thy getting get understanding." [Prov 4:7] And wisdom apart from understanding is not good. In fact, that's what's wrong with our human relations today with each other. We don't understand each other.

If we had understanding hearts and minds, we bear with each other, and we'd get along much better. The Word is based upon understanding. And only the Spirit of God can teach us that. That's why we keep talking about revelation, that we need the Spirit to give us revelation. He [Solomon] wrote the Book. And so, what better teacher is there then the one who wrote the Book. He knows exactly what he said, why he said it, when he said it, and now to apply it. That's why Jesus said, "A teacher was coming." Now, isn't funny we've got it all mixed up, we've been taught he's everything but a teacher. That's right.

c.) Now, one time one night a man named Nicodemus came and he said, "Rabbi, we know that You're a teacher send for God." [Jn 3:2]

And Jesus cut him right off. He said, "I'm not a teacher, I'm the sacrificial lamb." But, then later on He said, "There is a teacher coming, and He's the Holy Spirit. And He is going to teach you by revelation." But you know, the people didn't believe that.

Now, I know the early Church did, because they came out just glowing and thundering revelation, and the priest and all were amazed, they looked and they said, "How can it be, these fellows don't know their a-b-c's, and they can back us off the map?" Oh, they hated that.

Did you know, just stopping there a minute, did you know that the people hated Jesus, the Pharisees? If you read the 'archko volume' you'll find out. That Christ had a most inimitable [unique] way about Him. When they ever asked a question, or talk, they said His manner of presenting the material in question was so final, that when He said it, every mouth was shut. And you know what that would do some people.

Could you imagine if I were a Pharisee how I would feel? Oh ho, brother, because I don't know if anybody can shut my mouth. And they were furious! You read Gamaliel's letter, it's extant, it's available, and they were furious. Because when He said it, It was said. Kind of make us furious too, doesn't it? Because when God says a thing, … we like to sometimes put our own interpretation on it.

d.) Now, let's take this thought of God's promises. Now if I were to pass around the promise box, and I'm not thinking whose piece of furniture, I just saw a promise box on, because [Bro. Vayle chuckles] they're nice little things to have, I'm not against them. Baaah, I'm not much for them. I'd like you to find one promise box that mentions suffering. Because all the promise boxes that I know they clip off what they don't like. And they take those little promises out and they say, "My God shall supply all my needs." That's true. (See?) And, "ask and it shall be given, you seek and you shall find." That's true, but where's the promise about, "through much tribulation you'll enter the Kingdom of God?"

Now, if you cut the Word of God in two, you make God a liar. Now, if we're willing to talk about the beneficence and munificence and magnanimity and so on, of the Lord Jesus Christ and all these things that are wrapped up in God, then we've got to go all the way. And talk about the ways of God which deals with suffering, until we become a people who want to suffer. And know we're missing something if we don't suffer.

e.) Now, we've been convinced we're missing something, if we don't get healed. (Uh?) Oh, we'll spend any amount running after divine healing programs, everything else under high heaven. We sure want to get rid of our burden. Take your burden to the Lord, and leave them there. But, we've never had the revelation of the power of suffering, and the glory of God in suffering. Even though Jesus Christ Himself had to suffer, though He were a Son. And what did He suffer for? He didn't do one thing. The sinless Lamb of God suffered.

So, you see we need revelation more than we think, because we need God to teach us, until the illumination. Now, let me ask you something: do you know anything that can grow apart from illumination? Nothing. If you keep a seed without sunshine, that seed can't grow, it takes sunshine. The Holy Ghost is represented by water. And we know that we're already seed if indeed we're Seed. But you see we lack illumination and growth depends upon illumination, and illumination depends upon what? Because it's revelation. (See?)

f.) Why was the Holy Ghost given? In order to give us revelation. And everybody thinks, at least the majority think He was given to us for manifestation. I raise this Bible, that is a manifestation of the energy and the strength within my muscles. But that manifestation is not the energy and the strength of my muscles, it is simply produced by it, it's a manifestation. They had the real of the reality of the Holy Spirit, is not identified by manifestation, It is identified my revelation, because there is where a Christian abounds, or he doesn't abound is in the revelation.

That's where he has the power to prevail against the gates of hell. All Luther had was a revelation. All Patton, had was a revelation. All that Hudson Taylor had, was a revelation. All that [William] Carey had, was a revelation. And when Guinness, a multi-millionaire, knew that God had called him to be a missionary and a servant of Christ, he gave away his money, because he knew it wouldn't work. He gave away millions and left with a revelation. But you don't believe that today do we as a people?

g.) No, we say, "Well, a revelation, ha!" Bless God, we'll talk in tongues, we'll heal the sick, we'll cast out devils, we'll put on a sideshow, glory to God, bless Jesus, we'll drain the people of their money, pass the plate if it takes us two solid hours, and they don't hear one bit of Word, we'll get that dough. And glory to God, we'll lick the world, hallelujah, then we're going to bring Jesus. Have you ever heard such rot in your life? (Huh?) Oh, I've seen it. You say, "Well Bro. Vayle, you better be careful, because a great and mighty man of God went around and said, and he said, "We're going to bring back the King."

Now, what has the thought of bringing David back, got to do with the Lord Jesus Christ to Jerusalem? You say, "A lot, because he types." You better go farther than that and make it stick. Because there isn't anybody can bring back the King. Not even any man knows the day or the hour, but they'll take every gimmick under high-heaven and try to make it work. You see what I'm driving at? Revelation is what counts. And the history of the church and the Scripture shows that the power of God came in the lives of men who had revelation. So, we need to get back to calling upon God in reality of revelation.

h.) Lord, reveal to me Your Word, so that Word becomes literal life to me. If this Word is literal life, how come we read It and we can't put It into effect? There's got to be a reason for it. Surely God didn't give us something that couldn’t be put in effect. Why He'd defeat His Own end. How could He call Himself Jehovah, which name applies to God's relationship to man? He wouldn't dare being an honest God using the title Jehovah, or the name. Couldn't, lest it be effective, so we need revelation. Right? The Word of God we need It more than necessary meat. "Man shall not live by bread alone." [Mt 4:4a] But he shall live by what? He shall live by the Word of God. And that can only be lived by as a revelation. Because when that becomes so real, it will go into effect, and if it is not real, it cannot go into effect.

Isn't it funny how we hear modern day evangelism. Did you ever hear a preacher call an evangelist get up and say, "Now folk, I got a Word of God, for you? Would you like to come and suffer for the kingdom of Jesus Christ? "

"What did you say evangelist? I thought you came with good news, that's bad news."

Well, the evangelist has to say, "You're going to escape from hell, going to go to heaven."

That's all fine, it's true. But as I read in my Book, I cannot see where the revelation of God has deleted suffering. And this is the one thing that has destroyed us, because we get very nervous thinking about those things that are here and coming upon the earth.

When like Paul, who said, "Like an eager wrestler, I just can't wait to get in a ring and tangle with the devil."

We say, "I just can't wait until we get out of here, not tangle with the devil."

i.) There's got to be something wrong somewhere. Now, if you can show me that Paul had some-thing we didn't have, well that's good, then I'll buy it. I ask you a question, was Paul more justified than we were? No. Was he more elected than we were? No. Was he more sanctified? No. Did he have more Holy Ghost? No, not that I know of. I never heard that Paul's baptism was greater than ours. I can't find one thing he was more predestinated than we were. Because you as an Elect member of Jesus Christ, you're just as much predestinated as a prophet, or an apostle, because they're all members. Right?

What was it? Paul had the revelation. And the revelation was what great things he must suffer. But he knew that he was more than sufficient, he had a revelation somewhere down that line we missed, in union with Jesus Christ. And Paul could look lions in the face, he could walk untroubled up and down the deck of his ship. And they said, "Paul we're going to have to kill you and the prisoners."

He said, "No you don't, because (God said) you're going to same them." He said, "I'm going to tell you one thing, the ship is going to go to pieces, but we're going to make it."

j.) That man was so steadfast, unmovable, abounding in the Lord. What did it? If you can show me that God treats some different from others in the sense that they are provided with an amplitude of what we don't have, then I can understand, but I can't find one word in the Bible. Because this is "every man shall bear his own burden." [Gal 6:5] Puts us all down flat. What is it? Some men have revelation, that's the only difference there is, revelation. Because the Spirit was given to make the things of God real.

