Scoffers At His Presence

I just pray, Heavenly Father, we're been grateful to be in the house of the Lord, knowing your presence is here in such a way it has not been previously, in a more wonderful way than ever, to consummate the works of salvation. And we pray, Lord, that this message is going to end with the bride getting out of here alive, carried away, Lord, and glorified, immortalized. And we're grateful for that. We know, Lord, that it's just grace that has brought us this far and it's going to be grace that takes us all the rest of the way. Now help us in the study of your word tonight, Lord, that it might be alive. We know it is alive, Lord, but may it be alive to us and we alive because of it. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. You may be seated. Now, we're

studying in the message of the rapture and, of course, I keep repeating myself and I... Do that on purpose because I want you to begin to understand what I feel is very, very important to us at this particular time. Now, Brother Branham says in page 14, which we'll hopefully get there tonight, but to the church, the bride, the rapture is a revelation to her. It's revealed to her that the revelation, the true bride, will be waiting. for that revelation of the rapture. Now, of course, his language seems a little obtuse, maybe not as head -on the target as some would like it, but he's just telling you here that the bride doesn't have the revelation of the rapture, but she's waiting for it. Now, this brings us to the point that we've already mentioned, that because the bride is waiting for revelation, and this is part of the pronouncement, of the prophet of Revelation 10 and 7, who is also found in Revelation 3 and 7, but unto the messenger of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works are neither cold or hot, I would you were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold or hot, I will spew out of my mouth. Because thou sayest I am rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing, I don't need a revelation.

Now that's what the church is saying. So when Brother Branham said the bride is waiting for a revelation, that went over like a lead balloon. It fell flat. It's still falling flat. Because how many... Listen, let's get real chummy tonight because... We're going to be out of here pretty soon. I don't mean according to the clock, but there's going to be rapture. I'll be gone and you won't make it, or you'll be gone and I won't make it. Or we'll all be gone because we all made it. Or I'll be sitting here because we didn't make it.

Now look, the thing is this. You've got to understand the sobriety of this hour.

Are we still back in Laodicea?

Listen. He said, I counsel thee to buy me gold tried in the fire. Now, gold, of course, is the trial of our faith.

Now, the gold tried in the fire through 6 ,000 solid years has been a city that has got foundations, has got foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Now, we've been looking forward to all of us who claim to be Christians to the first resurrection.

We didn't know too much about the second resurrection. We dismiss it as second chance. There's no such thing as second chance.

But he said, I want you to buy that gold. Now you're able to get it.

That you may be rich. Because this end time group is poverty stricken. The word wretched means that you don't have what you think you have. And wretchedness deals with the condition of beggars. How

beggarly is the church? Completely.

How close is the assessment of the church in its thinking? To the assessment of God, nowhere near. He

says you're miserable. The word miserable is compounded, or has compounded the word wretched because they go hand in hand. Now he said, you're naked. And the shame of being caught in your adulteries is

openly manifested.

Now he said, you can come to me and you can receive a revelation, or

you can stay back and not receive it. So my question is tonight,

How

analytical, how

judging by the word of this hour are we that we have been in our willing in the face of Scripture to

say we don't have anything. We're

wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Now, a man says he's got a revelation that tells you he sees scriptural verity. Not only does he see the scriptural truth, but he is able to know what that truth is. Otherwise, he doesn't see. Back in the days of Jesus Christ, there was a man born blind who was made to see by Jesus the Christ.

And the question came up, who made this man to see? Was it God or was it the devil or what was it? How was he made to see? On what grounds was he blind in the first place? And it evolved into this particular spiritual and scriptural axiom. that Jesus said, because you see, your sin remaineth.

Now, how's anybody going to be in the rapture if they don't see the rapture?

And they say that they do. Now, you say, well, I don't think it goes that way. It doesn't matter what you think. Listen to Scripture.

If a person is blind to the rapture, then he's blind to revelation. If he's blind to that revelation, what other revelation is he blind to? How many has he got right?

So what we've been trying to say here in these meetings, Trying to stress them to a degree in Columbus the one night. And to bring your attention this thought which cannot be fooled with but must be met head on. Did Brother Branham really mean that the bride was waiting for a revelation because she didn't have one? The answer categorically is yes. Because you do not have God's revelation if you have a false revelation because God is not false. To be the word of God it must be maintained in its purity or it's no longer the word of God. This is why the church ages could get by, kind of surreptitiously get by, for the 2 ,000 years, because there was a portion of the truth the church was not blinded to.

But this is a portion of truth the church was blinded to, because nobody knew exactly what that rapture would consist of, because it was a mystery. It was an end time mystery. And at the end time when there should be a rapture, the whole church is wretched. miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

Now, when a person thinks he's clothed, and he's not, and a person doesn't have the Holy Spirit but thinks he has, when a person doesn't know that the literal acts which pertain to or are symbolized by spiritual or rather not by spiritual, but spiritualized by the physical act of adultery because nakedness actually means that. And how far has that person gone? And the answer is the person would be past redemption unless God did something for a few people at the end of that age. So Brother Brown said in this page 14 that I read here, paragraph 65, that the rapture is a revelation to her. Now, many people could hear that and they'd say, well, a rapture being a revelation would then disqualify the rapture to have any substance. And that is not true.

There's no such thing as a revelation that doesn't have a substance.

What you've got to understand is this. And we'll take it slowly if I never get through preaching on this subject. And that is that

It is substance, and the revelation of that scriptural, spiritual substance must come as it came in Matthew 16. And in Matthew 16, Jesus said, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? Now, the Son of Man was there, and

the question arose, Him being there, what do you make of me?

And some people said, Well, I make this and I make that. And He said, Who do you say? What do you make of me? And Peter said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

With the rapture, it is identically the same.

As the personal present Christ, the Lord Jesus in flesh, had to be identified, so the personal presence of the rapture must be identified. Now

that's a lead balloon to all the detractors. And that's a lead balloon to everybody but guys like me. And I choose to disagree vehemently. Because according to Scripture, this rapture has to be like everything else, everything according to the prophet, and that is God interprets his word by making it manifest or performing it. The revelation lies in the manifesting of it. If that is the case, there must be a portion of the rapture manifest now or I'll eat my shirt or

anybody else's. I

intend to be nice, but there's no way I can be nice.

These people conveniently can forget like some of you sitting here may conveniently forget that

God interprets His Word by bringing it to pass.

Then if some portion of this rapture is not in effect now, it's going to be entirely too late to interpret by the full effect of it when the people are gone. And

this will be that God broke His Word because He puts His Word out here and then He doesn't let anybody know about it.

