1970s-LV Mystery of Iniquity - Bro Tomas Church

I'm sure we're all glad to be back again in the house of the Lord. And usually you find that a little break between service is nice and not too long a break. Many times in the morning we come to church and we're away so long in the afternoon that we sort of lose our enthusiasm. But if you have a little break only, you notice everybody's even much more under expectation, as Brother Branham said, for the Word than they were. in the morning. It seems like the morning service builds up for the night, and that's very, very good. And we trust the Lord will bless us together in the Word. I've got to find my notes here somewhere now. Well, I've stopped this afternoon, and we'll go on with our study of the mystery of iniquity. Now, remember Brother Branham said the mystery of iniquity is the church actually worshiping Satan. thinking that they're worshiping God. The church worshiping and serving the devil. Of course, he's incarnated here in this wicked end -time person. And the church is doing it. And they don't know that they're doing it. And that's exactly the way it was in Jesus' day. They didn't know what they were doing. They really didn't. They thought that they were worshiping the Lord, that they were... children of God, but they weren't. They were deceived. End time deception in this same mystery is that people will believe that they're born again, that they're going to make it, and they won't. As Brother Branham said, I think he mentioned he preached it on the judgment or some such message where he said, you remember how I told you that the drunkard, he isn't going to be surprised because he doesn't figure he'll make it. And wicked people, that will be there on Judgment Day. But he said the person that's surprised is going to be the one that thought he would make it, but he doesn't do it. So that's the thought we have here. And remember also that Brother Branham mentioned that the end -time prophet would sow the seed of the entire Bible from the serpent to the prophet in the former reign, which was certainly done by the messenger at the end time. And also he said the seventh seal, which was the seal of silence, could be traced from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation. And this to me means only one thing, and that is that the seventh seal is the complete revelation of the word of God by Revelation 10 and 7, all the mysteries fulfilled, brought into view by the prophet. And you'll notice that serpent seed is one of those mysteries in Genesis that's silent. Actually, the Bible does not say who the serpent was, what he was, with any real definitive explanation or description concerning him. And it doesn't say exactly what happened in the garden. It doesn't say what that tree was. But if in there, in a mystery, I suppose esoterically set forth, and the prophet comes on the scene, and he doesn't add one word to the Bible, and he doesn't take one word from it, but he brings the word, which are the mysteries, into full view so that you know exactly what each mystery is. I say exactly to the extent that God can give you a revelation because, as I said this afternoon, if you've got to believe, you might not be able to explain it point by point. And no one did it. Paul didn't do it. None of them did it. God withheld it, but they believed it. And this is where we stand today. on our faith, we put our faith in a vindicated message. Now, speaking then of the fact that there is a mystery of iniquity, and it's written over here in 2 Thessalonians, that second chapter, verses 1 to 12, which we read this afternoon, so I don't need to read it again, but just use that scripture for our comment. Now, let's first of all notice here that the mystery of iniquity is manifested in a man. Now, it comes into full manifestation in a man, and it's in verses 7 and 8. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work. Now, in other words, we've got a principle working. We have a spiritual principle already working. And it says only he who hinders will hinder. till he be taken out of the way, then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of the mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Now, it's a man. In other words, we find here it will be the embodiment of Satan, because it says in verse 9, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders. Satan incarnated in a man. And I suppose it's going to be just as it was in the time of Judas, because the Bible said at a certain given time, when it was time to betray Jesus, then this spirit, Satan, actually entered into Judas. And remember that Jesus said in John 6 and 70, Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is the devil? He doesn't say one of you is a devil. That's a very major... mistranslation in the Bible, is one of you is Diabolus, which is one of you is the devil. And so we find that this spirit that's been in the church all these ages, just like the spirit was in the people and in the Old Testament, finally came into a full manifestation through a man, which was Jesus Christ, the Word. So we have the perversion. of the truth and the Spirit coming into a full manifestation in a man, which is the Antichrist. Now, this mystery of iniquity, which is finally headed up in the man, is related to the coming of the Lord. There's a direct relation to the coming of the Lord. Because it says in verse 2, that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as that day of Christ is at hand. Now, as I mentioned this afternoon, this word Christ is a wrong translation. It is Lord, which is Jah, J -A -H, which is Jehovah. The day of Jehovah is at hand. Now, the day of Jehovah usually represents the day of the battle of our God when God fights for Israel. and defeats the enemy. Now, we can find that over here in the book of Jeremiah. I think it's chapter 46 here, if I've got my notes right. Chapter 46 and verse 10. It says, For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge himself and his adversaries, and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood. For the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. Now you can see the description of the day of the Lord is one of battle, one of vengeance, one of great blood, when God gives Israel, his people, a great victory by his own mighty sword. Also in Isaiah, the second chapter, and verse 12, it says here, For the day of the Lord of hosts, shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, and everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low. You notice here how his judgment, of course, is the retributive wrath of God upon the world for their rejection. And now remember, as Brother Branham mentioned, that God in simplicity, he bails himself in the same in order to reveal himself in that simplicity. So those who reject do so because of the wisdom of this world. and you'll find that God is wreaking his judgment upon them because of their lofty spirit, and they wouldn't humble themselves. Then over again in the book of Acts, the second chapter, and in verse 20, it says the sun should be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come. There again is Jehovah, the day of Jehovah. God executing swift wrath upon the entire world who have been taken in by the beast system. And then over here again in 2 Peter, 2 Peter the third chapter and in verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise. Elements melt with the fervent heat. The earth also shall be burned up. The works that are in them shall also be burned up. Now, of course, we know that this is the very end time. But there again you see a picture of the day of the Lord. What we're trying to show you is the fact it always represents the day of wrath and retribution and anger and all against the enemies of God. God doing a mighty thing in retributive justice is what it mostly sets forth. God coming in great power and judgment upon the world. Now, at this time, of course, When this happens, the bride has already been raptured, you see. And then it's related to this time, the bride having gone, God going to pour out all his wrath and judgment, that the Antichrist comes into full manifestation in the flesh, and this mystery of iniquity, which is headed up in a man, and the man is worshipped as God in the church system. It's into full bloom, and then God must bring his wrath down upon the world. because the church has done this very thing. Now, you'll notice also about this mystery in the day of the Lord, over in Acts, the first chapter, verses 6 and 7, it

says there, When they therefore come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again King Israel? And he said, It is not for you to know the time or the season which the Father hath put in his own power. Now, flip this. Notice in 2 Thessalonians, we're rereading here, and in that sixth verse, it says, Now you know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his own time. Now both comings, that is, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is the day of wrath and judgment, and the coming of the Antichrist in the full manifestation, both must be fully manifested, both of these comings are in their own season. They have a special season, and they cannot come at any other time. Now, both of them are secret. In other words, there is nothing set forth here that will give us an exact time as far as the timetable is concerned, but because they're secret, they'll have to be made known by the Lord if we are to know them and to understand them. Now, I heard a man preaching on the air today about this very thing, and he missed it a million miles because... He doesn't have a revelation. It's a secret to him and will remain a secret, and no doubt if God doesn't illuminate him, he'll be caught in the whole entire mess. Now, notice also in verse 3 that there cannot be either the day of the Lord or the manifestation of the man of sin unless there is a falling away. There is going to be a great apostasy, a great falling away. Now, to help understand this from an Old Testament perspective, a viewpoint to understand what's in the mind of God. Because you'll watch this, the day of Jehovah, of the Lord, is an Old Testament phrase. So we're dealing here with an Old Testament picture that cannot be fulfilled until God is true dealing with everybody and saving Israel to himself while he destroys those that come up against Israel at that time. when he defeats the beast system and all. So the best way to know what some of these words mean, what actually is taking place here, this falling away of this apostasy, is by studying the Greek from the Old Testament. Because the New Testament is written in Greek and so is the Old, translated by the 70 scholars under Ptolemy of Alexandria. And this is the very translation that Paul used and Peter used. He quoted out of Pentecost and Christ used. So it's good to look and see from the Old Testament what this really means. Now, let's go back to Joshua 22 and 22.

Now, the Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, he knoweth. And Israel he shall know, if it be in rebellion or if it be in transgression against the Lord, save us not this day. Now, the very word here in the Greek that we translate apostasy, is the same word that they use here, translating the Hebrew to the Greek, and it's rebellion. Now, here's what happened over there in the book of Joshua. You know that all Israel did not plan to go into Palestine, the Promised Land. They liked what they saw on one side of the River Jordan. So they said, now look, we'll help you fight, and we'll help you go in. But we ourselves will not go in. See? Now, that's quite a wonderful type concerning the end time, too, because many people will fight for this message. They'll do everything they can for it, but they'll not go in. They're fighters. They won't let God take them in. They'll defend it, but they'll never be a part of that reality. But speaking of the time of this occurrence, you will notice that Israel that stayed over on the other side of the flood, as the Bible said, they erected an altar. Now, the Israel that went over into Palestine, into Canaan land, they became very fearful. And they said, those people are rebelling against God because there's only one place you can worship God, and that's where the Ark of the Covenant is, and you have no right to set up an altar and to sacrifice and to approach God. And so they were ready to have warfare with the Israel that stayed on the other side of Jordan. And they said, what are you doing? Rebelling against the Lord. See? Now, you will notice here that Israel was failing to worship God according to the word of God, which there was one place to meet and worship God, which today is Christ the Word. See? They turned it down then. It was rebellion. And the rebellion is against... God's own dedicated, indicated, vindicated way of worship. See? And that's what Joshua and those men thought. They thought that there was a rebellion. Now, that's exactly what apostasy is. It is a rebellion against Almighty God. And that's what we have today, laodicea. Laodicea is anarchy or rebellion. Because it's called people's rights. They say, look, we've got our rights. And they base those rights upon anything they choose to base them upon. They base them upon their physiological makeup. That's why you've got such a tremendous decadence today in the human race, especially concerning sex. There's no interest anymore in people getting married. They just shack up together. Why? They think it's a biological urge and therefore it's fine. Okay, let them eat the hell they've sowed. They're going to do it. They've got DD now so rampant you don't have to have sexual intercourse to get it. You can get it off a drink in somebody's cup. It is so brilliant their flesh will drop off their bones. But they ask for it. Let them have it. Let them have it. You say, Brother, are you not sympathetic? No, I'm not sympathetic. I don't pray for a dead horse.

