Former & Latter Rain

Former and Latter Rain

Bro. Lee Vayle - November 2, 1970

Saskatchewan

1. ...Well, I was born in Canada and I became an American citizen by choice. They didn't have any choice in taking me, because the Lord worked it out. I was felt led to go on down, I didn't really feel led to go on down in the sense that I felt led in myself. They asked me if I'd come and pastor in Florida. And I said, "Well, I'll pray about it." And they begged me in Oregon, in Washington especially to stay in that area.

One brother said, "Bro. Vayle, I've got a brand new house, (he was a contractor, he said,) I'll let you live in my house as long as you want."

"Well," I said, "It's very nice, but I don't know if God wants me in your house." I wouldn't have minded being in his house, but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be in it. And that can get you in trouble. "So," I said, "I'll pray about it." And so I prayed about it, and I did a little thing that I think anybody can do if you're sincere. I actually didn't care and meant it whether I went or stayed. I knew it couldn't get any harder going then it was staying. It was sure hard staying. We were going through some terrible battles you know, in our lives, my family was, because we were living by faith, and you know, that's very difficult sometimes when you've got more thoughts than you've got faith, and more ideas too.

Very difficult times, so I knew it couldn't be any tougher with the people or finances or anything else. So I said, "Lord, I mean it, I don't care if I come or go, (and I was sincere, and I said,) but tomorrow morning I believe You'll tell me." I rolled out of bed and I knew I was going.

2. So I applied for a visa, and they said, "Now Rev. Vayle..." I wouldn't make up my mind I was going and I wouldn't sell any furniture, and I wouldn't get ready until I knew I was going. So I said, "Thank you sir." And I went home and began selling out. You see, I knew I was going. I went there for my visa, the day it came through all the furniture was sold, everything was packed, we were gone.

The day the man told me not to sell the furniture and pretend...thinking I was going, one fellow said, "Now boy, " he said, "that's right, our Lutheran preacher tried to get down for a few years, and he ain't gone yet."

I said, "Thank you sir." And I ...?... at myself, and I said, I ain't no Lutheran preacher." [laughter] So I got out of that one, and there I was.

3. The Lord took me to Florida. In those days I tried with fairly good success to have a gift ministry. And one day in a meeting I said, "Behold I send my prophet out of the north and he shall teach the people the things they ought to know." And characteristic of the way I conduct myself in meetings I said, "If that was Bro. Vayle, it'll not come to pass. If it was God, it will come to pass, because I don't even know what I'm talking about. I don't know any prophet." Now don't... He heard it what I was going to say.

I said, "Look, I'm a Canadian and that's quite a fair piece north. " I said, I don't know any prophet in Canada." I wasn't trying to be derogative, but I knew some of the Canadian's I'd been around. No different from the United States either, for they were some dillies, wow-ee. Anything went.

Their dogma was, "It's okay what you do in the flesh, because the flesh profits nothing, the spirit's everything."

I said, "I won't buy that, because if Jesus didn't come to save you from sinning, He didn't save you from anything, so forget it." So I couldn't go along with that nonsense. So, I said, "I didn't know any prophets in Canada."

4. Then I heard there's a guy named Nicholson or something in Sweden, and I hear he's coming to New York. And when he goes to Sweden he preaches Swedish, never having learned it, and when he goes to Finland he talks Finnish never had learned it. And when he comes to England, he talks English never having learned it. I said, "Maybe he's the prophet." So, I said, "We'll see, and if he comes to America like I think he is, I'll ask him to come." Who am I? I don't know, but if God is sending somebody so he'll come. Well that's enough to be sort of bold on it, smarty on...didn't know for sure.

One day a man came to town and he said, he phoned me, he said, "Bro. Vayle," he said, "I've got some relatives in town here that's been speaking about you and talking about gift ministry, and on the Holy Spirit," he said, "I'd like to talk with you if you wouldn't mind."

I said, "Alright, I'd be glad to." Very outstanding man of the Christian world. We talked for about two hours.

He said, "Bro. Vayle, I'm convinced you're right, now (he said,) let me just say one thing." He said, "If I had not known ahead of time that you were a 'dyed in the wool' [refers to a state of steadfastness] Calvinist I wouldn't have given you the time of day." Very dogmatic person. Very sweet, but dogmatic. All right, that's good. That's good to stand for what you believe.

And he said, "Do you know this man William Branham?"

And I said, "No."

"He's a great man, in fact would you like to know?"

Well, that's like he asked if a cat liked cream. Sure, bring on your cows. [laughter]

I said, "Sure, who wouldn't? I'd like to meet him. How am I going to meet him?"

He said, "I'll get you to him, because his bosom pal is my bosom pal."

"Oh," said the ...?..., I like that."

He said, "You go see and see Bro. Wallace Cobbles of the Church of the Open Door, Second Street, in Louisville, you tell him I sent you that you want to see Bro. Branham, and he will get you to him."

5. Well, what do I do but believe it. And there's nothing like being a real fool. I didn't know hunting season was on and Bro. Branham could be here and there, or Timbuktu, or Alaska. I just cranked up the car and away we went. See Bro. Cobbles and I said, "I would like to meet Bro. Branham, I'm a friend of so and so," that was Dr. Paris Reidhead.

He said, "Alright, I'll take you to him." Went to the church, there's Bro. Branham standing outside, he said, "This is Bro. Vayle, he'd like an interview."

He said, "Bring him around in the morning." (I said that pretty fast, but it took place fast.)

So, I saw him. We had a marvelous time. At the end of our meeting he said, "Bro. Vayle, I want to come to you and have a service with you in West Palm Beach, Florida."

Well, you know, I just grinned about that, because all great men like to treat you like royalty. Because great men make you feel great. Little thumble-bums or what, make you feel you're a clod. Great men always make people feel great. If there's a lowest...that's right. Always a great man is gracious. That's a sign of greatness. Don't think these billionaires that smart-off and are sarcastic and mean and rotten and jiffy you know, they're not great. They are the...well, you know what they are. You can let your imagination run wild and you'll get that one in a hurry. Great men always make people fell gracious and important.

They said, "I'm going to have a meeting with you."

And I said, "Well, that's nice, he says that to everybody and never come to pass." See? It never comes to pass. I didn't believe it would.

6. So, that Fall, he said, "Come back and see me."

Well, like a stupid individual, I said, "Well yes." But I didn't really mean it either, because I feared he wouldn't have time for me.

So, I went home and that Fall, a phone call came and Bro. Bosworth. He said, "Bro. Vayle?"

I said, "Yes sir."

He said, "This is Bro. Bosworth."

Well, I want into rapture. Why not, this great man of God phoning me, how did he even know about me? Famous author, wonderful personality, and I said, "Oh, this is my lucky day."

And he said, after he got through... I got through explaining and eulogizing him, "Well," he said, "What I phoned you about was Bro. Branham wants to know when you want him to come?"

"What'd you say?"

He said, "Bro. Branham wants to know when you want him to come."

I said, "You mean to say he meant it?"

He said, "He sure did, and you're holding him up." He said, "He's got twenty five hundred calls and he wants you to set a date."

I said, "Oh brother," I said, "You give me your phone number, hang up, I'll get a building."

And I got a building, and God sent His prophet to teach the things that we ought to know. And today, we know what he taught and these are things we ought to know.

7. So, that's how I got to know the prophet and got to be friendly with him, and until the day he died we were the best of friends. I watched him like a hawk, like a cat watches a mouse. I weighed everything he said, not necessarily harmfully critical, but critical. And I can say this about William Branham: I don't care what any man says about him, and I don't care what any man does in his name, I don't care how close they were allied to him, and how they purported to be a part of him, I knew William Branham. There never was a more gracious, humble, consecrated Christ-like man living.

Every major change that he had in his own personality such as when God revealed Himself in the storm in Colorado, when he came back with all guilt feelings eradicated, standing in the perfect light of justification. And that was, that was the true type of complete righteousness of Christ by justification which we have. I saw a change in his face, I waited for him to tell me. He told me in New York in November, I thing was '64, could have been '63, not sure, my dates always puzzle me. And he told me what had happened. He said, "Bro. Vayle, I have no guilt complex anymore." He had the perfect ease. He told me. Alright.

8. It wasn't long until the second phase you saw manifested, sanctification, where he was walking in the complete obedience to the Word of God. But the greatest change was just before he died, the Sunday before he was injured. I was in his home, he called me in to see him, he wanted to talk with me and I knew something had happened in his life once more.

And he said, "Bro. Vayle, for the first time since I'm a child, I don't know the meaning of fear." "Perfect love having cast out all fear." [1 Jn 4:18]

A most fabulous person, I don't know anybody like him. I never hoped to see a man like him. But if there was ever a man that lived that had those qualities that people talk about, he had them. A great person.

I wouldn't try to be like him, that would be ridiculous. There's one prophet, and let's understand this: There's one man like William Branham with his ministry, once in eternity. No more. Nobody could have what he had.

9. People often said, "Where's a man of South America like Bro. Branham?" Naw. Never was, never will be. That was his ministry. No one ever had one like it. He knew that. Not only did I know from experience, I knew it from the fact he told me.

He said, "Bro. Vayle, don't let anybody ever tell you that any other man has a ministry like mine." For he told me, speaking of God, he told me that, "Nobody else would as long as I was living," he said, "there could nobody with the same ministry." I believe even after he died, that nobody has a ministry, something he himself had it all.

10. So, you may hear many things by many people of what he was like. I've got as much right as any man living to tell you what he was like. I stayed in his home. I slept in his bed, it doesn't rub off. No. He was gentle. He was sweet. He might have been rough on women at times, but it was only from the spiritual sense that women type the church. He was as gracious and loving a man to his wife and family as any man could be. Many men think because he was not home a great deal, he was a hunter, and had it rather rough in his manners in the sense that he could rough it, take a lot of clubbing and clouting, that he never had time for his wife.

But let me tell you one thing: if company was coming, William Branham ran around faster than Meda did to clean the house up until it was just right and nice. Becky lost a lot of sheet music that was dog-eared from handling. When he thought of it too dog-eared, he'd throw it out. He was a very meticulous conscientious fine person. You might hear a lot of things, you might think because people said they were near him, that Bro. Branham was this way and that way. Don't you believe it.

11. I made this statement before and I can make it again the best I can make it as I recall what I said, "That every man who knew Bro. Branham would loved to have been Bro. Branham. And every woman who met Bro. Branham wished her husband was Bro. Branham." That's how fine and sweet a man he was as a man.

I admired his as a man as I have admired nobody. Many people might think because I was close to him in the realm of theology, or doctrine, that this is where I would have admired him. Now I do, because I'm not a Greek student, but I've got many Greek studies and I've never found him wrong in one place where it came down to the actual Word of God per se, word by word. He could put in words what the great theologians could not put in words. It's true. I can prove it to you by the great theologians. He could tell you exactly what they tried to say and couldn't say it. He was that type of a person. But, I admired him more than anything as a great human being. Because that's what Jesus was, a human being.

