Laodicean Church Age

Laodicean Church Age

Bro. Lee Vayle – September 7, 1971

...relative to the age in which we live, as you might be familiar with what God says about this day or hour in which we stand. It's on the Laodicean Church Age, and of course, we'll read from the Book of Revelation, the 3rd chapter, beginning with verse 14. Before we read shall we bow our heads in prayer.

Gracious, heavenly Father, we're very happy to stand here tonight in Thy Name, Lord, knowing that we stand with the vindicated Word, which our prophet brought us. And we don't worry, Lord, about making any mistakes because we know It's been given to him through Divine revelation. And as we stand with what he taught, we ourselves have no fear, but we'll be exactly right because we have this revelation as our guide.

Now, we pray, Lord, that You'll give the people ears to hear, even as we pray, sincerely, You'll give the speaker a mouth to say that which is exactly right. Let Your Word be in the mouth, oh God, and let It be in the ear. Let It not come by the understanding of man, but by revelation of the Holy Ghost. And Father, we know then that we shall be blessed; we shall have no problems. It all shall be well. And so, Lord, we commend ourselves unto You most heartily, praying in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

1. [Revelation 3:] Beginning at verse 14:

(14) And unto the (messenger) of the church (which is in Laodicea) write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

(15) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold nor hot.

(16) (And) because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

(17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

(18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

(19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

(20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: (and) if any man hear my voice,

and open the door, I will come to him, and sup with him, and he with me.

(21) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and (was sat) down with my Father in his throne.

(22) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

2. Now, the characteristics of this age merit special study because we know that we're living in the very last church age. Now, of course, we know this because of the time piece that God has given us, which is Israel. And Israel is back in the homeland, preparatory for the consummation of the Gentile dispensation, and God turning back to Israel when He deals with them for a very short period.

Now, you'll notice, first of all, here, that it's the Seventh Age. Now, it's not called the Seventh Age, but if you'll notice, beginning in chapter 2, there's the Ephesian Age - verse 1; the Smyrnaian Age in verse 8; the Pergamaian in 12; the Thyratirian in verse 18. And then, of course, in the 3rd chapter, verse 1, there's the Sardisian, which would be the Fifth Church Age; and then there's the - verse 7 - the Philadelphian Church Age, number six; and then the Laodicean's, of course, Laodicean would be the Seventh Church Age.

Now, so therefore, chronologically, it's the Seventh Church Age, or the Laodicean Church Age that ends the ages of the Gentile Church dispensation. Now, it's the last age. There is not another age. It's the last age because no other ages are mentioned, for one thing. And then, since God does everything in a seven, this is the last age, and there will not be another age. Now, if there were to be another age, then there'd be seven... six more following it, because God does everything in sevens.

3. Now, to this age is given the final messenger. He said, here, under the messenger of the Church, which is in Laodicea, there is a final messenger to this age, and he's a man. But there is also a final Messenger to this age, and it is not a man, it's the Lord Jesus Christ Himself because it says, in Revelation 10, chapter [verse] 1:

(1) And I saw another mighty (messenger) come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, his face as it were the sun, his feet pillars of fire:

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

Now, that little Book open was in the hand of the Lamb. But remember, He does not descend as the Lamb, He descends as a Pillar of Fire. Now, you'll notice It says in verse 6 that this mighty One, which is Jesus, lift up His hand and swore by Him that lives forever and ever, which is God, and only God can swear by God, and He said, "Time is no longer."

Now, you remember when God swore by God, it's when He said, "To thee Abraham, and in thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed." So, that time has run out. So, you can see at the end of the Gentile church ages, Jesus Christ descends as a Pillar of Fire in order to close off the Gentile church ages, which happen to end with this number seven Laodicean Church Age.

4. Now, also, you will notice in verse 7:

(7) ...in the days of the voice of the seventh (messenger),

Now, there's no place in the Bible where a seventh messenger is actually mentioned in conjunction with one, two, three, four, five, six, and the seven. Never. You'll only find seven angels when it comes to the ministry of a heavenly Messenger of which there are genuine... there are genuine spiritual, and not physical creations. But, you start with the first messenger in Ephesus, and then take it on down to the other five and six, you'll find that there's only one seventh messenger, and one sixth messenger, one fifth, one fourth, one three, two, and so on; and they correspond with the ages, as we mentioned here, the Ephesian Age, and Sardisian Age, and Smyrnaian, and Philadelphian, and so on.

So, it is given a final messenger, and then that means there won't be any more messengers. Now, of course, I'm saying this on purpose because many people just don't understand this, and they think they believe this Message. And I suppose they do believe It as far as they're able to do so. But they do it with great error because then, later on, they think there's somebody else they've got to listen to. Well now, believe me, that's wrong. If there's going to be another messenger, then there's got to be six more, because everything God does is an a seven. Everything. And then it sums up conclusion. So, there isn't another messenger regardless of how people think.

5. Some people say, "Well, I don't even like to hear tapes because that's dead manna."

Now, that's the most stupid thing in all the world. Otherwise, why don't you throw your Bibles in the gutter? Because that's dead, too. The men that wrote It are all dead, they're all gone. To listen to the Message, or to read the Message that the Seventh Church Age messenger left with us, to not read It or not listen would be utter nonsense, and you'd be losing much that God has for you. In fact, this Seventh Church Age messenger told us that he would die. And then everything was already gainfully stored up for us on tapes, which were to be our Food. Even as the Book of Joel said, "I have given you this Food for righteousness." And you'll find that's under the ministry of restoration, as spoken by Joel, chapter 2, verses 23 - 28.

6. Now, notice also, it is given... not only given a final messenger, but it is given a final revelation of God. Every single church age starts with a revelation of God. Look at that First Church Age, in Ephesians... the Ephesian Church Age,

[Revelation 2:]

(1) Unto the (messenger which is in) the church of Ephesus write; These things (said) he that hold(s) the seven stars in his right hand, who walk(s) in the midst of seven golden candlesticks;

Then in verse 8:

(8) ...These things saith the first and last, which was dead, and is alive;

Verse 12:

(12) ...These things (said) he which hath the sharp sword (in the) two edges;

Verse 18:

(18) ...These things saith the Son of God, who hath eyes like a flame of fire,

Chapter 3, and verse 1, and so on. Every single age starts with a revelation of Almighty God. In other words, God Himself reveals Himself to the messenger of the age. Now, you know that's true. Over here, in the Book of Galatians, you have the Apostle Paul saying the very same thing.

[Galatians 1:]

(11) But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached to me is not after man.

(12) For I neither received it (by) man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Christ Himself was revealed to Paul. And remember His introduction to Paul. Came as a blinding Pillar of Light, a fire, and He blinded Saul - at that time called Saul - and Saul said, "Who are Thou, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus."

Every single church age, you will find a messenger with a dynamic revelation of Jesus Christ Himself. And this revelation, a personal revelation of God to the messenger, the Son of man, in every age, sets that man on fire for God. And then God gives him a Message for that age.

7. So, you'll notice that the final revelation comes in, [Revelation 3:]

(14) ...(And) These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

Now, remember, if there's a beginning of the creation of God, there's got to be an ending of it. And you know that as well as I do. What is the beginning of the creation of God? Jesus is the beginning, when God made Himself human flesh - when God formed Himself into human flesh.

Now, remember the end comes when the first Resurrection is completed; when all the righteous dead of the Old Testament, and all the righteous of the New Testament rise out of their graves. Now, already we've had some of them risen and they're up there around the Throne of Glory. That's where John saw those living elders up there. And, they're human beings. They're glorified already. But now, out of the ground comes all the rest. The dispensation to Israel is completely finished. Israel has had its first Resurrection, and then, now remains the Church.

So then, if it's the beginning of the creation of God, and He's the Amen, then it's the ending of the creation of God. And if He was the first begotten from among the dead, now all the other begotten of God come out of the ground, and they're no longer dead, and so it ends the whole picture. (See?)

So, that's the revelation right there. The revelation is that there positively will be an end time Bride stand on this earth that does not taste death but will be changed in her body to be a part of that glorious membership that comes up out of the ground.

8. Now, to it is not only given the final revelation of God, that Jesus is the Christ; that this One, this beginning of the creation of God, was God Himself, Elohim Jehovah, one God, and Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only authentic way, but there will be also a Message at this end time. And it will be a final Message. There won't be any other message.

Now, you'll find that over in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

(51) Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

That's this time.

(52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:

Now, what is it? At the last Trumpet. Now, remember what Revelations 10:7 said,

(7) ...in the days of the voice of the seventh (church age messenger), when he shall begin to sound,

There's going to be a Trumpet sounding. It's a man bringing a Message at the last Trump. There won't be any other. There’s only seven messengers, and when that last messenger gives his Message there isn't any more. It's all over for the Gentile Church. And It says, at that time the dead are going to be raised incorruptible. So, it's a final Message, and that final Message is responsible for bringing about immortality. That's what the Apostle says here. The Apostle Paul. He said: [1 Corinthians 15:]

(52) ...at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptable, and we shall be changed,

(53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption (or incorruptibility), and this mortal immortality.

It's at the last Message. And there will not be any more. People today think there's going to be another message come forth. I cannot endorse that for one minute. The prophet himself said he would not be taken until his ministry was filled. And that ministry is absolutely the Trumpet, the Word of God. And he said he would not be taken until that was fulfilled, and then he said, "When I'm gone, I will not be back."

Now, you can put any interpretation on whatever else he said, in your own way, but you must remember, it's got to absolutely line up with Scripture and what the Bible says. That's where you get all of your understanding. (See?)

Now, there is this final Message, and there will not be any more. Because why? The Bride will put on incorruptibility, and she'll go to meet the Lord.

9. The next labor is in the Judgement Seat of Jesus Christ, as It says over there in Revelation, the 3rd chapter, and verse 21.

(21) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and am set down in his throne.

That's the last thing you see about the Bride. She'll be sitting in the Throne of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Millennium.

