Les Événements Rendus Clairs Par La Prophétie
Les Evénements Rendus Clairs Par La Prophétie - VGR
1 Let us bow our heads now
for prayer. Our Lord God, great Creator of heavens and earth, Who
brought again Jesus from the dead, and alive with us for these two
thousand years, ever living to confirm His Word and make It true, each
generation. We are so thankful for His Divine Presence just now,
knowing this, that we have this great assurance, that after this life
is over, we have Life Eternal in the world that is to come. Thank You
for this, Lord. And that hope I anchor to the soul, that's steadfast
and sure in time of storm... And when the storms come, the great waves
are rolling, we feel that by faith in Him we can crest every wave.
God, help us tonight as we come to minister to the sick and the needy.
We pray, God, that there'll not be a sick person among us when we leave
tonight. May every person be healed by Thy Divine power, both here and
across the nation, of the hookup, may there not be a feeble person go
out of any building or any gathering tonight. May Your Spirit heal
them. Let the great Sun of righteousness, with healing in His wings,
rise, send forth the rays of faith in every heart as they listen to the
Word, see the manifestations of the Holy Spirit convincing them that
He's still alive. We pray these blessings, Father, in Jesus' Name.
Amen. (May be seated.)
3 We certainly deem this a grand privilege to be here tonight again to--to speak to the people and pray for the sick. We want to greet all those who are out in the land of the--the telephone connections across the nation again tonight. And so we pray that God will bless each one of you, trusting that all that accepted Christ this morning will be filled with the Holy Ghost and ever live faithful and true to Him until life is over here on earth, this mortal life. And then they, by doing that, they have Eternal Life. They will never die in the age that is to come, to the great age that we all look forward to.
4 Now, we're going to say,
while I'm thinking of it, not to interrupt. Brother Vayle is here, and
I might not get to see him. I'll... Can I send that manuscript on to
you when I get back to Tucson? I'm looking it over; I haven't got it
all read yet, and I'll send it back to you as soon as I get to Tucson.
Now, I am wanting to make an announcement. This is especially to the
churches everywhere, especially in the west, or anywhere that wants to
come. Our noble brother, Brother Pearry Green, with the... It's a man
that's instigator of this hookup of this telephone here. The Lord has
been putting it upon his heart to come visit us at Tucson, and start a
revival at Tucson, which we really need. And Brother Pearry will be in
Tucson. If you want to contact him, just get ahold of our office there.
It'll be August the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. He's had it upon his
heart for a long time, and I told him there was only way get it off
your heart, go do it. And he's a Christian brother, a real servant of
God. And you people in Tucson, I know will be blessed as he ministers
there somewhere, perhaps at the Ramada Inn or wherever the Lord
provides a place; he hasn't got it on here. But I know you'll be
blessed by coming, hearing Brother Green as he expounds to us the Word
of God, perhaps praying for the sick, or whatever it lays in the duty
of God's anointing to do.
6 We also want to thank Brother Orman Neville, Brother Mann for this wonderful time of fellowship with them. How I'm very grateful to have, be associated with such men as Brother Neville, Brother Mann, and all these other ministers around here. I suppose they've been recognized. If you haven't, by our board and our church here, I'm sure that God recognizes you here as His servants. May the Lord ever bless you.
7 Now, I was asked a little something here, on a little note was given me to... They had a trustee meeting the other night here on the board of trustees and deacons, and I think the minutes were read this morning before the church. Which, that's custom for us to do that. In the decisions that was made by the board of trustees and deacons here in the church, of course, they can't please everyone. We cannot do that. I have not one thing to do with the trustee board or the deacon board. I have not even a vote unless there's a tie, and I have to be here to do it then; Brother Orman Neville takes that second vote. Then we have to sign these, because we're part of the church. But what the trustee board and them board's decision they make, we certainly stand behind them one hundred percent, 'cause that's what they're here for. And their decisions is between them and God. I cannot, cannot and would not, by any means, contrary that decision. And another thing, I am forbidden by the United States Government to make any decision concerning that, so please don't ask me to correct their decisions. I cannot do it, and I will not hear nothing about it. See? So don't ask me to correct their decisions. You see the board; that's the one that made the decisions. All right.
8 Now, in the event of a
coming meeting, it is possible, if the Lord willing, I'll be coming
back here in about four to six weeks, or something like that, for maybe
another Sunday's meeting. And I announced this morning I wanted to
speak on "God Manifested In His Word," and I just won't have time
tonight, and, frankly, I haven't hardly got enough voice to do it. And
then the crowd, there's almost as many on the outside as there is on
the inside, and, perhaps more, counting those buses and trucks and
things that's setting out there with the people. Turned on, the little
broadcast has stepped up a little, we can hear it. This little wave,
short wave from the Tabernacle, we can pick that up a city block away.
And some of the cars are several city blocks away, the lines of car, up
and down, and around and through the streets, around the Tabernacle
tonight. I don't believe at anytime, visibly, we've ever had more
people jammed in and around the church than we have tonight. So we
are... And many, many, many are just driving up and driving away.
So it goes to show, "Where the Carcass is, the eagles will gather." And
may I say to you tonight, in this little group of people, it's a
international gathering. Practically over two thirds of the states of
the union is represented here, besides five foreign nations, even to
Russia, and all over the different parts of the country. Way down into
Venezuela, out into Jamaica, all over the different parts of the
nation, people are here hungering and thirsting for God. What a
marvelous time.
10 Now, I want, before reading the Bible, and will you pray for me now. I--I'm going to try to bring a little message, the Lord willing, on the appropriation of Divine healing. For, this morning we talked on salvation. And tonight we're going to speak a few minutes on Divine healing, and then call the prayer line and pray for the people. While we're doing this, out on the hookups, wherever you are, even out in the buses and cars around within a block or two of the Tabernacle, when it comes time to pray for the sick, if you can't get into the building... Which, you cannot, I'm sure now, 'cause doorways everywhere is jammed tight, past, and no room nowhere, so you pray and lay your hands on one another out there. And let each minister who's hooked in tonight, also pray for his congregation while the healing services are going on. We believe that God is omnipresent, everywhere. Now, before we read...
11 Or, before we--we pray, we
want to read some of God's Word. And I changed my--my Scriptures awhile
ago, because wanting to change the type of meeting that I had set in my
mind for tonight, so I have changed it a little bit; and so I had to
change my Scriptures, not change them, but set them in another order,
of Divine healing, so that--that people would understand. Let's turn to
St. Luke the 24th chapter. And we will begin at the 12th verse of the
24th chapter, and read down to about 34. It's on the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus.
Then Peter, arose
Peter, and ran to the sepulchre; and stooping down, and he beheld the
linen clothes... wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
And, behold, two of
them went the same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from
Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. (Now,
it takes ten furlongs to make a--to make a mile, so it was about six
miles.)
And as they talked
together of... these things which had happened.
... it came to pass,
that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew
near, and went with them.
But their eyes were
holden that they should not know him.
And he said unto
them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to
another, as you walk, and are sad?
And the one of them,
whose name was Cleopas, answered saying unto him, Art thou only a
stranger in Jerusalem, and has not thou known these things which are
come to pass... in these days?
11a And he said unto them, What
things?... (Now, remember, this is Jesus Himself, risen, talking.)...
And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a
prophet mighty in deed and in word before God and all the people:
... how the chief
priests and our rulers delivered him to the... to be--to be condemned
to death, and have crucified him.
But we trusted that
He had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and besides all this,
to day is the third day since these things were done.
Yea, and certain
women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the
sepulchre;
And when they found
not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of
angels, which said... he was alive.
And certain of them
which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the
women had said: but him they saw not. (Listen
now.)