America died in 1956 when it showed its rebellion against the word of Almighty God by vindicated prophets. They said, we'll worship God our own way or we'll drop dead doing it. They'll drop dead doing it. See? Apostasy is rebellion. This is the age of rebellion. Listen, people, don't let it creep amongst you.

That Nicolaitan spirit is in the pews today so thick it is pitiful. The rising up against authority in the church. There is an authority in the church. It is God's ordained authority, which is by the ministry, teaching the word of Almighty God. See? If a man be caught in the sin of an elder, he says, take two benefits. Stay with the word. But we've got such a turning away from the word of God today, it's pitiful. Remember, Christ outside the church is the rejected word. There was one place of worship with Israel, and to disobey the entry into that worship by the designated, proven way was rebellion against God. Remember the prophecy, only rebel you not against God. Only don't apostatize. Only don't fall away. This is one of those falling away things. Now, the next time we notice this word in the Bible is in 2 Chronicles 29 and 19.

Notice what he did. He cast them away in his transgression. There was a time then when Ahaz destroyed the sacred vessels from the altar. He took the sacred vessels away from the service of Almighty God. Maybe like people don't believe in communion anymore. or foot washing, or baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, or these other things. You cannot take them away from the church. We can take nothing away from the church. People don't like passing the plate. Now, I don't care what you do. That's your business. Put a box on the wall. Brother Brennan said pass the plate. Now, either he meant it or he didn't mean it. He said it's a part of spiritual worship. I don't know why preachers want their own way. If he said do a thing, do it. He had a reason for it. He told us not to question him. He said do it my way because I'm responsible to God. There has got to be a supreme authority. There cannot be two of them. He said I am your ultimate and God is mine by that word. Read your church order. We don't fool with these things. We cannot take away church order. Some of the biggest mess in this country right today is because a certain preacher did not line up with Brother Branham and taught his own theory of church order. And today there is rivalry, there is drinking, there is almost mayhem.

Rebellion is not brother's sister in our makeup of where children are gone. The meat shall inherit the earth, neither do we take away. The apostasy is the taking away of those things which God revealed in His Word and the way in which we are to worship Him. This is a must. Then in the days of Jeremiah, they turned to idols, having gone down to Egypt. You see, the Egyptian method will not do one thing for us. The Egyptian method is based upon gold and silver. It's based upon program. It's based upon great manifestation. We don't go for those things. That's apostasy. That's falling away from the Word. See? Keep with the Word of Almighty God and stay where the prophets put us. Or we are going to find that we are partakers with the Laodicean system that put Jesus Christ out from among us and reject Him by means of rejecting the Word. This is exactly what happens in the end time. It's the rejection of the Word of God. Now, it is in the church, it is the church in its apostasy that brings on this man of sin. Now, that's exactly right. It's the church in this apostasy, this falling away, this rebellion, this taking away from the service of God, and this going their own way, setting up their own system, that brings on this man of sin. The mystery of iniquity in the church brings the man of iniquity. See? And we can be fools.

Nobody so smart as you shouldn't take heed lest you fall. Now notice how verse 10 tells you it is brought about. That's in 2 Thessalonians here. Pardon me.

Canterbury. Now, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. See? They receive not the love of the truth. Now, that was their apostasy in a nutshell. See? They didn't receive... What the prophet said was the correct interpretation, and what he said was the correct authority in the church. They wouldn't do it. They went their own way. And this is what's bad. They left the word, the truth, and therefore they apostatized. Now notice what they have called this fellow who is the Antichrist. In verse 3, he is called the man of sin. He is called the son of perdition. And in verse 8, he is called the wicked one. Now, two of these titles are identical. Man of sin and wicked one are lawless ones. That's what it really means. It shouldn't be called man of sin and wicked one. They really are lawless ones, as what the Greek really said. Now, what is a lawless one? To find this, we turn to the book of John, that's the epistle. And we go to the third chapter and in verse 4. Whoso committeth sin transgresseth also the law. For sin is lawlessness. Now, it tells you that it doesn't say sin is to transgress the law. That's not the right translation. Whoso committeth sin cuts across God's law. Sin is lawlessness. Now, I think I've told you before. there is no such thing as lawlessness. If there is such a thing as being lawless, there's nothing there. Because everything is based upon a law. See? Now, there is no such thing as breaking a law, or you destroy the law. Whoever broke the law of gravity. Ridiculous. You can't break the law of gravity.

You use another law to go against it. But you can't break it. If you ever broke the law of gravity, there'd be no more gravity. We'd fly out of space. You don't break any law. It's impossible to break law. It's impossible to have anything without a law. See? What is killing? You don't actually take a life. That life goes somewhere else. You merely disembody that life. See? Then the body goes down to the dust. But you can't break a law. There's no such thing as breaking a law. There's no such thing as lawlessness. It tells you what it is. It's going against the law. It's you going against the thing that God prescribed and the way to do it. Just like we talked about that altar. They built the altar and Israel said, don't you dare do that. If you're going to worship God, you've got to come over here. And they were so sincere. They said, well, we'll annihilate you if we've got to save your own life. That's a pretty tough way to look at a fellowship. I'm going to kill you to save you. But they meant business. You know why? Because they weren't going to stand for pollution. See? They weren't going to stand to be polluted. Now, you take the very laws then that God, I don't mean you here, I mean that's what happens to you as a principal out here. They take the very laws God laid down for an intended purpose and use them for something else or they try to attain the same purpose God wants by using some other law that God never ordained. See? Like Miriam. Yeah. She did a great job dancing with her tambourine and prophesying. And she attempted to lead Israel away from Moses by doing it. And God said it were better if your father spit in her face and fed her to the crocodile. I just added that part because I think that's what God meant.

Spit in her face, disown her. Better if she didn't have a thing to do with it than the trick she pulled off. That's exactly the way women preachers are. The Bible says we know all the word and preach the gospel, but not women.

See? It said, teach that word, but not women. See? And the women still can't get rid of that spirit to say they believe this message. They're on that phone day and night making those wires hot on the firecrackers. And I'm going to tell you, the way to tear your church up is to put several phones in your house and keep you women blabbing. If you blab, I don't know if you do or not, but if you do, God has pit in your soul because you're going to reap a harvest you never dreamed of. And you'd happen in a minute of rain because they shut up when they should put their homes in order.

Now that's apostasy right there. That's leaving this word right there. Because you can't have your cake and eat it. You cannot go against the laws that God laid down. You know what these women are doing? The men are allowing it. They're allowing the church government to be sustained that way when it's vested in the supreme authority, which is the pastor who brings the word. And then the other people say, well, you don't want any pastors, thank you. I'm glad you people want a pastor or I wouldn't be here today. You can fly your own cut, but don't fly near me. I wouldn't give you the time. I'll be honest, I wouldn't give you the time today. Because I could prove right there nothing but a bunch of rebellious people.

Even Paul said, you put elders in every church. You do. And the elder is the man who could lead you astray. If he's a real man, he won't do it.

Now, you see what we're into today? Anybody can say he believes his message. But to take a stand on it is a different thing than time. To stand up to that word. That apostasy is here in the world, and the devil's going to use everything he can to bring everybody into it because he wants them all. See, he does, and he's going to try to get them all. So here's what they do. They take laws that God did not intend to be used to bring about a certain result. That's what happened in the garden. Adam and Eve. Serpent defiled the womb. Then Adam took her back, cautionated to bring four children. Well, it shouldn't have been done, because the command was given when they were in the spirit. It's a spiritual reproduction. God, by creating. See? Of course, he creates anew, getting his own way. Now, notice the original sin, iniquity, as found in Genesis here, that second chapter, in verses 9 and 17.

Out of the ground the Lord God made every tree pleasant to sight, and good for food. the tree of life often meets the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of the evil. Now, in verse 17 he said, Don't eat of that tree of the knowledge of the evil. If you eat, you're going to die. Now look, the Bible distinctly says that everything God made was good. How in the name of common sense can God, a father, look down upon a tree that will kill you and then say, I made it all good. How do you? I say, no, he's looking, even I couldn't swallow that. He said, Brother Dale, don't you have blind faith? How can I have blind faith when God gave me revelation?

I've got open -eyed, spiritual revelation faith. I've got no blind faith.

My blind faith is to turn down every single thing that somebody may give to me, to appeal to me, to take me away from my revelation. My revelation is eyes wide open in Christ. See? Not on my own self saying I see, but now I see because the prophet changed. Now I see. Before I was blind. You see? Now, God made everything good. And let's face it, therefore, if a thing can kill you, it's not good. So God never made any creature to kill you.

You kill yourself by perverting the law that God laid down to a certain end.

Now, that law was bring forth, but you don't do it by sex.

You bring forth in the church in the same way, but you don't do it by creed or adornment or by women preachers or by... and socials or wiener roasts and all those things, but you do it by the word. You don't do it by solely preaching, preaching about mother and father. Yeah, and the cowboy's heaven. Go to see Will Rogers. I turned the radio off. It said hogwash. I don't care two cents of Will Rogers and the rest of those birds. If I don't go there to see Jesus, forget the whole man. There's nothing to anything. Now, anybody can have a mother's heaven or a father's heaven or an uncle's heaven. I've got about as much sentiment as a hog has. I can't deal with sentimentality. Life is too important and too precious to be frittering our time away on sentimentality. If you're going to get sentimental, get sentimental with Jesus and above all with the Word. See? For what it is, can't you see this? It's the perversion. It's taking those laws that God laid down. It's like the law of faith and passing. People go around saying, and boasting. That they fast the whole week. Or they fast 30 and 40 days. Brother Branagh said, don't you dare do that. See? Oh yeah. They boast. And you know what happens? They break into a dimension they have no right breaking into. And they come back with gifts and everything else. And they'll pay a price on that day. Why? Because they're trying to get to a certain place by a wrong law.