Can you see now why it is that Bro. Branham thundered out and taught where the Pentecostal movement is called the shuck today? The life went on right by, can you see it? Because they've put all their stock in manifestation until you know as well as I do that they equate tongues to the Holy Ghost. Brother/sister, that's a far away from the Word of God as ever will get. Especially when Paul distinctly says, "That you cannot understand one thing by tongues." Paul said he'd rather speak one word in his own language, ten thousand others by the understanding they may learn. He pinned it all down to understanding. He said, "I came to you now with any flowery speech, or anything that man could devise, but I came under inspiration of revelation in the Holy Ghost." And he said, "You'll not get It, unless you've got that same revelation. It takes the Holy Ghost to give It to you."

k.) What is it? Your evidence of having the Holy Ghost lies in your position in that Word. To receive the revelation, or the Message for your day. To recognize It. Secondly, to bear fruit, the work alive in you. And thirdly, God will back it up by manifestation. There it is. Once more God works in a trinity. Correct? We've been striving haven't we for manifestation?

Well, as far as I'm concerned, I'd sooner be eaten up with cancer tonight, and know that I have a love of God, the love for my fellow men, and can produce a beauty in my heart if it took fifty thousand cancers, I'd gladly die with fifty thousand pains to produce fruit. That someone could look at me and say, "There's a man in that Word."

You had Judas with a ministry, and Balaam. Balaam perverted the people of God, and Judas sold Jesus down the river, and you've got the same thing right today. Right? What do we need? Revelation, to make the difference. (See?) I say the words of the late Dr. Kenyon, who epitomizes very beautifully, he said, "Nobody can be a great outstanding Christian. No one can be a real Christian until he knows, (that's revelation) who and what he is in Jesus Christ." (See?) Revelation.

l.) We talked about revelation last night and showed you we need a revelation of God from His Word. Never mind what you've been taught, because you've been taught tradition just like me. As I said last night, people come along and they say:

"What do you believe in Vayle? You believe in a God that'll send a man to hell?"

"I believe that."

"I don't believe that kind of a God! I don’t have that kind of a God!"

I say, "You're right, you don't have that kind of a God. You don't have the God of the Bible, you've got your own God."

Listen to me, if people have a God outside of that Word, they are antichrist. You follow me? I don't care what you say what they produce. I don’t care what their altar calls are. I don't care how they fill their church. I don't care how many are healed. I don't care what they boast. They will bring forth antichrist, and they'll join the ecumenical move. You watch it, I lie not to you, I tell you the truth. Because their God [raps on the Bible several times] is not the God of the Bible. Who is going to produce antichrist? Come on tell me? The religious world, and they talk about God. The bless His Holy Name. The praise Him, they tithe, they give liberally, some even die. But, they'll turn around and kill you and me, thinking they're doing God a favor. Well, haven't they always done it?

m.) Let me ask you, "Who crucified Christ?" The foremost religious people of His day. The ones who had the most. The harlot and her harlot daughters, organized Nicolaitainism, is going to produce an antichrist. Why? Because their God is not that God or this Bible. The kind of God Dr. Pugh has, is the kind of God puts you all in heaven. Because it doesn’t matter if you're Mohammedan, or whether you're a Catholic, just as long as you're real sweet, trying to be honey child, and you believe real the best you can, and you're sincere.

Well, I can sincerely cut your throat too. The Mohammedans do. They'll sincerely cut your throat. Like they took the Urshan, I'm not going to...I'm not talking about old Joe now, I'm talking about his dad, and his mother, from Persia. The persecuted until one day under the influence of the priests, they had whomped themselves, and came up and slit every throat in the house. And they did it, shouting, "Hallelujah, glory to allah, glory to God, we took those dirty dogs and got them.

n.) But, a man in New York says, "As long as you're sincere, that takes care of that." Now, you see why Bro. Branham kept talking about getting back to the Word. If you don't get back to that Word, you're not worshipping God. You can say want you want, but you're worshipping God in vain. And if you're God is not the God of the Bible, wake up you're lost and on your way to hell, because it takes God to save you. But your god can't save you, because he's not the God of the Bible. Right?

Oh, this is naughty, naughty, nasty, preaching. I'm not going to give an inch, because I'm condemned as it were in my soul and concerned, that I may not have a God according to this Bible. I want the God of the Bible! Because there's no salvation in any other Name. Don't tell me what Jesus Christ is like, unless you read it out of the Bible. Don't tell me what God is like, unless you get it out of the Bible. You can go almost any reformed theological seminary today, and they'll deny the fact that God predestinated upon decree and foreknew upon decree.

You say, "Well, I tell you, my God wouldn't predestinate one man to a glory, and predestine another man to loss." The Bible says they were ordained to that end. And you dare come back and say, "God didn't do it."

"Oh, Bro. Vayle, that would make God sin."

o.) God can't sin. Well, can He? You know what you're confused about? You're confused about the fact that we can sin, and that God let us sin. Yeah. That doesn't make God sinful. Our relationship of sin doesn't do one thing to alter God's character and all. God can't sin! When God raised up a Pharaoh that took those little kids as they were born and dumped them in the river. As God raised up a Herod that destroyed the innocents. God didn't sin. Ooh, that needs a revelation. (Um, hmm) I need to get the cobwebs. Ah, don't get rid of the cobwebs, kill the spider. [Bro. Vayle chuckles] You take care of the cobwebs kill the spider. What's the spider? Unbelief. (See?) Revelation, certainly!

What kind of a God is God? Just one answer, He's the God of the Bible. He's the kind of God, God of the Bible says He is. Why? Because it's the only safe place in the world that speaks of God and for God. Tells you what kind of a God, God is. If He says He's this kind of a God, that's what He is, that ends it. But not without revelation honey. Anybody can pray and say, "Well, He's this kind of a God, He's that kind of a God. But let's get a revelation. Right? What is revelation for? Revelation is to make us to know. Now, when you know you can act. (See?) What give a man confidence? Revelation. (See?)

p.) I got thinking the other day, why did God give Bro. Branham vision after vision, after vision, never failed? You know what happened when that took place? He came to the place, bless God, when that vision broke, he'd defied all the devils in hell, all the nations upon the earth, he defied everything, except God Himself, it had to come to pass. You know why? Revelation. Do you think that Paul ever backed off for anybody? Oh, brother/sister, you can't find one place where Paul ever backed off. Revelation. Revelation. Why? Because it makes the things of God real! Now this thing... these things here we see are real! All the factors of the Word are real, but they're not as real as what you don't see, "because the things which are seen are not made of things which do appear." [Heb 11:3b]

Poor old Gehazi was up there in the mountain with Elisha. Two hundred thousand Syrians came down for one man of God. Bless the Lord, isn't that wonderful. Today hardly one man comes down for two hundred thousand so called men of God. But, two hundred thousand down, whole armies, …looking battalions I guess…came down looking for one man. Poor old Gehazi got so scared as he rubbed his eyes he thought he'd seen a mirage. He rubbed his eyes three or four times to get out the mirage. Didn't do any good, there they were.

When it finally sunk in, he said, "Oh, my father, my father."

He said, 'What's the matter my son, what did you get me up for?"

He said, "Look at those people."

He said, "So, what?"

"So, what? Oh brother, you've got to be sick, they finally caught up."

But [Elisha] said, "So what? Look what they caught up to. Open is eyes Lord."

And when he saw what these men had caught up to, thousands and thousands of angels of God, he said, "Aw." [1 Ki 6:17]

You see? "If God be for us, who can be against us?" [Rom 8:31b] And what if they are?

q.) Now, that's all they had. What else did they need? [Bro. Vayle chuckles] Nothing. They didn't even need that much, because he with fingers cast out devils. He, with his hand, led them out of Egypt and just with one arm, lifted up Christ from the dead, and led captivity captive. My, what a God. Created all these things by a Word of His mouth, and have them holding there.

You believe that? Then listen, if all these things are against us, or there by His Word, all He's got to do is to pull away that Word from them and they fall down. Well, we just hang on to His Word and stand up. Right? That's revelation. (Huh?) Praise God. See, what revelation does for you?