10. Now, you'll notice also, it's... this age is called Laodicea. And the word "Laodicea" is very special interest. It means in the Greek, "the rights of the people". People's rights or human rights. And there never was a time like this for human rights. Now listen, everything is a carry-over. And remember under the Wesleyan Age, of Philadelphia, men began to rise up to claim their rights. Now, I know people say it went back to the Magna Carta, I think 1066, under King John, and things like that, that's true. Men have always looked for their rights. But there never was a time when it was wide spread until in the Sixth Church Age. It began coming into labor movements, and people organizing, not against their repressors, who were kings and noblemen and men of great rapport and repute, but now they're rising to join hands in order to come against those who hire them.

But, in this age, you really have the union because before the government did not protect the union. But today the government is elected by people, democracy. And remember, democracy is based upon people's rights; the right of the people to elect. We don't believe anymore in God giving Divine guidance to raise up a king and put over us, or a certain man that's born in a certain way. We say, "No, we have our rights. And our rights are based and founded in democracy. And we will vote and elect whomever we want and will put those people over us, and they will do what we want them to do." Human rights, (see?) And what happened in 1968? They dedicated it "Human Rights Year", showing that we are absolutely in Laodicea.

11. Now, let's just take a look at this thing called human rights, shall we? We go to 2nd Timothy, the 4th chapter. Let's read a little bit, beginning at verse 1.

(1) I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

(2) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

(3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine (healthy doctrine); but after their own lusts shall they heap teachers to themselves... heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

(4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

It says at the end time people are going to want to run the Church. It'll no longer be a church that is headed by Christ and a faithful ministry, but it'll be run by the people. Now remember, until this time the Church is run by a hierarchy. And that's wrong. Remember, in the first days, Nicolaitanism began to rear its head until the Seventh Church Age. And in the Seventh Church Age, Laodiceanism, or people's rights, or democracy within the Church raises its head. So now you got two things. You got the hierarchy who wants to remain in power, and you've got the people who want a certain thing done for them. So, the people say, "All right, you can be our head as long as you will do what we want you to do." And that's why you've got such a mess today in the Church and in the world, (see?) because the people don't know. They can't govern themselves. It wasn't meant that they govern themselves.

12. The government in the church is by the ordained pastor. He is the sole authority within the local congregation. And the rest of the five-fold ministry, they come by and they visit, according to God's will and purpose, in order to build the flock up and to help them to know those things which the pastor does not have time or the ability to bring to the people, but he is that authority. And there is nobody over any local assembly in any place whatsoever in this world, or it's Nicolaitanism, which is of the devil because God hates Nicolaitanism. Then how in the world can you believe in organization when somebody would put an authority over you, and you've got to do the way that man says or get out. Why, you're just as much in league with the devil as his own archangels are, and don't even know it. You're in league with the whole plot of God... the whole plot of the devil against God, just like Eve. Eve did not know when she listened to the anti-Word of the devil, that she became a part of the whole plot against God, her Maker. And you let anybody that's either Nicolaitan, or Laodicean raise his head, and he's just as much a part of the plot of the devil as anybody can be. You have got to get away from that. Absolutely get away from it.

People's rights. What rights do people have anyway? You show me one right that any member in the pew has got. Then, you show me any right that any pastor, or the five-fold ministry has got. They don't have one right. The authority is the Word of God. (That's right.) The Bible said, "Obey those that have the rule over you, who teaches you the Word of God."

I have no authority in this church whatsoever. But when you know I am preaching you the exact Word of God you have to obey that, whether you have any use for me at all. I ask for no respect whatsoever. I demand none. I care for none. But when it comes to this Word, it's incumbent on you to listen, as long as I teach this Word and show exactly what this Word is, and you can apprehend It, then that is the authority of Almighty God in our midst. Not a man. No sir. And I have no man telling me what to preach. No sir. And I have no man over me to tell me where to go. There's only one authority, and that is by the Holy Ghost, telling us when to come and when to go, and what to do. And listen, and whenever we do it, it has to be according to the Word!

13. Now where's your women preachers? They're told to stay home, aren't they? They are told to stay home and obey their husband and be keeper of the house! But they run around the country, here, with healing meetings and preaching. And one woman had the nerve, not long ago up in Toronto, Canada - she's an American. She's not a Canadian. Thank God, I'm a Canadian myself, but thank God we haven't done that much dirt towards God yet. That's right. She goes up there and she says that the reason she's preaching, and doesn't even want to preach, is because everybody else failed. What unmitigated gall! What satanic delusion, to stand up in that pulpit and preach when God says no woman dare open her mouth. No woman dare, cut her hair. And she even... you hear Pentecostal churches, so called, and you're loose in your Catholic, and all the rest of the women pray to God. The Bible said they don't even dare pray to God if their hair has been cut with a scissors.

I challenge you! Show me where I'm off the Word of God. Here's the Bible. All that "Amen" stand up, I'll leave it... not a woman. Say, "Well, you’re hitting women." I'm not. I'm hitting nobody. Women can't stand up in a congregation. Let any man show me I'm wrong. Can't do it. It's absolutely the Word of God, and It'll stand. We're going to be judged by that Word. I don't have the authority. Not one bit of authority. But that Word has the authority, because that Word is Christ. It said the Word became flesh. And I'm going to tell you, brother/sister, that Word became flesh for one reason: in order for our flesh to become Word! Turn down that Word, and your flesh will never become Word. Amen! You'll never be in the Bride of Jesus Christ. And I'm preaching love. You may not think its love, but I am.

Listen, if I wasn't preaching love, I'd just go home. I know it doesn't sound like love because I can get up here and really talk strong. But I don't believe in that perverted sentimentality. This bunch of nonsense that’s preached over the pulpits, that finally let women go preaching, leave their home. I've seen women even leave their husbands claiming it's God to go preaching. How can they defile themselves that way, and then people tolerate them? You know what they did with harlots? They'd burn them at the stake. You say, "Was that woman a harlot?" She is a harlot because she is fornicating in creeds and dogmas instead of being married to her Christ in the place where God put her. And the Lake of Fire's the stake she'll burn in. I'm not fussing women now. It's men, too. And the men that listen to her, and the men that ordain her, and the men that allow her are going to have greater punishment. Laodicea.

14. Just try and preach this Word the way It's written, and see what happens to you, huh? If I had every degree under high-heaven, and spoke with tongue of men and angels, and dared to preach like I preach tonight, with sweet dulcet tones, with the finest rhetoric, the highest degree of histrionics, and presented myself as a great man, and oh, with that voice and that power, they'd kick me out of about every church in America just the same. And if I could raise the dead and produce "THUS SAITH THE LORD" every five minutes, they couldn't wait for my back to turn to knife me. Why? Because this is the age in which we live. That's right. The age in which we live. Human rights. I can do what I want.

And don't think the Roman Catholics, who have been held in the whiplash of power for years, haven't risen up. When the pope spoke out against birth control, which he was right upon, absolutely the pope was right concerning his dictum on birth control, he was right at least once. You know what they told him? They said, "Listen fellow, we don't like what you're saying. Now, we're going to practice birth control anyway, and it bothers our conscience if you say it's not right. So, tell us it's right so we won't get our conscience bothered because we're going to do it anyway."

And that's exactly where they stand today, and the Roman Catholic Church is on the edge of dissolution at this very hour because of the people. You say, "Will it survive?" Hah! When hasn't it? Sure, it's going to survive. Sure, it's going to survive. Absolutely survive. It'll live right here till Jesus comes, and He'll destroy it. You don't need to worry about it. Why? Because the two spirits, Nicolaitanism, which is the hierarchy organizing the clergy to subject the people to tyranny, is in there to stay; and at the same time, the other spirit is rising up against them, and they've got to get together to produce the beast. That's exactly what they are going to do. (That's right.)

15. Now, let's go to 1st John, the 3rd chapter, and see this. 1 John3:4

(4) Whosoever (commits) sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is transgression of the law.

Now, the Bible doesn't say that. The translator said it, but not the Bible. God never said sin is a transgression of the law. No sir, He did not. God said sin is lawlessness. Now look, there's no such thing as without a law. Everything has a law. I hold this up, drop it - the law of gravity. Throw it up this way, there's a law of energy. Certainly. Nothing's without a law. So therefore, when you say sin is lawlessness, it sounds like there's something that doesn't have a law to it. That's not true. Everything has got a law to it. But what about when you break that law. There's no such thing as breaking a law. Can I break the law of gravity because I threw this? I don't break any law of gravity. No. You don't break a law. The minute... if you could break a law, you'd destroy it. If I could break the law of gravity, there'd be no more gravity.

So, what is this lawlessness? Lawlessnes,s is doing contrary to what God wants done with a purpose. Sure, that's what it all boils down to. God wants a certain thing done in a certain way, and man says, "Nope, I'm going to do it my own way."

Man using the things that God's given us this day, and using them contrary to Scripture, using them contrary to the laws that God laid down. There's your lawlessness. (See?) Men and women, we must recognize this because if we don’t, we are never going to understand the perversion of the two spirits being so close that at the end time the false prophets will do signs and wonders that are genuine and fool the very people. And they're genuine signs and wonders.

16. Now, let's go to 2nd Thessalonians, the 2nd chapter, and see this very same thing.

(7) ...the mystery of iniquity (has) already work: only he (that) now (hinders) will (hinder it), until he be taken out of the way.

Now, notice, the mystery of iniquity was working in Paul's day.

(8) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

(9) Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

(10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;

Now, listen, when did unrighteousness ever deceive anybody? When did it? Only in the garden of Eden, and at the end time. Never will unrighteousness deceive, except in the beginning and the end. (That's right.) Because the Bible says in Malachi, the people will not know the difference between righteousness and wickedness.

17. Now, that's exactly the Word of Almighty God. Read It for yourself in Malachi 3:18 and find it. It says, until the people turn back to God, having turned away from Him. And remember, when the priesthood and the people both turn from God, Nicolaitan and Laodicean, there's an absolute turning from God; turning from His Word. Now, It says turn back to that Word. And It said, when you turn back, you'll know the difference between righteousness and wickedness. That's the thing we're talking about tonight. The two spirits are so close, you cannot tell who is actually wicked and who is actually righteous. Unless God does something for your mind, you're so mixed up.