Now, if they say keep on saying, say what the prophet said. I'm saying what the prophet said. I'm believing what the prophet said. I'm preaching what the prophet said. I'm proving what he said by all what he said in the word of God.

The same as he did.

Now, just like the prophet, our prophet, who came on the scene, there was a great mystery. Behold, I send you a lie to the prophet before the coming of the Lord.

Okay. Then he's got to be somewhere.

It tells you the hour he comes in, the times he's going to come in.

And he better be somewhere.

He's got to be a person.

He's got to be just before the great and notable day of the Lord. And he's got to be identified.

He's got to be identified in the Word and by his appearing and by his ministry, or he can't be that one. They're as simple as ABC.

Now, what about this?

Do the people know indeed that the rapture is going on?

Did the people know indeed who John the Baptist was? Did the people know indeed who Christ was?

After Christ performed many miracles and argued successfully, he just blasted those Pharisees and those men in the Sanhedrin right down to where they belonged to be blasted. The people said, why? He speaks with boldness. He speaks with power. Do not the people know that indeed this is the Christ? They said, hogwash, he ain't no Christ. But a little prostitute. Yes, a little prostitute.

flagrantly living in her sin. She quickly identified him. Then with her testimony, and the men saw really nothing, except they heard him. They said, we know now not because we heard you, but this is indeed the Christ.

Well, you say, Brother Vail, God put in this thing way up on a shelf. That's where he puts it. You say, God's making this obscure. That's his business. Why don't you take a big club of his?

But let me tell you something. Evidently, I, Salve, is available.

And evidently the prophet can be known. Evidently the rapture can be known.

Evidently there is some substantial spiritual token that God is dealing with to give a witness that

is material. Yep, it is. And based upon a material that at one time was only a promise.

Abraham had a revelation of the city which has foundations. He's still waiting for it. And he's up there part of it.

Do they realize that this is exactly what the prophet and his ministry is all about, that there's a rapture going on in

three parts? Do

they know the gathering together for the great feast is going on? For as John the Baptist forerunned the first coming of Christ, so this man's message foreruns the second coming of Christ. All right? What about John the Baptist? Well, Zechariah was his dad. He was there in the Holy of Holies or someplace ministering rather than the tabernacle. And the angel of God appeared and let him know that his son John was going to be born. And he came out just dumb as could be because he wouldn't breathe. And the man was dumb until John was born. He had to remain that way as a sign. And John was born. Now John for Rennie. Now an angel of God, Gabriel, comes to Mary, and he tells Mary she's going to have a son by the Holy Ghost, which is going to be the son of Almighty God. And absolutely that happened. Now Jesus comes on the scene. He's in the manger. And what happened? A whole bunch of shepherds are told, Hey, he's born. Come on down and see him. Now, at that same time, a star appeared that led three wise men about two years later to get there. Now, the wise men didn't go to the manger. That's a lot of nonsense. They found him there in a house. Little tiny fellow. Going on two years of age. Led there. Now you see, there was witness. Now the rapture is of the same particular and wonderful order.

There is a witness to it because it's going on because the message gathers the people to the wedding supper.

Now, so therefore, we're to understand this before we go any further. That when Brother Branham said, The truth of the church, the bride, the rapture, the revelation. It's to her revelation. It's got to be revealed to her. The true bride is waiting for that revelation.

Now, someone says, well, I don't know that I was waiting. I wouldn't be true bride. You tell me how many people ever were waiting.

But when the light struck, that's what counts.

And I'm going to tell you something. The true bride was waiting for revelation. Because we knew there were several revelations in the land already. And we didn't know which revelation was right. We had to wait for it.

So the bride was waiting for it. I'm going to tell you something. The true bride had to wait for it.

Because though a promise was there, there was no definitive revelation. Because the best people could do was argue. But there had to come a time when men's faith did not rest on argument. But it had to rest on the pure, unadulterated word of God. Now, so what we're looking at. Categorically as this, when you come to this hour, Brother Branham said, the bride to this point does not have a true revelation.

Whatever she thinks she knows, she doesn't know right. And if it is wrong, the Bible categorically says that the promise of God is voided when creeds and dogmas step in. He said you've made to none effect the commandments of God through your creeds, through your traditions. In other words, one word off is Satan's kingdom. It is not the kingdom of God. You say, well, Brother Vail, it wouldn't matter in this case. That's what you think. You tell God about it. I hope you have a nice time. Enjoy yourself.

Enjoy yourself. But you better enjoy it ahead of time. And I'll tell you, you won't get a bottle of booze up there to get drunk either. And you won't get a shot of cocaine to deaden your pains either. You're going to find out a lot of Christians weren't half the Christians they thought they were. And they're going to find out they lined up behind Lucifer. They lined up with the prince, the power of the air, the devil. They're in disobedience to God but in obedience to him. I'm not preaching a rough gospel. I'm just preaching the truth. I can't help it. I've got to preach the word of Almighty God here. Now, the prophet said she didn't have a revelation. She had to have a revelation. I'm going to tell you something. If she didn't have the right revelation, she wasn't going to make it.

Because according to the prophet, the rapture lay in three portions and one portion lay in his message. And it didn't say he had to be here on earth. It just had to lay in that message. For John the Baptist foreran. So there would not be a rapture unless there was a message to literally cause Christ,

I'm talking now in terms of Jesus, the Lamb, talking in terms of Him, to pick the bride up in the clouds of glory. It just wouldn't happen. Now when we look at the fact the bride did not have a revelation, that the bride is very vulnerable. because she was led astray 2 ,000 years ago, it is very, very necessary for this bride to examine everything she believes in the light of the word that Brother Branham preached. Now, we haven't done that. Brother Branham spoke on the filter. But how many people realize what the filter meant? Well, to most, it just simply meant, well, we'll just see if we got this or we got... No, you put every single through the word that the prophet gave. If there's something on a certain subject, if there's something on a certain thing, You have got to put it right to the word that the prophet gave and trace it right through the Bible or you haven't got a filter.