You can get so carried away that Jesus was God, which he was, that you'd make Him a second person of the Trinity. He wasn't any second person. He was a human being. He was the second created man by the Spirit of God. He was the last Adam. He was the person in Whom God dwelt. One God eternal Spirit dwelt. That's what He was. See?

12. And one day we're going to come back to this earth in a Millennium of human being. I said human being, we're not going to be race horses, or angels, or a combination of something you know, we've got... oh we can be so ridiculous at times. Look, we're people. We're going to come back as people. We might as well get used to each other. I'll have my same homely nose I believe, but you'll think it's quite pretty. Imagine that being beautiful. Hot dog! [laughter] I've got a glorious future make that Millennium.

You gals don't won't worry about being beauty queens. You ain't beauty queens now, but you are if you've got a real soul for Christ, you're beautiful as anything will ever be. Amen. You won't worry about being this meticulous, Venus figure I don't know what the measurements are anymore. But I think you'd be 36 - 24 -36 or something. That doesn't make you a queen. Ain't no queen. I tell you, there's no place for models and movie actors and all that sort of hogwash in the Millennium. Everybody is going to be beautiful. You know why? Because there is going to be no perversion. We've got a great future ahead of us. And that's what I loved about Bro. Branham, he was the least perverted man I've ever known. He was a man, a human being, a child of God through redemptive grace, by the infilling of the Holy Ghost to a degree that few people ever attained to, all by the grace of God that one day we'll attain even beyond that. Because after this life and death comes around a perfection.

13. He was a fantastic person as a human being. And I admired that in him more than anything else. He never tried to out-god God. Everybody else did...(now don't get carried away here now Bill, this is a kind of a rough subject,) but everybody else loves to get carried away but the prophet.

Question comes in: Is it wrong to tint my hair?

"Well," he said, "I've got no Scripture for it."

Anybody else would have all the cause going. All their ...?... fed into their little IBM, until their eyes would spin like a pinball machine and come up with the answer and they'd out-god God. William Branham never out-goded God. He never out-scriptured Scripture, he was absolutely a genius in the spirit.

And this is what I liked about him, and loved about him. And I would like if I could ever attain to it, never try to out-god God, or out-scripture the Scriptures, but just say what God said. Say what the Scripture said, and don't try to get beyond it. So many people tried. They tried that amongst Wesleyans and Nazarenes by getting what they called an instantaneous sanctification, where the root of sin was taken out. Then they found that people falling into sin. How in the name of common sense can a rock walk? It can't. A rock is a rock. How could you sin if you had no root to sin? Yet there's nothing in here to make you want something there, how could you ever get there? Well, I just allude words...allude words not because I can't say it, but because I might get carried away and blast a few hearts. Because this is...something's wrong. "Don't out-god God." That's what William Branham said see?

That's why in his questions and answers, such a fantastic person. I just hope maybe Sandy thinks ...?... a little insight into the man that you might not of had before. Because...now I think the message you've heard so much of the supernatural about him, that it is good to just realize the man was a real human being, and this is what's so good to me to find somebody real. Because that's what I want to strive for.

14. Well, this morning I tried to preach a real simple message and I want to preach a real simple one this afternoon simply as I can. It's one of these messages I preached a while back if not one of the more recent ones. But next Sunday I'd like to bring you two sermons in a row on the Holy Spirit. And I think you'll find some information that is very, very enlightening. Some Scripture you and I have read hundreds of times and missed it. But the prophet didn't miss it. He hit It right on the head beautifully. So beautifully, that you say, "Where have I been in the last several years?"

Well, that's a very good question. I have been sort of orbiting myself at times, but every now and then the Lord takes what Bro. Branham said, and Scriptures just suddenly opens up just like a beautiful as he said, "a panorama." And I want to teach along that line next Sunday the Lord willing. And Friday night a message on teaching something that will be maybe taking something's he said and opening them up by Scripture.

15. But remember, the end-time it's: "Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little." [Isa 28:10] Breaking It down, it's precept, divisions of precept and Word. That's what it comes to.

Bro. Branham brought us the precept. He took first of all like serpent seed. Flashed it across our eyes. We go, "Oh, hold it, hold it...well now, that's something." See? He didn't say much about it, he just took it. Then he began dealing it, he began breaking it down and it got line by line, see? But at the end of it, before he died, he said, "You preachers, take this Message and break It down to the people."

Remember, this morning where I mentioned that Jesus took the Book and read It and explained It, and he handed It to the minister. I believe Bro. Branham took that same Word and handed It to the preacher. Not because I'm one, but I believe that's what he did. That's Revelation 10: 8-11. Where the Word goes before kings and nations and prince's and so on. See? Because that's not his job, that's the Word going by those who mistake the Word.

16. All right. At this time then where ...?... ? Where every doctrine that Bro. Branham brought, you should be now to the place where it's got to be Word by Word. Absolutely. You should not stagger at any doctrine. You should literally know every doctrine Bro. Branham taught.

Predestination, election, what foreknowledge really is, where the creeds come in. See? The Book of Life. Lamb's Book of Life. Why is it the Lamb's Book of Life, and Life comes out of It? What is perversion? How do you trace serpent seed? Where do you go? Why is serpent seed necessary to understand reprobation? Because God cannot reprobate a son! Everything must be sitting together now where it's Word by Word and you glory and revel in the line of the revelation of the Word of God as It all comes into vibrant play before your eyes. This is exactly where we've got to be today. Because tomorrow around the corner is where we become that living Word.

Now, that shouldn't throw any of you. That should help you, because many people today are feeling oh so little. And yet my goodness me, when they begin searching their mind and realize what comes out of that storehouse. It's not old and new anymore, no sir, it's that brand new Word, the revealed Word of God that the prophet brought us.

17. So, here's where we are today, and this is the real crux of the whole thing where the Holy Spirit begins to move. Because remember, "This is the rest where with you may cause the weary to rest," [Isa 28:12] and this is the reflection. There's no running around anymore. There's no fussing anymore. We know where we stand in the engrafted Word. See? We know. And that's why we're down into the finish line now. We're coming into... for the literal photo-finishing as it were. It's Word by Word.

I don't believe there's any major doctrine that Bro. Branham brought us that we don't understand. But now it's got to be where every verse just fits in, fits in, fits in, where the Bible over ...?... And we're there today, and It'll increase in Its beauty until as I say we're that revealed Word. Christ revealed in the Bride. She is the Word, and She is manifesting It.

18. Now, I want to bring a message as I said, very, very simple, I preached it, you've might have even got my tape some of you on the 'Former and Latter Rain'. The reason take this, is because it goes so well with what I brought this morning, and it's very, very simple. So simple that...well, it's just like repeating what you already know. But Paul the apostle did it. William Branham did it. So Lee Vayle has got to do it too. You've got to repeat, and Paul said, it's necessary, and so I agree with Paul. If I didn't agree except for an excuse, I agree. So it's a little simple subject, let's bow our heads in prayer.

Gracious eternal Father, once more we come together as a family of believers who are one in this Word. Who love the Word. Who want to know the Word. Who want to live the Word. Who want the Word to live us. Lord, how diligently we would apply ourselves, and how and necessary we know it is to apply ourselves. Help us, O God, in this day of harem-scarem. When the world is no longer a big world. When men can traverse and go around it in airplanes so fast that you're there before you know it. Lord, we're seemingly shut into a small space where there's chaos and so much going on. God, help us to be delivered from everything but that Word. To settle right down to that rest, where with the weary may rest.

O God, teach us this afternoon we pray. Help each one of us, Lord, to be thrilled with the Word of God as we're taught by the Holy Spirit. The one who speaks It, the ones who hear It. Let it be simultaneously a revelation by the Holy Ghost so we're all learning together. We know, Lord, that this is possible. It wouldn't be possible with Paul and with Bro. Branham, but it's possible with us, because we're of the common clay. We're of the little ones, Lord, not those who have an office, as those men, no. So we just ask You to be with us now. May we all see together, because we know, Lord, when Moses put that manna into the ark, he was eating the same manna that the rest of the people ate. God help us now to feed on the same Manna that Moses ate, that Paul ate on, and Bro. Branham himself ate on. Grant that this afternoon and we'll be careful to praise Thee for Thou art worthy. Hallelujah to the Name of the Lord, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

19. Now, the first of course is found over in James 5:7.

(7) Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, (that's the precious fruit of the earth) until he (Jesus, that's the husbandman) receive the early and (the) latter rain.

Now, the subject in this Scripture is the actual Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Own according to John 14, where He said, "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. Even if I go to prepare a place for you, I'll come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, (there at that time, and forever more,) you may be also." A very special time when he will gather His Bride together unto Himself, that where He is, there they may be also.

20. Now, you'll notice something else here. This 'Coming for His Own', cannot be consummated. It cannot take place. He cannot gather them to Himself, that "where He is, you may be also," until something else takes place. And that which takes place is the Resurrection.

Now, the Resurrection is the bringing of the body out of the ground. Because this is the precious fruit of the earth. There is no other fruit of the earth that is precious outside of the dead. That is who are precious, because remember, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the righteous, or the death of His Saints." [Ps 116:15] Why? Because He is going to redeem them out of the earth. See? There is going to be a redemption out of the clay. God is going to bring up those bodies.

21. Bro. Branham speaks of this in 'Marriage and Divorce' when he talks about the fact that man went wrong by introducing the sex act in order to beget children, because you can beget children by a sex act. And we do, that's the only process we have nowadays. But before that time there was a way whereby children did not need to be begotten by the sex act, they could have been begotten through the two believing on God as they were called out of the dust.

Now, this of course types a very beautiful thing. This is the typing where people ought to be born by the Spirit of God, by the incorruptible Word of God, but today they're born by the corrupted word of a church or a dogma, or creed. See? They type it.

Now God, would have to do something for those born of the church by a creed or dogma, but He won't do it. For as He has made room to do something for us who were born by the flesh. And Bro. Branham speaking on that said in 'Marriage and Divorce'. [02-21-65]

[61] Now, the world is to be repopulated, not by the original creation of God... (bring them out of the dust see, but through sex desire through women.)

[62] That's the reason Jesus had to come through a woman, to bring it back to its original beginning again without a sex desire.

See? Because Mary did not have sex desire, (although the desire was there to have a child,) the desire was there to have a child according to the Word of God, for she said, "Be it done unto me according to Thy Word." [Lk 1:38] And remember, the Word of the Angel was the Word of God, because He repeated It from the Book of Isaiah. It was Isaiah where It came from, see?

Bro. Braham said,

[62] He, Christ is virgin born. But, hallelujah, there'll come a time when it won't be sex anymore, but God shall call His children forth from the dust of the earth, back like they were in the original. Not through any woman, (through any church, no siree,) but through the molding of the clay and the cosmic lights and the petroleum; He'll create again like He did Adam at the first time.(That's right, there is going to be a Resurrection.)

22. Now, Jesus cannot come for the Bride until there is a Resurrection. But there's something else you've got to watch here. It says, "There cannot be a Resurrection until Jesus receives the former and the latter rain." [James 5:7] See, that's exactly what the Bible says.