11b Jesus, then said He unto them, O fools,...
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Ought not Christ to
have suffered these things, and to entered into his glory?
And beginning at
Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them all, in all the
Scriptures the things concerning himself.
And they drew nigh
unto the village, where they went: and he made as though he would have
gone further.
But they constrained
him, saying, Abide with us: for it is towards evening, and the day is
far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
And it came to pass,
as he set at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake
it, and give it to them.
And their eyes were
opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sights.
And they said one to
the other, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us
by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?
And they rose up the
same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered
together, and when they were with them,
Saying. The Lord is
risen indeed, and has appeared unto Simon.
And they told what
things were done in the way, and how that he was known to them by
breaking of bread.
12 Now, let us pray. Dear gracious Father, we thank Thee for Thy Word, for Thy Word is Truth; Thy Word is Life. And Thou, O Lord, and Thy Word are One. So we pray tonight, Lord, that You will come among us in the power of Your resurrection and will show forth to us tonight, like those that came from Emmaus, that we too would return to our homes, saying, "Did not our hearts burn within us?" Grant it, Lord, it's towards evening time again. For we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.
13 Now, I want to speak
concerning this Bible. And my subject tonight, for the topic is "Events
Made Clear By Prophecy," "Events Made Clear By Prophecy."
Now, the Bible is a different Book from all other sacred books. The
Bible is a different Book. It is a Book of prophecy, foretelling future
events. And It's also the Revelation of Jesus Christ. All the way from
Genesis to Revelation, brings Him out in His fullness, what He was and
is. And the whole complete Book, Revelation 1:1-3, said the Book is a
Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which is the Word of God, the
Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Word of God.
15 Now, all other books, sacred books, is only a code of ethics, a code of morals, or a code of theology, something that... How many ever read the Koran, the Mohammedan Bible, and--and the book of on Buddhists, and so forth? It's just a code of ethics, what people should live, how they should live, but it doesn't prophesy, doesn't say anything about these things or about any special gifts being given to anybody, anything to take place. Just like joining a lodge or something. Therefore, when churches come to the place that they make their church just a lodge to join, then they're plumb off the Word of God.
16 For the Bible is a living,
foretold witness of Jesus Christ. And as the earth has growed into its
fulness and also vines grow into their fulness, the day grows into its
fulness, the Bible was manifested in Its fulness in the Person of Jesus
Christ. He was the Word of God revealed, the whole complete book of
redemption. The Bible is God's Word, foretelling the future events. Its
believers is commanded by Its Author to read and believe every Word of
It, not just part of It. One Word, to disbelieve It, you might as well
quit trying until you believe that Word. Every Word is absolutely a
part of Almighty God, God made manifest, wound into His Word to show
forth Who He is.
We are commanded as believers, to believe every Word of It. And It's
wrote by the Author of God Himself. There's nobody can add anything to
It or take anything from It. If you would, it would be a freak body of
God. It would have, maybe like six fingers on one hand, or--or three
arms, or something, to add something, to take something away from it
and be one arm short, one finger short. It's the complete Body of Jesus
Christ. And in Christ, being the Male, the Groom, the Bride is
represented in Him also. And these two are one. "At that day you'll
know that I'm in the Father, the Father in Me, I in you and you in Me."
What a complete picture.
And the true believers in this Word, who accept It that way, believe
It, and with patience wait for It's prophesied promises, every one of
them to be manifested in its age. Every believer has watched for it.
Every believer that's been on the toes, watching, is the one It's been
revealed to.
18 Now, look in the days of
the coming of the Lord Jesus. Why didn't those people recognize John,
when the Bible plainly said by Isaiah, "There will be a voice of one
crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord'"? Their last
prophet they had, which was Malachi 3, said, "Behold, I send My
messenger before My face to prepare the way." Why didn't they see it?
Because they was looking upon something that had been done, basing
their thoughts upon some message that had went forth beforehand, and
failed to see the present manifestation of God in the day they were
living.
And Christians, everywhere, that's exactly where the world stands
tonight. Without contradiction, that's the truth. Christians,
everywhere, are trying to look back to some code of ethics that Mr.
Luther wrote, or Mr. Wesley, Sankey, Finney, Knox, Calvin, which none
of us can speak evil of, but that was in a day past.
20 The Pharisees looked back
to see what Moses said, and they said, "We have Moses. We don't know
whence Thou comest."
But remember, when Moses here, they didn't know whence he cometh. See?
And now, they... No wonder Jesus said to them, "You garnish the tombs
of the prophets, and you are the one that put them in there." After
their message is gone... A message goes through, the people see it,
they make fun of it (the world does). And then after the messenger is
finished and the message is done, then they build a denomination upon
the message. And there they die right there, never come to life again.
22 Look just a moment, to some
of you people, and especially I speak to you Catholic people. Do you
realize, have you ever read the actual history, the history of the
Roman Catholic church? How that on your martyrology, since Saint
Augustine of Hippo, how many million innocent people that the church
put to death? I forget, can't call the exact number, but it's up in the
millions, since Saint Hippo of--Saint Augustine of Hip--of Hippo,
Africa, made it a declaration that it was absolutely the will of God to
put anybody to death that protests the Roman Catholic church. Do you
realize that in that, that Saint Patrick was never recognized till
after his death, as a Roman Catholic? He protested the pope and all of
his doings, and the Catholic church itself killed tens of thousands of
his children. Did you know that the Catholic church burnt Joan of Arc,
that little sainted woman, to the stake, for be--said she was a witch.
Two hundred years later, dug up the bodies of the priests, when they
found out that it was wrong, and cast them into the sea, without
burying them in the sacred ground, to do penance.
Don't let the day pass over your head and be foolish. See?
23 How them priests, would
like tonight to come forth, that condemned Jesus. The only thing, they
never seen the prediction of that hour. If they... Jesus said, "Search
the Scriptures, for in Them you think (or rather) claim that you have
Eternal Life, and the Scriptures is what tell you Who I am," for that
hour.
Notice, the Bible cannot fail. It's one thing It cannot do, the Word of
God fail, for It foretells Its Author's acts before He does it.
25 Now, there's one chance out
of a thousand that a man might make a prediction that something another
is going to happen, and it would happen. But then if he places where
it's going to happen, that cuts him down to maybe one chance out of ten
thousand. If he says the day it's going to happen, that cuts it down,
one chance out of about a million. And who it's going to happen to,
that brings it down to billions of chances.
But this Bible tells you exactly who, when, where, and what to look
for, and never has failed one time. Therefore, in a little discussion
not long ago with a priest of the Sacred Heart church up here, he said,
"Mr. Branham, you're trying to argue a Bible." Said, "That's the
history of the church."
I said, "It's not a history; it's God Himself in print."
He said, "God is in His church."
I said, "God is in the Word. And anything contrary to It, let it be a
lie. For He said, 'Let My Word be true and every man's word a lie.'"
He said, "We're not to argue."
I said, "I never asked you to argue, but the Bible does say, 'Come, let
us reason together.'"
29 It foretells the Author's
doings before He does it. Therefore, telling that, then that puts every
man and woman at the judgment bar without any excuse. If you take what
the Methodists say about It, what the Baptists say about It, what the
Catholic says, what the Pentecostal says, or any other church, you
might find some disappointments at the judgment. But if you'll just
watch what the Bible says is going to happen, and when it happens, then
you'll recognize what happens.
Now, it isn't right out in plain view that all people can see it, for
Jesus thanked God for hiding it from the eyes of the wise and prudent,
and would reveal it to babes such as would learn. Think of Almighty God
setting in His Own Word, with power to blind the rich and impudent
and--and educated scholars, blind their eyes so they can't see Him, and
open the eyes of the poor and illiterate.