Now, not just the rapture is a revelation. The whole word of God demands a revelation. Now, evidently, there was a portion of Scripture that was correctly revealed, perhaps to almost to a 99%. And there might have been a portion of Scripture revealed 100 % where the blood and some of those things are through evidence. But there was other Scripture that wasn't revealed. And if it's one word off, it is no longer the word of God. Now, I know people say, well, that's a stickler. I can't help about being a stickler because the Scripture says at the end time, add one word, you get the place. Take away one word, your name's out of the book. You miss it. All right. Revelation is tremendously important. And there can be no revelation outside of a revealed word by a vindicated prophet because that's what the Scripture tells us. Let's go back to Acts, the third chapter, in case your memories were missed. You begin to see for yourself what we're talking about. The middle of the third verse. The church chapter 19 verse. When times are refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. That means that part which is visible of him. That's not the pillar of fire. Man cannot see the pillar of fire except the prophet. That part which is visible are the signs and the wonders. See? Of John 15 and 24. Even he shall send Jesus Christ which is announced or proclaimed unto you whom the heavens must retain until there be a restitution or restoration of all things. which God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets. What's there going to be? There's got to be a restored Word. That's what it says. So therefore the Word will come. That's why you asked for rain in the time of the latter rain. And the latter rain and the former rain fall together when the reaper overtakes the sower in the last season. Now, that is going to be, there will be a restoration of correct revelation. That's exactly what the Lord brings to our attention by His Word. And at that time, It says that those who do not believe that

restoration message, that prophetic word that comes from God Himself. And remember, God has promised to speak one more time. You know, a lot of people just think because the Bible's written that God can't speak. They're crazy. See that you refuse not Him to speak yet. Hebrews 12, 25. And He's talking about the end time. The church of the firstborn. As we approach unto Mount Zion. As we're getting ready. To step out into the area where New Jerusalem can become visible because the first resurrection is all over. Can't even start the New Jerusalem into visibility unless the first resurrection is over. You've got to have Old Testament saints and New Testament saints. You've got to have 144 ,000.

They've got to be right here in the millennium because the holy encampment will make the New Jerusalem. Absolutely. Now he said right here at that time. for if they escape not who refuse him to speak on earth much more shall we not escape when we turn away from him that is in heaven what you do is speak to him whose voice then shook the earth but promised once more saying yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven I tell you that there's going to be an end time message God always uses the prophet there's no other way he can do it so the end time message is going to start the shaking down And the shaking down, my brother and my sister, takes place in the Great Tribulation. And it's got to start before the Great Tribulation.

It's got to start before. The majority of it goes on at that time. This, as far as I see, this is not Moses and Elijah in the Great Tribulation. Because this is talking to us who are going to approach. And Israel, the 144 ,000, is not Mount Zion. They will be able to serve the bride in Mount Zion, but they are not Mount Zion. They're not a part of the branch. 144 ,000. That's a different thing entirely. All right. So all through Scripture, see what the prophet taught. We see that there is the definitive revelation at the end time. And we are obligated, now listen, not any longer by fear, no longer by fear, but because of the actuality of the facts in which we are involved. to go to everything the prophet taught without fear and look at it and see where it takes us. Because there's still a lot of fear. There's even fear in women that your high heels have got to come down lower than they are. Your dresses might be a little different from what they are. Listen, I'm talking to women tonight. And you husbands go home and tell your wives because you'd better do it. There's a lot of little things we're scared to look at because it just might be that we don't want to look at them. I've got news for you. Those days are over. If you're bride, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore.

God's only trying to help you, not destroy you. You know, Job was on the ash heap for a long time. He lost everything he had financially. He lost about every single thing he had when it came to his personal life. His family was gone. His wife was left and she wasn't too nice to him at times. And his friends came and turned on him. And he said, I look backward and I can't see him. I look forward, he said, and I can't see him. I look around and I can't see him. What's he trying to do, destroy me? He said, no, he's trying to put strength in me. See, he knows the way that I take. And when I come forth, I'm going to be his gold. And there's a bride that had better have gold and be gold to be in the rapture. I'm not talking sinless perfection, my brother, my sister. I am not even talking character, though character is involved. I am not talking fruit, though fruit is involved. I'm not talking obedience, though obedience is involved. I'm not talking here. and those other things, the charismatic power and all. I am talking in straight terms of this word. There is nothing to be afraid of because it all reflects Christ.

There's not a lot that probably anybody else is to do. Now, let's understand this. If you didn't get those tapes at Columbus, you better go to those tapes and go over them carefully again because you touched everything and I touched it to be sure. I just would like to take a little time right now, but there aren't enough women here to talk to women tonight. And they need a little talking to. Because I wonder how they're telling their daughters about the future.

Scared. Scared. That's right. People are scared to look. It might take a little liberty. It might take, as Brother Branagh said, the wife doesn't want to have any babies, so it's convenient to have a dog or a cat.

Yeah, people are running scared. And

they talk about a God of love. Hard wash. They talk about love. Hard wash.

They haven't got the least conception.

Let me tell you something, Brother Sister. Don't you realize? That the wicked evil that Cain did was worship apart from revelation.

Satan worshiped apart from revelation. And he had a part in the worship and God had to throw him out. People are running scared. You don't have to run scared anymore.

I'm very serious at this time. And I want to remain that way. Because there is nothing to be afraid of because revelation is the key.

And the right revelation is where you stand secure.

Brother Branham said if it skins you. You better do it or listen or whatever might be incumbent upon you because you sure don't want to miss it. You say, well, what can I do that I won't miss it? Well, I can tell you the one thing. You can get the right revelation and you won't go one step past the revelation you have now and into the full revelation as long as you're running scared.

Can't do it. All right. Revelation is so very, very important. Tremendously important. And Brother Branham, as I said, said here, the bride does not have the revelation of the rapture. So therefore, she doesn't have the revelation. She throws out everything she has got. She just throws out of her mind every single thing. He said, let your thinking go.

So whatever you learned about the rapture is dead. Oh, now you may salvage one or two little parts. But I've got news for you. The doctors never have, and I don't think ever will, learn how to make transplants.

The body better grow its own part to make sure it's right.

Now let me tell you something. Soul of the bride of Christ rejects a transplant.

It's got to have the life coming from it. It's got to be life all the way through. That's why it's revelation all the way through, and it's got to be the correct revelation. Now, the prophet said the bride doesn't have it. So if she hasn't got it, she's got to look for it. And the only way she can look for it is by realizing she's wrong on all counts on the rapture.

She's completely wrong on the appearing.

She's completely wrong on the coming.

So therefore, if the angel of God said to William Branham, As John the Baptist forerun the first coming, so your message foreruns the second coming. My question is, what is the coming? Well, I placed it back there. If you want to place it one way, a lot of people place it, coming back with these saints. Some say, well, he's coming for his saints. I place it coming back, coming for his saints in order to come back with them. But

you might find even that is a bit abstract as you go along. Now, we're going to look at another point that Brother Branham brought out. And this is on page 10 in paragraph 47.