You say, "I'm not mixed up."

Aren't you? I'd like to see you prove otherwise to me.

You say, "Why?"

Because God said so.

You say, then, "Bro. Vayle, are you in that shape?"

I used to be, but not anymore. Certainly, I was in that shape. I didn't know righteousness from wickedness. I was driving me crazy. I was ready to quit preaching. I said, if I can see men down there who have gifts of the spirit, …so-called…and they are genuine gifts. They heal the sick, they've got miracle eyes and miracle arms, and miracle limbs, and they've got a prayer line, and they absolutely are healing the sick. They've got miracle after miracle, and they're living in sin with women. I'd prove what I'm telling you, but you want to challenge me, put it on a piece of paper, I'll take you right to it. Right in the state of Ohio, I'll take you right to it. I'm not... you call my bluff, and I'll show you whether you've got... going to call a bluff or not. Not trying to be mean with you, just trying to let you know I'm not lying to you. Men who tell lies and take up offerings, and introduce their so-called blessing path. Find it the Word of God, I challenge you. If these men needed money, why didn't God give them a wedge of gold twenty miles high and thirty miles wide instead of the Holy Ghost? When did Christ take up an offering? When did Paul take up an offering?

You say, "Bro. Vayle, they gave you one." That's tithes and offerings, and not to set the world on fire to give me tools, and all. There is no such thing as God sending tools anywhere. Show me in your Bible. Let's see if we're on the Word of God. Let's see if this is a golden calf scheme. Yet, those men got genuine gifts, and no man dare deny it because they are genuine, the Bible said, just like Balaam. They will go the way of Balaam, which was a genuine gift of prophecy, but he sold himself for money and prestige to attain. And he led the children of Israel into fornication, and God never did forgive him. Is that, right? There's your Bible.

How often I've seen widows bilked of money. Sweet little Hungarian widow, up there in Toronto, gave a certain man, now dead - found alcoholic and dead - she sold her house, gave him every cent she had. One of my best friends used to work out there in that very camp, out there west where he had it. They wasted money like it'd be water running off a mountain.

18. Brother/sister, listen to me. This day of Nicolaitanism and Laodiceanism is the peak of all rottenness of sin before God that's going to bring the fiery judgement of God upon it. May we flee and get out of it. I have never had much of this world's good, but let me tell you tonight, out of a pure heart, as pure as I know how to make it, I even feel guilty and dirty with the little bit of money that comes into me. At this moment, I don't have a home. I don't even really - I wouldn't mind having one, but I'm not going to beg and worry about one, you better rest assured on that. If God gives it, that's fine. But I know this, lay everything I've ever had in the altar, ready to starve if necessary, and God to take care of me. I've prayed and food came in when I put patches on my patches, and never once did I appeal for money.

The greatest man of God living since Jesus Christ, was William Branham. That's right. History proves it. He never appealed for money at any time. Something is wrong somewhere. Sure, I'd say I like these things, too. But I say, listen, brother/sister, I've got it so good today. You say, "How bad did you have it years ago?"

Well, I'll tell you. When people were earning a hundred and two-hundred dollars a week, and three-hundred and better, my wife and I were trying to live on forty-five dollars a week and giving twenty percent of that. I've been in meetings to help my fellow brethren, where I got thirty-three dollars for six weeks... six days in meetings, and my hotel bill was thirty-six dollars. That's two dollars and fifty-four cents short of the total amount for just my room, plus the food, plus eight hundred miles both ways by car. Today, I don't have any debts. No, not one debt. If I have to buy something, I pay cash, or, forget it. Not boasting, just telling you, God lifted me out of that bad place I was in. And I say, for what little I got, sometimes a wonder if God hasn't given me far too much. I tremble at what we have today, considering how dead we are in the Spirit. (See?) No, brother/sister, just because money’s attainable, doesn't mean it’s God's blessing. Let's find out as we study this Laodicean Church Age a little more.

19. Now, listen, notice I read here, "all deceivableness of unrighteous". When did unrighteousness ever fool people? Not since the garden of Eden, until this day. Unrighteousness before was men living in sin, robbing banks, defiling themselves with women, marauding, assaulting, killing. But today it's not. It's right in the Church, where you can't tell the difference, unless somebody comes and lets you know the score.

Now, notice It says, for this... notice: [2 Thessalonians 2:]

(10) ...(for) they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Brother/sister, listen to me, this is an end day Message. If the people at the end time do not receive the love of the Truth, then this age is devoid of Truth. What an age in which we live. But just a minute, if they turn down the Truth, then the Truth must come in this age. We'll show It does.

20. Now, notice also, Laodicea, what is it? It's a woman's name. Women of repute were called Laodicea, in the days when this Epistle was written. Who was the woman? The woman's the church. A woman always has been the Church. Christ in the Bride; Christ in the Church. As Adam was a figure of Christ, so Eve is a figure of the Bride because she came out of Adam. (That's right.) That's Bible. Romans 5: You read It for yourselves.

So, it is, we have today. The woman is Eve. She's the Bride. She's the Church. Christ is that head. A woman's name. Prominent women were called Laodicea. They changed their names. When did we start changing our name? Ever since Luther came out of the Roman Catholic church. We've had Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Church of God, Church of Christ - all women. All of them women. And remember, the harlot had daughters. And remember, the harlot church is the Roman Catholic Church, and not a hurricane, the organizations. Until that time, there weren't any.

You say, "What about the Anabaptists, and those?" They were called that. They were simply Christians themselves, but they were called that. They banded together on the Word as they knew it. But today we have regular organizations, and they stand for certain creeds and dogmas, each one purporting to bring the Truth as it is in Jesus Christ. Then if that's the case, God is the most mixed up person I ever knew, or would hope to know, because they all say they're speaking for God, yet everyone speaks different.

21. Believe me, brother/sister, if six of you people spoke for me and I had written one thing down here, and you did not explain it or reveal it exactly as I intended it, then there wouldn't be one of you speaking for me. Who's speaking for God these days? You say, "Are you, Vayle?" No sir, I'm not. No siree, I'm not speaking for God. I've got no proof that I speak for God unless I stand like Timothy, who stood with Paul, and he said, "I teach what Paul taught." And Paul had the revelation. I'll stand with the revelation as the vindicated prophet brought. But these churches today, based upon their creeds and dogmas; we have Miss. Baptist, Miss. Presbyterian, Miss. Methodist, Miss. Pentecostal. I'm not against the people. It's the organization, because God forbade it. He said, "The Gentiles seek authority, but so shall it not be named among you!"

What authority do they seek? They sought the authority of lordship, that they may place them self in a higher position, then men may do their bidding, and then say, "I stand in authority. Now, when you do my bidding we're really getting somewhere."

How often are you marshaled by people who say, "Give us the tools, we'll do the job."

Say, "Get your own tools and do your own job."

And you folk get your own tools and do your own job! Whew. You think for one minute I'd be flattered if you tried to help me do my job? I've got news for you. Sadly, and bitterly, over the last ten years, I have learned the most horrible lesson any man can learn, and that is this, the one that Bro. Branham taught, doing God a service apart from His will. Never again will I put a man forward, nor do I want any man putting me forward. It means death and hell. If I could unburden my heart tonight and show you the depth of this understanding as I have it, you would cringe to know what I know about this very subject. No man puts any man forward, any more than any man holds any other man down! They're on their own feet before God. And that's where you stand today, and that's where I stand. Let no man try to put me forward and I'll never put any man forward again. I've learned my lesson. (That's right.) I'm responsible today, in a second-hand way…yes, a second-hand way…before God for people literally being destroyed from away from this Message because I thought certain men were men of God and put them forward. If they're men of God, let their own gifts make room for them. I've never been put forward to my knowledge, and I never want to be. If I've got something from God, I'll make it, and if I haven't, I'll fall flat. Hierarchy.

You don't need my tools and I don't need yours. Together we need each other in Jesus Christ to serve Him according to Word, as every man is led by the Spirit of God according to the Word. I've seen many a man say, "I'm led of God according to Spirit". But it wasn't according to the Word, so it's not by the Spirit of God at all. (That's right.) We stand, my brother/my sister, away from that authority.

22. Now, Laodicea, a woman's name, taking authority; the Church taking authority over the Word. (That's right.) Taking authority over the Word. It's the harvest age where all comes to a head. This is harvest age. Christ is coming in this age, coming for a Gentile Bride. Righteousness comes to a head. Yes, it does. The Eve, restored, will stand on earth and not die; walk right to that Tree of Life. (That's right.) Sin comes to a head. The man of sin, Satan, stands right here incarnated, and the world thinks he's God and worships him. The Word comes to leadership, and the leadership of that Word, Revelation 22:18-19, that Word shall be so perfect that if you dare add one word, you'll get the plagues and go through the tribulation; if you take away one word, your name’s out of the Book of Life.

Let me stop right here and show you something, brother/sister. If you add to that Word, the revealed Word of the end time, you'll go to the tribulation, but you can be saved by giving your life. But if you take away from It, your name goes out of the Book of Life. That's true. In a man's zeal, he may try to add to the Bride of Christ. In a man's zeal, he may add, and be wrong, and suffer, but don't let him take away from that Word because that Word is not only Christ, but that Word is the Bride because Christ is that Bride, many membered here on earth. Don't try to take a member.

"Well, I believe Bro. Branham, except Bro. Vayle, I don't see serpent seed."

You going to take it way? You going to take it away? Say, "Well, I don't think my name will go off the Book."

You don't? You better talk to God about that. You better talk to God about it, because God said otherwise. You better know before you leave this building that you can so contact Almighty God without one shadow of a doubt that you can prove it to yourself and the world that you know God in such a way, by some manifestation that you know that He's denied His Word for your sake.

Now, you say, "Well, I believe in eternal hell."