Now, right here of course the human mind boggles. Always the theologian boggles. They're the greatest bogglers ever, and those who listen to the theologians they are the second best at boggling whatever that is. But they just bog right down. They kind of get: "Now just a minute, Jesus has got everything, what does He have to receive?" Oh, I love that. Well let's find out.

Has He got everything? Let's go to Corinthians for a second here. 1 Corinthians 15:25.

(25) For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

(26) The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Now look it, Jesus doesn't get rid of all His enemies until the Lake of Fire. See? He's waiting for all the enemies. So therefore, all the enemies they're not even dissolved in God. See?

Again, He never performed everything He was supposed to perform according to the Book of Isaiah. He was supposed "to proclaim not only the acceptable year of the Lord, but the day of vengeance of our God." [Isa 61:2] He never did it. He never did it. He's still got to do it. See?

23. According to Bro. Branham in the Scripture which is true, we know, that He does not even know the hour in which He is to descend as a man. (See?) So, when we speak on these term this afternoon that Jesus must receive the early and the latter rain, because He has not received it. This is not something we're just guessing at. This is a fact. (See?)

The Husbandman, the One who sowed the seed, the One who wants the harvest, He's waiting for a former and a latter rain to come. Then when it comes, and only when it comes can there be a Resurrection. And only when there is a Resurrection can He descend and meet us in the clouds of glory; or whenever He descends, I won't argue that point. But we cannot be with Him as a physical Bride until there is a Resurrection. And there cannot be a Resurrection until there is a former and a latter rain.

Now, according to the Word of God, therefore we must understand this very, very clearly. There has to be a 'former and a latter rain' given by Jesus Christ to the living Bride that is here upon earth. That's right. They have to have it. God must do it. It is not for those who are in the ground. But it's for those who are here on earth. They must receive what the Bible says it's to be a former and latter rain.

24. So now looking at the Scripture here we have to ascertain this very important fact. The former and latter rain precedes the Rapture, or precedes the Resurrection, which in turns precedes the Rapture, and this must come to us.

Now, the reason I'm emphasizing this, is sort of stopping here, is to get the picture to you so you unboggle your mind. Because, the boggled mind by the theologian says, "Look, I don't need a thing, hallelujah. I can go anytime and meet the Lord, and anytime the Lord can come and meet me." Now that's a lie. That is the talk, the prattle [silly talk] of a little innocuous [not intended to cause offense] child, but I can't say the person in innocuous when he says as a full grown person. He's a dangerous almost blasphemer. Because you're telling God that He can come anytime, when He says He cannot come anytime. You're telling God that nothing is stopping Him when He's told you that something is stopping Him. Right? That's ...?... on you. Instead of letting the prophet William Branham means a complete bringing of every thought into captivity and an absolute new understanding of the Word of God. See?

For too many years you've heard people say, "Millions now living will never die, and hallelujah, Jesus can come at any moment." Hallelujah, Jesus cannot come at any moment. There has got to be a former and latter rain. He has got to receive it. And He has got to do with it what He is supposed to do with it. And unless, and until He receives that former and latter rain, there cannot be a Resurrection. There cannot be a Rapture. See? We've got to find out about this stuff. I said a minute ago it cannot fall upon the dead. They don't need it. Actually they don't need it.

25. Let's to 1 Corinthians 6:14, and look at this to get our picture.

(14) And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

But listen, I'm not dead. You're not dead. You got to die to have this verse apply to you. Then if you die, God will raise you up just like He raised Jesus in a resurrected body. Right. Is that right? Well, it's right whether you say so or not.

Romans 8:11. There's that dirty old Vayle talking again. I'm as mean as they come.

(11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

If you go to the grave full of the Holy Ghost, God has guaranteed to raise you up. What's all this then about the Holy Ghost? This former and latter rain then? You've got your guarantee if you die. So he's not talking to you that are dead. Sounds pretty rough doesn't it, talking to you like that in church? Like I'm talking to the dead. I don't mean it that way. I mean the people that die. God's not…dealing with them. They've already been guaranteed it. It is to those (now listen,) it's to those who have to get a change but don't die and still get their change.

26. Now let me show you something here in 1 Corinthians 15:35-36. 1 Corinthians 15, is mainly on death and resurrection. Now, notice what Paul says:

(35) But some man will say, (Notice, man will say. The word 'man' is not in there, read It some will say,) How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

Listen:

(36) ...fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

Now, "That which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that will be." Certainly, you don't sow this body that will be. You sow a bare grain. You sow a seed. What seed will guarantee the dead a body like Christ? The same seed that Christ had. Oats brings forth oats, wheat brings forth wheat, barley brings forth barley. I don't need to tell you what you're farming.

"Oh," said the farmer in Saskatchewan, "I think I'll plant wheat to get a good rye crop."

You'd say, "Oh boy, where's the nearest nut house."

How could you possibly have a body like Christ, as the Bible said, unless you've got the same seed? All you need to do is have the seed. Like I said this morning, "Plant it." I don't go and scratch it, "I think I'll go and see if that seed is doing." I say, "Oh little wheat seed, are you going to fool me, or are you really a wheat seed and you'll bring me a nice wheat plant? Oh little wheat plant, here's a picture of a wheat. Look at it..." [laughter] They're doing it. They're doing it.

If you're Christ's what do you have to worry about? You're sealed until the day of redemption. That's right. Where's our faith? Where's our knowledge? Where's your revelation? See? You bury the seed. You leave it there. It's going to produce. If I have got the seed of Christ, I have got to be with Christ, because I'm one with Him. See?

27. Now listen, the people said, "Paul being that great servant of God, he already was in his heart prepared to forestall any argument."

Then he said, "Now the people understand what I'm saying. They're saying this, 'I've got to die to get a resurrected body'."

Absolutely, because resurrection means you've got to die and come up. Bro. Branham mentioned that. He said, "If I drop this handkerchief and it comes up a rabbit, (he said,) that's not resurrection." See? You drop a handkerchief, little Kleenex, it's got to come up Kleenex. See? Now, I don't plant this body, I plant the seed and God takes what goes to gasses and recreates it. Brings it back a glorified body.

Now then, Paul's forestalling augment, the people would say, "Oh Paul, I get the picture. I understand. Thank you Paul. There's coming a day when every single person dies. Every Bride of Christ dies. Every single one. Then God brings the resurrection."

"Now," he said, "hold it, let me show you a mystery right there. You're wrong." He said, "We don't all die, but we all get the same." ...?...

How can I get to have resurrected body when I don't die? Now that's a good question. People just sort of gloss over it, you know, they think, "Oh well, that's just something." But listen, get serious about this.

28. How can I suddenly have a dog in a box here and say, "Hocus pocus," and I got a cat? Can't do it. Can't do it.

How can I take two cats and breed them and say, "I'm going to have a dog?" You can't do it. This law is inevitable. If there is going to be a resurrection, there's got to be a death! Now listen, There is no provision in the Bible per se, where anybody can simply have a glorified body without dying. There is no provision for it. That's why Paul said, "It's inevitable." There is no law laid down, there is only this provision at the end of the times just before Jesus Christ comes, He will pour out a former and a latter rain and that will do it, whatever that former and latter rain is. Exactly, because God cannot take a part of a Bride. He's got to take the whole Bride, and He won't kill her to do it.

Some people standing right here at this end-time that's going to be part of that Bride that's caught up and they're going to walk up into Eternal Life eating and drinking without missing a heartbeat, without missing a morsel of food, without missing one ...?... They're going to walk right into Eternal Life, and meet the resurrected standing face to face. And it won't be because they die, but God brings the mystery forth. The former and the latter rain. If we don't get it, there'll not be one person come out of the grave. Do you follow me? Because brother/sister, we living do not have a resurrection, because we don't die. There's no place in Scripture for that. There's no Scripture for it.

29. You saw what? You people get caught up. Right? Enoch and Elijah. That's all. Where's the rest of them? Dead. Who came out of the grave? ...?... How did he get out? Christ pulled him out. Went down and pulled him out. See? You just don't get people walking into eternal life anymore, you don't do it. There's a flaming sword in front of the Tree.

So, he said, "Look, I'm going to have a mystery here, and this mystery is going to put you into a glorified body without even dying to get it. You'll be changed like they're eating and drinking. Walking down the road."

As Bro. Branham said, "A little breeze just blows over you and be changed" Oh my, look at this, not a wrinkle, glory to God. Oh man, I feel good see that ...?... Oh my. Yeah, breathing, eating, drinking, walking, talking into Eternal Life. That's the Word of God brother/sister. That's not Lee Vayle preaching, that's the Word of God. You know that's what the Scripture teaches. You know Bro. Branham taught it. He was the one man that could prove that he was wheat. You and I can't prove a thing, we believe. "Blessed are they that believe." It's counted them for righteousness. Yes sir.

30. Now, that's the former and latter rain we're talking about. And this is the thing that Paul said had to take place for Jesus to come for a Bride. And this is what James said would take place to come for a Bride, so therefore, the mystery of the Rapture bypassing death to the living Bride is the former and the latter rain. Because you can't have two things, because James said there's one thing, and Paul said there's one thing, so these two things are one. Right? Certainly, just like the Holy Ghost and the Word. The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, They're all one. They don't agree, They are one. All right, it is for those who are alive and will not see death, but they will go into the Rapture.

31. Now then, since the former and latter rain precede the Resurrection we have to know something about the time the Resurrection will take place. That's the thing. So let's go to our Bibles and find out. Now why do I say that? Very simple:

Looking at my three fingers... [Bro. Vayle demonstrates] there's going to be a Rapture see. There's got to be a Resurrection, and there's got to be a former and latter rain. So the Resurrection is the pivotal point. No Rapture, no Coming without a Resurrection. See, there can't be. But the Resurrection can't take place unless there's a former and latter rain. So the former and latter rain and the Rapture hinge on the Resurrection. So this is what we've got to learn about. When will the Resurrection take place. Is there something in the Bible that tells us when the Resurrection is near in order to look for the former and latter rain. Because there's no use to looking for former and latter rain until the Resurrection comes. Right? Exactly right, thank you.

32. Let's go to Romans 11:13-15 and then verse 25. Now you'll see this in a second.

(13) ...I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, (Not Peter, not John, not James, but Paul, right? Right.) I magnify mine office:

You let a fellow do that today and watch how they cut and tramp you down. They say, "But I know just as much as you." Good old Korah and Dathan.

(14) If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

(15) For if the casting away of (Israel) be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

(25) For I would not (have you), brethren to be ignorant...of this mystery, lest (you) be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (God says here that Israel is blinded until the last elected member of the Bride comes in.)

Now listen: Watch that 15th verse.

(15) ...if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world...

Was it? It was. What was casting away? Blinding them. Blinding. Now listen, is a blind man dead, or is he going blind? He's blind, he's not dead.