God allotted his word out to each age. God allotted his word out to each age. And each of those ages has to manifest that. And also for ordained men, for that age to fulfill that word, certainly has to because the word's concerning men anyway. Every time he allotted his word, he allotted a man for it. Seven church ages, seven men. Last ones are prophets. When he allotted Moses' time, and I was illustrating going back there to the Old Testament, he allotted Moses to it. Of course Moses' time had Moses. Who do you think's got Elijah's time but Elijah?

What a lot of nonsense. People carry hogwash in their heads. If you'd have granted their fireman's hose a scrub brush and a bucket of lye, I wouldn't get that. Why? Because it ripped me.

Who wants to be there at my most? You want to sit out an accident? Hogwash, that was an accident.

Boy, his very name means drawn out of the water. Picked him out of the now.

When he lauded the time for the Son of God to be born, he lauded him to it. What else?

See, he made it very simple. Every age he's allotted his men forward in. As the Bible said, if God infant almighty, all -powerful, omnipresent, omniscient, why he knew all things in the beginning. So he knew. There's nothing out of cater. It's just as we think it is. Everything runs according to God's immunity. All right, Brother Barna said the word is allotted. This is one of the toughest things for people to understand.

The allotting of the word. They say, well, hang on just a minute. Just a second. You can't add to this word. You can't take from this word. Therefore, we got it all. Well, that's fine. Nobody argues it.

But because you got all the word didn't mean you got it all for one time.

All right, let's take a look at it. Every baby born, it's only got two sources to make that one source that child, that one product, the male and the female. Now, if you didn't know anything about a spirit standing there to come into the body, the prophet hadn't told you you wouldn't know that. So let's pretend you don't know it. Which in this case, it doesn't matter because this is not what influences anyway. everything that child is, all through its life, bar none, comes from the fact of the conception or the inception and nothing else. But the child born sweet can't even turn over.

And when his tail is turned over, he'll begin to roll around. After he rolls around, he'll squirm around and make more movement, even slide across the bed, rolling and turning. Then he'll get in his stomach and sort of crawl. Get his hands and knees and crawl. He'd get in his feet and walk. And he'd keep going. You see, even though everything lies in that baby, even at conception, and brought forth in the birth especially, as a whole child, everything that child does is according to an allotment of time.

Now, the word of God was given us all at one time in a book. But seven church ages prove there's a history of seven complete eras. or ages, wherein God brought a portion of his word and

how men responded and what God would do about it. Now, the allotted word. The first age was sowing and the last age has to be reaping.

Well, let's understand that. I don't care what anybody says.

You don't even believe in ages per se. It started at the beginning of the Gentile disposition. put it that way. I don't care how they put it.

The beginning is not the ending. There has got to be a finality. You say, what is the finality? It's going to be a resurrection, absolutely. It's going to be a great tribulation. It's going to be a millennium. It's going to be a going on, which is exactly what it is. So therefore, no matter how you look at it, there's a sowing and there's a reaping.

And no matter how you look at it. For seven church ages there's going to be a sowing. But only in one age there's going to be a reaping. So therefore the reaper, the sower, rather the reaper will catch up with the sower. That at the time the last period or the last word to bring in soul has been uttered. There'll be a living people on this earth changed and a group come out of the ground going around here. People say, well, I don't believe that. You don't have to believe it's going to happen anyway. We've got the evidence and the manifestation of the first third of the rapture going on right now, and the second part's going on too, and they don't know it. Now, let us understand categorically, because there are some very strong things a person's got to know about this message and this scripture, or forget it. 2 Corinthians 11, verse 2, I'm jealous over you as a godly jealousy. He said, I've married you to Christ, to one husband. And I want to present you to him in the physical form as a chaste virgin. But he said, I think you blew it for me.

Because he said, I've got suspicions as a jealous husband that you've been messing around the same way he messed around. You open your mind to reasoning.

You open your mind to another way than the way of God. What happened? A preacher came by. And he preached another Jesus. He preached another, they received another spirit. They heard another gospel. What spirit did they receive? The spirit of error.

They got all messed up. Now listen.

You know this one thing according to Matthew 25? There were some wise virgins and some foolish virgins. The wise virgins went in. The foolish virgins stayed out.

What was the foolish virgin? She was off the word.

Why was she off the word? Because she didn't have the Holy Ghost. If she didn't have the Holy Ghost, she wouldn't be off the word. But the truth, of course, is synonymous in this instance. So therefore, she was awake. She couldn't get in. Now, there was no way that she could make it because she was in a deceived condition. All right. Now, how in the world is she going to get back to the undeceived condition?

There's only one way. There's got to be a fresh word. And that's exactly what the Bible teaches. Because it tells you over here in Acts, the third chapter, which I read to you, that at the time of that great revival, that's to be followed. by the literal coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but he can't do a thing about it. There's no way he can meet a bride in the air until the word is restored. All things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets. Now that's the word, not just a minute. Let's understand this very correctly, that you are not going to get another Bible. You are not going to get another set of prophets to come up and argue. What you're going to have, is the word set in order by correction.

And that which has not yet been made manifest and revealed will be revealed because all the mystery shall be revealed. So you're going to have a correction. You're going to have a further revelation where it's necessary. And when you have the two, you have got yourself a virgin. So therefore, let's understand this, my brother and sister, that at the end time,

because of what is said in Scripture. It is absolutely incumbent upon God to provide the living with a message. Now let's find out. 1 Thessalonians 4. But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are sweet, that you saw or not, as others that have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also sleep, and Jesus will God bring forth with him. For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain of the presence of the Lord shall not take a preeminence over them that are asleep. In any way, take a preeminence. You won't get up there and hit them. You won't have any more than they got or anything else. You'll be just one of them. Because going out of here in death doesn't mean a thing. You're going to get up in the resurrection anyway if you're born again. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Now, what's he talking about? He's talking about the resurrection at the time of the living in the den. So where does that place them? That places them absolutely in the seventh church age of the last age, the end of the era. That's where they're going to be. Now, it's going to produce a resurrection. But the living don't get resurrected. No

way. All right, let's find out something. Ephesians, the first chapter. Spoken to those in the first church age. that were full of the Holy Ghost and therefore ready for the rapture, if it was rapture time, but it wasn't. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, verse 17, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Now He's talking to the living. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened. That's the purpose. That you may know what is the hope of His calling and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Now that tells you a revelation is going to come. To some Holy Ghost people. What Holy Ghost people? Read on. And what is exceeding greatness? Of his power to us who believe. Present living. According to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. It tells you right there at the time of the resurrection a revelation is going to be forthcoming. So therefore there is a revealed word to the living. That is the shout. What is the voice? That's to the dead. What is the trumpet that's for both of us?