Don't go praying for all these things you've been praying for. Pray for the revelation of who and what in Christ. Reality, is a revelation. (See?) The things can only... (you follow me) ... the things of God can only be made real by the Spirit of God. Israel had the adoption, they were the sons of God. They had the covenants of God. They had the glory of God. They had the law of God. They had the promises of God. They ministered to God, and yet they didn't even know what they had and they perished. You know that hundreds and thousands of maybe, I wouldn't want to make that big a figure, but you know that thousands, of choice, wonderful, people die daily in sickness, because they don't know that: "By His stripes (they) were healed." [Isa 53:5b] Of course they don't know the other side either. "Confess your faults and you shall be healed." [Jas 5:16a] Also, pray for one another, shall be healed. (Huh?) You got to have it all.

r. Now, we're on good Bible grounds, so we can go a little further tonight, and we're going to talk about the love of God. And we're going to pray to God to give us the revelation while we go to the Word for the simple teaching. Now, the simple teaching we have, it's all laid out in the Word for us, but the revelation of It. You see, the simple teaching of the Word is like seeing a pie. Now, I don't know what kind of pie you like, but I like various kinds. (Uh huh) And sitting and looking at that pie that taste good. That's simply reading the Word. But the revelation’s when you eat that pie, oh, that's when it's really good. (See?) Not looking at It when It goes to work. All right now, we're going to look at the pie tonight, and by the grace of God, the Holy Spirit, will give us the pie to eat. Right? Amen. Now, let's pray.

Gracious Eternal loving Father, Thou Who are God and we who are so foolish as to have tried to change us so many times, but thank God it didn't work. Stay Thou unchangeable, Lord, be Thou as Thou art, O God, that we in turn may change, and become more like Thee. Give us Thy Word tonight, Lord, I pray as it is set forth in Your Word. And then, my God, infuse It in our very beings by the Holy Spirit through revelation that it may come through us, as well as be in us. Grant, Lord God tonight, that every heart be brought in captivity to the beauty and the love of Jesus Christ. That we may be thoroughly enamored by Him, so that nothing else would even begin, or dare to attract us.

Surely, Lord, we know there is only one way that would take place where the eyes of the Bride can only be on the Bridegroom. And that is as even a philosopher said. "that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." Lighten our eyes with Thy revelation tonight that we may behold Thee, Lord, and we shall never want another. God do that tonight for us. And why not? You said You would. We believe You will, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

1. In John, (the 1st epistle) you'll hardly have time to turn to It. Just the phrase in, 1 John 4:8, "God is love." God is love. Now, when John says that God is love, he is describing both the nature, and the consequent actions that flow from that nature. Now, did you hear me? Sometimes a statement is made and it goes over our heads not that it's deep, not that it's profound, but it just doesn't click. For John to say that God is love, he is describing not only the nature of God, but the consequent actions that flow from that nature, because you can't act any different from what you are. See, your nature is what makes you. Right?

So, you see, if God is love that's His nature. And if God is love, then there must be actions of love that flow from that nature. To illustrate, when we say that a man is very kind we are describing the nature of the man by observing his reactions to unpleasant, or needy occasion. Is that, right? How do you know when a man's kind? When you watch him what he's like under perverse conditions. (See?)

2. Now, both and the action and the attitude of the man are considered before you can say he is kind. For instance: a man may very sweetly refuse to help a friend in need. "Yeah, well, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, oh buddy, I'd like to help you buddy, old buddy." He says, "I can't do it, if fact I'm not going to do it."

Now, you don't have to be mean and sour to turn somebody down. You don't have to be sour to be unkind. (See?) You can be sweet about it, smile about it, pat him on the back and say, "God bless you," For a man to be kind under the duress, or in the duress of a friend, he would have to be one who would help, because he wants to do something for him.

3. Here in the epistle 1 John 3:17, It says,

(17) ... (whosoever) hath this world's good(s), and (see that) his brother (has) need, and (shuts) up his bowels...from him, (in other words, closes off his heart) how dwelleth the love of God in him? (See?)

So, you can see that you can't describe a man as kind, until you see him act out under particular conditions of need. What his real attitude, or what his real heart is like. Now, it's not hard to see from this, that if we describe God as a God of love, we must realize that both the nature and the actions of God are involved. (See?) It's not enough to say, "I believe God is a good God." We've all said it. To parrot the Scripture is not sufficient. (See?) If God's a good God, then the nature of God is not only good, but the actions of God are good. Why? Because a man cannot act any different than his nature. (See?)

4. Now, what have we got the Bible for that? Turn to Matthew 12:33

(33) Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

You can tell an apple tree is an apple tree, because it bears apples. A peach tree is a peach tree, because it bears peaches. In other words, the manifested action of the seed of that tree proves what it is, and the apples proves it's an apple tree, and the pear proves it's a pear tree. Now that is what Jesus said here.

Now, turn back to Jeremiah 9:24

(24) But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, ...

This takes a Holy Ghost revelation, because you can't know God, and God's ways apart from the Holy Ghost. "Let him glory in this." [Jer 9:24a]

5. Now, does It say to glory in tongues? Oh, come on. Does It say glory in prophecy? I've got nothing against tongues and prophecy. Interpretation of tongues, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, the discerning of spirits, faith, healing, miracles, got nothing against at all. Doesn't say glory in that. Well, does It? Doesn't say. Then why do we do it? (See?) We can't fool with God brother/sister. We're in the last day. As far as I know if the prophet was the prophet of God, what God gave him was, that the Bride approaches to the Bridegroom by way of the Word, and she becoming a Word Bride in order to be united to Him. If she's not a Word Bride, she won't get in the Rapture. Now, face this tonight, you're not going to get the Rapture, you can sit here and talk about It all you want. But if you and I are not Holy Ghost, Word revealed Christians, we're not going to make that Rapture. So, let's not tend to pretend.

Now, It says, "that if you're going to glory, start glorying in this, that you understand and know me, that I am the Lord which exercises loving kindness and judgment and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight saith the Lord." [Jer 9:24]

6. He said, "Don't let the wise man glory in wisdom, don't let the strong man glory in might. And don’t let anybody glory in gifts, and don't let anybody glory in manifestation." But, if you're going to glory, glory for something that's inside of you." Revelation by the Holy Ghost, that you know God's a good God doing good things.

In other words, God is a God of love, and His actions are all love. It would be hard to ascribe. It would be very difficult to ascribe the quality of goodness, or love to God if His actions can be judged evil. (Huh?) (See?) It would be very difficult to ascribe love, or goodness to God if you could pin your finger on Him as doing an evil thing.

7. If God can be accused of evil, or doing an unkind, unloving thing, then you cannot say according to God's Word that God is love. Can you? No, you cannot, because Jesus said, "The tree is known by its fruit." In other words, our actions tell the world what we are. Our reactions are the ones that really do it. They really know, because that's when the pressure is on. Oh yes. It's okay, that's good, and that's God just letting you know what we're like. He told them back in the days of Israel, “I led you out here in the wilderness just to see if you'd blow up or not.” Prove what you had. Something to think about, isn't it? Oh yeah.

The fact of the matter is, it is actually impossible to ascribe to God a loving nature, if we judge Him according to human reasoning. You know that? You know that, you can't tell, you can't say God of love, if you judge Him according to human reasoning, you can't do it. I challenge any person living to look around this world of sin, the condition the world's in, the trials, the tragedy in which some people live. The pain, the remorse, the anguish. The lack of opportunity, you cannot by nature, or human observation, even begin to believe that God is a God of love. You can't do it. Now, God knew that this would trouble us. You know what He did? He warned us to judge righteously, or as He said, "To judge righteous judgment." [Jn 7:23b]

8. Now then, listen to me carefully to understand this. To judge righteous judgment, we would most certainly have to be aware of all of the facts. The purposes, the methods necessary for the action taken, and the resultant outcome. This would all have to be weighed against the situation where an action was needed. And when the final results were obtained, we would then and only then know, that God acted in love.

How many of us have judged anybody righteously? [Bro. Vayle whistles] Did you ever know all the facts about anything? Have you? Nobody has. Have you ever taken time to find out some of the facts? To be able honestly to judge you've got to know all the facts, and you've got to know where it ends. And that's why people haven't got the least understanding of revelation, that God is a God of love, because they don't know what’s laid up for them at the end of the trail. What God is going to do about it all. Right?

9. But you see, God does know. Because God alone knows the end from the beginning. God alone knows the end from the beginning. Nobody else does, that's exactly why God is righteous and loving and good. And that's why God had to have His foreknowledge based upon decree. Because He had to know the end from the beginning, or He couldn't be righteous at anything that He did. Because If He didn't know the end He wouldn't know all the facts.

Now, you can see why Bro. Branham said He knew every little flea on the ends of a last hair on a dog's tail, and every time that old flea winked his eyeball. Well, come on, isn't that so? Certainly, it's so. You know why it's so? Because what's so, is so. You can't do anything against the truth. (Huh?) What for? The Bible says so, you can do nothing against the truth before, that's the truth.