You're adding to the Word. Sure. There's no eternal hell. How can there be? If you've already got eternal life, then you don't need Eternal Life, you've already got it. You just need cleansing. You see, brother/sister, when God wrote that Book, He didn't write It for people who become blind. They become aware. And if you need Eternal Life, and Christ is that Eternal Life, and He gives us Eternal Life, then you haven't got It until He gives It to you, which is He Himself. Then, if you haven't got Eternal Life, how can you go to hell and suffer eternally? Even a wayfaring man, though a fool, doesn't mean, you were there. So therefore, when you think the Word says one thing, It doesn't say that at all, It's saying something else. Line It up with where It does fit, you'll watch how God rules on It.

You say, "I don't believe in election."

You want to take it out? You lose your life.

"Well, Bro. Vayle, I believe in restoration."

You've added. You've added right there because all men do not get restored, but you've added.

23. Tribulation's coming up. White Throne Judgement's coming up. You can make it if you're judged according to Light and how you acted, but you're not Bride. Oh, I know people say, "Well, that's foolishness."

Is it foolishness? If it's foolishness, brother/sister, to quote Revelation 22:18-19, then it's foolishness to quote any part of It. Yes sir, if it's foolishness, if it's tommyrot, then the whole thing is tommyrot, because a vindicated prophet with THUS SAITH THE LORD, William Branham, whom I saw and watched for ten solid years, spent hours and hours with him, saw his ministry day in and day out, never making one mistake; THUS SAITH THE LORD never failing. And God said when that man comes, you hear him, or you’re destroyed from among the people. Certainly.

Now, you don't have to hear him personally...he's nothing to hear. What is it? It's Christ, as it was with Moses, and with Paul. Moses can't save you. Paul can't save you. William Branham can't save you, but listen, the Gospel they preach does save you, which is the Word, which endures, which cannot fail. If It can't fail, then It's going to bring a harvest, bless God; It's going to bring a harvest of souls.

24. Now, the Word comes to headship. The perverted word comes to headship.

2 Thessalonians 2:10

(10) with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they (would not) receive the love of the truth,

Men deluded like Cain. Cain brought an offering. He was worshipping, and the Bible says his work was unrighteous. What was that work? Presenting the first-fruit offering. Why, he could say, "Look at God, it's right in Your Word. It says, right here, we're to give a first-fruit offering."

And God said, "Cain, you haven't rightly divided. You mishandled, misinterpreted My Word."

"Well, it's right here. It says so."

Yeah, there it is. You know, you can take the Bible and argue the Bible all you want. You know that? And do nothing but an unrighteous thing before God.

25. It's when a vindicated man comes along, God's messenger, that you say, "Yes, yes, yes." You don't argue. You don't reason. You don't think. You just accept it. Why? Because the Bible said, when he comes, you listen to him. (See?) Show me anybody but William Branham had THUS SAITH THE LORD. Oh, you say, "I've heard people say THUS SAITH THE LORD." That's nothing. Anybody can say that. I want him to say it, and the thing came to pass, and you know it.

Let a man stand up here with a ministry like Bro. Branham did, thousands of times, and say, "I don't know if He'll come, but we'll see if He does." Then, he'd say, "He's here." Suddenly turning in that audience and say, "I take every spirit in this building into captivity, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the glory of Almighty God." And there wasn't one person from that minute could hide. Not one person. Then say, "THUS SAITH THE LORD." Never one failure. He had a ministry. I want to see somebody do it just once, not even hundreds of times, because the Bible said all it takes is once. When that man comes with THUS SAITH THE LORD, you hear him, and you fear him.

Now, what's he going to bring you? The Word. The revealed Word of the hour.

26. Perverted word comes to a headship. Like the Pharisees, they saw this man of God and turned him down. And the Bible says, in Hebrew 6: “…they will crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, putting Him to an open shame.”

Now, you can see this by the seed that was sown in the garden that brings us our harvest. You know, folk, before you get a harvest you've got to sow a seed. You know we're in harvest time? Isn't it strange this doesn't really hit our minds the way it should? Brother/sister, do you realize was started six thousand years ago in the garden of Eden is coming to a close? Six thousand years of history are ending in this era, this age, right today, and men screaming for money. You ought to be screaming to God for mercy; screaming to God because of the sin of this country. And yet, they can go to California that the Voice of God condemned. Men who claim they're full of the Holy Ghost walk out there and say, "The town is full of wonderful people, and that hypocrite, William Branham, that dare say those things, God has judged him and destroyed him." You think they're not saying it? You haven't been around, honey, that's all. Yeah, that's what they're saying. Not one, but many.

There's one man that claims he's full of the Holy Ghost, he said, "Well," he said, "I'm glad to hear that false prophet got killed."

Yeah. Or as one great man in the great assembly said, "He's got nothing but a false spirit, a familiar spirit of divination."

Smarten up, brother/sister. Somebody hasn't got the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost doesn't fight the Holy Ghost, and the Word doesn't fight the Word, and God is not divided. Sure. I can't prove anything. Never said I could. I stand with the prophet. He was vindicated. I can say what he said, preach the way he preached; that is, preached what he preached. I'm on good ground. I've got no fear. I won't add to or take from. No problem there, no siree. No. All I've got to do is preach what he preached. I wish I could preach it the way he preached, but that's not my gift. I'm not William Branham. But I'm going to preach it the way, slug it out, as it were, with brass knuckles. You know, it takes all kinds to make up some kind of a garden, some kind of a nation, some kind of a people. And mine's giving to hard, basic logic, nail her right down, based on the Word of Almighty God. Not pussy-footing. No sir.

Where does that harvest come from? Because, you know, as I said, six thousand years of humanity's ending right now, this generation shall not pass away.

27. Let's go to Genesis, 2nd chapter, verse 9. God speaking to the original, the found of all humanity…talking to Adam…made in His image.

(9) ...out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; (and) the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Verse 17.

(17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day (you eat) thereof (dying) thou shalt surely die.

Now, listen, let's look at this tree right off the bat, in verse 9.

(9) ...out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;

Did you get it? The tree's that were good to eat came out of the ground. Is that, right? Then, if a tree will kill you, it's not good to eat. Is that, right? Then it never came out of the ground. Is that, right? Is that, right? You follow me? Now, come on. Not just men, women, put your thinking caps on. It doesn't say women sit here and listen... not listen. You're here to hear just as much as the men do, and understand this Word when a man stands before you, teaching It. The Bible said the trees that you eat are good for food, and they come out of the ground. If a tree will kill you it's not good for food, then it did not come out of the ground. In other words, it’s not a tree you can go and pick something off and eat it. It's esoterical. It's written in a mystery.

Now, notice, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It tells you right there. Now listen, you know as well as I do, that God never did make anything evil. No sir. No sir. No sir. No sir. God never made one thing evil. Even the devil was not made evil. When God created evil, that means trouble, toil, problem, God allows. But the Bible said there is nothing evil in itself. Then God did not create a tree of good and evil. It was good because there was a knowledge of good and evil, so therefore, since everything is good and all knowledge is of God and it's good, therefore, this is something perverted. Like I said, sin is lawlessness, using something contrary to the way in which God ordained it. There's where you get your trees. Sure. Yes sir. Using something contrary.

28. Let's go to Genesis 3: 1-7, prove it out. The serpent was more subtle, than any beast of the field which the Lord made. And he said… now, he can reason, he can talk, he can be instructed. He's like a human being, but he's not. He's the missing link.

(1) (You) shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

(2) ...the woman said, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

(3) But the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, (You) shall not eat it, (you) shall neither touch it, lest (you) die.

In other words, there was something there that in itself, if you use, could destroy you. In itself was not wrong. Leave it lie there, harmless, perfect. Touch it? Keep your hands off. Don't do it. Now,

(4) ...the (Satan) said, (you) shall not surely die:

Notice the lie. What's he doing? Denying God's Word. "You shall not die." Notice, he said:

(5) For God doth know in the day (you) eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and (you) shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Now, the woman sees what I've been telling you. The thing is absolute perfect in itself, there's nothing wrong with it in itself. But the minute man goes to it, problems. Don't do it.

Now, here's what you'll do. You'll get away with it, at the minute, but you'll suffer, according to God's Word. Because remember, God's day is a thousand years, and Adam never lived a thousand years, and not even Methuselah, who lived 969, nobody ever lived that day. So therefore, God's day was spoiled, and were going to get it back in the Millennium. And there will not be the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, why? Because Satan will not be there and there'll be nothing in man to pervert what God's made. And that's your secret: perversion!

29. Now what happened? Let's find out in Ezekiel. Now, I can't take the picture of serpent seed, here, because that's not my message.

Ezekiel 28:13-15.

(13) Thou hast been in Eden (This is Satan, not the king of Tyrus. He wasn't in Eden. No king of Tyrus was there. Satan was there, and he's in the king of Tyrus)

(12) ...Thou sealest up the sum, of wisdom, perfect in beauty.

(13) (You've) been in Eden; every precious stone (you're) covering... (and so on)

Verse 14:

(14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;

Who is it? Satan. Were you listening? Okay, men and woman both, I'm talking to all of you. What was this anointed cherub that covered? There were two cherubs that covered the mercy seat. And one was Satan. And they guarded the worship of God. They guarded God and the worship of God. And in the mercy seat was over the Ark of the Covenant, and in the Ark, was the Word, and the manna and the rod that budded. The Word is the unadulterated Word of God. The manna is the broken word that the priest and the people eat, and the rod symbolizes the authority of the ministry that God gave, and Satan was over it. And he was anointed.

30. Let me ask you this question. With what was he anointed? The Holy Ghost. Now, tell me people can't be anointed of the Holy Ghost and be devil possessed. Now where's your theology gone? Right down the drain, because you can be devil possessed and anointed by the Holy Ghost, and exercise gifts of the Spirit and go to hell doing it. Judas did it! Judas did it! And the Bible said the devil entered him. And he was casting out devils and healing the sick, just like the other eleven. And his name was taken off the Book of Life, anointed with the Holy Ghost. "I have set thee so." God did it. Who did it to Satan? God did it. Who did it? God did it. Who is it that blinds their eyes at the end time? After they've turned down the Truth? God sends them strong delusion. I said God sends strong delusion! Not the devil, God does it. (See?)