Temple is ABC, but it takes the prophet over the door. All right, listen. Brother, sister, a message started the Gentile age. Let's go back and find out in 1 Corinthians.

And 1 Corinthians is the second chapter. It says here, For I determined not to do anything among you save Jesus Christ and crucified. That was the message. Christ crucified. All right? A message. then starts the age. Let's find out if the message ends the age. We go to Philippians, the third chapter, and in there it says, the tenth verse, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. He already knew that. Being made conformed to his death, he already entered into it. But he hadn't entered into the resurrection. If by any means I may attain to the out -resurrection from among the dead. That's Christ bringing them out. bringing them forth in the first resurrection. Now he said, if I may attain to it. Now he said, not as though I'd already attained or were already perfect. You say, how much more perfect can you get than Paul? Much more perfect.

Yes, sir, because Paul didn't have it.

There's a perfection in every age. There's a word in every age. But there's a consummation at

the end of the age.

Now Paul said, laying aside all those things. that he said over here in Hebrews the sixth chapter.

The principle of doctrine of Christ will go on to perfection. Not laying in foundation pens and dead works of faith toward God. The doctrine of baptism of laying on a hand and resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment. And this will do God permit. Now he tells you right there. There comes a time when that will be obsolete. When? When the baptism with the Holy Ghost runs out.

Because the baptism with the Holy Ghost takes you right up. to the hour of repentance when your bodies come out of the grave. The hour of redemption, rather. That's what it says in verses 13 and 14 of Ephesians 1. And then it adds in 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 that a spirit will come into the bride at the end time and that spirit will be a message of revelation. Of revealing Him.

That's where he got the series on the reflection from.

In 2 Corinthians 4, go back over it. See? And out of that will come a perfected bride. Out of that then will be the living who have their portion, the dead that have got their portion waiting simply for a voice. And both of us on the earth at the same time waiting to be caught up. So therefore there is, the age starts with the message, it ends with the message.

Only Old Testament saints, now let's get this right, only Old Testament saints knew him in the power of the resurrection.

That's all.

There's a scripture going out of my mind. It doesn't matter. Paul knew Him in the power of the cross. He knew Him in the hour of redemption, of the forgiveness of sins. But he did not know Him in the power of His resurrection in the literal sense of the word. There's not one of us that doesn't have a spiritual resurrection. But you show me one New Testament saint. that at this time has a physical resurrection. You can't do it. So they don't know him in that power because it's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. All right. So the last message is the message of resurrection and is backed by the power of the resurrection itself.

Now let's just take a little look here in 2 Corinthians, the fifth chapter.

And in verse 16. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh. Now watch. Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

What do you know him after? Well, you know him after the same thing Peter said. Let's go find out what Peter said.

Let's watch this one because this is a real, real good one. But everybody passes over it.

1 Peter 3, verse

18. For Christ also. hath once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, by which also he went and preached on the spirits in prison. He was quickened by the Spirit, and it was in the Spirit form that he preached to the spirits in prison. It's reposed. What about our poll?

Who's doing the preaching now? Prophet did. The bride did. The spirit and the bride say come. We have never known Jesus Christ after the flesh. Neither will we know him till we meet him face to face in clouds up there somewhere in a dimension going into the wedding supper. But the point here is this, that as he came to the Gentiles, at the first in spirit bringing a message so it ends the same way he comes back as it is the same pillar of fire that brought the word to Paul is here revealing it and that same one has brought us to the place of the end time word so there's two things here that you have to learn very very definitely and not ever let them get out of your hands number one was

Revelation. Number two. Don't worry about the whole word. You've got a word for your hour. That's what you're interested in. You don't have to worry way back what happened back there. You don't have to worry about the truth. You have a thing to do with you. You've got one solemn thought. And that is the word for this hour. That's why it needs more and more looking into. More and more time allocated to it. More and more. Because it's life to us. And nothing else that Brother Branagh said he feared so desperately that the bride would fall by the wayside. Not because of any great thing, but the little thing. Where she'd just not give up those little things for that word of God. Where she would let little distractions come in. Little problems that are so easy to allow a percentage of our time that is not worthy of it to take away the time which time. The Spirit of God, revealed Word, is truly worthy of. All right. Now we're just going to go in here, back where we started. And I say we'll get through this sometime. I don't know when. I don't much care when. Brother Branham took his background in the Psalm 27. Now, I'm going to turn to Psalm 27. And you notice that the boys are doing a good job. They got Psalm 27 and 1 for you. Did you catch that? That that's the psalm that Brother Branham used as a rapture. Let's just read it all. You see, Brother Branham could fool you. He could start reading a scripture and then leave us sit there.

Like he never did ever read the rest for the time of my departures at hand. He never would read it. Always just read the one part before it. So let's look at this. The Lord is my light and my salvation. The Lord is the brightness that comes to me, that quickening, and he is my deliverance. Whom shall I fear? Have it in somebody that you're going to be afraid of and somebody that's trying to bring fear. But it can't be the Lord because the Lord has only one purpose and that's light to deliver you from darkness.

Remember, God is not coming with chains. God is coming with a chain cutter.

The angel of light never appeared to see Peter in the jail. It took him out of the jail. Undead he shackled. The Lord is the strength of my life. Whom shall I be afraid? Now remember, The Lord is not the strength of your life unless you're born again. This is the born -again psalmist. When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. Now this is the bride in the hour that even seems to go beyond the 91st Psalm. One thing if I desire the Lord, how will I seek after? That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord and cry on His temple. In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion. In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me. He shall set me up upon a rock. That's Revelation. Now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me. Therefore what I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing, I'll sing praise of the Lord. Now notice the sixth verse cut off at five. Now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. You'll be lifted up above the whole thing. Brian's getting out of here. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, have mercy also upon me and answer me. When thou said, seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek. Now you're getting a defeat in the first chapter. Hide not thy face far from me. Put not thy servant away in anger. Thou hast been mine help. Leave me not forsake me. Neither forsake me, O God, of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Now, this is the basis for the rapture. You can see what I've been preaching all along. You don't have a sister or a brother or a cousin or an aunt or a nephew, a mother or a father because you're reckoning with God. It's not what mama says or papa says. Good heavens, if I'd listened to my mother, God knows where I'd be. I'd been worse than a prostitute or Roman Catholic hooked up to a Pentecostal used car salesman, backslidden preacher type.