That's just the same as a carnal man playing politics in church. to head up a church, or to be looked upon by a lobby. Oh, that's a great guy. Isn't he wonderful? Who in the name of common sense has got to announce the Spirit of Christ wants to be looked up to?

Huh? Who? Who wants to be an authority or this or that?

Stay with the Word. You follow me now what this lawless thing is? This idea that what's leading us, and not necessarily leading us, but I mean leading the world into chaos. Now, we saw it. It's a perversion of truth. Now, notice how Cain carried this on after Eve got food. Notice Cain.

That's over here in 1

John, the third chapter. Now, verse 9. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he's born of God. Now, that's a mouthful right there. Because you know jolly well that the Bible also says if any man says he doesn't sin, he's a liar, and the truth is not in him. And if any man sin, he's got an advocate, even Jesus Christ the righteous. And who in the name of common sense needs an advocate or an intercessor unless there's something to intercede for? Just a waste of time.

You've got to have something that matches up. In other words, as Brother Branham said, if God had not allowed us to sin, the full attributes of God could not be on display. But God being a Savior, He had to make a sinner in order to bring forth His attributes. Well, if one of his attributes is an intercessor, then there's got to be someone you intercede for. And remember, the mediator brings you in, the intercessor keeps you in.

Now, you know very well, there's no such thing as Jesus sitting here as a man, and here's God over here. And God said, well, I don't think I like John anymore. Oh, he said, oh, no, Father, please, please, please, don't throw John out. Now, John hasn't done the thing. He's a good boy, really, and you know there's not a reason you throw him out. I think I'll throw him out anyway. You think that's how God works? How ridiculous. We know that the Spirit of God is grieved with sin. And John does something that's wrong. Why? Because somebody threw the ball at him and he caught it. Maybe some half -naked woman went down the street. He hasn't learned to turn his eyes yet. Caught a thought like that. Now, Spirit of God, what's the intercessor doing? I died for that person.

Now, we understand what we're talking about. But it says here, in this book there's a mystery. And the mystery is it says this one born of God does not sin because he cannot sin. So therefore there's something that God calls sin that we don't call sin. We've been talking about it right there. It has to do with twisting the word of God. There's something in here about that word. Now let's find out. It says in this thing, this thing here, it's evident, it's manifested truly in God and truly in the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not a god, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message you heard in the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother, and wherefore slew he him, because his own works were evil. Now it says that Cain killed Abel, because Abel had done a righteous work, and Cain had done an unrighteous work.

That's what brought about the killing. Now the killing was unrighteous, sure. But that's not the unrighteous act. The unrighteous act was an act of worship whereby Cain brought the first fruit offering instead of the blood offering. Now his offering was perfect. It was right. There's nothing wrong with the first fruit offering. See? But you've got to have the blood offering first of all. And Cain brought the blood offering because by revelation he rightly divided the word. And that's what sent in. And that's the difference between the one that's born again and the one that's not. The child of God will never misdivide that word. That's the mark of the Holy Ghost every time it all dovetails in Genesis or Revelation. See? Now, we understand that then. What this mystery niggard is, it is the church worshiping God its own way, literally ending up worshiping the devil and doesn't even know it.

Worshiping and serving God apart from God's predestinated. For ordained ways. That's what Jesus said to Israel. In vain do you worship me, having for teaching the doctrines of men. In vain. You say, now, just a minute, Lord. In vain does this man worship because he's got a woman on the side. No. Now, that's bad, but that's not it. Well, in vain, Lord, does this man do because he likes a little bit too much wine. No. That's bad, but that's not it. You say, Brother Dale, are you pleading for those guys? I'm not pleading at all. I'm just showing you the truth.

It says the difference between the manifested sons of God and those that aren't, it lies in this one thing. This one fellow cannot sin.

He does righteously. And he loves his brother. Who

does he love? He loves his brother. You find him doing anything against your brother? No. You don't find him. You find him trying to be helpful and grace and kind, but you'll find there's one thing the guy doesn't go for. he will not step outside that revealed word. The other fellow does, who has called himself a brother. And then the man that calls himself a brother will come against the man that does have the word, while the one that's with God will simply stand up for the word. That's

exactly the way that Cain was against his brother Abel. Abel stood with the word. He simply followed through what he was supposed to do. There's no doubt he loved Cain. Cain refused that word and turned on his brother.

You're going to find more and more of that truth because that's the way it's got to be. Now notice how Jesus called Israel of the very same seed as Cain. In the book of John, that's the gospel, verses

44 to 47. You are of your father the devil. In other words, your source, which is the word father is sourced in the Greek and Hebrew. Your source is the devil. And the lust of your father you'll do. Now that word lust is too strong. The word is really pleasure.

Remember the Bible says they take pleasure in unrighteousness. They like doing it. Cain loved his flowers. He loved the fruit. He didn't like the blood. He didn't like division of the word. He wouldn't. The Bible says back there in Genesis, you have not rightly divided.

What? The word. Now, he was a murderer from the beginning. And abode not in the truth, because there's no truth in him. How in the world can you stay with the word and there's no word in you? Creeds and dogmas. Jesus said to the Israelites, he said, the reason that you cannot take me, how do you put it here? I

know you're Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. There was no place in them for the word. Something in there was missing. No place for the word, see? They lacked something. Now, when he speaks of the lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. And I tell you the truth, you believe me not. Which of you can confute me, in other words, convince me of sin? Which of you, as Brother Brown said, can find me wrong in one word? The word is really confused. And if I say the truth, why do you not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's word.

See, so I hear his word. No, it's a minute now. You therefore hear them not because you are not a God. Now, notice what it says up here in another place. Why do you not understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word. To understand the word of God is to hear the word of God. To hear the word of God is to understand the word of God. And remember, nobody can hear the word of God with understanding except a child of God. See? Now, no doubt Abel didn't know exactly why he was offering that blood. But he did it. There was just a certain amount of revelation there. See? But it takes the Spirit to reveal the Word. Now, let's go also to Matthew, the 15th chapter, 3

to 13. He answered and said, Why do you also transgress the commandments of God by your tradition? What is it that transgresses the Word of God? Tradition.

See? He didn't say, I can't stand the fact you break the Ten Commandments. He said, you've destroyed yourself by teaching a corrupted word. He

said, your tradition, what you teach, have transgressed the Word of God. Now, what happens after that? Watch how they begin to deteriorate. Watch how they begin to go downhill. Like in marriage and divorce, you cheat something other than the word of God in marriage and divorce, and you're going to have people say they believe this message and say, I can put away my wife for anything and marry somebody as long as she's a virgin. You lusty, dirty old doggy. If you think I don't know what you're talking about, you're not kidding me.

You've got to be a half -wit, 16 -year -old kid and know what you're driving at.

Pure lust, unabridged, unadulterated. See? Sure. Pin it down where it belongs. You come against this message here the way Brother Branham taught it? you'll end up in hell and you'll take people to hell with you. See? Why? Because they take what they want to believe and cut against what the prophet taught. See? Honor your father and mother. He that curses his father and mother, let him die. But you say, whosoever shall say to his father and his mother, it is a gift. By whosoever thou mightest be proud. I don't even know what this means here. It's something I never could figure out. And honor his father and mother. He said he shall be free. Thus, said Jesus, you have made the commandments of God. Of none he's faked by your tradition. You is hypocrite. What's a hypocrite? Well, he's a fellow with a mask. But he's also a guy that pretends he's something that he's not. He's a shady character. What did Isaiah prophesy concerning you? This people draws near with their mouth and all with their lips, but their heart is far from me. What's their heart? The heart comes to issue light. When it comes down to the light, they don't want it. In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines and the commandments of men. See, here's where it is. This is where Eve went astray. This is where Cain went astray. This is where everybody goes astray. Get back to the Word and you won't be astray. If we can get back to the pure, unadulterated Word, we get back to eternal life. And I mean pure, unadulterated Word is the Word of God in your day, and this is the Word of God for our day to walk into eternal life without even dying. Walk to the millennium. He called the multitude and said to them, Hear and understand. Not that which goes in the mouth defiles the man, but that which comes out of the mouth defiles the man. See why? Because that's the word. Now if the perfect word of God comes out of us, there's no defilement.

If we say what the prophet said, there's no defilement. And that's where Eve got her trouble. She did not say what God said.

Because she said, you can't even touch it.

The word of God was Eve, to be a partaker. Now, so the Pharisees here became very offended. And Jesus said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be uprooted. Let them alone. That's these terrors. They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both fall in the ditch. Now, who's the blind person? The blind person is one who has been blinded like in Laodicea. And if blind is this, he says he sees, but he can't see. If he hadn't have said that he could see, his sin would not have remained. But the minute they say, we see, we don't need this revelation, then they're finished right there. Their sin remains. There is no blood sacrifice. I don't care how they plead the blood sacrifice. There is no blood sacrifice for them, see. Now, then Peter declared, he said, declare this parable. And Jesus said, are you also without understanding and so on, see. They turned away. from the word of Almighty God. Now, as I said a while ago, this lawless one can only come at a certain time. That's right. He's got to come at the certain time of Matthew 24 and 24 when there shall arise false, Christ, even lying prophets who show great signs and wonders that even the very elected would be deceived by their subtlety except for the intervention of Almighty God. Now, remember, it's that if it were possible, and remember, it's impossible to deceive the elect, and it's impossible for a man born again to sin.

See, they're never fooled by the wrong interpretation. They come right down the line.

Now, this is a whole lot different explanation than you've ever heard in your life before the prophet came.

See, we didn't know what this was all about. We know now, though. Why? Because the mysteries are open. We know what it is now. falling away people who say, well, if you're born of God, you won't sin. I saw a man sinning. He must be lost.

No. They're not born again themselves because they believe in a sanctified holy doctrine that doesn't apply at all.

Their doctrine is a million miles off -road. Because if you had the root of sin taken out of you, how in the world could you backslide? How could you be tempted? Yes, you can be tempted.