10. Now, I said right here is where we have our problem in understanding that God is love. Because He alone can see the end, and we are expected in blind faith to trust Him to that end, believing in God's Own revelation in His Word, that God is love. (See?) Now, you see we're right back to that word 'revelation' we've been talking about. The God of the Bible is what God is, but as usual we think we have a revelation by just saying that word in one place one time. But no one can really know that God is love until he knows what God means, when God says that He is love. (Ah ha)

Let me illustrate: supposing I said to you I'm a generous man. Well, I don't know that I am a generous man, but just supposing I said I was a generous man. You would have to know what I had in mind if I said I were a generous man. Because your idea of generosity might not be what my Idea is. Your idea, (I don't mean anybody here now) but I mean somebody else's idea of my generosity might want them to make them take advantage of me. Or they might say, "Well, if you're generous, you're duty bound to help me." When I might be determined to help somebody else to a certain extent, when they might want to take everything I had even away, while I thought I was generous by giving just a part of it. You follow me? If you don't, let me go further.

11. Dr. Barton wrote an article in Abundant Life, for Oral Roberts. And he wrote in there how that by tithing and giving, God had given him an abundance of this world's goods. Almost everybody missed the point, because he had thousands of letters pouring in saying, "Well, if you've got so much, give us some too." (Huh?) That's the truth. (See?)

So, you see when you talk, or God talks, you got to go back and probe what did he really say. If you don't think that's true, I wonder why so many folk got so many wonderful ideas what Bro. Branham did say, and he didn’t say it at all. It was hard to get a hold of what he said, then some-times a whole lot harder to get a hold what God said. Sure, because people don't take and find out what God meant when He said it. God's love, so what? What does that mean? Find out what God meant when He said He was love. Is that right? All right we've got to do that.

12. Now, to know from the Word of God, what does God mean when He describes Himself as a loving God, we're got to find out, and in what way according to Scripture does God manifest that love? Right? (Huh?) If I say I'm a generous person, you've got to find what did I mean by a generous person. Well, I'll tell you if I were a generous person what I'd do. (Hmm) That's a good question. I didn't think that one out before I started on it. What percentage would I give away of my world goods? Well, if I were truly generous, I'd suppose I would have to say this: "As a truly generous person, I would have to help everybody I could in need without destroying my own reliability toward my own death and all, because it there were such a thing as a man destroying himself, just giving it away, that's not God's way. You give as God indicates of course, and then He'll more than give it back. We understand that. But you see, we have to know where we stand according to the Word of God. What does God mean when He describes Himself as a God of love doing loving things? What end does He have in view?

All right, let's go to Scripture to find out. First of all, what is love to God? What is love to God? What is love to God? What does He mean when He said, "He's a God of love?" What in the world is He talking about? (See?)

13. All right, the Bible has got an answer for it. I'm sure glad It has, or I'd be in trouble tonight. I'd led you to a place I couldn't help you. But, we're going to have help, because it's in the Word. And that's in Malachi 1:1-5

(1) The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

Now listen, a burden is a great depth, as it were sorrow. As it were frustration. As it were a stifle cry, a wonderment, the burden of the Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. Though it came by Malachi, it was the Word of God, and it was still God talking to people though Malachi said the words. Malachi was just a mouth, but the Spirit behind it, was not the spirit of Malachi, it was the Spirit of God, it was God talking in the mouth of a man. God spoke in the prophets. Now:

(2) I have loved you, saith the LORD....

Now, Israel must have lacked a complete revelation of the love of God, because,

(2) ...Wherein (have you) loved us?...

Yet you say, "Wherein have you loved us?"

14. Now, here is what God said,

(2) ...Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

(3) And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Now listen, before we deal with this, let me tell you and show you that Malachi is the last of the Old Testament prophets. Time from the beginning, rather from the time that God dealt with Israel to Malachi, was roughly two thousand years. And God dealing with Israel for two thousand years, the best He could get out of Israel in understanding and truly worshipping God, was a mere handful of people. And at the end of those two thousand years, we find they still did not know what God's love was. That's why It says in Psalms 103:7 "He made known His ways unto Moses."

Now remember, you only judge the tree by its fruit. You can only know a man by His actions. See, what comes out of Him. Now, the Scripture says here, that Moses alone, at the time of the exodus to enter into the Promised Land, was the only one that knew the ways of God. But, It says, His acts. His acts, what God did, Israel saw, but they never learned. They never learned about God Himself.

15. Now, in Hebrews 3: It says, "They do always err in their hearts, they have not known My ways." And therefore, they didn't know God. Now listen, you tell me tonight then, that you can know God by manifestation of the nine gifts of the Holy Ghost, you are going right against the Word of God. So, where does that leave tongues as the evidence? (See?) It kills it. It isn't there. (See?)

But, the Holy Ghost was given to reveal God and His ways and things. Israel never had the Holy Ghost. Miriam prophesied, but she couldn't wait to get in trouble. That's right. The only reason she didn't die of leprosy, because Moses in his goodness saved her from it. Pleaded with God. Look at the others, that sinned. They prophesied and they said, "Well, that makes us equal with Moses." and they went right down the fiery pit. (See?) They didn't know.

16. Now, but God could not change being what He was. And so therefore being a loving God, He couldn't help Himself, He kept on loving and loving Israel in His Own way. Because He says in Jeremiah, "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore, (notice) with loving kindness have I drawn thee." [Jer 31:3]

And they said, "Did you say with loving kindness you drew us?" Oh, something's got to be wrong here, because I can't see any indication of love. "You've loved us, where and how did You..." Now, this is exactly what is going on. That's exactly what took place. He said, "I have drawn you with love, because I'm a loving God."

And they said, "Wherein have You shown us this love?" (See?)

Now, God said, "I am eternally loved. And I have shown my love nature, by My attitudes and My deeds." That's what he said to Israel two thousand years afterward they still haven't learned what God meant about being a God of love. They still didn't know, because the Bible says so.

17. Now notice, I'm going to bring you right back to the Laodicean Age, which I've been doing each night. God has dealt with the church for two thousand years. Hadn’t He? Just like Israel. And we are right where Israel was, because It says, "In the last days the love of the many shall wax cold, because iniquity abounds." [Mt 24:12]

And what does It say in Revelation 3:19, about this last day people? "As many as I love." It doesn't say one thing about God's people loving Him. But they love merchandise, they love prestige, they love their way of going about doing things. They love their money, their big churches, they love their programs, they love everything, but God. You read It, it's all there like I've told you. It does not say that we love Him. It says that He loved us. Because God loves His people.

18. Now, what is the love of God? It says in Malachi when God said, "I have loved you." And they said, "What is this love? "I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau." Now, to understand that, you've got to go to the New Testament revelation by the same Holy Ghost in the mouth of Paul.

We find in Romans 9:6-24

(6) Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

(7) Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

(8) That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (See?)

(9) For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, (and this time not when Ishmael was born, and not after Isaac was born, but at this time concerning Isaac's birth, shall) Sarah have a son.

(10) And not only this; (see?) but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, ... (in other words, God showing here, one father, one mother producing twins you see.)

(11) (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

(12) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

(13) As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

(14) What shall we say then? ...

19. There's the question: Is God unrighteousness? This will make Him unrighteous, you bet it will. Oh sure, I'm too smug, I'm a theologian. I've got a mind, boy I'm sharp as a tack. Got a head that is thick too, and a heart worse off. But, I'm a theologian.

"My God wouldn't hate one and love the other before even being born." See, what I told you awhile ago? Why it's going to bring forth an antichrist. Why their psalm singing, rug cutting, jazzed up religion, of this day that worship God, and has all the manifestation to bring forth the antichrist. You say "why?" Because their God is not the God of the Bible. He's a God of their own imagination. Argue, this away.

"The purpose of God stands in election. Before they were born, before they done good or evil, (He said) I love Jacob, and I hate Esau." Before they were existent personalities to love or hate, He already loved the one and hated the other. Does that make sense? Not to you and me it doesn't. But my God is still the God of the Bible. I'll stick with Him.

(14) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

20. How can you call God unrighteous when He's righteous? How can you call God evil when He's good? (See?)

(15) For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Did He say He'll have mercy on whom He will have mercy? Did He say He'll compassionate those that you say He'll compassionate? Or does He say, "I'll have mercy on whoever I want to have mercy, and I'll have compassion on whoever I want to have compassionate?" That's exactly what He says. That's what the God of the Bible says. And I'm sorry if you're getting all uncomfortable now, because I didn't write the Book, when I'm going to preach I'm going to take my chances with Him. And I'm glad I am, because I've got it all figured out He's the right One.