I'm not lying to you. She could pray up a storm as long as she had that crazy long prayer with the apostles treating it.

Now, she was a fighter and she loved her kids. But she was a raw bone sinner.

And when I came to God, she'd have done her best to get me away. She didn't try very hard because I had her over a barrel. I told you how it was. She said, well, you better go to the church. I said, well, Ma, I'll tell you what. I'll go to your church in the morning. You come to mine at night. Bargain, she said, yeah. I knew it never happened. I never went back to hers ever again. She never came to mine.

Now she makes the second resurrection. That's pretty well what she might do.

Now I couldn't listen to my brother. He could never get through to God. Well, I listened to my sisters. Well, not too easy. They'd better listen to me.

Well, have I got some uncle to go to? I've got a very brilliant uncle. He's a very clever criminal lawyer. So where does that leave him? He's going to hell too. He's already gone there. I never heard a thing about him having salvation. I'm just laying this down, people, and I look. I'm not here preaching to anybody out of animosity or anything else. I can rough people up and rough a lot of things up. But as far as the personal animosity, me dealing with you, if you think that, you're wrong. This is the bride and the father and mother. The relationship is gone.

That's going to be tough. See? That's going to be tough. Because the men are supposed to be macho. We've got more perverts today, homosexuals, because mothers have the string on them.

You're going to tell me one homosexual is going to make this? You're nuts. Women have trouble. They always do have trouble. It's the man that leaves father and mother, not the woman. But let me tell you, both male and female are barely father, mother, sister, brother, church, and everything else. Now, Brother Branham categorically said his mother is supposed to be with that institution out there, the world churches. And if the father is supposed to be, according to the vision, what's the denomination of headship? So he was born into that hogwash.

Now, they'll let you down. Your parents couldn't let you down. I'm not trying to hate you. Love them and be nice to them. Go visit and do everything under high heaven if you're still living. Do something for them.

But it's off this word. Forget it. Now he said, when they forsake me, the Lord will take me up. Don't

talk about that. You can figure your own thing on that. Verse 11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies. What's the enemies those going to be? The very ones we're talking about. Come and try to persuade the difference. Kind old priest. Dear old ma. Dear old pa.

Huh? Fine. Look, I'm going to tell you something, brothers and sisters. I'm just as corny and carnal and hard as any person living when it comes to my parents and my kids or anybody else. Because this is between me and God.

It's a one -to -one. And though I can love my children, they will not stand in my way, no way, shape, or form.

Now, my wife doesn't have too good a background in the sense that she's got a wonderful father. Her mother died when she was just a little tiny kid. But you know her dad did his best to keep all the family six boys and two girls together and be nice clean people Don't go shows and don't go dancing. Don't smoke. Don't do this. Don't do that But one day, you know, the old boy was overcome by the kids and you know what he backslid to So maybe some of you got kids fine go to hell with them. That's what you want You're

bringing her right down to where it is. You're not coming here just to hear a sermon Oh bless God the sermons gonna do me good Oh bless God ain't gonna do you no good unless it's engine skins me and brings it down where it ought to be Here's the way to call better than all the junk that doesn't belong here. Look, sure we love our kids. Sure they love us. That's wonderful. That's the way it should be. That's the way it better be. If I'm going to tell you something, this is above all that. You're coming to rapture time. See? Plain way. Because of enemies, they're going to try to come in.

Diabolical policy. Deliver me not over into the will of mine enemies. Watch their will to get you where they are. Listen. Remember, Brother Branham said get under the token.

Now he said, Susie had the chastity of the token.

But the devil came by and said, Susie, there's a hop going on down there on 3rd Street. There's a hepped up, jazzed up band down there. Come on down. Pick up guideposts. Read it through, you'll find. They all go for the rock and roll, and they're all wonderful Christians. Not my kind.

Not my kind. Now he said, Susie went down to the honky -tonk. Oh, she knew it was right to put the blood on the doorpost. She knew that. That's the daughter toward a parent. I'm not going the parent's way. The parent said, now, dog, you better come my way. Remember that girl that she was delivered, had good salvation, and then she went to the dance hall, and the first thing she just looked inside the door, and the first thing she caught in her eyes was a man whirling around, and she was screaming with devil's possession. Your little brother Brown delivered her by the power of God. And remember the other girl? She wasn't so fortunate. She said, I wouldn't give my religion to my cow. I had Billy Brown's religion, and she died screaming. So the freckles just came popping out of her face like mold and warmth.

I'm going to tell you something, brother and sister, that ain't nothing to the Great Tribulation. I'm not saying we're going to be antagonistic or start some little cult and say, well, Maul ain't going to make it, Paul ain't going to make it. I don't know who's going to make it. You don't know if you're going to make it. For the foundation of God stands here. The Lord knows them but you're his.

And there's only one hope is to believe this message because the message is to the living. And if they don't even believe the message, now let's face it right there. If it comes to a showdown, there's only one group of people going to be anywhere near the showdown, and that's this. The rest aren't even in the picture. I don't want to be in there. For false witnesses are risen up against me. And such as breathe out cruelty.

They're going to take everything they can find on you and everything they can't find.

That's why I'm smart if I wouldn't, if I just keep my peace and my cool and not say one word about anybody or anything. But I figure it's going to be as good as you get. And give as good as you get. I don't know if it is or not. But I said they're going to breathe it. They're going to rise up and breathe out every cruelty. They'll start every whispering campaign and lie around the country. They'll make a mountain out of a molehill. They'll twist and pervert everything that's ever been said. They'll take it out of context. They'll do it. I had fainted unless I believed in the goodness of the Lord and the land of the living. You're right here on this earth. You're still living when the squeeze comes down, when the pressure comes down. And remember, the dove and the crow are on the same roost. Which is on whose roost? Very good question. Very good question. Of course, I'll stand on my roost. You

know what that means. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord, lying in the presence of the Son. So here it is. Brother Branham used this psalm as the backgrounding for the rapture. It's going to be a time of trouble. It's going to be a time of intense desire for the bride to be a part of New Jerusalem.