So therefore, Israel is not dead, they're blind. And all Israel shall be saved. So he's telling you here what shall be the receiving of Israel, remember the casting, the blinding, what the reconciling. Is that right? Getting God a Gentile Bride, what will be the receiving of them (but watch) life from the dead? What is life from the dead? Resurrection. You see it? That blinding gave us Bride-ship, the coming back brings us Resurrection. Because, remember as I said casting away is not killing. Blinding is not killing. And life from the dead only means one thing: it means Resurrection. So listen, when you see Israel being received back by God, it's Resurrection time.

33. Now, Israel is back in the homeland. Right. For the first time she's back there. She has been taken back by God preparatory to receiving her back. See? Now, Israel was made a nation in 1948, she declared herself a nation in '46, the same day William Branham had the Angel visit.

So therefore, since God has taken Israel back to the homeland, for He can deal with Israel only in the homeland and no place else, it is resurrection season. So since 1946 we are in resurrection season where God is receiving Israel back preparatory to taking her all the way back and turning from the Gentiles once and for all.

Now, that's what I told you. This is the key, Resurrection is the key, because resurrection season is on. Now, when resurrection season is on, when it's time for the resurrection to begin, in other words, it could happen anytime, like ...?... Israel back there, see, then it's time for the former and the latter rain to come. See?

So therefore, since 1946 we are in the season where people should have been looking for the former and the latter rain. Now whatever that is, we should be looking for it. "You say, "I don't know what that is." Well, why don't you find out? You know how to do it? Search the Scripture.

There is a fellow called an Ethiopian eunuch one day, he was riding down the road in a chariot. A very fine man, intelligent intellectual, fine person. He was reading the Book of Isaiah in chapter 53, and as he rode he said, "Oh God, this is a great mystery. Something is supposed to happen and I don't understand it and it's right here it's supposed to happen."

And God said, "I'll send you a witness."

So He had Phillip go down there and tell him. Feed the man that was hungry. Now we've got the same thing right here today. The momentous event of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ where He takes His Gentile Bride in a Rapture is about to occur. There is going to be a Resurrection, but before the Resurrection there is going to be a former and a latter rain come to the Bride that's to finish. Because this is her mystery, you can see that plain as anything.

34. Now, what is it? To get a real understanding of the former and latter rain in Scripture, what it really means spiritually, because it's a spiritual thing, it's not a physical thing. Let us look at the Scripture to see what physical former and latter rain is in the Bible.

All right, first of all , geographic, I won't read the Scripture on this it's not necessary. There is a former and latter rain in Israel. The former rain is a spring rain that comes to soften the ground. Without that former rain falling in the spring rain, the farmer could not break up the soil and make it into a soft aerated soil in order for the wheat to germinate. But once the rain comes then the soil loosens up, and the man takes his little plow and harrow and disk, whatever he's got, and he puts the ground in a good shape. Then he scatters the grain upon it. And then of course he might drag something over it to turn the seed under. A very simple process, because they weren't like dirt farmers here that bring up the soft soil, they merely scratch the surface which I guess they find in order the best way to things now anyway. The old way being the best way. And this would allow the wheat to germinate

And listen: there's enough moisture and only enough moisture to last them in the dry hot summer where there is no rain at all. And during that time, the wheat comes up to here and produces a chaff. And that's all it goes. And if there is no more rain that comes in the fall, there is no crop. And he got what looks like a crop and you say, "Oh my, that looks like the best crop ever, and I tell you we're going to have a harvest. Oh bless me and bless you it's going to..."

"No," said God, "no, no, no, there's got to be a latter rain." And if you don't get that rain there is no crop in that little chaff. It's just a bunch a chaff, that's all there is to it.

35. Now remember, John said, concerning Jesus, "Who's fan is in his hand and He will thoroughly purge His floor and He will gather His wheat in the garner and He'll burn the chaff." Purge his floor. Gather wheat. Burn the chaff.

Now remember this morning what I read to you over in Mark 4, I'll go over it again in case some of you don't get the tape, and you can maybe remember this by your own mental process of recall. It says here, "The earth bringeth forth fruit of herself. First the blade, then the ear. After that the full corn." No sir, it doesn't say that in the Greek.

It says, "The earth bringeth forth fruit of herself. First the blade, then a covering for the grain. And then the full grain in the covering."

See, this is where we're at. Now look, if there were no rain to follow, if there were no second rain, there would be no crop. There would be nothing but a covering. And that's what Jesus said in Malachi. He said, "If I don't come and send Elijah, (He said,) all I can do is burn up the earth." I'll just get rid of it. Why? Because He's got to burn the chaff. See? The last stage is what? Chaff. And if there's no wheat in the chaff, burn it! Who needs it?

36. All right, we see the picture here. Let us now look at the former and latter rain in this respect in this age, what it's going to do in the Resurrection. See? It's very important to understand that. What is this going to do to bring about a Resurrection? What is it all about?

All right, let's go to our Bible now and let's find out what in the world is rain? This is the thing? Because it's a former rain, it's a latter rain and you've got to have it. So what do we got to have from Jesus? What does He got to get for us? Now this is wonderful, because this is going to be a grace. See? It's got to be a grace. Listen, you can see how Bro. Branham brought election in here. See? Because election is grace. And if Jesus has got to get it for us, then I can't get it for myself. That's why it's revelation.

37. What is rain? All right, let's go to Deuteronomy 32 and find out. This may come as a shock to us because having most of us a Pentecostal background you may be in for a bit of a surprise here. But that's good. I love surprises and these goodies, this sort of knocks me off my balance. I'd sooner get knocked off my balance now than knocked off later.

Now listen:

(1) Give ear, O heaven, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Now, what's he talking about hear O heaven? You ...?... No, he said, "Listen God. Listen authority, I'm going to speak, and hear O earth the words of my mouth."

You know what? Oh my, let's talk about our Pentecostal background. Oh my, how we used to love to ...?... "Oh, that great man Moses. Oh hallelujah, I wish I was back there and that great man Paul. Hallelujah." Oh, I love those hypocrites that 'hallelujah'.

Did you hear what I said a while ago when I read this? Listen God; listen people, if you said, "Now it was said in those days back there, 'Who do you think you are you big mouth'?"

Shut up! What authority do you think you've got talking to God like that and then telling us as though we listen to you? "Why we've got the Holy Ghost. We don't need a man to teach us." Now, we wouldn't, because we're elect. But how many millions that do that very thing?

38. Oh, they read the Bible and talk about Moses. And they love Moses, and they love Paul, and... What did I read a while ago? "I magnify my knowledge. Did the Word of God come out of you, or did it come unto you?"

Now listen to me, and that's spiritual, "He'll say, what I say is right." Oh, you get a man stands up like that today, ...?... Say, "I don't need anybody teach me. Shut up you big mouth, I got the Holy Ghost, I know a thing or two. God taught me. I saw Him by my curtains this morning. ...?... by my bed last night. " Now where do I know the man's got a devil, because if God stood by your bed you'd crawl under the hardwood floor. Don't try to kid me, I've been all through this. One vision stunned me for days. I didn't even see Jesus. Well we won't go over that nonsense.

Now listen to me: what man could talk this way? Only a prophet that heard from God saying, "God listen, I'm going to say what You told me to say if people listen, because I'm talking for God. When you listen to God, listen to me." Isn't that right? Well you figure your own way, but I'm going to stick to mine.

39. What did He say now? He said: [Deuteronomy 32:]

(2) My doctrine shall drop as the rain,...

What is doctrine? It is teaching. What teaching? "I'm going to teach God what you told me to teach." There's that man I said this morning had 'Thus saith the Lord', you fear Him and you hear Him. You don't even have one thought on the subject. And when you get into trouble you go to the prophet and you say, "Prophet, what will I do about this?"

They caught a man collecting sticks one day on the Sabbath. "Well, that doesn't look good," they said, "let's go to the prophet."

The prophet said, "Okay, I'll go to God."

Wasn't that nice? Went right to God. Here was William Branham, did we do it? Once in a blue-moon. We never took opportunity. That's right. We had a man that could get to God who told us. He said, "Listen, if I tell you a lie, I'm a hypocrite." Now if I tell you a lie, I'm just a poor miserable guy that didn't know any better.

40. But William Branham was telling us in that one statement, "Listen, I can get to God. I get to God, and when I get to God I come back with 'Thus saith the Lord'. See? Uncorrupted, unalterable pure Word of Almighty God. I've got It, and because I've got It and can get It, and if I ever tell you a lie I'm nothing but a rotten hypocrite." And that's right. So was Moses. So was Paul, [they'd be] rotten hypocrites. Men that could go to God and know that they could get to God. You see why I stand for a vindicated prophet, and it's the theme of my whole ministry? I stand with William Branham. I stand or I fall, there is either a God or there is no God on the grounds of the infallible words that said, "I send you a prophet, 'Thus saith the Lord', you listen to him."

I know that people say, "Bro. Vayle you're getting too rough, you stick your neck out." I stuck my neck out and I'm going to keep it out. Aw, I just shocked you. I don't worry about shocking you, I'm going to answer to God, not you. That's right.

Based on this Bible, God proved Himself in the ministry of William Branham, it's either God or not God. Because he had 'Thus saith the Lord'. Never failed. That's what Moses had. And he said, "Listen God, bear me record heaven, I'm going to stay Word for Word." And he said, "Listen earth, you hear me:"

(2) ...(when) my (teaching is going to) distil as the dew, (drops as rain) my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

(3) Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. (And so on.)

What is it that this man called rain? Rain is the 'Word of God'.

41. All right, Isaiah. That's two witnesses, shall we. All right, let's go to Isaiah 55:8-11.

(8) ...my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

(9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Listen:)

(10) For as the rain cometh down, and the snow (what is snow? Hard rain, frozen rain,) and returneth not thither, (thank God it doesn't,) but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread... (What is that? That is may bring a harvest.)

(11) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: (What is His Word? Rain.) it shall not return unto me void, (thank God it won't,) but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper whereto I sent it.

Now God said, "I'm going to send My Word with you which is the Rain, and it's going to bring the dead out of the ground. Bro. Branham categorically said, "It is this Message is going to bring the dead out of the ground." Certainly It is.

42. All right, let's go to Joel, the third witness, (getting ahead of myself here and I don't want to do that, that's why I make notes,) Joel 2:23.

(23) Be glad then, ye children of Zion,...

Now what's Zion? Zion is Jerusalem. Which Jerusalem? New Jerusalem. What's New Jerusalem? The Bride. Right?

(23) Be glad then, (you) children of (the Rapture, I'm not stretching this, I'm just telling you what it is.) and rejoice in the LORD your God: (Right?) for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first... (first what? First Resurrection maybe for all I know, I don't know.)

But he said, "You children of the Bridegroom. You children of the Rapture. He said, "If I go away I'll come for you." There'll be a Rapture, see? Now he said, "You can't be in that Rapture until there's a Resurrection, and there can't be a Resurrection until there's a former and latter rain.

43. All right, what is this word 'former rain' in the Hebrew? It is moreh. M-o-r-e-h. What is moreh? It is 'teaching' or 'teacher'. Oh I like that. Bro. Branham was too modest. He said, "Follow the teaching." But he told you, "The messenger and the message is one." Is that right? Where did he get it? Right here. Because teaching and teacher is one.