I don't intend to bring forth any antichrist, I intend to bring forth the 'Capstone' Jesus Christ, because He's got to come forth in this Word. The Bride must produce the Christ, or to suffer. You bet, Christ must be formed in that Bride. So, the Scripture says:

(16) ... then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God (who shows) mercy (to whom He will.)

(17) For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, (the unchanging 'Thus Saith the Lord' said to Pharaoh,) for this same purpose have I raised thee up, ...

You know that? Now, what end was Pharaoh born to? To destruction.

(17) ...that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

(18) Therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Whom He will, He hardens. Whom He will, who God wills. God hardens, is that what the Bible says? (Huh?) Then why try to change it? You going to tell God, so you can tell Him God what His Word means? Now, we're going to tell Him what kind of a God... "Oh Lord, I know You really didn't mean that, there's got to be another way out somewhere... my God." That's right, you're God wouldn't do this, because you're going to bring forth antichrist.

21. I hope you're getting the picture, because this is the reason I asked Bro. Branham to preach 'The Trail of the Serpent'. The beast in the Garden, the beast at the end, to show the people how it was that these people who are so religious, try their best, work the hardest, produce the most, will still bring forth antichrist. This is the answer, he's going to appear in the Word. Because their God is not the God of the Bible. I hope...are you getting what I'm talking about tonight? Because it's sending a little bit of cold shivers down my spine. The answer I wanted for God, I'm preaching on tonight.

Because it's the God of the Bible my brother, my sister. And there isn't any other God, His Name is Lord Jesus Christ. I'm glad I've been baptized in His Name. Have you been? You better be, you'll never make the Rapture, you can't do it, because you don't even know Him. Oh, I just feel like shouting. I'm getting to feel religious, but in a good way.

(19) Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

(20) Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? (What God? The God of the Bible) Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why (have you) made me (this way?)

(21) (Has) not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump... (Jacob and Esau were children of the same parents. Twins, not

identical, but twins. And are) to make one vessel unto honor,

and (one) unto dishonor?

(22) What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

God put everything in them they need for destruction.

(23) ...that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore (fitted, or) prepared (to) glory, (He had put everything in him for glory.) (Huh?)

22. What is love? Love, is elective love. The love of God, is elective love. See, that's where they missed it. They say, "You see, the God is the God of love. "God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son," [Jn 3:16] and he laid Him out there for us all, and all who want Him, can have Him."

How come, they don't all take Him? Love is the strongest force in the world they say. Sure, it is, but it's elective love. The love of God is qualified my brother, my sister, He tells you what kind it is, it's elective love. (See?) "He said, 'Jacob have I loved'."

Israel said, "Where is the proof of Your love?"

He said, "This is the proof of My love, you weren't even born, but I love you." And Esau wasn't even born, but I hated him. The proof of God's love tonight, and let me tell you this my brother, my sister, this is the only way that God can show His love, because it's the only love He's got.

There's something wrong with me why I can eat food only a certain way, then that's the way I've got to eat it. There's nothing wrong with God, but, there's only one way God shows His love, and that's... the only love that God's got to show I should say it, is elective love. Because God loves His Own, but He hates anything else. He said, "the reprobate, the Cain serpent seed bunch, I hate them." But He said, "I love the Elect."

23. The love of God lies in election. And Israel said, "How can You say you love us?" And He said, "I'll tell you, you've never learned to understand My love. You don't understand it." He said, "Ishmael was reprobated, Esau was reprobated, other were reprobated." All Israel is not Israel. (See?) But He said, "I love you." The love of God is elective love.

Now if you want to know if God had love towards you tonight, the answer is simple…are you born again? Because if you're born again, that settles it. You don't need to wonder if God loves you. What a cry went out from God's heart, after two thousand years saying, "Does God really love?" God really loves, because people are born again. But the love was set upon the Elect of God. And the cries in the earth today, and people says, "Well, does God love?" And they've got it all mixed up, they've got a thousand answers, But the fact is God has a love which is called elective love, and that's what He's got.

24. Now, I know it seems to go over our heads, and I know it doesn't seem to cause too much of a roar, too much emotion. But the point is, if it takes the Holy Ghost to show it, because that's what Moses had when he was able to know. And that's what the little remnant had when they were able to know. The Holy Ghost revealing the love of God. Why? "Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost." [Rom 5:5a] What love is that? Did you catch it?

It said, "How can anybody say he loves God if he doesn’t love his brethren?" [1 Jn 4:20] And he said, and the test of Christianity is, "How they loved their brethren." And the Bible says, "If a man doesn't love his brother, he's a murderer." [1 Jn 3:15a] Why? Because it's that love for His own that's in your heart. And is in my heart if we're children of God. And if we've got it, we've got to love each other. Because that's, that love, it's in the brethren. (See?)

25. What is God's love? Elective love, the love for His own that sent Jesus Christ to the Cross. "God so loved the world." You say, "Isn't that the whole world?" No sir, the word 'world' is used two ways in the Bible. You didn't know it, but you know it now. In 2 Peter, It talks about world of the ungodly, being saved, but the world of the godly Noah, being righteous was saved. There are two worlds. You know that was well as I do, there's His world and the world of this worldly. Cosmos, the world system. There are two worlds, God's and the devil's, as it were. And God so love His Own world, that He gave His Son.

Read the Book of Isaiah the way It's written. I'll preach on election sometime when I get the chance, so read the way It's written Isaiah 53: You'll find He died for the many, He didn't die for the whole world. The Psalmist understood this, and He said, "Blessed is the man that Thou chooses, and causes to approach unto Thee." [Ps 65:4a]

And Jesus said, "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." [Jn 15:16a] Now, brother/ sister, if God's chosen unto Eternal Life, you know one thing, God loves you. And that's the proof of God's love, because that is God's love.

26. Now, let's look at Romans 8:28-31

(28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them (notice who love God? There's only one group that can love God, those) who are the called according to his purpose.

What's His purpose stand in? Election. (See?) Not by human reasoning.

(29) For whom he did foreknow, (now notice it) he also did predestinate...

What is a pre-destiny? A destiny already outlined before it took place, that it must take place. Right? Certainly, that's what it is.

(29) ...to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Notice that:)

(30) Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

(31) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Isn't that the results? Isn't that the right answer? Well, if God saved me, then there can't be anything against me that's too big, hallelujah, got it all sewed up. Why? Because the purpose of God is consummated in your election. Look it, if God put His love upon somebody, who is going to do anything against God? No sir, He’d rend heaven and earth to protect His Own.

37. Now, again It says in Ephesians 1:3-5

(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

(4) According as he hath chosen (notice, it is according, as he hath chosen) us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him. (Period.)

(5) (In Love) Having predestinated us ...

What caused our predestination? Love! Is that, right? True. What caused predestination? You say, "Bro. Vayle, how can a God...?" There it is again, you see? Judging God, not knowing the facts, not knowing the truth. Just calling..."I can't see it." Certainly not, it takes the Holy Ghost to make it real, so forget it. Try all you want, you won't get it. God's got to reveal it to you. So, just relax and say, "God, I'm trying to believe, Lord. If I'm in this for real, just open my heart.

38. One woman for years could never see Eternal Life in Christ. She thought you could get lost and saved, lost and saved. One day suddenly sitting in her front room discussing it, she said...I don't know where she got it, it wasn't what we were talking about. She said, "That's right, that's right, you can't get lost once you're saved, because it's Eternal Life, isn't it?" She was trying so hard, you don't coerce the Holy Ghost, you let Him. It's, yieldedness. (See?)

What was it the Stephen said that day? He said, "You uncircumcised and stiff in heart, you always resist the Holy Ghost. [Acts 7:51a] You don't want to hear anything different then what you're thinking." Have you been to meetings like that? Oh, I've been in lots of them. People with fat mouths and thin ears. The Bible says, "Have a fat ear and a thin mouth." Hear a lot and say nothing.

(5) (In love) Having predestinated us unto the (placing) of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

According to whose will? His will. You say, "Bless God I willed be saved." No, you didn't. He willed you to be saved.

(6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, ... (and so on.)

In Ephesians 2:4

(4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

How did God show mercy? Because of His love. (See?) Way in the beginning.

39. In Romans 11:28,

(28) As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.

Notice, election, predestination. Back here again in the epistle of 1 John 3:1

(1) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore, the world knoweth us not, ...