Now, you know something? The bride's had the desire for a long time. to somehow be a part of the first resurrection, to somehow be a part of the millennium. And she's put the new Jerusalem way back there in the distance, which, of course, in a degree it is. But you notice what it is. The bride is focusing more and more on Zion than she's ever focused in her life. In other words, Zion is rising on the horizon because you cannot be in the first resurrection and not be a part of it. You cannot be here in that first resurrection and not come back on this earth that's been reformed, reconstituted, recreated. No way. You've got to come back and be in there. So the bride is hungry. She's anxious to go to her eternal home. Now she knows this trouble is here. And she knows the only way she's going to get out is because of Him. So she knows the only hope she has that she gets out of here is that same one. She's beginning to put him every place in her life. You see, now people say, well, Brother Vail, I've always put him first in my life. Well, you couldn't until this hour. There's no way. There's no way. There's no way because this is the word that lost it to this hour. This is the word that comes into preeminence. This is where the bride has something that she's never had before. Now, this is the background. Now, I'll continue while before we go to the other part of the service. Now, after Brother Vail's background, We looked at the fact that he then brought the next scripture concerning scoffers.

And as he talked to scoffers, we brought to your attention time after time that the subject was the rapture. Because he said the subject is the rapture. Now, therefore, every scripture is going to be about the rapture. Getting out of here. Every illustration, no matter where it's taken from, is going to be contingent to delineating upon and showing you a facet that's going on now concerning the rapture. Because everything is rapture. You follow me? As I said, Brother Branham, talking about a horse doesn't suddenly switch to a camel. He's not talking about being in Pennsylvania and ends up in Israel. He's talking about a rapture. And everything is about the rapture. Now he says concerning the rapture, scoffers.

Now let's go and look at it.

2 Peter 3. Now

Brother Branham said they don't know the coming. They don't understand the appearing. Right? He said they don't. Now, let's watch this. The second epistle, verse 1, 2 Peter 3. Beloved, I now run to you in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance. It's already gotten slack. Repetition must be good for you. That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandments of the apostle Lord Jesus Christ. Now, listen. He's reminding of them of the words spoken. Right? Then what do you think this end time prophet will do but remind us of the same words?

That's Acts 3, right? Huh? Certainly it is. Don't anybody fool you if I say this. This restored. The temple's got to be restored. This has got to be restored. Don't let it be a bunch of hogwash.

You're beyond that, I hope. Now listen. Knowing first. Notice. Under the commandments of the apostles and of our Lord and Savior. Now he said, you void my commandments by your tradition. So he's setting the book in order. And when he sets the book in order, notice, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts. What were they doing then? The same thing, but in a minor degree.

Because he had to warn them of these burdens. Now, where do the scoffers come in? When do they come in? And where? And say, where is the promise of his parousia, of his coming? Is that what Brother Brown is talking about? They don't know it?

I believe I can prove to you by Brother Brown's own words that the branch is the seventh field.

I believe I can show you where it was revealed to the public.

That's my understanding. I'm not trying to preach a revelation on a revelation. I'm just trying to tell you what I believe, what he taught. I could be wrong. Let's wait and see. Where is the promise of his presence? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. Now, what's he talking about?

You think all things continue as they were from the beginning when He first said, let there be light, let there be this, let there be that?

The beginning of creation? What was the beginning of creation? Let's go back to it. When God sat there all by Himself and He saw that you're bringing all His thoughts together, working on His great omniscience and foreknowledge, and suddenly a light began to form. And what was He? The beginning of the creation of God. God forming Himself in human flesh.

Okay? Everything continues since in the beginning was the Word, the Word is with God, and the Word was God, and the Word is made flesh and draw among us.

Everything just goes on as it were by rope. God sets something in motion. And setting it in motion, it just goes on and on and on. Hogwash.

That's the laws of nature. That's not the law of God working with men. He has promises. He has errors. He has vistas. He has many things, and He deals with them as He wants to deal with them in His own time and ways.

So if these people are all messed up, they don't believe in God allowing His Word. Yeah. They don't believe in presence.

Because when the time comes to believe in presence, they're going to scoff. He's talking about the rapture.

I said He's talking about the rapture. Now get it right down in your heads and in your hearts.

See? Because that's what it's all about.

For this you're willing to know. By the Word of God, the heavens were of old. They're standing out of the water and in the water. What are the ignorant of?

They're ignorant of the fact that you cannot judge God completely by nature.

Nature runs in continuity.

God runs in continuity, but not like nature. No

way, shape, or form. The world then was overflowed, but water perished. But the heavens and earth, which now are, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment, the perdition of ungodly men. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing. That one day is the Lord is a thousand years. And a thousand years is one day.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise that some men count slackness. But longsuffering toward us. Not willing any should perish. But all should come to pass. He said, sure, you can see a continuity in God through nature. But don't get fooled. There's a judgment coming at a certain time. There's a presence coming at a certain time. And you better not be fooled by continuity.

God's going to do something. And you better not be caught. when he does that certain something. That's what he's telling you here. But the day of the Lord will come as the thief in the night. He tells you what day? The very thing he's talking about. This presence.

This rapture. What is he talking about? Now, he said it's going to come. Now watch. He even, talking about the presence, goes plumb down with the same understanding of the same presence beyond

a thousand years. When he redoes nature, the same one that started nature is going to bring us right into his very presence, into his very rapture, into the millennium. And the same one that put nature in continuity will destroy the continuity and start again. He's just telling me. He's not putting his way down a thousand years down the road. He's only explaining continuity in nature. Don't get messed up with God and continuity in nature.

God has a continuity. Nature has a continuity. But they're vastly different, brothers and sisters, because nature is at the hand of God. God is above nature. Nature has seasons. God has seasons. You try to explain God's seasons by winter, summer, and everything else. You can't do it. You explain the resurrection. You show continuity. But I'd like to see Brother Branham try to teach God from nature in continuity without this word. Now you see what I'm getting at.

You can't do it. You're not left to your own thinking, your own devices. You're brought to a position here. And remember, the third chapter follows the second chapter, which is also on the coming. But there's scoffers coming at the end time. They're going to scoff at the rapture, which is a revelation. They're going to say there's no way the rapture is going on when it is going on. There's no way they'll talk about the presence. And yet that presence, that coming, there's

a period of history where light comes to the church while the rest are following false prophets.

And they're saying, see here, see there. What would a bride rapture be saying? See here, see there. It's the same presence, my brother and my sister.

They don't realize that this age starts with the Spirit. It ends with the Spirit. It starts with a message. It ends with a message.

Not like the Jews. We've had it. Now, in this scoffing, Brother Branham takes many illustrations. And he goes back to how they scoffed at Moses. And Moses leaving Egypt with Israel was rapt.

Then he said, scoffers like today, they're scoffing at the cross. That's right. Why, he said, these fellows said, why, this Jesus, he pulled them up. He said they're scoffers.