Now, there again people don't like that. See? "Oh," they say, "hallelujah, Moses law. Glory to God. Paul's law. I say, "Hallelujah ...?..." They said, "...?.... Branham or Christ." Now where's their sense? You show me. The Bible distinctly says, "Moses' law." Jesus said, "Moses gave you a writ of divorce." The Bible calls It 'Moses' law', but It's God's law.

Paul said, "My gospel."

"Shut up Paul, you hypocrite. I don't think I like Paul anymore, because he said, "My gospel." [not clear what is said].... you're sick. Not you as a people. I only act this way and make up this way to show you the monstrous proposition that's in the heart of men and I want to unveil women, who hide under religiosity, I want to unveil their hypocrisy. In case you get snared by the by the same diabolical thing and think you're spiritual when you're not spiritual. You're deluded by the devil's mistakes, and the snake pits of hell. Because you think you're defending God. God doesn't need a defense. God said, "Paul's gospel, Moses' gospel," because it was the gospel. You cannot separate the Word from the man that brings It, because God didn't do it. You got a man like a prophet come in the end-days would be Branham's Message.

Paul said, "I'm trying to hold Bro. Branham up, but I'm trying to clear the Word of God and show you something here."

44. The Bible said, "At the end-time the teaching and the teacher is one." The word 'moreh' is 'teaching or teacher'. You can't separate them. You can no more have a message from a messenger that you can have balls of fire without fire. They're one and the same. Don't you understand brother/sister if there is a teacher he's got a teaching? And if there's a teaching, there's a teacher. Thank God. It's just as easy as horses having colts. If you got colts you must have had horses. And if you have horses you got to have colts. That's good for you farmers. Oh, you use tractors, I'm sorry. [laughter] So do the theologians they use traps. [more laughter] Don't mind me, I feel very good. Feel very fine.

Remember, years ago we use to sing: 'Showers of blessings, showers of blessings we need'. And we got...[the rest not clear] Then we'd sing those other songs like: 'O Lord, send the rain'.

"Oh man, that feels good. Oh I just feel good."

Yeah, it was fun, wasn't it? Where did it get you? What did it do for you? You can have a lot of fun. You can have emotion. Why look it:

I'm going to tell you something as a preacher, time to let my hair down and nice little office up stairs, nice and quiet up there and I got a beautiful thought. I said, "Oh, I see that..." I hugged myself... So I thought, well I got my beautiful thought from the Lord and I'll run downstairs quickly and get a drink of water or something, and back upstairs and something said, "You better check that out in the Bible, look to the Greek." So I look in the Greek, and oh boy, if I would have preached that anointed sermon the way I thought was right, I would have preached an anointed sermon a hundred percent wrong. Because it was a hundred percent off the Word of God. There goes you feelings. There goes you feelings. You know what? Let's face it, some of the best feelings you've ever had when we were sinning. Huh? Yeah. Don't go by feelings, go by that Word. That's what counts. See?

45. So we used to sing those songs, sweet ...?... "Oh, I felt good last night, I'll feel better today." Remember, the old Pentecostal adage was, the people would go home and they'd say, well it's almost an adage anyway with something they liked. They said, "Oh, did we have a great time this morning. Oh God bless us, the preacher didn't even have to preach." How many times ...?...? Yeah. That's before your days son, you're a younger man. [Bro. Vayle chuckles] That's a nice way of saying the preacher ain't got much. [loud laughter] Hey, that's... it's been done to all of us older boys.

You see, we meant well, but we were wrong. The rain is not a blessing or a feeling, or an emotion. The basic typing of rain by the Word of God is Word. The anointed Word of the Lord is the rain. See? That's what the Bible teaches.

46. Now, all of our fundamental brethren are mixed up, even Bro. Scofield. He's a very fine brother. It says in Zechariah 10:

(1) Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall (send) bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

Now, most everybody says, this is the physical rain that Israel is going to have. They said, "God is going to return the rain to Israel, and it's going to have great showers of rain and therefore, it's going to bring forth great crops." But this is not true. It is a spiritual rain. It is the Word of Almighty God.

Now listen, watch what I read. "Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain." The Bible here God commands us to ask rain in resurrection season. You can't ask for rain before then.

You say, "Oh, bless God, I'm going to pray for the former and latter rain, hallelujah." Way back in 1901. Forget it. You're praying wrong. It won't do you any good. "Oh, bless God, we're going to put a million Bible's in Palestine. We're going to put a thousand ministers, and we're going to win them to Christ."

The Bible says, "Take them by force." Forget it. I don't care if you take ten million Bible's over there, and ten million missionaries. I don't care if you're going take the land over and club them to death, they ain't going to believe. Not that. Not that. You're praying up a fog. You're not praying up your vision clear. You're clouding your glasses. You can't pray against what God says He's hard against. See?

Now, but listen, when Israel is back in the homeland (see, follow me?) and it's resurrection season, it's time to say, "God send the latter rain." God sends you rain, but not before. Why? You've got to get ready for the Rapture. You got a time to go in. See?

47. Now, why does God tell us after the rain in time of the rainy season? Because it is the season for rain, but no rain. Right. No rain. Yet Pentecostal gifts are all the more and all the greater. It is not power that we need manifested, it is the Word revealed.

Listen to what It says in Amos 8:11. You all know It. Bro. Branham explained It to us. And I wouldn't be surprised if Bro. Frank spoke on it when he was here.

(11) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

(12) And they shall wander from sea to sea,...

Now listen, what are you going to do looking for the Word of God from sea to sea? Oh, there's a Red Sea over here, the Black Sea, the Dead Sea... Aw come on, he's talking about people.

I run to the Baptist, they ain't got it. I run to the Presbyterian they ain't got it. I run to the Pentecostal's, nobody's got it. Sea to sea, they're bodies of people. That's what seas in the Bible are. You can run every place you go and the Bible says, "Famine."

Pentecostal's say, "Bless God, we've got it. We've spoke in tongues, hallelujah."

I say, "Shut up. I'm sorry, but shut up."

"Don't you tell me I ain't got it."

I don't say I do nothing. God done said you ain't got it, and I'm listening to God.

God said, "I can run from sea to sea."

How many people do you know that ran from the Methodist, to the Baptist, to the Presbyterian that fell for the Pentecostal dogmas? And they stayed there. Right? They didn't have it.

Because God said, "You'll go from sea to sea and you won't get it."

Now, God said so. Is that right? Let's believe It. Let's stand on It.

"So," Bro. Vayle, "I want to tell you, I sure got something good down there."

48. Did you? Ho, ho, ho, ho. How do they fool those little kids at Halloween? They put arsenic in the chocolate bars. You just thought you got something good. What do we got that's stomach ache? The Baptist stomach ache. [laughter] There's arsenic in the pot. Sure. That's a Pentecostal stomach ache. We've all had those. Well they got fooled on tongues is the evidence. Sure. Sure, back in my day it wasn't half bad, because in my days they said, "Now listen, don't you dare look for tongues. Don't you dare speak ...?... for tongues. Don't you dare..." They said, "You seek Almighty God, and when you get the Holy Ghost then you'll speak in tongues." That's not ...?... And the next thing they said, and it wasn't very long, I'll say about twenty years ago, twenty five? No, before that even, they said, "You receive the Holy Ghost by speaking in tongues." Notice, they changed it. It's not speaking. Not receiving first, then speaking. It's that you receive now by speaking, ho, ho. That's a bigger lie. Now, tongues is the Holy Ghost. What happened? There's your trap.

49. A little sweet little nun, she comes into the church, she says, "I love you, hallelujah, Lord forgive me, I got to be right." So she's right, so she thinks.

The Pentecostal's say, "Now sister, receive the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues." She speaks in tongues. Now what happens? She's out confessing to the priest. She's saying, "Hail Mary's." She calls the pope infallible.

Now, you're stuck Pentecostal people, because you think she's got the Holy Ghost. And in your heart you know you lied. She hasn't got any Holy Ghost, because the Holy Ghost will not make the pope Jesus Christ. He will not make you say hail Mary. He will tie your tongue and your soul and condemn you in your heart if you tried to say a hail Mary. Now you're trapped And you run from sea to sea and they've all got names, because every sea has got a name. You haven't got a thing.

50. Now, the next thing he says here: [Amos 8:]

(12) And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even...

Now hold it, you can't go from north to east. That's ridiculous. The world's round. I'm always going south. How am I going to go north east? All right, I'll explain it to you.

The earth is a sphere see? Like that ...?... Visualize that ...?... is the north pole, right? Where is east? It's on the equator. So when you try to go east, it means you form a tangent and you go off into space. How many folks do you know that stop wandering from sea to sea? And they said, "I'll just kept this unknown in the Lord." They're off in space. They hit a tangent and they're way out in never, never land. Way out there somewhere, right? Off in space.

Now listen, I'm not making a joke out of this. I make it funny to get your attention to drive the point home, because I learned one thing, there's one thing in the truth, if you can't hurt a person enough to make him remember, make him laugh. There's two things, make your mind really take notice is to make a joke, or to kick you hard enough [makes a hurt sound] you'll never do it again. [laughter] And I can't kick you, so I'm trying to make it as silly as I can. If you think wrong you'll say, "Oh, I'd be ashamed to think that thought, that's so silly." That's just where I want to put you today brother/sister, not to be funny, because this is the house of God, and It's the Word of God. But I've got to teach this way to show you, that if you get off this Word, you will cut your throat and hold yourself to ridicule before God, don't do it. It's better to get it out of your system now by laughing at yourself, or getting embarrassed than it is to be fooled by the devil.

51. Listen, in Amos It says:

(12) ...and (they) shall not find it.

(13) In that day the fair virgins and young men (shall) faint for thirst.

It says, "Bride of Christ, get this, I don't care what you do, you will never find the truth in the denomination by yourself."

"Then how am I going to get it God?"

Good question. You say, "Well, you've got to wait for the former and latter rain." That's what you've got to wait. You'll never get it by yourself.

How many sincere people you know that say, "Well, I want to tell you, I prayed. I sincerely sought God and I cannot believe what the prophet said." So your sincerity is wasted. God's done warned you right here, He's already warned you. And so you go off and form a cult or tangent. It won't do you any good. You wander from here to there, and seek this way, and seek that...you won't get it. Grand fact, you won't get it. It isn't going to come that way.

He said, "This is going to be the end-time, there's going to be an absolute famine for the Word of God." And try as you will, you will not be able to find it. And if you can't find it, it's got to find you, that's what it's going to amount to it if you really want to know the answer.

52. The church has not yet figured out the 6th chapter of the Book of Hebrews. They try to make this apply to Israel, but it does not apply to Israel, because It says here, "If they shall fall away." In the Greek it says, "Having fallen away."