What's the love of God manifested? Elective love, placing you as sons. It's all manifested throughout the whole earth.

Again, in 1 John 4:10

(10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

What was what's His love? His love is for the Elect. The Elect were all out there in sin and dying, so God sent His Son, redeemed every single one, will not impute sin to them, and they're spotless with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which we'll talk about tomorrow. What is it? It's elective love.

40. Now listen carefully, the love of God is in Himself. Now, you see, here's the thing that people don't understand. (See?) They look around and they say, "Now, just a minute, what, that person there, there had to be something in him." Because that's what we think, if we don't understand it. We look around and we say, "Now, you can come to God like me. I came to God, you can come to God."

Oh no, somebody may have a greater devotion towards religious things then you ever had. I have seen people who are brought up religiously. Not like I was. I was brought a very bad way, and very, very far from God. I know I hungered for God, but I sure didn't do any good, because the more I hungered it seemed, the worse I got. And these other people were nice people, they were good people, and they seemed to love the Lord. They didn't do the terrible things I did. But you know, one day I was saved by the power of God.

Now, I look around and I say, "Just a minute now, I wonder what was in me that wasn't in them?" Now and then I think to myself, "Well, hold it now, there's no difference between the two of us. And yet how come they don't come and I did come? And how come they should have come, because it looked like they were coming while I was going, But I came and they went?"

41. That's not double talk, that's the way it was. Because they did go, they went and I did come. What is it? Well, we've got to get a Bible answer. Let's go back to the Book of Deuteronomy, because there's nothing like finding out from God Himself what this is all about. In the Book of ,

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 and let's find It here:

(7) The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because (you) were more in number than any people; for (you) were the fewest of all people:

(8) But because the LORD loved you, ...

Now, that's the craziest answer in the world, except you understand it. God says, "You know why I loved you? Because I loved you." Now what's the answer? It was in Himself. (See?) God's love was in Himself, it was in Him that the choosing was because of His love. I can't tell you anymore than that, because that's all the Bible tells me. It was in God. That's why It says, "Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world." Elective love and God's love, you can't explain it, you got it, or you haven't got it, and it's elective love.

Now, look around tonight. If you're honest with me, you're going to miss it. There's a hundred people, you know, a hundred times better than you, that should have what you've got, and haven't got it. Then look at us tonight, how much beefing we've done. And we've looked at God and said, "Lord, I just don't understand this thing. You say You love us. But where did you love us?" (See?)

42. Again, in Deuteronomy 10:15 It says here:

(15) Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, ...

There it is again. The love for the Seed. The love for His Own. Why? Because you were in Christ. Does any parent love somebody else's child more than his own? Not unless there is something wrong with him. The love of God is for His Own. It's elective love. It's the loving God for His Own child. God's love is elective love. The great family love, (as it were) were on the highest level. Your... the God's love is manifest in the fact tonight that we're born again. God's love is in us. And we know that God loves us, because we are born again. God's love is elective love. I wish I could do a better job of explaining. But I can't, because that's all I can go on.

This great love God, became known to us by what His nature and acts were by the rebirth. That's right, because It says, "It wasn't that we loved God, but that God loved us." [1 Jn 4:10a] And again, It says, "God so loved the world He gave His Only begotten Son." [Jn 3:18] And again It says, "Herein is love, that not that we loved God, (as I mentioned a minute ago) but He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins". [1 Jn 4:10] It was the love of God that sent the Son. Why? Because He was elective love and His children were in sin, and He had to redeem them. (See?) Elective love.

43. And now we go to from this revelation to the deeper one. And we ask the question, how does this love God, (not here's the catch you see, here's the confusing part, we've all been confused about) how does this love God deal in love with His loved one? Because you see, if God love us, and God is a God of love, then He's got to show it by His action.

And here's the stumbler. Here's the reason why Israel said, "Oh, if you love us, how are these things happening? How can You say you love us? Oh my, look what we went through. Look what we're going through. Look what is happening, oh my, oh my, don't talk to us about love, because we've got our own ideas." That's right, that's right.

44. So, let's turn to Hebrews 12: I'm telling you why we need revelation on both sides of God's promises. Or get right to the heart of this, in Hebreews 12:1-6 and we read beginning at verse 1.

(1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, (that's unbelief you see) and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

How can you run patiently a race? All He’s trying to do it tell you it'll be over just like that. Right?

(2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher...

What's the word 'finisher'? A perfect, like a man with a plane and sandpaper, a carpenter, perfecting the thing. It's not in shape, so he's got to work on it. (See?) There's nothing wrong with the thing he's working on, he just wants to bring it out. Right? So, that's what he's talking about.

(2) ... the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, (notice, he despised it, enduring the cross) and is set down... (or established with God.)

(3) For consider... (that means 'thoroughly perceive'.)

Don't just stand around and learn one or two things about God. God is love, that's it! Then boom! something happens, say, "Oh, I don’t want to be such a God of love after all."

"My God, no, no, no, no, God wouldn't do that."

Hold it, your God wouldn't, but this Bible God would. Follow me? Got to be careful here.

(3) For consider him... (perceive him thoroughly, that can't be done apart from the Holy Ghost.)

45. You know, the most important thing in this world we miss, is been out there trying to win the whole world for God, so called. What God: Not the God of the Bible, the god of imagination. When the real God of the Bible said, "If you're going to put time and take time to really get to know Me. “

"Well, we'll send my kids to Bible school." Oh please, let's not start that. Let's not start that. The best place to backslide, one of the best I know.

(3) ...consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest (you) be wearied and faint in your minds. (Your soul,)

(4) (You) have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

(5) And (you) have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise thou not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked...

(6) For whom the Lord loveth (the Elect of God) he (chastens), and (He) (scourges) ... (rips the hide off.)

You know what a scourge is? Cat-of-nine tails. [Bro. Vayle whistles] We go home now and forget it? Who wants this revelation? (Whooo, phfft!) Let's admit it, this is the source of all of our troubles right here. Isn't it? Burp me Lord, I've got a pain. That wasn't the right kind of powder You put on my diaper rash. (Huh?)

46. After two thousand years, that the best we can produce, isn't it? The best we produce, can produce right today is a bunch of men who are maybe business men. Here I go again, and they get up and they say, "The Lord blessed me, and I'm worth a million dollars. I have it made. Now, if a man of my stature, caliber, means, can have God, then shouldn't You having less of a caliber, stature, have God? Come and get Him."

If you think I'm derisive, you better think twice, because it hit it right on the head, and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of a song and dance the men talking about a good God Who him a pat on the back, and burps him, put the fat on their rear ends, where there’s a little diaper rashie. Put it all behind me, I'm tired of it, because it’s anti-word and antichrist.

47. I'm tired of being tough the dribble I was taught all my years. When I should have been taught 'be a man, be a soldier'! Endure hardness. Stand up like a man and don't quiver and don't quail in being honest, if it cost to you, your lives. Never mind you're stinking money, it's going to perish. And any testimony that doesn't line up with the Word, and any life that doesn't die and line up with this Word is not the Word Life, that's in this Bible. And the God they talk about is not the God of this Bible. Because my Bible says, "That God's scourges, takes the hide off of every son." That's love in action. Oh, that’s what It says. You think I like it? (Uh?) I'm stupid, I'm not smart. Anybody can tell you what the Word says, I'm doing a good job of it right now, I can tell you what It says.

You can do just as good a job, all he does is read It. Have a few fluent words, and it'll come out just a... But it's another thing my brother, to stagger down that road in blind darkness with your heart cut out and bleeding and your feet and you say, "He's lovely, I love Him with all my soul, He's a good God." (Hmm?)

48. Oh, how Israel shouted when they got led out of captivity. Oh, how we cut a rug, and talked and danced, hallelujah, and we said, "Every dark corner was light, our sins were taken away, He buried them in the sea of forgetfulness." Oh, how nice it was. Oh my, we had a testimony. And as soon as the thumb of God hit us with a cat-of-nine tails, scourges. We said, "Phooey on that nonsense." It's like Israel, let's go back to Egypt. (Yeah)

You know what they said? They said, there’s security down in Egypt, let's to back, there's security out there in the wilderness, sure. Sure! The mark of the beast is soon going to be here. Make no mistake about it. You can be secure, you don't need to worry. Just join the organization, be a hale fellow well met. Just say, "Sure, there's a trinity, sure I believe it." Go ahead! You'll get your belly filled. They'll put a house over your head, a roof. You'll get clothes on your back. They'll take you by the hand, and say, "Well, you're really a fine fellow, bless your heart." Oh, sure you can. Security down in Egypt. That's not God's security.