Now, let's keep reading.

(14) ...thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Listen.

(15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Satan did what he was told not to do. And that's the day iniquity came. Where’s your deception today? When God sent a prophet, vindicated, and they turned him down, then God said, "From now on, you're going to be fooled and blinded." (Right?)

Ezekiel 27. Now, I can't read all this, so you take it from the 2nd verse to verse 36, and with it I want you to read Revelation 17:1-7, Revelation 18:1-24, Revelation 19:19-21; and there you will see the satanic system in the churches until the people end up worshipping the antichrist, thinking he's God. And it's all done by organization, because the churches can only come together through organization. If there were no organization the churches could not come together. Now, read It for yourself. Now, this is the negative side, the harvest of sin.

31. Now, brother/sister, let's look at the positive side. We go back to Genesis 2: again, and verse 9, and It tells you there, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now, go to Genesis 3:24. nd here's what It said:

(24) (God) drove man out (of the garden of Eden); (...and a flaming Cherubim) and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life. (See?)

Now, with that,

Gen. 3:15

(15) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, thou shall bruise his heel.

Now, It tells you right here, that the Tree of Life is kept from being eaten. Why? Because if Adam and Eve walked over to It, they'd eat It and live forever, in their state. What's going to happen? At the end time the Bride will be right back in her perfect position with Christ, and she'll be allowed to go right to that Tree and take immortality and not even die.

As all sin came to a headship, so the very righteousness of Christ comes. As the Bible said, "He that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is unholy, or wicked, or unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still," because that word holy is the same thing. "He that is holy, he that is righteous," it's the same thing because you couldn't be one without the other. Holy means absolutely sanctified and set apart. And brother/sister, that's what the Bride is at the last day. She's set apart to go into the Millennium without even losing one breath, or one step, or one heartbeat, or one wink of the eyelid.

Now, we should also read carefully, Revelation 3:21, Revelation 19:1-3, Revelation 19:11, 16, and Revelation 22:18-19, which does it all, because the Bride becomes a perfect Bride of the Word. Remember, brother/sister, Eve was not a perfect Bride of the Word and can fall, but this Bride cannot fall, she will not fall. She's going to go right home to Christ. Amen. That's exactly the Word of God. We know that to be true.

32. Now, let's see what God says about this Laodicean Church Age. I've been talking about it. Let's just see what the Bible says, here, in terms of the little message in it. It says here, she's lukewarm. What makes lukewarm? Hot and cold, right? Okay. What brought sin? Knowledge of good and evil.

There's a Church that’s just like it was in that tree of... the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There's hot and cold. In other words, there's truth and lie. And this age absolutely has the absolute lie and the absolute Truth at the same time. When those Seven Thunders are revealed, and those Seven Seals were open, and the Word of God comes back, spiritually revealed to a Bride, brother/sister, the very apex of the Truth comes into view, and the same time the very apex of sin, because this is the day when men cannot tell righteousness from wickedness, unless your eyes have been illumined. Now, notice in verse 17 and 18, [Genesis 3:]

(17) Because thou sayest, (notice what the church says about herself) I am rich, and increased with goods, and (lack) nothing;

And God says the opposite. He said, "You don't know, but you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked:"

Now, they're deluded. (See?) The fall caused by Eve receiving the interpretation of the Word by a source other than the One who gave it, now comes to a complete headship in the Church. Notice, how far this Church has gone. They're wretched, miserable, naked, and blind in the sight of God, but they themselves think, in the eyes of God, that they're rich, increased with goods, and they don't need a thing. That means, brother/sister, they're all ready to make the Rapture. Everything is wonderful. We're ready to go. And God says to this Church, "You're liars, you're wretched, you're miserable, you're naked, you're blind. You make Me sick! I want to vomit."

33. Have you ever seen a man look at a woman, and vomit? I never have. I knew a girl who went to school with me, and she went with a man who used to drink a lot. And you know how a drunkard's breath smells. I think it's worse than a hog manure at its worst. So, he belched in her face, and she said, "Oh, Kordel." She got out of the car and she [Bro. Vayle makes a vomiting sound] ...she vomited all over the whole thing.

Now, listen, that woman vomited because a man blew his rotten, stinking breath in her face. How do you think God feels when a church says, "I'm rich, I'm full, I don't need a thing. I'm ready to go."

And He said, "You're nothing but a rock and roll witch. You're a witch, you're a prostitute in My sight. You're so filthy. If I didn't send Elijah, I'd just come and destroy the whole bunch of you. If that were me, I'd bypass the Resurrection. I'd bypass My glory."

You realize the Bride... the so-called bride at the end time is so absolutely miserable God said, "If I don't send someone to get you out of your miserable, rotten mess," He said, "I'll come down here and destroy every one of you."

That's the Bible. Now, I never wrote the Bible, and I'm not going to take it out of there to make people feel good so they can go away in their sins and say, “I'm fine.” Let's face up to it tonight. If God says I'm rotten, I'm rotten. If God says I'm blind, I'm blind. If God says I'm naked, I'm naked. If God says I'm wretched, I don't care how good I feel, I'm wretched because God said so.

34. Listen, brother/sister, when God said, "Abraham, I have made thee a father of nations," he considered not his own body, now dead, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb, and he staggered not the promise of God through unbelief. He was strong in faith, giving glory to God. We do the very same thing tonight. We say what God said, I don't care how it hurts us. (See?)

Someone said, "Well, I tell you, if I claimed I was healed by His stripes, I'd be a liar." Then, you turn right around and say you're beautiful and lovely, and everything's fine, when God said you're wretched, miserable, and you make Him vomit?

I've heard a lot of sick things in my day, and the sickest came out of the Church. I said the sickest came out of the Church. I never heard a sick joke in the mouth of a filthy degenerate, that's any sicker than what the Church says today. You say, "Bro. Vayle, you're mean." I'm not mean. If God said they made... the Church makes Him vomit, then there's nothing I can say that's half strong enough to compete with that. Imagine, God said that about a church.

35. You say, "God's love."

Now, what kind of a God is a God of love who'd say that? Because He is love. Because He is love.

You say, "Bro. Vayle, if you had all kinds of love, you wouldn't say those mean things here."

I'm only saying what God said. You blame Him. You can't get a big club and hit Him and say, "You're not in very much love. I've got to straighten You out." I'd like to see you do it.

You say, "Now you're being silly." Am I being silly? Who's replying against God?

Say, "I don't believe it's love. Why'd He take those cords and thrash those men?" (See?)

Sure, many people say that's not love. It is love. What about the time that He saw that man at that pool? There he sat. He wasn't so sick he was dying. That man had enough gumption to try to elbow his way into the pool, and shove others aside to get there. He said, "I just... I just can't make it. Ooh,” he said, “I'll sure try, though."

He had enough gumption, brother/sister, to try to get down there. There were many who were in worse shape than he was. And Jesus says, "Sir, would you like to be healed?"

How come he didn't heal those lepers out there? If this God is such a God of love, how come He didn't show His love by healing everybody? Because he said, "I only do what my Father shows me to do, in God's love."

Brother/sister, we can't sell ourselves, tonight, a bill of goods, that we just ignore everything, and say everything's fine. God said it's not fine! God says the world's in worse shape than it ever has been, or will be, while the Church says, "Oh, it's better than ever, hallelujah." You know what? I don't know about you, but I'm going to believe God. (See?)

36. Now, notice, God counteracts. Notice what He said He's going to do over here in Acts 3:21. He said, "I'm going to get you out of this mess, somehow." He said, "You're in it, but I'll get you out of it."

(21) Whom the heaven must receive (Christ must be received, retained) until the (restoration) of all things, spoken by the mouth of all (the) holy prophets since the world began.

God said, "I'm going to restore the Word to you." (See?) He said, "You are a mess, but I'm going to restore My Word to you, I'm going to send a man to do it." And He does it.

He does it by Revelation 10:1-6. The Pillar of Fire comes down, as in the days of Moses, as in the days of Paul, and by a prophet, brings us the revealed Word of God. God restores the Word.

37. Now, notice, the people said, "We're rich." That word, in the Greek, is "full". The people said, "We're full."

Now listen what Jesus said. "Woe unto you that are full. You should be hungry."

Now, listen to me, brother/sister. There is nobody can say that he is full, and not run the wrath of God. Nobody. You say, "Well, I believe this Message, I'm full."

You showed you don't believe It at all. You thank God that you're being made ready to meet Him in the air, but you don't say you're full because you're not until that Word is fulfilled in you. And then you won't be saying it, It'll be saying it through you; It'll be living it through you. That's when that Wedding Supper comes, and they'll say, "Well, we'd like to be in here," because remember, the man cast out was in outer darkness, which is the great Tribulation. (See?)

Notice, "We're full." (See?) "We're increased with goods. That means we're wealthy. We don't need a thing."

But He said, "What you don't know, is that you're not. The revelation of God is missing. Now," He said, "Here's what you are. You're wretched."

38. All right. What's it mean to be wretched? Let's go to Romans 7:24

(24) O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from (this) body of death?

"O wretched man." What's the matter with me? Because I'm in the flesh. I've got a body, here. I've got a human body. As long as I'm in this thing, I'm subject to temptation, and to trials. He said, "O wretched man." And I want to tell you, brother/sister, the Church is wretched because Paul said, "Who shall deliver me from this body of death?"

They're all saying, "We're going to be delivered from this body of death, we're going to get changed." But they're not. They're wretched. They will not be delivered. They will go through the Tribulation. They're wretched and don't know it. They're not going to admit... they're not going to miss the tribulation.