It says over here, "They are once enlightened." That says, "Once and for all enlightened." God is going to give this world one more chance at the end-time to enlighten it. And if they don't take it, they'll fall away and they'll never repent. And It says right here, "They'll have Holy Ghost gifts, they'll taste the good Word of God, the power of the world to come, the heavenly gift." And all of these things...they'll still fall away. That's right.

I'll maybe get a time sometime to teach on this subject here. I take Bro. Branham's subject on 'Anointed Ones at the End-Time', and bring this out. He brought it out in one sentence in 'Souls in Prison' he brought it out, in one sentence in 'Souls in Prison' , and I take twenty minutes on it. Taking it word by word. See?

53. The rain is the spiritually revealed Word of God. Great works manifested in power demonstrates that the Word is true. So what is truth? Anybody can prove the Bible true. What's truth? Anybody can prove there's a God. What kind of a God? It's simple. But you break down when you say, "what's truth?"

Fifty million men with fifty million different ideas. Sure, there's a fellow over here he's got a great healing ministry. He believes in Jesus' Name. Here's another man, with a great ministry, he believes in three gods. Miracle for miracle they do the same thing.

And I come along and dirty old Lee Vayle. He knows of a guy in Baltimore and his pretty little wife. A little Greek Orthodox girl who goes into a trance and sees her mommy and talks in tongues, she's a spiritist. And the husband is a spiritist too. Now here's where I throw my little bit of a sword in their back. They get more miracles and healings than most Pentecostals. Even doctors sent their patients for prayer, and they pray in the Name of Jesus.

Now, where are we going? What truth? Huh? What is truth now? A spiritist can prove the Bible. Edgar Cayce [1877-1945-] could do it. Now Mrs. [Jeane] Dixon [1904-1997] she's doing it. They're both went into reincarnation. Every spiritist goes to reincarnation almost. Miracles, signs and wonders. Prophecies that come to pass. Mrs. Dixon's prophecies I think are eighty percent correct. Simon ...?... gets miracles hand over fist. They deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, and make us gods in their own rites. You know what I mean by that, not to have me ...?... just say that. What is truth? What is truth? What is the Word? What does It say? See? The Bible doesn't say, "He that believeth the works or seeth the works." It says, "He that believeth the Word." See?

54. The great prophet Amos tells us that there is going to be a famine of the Word in the end-time. Now listen, brother/sister, if you study church history, go your Old Testament read It through, you're going to find that there has always been a famine for the revealed Word. There's always been a famine. So this age will have a famine too.

You say, "Well, that's okay Bro. Vayle, you see, we've got something though." You haven't got one thing different honey. No sir. The only means you've got airplanes instead of ox carts. You've got steam ships and aqua-foil instead of some old wind driven, or galley driven boat. See? You're the same old hunk of mud and junk. You haven't come up with one new idea in a million years, and never will. See? The Bible says there's a famine. There has always been famine for the Word of God.

55. Let's go back to Deut 11:7, and see how this thing works out. I want to prove It to you, because this is where we get our key again. Okay, going to apply It today by sight.

(7) But your eyes...

Notice it, brother/sister, look it, let's get this straight, you can find everything that's going on today from Genesis right to Revelation. It's just the same old picture. Now listen:

(7) ...your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he did.

All right, that's fine, we admit it. Moses' great ministry 'Thus saith the Lord'. Fantastic, super, out of this world. Oh my, what a ministry, creative. "Let there be fleas." Fleas. "Let there be frogs." Frogs. "Let there be blood." Blood. "Let there be dark." Dark. "Let the first born die." Die. Never ...?...

Now he said, "You saw it."

What for? What's it all for God?

(8) Therefore...

What's therefore? This comes out of what went before. What were those great works for? For this.

(8) ...keep all the commandments which I command you this day, (why?) that (you) may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither (you) go to possess it;

There will be no possession of the Millennium brother/sister simply by the dead coming out of the ground. There's got to be a living people right here to walk in. "Go in and posses it."

How are you going to do it? Through the Word of God that was vindicated by the man that brought It. Now listen:

(9) ...that (you) may prolong your days in the land,...

56. Listen, if I'm Bride brother/sister, I'm going to prolong my days. I'm 56 now, and if Jesus comes by 1973, I'll be 59. I'll have a 1059 years before the Millennium's over. Prolong the day. And I won't have to take vitamins, or worry about going to bed, or this or that, I'll just walk into my inheritance. And I won't have to get ulcers doing it like everybody else does. "For the meek shall inherit the earth." [Mt 5:5] I don't have to fight, gouge, kick and scream, I just walk in. Oh so nice. Peace, isn't it wonderful? Sure is, as long as it comes from God.

Now listen:

(9) ...which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

(10) For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, (amen,) from whence (you) came out,

You know, the churches aren't going to get this. There is no church member going to get this, forget it. God's calling a Bride out of a church, like He called the nation out of a nation.

Now, he said,

(10) ...(you sowed the seeds, you watered) it (by) foot, a garden of herbs:

(11) But the land, whither (you) go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: (water in heaven,)

(12) A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of (it).

Now listen, verse 13.

(13) And it shall come to pass, if (you) shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,

57. Listen to what he's telling you here. There is no service of God apart from His Word, because you've got to be in His Word before you're serving Him. God will not give you credit for any service you do, (I'm talking to Bride now,) impossible, unless It's with that Word. The Bride is one with that Word. See? God had to whip David, yes sir. God had to whip David and bring him back to that Word, because he built that ox-cart. That's right, God killed a man over it. See? No service apart from God's Word. Listen:

(14) ...I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. (Notice, to those who want that Word. God's got to grant the harvest.)

(15) And I will send grass in (your) fields for (your) cattle, (you may) eat and be full.

(16) Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, (that you) turn aside, (Mt 24:24) and serve other gods, and worship...

Watch that you don't let your heart get in the way and say, "Well, I'll tell you, I just don't know if I'm going to go that straight. I don't know if I can believe that. Those fellows out there they're just as fine as you can make it fine. They're sweet kind and good and I just don't know the way. Bro. Branham ran them down, and I just don't think I ought to believe it."

That's your business. Kohah, Dathan and Abiram, they all got killed and 250 prince's and families got destroyed because they listened too. See? Don't be deceived. Then It says what will happen?

(17) ...the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain,...

58. There are going to come at the end time and say, "Give me of your oil." Too late. "We want to come in to supper." Too late. See? It says,

(17) ...the land (will not) yield her fruit; and (you) perish quickly from off the land which the LORD giveth you. (Now listen:)

(18) Therefore lay up these my words in your heart...(doesn't even call It the Word of God. William Branham said, "The food was stored up one day." What Word? His Word. See?) in your heart and in your soul, bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

What is the evidence of being part of the membership of the land? The Word of God. See?

(19) And (you) shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in (the) house, and when (you) walkest by the way, when (you lie) down, when (you rise) up. (Apply the Token. Spirit revealed Word. Shows you've got the Token. That's right.)

(20) ... write them upon the door posts...

(21) That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware (to give you.)...

All right, there's your Millennium. I'm just typing this of course. See? This will lead us right into the very Millennium which is based upon a Resurrection as It comes forth in this end-time.

59. Now, (this is the prophet,) watch what brings on this dearth.

Let's go back to Jeremiah 3:1-3. Now listen, this is Millennium time.

(1) They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? (what's the answer?) shall not that land be greatly polluted? (He said, "You can't do that. Can't be done. No place for fornication or adultery here.") but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again (unto) me, saith the LORD.

(2) Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. (In other words, fornicating every each way.) In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

(3) Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

Did the denominations get ashamed when the prophet came? When the man brought the vindicated Word of God did they hide their heads in shame? They've got a whore's forehead. And the rougher you treat a whore the tougher she gets.

Remember that vision Bro. Branham had of the Trinitarian club? Every time the man hit the woman she just sniffled a bit, and then he hit her again. Every time she tried to rise up...you can't teach the denominational member anything. They've got a whore's forehead. A whore's forehead inflaming anything no matter how many times you arrest her, no matter how many times you whip her, as soon as you let her out of jail she goes back to applying her trade, because that's all she's got there. You cannot bring a denominational believer into the Millennium. It will not work. Yet, if there was such a thing, if they could change their mind, God would take them in, but they can't change their mind, because your forehead is where your mind is. Stuck on the creeds and dogmas. Never mind what the Word of God says. Never mind the vindicated prophet.

60. They tell me there's a fine theologian in Edmonton, very fine man, but he just snorts and he says, "There's no miracles." How does he know? How does he know? Would he tell me I didn't have a miracle when I was nineteen years of age, when these bones were out of joint, they'd ache …like tooth ache. And I'd lie in bed at night and put my arms behind my back and hold it down unless I'd move in bed and that arm ached. But in faith one night I said, "Lord, tomorrow morning there won't be one ache or pain there." And now for thirty six or thirty seven years I haven't had one ache or pain. Would he tell me that my arm froze up with bursitis and Bro. Branham prayed it unlocked like that? Would he tell me now when I was dying of a STB pituitary gland out there in British Columbia when God healed me that's no miracle? You can't tell that guy anything, he's got a whore's forehead.

You say, "Bro. Vayle, you're sure a dirty tough talking like that."

I can talk anyway I want. I was invited to this pulpit. And when that guy stands up there and tells you without any authority at all, blaspheming the Holy Ghost that God does not perform miracles, I've got a right to say what the Bible says about that. That ain't nothing but a denominational spirit. He said, "I'm not denomination." Then what are you?

61. Like Bro. Branham said, "A woman said, 'I'm no prostitute', but she wears her dresses almost up here to her...past her buttocks and fornicates every man going down the road, because he can't help what his eyes see."

She says, "I'm no prostitute, I'm a fine virgin girl."

Is she? She's a prostitute. Marilyn Monroe will answer for the twenty million men fornicating with her by her photograph hanging on dirty calendars. Don't think she won't, because she will. She says, "I'm not a harlot." She isn't? The Bible says she is.

The Bible says that act committed in the mind is just the same as the same as an act committed in the flesh. God will hold you, because our thoughts speak as words and louder. Any man can say what he wants and he could look mighty good doing it, but if he gets off this Word brother/sister that's where he ends.

Now, I may talk tough, but I've got to take my tough stand, because brother/sister, if the preachers don't take a tough stand where's the people going to be? Because you've got to preach ten, twenty times harder than what the people get to get your points across. I would have to preach this sermon twenty times in a row before you really got what everything I've said this afternoon, and know this subject like I'm trying to get it over to you, you'd have to hear me twenty times. That's not because I talk fast, that's just because our minds are that way.

62. Let's go to Jeremiah 5:21,

(21) Hear now this, O foolish people, without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; (oh boy, you talk about sarcasms. Listen, if you think Lee Vayle is sarcastic, you better listen how God is. Eyes that don't see, ears that don't hear.)

(22) Fear (you) not me? (Well, they're talking about fearing God. Oh these are the God fearing people so to speak.) ...will (you) not tremble at my presence...

Where's your presence Lord? "Well, I'm the God that placed the bounds of the sea. I'm the God that made the universe, though the waves toss they cannot go by, though the stars spin by hundreds of thousands of miles per hour, he said, "There's not one miss, there's not one miss-cross."