49. God's security says, "When thou passest through the rivers." [Isa 43:2a]

Pass through the river? Hold it, hold it, hold it! I don't want to go through no river. "Lord roll the water's back."

"I'm not going to roll any water's back, get through them waters."

"Oh no, it's kind of cold. I don't like walking on slippery rocks. There's been a rain."

He said, "They'll not overflow you."

That's God's security. Sure, it is. Israel danced, and jumped, and contorted. They've been led out. But then they saw the Red Sea in front, the armies back of them, the desert to the left, the mountains to the right. And they said, "This is horrible." They began screaming and caterwauling. [howling] Even Moses cried.

God said, "What are you crying for? Put that rod forward." The wind blew all night, the Red Sea opened up they went over, they just screamed and danced, shouted some more, "Hallelujah, glory to God." And they're going up said, "Oh my, this is terrible, oh God what will You do next?"

And then God did something else, they said, "Hallelujah to God, bless God, ain't it good, glory to God, hallelujah." And God put the barrier down again, and put the pressure of His thumb upon them, scourged a bit more and they said, "Oh, I can't stand this, we should leave, this is terrible going through it. The thought Moses this is a terrible thing we're going through." The fought Moses. The fought everybody. And God blessed them, "Oh hallelujah, glory to God, bless Jesus." Come on, that's modern day Twentieth Century religion. I'm sick of it! Yeah.

50. What is God's love? To scourge. God's love in action is to rip the hide off us. Oh, I know it doesn't sound popular. Say, "Bro. Vayle, you're not preaching like other preachers." I'm sure preaching like the Holy Ghost, because this is what He said. [Hebrews 12:]

(6) (To) whom the Lord loveth (that's His Own Elect children) he chasteneth, (He) scourgeth...

The word 'scourge' is actually what it says, is to hit with a cat-of-nine tails. to you. The word 'rebuke' from the Bible is to reprove. And to 'reprove' is to do it with the view to correction. God has to correction His children, Remember, when you're born again your flesh isn't changed. Remember, when you're born again, it's merely you're placed in a body of Christ by the Holy Ghost. As far as I know your human nature is not taken away, because the Bible says, "The body is dead, because of sin." And it's got to die, because the Spirit alone, is life, because of righteousness. In other words, the righteous Spirit of God alone is a life in you. Everything else is sustained by It. And God knowing our frame He definitely has to scourge and take everyone one of us. For the Bible said, "Even the Son of God learned obedience by suffering." [Heb 5:8]

51. Now, do we see that God's a good God and everything He does is in love. Now, we're going to stop blaming the devil, and say the devil did this and devil that? Old Job was a fine man in his day, and God loved him, because he was a choicest example of manifested God in the world at that time. And the devil came along and he said, "Surely, (he said) you're good to Job and You love Job."

And he said, "Job reciprocates, and (he said) everything's fine, God I love you. And praises Your name, and he sacrifices every day for his children and everything is fine." But he said, "You have me put my finger upon him, take away that hedge.

And God said, "I tell you what, I'll take away the hedge."

The devil took away his children. First of all, took away everything he had by storm. And then he took his children. And then he put his hand upon him, and abused him with the boils and all. And you know what Job said, "Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh." [Job 1:21b]

Now, I see the theologians turn around that Job made a mistake. Poor old Job, bless God, he was a nice man, but he made a mistake. And we're going to tell you how he made a mistake. He said, the Lord gave, the Lord took. But, that's a lie, you see, God gave, but the devil took it." Hogwash!

The God to the devil said, "Thou movest me against him." [Job 2:3b]

52. So, that much for your theologians. I'm sick and tired of reading of reading the book as Bro. Branham said, "Mary loves John," and skip to the back, they lived happy ever after. But find what went in-between. [laughter] They read the first part of the book. They should have read the rest where God admitted it. And He said, "You've moved me against, I did it!" It was God who scourges His own. You think for one minute that God turns us over to the devil and scourges? Don't be ridiculous.

That's when men are in rebellion in this church, when men go against the dictates of the Word of God as is a church, live in sin like they did the Corinthian church, that he said, "Turn them over to Satan, but not before." God scourges, what does He do it for? I order to correct us. The word 'chasten' means to discipline, because the subject's amendment is in mind. And you can't get character apart from suffering.

53. Now listen folk, let's take a look at this: I don't care what anybody says, as I said awhile ago, you can't change God. I preached it last night, don't try to change Him, you can't do it. See, God does not deal with us according to what's in us, but according to what's in him. Now, if God's love is elective love, don't try to change it. Because that's in Him. (See?) And if God's demonstration of love is scourging don't try to change it. (See?) Get it and understand it. God has laid down in His law, the character cannot be formed apart from suffering. You can't do it.

What's the matter with the twentieth century bunch of kids we've got? No character. You know why? Because every place you go, dear little mothers they're crying for the judge. "Judge, I don't under-stand why he did it, I gave him everything he wanted."

54. You know what America is based upon? America is based upon people coming here, not only to serve God, but underneath to get a better life for their kids. And the next generation a better life for their kids. What have you got in mind? God? No sir! Things, material, the more and more we have the rottener we get, because that's God's principle and you can't change it.

That's what wrong in the Laodicean Age. We've increased in goods, we lack nothing. And He said, "You don't know it. But you haven't got enough morals to recognize, you're miserable, wretched, naked and blind." [Rev 3:17] They're naked and don't even know it. Where are our morals gone? Where's character? I don't know where it went to exactly, but I'll tell you one thing, even stupidity is so rife, even around here, that's it's hard to understand it.

Up the road a ways, where there's not even a fly flying around, the speed limit is forty miles an hour. But down there where his motel is, is where everybody can get conked out especially five-five miles an hour, it should be twenty miles an hour. The stupidity, the officials in this area, it stinks. And it's all over America.

55. You know why? Because men get into politics and they don't even know what they're doing. And even sell their own grandmother, because they've already sold their grandchildren down the road, because they want a dirty buck. Your highways, everyone goes through a major city. And it's called evacuation route in time of trouble. All they've got to do is bomb the cities and they haven't got on road left worth a nickel.

Do you know why it goes to your cities? Because your stinking politicians went and bought the right of ways, and they made a lot of money on them. Don't tell me it didn't happen. It happened right in Ohio. The man we took back right into congress, is a man that we found out did that very thing. And they're going to vote him in again next time.

What does American what? What's a criterion? Ease and luxury. Nobody wants character anymore. What does your school kids say? They say, as long as you can get away from it, it's okay. (Yeah) And you know what it's done? This same sin has hardened our hearts, until we say, "God, if You're a God of love, why is this happening? When are we going to get the revelation?" Oh Lord... You're doing this, You're putting in a prophet class. I'm getting persecuted, the chips are down and getting harder. Hallelujah, something is good going is on the way, when are we going to get it? God knows, I don't know. (Huh?) Where is that amongst the Saints? Come on. Real Christians, real understanding Christians know what I'm talking about.

56. What does Paul say? (I'd like to keep you for one more hour, but I can see a little restless, time to go home. I'm just getting warmed up, and all a sudden got to stop it. From now on, we'll have to come back on Sundays and bring your dinner with you, that is all there is to it.)

What does Paul say, [Philippians 3:10-11]

(10) That I may know Him in the power of his resurrection, (but notice he says) the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.

(11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

You know who's going to go in the Rapture? Those who suffer. Because the Rapture, you see, there isn't... I'll explain it and show you Sunday night, that the resurrection that's coming up is not really a resurrection. And that's true. Before God I swear the truth. It's a resurrection alright, but it's not really a resurrection. It's out of the Resurrection, because there is only one Resurrection, it's the general Resurrection, we all got to come out. But this is one is sort of sneaked in. I'll prove it to you. It's all Scripture. John only calls It, First and Second just to make it clear in your mind. You read Daniel 12: he doesn't talk about two. No sir, one. This is out-Resurrection. But those who don't suffer, don't make it. Why? Because they're not sons. Oh Lord, prove that I'm a son. Shower me with gifts and great ability. Oh, da, da, da, da, da, we got it made. (Huh?)

57. I'm glad years ago, I talked to the Lord, and said, "Lord, I'm sure glad you didn't give me the gift of healing, because I sure would have made a mess of it. I couldn't handle it, I can't even handle it without a gift. [Bro. Vayle chuckles] Let alone a gift of healing."