39. Notice, also, He said, "You're miserable."

1 Corinthians 15:19

(19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

What does it mean if you only got hope in this life? You'll never make the Resurrection, but you've used Him here, and lived by Him. Preachers making a good living. Now, I'm making a good living myself, as far as living's concerned. But I want to tell you, I would love to quit preaching if God would let me do it. I didn't ask to preach. I'm not asking now. I fought preaching when I was a kid. I fought preaching to a place where I quit, and God almost killed me to make me go back and preach again. I'd quit today if He'd let me quit.

Sure, they preach and make a good living. They've got their prestige. Sure, it's fine. They think it's very wonderful. But listen, people also do the same thing. They have used this positive Gospel, this giving to get, and I'm not ashamed of doing it if you do it the right way to give us. God said ten percent goes to the ministry: pastor, apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist, and so on. And then, if God stirs your heart, you remember the widows and orphans in your assembly, and also those that may be in destitution of something foreign field, if God lets you do it. But I never saw one place where God said give one dime to radio. You can do it if you want, that's your business. That'll be fine offering. If you want to give to trash, go ahead, but God said give to the ministry. That was His commandment. We obey it. We follow it.

But brother/sister, listen, today in this positive Gospel so-called, I can pick up magazine after magazine where they're writers and they say, "It's a shame to be poor. God wants to bless you." And they say, "Sister so and so gave ten dollars and got back a hundred." Show me that in the Bible. Now, I can show you where it comes pretty close to it but doesn't say it.

Appealing the people's greed. Listen, brother/sister, if in this life you're healed…many times you can be…if in this life God prospers you, but you miss the living Word for your day and don't understand what God's doing in this hour, and you miss that Rapture, only in this life have you Christ, and you'll find you've been very miserable in spite of it. If you have Christ only now, you are of all men most miserable when you could have heard the Word and gone back to It.

40. Let me read you what Malachi says. You know, Malachi's the same as Revelation 3:14 - 22 "Thou sayest. Thou sayest. Thou sayest." Twenty-four times in the Book of Malachi, I think it is.

Malachi 3:15

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

Women preachers. Church doing it; Church butting in, where God didn't tell it to. People doing God a service apart from His Word. Water Baptism in Father, Son, and Holy Ghos,t instead of Lord Jesus Christ. Show me one person ever baptized any other way except Lord Jesus Christ. I went to a fundamental Baptist Bible school for six weeks, and even they knew…even they knew that what the apostles did was right. And they said, "You get baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ because that's the way the apostles did it, and they couldn't make a mistake!"

Thank God. Thank God somebody knew something, showing they must've had more of the Holy Spirit than many a person who's talked in tongues, and everything else, then said there were three Gods and denied the Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul himself said, "If anybody ever preaches another Jesus than I'm preaching, let him be accursed." And there was one Jesus, Who art thou Lord…God manifest.

Listen:

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

You know what? In this day and age, with gifts of healing rampant, with mighty miracles in every hand, you can have people being healed left and right, you can have signs and wonders, and miss It, being off that Word. Just like Cain, not dividing. Otherwise, why did God say, "I'll send an end time man to restore the Word."

Say, "What's important about that Word?"

Ask God. Search His Word, you'll find out. (See?) All right.

41. Now, notice, poor, absolutely poverty stricken, crouching as a beggar with nothing at all; blind…what's that word in the Greek…heady, high-minded, filled with the smoke of self-conceit. "Thou sayest." What man could be so conceited to stand up against a prophet, William Branham, THUS SAITH THE LORD. Just one time only was all that was needed, and God said, "Hear that man, fear that man."

You know what they said... you know what one man said, back in 1958, I think it was in the... what's that place? Iowa somewhere, I think it was, or was it Illinois? I forget. Might have been Bloomfield... I don't know, might have been Illinois, might not have been. Might have been Iowa. This man got on the platform, and he said, "Listen, you people," he said, "You don't need to believe a puffed-up prophet." You know what he said? Believe me, he's the man that went through Rome and said God is in Rome. And with a breath of spring air, he said, "God is going to win the Roman Catholic Church to Himself by the Charismatic Movement and bring revival to the world." And God's Own Word said the Roman Catholic Church is going to deceive us and bring us all to the Lake of Fire if you don't come to Christ.

Blind, self-conceit. Brother/sister, I don't care how much I could've studied, had I studied; I don't care what degrees I might have had, had I earned them; I don't care how intellectual I could have been, had I turned to intellectualism, I would've had to stand aside with THUS SAITH THE LORD. If I had raised every dead man out there till the cemetery was unloaded, if I had gone here and taken every child out of the institution and seen him brought back to health, if I have stood here as though I were God, yet I'd step aside one time one man had THUS SAITH THE LORD. Did they step aside? No. They didn't step aside.

See, I don't care what I think, it's what he thought. I don't care what my ideas about eternal security, no eternal security, what'd the prophet say? That same prophet came back and said, "If I tell you a lie, I'm a hypocrite." And he would have been, why? Because he was the one man to get to God by the trance and vision, and get the answers when and if God wanted them given. He's the one man that had it. Nobody else had it. The one man. Nobody else had it. And if he had that ability and told us a lie, then he's a hypocrite. Then what does that make God? What kind of a man did God send, and what kind of a God is it that would put in His Word, when you see a man with THUS SAITH THE LORD you hear him, and then given us a man with THUS SAITH THE LORD, back him up and that man be a hypocrite? What kind of a God is God? No, you can't say that about my God. He's a God of the Word. And when William Branham had THUS SAITH THE LORD, that finished it. Oh, what you and I may interpret from it, that's our fault if we go wrong there. But I want to say this: what he said is THUS SAITH THE LORD. Hear him and fear him.

42. Now, notice, It says you're naked. That means exposed. They've been exposed and don't know it. The last time I was with Bro. Branham in California, he said, "You women," he said, "I don't want to be balling you out, but I've got to warn you. You're my sisters." He said, "Every year I come out here to California, I tell you don't cut your hair, don't wear your skirts a certain way, but," he said, "instead of listening, every time I come back here, your hair is shorter and your dresses are shorter."

And they said, "Ha ha ha. Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle."

I could've crawled under that table. I felt so embarrassed for the them. I felt so sick. They were so blind that they laughed in the prophet's face. Wretched, miserable, naked, blind, exposed! And don't even know it. Exposed and don't know it.

Brother/sister, let's face it tonight. I'm not here to judge anybody, but God knows I had better know this Word and so do you. How much Holy Ghost is anybody got who deny the very Word of God revealed for this day? How much of Jesus Christ? How much Eternal Life? Where do they stand tonight? You know what the Bible says to man. There's not one of you can leave this place, though I'm a fast talker, you got some of it. I'm a very fast talker, but you must have got some by the context. You know what I'm talking about. If you don't know, here's the tape. I'll even give you a copy. Then you better know.

The world in which we live, my brother/my sister, as Bro. Branham saw in his vision, the Church at the end time, in America, was a naked woman with her buttocks showing, a rock and roll witch, destitute in every grace and mercy, and fine feeling. She was as low as a harlot could get. She was lower than a harlot would get, because in the days of Jesus Christ, when that harlot was there, she tried to wash his feet with her tears and dry the feet with her hair of her head. But this harlot, with the same signs and wonders, sneered and laughed, and went on her way. And if you thought that woman was a rock and roll witch, my brother/my sister, without a real revelation of God to Bro. Branham, you're wrong because right today look at the so-called Jesus people. The hippy with their rock and their roll and their drugs, and everything else, are in a charismatic movement, talking in tongues and talking about God, and everything else today, and the preachers are going for it. Don't say they’re not, because I know. I know you won't say they're not; you know yourself. Because they’re why? They're right here in Cincinnati, just above us. So-called Jesus people. I'm not saying all are bad. But what is that spirit on those men with that long hair? What is that spirit on women shacking up with men without benefit of clergy. What is the spirit on those kids that are in rebellion? What is that spirit? It's not God.

43. You know the devil can quote Bible, too. Of course, that's hit me, too. I could quote Bible and be the devil. Anybody can do it. My point is: what about the revelation this hour? How many even know that God was going to send a prophet? Oh, how men sneer because Bro. Branham is that prophet.

I have a letter in my possession that a man wrote in Africa. I had never heard such language in my life. Of course, he just hates me particularly, though I did him nothing but good for years. Channeled thousands of dollars toward him. He lived in my home and I was a blessing to him. But he accuses me of wanting women so bad he had to phone my wife to get her so that she'd satisfy me. And I lived in the home of a widow for three... six solid months, never once went near her, while he himself admitted he had two hundred women. And his own son exposed him for living with a sixteen-year-old girl. But he dares to rise up and say he went to Bro. Branham and warned him, and Bro. Branham said he was clean. You talk about a ministry. He prophesies, it comes to pass. He's got a great healing ministry. He's got his three gods and his Trinitarian baptism. And I have never known a more abominable character in my life. And his own son said, "Dad, you go with that girl and I'll expose you to the whole world." His dad had to back off. That's written in a book. He accused my wife of having had a bastard from a certain man, yet he himself admitted that he sent his wife 1500 dollars, she spent it with drunken sailors and whoredom. I'm not being bitter and vindictive. No. You think I can't name names and places of these men with their so-called gifts. They are gifts.

You think I can't show this Laodicean Church Age, brother/sister. If you can't see tonight that Jesus Christ is just around that corner, if you can't see the six thousand years have fled by and this is the end of it, then you're blind tonight, and I'm blind! But we'll get a rude awakening pretty soon. We'll get a rude awakening pretty soon…sure. We'll be up in the Tribulation. That's where we'll end up at. Yeah. Then we'll die for our faith in God. Not trying to scare, just telling you the truth. If I die tonight, there's one thing I know, I have preached this sermon word for word, the best I can, exactly as the prophet taught it. And I've certainly, as far as I'm concerned, washed my hands of the blood of anybody here or any place else. Not that I'm glad to do it. It's just part of my life. That's what I'm called to do, to teach the Word. And this is that Word of that hour.

44. Now, he said, "Come to me for gold, and raiment, and eye-salve." Now, it means they don't have one of the three, they have none of the three. They don't have the gold. They don't have the raiment. They don't have the eye-salve. Now, what's the gold? Now, you know the gold is a trial of your faith. Shall the Son of Man find faith when He comes? There is only one true faith and that's the revelation, because faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and hearing is revelation.