They've got a lot of funny theories. I know one thing. I know one thing. Wesley never taught him because I read his book. They say they follow Wesley. That's like Israel said they follow Moses. Now, Matthew, I was reading in Matthew 24 there. Matthew, pardon me, 24, 25, 26 now says, Behold, I told you before. Therefore, if they say he is in the desert, go not forth. Behold, the secret chamber, don't you believe it. Now, with that, we read over here in Acts, the second chapter, which I've read many times, 2 and 16, where Peter speaks. of the Spirit of God falling upon A -double -L flesh, so that there are two groups of people anointed, God's anointed one and the devil's anointed one. And they're both going to have the same signs and wonders. Now, with that, Acts 2, 16 and 17, let's read that 21st verse.

And it says, And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now, In the end time, when this takes place, you've got to call upon the name of the Lord. But what is the name of the Lord? Jesus. But they don't know that. They don't know that Brother Branagh's vision was absolutely scriptural. Remember that he speaks of that in the vision, he repeats it in a thinking math filter, you know, where he said he was going out that early morning sunrise, he saw like beautiful... The streams of light grew up and they turned into the seven church ages, seven golden candlesticks. And the voice said to him, the angel of God said, Jehovah, the Old Testament, is Jesus the new? See? What's the name of the Lord? It's Jesus. There are not three gods. There are not two gods. There is one God. See? Now, notice in there. As I read, talked this afternoon in Matthew 7 and 15 and Matthew 24, 24 and Matthew 7, 21 to 23, it speaks up there of that tree. It says a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. See, what is it? He brings you right down to this day where you have prophets who show the signs and the miracles of Almighty God. They teach the Word of God with their own creeds and their dog was mixed in it. And they're leading the people astray. But you've got those that stand right with that Word. And they don't try to do one thing. He said God is in it, having His own way, bringing forth His own Word. Now, remember. He also says over there in Matthew 7, 21 to 23, Many shall come in that day and say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? Cast out devils, did wonder works. And he said, I never knew you. Depart from me, you that work iniquity. But remember, those people could not do those things. It was the Spirit of God that did it. What was their iniquity? The wrong division of the Word of God and taking a manifestation of the Holy Ghost to attempt to prove themselves right and thereby deluding the people. See? And they end up with this system worshiping the devil thinking it's God. Imagine putting a man on the throne. Now, so here we have the end time iniquity abounding as it says in Matthew 24, 11 and 12. Let's look at that. Matthew 24, 11 and 12. And many false prophets shall arise and deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound. The love of many shall wax cold. The love of what? The love of the Word shall absolutely wax cold because you're getting away with your creeds and dogmas.

Ha! My, people can see that. Here's a Pentecostal church. Lima High. South Bend. You go wherever you want. You got it. Roman Catholics all come together now. And they all talk in a junk. And the priest is a good chunk talker too. And here's a Pentecostal he talks in junk. And he said, praise the Lord. That dear brother was Roman Catholic. He's got his collar on backwards, sure he has. And he's educated. But I want to tell you, he's got the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. He talks in tongues. That's in the Holy Ghost. Doesn't he claim that he's God when he takes confession of sins? Well, sure. Now, can that be the Holy Ghost? Well, he said, he talks in tongues. That's the Holy Ghost. And I talk in tongues. That's the Holy Ghost. Why don't I take just a minute now. He says the Pope's infallible. Do you believe that? No, we shouldn't even have a Pope. But you see, he talks in tongues, and I talk in tongues. He's got the Holy Ghost, and I've got the Holy Ghost. And I say, hold it now. He says, Hail Mary. He prays to Mary with your spirit. Now, I admit that's a good, strong force. But you see, he talks in tongues, he's got the Holy Ghost. I talk in tongues, I've got the Holy Ghost. And pretty soon he says, what does it really matter anyway?

They don't love the Word of God. They love the icing on the cake. Never mind the baker, kill him. And so they do their best to kill God the second time, and they literally crucify the Son of God the second time by crucifying the Word.

Now what do they stand on? They stand on a manifestation.

The wickedness is not those gifts in operation in the sense that people are getting healed, although that's wicked if you're going to take something off a man that God put on there. That's wicked to do that. But you see what it is? It's that perverting of the word of God to the people and making them stick by signs and wonders. You see now, false to the word, but true to the power. Pentecostal shuck for runs the Antichrist, because all the poison of all the ages pour into her. Now listen, you've got to understand this. I know people don't like this kind of preaching. I hope you do, because you ought to. because of what the prophet does. But at the end time, all the poison pours into it, because Pentecost is the last.

Remember, God visits the sins in the fourth generation. See? The third and the fourth generation. On to the third and the fourth generation. Usually especially the fourth one. Now, let's look at this thing. Luther, Wesley, remember? Pentecost, when it had the right thing, but at the end, at the tail end, when the bride age comes in, they go into what is literally a fourth generation, and God is going to require at their hand all the corruption of all the ages, just like he did with Israel. Now, this is how God works, and there's no use you and me trying to change it. Why should God do it at this age? Why not 20 steps all the way back there? Why did he kill Adam and do so -and -so? Listen, just why not let God mind his business?

He's God. He knows what he's doing. And believe me, we're going to find one day he's done a far better job of grace than we ever believed he was doing. Give him credit. The best you can. No, people don't understand this. The poison of all the ages is poured into the chaff because he says, burn it up and

save the weak. The last plague that hit Egypt was spiritual death, physical death. And today, the last thing is spiritual death. And remember, this is the last age. It's in the last age that spiritual death comes to the whole world. Now, I hope we see it. Remember what Mr. Pentecost said. He said when he was in Rome and the curial was talking in tongues, it was a breath of fresh air. As I've said before, I wonder where his nose was before that period. I read a story, it may not be very nice to say here, but I read a story years ago of a man that stole into somebody's attic. And every night he replenished his attic with food. And he was up there for years. And people couldn't figure out what it was. They heard a noise, and they thought, what is that? But they never got too suspicious. Until one day, somebody said, say, I saw a man go in your house. They said, impossible. Oh, they said, no, it's not. We saw him get in. So they called the cops. The cops went through the house with the fine comb. Finally, they said, there's nobody here. They said, but there's got to be somebody here. They looked up in the attic. When they opened the trap door, the stench almost killed the policeman. They had to get masks because the man had not used their restrooms. He had put all his waste up there. But of course, you know, air comes in the attic a lot of times and blows up. It never got down below. How it didn't get down below, don't ask me. But I know one thing, they had to get gas masks. Now, here's the point. The fellow himself in his mess, his own mess, he wasn't bothered at all, any more than the hoggy.

So I wonder where this man's nose was before he found Rome a breath of fresh air.

And he said, Pentecost in Rome will bring a world revival. Ha! Pentecost in Rome will bring the deception. that destroys the world. Now, notice what this man is finally. Because you can't crown a spirit, it takes him to be a man, so he becomes a man and he is crowned. Notice now how this crowning takes place. The crowning could only take place because Pentecostal people could not be taught church order. Now,

if the prophet of God could have taught them church order, They'd have stopped in their sins right there, but they couldn't be taught church order. They could not be trained and shown that tongues was not the evidence. They put everything on the line by manifestation, and therefore they have gone into perversion and lawlessness. And the Pentecostal church is lawless because the angel of God said, you cannot teach Pentecostal baby's doctrine, which is the teaching of the Bible. You cannot show them the mysteries. you cannot open their eyes, see? Now, let's take a little time with this word iniquity. Okay. You know, that's lawlessness, of course. Matthew 23, 27 to 36. Woe unto you, scribes, fairs, hypocrites, for you are like unto white sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but they're full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Now, what is nicer than great healing campaigns and a positive gospel and a jolly good God? Boy, it's beautiful. But they're full of dead men's bones. Why? Because it spells death at this time. See? No. Even so, you outwardly appear righteous, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. You are full of lawlessness. You're full of rebellion against the revealed Word of God. So you claim to be innocent. And you're doing a lot of work. Oh, I'm doing these works up in the Bible today. gotten to heal the sick and raised it. Sure it does. Sure it says that. But it also says you can be judged guilty on judgment day. You that work iniquity. See? You that perverted the word of God. You that destroyed people by signs and wonders, claiming to be a God when you were a false prophet or a false teacher. See? Now, he said here, warn you scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets. God is the sepulcher of the righteous. And say, if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Didn't that happen to every generation?

Haven't the people today in the Baptist church said, well, it looks like we made a mistake?

This Catholic lady told our daughter in Lima. She said, you know what? I've been taught against this for 20 years. Have we been making a mistake for 20 years?

They'll say, well, you Pentecostals, we were wrong. Yes, sir, we were wrong. Our fathers were wrong. But we want to tell you, we're right. Shake hands. Hallelujah. We're all children of God. Glory to God. Why the sepulchers? Now, what does he say here? Now, listen. He says at the end time he's going to bring the blood of everybody down on their heads for this very thing. See? Wherefore, be with us to yourself. You are the children of them that killed the prophet. Why, you Roman Catholics and you Baptists and Presbyterians, you bunch of Lutherans, you're the very ones whose parents excoriated those ones that had the Holy Ghost, that spoke in tongues and had wonderful acts back there in 1906, about 1925, 30, whatever it was. When the Holy Ghost came restored, the Word of God was restored in manifestation again. Why weren't you talking pretty back there? No, you said everyone was lying and everyone was doing this and that. You're the devil. You Christian missionary liars. You're the ones that blaspheme most of Nazarene church. Brother Branham had a vision of Nazarene church. What was it? It was a man kissing a corpse, making love to a corpse. I've heard of some pretty awful things, and that's about the worst I ever heard of.

That's about the worst thing I ever heard of. Making love to a dead woman. Nazarene church. Missionary liars, a whole bunch of them. Yeah. What were you doing back there?

Church. What happened to Nyack? A little bit of wildfire, sure. So they branded the whole thing as devil.