31 Notice these people from
Emmaus, He said their--their understanding of Him was withheld. They
talked to Him and didn't even know Who it was all day long. God can do
that, for He's God.
That's exactly what He done to those priests, those scribes, because it
was written that He had to do that. God blinded their eyes so we'd have
a chance. Notice, they couldn't see, no matter how much scholars, how
much priests they was, what they had done, they still could not see It,
because they were blind. Their sight might been twenty-twenty,
physically, but their spiritual sight...
33 The same thing I was trying to say this morning about the adultery of women, dressing the way they do now. They are adulterers. In God's Book they are guilty of adultery every time they put on sexy-looking clothes. Their soul, not knowing it... I believe them women, many of them, thousands of them are innocent, and would by no means commit adultery. And the poor women, with somebody who will let them get by with it, without exposing it and tell the truth, commit adultery. Which the Bible said the whore that set upon many waters, that all the kings of the earth and the peoples of the earth, the churches and so forth, committed spiritual fornications with her, and she was the mother of harlots": denominations...
34 We watch the Bible, for God
doesn't leave us in darkness. He sent the Bible to foretell us the
events before they happen, and the very nature and time they would come.
Now, it's something like looking on a calendar to see what date it is.
If you think, say that this is... "Is this Saturday, Sunday, what is
it?" Look on the calendar. The calendar will tell you what day it is.
When you see the actions of the people, maybe going to church, you see
the--the--hear the bells ringing, you wonder what day it is. Look on
the calendar, it'll tell you what day it is.
36 And when you see the church
getting worldly, like it was in the days of Sodom, see the church world
all going into the worship the god of this evil age, and seeing that;
then seeing a little minority group gathered out under the inspiration
of God, producing again the Life of Jesus Christ, by the Scriptures
that's supposed to happen, you know what hour you're living in.
This Bible foretells by prophecy what day that we're living, and what
time we're living, and what kind of a events ought to be taking place.
It foretells it exactly to the letter, and has never missed one age all
the time. Not one time has it ever missed, and it won't, for who are
predestinated to see it will see it. Jesus said, "No man can come to Me
except My Father draws him, and all that the Father has given Me will
come." It's the Word joining with the Word. It can't do nothing else.
38 We know that the day that we're living in, but as it has been in every age, people let men put their own interpretation to this Word, and causes them to be blinded to the event that's happened. Same thing it done with the Pharisees and Sadducees. Even when Paul stood there and tried to quote the Scripture, and one man smote him in the face because he called the high priest a whited wall... And then they missed seeing God confirm His prophesied Word.
39 See, the Bible doesn't
contradict Itself, the Bible is God. There's no contradiction in God;
He's perfect.
But the people with their own interpretation... Now, notice, let me
show you, friends. The churches cannot agree themself on the
interpretation of It. The Methodists can't agree with the Baptists, the
Baptists the Presbyterian, the Presbyterian the Pentecostals. And with
about forty different organizations of Pentecost, they can't agree with
one another. So you see, that would be Babylon again, confusing.
But God does His Own interpretating of His Word. He promised the thing,
and then does it Himself. He gives Himself the interpretation of it,
because He makes Hisself known in that hour how far the--the Body of
Christ is advanced, from the feet to the head.
42 Notice, then that's the reason that these people fail to get it, because they listen to what somebody else says about It, instead of reading the Word like Jesus told them to do, "And They are They that testify of Me. Search the Scriptures, in Them you think you have Eternal Life, and They are They that testify of Me." In other words, listen, "What? Read the Scriptures and see what the Messiah was supposed to do. See what time the Messiah was supposed to come. Look who was going to forerun the Messiah. Look at the hour. There's to be a voice of one crying in the wilderness: John. And you done to him exactly what you listed. Look what I was supposed to do when I come. And now what have you done? Have I failed to meet This?" (See?), Jesus speaking, "Have I failed to meet this?"
43 Notice, as we come on down
through the Scriptures this afternoon, how that everything that was
prophesied of Him happened just exactly the way it was supposed to.
They should've knowed this event. "This fanatic, young fellow raised
up, about thirty-three years old and--or thirty years old, and went
down there and claimed all kinds of lights, and doves ascending. And,
why, it was just a--a disgrace." They said, "He was born with
illegitimate parents, claimed he was born of a virgin birth."
Ought they not to knowed that Isaiah said in Isaiah 9:6, "Unto us a
Child is born"? Ought not they to know also that the prophet Isaiah
said, "A virgin shall conceive"? They ought to have knowed these
things. But, you see, the thing of it was, they were applying it
somewhere way ahead. And this Man to them didn't meet the
specification. But He asked them, "Search the Scriptures, for you think
in Them that you have Eternal Life, and They are the very thing that's
testifying to My Message." Not what some theologian said, but what God,
His own Word said would take place. Amen.
So is it now. Search the Scriptures, for They are the One that tells us
the hour we're living in, tells us exactly what will take place in this
day. They are the Ones that you should rely upon, for They are the One
that testifies of the Person of Jesus Christ. For the Bible said that
He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, 'cause He's the revelation
of the Word in the age. Can't be no different.
46 Therefore by listening to
man's interpretation, they see the confirmation of God's Word
fulfilled; they fail to see It. Because it's going on all the time, but
because they listen... And Jesus said they're blind leaders. And if the
blind leads the blind, what happens to them? Now, remember, the Bible
predicted this ecclesiastical age of this Laodicean age was blind. They
had Him outside the church. There's not another age, another church age
that Jesus was on the outside. But the Laodicea church age, He was on
the outside, trying to get back in, "I stand at the door and knock."
He's supposed to be inside. But He said, "Because you say 'I'm rich,
increased in goods, have need of nothing,' and don't know, don't know
that you're blind, leading the blind, poor in spirit, wretched,
miserable, naked, and don't know it."
What a con... If a man was naked on the street, miserable, blind, and
knew he had sense enough and you could tell him he was naked, he'd try
to do something about it. But when he shakes his head, and say, "I
won't have it. Who are you to tell me what to do? I know where I'm
standing." Now, if that ain't a pitiful shape, I don't know. And that's
exactly what the God of this Bible said that the church would be in in
this evil age right now, in the last church age where we're living.
Notice, but to the peoples, "As many as I love, I rebuke." Now, if
you're rebuked of the Lord of what you're doing, come out of it then.
Get away from it. "As many as I love, I rebuke."
48 Now, seeing God... Now, what if those Pharisees would said, "Wait a minute. That Man's give us quite a challenge; He said, 'Search the Scriptures, for in Them you think you have Eternal Life. They testify of Me.' It's better that I look back in the Scriptures and find out what He's supposed to do, Who He is, what's supposed to take place. I should look back and find out"? Instead of that, they went to the priest and asked him, "What about It?" See the difference? They should have been reading the Word.
49 In Hebrews 1:1, the Bible said, "God, in sundry times (that's old times) and in divers manners wrote the Bible by the prophets." Now, notice. He wrote the Bible by His own chosen way. See? Now, He didn't have to write It that way; neither did He have to save man by Blood. He didn't have to preach the Gospel by man; He could let the sun or the moon or the stars preach the Gospel; He could let the winds hum the Gospel. But He chose man. And He chose the way His Word came, and that was by His prophets which were predestinated and foreordained, being a part of God's Word, declaring the revelation of His Word to that age and that time. "For the Word of God came to the prophets only." Never does It come to a theologian. Show me the Scripture. It comes only to prophets. God cannot lie. So God wrote the Bible by His chosen method, and His Own chosen prophets; not the prophets man had chose, but the prophets God had chose.