Raiment, they don't have it. Oh, they talk about the Blood of the Lamb. Yeah, they do. Isn't it funny how everybody talks about the Blood. Jesus died upon Calvary. So, what! What did it do for Judas? I'm not saying, "so what", as though the Blood doesn't mean a thing. I'm saying "so what" to the people who say they can hide behind the Blood without the Word of God. Exactly. “I'm believing on the Blood.” So was Israel. When two million walked out, and two out of the two million made it, there were over twenty. They all had the Blood. Every home had the Blood, but they died in unbelief, cursed of God.

Now where's your sacrifice? Don't talk to me about a sacrifice and deny the Word of God for the hour. Don't talk to me about a sacrifice of women filling the pulpits, talk about that sacrifice. Don't talk to me about a sacrifice claiming there's three gods when there is only one, Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't talk to me about Divine healing and the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, and by His stripes we're healed, when my Bible says the wicked will be delivered, and the proud set up. Talk to me about the sacrifice, my brother/my sister, on the grounds of the Word, the bleeding Word dying. Talk to me about that sacrifice on the grounds that same Word making intercession. Talk to me about that sacrifice on the grounds that that very Word is the 'intermeder'. Talk to me about that Word and I'll listen, but don't talk to me about a sacrifice and then bypass the Word of God. That sacrifice must line-up with the Word of God. And the Word of God will line with the sacrifice. Then might men talk. (See?)

45. Answer me this question. Show me one place in the Bible where the Blood was ever apply to the doorpost before that chapter in Exodus when God said apply It to the doorpost. The Blood was never applied to the doorpost. The Blood was shed but never applied to a doorpost. Moses came with the Word of his hour. So, it is, my brother/my sister, the Blood has been shed, but the revelation of the Blood to this age never came forth until the prophet brought It forth. And then he said, "Jesus is that Blood of God." Then he said, "The Blood that went to the Word, that was that Blood, is now gone to the Word again." You can't bypass the Word of Jesus Christ and make the sacrifice live. You can't bypass God and still have God. God is the Word and the Word is God.

What did Israel do? They had a sacrifice. They had... the hour of the day was theirs because they were the so-called elect of God. To them was given the Word of God. To them was the adoption. And all... read Romans 9: the first three or four verses in there. You'll find what God had given them. They missed it all. Sure. Talk about the Blood, brother/sister, nothing but the Blood. I grant you that. I understand that. I see it perfectly. But how can we talk about the Blood of the Redeemer and turn down the revealed Word of the hour? (See?)

Remember what the prophet said concerning that. Remember their covenant was circumcision. And the man could've said, "Listen, I have absolutely been circumcised. I have absolutely proof that I am that Hebrew."

And they said, "Put that Blood on the door post."

46. The prophet said, "Find that virgin who's got the character to listen to the Word. Find her and have her stand still long enough to wash her in the waters of separation by the Word, to get her ready for the Rapture."

Oh, sure we're different, brother/sister. We'll be called a cult. They'll be saying, "Well, why aren't you producing it?"

Produce what? I'm not here to make a test. The test was made. Three hundred Pentecostal preachers withstood Bro. Branham in Chicago. Three hundred. They did. They were there and they would've been destroyed except God warned the brother. He said, "Don't... just leave them be. You'll... I'll be with you."

Not one dared bring his Bible forth. Had I been there, I'd have said, "Bro. Branham, let me come forward. Not to argue. I want to be shown because you can show me."

Did they do it? The man with THUS SAITH THE LORD, I sat in his presence hour after hour, time after time I tell you. I'd say, "Bro. Branham, what does this mean? What's this? What's this? What's this?" Pull out of my pocket my little purse. It didn't have any money, but it sure had questions. All my preacher friends, "Lee, when you see Bro. Branham, ask this."

I'd say, "Write it down, here, write it down." Say, "Bro. Branham, so and so wants to know this. Bro. Branham, so and so wants to know that."

You know, I'm not very smart and intelligent. I'm not even humble, I don't suppose. But, for the life of me, I can't see when you see a man like William Branham that you know and you know that he's got what nobody else has got, and you know that he can prove it by God backing him up that he's got it, that you simply can't say, "Bro. Branham, what does this mean?"

Now listen, if I were in his boots tonight, and had his ministry so that I was that tie-post that you could come to, you know what? I wouldn't get mad at you if you didn't come. But if you came and said, "Bro. Vayle, what does this mean?" And I knew that I knew because I had that office before God, I would be so in love with you for coming. Where would you be coming? Not to Lee Vayle, but to God because I couldn't tell you anything. Would be the office doing it, not the officer but the office. God moving in this particular way. But they didn't do it.

47. "Laodicean Church Age", he said, "you haven't got eye-salve," The King James version puts it wrong. It sounds like you got the eye-salve, The Bible says, "You don't have the eye-salve. Come to me and get it."

They say, "Well, I'm baptized with the Holy Ghost."

No, brother/sister, Judas was anointed, Balaam was anointed, the devil was anointed, and anybody can get anointed because God said, "In the last day, I'll pour My Spirit upon a…double l…(all) flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams, and on My men servants and on My women servants." Two groups of people. I don't care.

You say, "Bro. Vayle, could there be a sinning reprobate come in this building tonight?"

My Bible said let three people meet in the Name of Jesus Christ, and He's there in the midst. It doesn't say He's indwelling them. It says He's there in the midst.

Let a Korah, Dathan, Abiram rise to absolutely insult the revealed Word of God, and to stand upon a gift ministry, God will back them up. They’ll get a gift ministry, but the fire came and destroyed them. Certainly. We're living in perilous days, brother/sister. The fire is soon going to tell because the Bible said He's coming to gather the wheat but burn up the chaff. How close can you get to the wheat? Chaff - how close does the chaff look like the wheat? Almost identical. Almost identical. What's the test, brother/sister? It's the Word test.

48. Now listen, the Bible says anoint your eyes. That word "anoint" means to rub in and be smeared. It says eye-salve. What is eye-salve? Eye-salve is a poultice. What is that Bro. Branham said? The eyes are infected. Not even knowing the Greek, he said they're infected. Bro. Branham didn't know the Greek. He never had access to the kind of books I've got. Nope. No Siree. He did not. I know his library. He never looked it up. But when he said, "The Church has a cold wind in her eye like," he said, "when we were little kids, when I slept in the loft, and the wind blew through," he said, "the eyes got full of matter, and my mother took that old 'coon grease, hot, and rubbed it in," he said, "the Church needs its infected eyes rubbed with 'coon grease." So, to speak, you know the...

Now, listen, the Greek says poultice, p-o-u-l-t-i-c-e, and a poultice is made out of cracker crumbs. What are cracker crumbs? Broken crackers. What's the cracker? The Word of God. The Church needs to rub the broken Word of God in her eye. You say, "Oh, that hurts." Let it hurt. What kind of a baby are you? What makes you think you know something? I don't know anything. And if I don't know anything, I know you don't know anything. I'm not being proud. That's just a statement of fact, because I'm up here teaching you, and if you feel you need teaching, and I'm the teacher, then I know more than you do. And I know nothing.

Poultice, cracker crumbs. The broken Word of God. What is it to do? It is to open the eyes. Why will it open the eyes? Because the eyes are blinded by the creeds and dogmas. They are blinded through the Laodicean... the Nicolaitan Age, and the Laodicean concept. It's all there, blinding the eyes of the people.

49. Now listen, It says here, you do it. It doesn't say someone's going to do it for you. (See?)

Now listen, I can liken that, tonight, very easy. Some say, "Well, give me a sign, Lord, and I'll do it." You know people die for that. People die in sin for that. That's why the Bible said they died in the wilderness because they wanted their own sign. The sign for this day is THUS SAITH THE LORD. Now, whatever He says, you rub in your eyes.

"Oh, that means I got to go back and confess that my baptism was wrong because I was baptized in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." That's right, you've got to go back and say, "I'm wrong." Got to get it over again.

You say, "Well, my, my, I believe there's three gods." Rub some more cracker crumbs in. There's one God.

"Well, I just can't see such a thing as election." Rub some more cracker crumbs in. It's in the Bible. Keep rubbing it in. Sure.

50. You know what? I don't mean this as a joke, but it's a true thing the Chinese are very strong on nature cures. And my brother-in-law knew a China man in Cowley, Alberta who was going blind - cataracts. So, one day he went out and caught a skunk and infuriated him, and the skunk blew him in both eyes. The China man rolled in the dust in agony for about an hour, and several days later they were all red and the skin peeling. And he said it felt like his eyes were full of gravel. But after a few days his sight was normal, and the cataracts gone. Now, if a China man going blind has got enough brains to let a skunk do that, then where's our brains when we see a vindicated prophet and refuse to apply the cracker crumbs because it hurts a little bit. What's it hurting, our pride?

Folk, tonight I'm so glad that a prophet came my way. I'm so glad that tonight I know that I know where my faith is. There's no more worries and no more conflicts. Oh, I could take one thing he said, here, and one thing he said there, and try to make some big thing out of it as though it were all crossed up. But I don't do that. I just say, "I'll just wait a while because what he said there refers to one thing. What he says over here, refers to another, and as the Holy Spirit brings them together, I'll know exactly what he's saying." And it never fails. Never fails. Why? Because, listen, the Bible said, "I'm going to send you that man," and He sent him. So, we stand tonight with the anointed eye.

51. Now, notice, he said here, the message to the Laodicean Church is repentance. Now, repent.

[Revelation 3:]

(19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

All right. Read It again. Not one time does He say that we love Him. You know, many people in this Message, they say, "Well, I don't love the Lord the way I ought to." Thank God, at least you're one of those, then, that know you don't. The rest of them think they do. That's right. Oh, how they talk about His love, and how they talk about this and that, and how they glorify the Lord, and they say, "You're the deadest ones in the world." Go ahead, call me what you want. I'm living right with His Word. He never said I loved Him. We never loved Him when He came to us. He loved us. He never says we love Him now. He said, "As many as I love." I, in spite of our rottenness, there's a little Seed there, and He's going to get it out of this world. He said, "I love you. You know what," He said, "I'm going to do? I'm going to rebuke you; I'm going to chasten you. Now," He said, "there's just one thing I want you to do, that's repent."