God Almighty said to speak in tongues under proper order, in the right place, the right way. He said, Brother Branham said, as long as the church would last, there'd be a real gift of tongues in the church. Where is it? I don't know, but it's out there. But it sure isn't what a lot of people call the real thing. But now, you see, they're all getting on the bandwagon. Therefore, be witness to yourselves that you are the children of them that killed the prophets. You're a bunch of killers. Just a bunch of killers. That's what he said, yeah. Hypocrites breeding hypocrites. Killers breeding killers. Fill up then the measure of your fathers. He said, you do it. Now he said, do the very thing your fathers did. Which was what? Disbelieve the word in their day, and you'll disbelieve it now, and you'll have all the signs and wonders. Make it gooder and gooder and gooder until you're so deceived in the word with it, you'll worship the old devil saying, He's God, hallelujah, glory to God. You're right to hell this is. Caught in the trap. I'm not making this up, brother and sister. That's the word of the Lord taught by the prophet. Notice he said, You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send you prophets and wise men ascribe. He said, I sent you a review of the Word. I sent you a man to explain the Word. I sent you those who just read you the Word. Some of them you've killed and crucified. Some you've scourged in synagogues and persecuted city to city, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel. Notice, at the end time now, there's no place else to go. He's going to bring the whole thing under condemnation. He said, I say, verily, all that I say will happen to this generation. What generation? The generation at the end time who see these mighty works. and get fooled by them because they turned down the vindicated prophet with dust at the Lord. See? Now, what is it that Jesus said they were? Hypocrites. That's right. Playing a part on the stage. A make -believer. Okay? Second Thessalonians, second chapter, where we're getting our reading from. All

right? Here he is, the fourth verse. Who opposeth and exalted himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped. so that he as God, the hypocrite, sits in the temple of God, lying and pretending he is God. You talk about a hypocrite.

That's right, a hypocrite. That's what he is. The great hypocrite of all ages. The hypocritical spirit that in the world today, people pretending they're Christians and turning down the vindicated word, claiming they've got the Holy Ghost, and denying. The very ministry God sent upon this earth, as Brother Branham said, you cannot go behind that veil and into the Shekinah glory and come out calling Jesus a fortune teller.

Sure is right. They claim they're behind the Shekinah glory, in the Shekinah glory, where the showbread is, where the life of God is, behind the veil, and they come out saying, well, Brother Branham had a familiar spirit. That's just a showmanship. He has thus said the Lord, and nobody else has. Now, The great hypocrite comes on the scene. Notice how Jesus avoided iniquity. Jesus was never caught in a sin. He said, I only say what I hear my Father say and I do what He tells me to do. When the Word of God became revealed in human flesh, what was it? It was the actual outworking of the Word of Almighty God itself. The Word in manifestation. Jesus fulfilling every single word. Now, notice what he's done for us. In Titus, the second chapter and in verse 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity.

How many times have you ever seen anybody repent because they were wrong in the word? None. You

know why? Because they don't even know what repentance means. Repentance means change the mind. How many people have godly sorrow because of wrong belief in the word? No, sir. The only thing they only repent for and they think they feel bad about is when they did something bad. Maybe like poison the neighbor's dog. Or throw bricks through somebody's window. Or fall by the wayside a while. Sure. And that's what they repent about. How many repent for being wrong in the word? Nobody. Unless it's this group. See what he says again. In that 14th verse. Who gave himself that he might redeem us from all iniquity. and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. What's the first thing? Get right on the word. Redeem it from our wrong word. He paid the price of the perversion of the human race. See? Now if he paid the price for it, how can the bride be off of the word and be bride? She cannot be off the word.

Brother Branham said give him the word test. See? And purify unto himself. He purifies it. Teaching us the Word. Bringing us up to the end time. Sure, we're zealous of works. But zealous of what works? Zealous of works which coincide with the Word. Not some man -made scheme or some golden cap scheme, see? No, that's what Jesus did for us. Why? Because He was that perfect Word revealed. And not one time did He ever go off that Word.

Tended in all points like as we are. Yet without sin. Now, never went off the Word. Now, going back to those titles. Because that's what he's got titled. He's the son of perdition. Perdition means destruction. Spiritual eternal disaster. The absolute ruin as far as the purpose of existence is concerned. It's like Jesus said about this man Judas. It were better that man was never born.

His very existence is destroyed. In other words, every reason and purpose of being is a total failure. See? How tragic for those of that spirit. They are living for God in their own way, and they are utterly lost, just like this man, the Antichrist. Now notice in verse 4, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God. Here you've got two more titles, the opposer and the exalter, because that's what the word is, to oppose and to exalt makes them the opposer and the exalter. Now what does it mean to oppose? Again, we've got to go back to the Septuagint, the Old Testament in Greek. We go back to Zechariah, the third chapter in verse 1. Just before Malachi here. Pardon me. 3 and 1. And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. Notice here, it is Satan standing to resist. The word of word opposer then is the great resister. Now let's notice this in the New Testament. Just to sort of give us some ideas of what this word works out like in the Bible. Luke 13 and 17. And

when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed. And all of you rejoice for all the glorious things that were done by him. You know, here was Jesus being opposed by the devil. Satan was his adversary. See? And when he said these things, all his opposers were ashamed. All those that opposed him. For

them that defile themselves of mankind. for men -stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, opposing the sound doctrine. So here you see, at the end time, this one, this man of sin, this mystery of iniquity that heads up in a man of sin is opposing Christ, is opposing the elect, is opposing the Word.

See, there it is. in total opposition. And when he sits on that throne, of course the bride will be gone, but he'll hate the elect of God, which is the Jew, to try to destroy him, hates the Word, and hates Christ all the time, pretending that he is the real thing. See? Now, for a literal translation for oppose, is one who sits over against. To oppose means to sit over against. It doesn't mean to just come against you, blam. It's the pit over again. See, there you are. That's Antichrist. That's the old pope. He pretends that he's the victor of Christ. He pretends he's the one that God put here. And you know what? The Catholics never have nor ever will stand with the word of God. They stand with the church. They don't care that for the word. They even claim that they made the word. That's a lie from the pit of hell. Those popes were too busy having their paramours and their girlfriends to worry about the word. Anybody ever kid you? A bunch of licentious dogs. You know that as well. That's the history. Three popes at one time, filling, as the history says, their papal choirs with their own bastards, living in licentiousness with their own sisters, living in sodomy, everything else. Three popes at one time cursing each other from three parts of the earth. And then the Roman Catholic people, knowing this, dare to stand up and call a pope infallible.

You can see how rotten the whole church is. They don't care two cents for the Word of God. I got a young buddy of mine who went down to Newfoundland. You know, that's in Canada. Out there in Canada. And when he began arguing the Word with his father, he took the Bible and said, Here it is, Dad. And he said, I don't even want him to see the Bible. He said, I've got my little book here. The little black book of the Pentecost. The same diabolical crux in the Roman Catholic Church, the same spirit. But he talks and talks about that, doesn't he? He's zealous. He's boisterous for God. Anybody can get zealous for God. He said, the zeal of my house is eating me up. You can actually eat up God and get rid of him by your own zeal for him.

See, they got a zeal not according to knowledge. Now, he's called the exalter. He exalts himself. Now, of course, this is quoted. This also is found in the Old Testament over here in Daniel, the 11th chapter, and

verse 36. And the king shall do it according to his will, and he shall exalt himself. and magnify himself above every god. Isn't that exactly what the elders did when they picked a chief elder and they made him the pope? You know something? There would never be a pope except for the bishops. It's the bishops who are the elders who vote in the hierarchy above them who finally end up with the pope. And every time you've got an organization, I don't care if it's Roman, Catholic, or Protestant, the thing will end in bringing about an Antichrist. He is the exalter. Notice also the book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel, okay, chapter 24, 28, I'm sorry, chapter 28, and verses 14 to 19. Now listen. Thou art the anointed chair of the covereth. I have set thee so. Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God. You walked up and down the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou wast created till Nicodemus found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise thou wast filled the midst of thee with violence. Notice that, who brings on merchandise and schemes and all the devil does. And thou hast sinned. Therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God. In other words, God says, I'm going to destroy you. Get rid of you. O covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty. Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness. I will cast thee to the ground. I will lay thee before kings that they may be holy. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thy iniquities. By the iniquity of thy traffic. Notice the iniquity. What we're talking about is the perversion of the Word, creeds and dogmas and church codes and ethics. Therefore, when I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. There you find a picture of that one who exalts himself above all things. Notice it says here, of course, in verse 14, we saw that he was leading the worship of Almighty God upon the holy mountain. Now remember, the holy mountain can be Mount Zion, which is the type of what's in heaven. It can also be the people. Because if he's going to sit upon the mountain, and remember, people is often represented by authority of people. So therefore, he sits upon the highest authority of the people. And the highest authority of the people is God, which is the Word. But they turn it down, and they take the creed and dogma. Okay, also in the book of Isaiah, the

14th chapter, more on Satan.

verses 12 to 17. How art thou fallen from heaven to Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cast down to the ground, which is the weak of the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I'll exalt my throne above the stars of God. What's the stars of God? That's the believers of God. I'm going to take over the whole thing, he said, even the saints of God, see? I'll sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. I'll ascend above the heights of the clouds. I'll be like unto the most high. yet thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit. See, he exalts himself, but God will bring him down. Now, you'll notice that this is a case of a man exalting himself, giving himself a position before the people, and taking over in a system of worship. Now, can you imagine a prophet would do that? A prophet's vindicated. He's got to testify to himself. He's got to bring the word of God, but he can't do it the way this man does it. Now, notice here that this man is the opposer. He is in opposition to the Lord. Opposition to authority is anarchy, which is Laodicea. And exaltation is also Laodicea because they say we are rich, we're increased in goods, and we don't need a thing. They exalt themselves. This generation exalts itself. Spiritually, it says it's great, it's wonderful. And what happens then? They bring forth a chief exalter amongst them who is the Antichrist. The church bringing forth the very devil himself. The bride brings forth Christ while they bring forth the devil. Now, see where this leads them. This leads them to verse 4 of 2 Thessalonians, that second chapter. Now, what is that fourth verse?

oppose and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he as God sits in the temple of God, manifesting himself that he is God. He makes an absolute manifestation that he is the God of this universe. Right. He absolutely will show that he is God. He proves to the people sufficiently that he is the Lord. This is what Brother Branham calls the overspreading of abomination. where the Pope in Jerusalem takes over the whole world, forgiving their sins and demanding complete worship to him. Now, how does this terrible thing fit in today? It is very simple. Because, as I said, men are operating in the Holy Spirit apart from the Word of God, and if these men are anointed Christ, then what will that man be but the great anointed Christ, so -called? Now, this is according, as I have said, to Acts 2, 16 to 18, wherein Peter said, Your sons and your daughters will have ministry, and my servants will have ministry. It's Christ the Holy Spirit speaking now. But remember, brothers and sisters, this does not lead to worldwide revival. It leads to the great tribulation. Why can't you understand that? They won't, though they don't. They don't. They won't read their Bible. They

just watch, screaming their own ideas. You watch, God will back it up. God will back it up. That's right. That's why you've got all this trouble and pity. God will back it up. Why? Because I'm praying, I'm fasting. God said to hogwash. Every plant the Father has not planted is going to come to naught. Now, do not the people with this anointing today act as Satan.