50 Then its believers watch
for the fulfillment of what their prophet said, and that's
identification that they are God's prophets. Because first, they're
inspired. Next, they say exactly with the Word of the hour. Then that's
his credentials. See, we went through that last Sunday. Many false
prophets will rise. And we give the illustrations of how that Balaam
and Moses, both of them anointed with the same Spirit, one of them
said, "We're all one. Let's come join, put our girls and all together.
We got pretty girls over here, and you boys come over here and take you
a nice wife. That's all right; we're all one people anyhow, the same
race." God never did forgive them for it. They listened to that. See?
The world and the--the people are watching for some little outlet, some
little bypass, some little shortcut, but there is no shortcuts in the
Word of God. There's one Pattern. You must cut yourself and fit that
Pattern, not try to cut the Pattern to fit you. Everybody must do that.
That's the only way God has of doing it.
52 Notice now, the believers
wait for that Word to be confirmed. See, It was not wrote by men, but
by the Lord God; therefore, It's not a book of men.
Somebody said, "It's just some old Hebrew writings." Would the Hebrews
write a letter that condemned themselves? Would that fine nation of
Jews, self-styled and polished, would they write their own iniquities,
condemning them ownselves? Certainly not. Tell of his own sins, how
they went into idolatry, how they committed fornications against God's
Word? No. No, they'd never tell that, that proud nation.
It's not a book of men, It's a Book of God. And the man who sees the
visions or hears the voice of God, never understood It many times
themselves, in many cases. See? Man didn't write the Bible; God wrote
the Bible. It is not--it's not a man's book, It's God's Book. It is
God's thoughts expressed through human lips. That's what makes It the
Bible. A thought expressed is a word. And in the beginning was God's
thinking; He expressed It through the lips of His prophets, and
confirmed It by His servants. See? Notice.
55 God does His Own choosing
by predestination, chose the prophets for every age. Notice it. He
fixes the nature of that prophet to fit that age. See? He fits his
style, whatever he does. He fits him whether he's educated or not
educated. He fits the gifts, the manner that he'll preach in, the gifts
he'll have. And the message for that certain age, God's predestinated
that certain thing to happen and there's not another thing can take its
place. Don't care what it is, how many manmade achievements; nothing
can take its place. He predestinated the man maybe an ignorant man; He
might've predestinated Him another kind of a man. Whatever he is, He
gives him his class, his--his gifts, give him his nature, his style,
and whatever it is, how he expresses himself, and whatever he does. He
makes the man of the hour to catch the people of the hour. Right. He
does it.
At the end of each age, when the church has turned to the world and
sin, and leaning upon man's interpretation of the Word... As ever, they
always, at the end of the age, have got in such a mess by their
theologians and priests until it's always a mess-up. Always their
interpretation is wrong; not one time has it ever failed to be wrong.
And not one time has God's Word ever failed to be right. That's the
difference.
57 Now, you see, God wrote the Bible, Himself. Now, God can speak. Moses said He spoke to him. Jeremiah said, "He put Words in my mouth." And God can write. He wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger. He wrote on the walls of Babylon. And remember, of the Old Testament alone, two thousand times the prophet said THUS SAITH THE LORD. God can speak; God can write. Certainly. Almost ninety percent of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, is the very Words of God Himself, Jesus Christ speaking. So if God can write, if God can read, if God can talk, can't He cause others to do the same? Did not He say to Moses, "Who makes man dumb or who gives him speech?" God wrote the Bible by the prophets, His way of doing it.
58 Now, every time that the
church gets mixed up, and God foreknew they would, for He foreknew all
things; therefore, He has His certain prophet ready for that age, to
call His electing by His a-vindicated Word of signs and wonders, and
confirmation of His Word: confirming the Word with signs following, as
He promised. He gives the true interpretation after the prophet himself
has been vindicated.
All but those, the elected to whom he is sent, hate him. Now, examine
every instant and see if that's right or not. Only the ones that He's
sent to. "He came to His Own and His Own received Him not; but as many
as did receive Him, to them gave He the power to become sons of God."
Notice, no... Every examination of the Word, in every instance, and at
the end of every age or climax or junction, as I preached on it many
times...
60 Look at the age of Noah at
the climax before judgment. What happened? Noah, it was only his own
family that believed the man. The rest of them criticized him. And He
destroyed the whole world.
In the days of Abraham, only Abraham's group that believed... When the
angels went and preached to Sodom, only Lot and his wife and two
daughters come out, and she turned back to a pillar of salt.
In the days of Moses, only the elected of Israel come out. And Pharaoh
hated him.
In the days of Elijah, everything almost but seven thousand man, every
one of them hated him, the whole nation.
In the days of Jeremiah, why, they throwed unripe fruit at him and
called him a fanatic, because he laid on his side for so many days, and
the other side, and--and taken things and made symbols. They hated him.
Isaiah the prophet, he condemned that race so much till they sawed him
in two with a saw. Right.
66 John the Baptist, "He was a
wild man down there, some screaming maniac." All but--but those
disciples that he presented to Jesus Christ as a church, "There it
is."... John made ready a people. How many did he have? You could count
them on both fingers--both hands, your fingers, how many that John
presented to Jesus when He come. Now, what about His second coming?
Think of it.
But when the true Bible believers see the Word so openly vindicated for
the age, they believe. There's no way to keep them from It, believe It.
They even seal their testimony with their blood. They believe It. It's
then it's to them, the predestinated, that for that certain age that
sees and believes.
68 Others just can't see It, they're blinded. Now, you say, "They can't see It." Now, like Balaam, why couldn't Balaam see That, he was a prophet, anointed? Why couldn't Pharaoh see It? When he seen the hand of God come down and perform miracles, and It only hardened his heart. Is that right? Why couldn't Dathan see It, a Jew himself? Right out there, had come through the Dead Sea, and eat the manna every night, that fell fresh, and still couldn't see It. Why didn't Korah see It? Why didn't Caiaphas see It? He was the head religious man of the world at that time. Why didn't he see that was the Messiah? Why didn't Judas see It? Judas was right with them, walking with them, performing miracles with them. But the Word had to be fulfilled. The Bible says they was raised up to take that place. They was raised for that purpose. That's true. Romans 8 says that.
69 Now, the believers can see the Word is made flesh in their generation: God speaking. Now, them real true believers, them seven thousand, or was it seven hundred in the days of Elijah? Seven thousand's right. In the days of Elijah, there was seven thousand men out of about two or three million, that saw that that was right. Not even a hundredth of the people, hardly. But they saw It was right. They saw God manifested. That old widow that Elijah was sent to, she went to get those sticks, to make a cake, and just enough to make a cake for her and her son, and then die. But watch Elijah; he said, "Make me one first. For THUS SAITH THE LORD, the barrel will not fail and neither will the cruse run dry until the day the Lord God sends rain upon the earth." No question, she took right off to make the cake and give it to him. Said, "Make mine first, and then go make one for you and your son." For she heard that man and looked at him, she was a predestinated seed.
70 Many of them say, "There's
that old crank again. God's cursing us because of him."
Remember, Elijah said, "You're the one that's troubling Israel." He
said, "You're the one that's troubled Israel." See who God, Who's Word
He was vindicating? His Own Word.
Now, the Bible says they was raised up for this purpose, but
when--the--the unbeliever. But now when the true believer can see the
Word of that age made flesh, God speaking through human lips and then
doing exactly what He said He would do, that settles it.
73 Now, watch the rest of it. Don't watch signs. If you watch signs, you'll be fooled as sure as the world. False prophets will rise and show signs and wonders that'll deceive the elected if it was possible. Watch the Word. Look at these priests, these prophets, Hebrew prophet standing there. Zedekiah with two great big horns, and saying, "I am a ordained of God prophet." That's true. "I have three hundred and ninety-nine right here with me, and the Holy Spirit upon us, confirming and saying that land belongs to us. Let's go up and take it. And by these horns, Ahab, you'll push the enemy off of our ground, for God gave us the ground."