Now, what's repent? Get down and grovel on your face, say, "Oh God, oh God, oh God?" That's what they're doing out there in the Church. The word ‘repent’ in the Greek, means change your mind. Change your mind. Think this thing through. Don't give way to your feelings. Don't give way to emotion. Go to that Word and see if what the prophet said was right, and he is that prophet, then stick with that Word! And change your mind over every single thing that's in conflict with what he said. Don't you ask Him to change His, you change your mind. You say, "He says water baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Amen. Bring on the water. Here I come.

He said, "There's one God." You say, "Hallelujah! From now on, one God."

He didn't say if you explained it and understand it. He said believe it! You take it in your mind, and you'll hold it there until God reveals it. You say, "Well, I never did believe in eternal security." Eternal security for every true believer, take it and stick with it. Reprobation…believe it! No tongues evidence…trust it! You're not asked to think. You're asked to change your mind. Why? Because God loves you. It doesn't say you love God. What do you love? You love the Truth. Brother/sister, you couldn't change that mind, unless you love that Truth. And furthermore, if you weren't one of God's you couldn't even change your mind because God grants repentance. Say, "Oh, how God loves us to grant repentance. Oh, how God loved me to let me have this Word. Oh, Bro. Vayle, if I only had those great gifts, then I'd go out and win the world to Jesus."

You wouldn't win the world to Jesus. You'd take them to the antichrist. You can't do without this Word. Bro. Branham said if he is that prophet, then brother/sister, get this and get it straight: Bro. Branham said, “Nothing will come to life outside of this Message.” Do you believe he was God's prophet? Well, can you swallow that one? Can you take it and say, "I'll rest on it?" Or do you want to fight it and feel bad? Why feel bad if God says a thing. You should feel good. Let's not try to be bigger than God. Let's not try to out-God God with our own ideas. Pardon me. Let's stay with God.

52. Now, anoint, because you can't see without the Word. Repent. Then what's He saying?

(20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: (and) if any man hear my voice,

What's the Voice? The Seven Church Age messengers, in Seven Ages. When John turned to see the Voice, he saw one, he saw the Church, then he saw Christ with seven messengers. Seven messengers in Seven Church Ages is the Voice of God to the people.

Behold! [Bro. Vayle knocks on the pulpit] William Branham stood at the door, and The Word of God knocked. The Voice of God to this generation came by a man. It has to. It has to. Ever since Jesus Christ went away the Voice has to come by a man. And that Voice is in the Bride.

Now, the Word was put out of the Church. Every table full of vomit. And God sent a prophet! [Bro. Vayle knocks on the pulpit] Knocking at our door. He said, "I want to come in." What come in? The Word.

53. Now, brother/sister, when that Word comes in, remember, some other Word has got to go out, because if the pure Word were already in there He could not be knocking for admittance admission. He's been there shouting because He'd been there. Now He's knocking. What's holding it up? Creeds and dogmas. The more Christ comes in, the more creeds and dogmas go until that Bride becomes a virgin of His Word, and she's ready for the Tree of Life, she's ready for the Rapture. And then, brother/sister, she becomes that Word, and she has THUS SAITH THE LORD because she knows what to do with that Word. Why? because she is the Word. There you're going to see something revealed. You say, "What is it?" I don't know.

You know what? I think it's a pretty nosy kid that rips the covers off his present just to find out what they're supposed to wait for till Christmas, or their birthday. I'm not even trying to find out anything. I just wait. And if I'm really Seed and really that Word in flesh, then this flesh will become Word. And, brother/sister, I don't need to rip the covers off of anything. But I'll be that uncovered, revealed Word in my day. I don't need to worry looking. I'm not looking ahead; I'm looking right now. As Bro. Branham said, "Oh, everything conspires against us to take us away from this Word. May we dedicate ourselves to It.”

54. So, there you see it, brother/sister, Laodicean complex in this age. An age, an anarchy against the Word of God. (That's right.) Did the Word come restored? It did. Did they turn It down? They did. They'll keep on singing, "What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus." (That's right. That's right.) But supposing the Blood is not applied to the lintels and doorposts, it won't do you any good. Say, "I'm the most circumcised Jew of the bunch." Put the Blood on the doorpost. (See?) That's the Word telling you how to serve God.

Say, "I'm going to serve God." With your creeds and dogmas? Didn't He say to those Pharisees, "You circle and navigate the entire globe to make a child...a two-fold child a hell worse than yourself?" Sure. You know why? These old Pharisee taught that new convert all their tricks, and he learned some of his own. They'll do it every time. Sure. Laodicea…people's rights. Church rising up against God. (That's right.) Nicolaitans and Laodiceans getting together. God sending a prophet. Men and women turning that prophet down. Why? Because they're heady, high-minded, lovers of their pleasure. They took pleasure in what? Unrighteousness. They took pleasure in their own form of worship, which was denied by God because it was outside the Word.

Oh, I know, brother/sister, this can sound so still, it can sound so flat. I know it can sound we're just like a bunch of Seven Day Adventists, or anybody else, or a bunch of dead Baptists praying upon Word, Word, Word, but I've got news for you, brother/sister, because the Holy Ghost is going to fall on this Word! And bring It up, hallelujah. Not some dead creed or dogma do we preach, but It's a Word of the living God absolutely proven by that vindicated prophet! And the Holy Ghost is falling on It until one day we rise in a Rapture. Amen.

55. Do you believe It? That's exactly what the prophet taught. I'm glad. I'm glad I'm in this day, brother/sister. Maybe skin worms won't eat this flesh of mine. I hope not. I hope not. I hope I can go on to glorification standing here. But it may be my lot to die. It may be that they'll kill me. I don't know. That's up to them. I know one thing. If I can be as lied about and hated by people that I've done good to, oh brother, they'll sure knock me for a loop, those that I haven't done a good thing for, or anything for. And I got news, they'll do the same to you. But the Word says if you have to go from city to city, and you stand before a magistrate, don't wonder what you're going to say because your Father will be in you and He'll be telling you what to say in that very hour, because it's not you that speaks but God. Oh, that's wonderful. That's not said to anybody else but to Bride, brother/sister.

And the prophet said, "I've been called to bring a Bride." Oh, no wonder he told us, just love each other. It's a tragic thing today that we do fuss at each because some have gone so far away from it. But oh, brother/sister, the big thing is this: remember, if they're only adding to It, there's hope. But when they take away, there's eternal death. Oh, they may say he was Jesus Christ, pray for them. But as Bro. Branham said, don't unchristianize them, they could come up in that resurrection. I don't know. That's up to God. But what about those that turned him down? They took away Malachi 4:5-6. They took away Bro. Branham. Listen, if he was Malachi 4:5-6, they took away Malachi 4: You say, "Well. they didn't take it away." They did because that refers to a man. That's not a word, that's a man! Bill Jones isn't a word, it's a man! So is Elijah. That's not the Word of God. That's the man of God; That Word of the hour manifest in flesh. Sure, but they take it away.

All right, the Lord bless you. This may not be a kind of a preaching service that follows communion, yet maybe it is. Maybe it's a good communion night. We're all drinking in one Word. That's right. Remember that wine is the stimulation of revelation. (That's right.) Now, I don't know how stimulated I am, but I know I am. I don't have to shout and jump, bless God. I want to tell you...I'm going to tell you one thing, brother/sister, if I had one thousand dollars in my purse, crying would not lessen it, and jumping up and down would not make it more. Now, if I have that Word, then I’ve got the Word. Whether I'm going to jump up and down and laugh, or sit down and cry, I have the Word.

So, tonight, we might not feel extra exuberant, and we may feel very exuberant, doesn't matter, we have the Word. And we're partaking of that emblem of shed Blood. And remember, the Word became flesh and Christ is the Blood of God. We are remembering His death, the very Life that was shed to come back upon us. We remember His broken body, which symbolizes that He became a man, took upon Himself the full humility, and humiliation, and degradation to mankind. And died for it. Suffering. And we enter into His sufferings. None of us are suffering too much. May God help us. When the squeeze comes down because it’s got to come down because there's suffering there. Chastening is coming. May we rejoice with joy, and full of glory. May we partake, tonight, in emblems and tomorrow, partake in reality so that one day we'll sit anew in His Kingdom. Amen.

The Lord bless you. Shall we just rise at this time, then, together, and...who is it? Bro. Tom? Bro. Marvin, do you officiate with this? That's right, I'll pray and all, but you come right up here, and you take the...one of you take the bread and one of you take the wine. That's fine. Now, I don't think it's necessary to... it won't be necessary to hold the bread till we all partake together because the cup is one cup, so we'll just...as the breads passed to you, you can partake please. This will be fine. Okay, shall we just pray.

Gracious God, Eternal Father, we're standing here now, Lord, at the end of this message. Now, Lord, I couldn't commend myself to the people as though I were somebody, or as though my spirit, Lord, were something great, for truly, Lord, I am nothing. And my spirit, Lord, might not be as ardent as it ought to be, but, oh God, there's one thing I know that this Word, Lord, lines up with the vindicated prophet. May the people not miss It. May they believe It, and put aside every thought, and bring every thought into captivity to Christ until there is nothing left but that Word. And then, may that Word take over, and be lived through the very people. Pour Thy Spirit upon the Word tonight, oh God.

Lord, now as we partake of the emblems of the broken Body, and the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, I pray Thee, oh God, in the Name of Jesus, that it may become reality to us, this which is a shadow become the very substance. Let people be healed, Lord, who need healing in their bodies. Let people, Lord, get victory who need victory in their lives. Let the reality of the emblems, the shadow become substance this very hour. And we shall ascribe the glory to You, in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.