What did Satan do? He bypassed the word of God and exalted himself with the power that God gave him. So do these people exalt themselves with the power that God gave them and they work against God. Now listen, if you don't think you can exalt yourself with the power of God, then tell me, how come that Moses did? Moses

did. Moses glorified himself before the people with the very power of God when he acted contrary to the word of God yet used the power of God. And Moses died for it. Now this age will die for doing the same thing. That's why the church had better be set in order, right? And we had better put the gifts where they belong. And we had better do as the prophet said or we're going to be exalting ourselves against God too. Now, I know people don't like this kind of preaching. I know you do, or I wouldn't be here, or you wouldn't be here. You'd walk out now. But it's all around you. It's all around you. Stick with the Word. Never mind what it costs you. You know what the farmers do? They even plant the wheat in the fall, and it stays there all winter until the rising sun breathes upon it, so to speak, rays upon it, and brings it up. So we must wake perhaps in our winter, too. Until the word of God comes forth manifested. Now, see, bypass the word until you can come to God and worship God only through the church.

You see how they're worshiping through the church? By creeds and dogmas. I don't care what they say. They're worshiping through a church system, not by the Holy Ghost. And remember, the Bible said God will send them strong delusions when they turn down the truth. God will do it. See? Oh, they don't like that. They, oh, the devil. No, no, not the devil, the devil, devil. It says God sends a strong spirit. Now, notice.

Is this what it means when he says he makes himself God? Sure. Sure, he makes himself God. Remember that we build the image to him and he couldn't do anything unless we allowed him to do it. Remember, the word of God says to Satan, Thy borders are in the midst of the sea. And the word border is a limitation or offense. And the sea is the people. So therefore, it's the people that make the Antichrist that makes a worldwide system to worship the devil, thinking of God. The church is doing this. See? And they fail to recognize the teaching of the prophet on this subject. Now then, in verse 8, It says God destroys this one with the brightness of his coming. Here is where he becomes the son of perdition or the son of destruction and ruin. It does not mean annihilation because that comes later. But he and his system and all those that built it, all those that laid their whole hopes in it. Now remember, beautiful churches. Oh, they've cost money. Oh, my. Look at these poor old preacher boys that paid a price. You know, it's the most pitiful thing to realize their work is going to go down to the ground and they wouldn't. That's why it says, Alas, Babylon, and I can feel sorrow for them. Here's this old boy, gone up, maybe in his youth, worked his head off, sweat, struggled, got a group together, took the tithe, and instead of living on the tithe, built a building. Now, listen, you've got no right to do that. The tithe goes to the ministry. It's his living. It doesn't build a building or one blessed thing beyond taking care of the preachers. But those poor ignorant preachers, they struggle and they work and they beat themselves to death only to have beautiful churches now and the preachers with their system bringing on the actual worship of the Antichrist and then the whole thing goes down in the dust. Everything they worked for, everything they struggled for, everything they believed for, they fasted for, they cried for, they prayed for, they denied for, the whole thing goes down in ruins with the son of perdition. Total loss of everything they strove for. All the wealth, all of the accumulation. Everything goes down. Just like it says in Hebrews, the 12th chapter, where it says, Yet once more I speak from heaven. And when I get through everything that can be shaken, I'll be shaken down. And also what he says in the 18th chapter of Revelation, it says Babylon's fallen. The whole thing is gone. See? Only treasures in heaven will matter today, brothers and sisters. As the prophet used to sing, Cover not this earth's vain riches. See? Don't cover. Don't try to build here. Build your treasure in heaven with the word of God. Now, notice also, verse 9 actually belongs with verse 4. Because in verse 4, it says that he's going to oppose and make himself God. But it also says then, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. Now, so it tells you here how he's going to do it. It's what we've been saying all along. The mystery of iniquity. is a great power ministry that deceives the people. Now, I used to say, because I didn't know any better, that because it looks like it says here in the Greek, in the Bible here, with all power and lying signs and wonders. I used to believe that they were lying signs and wonders, but the Greek did not say that. The Greek says that the miracles are genuine, but it brings them to the lie. It's the word that they lie about. It's exactly Matthew 24 in one person. See, they don't have the word. See, that's the iniquity. That's what makes him the man of iniquity. That's what makes him lawless. That's what makes the people just like him because he's the superman of iniquity produced by a super race of iniquitous people. And he has the full embodiment of what the whole people stand for. In other words, just like everything we have is in Christ and are partakers of it, so it is with this world system. They've raised up an antichrist. They're partakers with him. 100%, see? Now, iniquity here. Lying signs and wonders. But the signs and the wonders are not lies. It leads the people to the lie, which is the word of God perverted. Now, notice here. According to the Greek, all is real. But the purpose is to destroy by lies, making them believe the lie, see?

It's exactly true. Because the Bible says here in verse 4, that he shows that he is God, and this means he actually proves by demonstrating that he is God. He actually proves it by demonstrating. Stop and think a minute. What will this man do to make people believe that Jesus Christ has actually come down to earth after all? He's

really going to have something to do with it. I don't want to be here to find out myself, because I've had a taste of it by watching the anointed ones at the end time. See? Because when you look at them, they have a dedication and everything else about them that you'd have to swear it was a god. But it is not a god. Notice, in Deuteronomy, which we don't need to read chapter 13, this tells you about the prophet that comes to deceive the people. But let's go to 2 Chronicles. That's the one we'll look at now. Chapter 18, verses

19 to 23. And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab of Israel, king of Israel, that he may go up and follow Ramoth Gilead. And after another spoke in this manner, saying in that manner. Then there came out a spirit and stood before the Lord. He said, I will entice him. And the Lord said, Wherewith? And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt prevail. Go out and do it. See, what's going to do it? He's going to tell them what they want to hear, what they love to hear. He's going to lie to them. And he's going to have such authority and power that his lies will be very graciously received. And they'll say, isn't it wonderful? We've been looking for this all of our lives. Oh, my, this is wonderful. That's exactly what's going to happen. What a terrible thing, but it's going to happen just the same. Can you imagine a church system? Now, remember, these people are not throwing beer parties, as far as I know. And they are not throwing their hat, their key to their motels into a hat. So they come out living life civilly with the Women's Exchange Club. Not as far as I know. They're not organized like the mafia to go out and kill and destroy. Remember, Brother Brown said at the end time that the devil would come with a repeat of all cunning and deceitfulness, and it's the repeat of the lie in the garden where people are taken off the word with high morals and great respect. and great talk, and great joy, and great worship, and they're taken right into a false worship, and they think it's God. Now that's what it is, brother, sister, it's that awful deceit that's coming on the world. And what a man will this be? He will be a fabulous person. Oh, he must have personality, and vigor, and understanding, and wisdom, and charm, and there must be something about him that's so compelling.

See, now, Oh, he'll be humble and sweet. You watch till the day comes he shows his teeth. It's got to be that way. There isn't any other way he could do it. Because it's a lying spirit that takes over. Now, for further proof, notice the words, whose coming is after the coming of Satan. This man works on Satan's plan. He does what Satan did. It's to get a contrast now on how Satan works and how the Holy Spirit works. Let's go to 2 Thessalonians 2. And 13, this will help maybe clear it up. I know I'm trying to give you a lot of material here, but I just can't do anything else and ever get this covered. I mean, I've got to either cover it now or forget it. See, because it's all one section of Scripture. Now notice what the Holy Spirit does. We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, to love the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, even belief of the truth. What is he getting to do? Deny the truth. Believe the lie.