Why, they said they gave him something to drink and he drank it. It was a potion that would cause him to blank out for a while and steal him out of the grave and take him to India. Why, he said, why don't you read the rest of the Bible? If you're going to work on the Bible, he said he spit it out. It was vinegar and gall. It wasn't

some drug. He said scoffers. What were they doing? They were scoffing the cross. What are they doing today? Scoffing the rapture. See? They've got to do it. Now listen. You cannot scoff a thing, my brethren, my sister, until it's there to be scoffed at. Now

they're scoffing around you. And you cannot talk about a revelation unless it's a prophecy that God has it right out here if you look at it.

Here with Jesus. And John said there he is.

Jesus did miracles. Manifested. Then explained it. William Branham came on the scene. He did the miracles. And he explained them.

God works in continuity, but not like nature. He's more faithful than nature. That's why if God was just like nature, that would be ridiculous and God would have to destroy himself. He wouldn't be worth keeping because God is going to block certain nature out.

I'll tell you what's wrong. People are just like Israel. They saw the acts of God, but they never understood His ways. Peter's bringing us right to that very special attention. The very thing there. Now he said all these things in nature are going to be dissolved. What manner of persons we ought to be. And looking and hasting, For the presence of the day of God. Which same presence is going to set the heavens on fire? Elements melt with the fervent heat. In other words, he's telling the living new people, don't you dare scoff at the presence of that great God because it's going to come so simple. You think you'll crucify him again and you will to yourself. Don't think you're so smart. Did you talk about dealing with God? And he's going to come in majestic glory and tremendous power and set the universe on fire. No way. He's going to come like John the Baptist, bring the high things down and the low things up and the crooked places clean. And they're going to say, what?

Mercy for heaven. If that is a manifestation of those tremendous words, mercy for God, what is going on? That's the whole thing. That's the whole thing.

They couldn't take it. Neither could they take hillbilly Branham.

I very seldom use that word. I've got too much respect. I only use it because I'm throwing it back at him.

If he was a hillbilly, I wish I were one.

Certainly, I'll buy that any day of the week if it just comes that easy. If the vernacular can do it, give me a bucket full of vernacular.

No, he said, this great one, that's supposed to do all these great things, this great rapture, that's supposed to be so great, this tremendous, fantastic, most marvelous, tantismagorial, and God knows what kind of a... Well, A display.

I'm running out of words. Because how can you describe it? Panegyric?

Brother Vannes says he could use like a Roman candle.

This great, great thing. And all it is, is a hillbilly. And

he stands on the scene and he says, now, God threw a curve and... Oh yeah, he threw a curve. Yes, he said he threw a curve. He said, I'll throw a curve too. He said, my God, now he's a baseball player. I thought he used to get in the ring a little bit. Fight a bit, now he's going to be a baseball player. I was going to throw a curse. Yeah, he said, God with a skin on it. And

he said, now, if you only knew who I was, you'd all be healed.

Do you know what I'm telling you, brother, sister? It's already on the road, and hardly anybody knows it. And none of us know it as we ought to know it.

See, you're looking. Don't look down that road, brother, sister. I've been preaching for years, and I'm sitting in this one place. I don't go on the road anymore. I stay right with you people. How much are you getting? Don't look back!

You're not even fit to be lost, wife, to turn back, let alone the bride of God. And don't look forward. There's nothing to look forward to. You're already into it. Just keep in step, keep in step, keep in step. How is it with the word of the prophet? The shout to get us together, see? All right. He talked about the Red Sea and the reef. He talked about the astronauts. All of these things. And they said, we didn't see no God. We didn't see no miracle. And I think we can explain it away. Well, let them try.

Now, the scientific camera guy took the picture.

Two pictures. And he put the cloud of angels absolutely with the pillar of fire that they caught in Houston. Said the same thing. The

seven mighty messengers embodying the Holy Ghost. that came with the seven delineations of the seven seals. And the seventh seal that was to be broken to the public that was in a threefold manner. Now you tell me if the rapture is not in a threefold manner.

Well, I don't know I've got the right to compare it that close, but I'm just interested in knowing.

I'm interested in knowing if it wasn't on December the 4th, 1965 that the seventh seal was broken to the public.

Tape about over? That's enough for tonight.

Leave you thinking. I

ask the question, where am I?

See, you're not going somewhere, brother, as though you're making plans for a journey. You're already in it.

Either you're getting what it takes, or

you never had what it took in the first place, and I'm talking to myself, because if we don't have representation now, we didn't have it then. If we didn't have it then, we don't got it now. You

tell that to your friends.

Tell it to your sisters and brothers. Tell it to your mother, Don, Lori. I can't tell my mother. She's gone. Tell it to my kids.

How much do they bring?

See, there's a definitiveness about this I'm speaking about. I'm not speaking rashly. God knows I'm a rash person. But I'm not that rash. I know how to come out fighting than turn away and run. Because I've been at a little saying, he who, you know, fights and runs away shall live to fight another day.

The best offense many times is a retreat.

And then sometimes the best defense is a mighty good offense. And I like that one better than any of them. Brother,

sister, let me tell you something. Your gentleness and goodness is to be commended. Your beautiful thoughts are to be commended. Your good works are to be commended. Everything is to be commended. But let me tell you one thing. This rapture is by grace. And if God doesn't do it according to His own words, to His own people, it isn't going to be done. And if we are not His own people, it is going to be done. but not to us. Because the prophet said, there's a bride out there somewhere, and if we're not bride, by the grace of God, you'll understand it really. All right, so far so good. Let's rise at this time.

Heavenly Father, again we look to you knowing, Lord, that this is kind of like we thought it might be, and we're not unhappy that it is, that we would take much time concerning the rapture, concerning, Lord, this last message that the prophet brought. which we believe was certainly a revealing of a great mystery, which is the great mystery to the bride, because what else is going to supersede it in the realm of being the dead coming out of the ground and we being changed? And that's what he said the rapture was. And he said, Lord Jesus Christ is all three and descended. And absolutely, we find the same scripture there, that the Lord shall descend from heaven and call up to meet the Lord. And Lord, I believe that's just exactly what, The Lord said to my Lord, sit down on my right hand. I believe at this time that that same Spirit that entered into that spotless Lamb of God, that Son, that One made flesh, that same One absolutely is back here in the Spirit and has done the same things He did back there and now has revealed the Word and is now ministering and quickening that Word so that it is all of God. Now, Lord, tonight, There's not one of us here that doesn't admit that even though it is all of you, there's still far too much of us. And we are not happy with us in any way, shape, or form. And we would just ask you, Lord, to hasten the day, not that we would be happy with ourselves, but we would begin to see, Lord, that we are more solemn, more sober.