74 Watch that religious man,
good man, Jehoshaphat said, "Haven't you got one more?"
"One more? There's four hundred in agreement." He said, "Yes, there's
one more around here, but I hate him." Said, "He's always bawling all
of us out and telling us what great sinners we are and everything. I
hate him. He--he's Micaiah, the son of Imlah."
He said, "Oh, don't let the king say so. Go get him and let's hear what
he says."
So they brought him down there. He said, "Give me tonight and I'll see
what the Lord says about it."
Ahab said, "I adjure you; don't you tell me nothing but the truth."
And the man come, said, "Now, if you want to get back in good
fellowship, say just like the rest of them."
Micaiah said, "I'll say just what God says."
And the next morning they come out. And the kings put their robes on,
set in the gate, all of the celebrity. And the prophets standing there,
said, "Now, fanatic, what you say about it?"
Said, "Go on up." Said, "But I seen Israel scattered like sheep having
no shepherd."
82 He smote--took his hand and smacked him in the mouth. The prophet smacked the prophet in the mouth. Now, both those anointed prophets standing there prophesying, four hundred against one, that looked pretty strong. Now, in the multitude of counsel it's not always safety. Depends on where they're--what they're counseling about, what their counsel is. There wasn't safety there for the king, and he took that multitude for their counseling to be right. But if he'd just stopped and turned back the scroll and look what Elijah had just said... Ha.
83 Then, Micaiah couldn't say
anything, he didn't know but maybe God forgave him for it. But first,
being a prophet, he went to God to find out what God said. And he found
out what God said. He said, "I saw God setting upon a throne, and He
said--had all of His counselors of heaven gathered around Him, said,
'Who can We get to go down and cause Ahab to come out here so we can
otherwise fulfill the prophecy that's made about him?'" See, prophecy...
Elijah had already said, "The dogs will lick your blood." See?
And so he said he "seen a lying spirit go up from beneath, come up,
come up before Him, said, 'I'll go down and get in his prophets, Ahab's
prophets, and cause them to prophesy a lie.'"
86 Now, God knew that them men
was so puffed up and so full of theology that they thought they had
everything right. They had never noticed the Word for the hour. See? So
God said, "You will succeed; go on down." And when Micaiah said that,
that made them prophesying under a evil spirit. They'd have jerked the
plug out of the telephone, or turned off the radio, or done anything,
they heard that coming against them, got up and walked out. But look
what happened. Now, Micaiah had to check his vision with the written
Word; therefore, he knowed.
He said, "When I come... Put that man in prison; give him waters of
sorrow and bread of sorrow. When I return, I'll deal with him."
He said, "If you come back at all, God never spoke to me." That's when
he knows his vision is exactly with every Word for that hour. It was
Ahab's time.
Brother, sister, this is the hour and the time of the calling out of
Babylon. The evening Lights are here. Walk in the Light while it is
Light. Notice, the believers saw the Word manifested and believed It.
Jesus said, "My sheep know My Voice, My Word, My signs of the age. A
false one they'll not follow."
90 Now, let's get to our text,
'cause I see I'm going to get away; I want to emphasize on that prayer
line a lot. Let's get back to the text now we got under consideration
here for a minute. Well, it'll happen again like it always did, as
usual.
God sent His prophet John, as His Word had said, promised in Malachi 3,
"Behold, I send My messenger before My face to prepare the way." John
witnessed the same thing. And we find out also in Isaiah 40:3, that
Isaiah said, "There will be a voice of a prophet, one crying in the
wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord.'" See? All those prophecies,
and--and look, notice quickly, the Scripture identified him.
When they said, "Who are you? Are you the Messiah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you Jeremiah, the prophets, or one of them?"
He said, "I am not. But I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
as saith the prophet Isaiah."
Do you think they'd believe that? No, sir. Why? He didn't come through
their church. He wasn't of their... See, he went in the wilderness at
age of nine years old and come out at thirty. His message was too great
to go through a school of theology; he was the one to introduce
the--the Messiah. And everybody would be pulling this way and that way.
And God sent him in the wilderness after the death of his father
Zechariah. And he was a priest, but he never followed the line of his
father. 'Cause prophets don't come out of such things as that. They
come from the rugged lands, the wilderness. No man knows where they
come from or how they rise on the scene, or any of their history. They
just come right out and preach the Word, and God takes them off, and
away they go; condemns that generation, and moves on into His Word,
waiting for the great day.
95 The church did not believe
him, because he was not known of them. They had no record of his
ordination on their books; so therefore, they refused him. See, they
didn't believe God's vindicated Word, plainly, letter by letter. See?
Malachi 3, two Scriptures to a-vindicate him: Malachi 3 and Isaiah 40
and 3. See, both those Scriptures spoke of a man coming, preparing the
way of the Lord. He met every specification of it.
He was to be a prophet. "I'll send to you Elisha." And there he was, in
every rugged way. Watch how his nature blended in with Elijah. Elijah
was a man of the wilderness, so was John, the outdoors. He wasn't a
smooth man, he was a rugged man.
Notice again, Elijah was a woman hater; he told Jezebel about all of
her paint and where to get on and off at. So was John. Jezebel tried to
kill Elijah, swore by her gods that she'd take his head off of him. So
did Herodias. See?
Always watch their message, watch what they did. Now, we find out if
they would've looked back and seen what the Bible said, and watched the
nature of the man, and how perfect he was in time with the Scriptures
and everything, they ought to have knowed that was him. About a half a
dozen knew it. That's right. Not over a half a dozen realized it. They
went to hear him, but they didn't believe it. See? Why? They did not
believe the identification of prophecy in their hour. See?
99 Notice, they laughed at
him, calling him some "screaming, wild unlearned fanatic with no
schooling, hit, hain't, tote, carry, fetch, so forth." As usual they
judge him by his education. They judge him by his grammar, by the way
he dressed. He had a piece of sheepskin around him, and a camel skin
belt on; he was all hairy. Walking out in the waters, no church, no
pew, no cooperation, they couldn't accept that. They was worshipping
the god of the world. See?
I don't mean to say now there's not false prophets that comes out like
Jannes and Jambres. But the way you want to do, is check the original
message by the Word, then you got it: what age it's in, and what's
prophesied for that age.
101 Then John's prophecy was
vindicated in God's own order. Watch how perfect. The Bible said the
Word of the Lord comes to the prophet. And Jesus was the Word. And John
was prophesying of the coming of the Word for fulfillment, and Jesus
the Word came to the prophet in the water. Oh, how beautiful. How
unfailing is the... See? The Word was a scarce thing in that day. Here
come the prophet, saying, "I am the voice of the Word."
They said, "What must we do?"
Said, "I'm not worthy to unloose His shoes. But there's One standing
among you somewhere; He'll be the One that'll baptize you with the Holy
Ghost and fire. His fan's in His hand and He'll thoroughly purge His
floor, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire, take the grain to the
garner." Oh, what a prophet, Jesus said there was never a man born of a
woman as great as he to that day. Oh, how blusterous. How he knowed
where he was standing. He knowed exactly. He'd heard from God, and it
was exactly with the Word, so he didn't care what people said. He
preached It and prophesied It anyhow. And watch, when a man stands for
what is Truth, then God's obligated to vindicate that man the truth.