"Well, Lord, what do you mean tremble at Your Presence?" What about the day the Pillar of Fire hung when you heard Bro. Branham in Saskatoon, or saw him in Edmonton or Calgary? Out there at the west coast, Penticton, various places, Grande Prairie.

What about that time Bro. Branham said, "We'll ask if He'll come. I don't know if He will come. We'll see if He will come. You see, He is here."

Did they tremble? No, they say? "That's amazing. Those serpent seed aah! …?... Do you feel like vomiting? God said He would vomit that kind of stuff out. Not trying to be mean and rough now, just laying it on the line. They laid it on the line, I'm going to lay it on the line too.

"You mean to tell me William Branham could talk the way he talked and that be simply a man?"

That was not simply a man. That was God using a man's voice! Did they tremble? They did not tremble. And I'm going to go a step further we didn't tremble either. No we didn't. We talk about fearing God, we didn't tremble though.

"Well you see, I'm looking for this great big thing to come, and that doesn't come ...?..."

Oh, will it now? Will it now? Little baby born in a stinking manger over a pile of cow manure. Yeah, because sheep get born in stables, not in bed. And a bunch of broken down old shepherds that have hallucinated, thought they heard voices and thought, "Hey, oh so quaint, but they thought they saw angels." Yeah, there He was. That's right. "Born of a virgin, have you ever heard such tripe, born of a virgin? Why if a virgin could have a baby, she's only got the Y chromosome so she'd only have a girl, and you call that thing God?" [Said in a mocking tone] Yeah, I could, certainly. They didn't in those days though. They were looking for that kind of a God.

63. What if God came in His Own way today? What if God could just break His record so to speak, and just descend down here, and walk down here in a business suit like a western person? And he was God. William Branham wasn't God, so don't try to think I'm trying to teach that, because he wasn't God. When I found out that people said he was God I went right to him and I said, "Bro. Branham you are not God. You are not Jesus Christ. You are not my Savior, I love you, but you ain't God."

He said, "That's exactly right."

I said, "In fact I'm a little upset."

He said, "You should be."

I'm not trying to tell you something, I'm just trying to make a point. Supposing a man walked down these aisles and he was actually God in human flesh. Because you called God the thing that you identify with God where God's presence is, the Pillar of Fire is not God, but you call It God, because God is in It. Jesus was not God, but He was God, because God was in Him.

Now supposing we've had a man walk down these aisles, see? Would we tremble? Did Houston tremble when they took the picture of the Pillar of Fire? Has Dr. Best ever recanted? Has he ever apologized? No! He's not so obstreperous anymore where he shakes his dignified little fist under the nose of a great man like Bro. Bosworth. Oh, he's learned that much anyway, a great Christian now. Isn't that a great growth of grace, bless God? God have pity. If that's his idea of grace brother, he's learned a lot of grace. He doesn't draw a fight anymore. Haw! I know some sweet people don't profess anything, never did fight. Where does that leave them? See? He doesn't fight so that makes it great now. Did he tremble? Has Houston trembled?

There isn't anybody outside of John Harris that even tries to believe this Message with his wife. That's where NASA is, that's where the great space ships goes from. That's where the great... the end of our culture goes from, Houston. A denial of God. Did they tremble? Show me anybody in Houston today, except the Harris', that's all I know, and I go to that area. And I go down there and get lost. He said, "Will you not tremble?" He showed he was there. It didn't bother any.

64. Why? Because, [Jeremiah 5:]

(23) ...this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they (have) revolted and gone.

(24) Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

God said that He would stand at the end-time upon this earth here before the Resurrection. He would identify Himself and they would not tremble. Because they had a revolting and a rebellious and a whorish heart. I'm reading you the Bible. Not reading you a bed-time story. God reserved us to the appointed harvest, the Resurrection. And He said, "At that time My Presence would be there and you wouldn't tremble."

Bro. Branham would say, "Please don't walk around." (Walk around, run around...oh, every thing's great...) Yeah. Frivolous. No wonder God said, "I'm going to vomit." You know I could just about regurgitate myself, and I'm not God. And I wouldn't vomit over anybody else, I could vomit over myself when I look back on myself. Because, "Judgment begins at the house of God." [1 Pet 4:17]

We're not here to laugh at people, to mock people and to run people down, because they were there to contradict. No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm branding, I'm bringing this whole mess of Laodicea right in the open this afternoon, and we're part of it. We're part of it. I'm not excusing us. No more would I accuse them and excuse us, I accuse the whole bunch of us. We're all part of the whole miserable mess.

(25) Your iniquities (saith God) have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

(26) For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

(27) As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: they are become great, and waxen rich.

(28) They are waxen fat, they shine: they overpass the deeds of the wicked:...

Listen, don't you see this whole mess of Laodicea, "We're rich, increased in goods, we don't lack a thing." [Rev 3:17]

65. And what did the business men do? When the business men got rich after the Second World War, right? Oh America is full of them. They got to the pulpit and they said, "Now listen you folk, we're great men."

"Well," said one fellow in Chicago one day, "Aw," he said, "I'm probably the richest here, I'm worth like four million dollars."

I said, "That's very nice, ...?...

And another said, "Well, I'm a very rich man, ...?... great way with myself, you know."

What are they trying to tell you? They're looking at us poor little fellows down there and they're saying, "Now you poor ...?... people, you do not have much like these great men have. Now if us great men with all of our wealth and all of our prestige should have the Lord, and we are such great men, shouldn't you little people have the Lord too?" No! Now you don't think that's what it means? Or did you catch what I said? They have made money a criterion of the blessing of the Almighty God showing that they have got God, so therefore you had better have God too. Where do you find that in your Bible?

It says, "Their deeds are wickeder than the Mafia's." That's right. They shine, they glimmer. Now listen, I'm not asking you to look at your TV sets, because I don't think many of you folk got TV, you're like me, you don't believe in. But I'll tell you what you do, the next time the gentleman from Oklahoma and his university has one of his spectacular, I want you to maybe rent a TV that one night and look for about fifteen minutes, and you'll see movie stars. Right. And you'll see people come on that stage and they're going to talk about Jesus Christ, and according to my Bible, (not trying to condemn it,) but according to what the prophet taught, the Word of God said brother/sister, they're a million miles off target.

66. Yet, It says here, they're going to overpass the deeds of the wicked. [Jeremiah 5:]

(28) ...they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, (but) they (sure) prosper;...

I wonder if you folk, maybe even you here forgotten the fact that you're supposed to remember widows and orphans? How many of you are just satisfied with paying the tithes? And by the way you might be embarrassed to pass the plate, but I got news for you. Bro. Branham said, "Passing the plate was a spiritual part of the service." Not trying to hurt you or your pastor or anybody else, but you want to lead in the line, then straighten the line. So you could be wrong. Huh? Or because you're you, you're not wrong? Huh? What about widows and orphans? Did you ever think of them? The Bible tells you to think of widows and orphans.

"Well, I pay my tithes." That's what you owe in the first place, that's God's. Remember, I'm not here for an offering. You might have heard that, but you're wrong. I don't need it. I give and I get. That's the law of the Lord, that just takes me fine. But widows and orphans are remembered in the Bible, we've got an obligation.

67. We can't point our fingers at rich business men and see how they get in this pulpit here where they've got no right to get in the pulpit, and we ourselves are outside of the Word of God. Don't let Laodicea get us down. We can be tricked and fooled like anybody else in certain ways. Not away from the Word, but we might get careless.

Now listen, the cause of the fall of it, that's because the widow is there with her kiddies. God said, "Let them be helped." Now he says here going on:

(29) Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

Oh America, my Lord, you Canadian's never had the wealth America's had. I can tell you that. I never down there to get rich, but I can tell you one thing, I've never had it so good. Never had it so bad either for part of the time too, or just about. They're wonderful to me down there.

Now listen, now watch:

(30) A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

Now listen:

(31) The prophets prophesy falsely, [Mt 24:24] the priests bear rule by their means; (Nicholaitism) and my people love it so: (Laodiceaism) what will the end (be? Destruction.)

There you are. Why aren't these churches enjoying the Presence of God the former and latter rain? They can't, because they will not turn. The condition I have recited to you and brought to you from Jeremiah is exactly Revelation 3:14-22, Laodicea. Without reading these Scriptures is also James 4:16-17 and 5:1-7. 2 Timothy 4:1-4, but I'm going to read to you out of Malachi, because I don't want to leave that go, because I want to explain It.

68. Let's go to Malachi. You still with me? I'm very glad you are. I thought some of you left. ...?...

Now listen, "

(7) Even from the days of your fathers are you gone from mine ordinance....

Who is He talking to? You and me. Because why? We're the children. Right? Children go from the fathers who must be turned back to the father's children. Who's that? Us. Are you right with me? Okay. Now listen:

(7) ...Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But (you have) said, Wherein (will) we return?

Now watch you Bibles, and don't get trapped. Greedy preachers, I'm one of them, or I was one of them. Get your ears opened now.

(8) Will a man rob God? Yet (you've) robbed me. Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

So said the preacher. Return back to God by paying tithes and offerings. Hogwash. The Mormon's pay tithes and offerings. The Catholics pay tithes and offerings. The Hindu's pay tithes and offerings. Seven Day Adventist pay tithes and offerings. That won't return you to God. It's put there to trick you. Don't get fooled. Keep reading. Let's read verse 13.

(13) Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD... (There's were the turning is. You say, you say, you say.)

There's about twenty four times or more the Book of Malachi says, "You say, you say, you say." And that's what Laodicea says, "You say, you say, you say." Malachi and the Laodicean age is the same thing. "Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD."

"You've made My commandments of none effect. You've taken over." [Mt 15:6]

(13) ...Yet (you) say, (When) have we spoken so much against thee?

69. Listen:

(14) (You) have said, It is vain to serve God: what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, (now here's how you serve God by the ordinances,) that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?

And they say, "What's the use. Why every..." They say, Bro. Vayle, listen to me, every place you go people are fussing over the Word. Let's just leave the Word of God and just love Jesus, hallelujah."

That's what they tell me the bear said one day, the great Russian bear, he said, "Let's all be friends and we'll hug each other." [laughter]

Now listen, let's go on verse 15. (Now listen:)

(15) ...now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

That's what the Bible says happens in the last days. It is true? It sure is. You can go into any prayer line in the country and see anybody healed. People living in the most abject sin, adultery, fornication, lasciviousness and rottenness. They'll come into the prayer line and get healed. Okay, keep reading.

(16) ...they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: (that's what It says in the Book of Hebrews 10.) the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

(17) And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; (that's the Rapture) and (I'll) spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Now listen, watch verse 18, that's the crux of it.

(18) Then shall (you) return, (or turn again) and discern between the righteous and the wicked,...

No sir. It does not say that in the Hebrew, nor the Greek. It says, "When you return, and only when you return, when you're turned back by the grace of God," see? It says:

(18) ...(then you'll know the difference between righteousness and wickedness, and) between him that (serves) God and him that (doesn't.)