If the Holy Ghost brings you to the truth, Antichrist will take you from the truth. And remember, this was done in the garden by Cain and Abel. One had a revelation of the word. He divided it correctly. He brought the right gift at the right time. The other did not. He brought the wrong one at the right time. And so there will be an absolute misunderstanding of the word. and thereby a false worship toward God. See, Satan wants beauty and great power like Cain. He wants a kingdom like Nimrod. God is in simplicity and humility. We simply believe the Word. Now then, in verse 10, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. See, that's true. They would not receive it. The Antichrist system in ministry takes hold of the people with all deceit of unrighteousness. Now remember what the original unrighteousness was. It was a wrong division of the word. Now where is this? Now watch. Where is this unrighteousness? It is in them that perish. Who's perishing? All those that take the mark of the beast and worship in this system, which is organization. Antichrist, see? Them that perish. All that take the mark and worship. See? What is it? The mark of the beast is to have church membership in the church system which makes the Antichrist. Now why must this occur? See? It must occur because they turn down the truth. Which in Hebrews 6 said they are enlightened once for all. They taste the Holy Ghost. They see the power of the world to come. They taste of the good word of God and then they turn right around and deny it. See? They've done it. Now listen, remember, in Exodus 28 and 30, in the Septuagint, the Urim and Summon is manifestation and truth. Brother Branham said, we don't have a Urim and Summon like they did. We have the Bible. What was the Bible? Manifested by power and sign, lead them through the truth. Thus saith the Lord, his power and ministry, which nobody but he had, was to let the people know this was the prophet you're to hear. And it says in Acts 3 and 21, if you don't hear that prophet, who has thus saith the Lord, then you'll be destroyed among the people. Exactly right. To turn down the Elijah spirit of Christ at the end time, both in the prophet to the Gentiles and the last one that goes to the Jews, is absolute death. Because remember, only the 144 ,000 are sealed at the end time. Remember, they're the only ones living. The bride does not win the tribulation, neither does the 144 ,000 die. They are saved. Because they cannot be destroyed, see? Because they receive the truth. Notice now, and we must not cringe at the word of God. It says, because for this cause, because they turned down the vindicated prophet who had thus set the Lord, God will send them strong delusion, like I said a while ago. Now, strong delusion, that they'll bleed alive. What is that strong delusion? Brother Branham said when he has gone off the field, there'll be more anointed ones than you can shake a stick at. You're going to see a sweep of discernment and everything else. Don't you get fooled by discernment. Don't do it. Brother Branham categorized it. Leave it alone. He took a friend of mine aside and said, don't ever use discernment. He took me aside and said, don't ever do it. Why? Because that belongs to the prophet, the sign of the Messiah, where there's never one mistake made. Nobody else could read the heart and ever have anybody not escape. Brother Branham could say, I challenge you. I take every spirit under control in this building in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the glory of God. And there wasn't one person who could hide. You could take every other person with any discernment at all, and anybody could hide from them.

There was no man living outside of William Branham who had the sign of the Messiah.

That's right. See? And God saved me from it. I was sincere and honest, didn't understand these things. I had a lot of genuine, but I could not get through in every case. William Branham alone had the power to take and stand in the trance and vision. Nothing could hide from him. That was his sign. We all tried to counterfeit it. Flee from it because this is what he said would happen. And God would send strong delusions that there would be many, many people rise up and they claim to have great ministry and there would be a spirit of life on them. Signs and wonders would be done, but they would only lead the people away from Almighty God. Look in Isaiah 28, 15 to 18 to get our picture a little more clearly. I know I talk fast. I can't help it. You've got to learn to listen fast. That's all. 28, 15 to 18. Now here's what it says. It says, Because you have said, we have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement. That's the grave. When the overflowing skirt shall pass through, it shall not come nigh unto us. For we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves. Now that's what happened to the people. They hid themselves under the refuge of their own lies when the word of the Lord came to them, which would have saved them from the great tribulation. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious stone, a corner stone, a sure foundation. What's that in 1 Peter? The stumbling stone is the word of God. He that believeth shall not make taste. God said, I am laying the word of God for you at the end time. But he said, you're going to stumble at it. You are not going to take it. See?

Now, they said here, we are not going to die. Isn't that what Satan said? Satan said, you're not going to die. And now millions of people believe they're not going to die. And they say, well, we've got to cover it with this. We're not going to have the great tribulation. We're not going to die. We're going to rapture. Millions now living will never die. Have you ever heard such nonsense? Millions now living will never die? That's supposed to be a secret rapture? I never heard anything so stupid in my life. Millions disappear and be secret? Not that you could ever guess it. It's going to be just a handful. A few at a time, they'll not be missed. They said, we've got a covenant. Your covenant has been annulled because you took to a lie. You see, we cannot serve God apart from His Word. We cannot believe God apart from His Word. There is no covenant that will exist outside of a revealed faith. Can't do it. Why? Because, brother, sister, for the first time in all these ages, God sent a prophet with the fully revealed Word. But the people being blind said, We see. Now their sin remains. Now, they took pleasure in believing their own lies. Their stimulation, their joy is always screaming, Hallelujah! We love the Lord. Look at the miracles. Look at the signs. Look at the wonders. We love Jesus. We're going to go to rapture. Glory to God.

No, sir. Not the millions that claim it. No, sir. No, sir. It won't work because God says it. I'm not trying to dechristianize anybody, Brother Brennan said. I'm not trying to take anybody away from this message. I'm only trying to preach the truth the way the Lord put it down here. When I preach the truth, I have got to come under the same thing that I preach. Notice now, the verses we read. But what does he say to the bride? He says to the bride what Paul said to the bride. We're bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved Lord. You won't be with that anti -Christ bunch because God has chosen you, election, unto salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, And believe of the truth. Wherefore, whereunto he called you by our gospel. Notice that. Look at the big thing Paul said. Why? He said, you won't be with that Antichrist crowd. He said, you won't be condemned. You haven't got a thing to do with them. Why? He said, because God chose you by election unto sanctification of the Spirit and believe of the truth by my gospel. That's the door you come through, brother. Make your calling and election sure. Come by the vindicated word of Almighty God, whereunto he called you to our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of Jesus Christ. Call them by the pure gospel. Wherefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the teaching which you have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle. Now the Lord Jesus Christ himself, even God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and word. Not work alone, but word and word. What's God going to do? By this word that we know is so vindicated, we can enter into consolation. And remember, consolation follows the word.

That's right. Remember, after Christ showed that he was the word, they were consoled. We too have the consolation because we have the word. Now, to my very last words, I'm closing. Back to verse 3. It said, let no man deceive you. Let no man beguile you. Let no man deceive you. Once Paul said, don't be fooled, that that day is a long way off. Today we say by the vindicated prophet, don't be fooled. It's just around the corner. Now that word beguile is expatio, which is the same thing used in Romans, the 7th chapter, verse 11.

Where it says, for sin taking occasion by the commandment, deceive me and by it, sue me. Don't be deceived. See? Don't be deceived. It sets forth the influence of sin. But it also means self -deception.

Don't be deceived in yourself saying, oh, it's okay, I'm going to make it, I love the Lord. Why, I got this God. You know, I phoned a fellow a long time back about that little film that we now have in the color. you know, that some of you saw down at Chester last time. And, you know, he was about to deceive any man I know. And he said, well, he said, you know, Brother Branham went off in false doctrine. Well, I said, is that so? He said, yeah. Well, I said, that might be pretty hard to prove, Brother, because I said a lot of people believe what he believed in. How does that? I said, remember, he was vindicated. Oh, he said, I want to tell you, Brother, I was vindicated too. Why? He said, I had a vision and it came to pass. Well, I almost said, look, I had several visions that came to pass. I prophesied that it came to pass. In fact, if we compare notes, it's 10 to 1. I could beat you hands down. I don't even have a golden casket. I didn't razz the guy, but I knew I could if I wanted to. I let him mouth off because that's all he was doing. I could have said, brother, just tell me one time you had thus said the Lord and be my guest. I'll rent the biggest auditorium in the world because I've got friends who will pay for it. And let's see if you got one thus said the Lord just once alone. I didn't do it. No, I couldn't do it because I was trying to haggle for that film, which he didn't give me anyway. And I'm just as glad I didn't, you know, bust out at him. There'd be no point. You can't tell them anything. They can't be told anything. See? Why? Because they're deceived. They've been fooled by the devil. They're self -deceived because they had a few things happen to them. See? They've had a few things happen. How can our church be wrong? You even give the Roman Catholics one little cure as they went through water somewhere, and that makes the Roman Catholic Church vindicated. Glory to God. Hallelujah. We've got it. Get a Pentecostal talking tongue. He lived like the devil. Glory to God. He's got it. Let the priest talk in tongues, and then call the Pope infallible, say Hail Mary, and pray to the dead, and forgive sins. Glory to God. It's okay. See? That's how they do it. Absolutely deceived through self -deception. They are deceiving through the lie, self -deception, and the instruments of Satan, which are men who come to them in sheep clothing. Now, just note here on the fact of Satan deceiving. How did he thoroughly beguile Eve? Satan himself did not do it. He used the serpent. Satan got to the human race by serpent seed, and he keeps his hold by that means. Therefore, people say it's communism. No, it's not communism. No. God comes as long. It's not somebody setting himself up saying there's no God. No, that's not it at all. He comes as he did it in the garden. He uses something to do it. And the something he uses is organized religion that is gone to its creeds and its dogmas. Now, reading in 2 Timothy, the third chapter, Where Brother Branham read to us so many times, beginning at verse 8, Now as Janice and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth.

They don't resist good works. They don't resist power ministry. They don't resist all of that. No, they're for it. Just like Janice and Jambres were for it. They said, sure, we can do it. Glory to God. Brother Branham said, Janus and Jambres could do anything and everything that Moses did. Now, they didn't do it, but he said they could. He said they'd do it at the end time, too. Now, listen. These men resist truth. Men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning faith. There is the crux of the whole thing. The crux of the whole thing is they resist the truth. By the vindicated prophet. That's the whole thing. That's exactly what it says in 2 Thessalonians. They turn down the truth. They don't have any love for it. No, they don't. But we love it. That's where our love is. The love of many wax cold. What? Toward Christ the Word. But you take this little group. Love that Word. Now, they like singing. But that's fine. Singing's fine. But we don't love singing like we love the Word. We love to pray and to shout. That's great. But not like we love the Word. You can always find attention amongst our group until the people get to the Word. Then they will ask you, well, don't you like all this? Oh, yeah. Sure, we like it all. But that Word, yeah. You know, every meaning, same thing. Once this, there's something, that Word is. We're happy. But who else loves it? Nobody. They think we're crazy.