103 When Moses come down there in Egypt, and said, "I was in the wilderness yonder, and I seen a tree on fire, and it didn't consume. I went up to the tree, and when I did, there was a great Pillar of Fire hanging in there. And a Voice said, 'I AM THAT I AM.' And He told me to take this stick and come down here and perform these miracles, and God will vindicate His Word." He stretched out his stick, there come fleas and flies, and darkness and so forth. And then to vindicate that prophet, He brought those believers right back to the mount, and God came down in the same Pillar of Fire, right on the same mountain, and proved that that was right.
104 Now, look what He's done in this day. Exactly. Now, the Word come to the prophet and vindicated him to be the true person, the very person that the Scriptures said that he would be. Quickly now. But again, Jesus came in a different form from their manmade interpretation of the prophecy. Man had interpreted what it would be. Certainly. The Presbyterians thinks that it ought to be them. Watch when God does anything; watch every other organization rise up with one. Yeah, always been that way. They got a Jannes and Jambres everywhere. Notice, they said part of the Word, but according to the prophet's Word, every Letter.
105 They missed it again, as
usual, called Him a fortuneteller, a devil, Beelzebub, and said He made
Himself God, when they ought to have knowed by their very Bible that He
was God. Notice, He was prophesied by Isaiah; Isaiah 9:6 said, "His
Name shall be called the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father." There
ain't going to be no more fathers after that, 'cause He was the first
Father in the beginning; He's the only Father. Said, "Don't you call
any man of this earth father, either, after that." He's the--the Mighty
God, and the Everlasting Father, the Counselor, the Prince of Peace.
Certainly.
Now, they had done to Him what all the prophets listed that they would
do, just as they are doing in this very Laodicean age, put Him out of
the church: blind, naked, and don't know it, just what the prophet
said, the prophet of the Bible. Blinded by man's traditions, they put
Him out, the Word out of their churches, as usual, as prophesied of
them.
107 Notice now, quickly now. Don't miss this now. Here's the text: how Jesus made Himself known to these two disciples that He was their Messiah. Now, all eyes this way. And out in the land, don't miss this now. We've tried to tell you that the Bible is the Word of God, wrote by God Himself, through the lips and instrumentality of men. God can write Himself. God can speak Himself. God can do what He wants to, but He chose man to do it because the man that wrote It is part of God. So God wrote the Bible. The men didn't even know what they were writing in their own human thinking. They might disagree with it, but they wrote It. They couldn't. The Bible said, "Men of old, as they was moved by the Holy Ghost..." God moved their hands, moved their eyes in the visions. They could say nothing but what they were looking at. They could speak nothing, 'cause He had full control of tongue, finger; every organ of the body was in full sway with God. No wonder the Bible said they were gods; they were a part of God. He was the Fullness of God.
108 Notice how Jesus, the Word,
made these two heartbroke disciples know He was their Messiah, the
Messiah, the promised Word. Notice what He done; He appealed to
prophecy. Notice, "Fools, slow to believe all that the prophets
wrote..." Now, He never said, "Well, what--what does the church say
about it?"
They give Him the story; they knowed all the events that happened. They
was all sad. They begin to tell Him, "Are You just a Stranger here, or
You don't know what's happened in Jerusalem?"
He said, "What things?" like He didn't know. See, He does things some
time just to see what you'll do about it. See? Said, "What things? Who
was it? What's happened?"
"Are You just a Stranger?" And was talking right to the Man they had
lived with for three and a half years, and didn't know Him.
"What things? What happened?"
Well, they said, "Jesus of Nazareth, which was a Prophet. There's no
doubt in our mind; He was mighty in Word and deed before all the
people. We seen Him do things that He was identified the Prophet of God
for this age. We know that. And we believed that He would be the
Redeemer, that He would redeem Israel."
Then He turns and said, "You fools, slow of heart to believe that all
that the prophets said about Him wouldn't come to pass?" See? Watch
Him. Now, go back to prophecy. What a rebuke for believers, claimed
they believed Him.
114 Notice how He approached
the subject. He never come right out and said, "I am your Messiah." He
could've done it, for He was. But notice; He identified Himself in the
Word, then they would know. If He'd have said it, He could've said that
and it wouldn't have been so; but when He went and begin to speak on
all the prophets said about Him, and they seen it, then they could tell
themselves, if they were God's children. But called their attention to
what the prophets had foretold and said to look for in the time that
the Messiah, His age would be manifested. He, as John, let the Word,
the Bible identify their message. Any true prophet would do it. Sure.
He didn't come out and say, "I am He. I'm..." That's not a true prophet
of God. See? But He said, "Go back in the Scriptures." See, He never
fails His way of doing it. See?
He said, "We know Moses."
He said, "If you would've knowed Moses, you'd know Me." He said, "Moses
wrote of Me." Said, "Search the Scripture, in Them you think you have
Eternal Life, and the Scripture is what testifies of Me. Go and look in
the Scripture and see it."
116 Here He never changes His
way of doing it, never has changed. He never can change, because He's
the unchanging God. See? Notice, He went right back to these two
disciples, Cleopas and his friend, on the road to Emmaus, and said,
appealed to the Scriptures to them, said, "Why are you so foolish to
not to believe that every Word the prophets wrote concerning the
Messiah would have to be fulfilled?" Oh, what a day.
John did the same thing. "Search the Scriptures; look back, said
there'd be a voice of one crying in the wilderness. Where did I come
from? See?" That's... That should've made it plain to them. Right.
It should make it plain today, the thing that we see the Holy Spirit
doing. He once said, "Search the Scriptures." And we... He wants us to
do it today.
119 Notice, He begin with
Moses' prophecy, the Bible said, "He, beginning with Moses and all of
the prophets," but He started with Moses. "A Prophet," said Moses, "the
Lord your God shall raise up among you people, among the people. The
Lord God shall raise up a Prophet."
Now, He might've said, "Cleopas, and your friend here, did not Moses
say that in these days the Lord God would raise up a Prophet? And this
Man that they crucified, did He meet that qualification? Now, Moses
prophesied this. And now, you haven't had a prophet for hundreds and
hundreds of years, and here this Man raised up. And what was this Man's
forerunner, did you say?" Get it? And all the prophets said about Him
for His age He spoke to them. It sure would have been interested to
listen at Him. Wouldn't you liked to hear Him? I'd liked to have heard
Him, to hear Him, what He said that the prophets said about Himself,
but He never said it was Him. He just showed them a prophecy. He just
said, "The prophets said this would happen." See?
121 Let's just go back a few minutes, and now let's listen to the Words quoted from Himself. Watch here, the Word Itself quoting the Word of Himself, the Word Itself quoting the Word of Himself, not telling that He was that, but just let the Word speak for Itself, then they know Who He was. The letter of the Word, quoting the Word in... The Word in flesh, quoting the Word of the letter being fully identified with Himself... Look here, now let's listen to Him quote. How... Now, we know that they were all briefed of the late happenings; that is, of the crucifixion and of the story of the resurrection, the tomb, as we just read. Now, He goes straight to the Word of prophecy about Himself. Now, let's just think that He said this; He said a lot more than this. But watch.
122 Let's say, hear Him say, "Turn over to Zechariah 11:12. And wasn't the Messiah to be sold, according to the prophet, for thirty pieces of silver? You just said that this Man was sold for thirty pieces of silver. Turn over..." You getting them Scriptures? Zechariah 11:12. And then He said, "Did you notice what David said in the Psalms, Psalm 41:9? He would be betrayed by His friends. And then again, in Zechariah 13:7, He was forsaken by His disciples. And in Psalms 35:11, accused by false witnesses, you just said He was. Isaiah 53:7, He was dumb before His accusers. Isaiah 50 and 6, they scourged Him, the prophet said. Psalms 22, He was to cry on the cross, 'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?'" Did He do that, day before yesterday afternoon? Psalms 22 again, 18, His garments was parted among them. Did they do that? And Psalms 22:7 to 8, mocked by His enemies, the church. Psalms 22 again, there was not a bone in His body to be broke, but 'they pierced My hands and My feet,'" He said, holding His hands behind Him no doubt at the time. "Isaiah 53:12 said He would die between malefactors. Isaiah 53:9 said He was buried with the rich. Psalms 16:10 said, 'I will not leave His soul in hell, neither will I suffer My Holy One to see corruption.' And was not Malachi 3 the forerunner of this Man?"