What is it? Suffering. See, and that's is God's love manifested. He loves you, and He wants to change you. He wants to give you character. And you can't have character, because you don't know what they're like until the chips are down. So therefore, he does everything to put the chips down, then you can see what you're really like. Everybody else can too.

You think God didn't know it? God knew it all along. He only did it, to make it manifest us. He said, "I took you out here to reveal what was in your heart. To prove it to you, to put you through the test and you can see what you can take. When was the last time you flunked? And what did you flunk at? You know what is going to happen? They're going to go back right to that same spot, and God will see if you flunk again.

58. I don't have too much hope for this, this business of God taking away men's sins on the grounds He takes away their habits, because I've got no poof for it. The Bible says, "You put off the old man, you lay aside things," [Eph 4:22a] you do this, you do that.

Will you stand up and be chastened? Will we go on record tonight? (See?) Will we go on record with Job, "though he slain me, yet will I trust Him." [Job 13:15a] It doesn't say, “Serve Him." It says, "Trust Him." Of course, you will serve if you tried. But, It says, "Trust." Because when you see, when the chips are down, He's scourging us. And He's putting us through testings, and temptations, and trials, and buffering, fasting. God knows what. See, that thing I told you about, that revelation in that faith, it stands by and says, "All is well."

59. Something like that Shunamite woman, the little boy is dead. Boy, she knew who to get to in a hurry, that man of God. She saddled up, she got the boy saddled him up, the mule, why she put her hand on the knob, so it wouldn't whistle too far back, and it went slapping that old mule down the road.

He said, "She's coming frantic, something's wrong."

They got there, "Well, (she said) everything's well. Everything's well."

He said, "Is everything well?"

She said, "Is well as is."

"With you?"

"Yes, sir."

"And with the son?"

"Yes sir, at least it's going to be." Sure.

When peace like a river attendeth my way, it is easy to say, "It is well," when everything is stagnate. But when the billows, (see?) just the ordinary repercussions of life. Like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, I have finally come to the understanding it's still well with my soul, Jehovah reigneth.

Let it be a dungeon dark, let it be a fiery furnace, let it be a lion's den. Let it be health, let it be wealth, sickness, God knows poverty, fastings, God knows shipwrecks, I don't know. Let it be, is still all is well, Jehovah reigneth and I reign with Him. See what I mean? Because you can't have character apart from this.

60. Does God love you tonight? Then prove that He loves you. When did you suffer last?

"Let's have a testimony meeting” says the preacher.

"Thank God, the Lord gave me fifty dollars, because I gave ten."

Well, that's good, He'll do I think about every time. See, it's the popcorn style is that, but how many of us say, "Thank God today? It was the fiery furnace, hallelujah, but, I know my Lord liveth, and because He lives, I live with Him." See, we missed the boat. See, God loves you. Does He? Does God love me, you bet He does, but I fail Him so many times.

I quit preaching one time, I didn't understand the love of God. I know, I couldn't understand why the so called …because, everybody picked on me. If I confessed my sins, "Oh, you dirty rat, you shouldn't have done it." But they can live like the devil, and you're supposed to pat them on the back, and say, "hallelujah, you're a fine fellow, good for you, God bless you."

They do their best to starve you, and everything else. And I say, "Well, what's going on?" I said, "Oh boy, if this is it, I don't want it, goodbye children." You know what He did? For nine years He beat my head in. [laughter] He loved me. Boy, I can prove it, I got walloped this way, I got walloped that way, I was in stew with a nervous breakdown, TB of the pituitary gland, fading out, just going crazy. Don't know what to do about it, suffering day and night. But you know, He loved me, because it sure worked. Oh, when He dealt with me after those nine years let me tell you this, He never swept out the cobwebs, He killed the spider. Hallelujah. [laughter]

61. You say, "Have you failed since?" You bet I failed since. When God puts me on the low road, I get mad and try to take the high road. But, He's bigger than I am, He puts me right back on the low road. Certainly. Does He love me, He sure, does.

You say, "But Bro. Vayle, what about the times you get in trouble on your own accord?" Well, He's just smashed me around, that's my tough luck. [laughter] "But what about when you suffer as a Christian for good doing?" That's His glory, hallelujah. That's Bible. (See?) See, God loves me. I know He does, because I'm born again. "Prove it." Look what He's doing to me? Giving me character, hallelujah.

Years ago, I they could say a thing and I'd rebel and retaliate, but now they say it, and I say, "It's coming to me, hallelujah." You don't think that's the truth, I'll read you letters. And I won't read it to you but I can show to you over a man's hand. I was never so slandered in my life. And I said, "Well, I had it coming to me." [laughter] You know why? Because I was criticizing my brethren. Not, that I didn't tell the truth, but I was rough on him. The Bible says, "Judge not less you be judged." [Mt 7:1]

62. I said I have it coming, I can't do anything about it, except tell him I know about him. Kind of put him in his place a little bit. Better be a little careful. Because he slandered Bro. Branham the same time, even worse than I did. I had it coming to me. It's okay, but they'll say worse things yet. That's good for me, but I'm getting a little scared these days, because I've had it so good.

Remember, when all men speak well of you, beware. The love of God brother/sister, is in trials of life to mold character. Do you follow me? Well come on, is that what the Word says? (Uh?) We need a revelation. Right? We need a revelation that God's love is elective, that God showing His love is by dealing with us, and purging us, and scourging us until we develop character; where we're yielding to Him completely. (Uh?)

That's a far cry from what you were told a few years ago, come up to the altar, bless your heart and get it on, you've got it. I was told that too. But now God purged me. Let me know what it is to feel the rod of correction. The thing that we've been crying for to truly manifest Christ can only come by the way that Christ went, which is the way of the Cross, the way of Calvary. God help us to see that. God deals in love, and He manifests His love by correcting us, and chastening us. That's right. Is that, right? It is. Are we children? Let's be corrected. Let's rise and be dismissed.

Father, we thank You again now for the privilege of having allowed us to gather together, Lord, because we know in many countries they cannot come together. People Lord, who if they can come to a meeting like this would say, "Lord, just give me one more chance to be in a building with people like that, and I'll die for it." Lord, and they can't even get the chance, because there's nobody around them. God, tonight how we should be full of the understanding of how privileged we are. Lord, may Your Spirit show that to us. We know, Father, tonight we just believe what's in our hearts, because of the grace and faith given us. Because of the faith of Jesus, in the Name of Jesus, that what we've talked about, has got to become real to us.

Lord, I know we can't roll the clock back. I know my God that we can't shove time back. I can only regret that somehow, I didn't know years and years ago the truth of what we finally know today, and can present tonight from the Word. But, O God, even more important is this, that the revelation come upon every heart tonight. That to suffer is the manifestation of Thy love, It's Your love in action.

Lord, may we not fail at this point. God, help us to get the truth, that You're the God of the Bible, that anybody who serves the God of his own mind is never going the produce the Eternal Life. Is never going to see in righteousness. They can't do it, they're going to have to fail. And, Lord, those who would go their own way with their own ideas, they're never going to make it in the Bride.

Lord, if we don't suffer, if we don't conform, we're not going to be, we’ll never be in that out-Resurrection, because that's what You said. And, Lord, tonight we're not going to go against Your Word, no Sir. Lord, if we don't even make it ourselves, we're going to say, "Let the Lord be praised, God's true and we've been a liar." But, Lord, if we've got any hope it's going to be only by Your way.

So, Father, tonight please we just humbly beg, not just because You said it, not just because You guaranteed it. But, Lord in all humility we plea for this. May Your Spirit reveal Its truth in such a way, that our lives are completely changed from our wrong desires to the greatest desire of all; to conform to Your suffering, if by any means to attain to the Resurrection which is just around the corner.

Grant it tonight, Lord, God take this servant of Yours, that he might not be one who simply treats the Word and tries to help. But, Lord, let him be one who manifests It. Do what You want with me, Lord. Take me and question me in the truth of the crucible to the finest powder, O God. Do whatever You want, Lord God, until nothing is left. There is no resistance at all. There is only one cry where two spirits blend together, the will of the Lord be done. Then thank God, the will of the Lord has been done. Grant it, Lord, tonight. Because this is our only hope, that's all we want, Lord. Take everything else away. Take it all away, but Your Word, O God. Then let It come with the full endurance of God in every life. That we might be Word Bride, to present it to a Word God. And now, unto the King Eternal, immortal, invisible the only wise God, be all power and honor, and especially glory through reigning in our lives. Amen. God bless you.