70. This is exactly Matthew 7: "Many will come to Me in that day and say, 'Lord, Lord, do we not cast out devils? And in Thy Name prophesy your works'." He'll say, "I never knew you, you work iniquity."

This is where your women preachers and your gift ministries come in. People outside of that Word. See? They are wicked. They are not serving God. They are not doing righteous work. They are iniquitous works. And God says, "At the end-time you and I will not know the difference. That's right. Before Bro. Branham preached that sermon, didn't preach the sermon, but taught the 'Anointed Ones at the End-time'. Before I understood that, I want to tell you this: I was ready to quit the ministry for the second time and forget God and everybody. When I could see men, who with gift ministry would discern you and tell you about yourself, pray with unction and faith and see you healed and run off with sixteen year old women tell lies and embezzle, and live in adultery; and they'd get more miracles than dedicated people who loved God and sought Him carefully with tears. I said, "There's something wrong somewhere, forget it."

I said I was ready to quit the second time. I even got bitter. I said to my wife one day, for I've got good friends you see who would love a gift ministry; for I had a certain amount myself and then it began to drift from me. I didn't know why God had taken it away see. And the prophet told me why it had to go. And I said to my wife one day, I said, "Look you're blond, so that ...?... another blond. I guess I've got to get me a Cadillac." (I've got an old clunker seven years old, because that's the best and cheapest ...?... when they get old as far as I know. But I was going to get me a nice new Cadillac about a '60 what, in those days '62, '63, something like that. Maybe a little older, '64. Get me a new Cadillac, I said,) "I'll have to leave you here and get me a brunette, because I've had a blond already and get me a fat cigar and a bottle of hooch, and maybe God will bless me." [some laughter] I didn't mean that for fun, I was bitter. I was bitter. Absolutely bitter for what I saw. Men screaming for money. Taking up offerings. Taking an hour or two to do it. Every place you looked, hypocrisy and rottenness and God blessing. Just what Malachi said. Just what Malachi said.

71. And Bro. Branham came by, and now get this you people, listen to my words and get them carefully. William Branham's Message by the Word of God saved my soul-life. S-o-u-l - l-i-f-e. It means 'the life that I live here in my flesh'. I would have thrown it all away taking it back from God. And I said that's perfect, because I've been criticized using that term. My language is precisely correct with the Word of God. Because the word in the Greek 'sou-kay' for soul, is soul-life. The physical life you live here, that you're supposed to put under control of the Holy Ghost if you must shine a star for His glory. I was ready to throw it over.

But the prophet came and taught the truth. And I saw what spiritual wickedness it was, for the first time I saw and understood those who serve God. And I understood the difference between righteousness and wickedness. And I saw just what he meant when he said, "That we could do God a service without His will."

Jesus said, "In vain do you worship me." [Mt 15:9]

"Well Lord, I cast out devils. I've gone to the mission field. I've sacrificed. I've done everything Lord."

He said, "Depart from me."

"Now Lord, don't do that to me."

"You work iniquity."

"But I didn't work iniquity."

"Look Lord, this is a court room, isn't it right Lord, a court room?"

"Yes, it's a court room son, for my friends."

"All right Lord, can I have a witness?"

"Yes, you can have a witness. Son come here, isn't it true that you were a little boy and your mommy was in an institution, insane, and your dad was going to break up the home and run off with another woman. Isn't it true that I prayed for her and took her out and brought her home and you have a home of love and they raised you?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Now Lord, look at that Lord. What can you say to that Lord?"

"Depart from me."

"But I don't understand."

"Depart."

"Can I have one more witness?"

"You may have a witness."

"Isn't true that you came to me all crippled up and all horrible. Isn't it true that you were on drugs, you hated God, you hate everybody. Isn't it true when I prayed you, God healed you, and you loved the Lord?"

"That's right."

"Now look at that Lord. Look at that. You got anything to say?"

"Depart from me."

What kind of a God do you serve? Not a hateful God, not malicious. But brother/sister, you cannot serve the god of your imagination or worship Him and think you're going to make it. You have got to worship God, according to God's Word by revelation. Not what you and I think.

Too many people say, "I couldn't have a God that reprobated one and took another." Then you haven't got God. "I couldn't believe in a God that didn't punish with eternal fire." Then you haven't got God. See? Follow me? That's what's wrong today brother sister.

72. Now listen, but in spite of this condition, God tells us to pray for rain. He asks us to pray for the rain in the time of the rain. And if we will do it, which we have done, of course we're in the process now, God will send forth His blessings upon us as It says, (I'm cutting this down now. I've got to do, because times run out,) in the Book of Psalms 72:6. And notice, talking about God. The Psalmist is speaking about it, a Psalm for Solomon. Notice in verse 6, It says,

(6) (God) shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers (the) water (upon the) earth.

God is going to descend upon this earth as the revealed Word of Almighty God. Right? When did he do it? Revelation 10:1-6.

(1) And I saw another mighty (messenger) come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: a rainbow... face the sun, feet as fire:

(2) And he had in his hand a little book open:...

(3) ...(the) voice, (of) seven thunders, (the mysteries of Seven Seals, the complete revelation. The full mystery of Almighty God, the complete Word revealed. God Himself, descended as the Word of God upon the people.)

There's your former rain brother/sister. There's your former rain. God said, "I can't compromise people ...?... resurrection, I can't have a resurrection until I've got a people upon whom the former rain falls, which is a complete restored Word of Almighty God in a Bride according to Acts 3:19-24. According to Matthew 17. According to James 5:7. According to Joel 2:23. According to Scripture after Scripture Jesus Christ cannot come for His Bride until there's a resurrection. But there can be no resurrection until first of all the living Bride receives the last day rain which is the ...?... spiritually the revealed Word of God. God Himself coming into the Bride. The revealed Word. Exactly what It teaches.

73. Now listen: Joel 2, says in the Greek which is what we go by, because Peter quoted in Septuagint, he said, "God has given you this food for your righteousness." That's right. The restoration is the food, and the food is the righteousness.

And Bro. Branham said, "The food is stored upon the tape." There you are, right back one with God by the revealed Word. Walking and living within the framework of the Word, not perverted. Remember what Satan did by the serpent? He took that very Word of God and took It outside of the framework. No Bride will ever work outside of the framework of the Word of God. As Eve restored needed by to walk over the Tree of Life, so the Bride today can walk to the Tree of Life.

Remember what Bro. Branham said, "When Jesus took the water turned to wine, He bypassed the natural process, instead of that water going through the grapevine into the grapes coming out as fermented wine, He simply bypassed it. So did Jesus Christ bypass death and put us right into where the resurrection is." See?

But why are we waiting? We are waiting for the latter rain to do its work which is the Holy Spirit falling upon the Word of the prophet which we have received in our hearts to bring us forth into manifestation. Brother/sister, the final call has gone out. The Word is amongst us. The Word is in us. Let the grain dry out to itself and see the fullness of God manifested in a Bride. For the latter rain is come to fill the grain to perfection for the harvest.

74. I'm just going to end by quoting these thoughts; in Jehovah Jireh, Grass Valley, [07-05-62] Bro. Branham said,

[21] The "former rain," the first rain, means "a teaching rain." The second rain is the Spirit that comes upon what's been taught and produces the crop. (The Holy Ghost producing Its Own crop all by grace.)

God shall send the Holy Spirit in such a way upon planted Word that will restore. End-time Sign. [03-19-62]

[43] Take His Word and believe It. Hold It in your heart, and when the rain begins to fall the life will take hold.

That's what he said. And now Mark 4, the ...?... forget it. Rest on It. Believe It. Quit fussing here and there, trying to figure things out. See?

Now, he said,

[43] Hold It in your heart. And when the rain begins to fall life will take hold, and the Word will manifest itself. (Certainly, the Word will manifest Itself.)

All right. The Spoken Word is the Original Seed [03-18-62]

[74] She's now waiting for the latter rain. That's when she produces her fruit. (She manifests that Word.)

[90] Why, that latter rain will sweep the world, brother. (There's been a former rain, sowing rain.) Now, you'll see what the latter rain produces. You'll find out there'll be an affiliation. The Pentecostals and all the groups will come together, and they'll shut the doors on them guys that won't listen to it; and you won't even be allowed to open your mouth. That's when He will come. That's when He will show. That's when you'll see a rain.

75. All right, quoting again. Things That Are To Be [12-05-65]

[8] And in the day that God has poured out His Spirit from on high, great signs and wonders are to accompany the ministry of this day. This is when the former and latter rain are falling together.

All right, Question and Answers, August 1964. "I believe that you are seeing the last thing that will happen to the church before the Rapture."

That's exactly, I believe the rain is over. That's right, brother/sister, the Dove appeared when the Sword appeared in 1965. The Sword appeared in 1965, the Dove appeared in 1965.

Now verse again in 'Modern Events Made Clear By Prophecy' [08-01-65]

This is the harvest time. The watering has been poured out on the grain. The grain is getting ripe.

Brother/sister, I submit to you this evening hour that actually for the first time in history we are ready for the Resurrection, except for those events which must come to pass which I have no knowledge of. There is nothing left to hinder the Resurrection and the Rapture. Whatever must yet happen to bring the churches together and to bring on the squeeze I do not know because I'm not a prophet. Whether it'll be tight money, or whether it'll be loose money, inflation that will destroy you I cannot tell. Sometimes I think it's going to be inflation. The next time I think it's going to be tight money. Because Bro. Branham said, "The world will not give up its money." Inflation, I believe would break us and entirely destroy us. Tight money I believe would not. I believe money could get very, very tight, because unemployment is getting greater and greater. This is what I believe, I don't know, I'm just thinking about it.

I reason I say it's tight money, is because when money is so tight you could lose everything through a taxation system, see, you could be wiped out. The government would then bow to the Roman Catholic church to save us, because he said the rich man doesn't want to lose it. But inflation he's already lost it. A sandwich could cost you a million dollars. I don't know. It could go either way. Nobody knows. You talk to an economist they can't tell you. You talk to smart men they can't tell you. Nobody knows. So I just said, "I'm thinking." But I'll tell you one thing: It's right around the corner. We've had it. We've had it, brother/sister.

Now listen, it's that last little squeeze see? Now listen to me: by the time the squeeze comes it's too late. It's too late when the squeeze comes. You're already in the rain when the squeeze comes. The squeeze only manifests what you've already got. See?

So, we're waiting for Him to come. He can come almost anytime, because He said, "I cannot come until there's a Resurrection, and I cannot have a Resurrection till the former and latter rain." Brother/sister, the Bride has had the former rain. It's over. That's right. The latter rain, the Spirit of God has fallen, and is falling on. And it won't be long until there is a Bride so thoroughly dedicated to this Word as revealed by the Holy Spirit in the prophet, that there is nothing will shake her. She'll say like Daniel's companions as they stood before the king. "Oh king, live forever. We don't know if God is going to rescue us from your fiery furnace, but I'll tell you one thing, fire or no fire we're not going to bow to you." See?

What you do is your business... [tape ends...]