123 Oh, I'd like to have heard
Him quote that. Look at the prophecies. Notice, then all the types He
might've went through, about Isaac, in Genesis 22, how God foreshadowed
Isaac, how father Abraham took his own son, packing the wood up the
hill, and offered up his own son.
It was now beginning to soak into them. He had done told them they were
fools for not looking at the prophecy for that day. And now it begin to
soak in, begin to see the fulfilling of all this that had taken place
in the last few days, in the last two or three years, the vindicated
prophecy of the age. It was then that they knew that their crucified
friend, Jesus, had fulfilled every Word of this. Oh, it was then that
they knowed that that Man truly was that Messiah, that--that He should
raise from the dead. "The grave couldn't hold Him. 'I will not suffer
My Holy One to see corruption.' There's not one Word of prophecy can
ever fail. And He did raise."
124 "Then that messengers down at the tomb this morning was right. He is risen from the dead. He is alive. He is that Messiah." Why? Don't fail it. "His action, His ministry, and everything He's done has been vindicated exactly the Words that the prophet said would take place for this day. That's done it." Then they knowed that it was Him, their crucified Friend, Jesus, that had done it. No wonder their hearts burned within them as He talked to them. Now, they had walked six miles, and it seemed like a short time.
125 And here's another thing they'd done; you know, they'd heard a six-hour sermon on prophecy being vindicated. That's what He talked to them along the road. Just as soon as they started down the road, He stepped out, for He was right there at Jerusalem. Six hours latey--later, sixty furlongs, they was right down the road six miles to Emmaus. That's what it is. And He had preached, confirmed prophecy for six hours. Don't condemn me on my three then. See, see? But notice, they had preached... He. They had heard a six-hour sermon on prophecy being confirmed, vindicated.
126 Now, it was getting along
towards evening time. You know, He's the same yesterday, today, and
forever. It was then that He opened their eyes to know that Hebrews
13:8, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. At the evening time,
events are made clear by the prophecies. What's taking place in the
modern hour can be easily identified if you'll just believe the
prophecy of the hour.
"Yes, fools, slow of--of understanding, slow to believe (You keep
pondering over it.), to believe that all the prophets said about the
Messiah, wouldn't it have to happen?" Now, He checked these points all
back and showed what the prophet said that would happen. Then they
begin to understand. So He said--act like He was going to go on by.
They liked this Man. They said, "You--You've give us something. We
never thought that. He is alive somewhere." They was talking to Him,
didn't know it. So He... And no doubt He looked at them sadly, and He
started to walk on by, but He--He's waiting for them to invite Him.
That's what He's waiting tonight: for you to invite Him.
128 And notice when those disciples invited Him into their fellowship around the table, it was then that He done something just like He did before His crucifixion, and their eyes come open. They knowed His manner, His style. They knowed what He done, and He did it then just like He did before. And they said, "That's Him." And quickly they raised up to scream it out, and He vanished. And where they took six hours to listen to this sermon, maybe twenty minutes they were light-footed back to tell the rest of them, "He's risen indeed. He is really alive."
129 Friends, this is the fulfillment of Malachi 4, St. Luke 17, St. John 15, oh, so many, Revelations 10, so many prophecies that can be pinned exactly to this day. And also in the Book of Mark and in Matthew, where He said these great signs and wonders would appear in the sky, and people call them saucers, flying saucers, can--can vanish with the power and quickness of a thought, intelligence that can move in. He can write and speak; He can do whatever He wants to. The great Pillar of Fire, the same yesterday, today, and forever... And sights coming upon the earth, pyramids, the smoke rising into the air, way above where there cannot be no humidity nor nothing, thirty miles high, predicted a year and a half before it happened, that it would be that way. Then turn the picture and see Who it is looking down. Not one word has ever failed that's been told, and here's God's written Word, confirming it's the truth. And it's evening time again. I wonder if He would return by grace tonight and do something now like He done back there? Let's pray and ask Him. Events made clear by vindicated prophecy.
130 God Almighty, help us. Help us, dear God, to understand, to understand the things that we should know, understand Thy Word. And now, Lord, we have heard sermons now for nearly two thousand years, writings of books. And in this last days here it's slipped right back again, and now, it's towards evening time. The Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and many of them down through the age has talked with You, and maybe just along the way of this great day that hasn't been either night or day, as the prophet said, but in the evening time it'll be Light... Jesus rose from the tomb and appeared to Simon and to the women, and showed them that He was alive. That was the morning. And then in evening He come back again. But He did walk to them through the day, rebuking them for their blindness, but then He made Hisself known to them in the evening time.
131 God, come into our
fellowship tonight that we have around the Word. God, it's so scarcely
believed today amongst the people, but I'm thankful that there is some
that You have called and ordained them to Eternal Life, and You said,
"All that the Father has given Me will come." And now, while the
evening Lights are shining, while You have permitted, Lord, that not
one prophecy (out of the hundreds that's went forth) has ever failed
one time. Then truly if that identifies, it has to be You, 'cause no
person could be that accurate. Just like the Bible, no man could write,
no one in the space of sixteen hundred years by forty different writers
could write, and not one error be in it.
Dear God, I pray that You'll manifest Yourself tonight, of Hebrews
13:8, that You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the works
that You did then, You do today. And You promised it; You said in this
last days, when the world is sitting like Sodom and Gomorrah,
perversion... We look at these boys just so much like girls, wearing
clothes like them, and--and see the girls trying to act like boys, and
see the women and men in this perverted age, see sex appeal has become
a--a idol of worship. The Gospel has been pushed out to one side, and
nakedness in the Laodicea church, O God, what a hour. Come, Lord Jesus,
make Yourself known to us. For we ask it in Jesus' Name.
132 Now, while you have your heads bowed and your eyes closed, I'm going to ask you something. You believe that God is here? You believe that the things It's doing today is prophecy fulfilled? You believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever? You believe when He was here and manifested in the flesh for that day, and the works that He done there was to be repeated again in this day? The prophet said so. The Bible said so. All Scripture must be fulfilled; It cannot fail. How did He identify Himself? By being that Prophet that Moses spoke of, knowed the secrets of the hearts of the people. The woman touched His garment; He turned and said, "Thy faith has saved Thee." When Simon Peter come up to Him, He knowed His Name, told Him who he was, who his father was. That same lovely Jesus is not dead; He's alive forevermore. Praise be to God. And I believe in this evening time now, He's called us together again.
133 O Lord Jesus, come among
us. Don't pass us by. Come, stay all night with us till this night is
over, then let us go with You tomorrow, that we might know You in the
power of Your resurrection, that Your love and grace and mercy might be
with us. O eternal God, grant these things. We know that only God alone
can grant them.
In the solemnness of this hour, let us say this: God, our Father, our
flesh is a poor tabernacle for You. But, Lord, let Your sanctifying
grace, Your Holy Spirit, come now. Cleanse us from every doubt and
every flusteration, every suspicion, and every line of skepticism that
would be in us, that we might be free without one doubt, come out,
confess boldly like Peter, "Thou art the Christ, the same yesterday,
today, and forever."