Yeah. The more we talk about serpent seed, the happier we get. The more we talk about... There's no tongues evident. It's the happier we get. The more we talk about this and that that the prophet taught, the happier we get. Oh, we get happy that all these little lights come shining in on us. All the little thoughts come out of the Word. And the more the preacher digs and the more he brings on the very things you already know, the happier they get. That's the reason. It's just like the people that love children. They have a child every year. They get more and more happy. They may wear them down, but they sure love those kids coming. Why? There's light there. So it is with the Word of God. There's life coming every time someone brings a new thought on the very thing the prophet brought. Oh, they get happy. Glory to God. See? What I like to do is go to a meeting and people never have heard the perversion the way I preach it and bring out that thought there that the Bible said every tree fit for food come out of the ground. Now I said if the tree kills you, it's not fit for food. They say, yeah. I said, did it come out of the ground then? They never thought of that before. Oh, and they love it. I would love to see their faces. Why? Because they love this word. That's where their food is, and that's where their joy is, see? Now, but these people don't love the truth. They don't want the truth. They resist it. They resist the truth. I'll preach on that another time. Men, what are they? Men of corrupt minds. Corrupt mind? What do you mean corrupt mind? Now listen, Brother Dale, that old fellow I know, that old preacher friend of mine, he wrote a wonderful book. All day long he said praise to God. All day long he talked about the Lord. What did he say about the prophet? Well, he said William Branham had a familiar spirit. Corrupt mind. But he doesn't think any dirty thoughts. He doesn't say any dirty words. Yeah, but his mind is all foggy concerning the word. That's what's corrupt. Because that's what made the virgin a harlot. She was deceived. Through her mind. Paul said, I fear lest she fall by her mind being deceived. So these men are corrupt. And they're reprobate concerning faith. Can

you tell me they're reprobate? That's what he said they were.

Well, I thought a reprobate was some old booze artist, some lecherous, licentious booze hound that was the most rotten finagler the world ever saw. No, no, you got wrong there. These are the boys here that God hates.

These are the pretenders. These are the fellows God hates right here. But it says, Their folly shall proceed no further. They'll proceed no further, and their folly shall be manifest to all men. See? But thou hast known fully my teaching. Not his manner life, but his teaching first. Remember, teaching comes first, then the rest. I don't care what we produce. If the teaching isn't there, the rest goes down the drain. So there we have the picture, brother, sister. Right? down the drain here, all down the line. This is our hope. We have the Word, and it has been delivered by a vindicated prophet. What is going to bring on the Antichrist?

I'll tell you what's going to do it. Turning down the Word of God to the last day.

We're heading for it right now. Right now, we're in the midst of the complete organization of the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. into one great system to which the communists will lend their influence for one hour until they can burn her flesh with the atomic bomb. Brother Branham said they'll drop a bomb on that Vatican and hit America at the same time and this world will be nothing but a land of craters, especially America.

What's doing it? A vindicated prophet came on the scene. And they said, we don't want it. Brother, sister, do you realize that that dust Seth the Lord is the thing that set him apart. That's what it was. When a prophet comes in the name of the Lord, you hear him and fear him because he proved he was that prophet. And the Bible said God will raise up a prophet like unto me, said Moses. And

that is true that that was Jesus Christ. It was true. But the real fulfillment of that is in this end time when the end time prophet came and they turned him down. Because when Jesus was turned down, he did not destroy those from amongst the people who did not believe him because Israel went out blinded until he got a Gentile bride. But when the word comes this time, brother, sister, there is nothing for it to happen except Jesus turned back to the Jew for a little three and a half years of tribulation where 144 ,000 came out and then we go to the millennium. It's all over. They didn't love the truth.

So many things used to puzzle me, and I say some things still do puzzle me. But, you know, there's not one -third as many things puzzle me now as there was a little while ago. The puzzles are gone. It's all fitting into place. I don't believe that God gave us the Bible as a jigsaw puzzle that couldn't be put together. His brother Branham said reverently, and it's true, it is a jigsaw puzzle. But when the master hand begins to put the pieces in place, and he leaves a few for you and me to fit, I don't think it's too hard at all to keep the cow from eating grass on top of the tree. I believe we can put it right down where it belongs. And we put the word where it belongs. See, the system is coming. It's anti -craft. It's here. But you'll never tell the people. They'll never believe it. They can't believe it. No matter how it's explained, they won't see it until it's too late. Always the word of God takes effect too late in the non -elect. The elect always get it. There's no problem there. The elect will always see it. But the non -elect will take it too late. And I believe that's why I say this message must keep going up. No matter how people hate it going up, it's got to go up. Remember, right today, there are many people leaving organizations. They know something is wrong, but they don't know what it is. They know something's wrong. But you see, they're coming up, but they're not going in. But we are coming out, and we're going in. There is going to be a group of people. I don't say we're all going to take it by the rapture that is living here on earth. We'll all go by rapture, yes, but a lot of us may die. I believe that. I believe in the short days ahead of us, there'll be many of us go. I'm glad about that. I've got no fussing with the Lord. Every single church -age messenger has gone to the dust, certainly. And, brother, sister, it's no different whether you stay or go. Not at all. It's just at the end time God is doing some special thing. to take a people who don't die because there is no provision except for this mystery, see, at the end time where she can be ready to go. But in the meantime, our eyes are open today and we see so much. Thank God we never said we see it. Thank God we have said I'm glad I'm in a position to see it. See, when Israel said we see, he said your sin remaineth. They say we don't need it. Today Laodicea says the rich increase in goods. We don't need a thing. But the bride doesn't say that. The bride, she knew that she was wretched, miserable naked. You know that? And only today, of all the people I believe in the world, those who have heard this message are the ones who feel less worthy than all the rest. And yet this is the group that's going to have to make it. Out of this teaching, nobody else will do it. Nobody else but out of this teaching, because nobody else stands with the vindicated prophet. We stand with vindication. We are more right than anybody else in this world could possibly be right. I don't care if we understand all of it, because I don't say we do. I don't care if we understand only 20 % of it. We are more right than all the rest of the world, because what we're right on, we're really right on, and they are right on nothing. They're not. All tables full of honor. Hand the book to the man that's to learn what. He said, I can't read it. He said, the book is closed. Hand it to the ignorant man. He said, I can't read it. I'm uneducated, uneducated. Then he said, the word of the Lord will come, line of precept upon precept, line upon line, here's a little, there's a little. And it'll become a snare to all those in the earth, see? Opens the eyes of one, blinds the eyes of another. See, just, it never fails. It's the same story over and over again. But today, brother and sister, we're at the end of the line. We are. It's all but over tonight. We haven't got long to go. We just don't have long to go. We won't be old people. As Brother Brown said to Billy Paul, you will not be an old man before where you are standing, the sharks will be swimming. And that's right over there in the corner. See, that's Fairfax. I believe in about 4th or 5th Street, somewhere there in Los Angeles. Been there dozens and dozens of times, right in that same area, in the big maid department store. And the fish will be swimming there, see. Well, we could be gone by then. Or some of us could be departed by natural death. We don't know. But there's one thing we do know, brother, sister. This vindicated word, this message will bring the dead out of the ground and will prepare the bride for rapture and we'll all be gone because that's the word of the Lord. Thank God there's no doubt about it. Other men may wonder and worry and strive. We don't have to. We've entered into our rest. It's all over the rest of faith. The Lord bless you. What is it, Wednesday night, 730? You have a service? Brother Thompson's here by then? Certainly hope so. And I know you'll have a blessed time. Shall we rise then and be dismissed? Gracious Eternal Father, it's been so good to be with your people here, to study the Word together, Lord, to know that there is a God who lives, and then also to come to His mysteries, to realize what a wonderful thing. It's so simple to be mind -boggling, so clear as to be devastating. And yet here it is, brought to us in all its glory, the mysteries of God revealed, Christ appearing amongst the bride. He which was to come, having come. And now we're waiting for the bride to be the revealed word. Oh, hallelujah. like a sweep going over us. Lord, I know tonight that this is the truth. We know your witness to it. Oh, Jesus, just help us to get all humbled and broken down to be worthy of it. Oh, Christ, not ever of ourselves to be worthy, Lord, but Jesus, help us to praise you and to worship you. Oh, with the clarion voice of a trumpet that knows what it's blasting out. that every heart, O God, be in perfect tune, worshiping and praising thee in gratitude and love and honor and glory. With such sobriety included in the Lord, such tenderness and such depth, such utmost sincerity, Lord, not that we want to be with Brother Branimore, but, Lord, that we might worship in the same manner, in the same heartfelt, spirit -led worship unto thee, O God. Oh, Lord, tonight, when we say we love thee, let it be, Lord, with the depth of the love of Christ that was known upon Calvary. Let it be with the revelation, Lord, of the Apostle Paul who saw thee in your glory. Oh, God, let it be in these lives, I pray. Help us, Lord, to this end. Go with us as we go, Jesus. Protect the folk on the road. Bless them, O God, and their thoughts. May every meditation of our heart, even our dreams, be filled with thee. For thou, O Christ, are all in all. Let that little lamp that you gave us burst into such fullness and brightness it becomes a sun. O God, I pray. Lord, I know that you're going to do it. We're just hungry and thirsty, Lord. And you said if we would, we'd be filled. We're looking for it, Lord, and thanking you for it, Jesus, because that's your word. Lord, bless dear brother Thompson as he comes. Give him souls for his hire, Lord. Give him souls right in the people here that they put their trust in him and he as a faithful servant. Guard them well, feed them well, nourish them as the lamb and the bosom, keeping the people, Lord, in peace and the beauty of the word. until conduct, O God, becomes exemplary. Help them, we pray, Jesus. Help us all, O God. Let all of us who aspire to be in the bride make their calling and election sure. Help us, Lord, to forgive everyone he's trespassed against with freedom and joy, Lord. Help us to get shuck of everything that's made any imprint upon our soul other than the word of God. Let it alone be the impress, for it alone is eternal. Lord, I want that. I mean that, Lord. When I said that this is what I want. And I believe your people all want that same thing. This is what we want. Help us, oh God, tonight. This is the reality. And we want this, Lord, and we mean it. And we're asking it for your glory, sincerely. And you've got to give it to us, Lord. We've got to have it. So, Lord, you've got to do it. Because you said you'd do it. It's in your word. And this is exactly what was in your word, Lord Jesus. Your people will become one with the word. They surely will. in order to approach unto you, to be united to you. That's exactly, and we're exactly holding it up. Amen. Hallelujah, Lord. For you said you'd write the word in our minds and our hearts, and that's exactly where we stand. So thank you for it, Jesus. We leave it in your hands now. It's up to you, and you receive the glory and the honor, and you're worthy of it. In Jesus' name, amen. God bless you.