135 We believe that Thy Word is
Truth, Lord. Let us just see before we start this prayer line, Lord,
and make Yourself known to us. And as You said, as it was in the days
of Lot. When Abraham, that called-out group waiting for a promised son,
Lot was down there hearing a modern Billy Graham and an Oral Roberts to
that denominational setup down there as a nation. But Abraham was a
sojourner without any organization, just his little group wandering
about through the land that he was to heir. "And the meek shall inherit
the earth."
One day, under the shade tree, while they were setting, resting, God
came down in a form of a Man. Two angels went down into Sodom. And God
in human flesh proved that He was; He said, "Abraham, where is thy
wife, Sarah?" A few days before that, he was Abram, and S-a-r-r-a,
Sarra; not Sarah, "princess." And You called her by her princess name,
the daughter of a king. You called Abraham by his name, Abraham, a
father of nations. And You said, "I am going to visit you."
136 God, how that prophet's
heart must've jumped. He knowed Who You was right then. No wonder he
washed Your feet, brought out all the food that he had, and the very
best, and laid it before You. He knew that was God there. Then He said,
"Where is Sarah?" as if He didn't know. And You...
Abraham said to Him, "He's in the tent--she's in the tent behind You."
And You said what was going to happen. And she, in her heart, doubted
it. And then You--You said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah doubt that,
saying in her heart, 'These things can't be'? Is anything too hard for
God?"
O God, Jesus, manifested God of the Word, You said, "As it was in the
days of Sodom," the world would be in that condition just before the
destruction of the Gentile world, the Gentile dispensation. Here we
are, Sodomites to the core. And then You said that the Son of man,
which is always referred to as a prophet, would be revealed in that
hour. Fulfill Thy Words, O God. We, Your believing children, wait with
sincere hearts, to give us faith, Lord, that when we have the prayer
line, the people will believe. It's evening time, Father. Let the
evening Lights of the Son of God (He that Was, and Which Is, and Shall
Come) manifest Hisself by the prophecy that He's made. In Jesus
Christ's Name. Amen.
140 I am now ready to--to pray
for the sick. But it's a strange thing how that when we stand here, and
here I stand here now making a challenge to the public, and hooked up
across the nation, that God still is God. He cannot fail. And what He
promises, that He'll do. He'll never fail to do it, for He promised to
do it. Therefore, I can place solemn confidence in what He said.
Therefore, I look for His coming; I look for Him to appear at any time,
because He said, "In a hour that you think not," the world thinks not,
then He'll appear.
Now, so far as I know... I'm in my Tabernacle here, and there's a few
people setting here that I--I do know: Brother Wright, a few of these
setting here that right along here, I do know. But there's many of you
I do not know. And I have no way of saying that God will do this
tonight. We have seen Him do it for the past years and years, but He
might not do it tonight. I don't know. That's up to Him; He's
sovereign. He does what He wishes to; no one can tell Him what to do.
He abides alone in His will and His ways. But because that He promised
it, I'm asking Him to do it. Not for our sake, that we need it, but
maybe for some strangers' sake, that the Holy Spirit might be
anointed--now anointing upon us. Now, no matter how much He anoints me,
He's got to anoint you too, certainly, to believe.
142 Now, I want to have a
prayer line, and I want to pray for the sick as much as I can. Now, we
can either have a line, to call the people and bring them up here, a
prayer line and pray for everybody here that's sick, I suppose, have my
minister brothers to come here with us, and lay hands upon you. We can
sure do that. Or either we can ask our Father, Who is the only One that
could do anything for you, 'cause my hands is just a man like you men.
But the thing of it is, it isn't the human hand that does it; it's the
Word of God. Faith in that Word is what does it. No scientific thing
about it, it's altogether unscientific.
There's not one thing the Christian has in his armor that's scientific.
Did you know that? Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness,
meekness, gentleness, patience, faith, Holy Ghost, everything is unseen
by science. And that's the only thing that's real and lasting.
Everything you look at come from the earth and goes back to the earth.
But the things that you can't see with your eye, but see It declare
Itself, that's the world of eternal.
144 Would you believe, if God
would manifest Himself and show that He is here alive, doing the same
things that He did at the beginning, after this message, would you
accept it as your healing? May God grant it.
Now, I'm asking anybody in the house, no matter who you are or where
you're from, I'm asking you just to solemnly believe this Message to be
the Truth. That is the Message that God has in His Bible for this hour,
that Jesus Christ is here tonight and is alive. Now, nearly...
All you people know of me, I'm right here in town where I was raised
up. I don't even have a grammar school education. That's exactly true.
And you've knowed me long enough; I hope I've lived before you to show
you that I'm honest and sincere. I'm not a hypocrite. Even my critics
don't say that. They--they just say, "You're--you're not a hypocrite,
but you're just simply wrong. You're just ignorantly wrong, not
wilfully." I don't think that I'm ignorantly wrong, because the Word of
God testifies of my Message, and It should tell you Who It is. And you
clearly hear me say It isn't me, so then It has to be Him. Is that
right?
Have faith in God then. And look this a-way, and you believe God. If
you can believe God, God will grant to you. If He can do that like He
did before, then He's still God. You believe that?
146 You believe it? A lady
setting here before me, looking at me, tears in her eyes, sincerely. I
don't know who she is, never seen her. I'm a stranger to you. Do you
think God knows the secret of your heart, your desires, or your sin, or
whatever it is? You think He knows? You think He could reveal to me
what your sin is, what you've done, what you ought not have done, or
your desire, whatever it is? If He would do it, would it make you
believe Him, know that it has to be Him? Would you accept it as Him?
It's not your sin that's bothering you; you've confessed that. But
you're wanting the baptism of His Holy Spirit. You shall receive It. I
seen It move down across her.
That you might know that I was looking at the woman, she was looking at
me; I want to show you the Holy Spirit. Look here, right over this
little woman setting here down beneath my feet here. When I said that,
that's the same thing she wants, is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. You
believe that you will receive It, sister? Raise up your hand then. I've
never seen the woman in my life, knowingly.
148 See this man setting here
with his head down, setting right there, with his collar misfitting
him, and so forth. You suffer with a bladder trouble. You believe that
God will make you well? Raise up your hand if you'll accept It. All
right. God grant you your request.
This young man setting right here, wanting the baptism of the Holy
Ghost. You believe God will give It to you, sir, with your white string
tie hanging back? God will grant it?
This man here is praying for his wife. She's in an institution. You
believe that God will heal her, make her well? You believe it? You can
have it.
With your hand up to your throat, you believe that God can heal that
heart condition that's bothering you, that stomach trouble that you
have? You're setting there, suffering right now. Is that right? You
believe He healed you? Then you can have it. Amen.
152 You see, He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever. Ask those people; see if I know them. I
don't, but He does. Amen.
See that Light on the side of the wall yonder, hanging right down over
a man setting there. He's suffering with a spinal condition in his
back. He's not from here; he's from Georgia. Mr. Duncan, believe with
all your heart; God will heal that back trouble. You believe with all
your heart? God bless you.
Here's a man setting way back here with back trouble, looking at me. I
don't know him, but it's Mr. Thompson. You believe? Raise up, sir, back
there, so that... I'm a stranger to you. That's right. But you're
setting there, praying. Your back trouble's healed now. Jesus Christ
makes you well.
154 "It shall be Light just
about the evening time." Don't you see, He's here tonight. He's the
great I AM. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do you believe
it? Are you satisfied and convinced that this is Jesus Christ making
Hisself known, identifying Himself in prophecy?
Don't worry about the eye; God heals the sick and the afflicted.
How many people the... How many's in here, sick? Let's see your hands.
Just seems like it's such a pull and a strain. Have any you people got
prayer cards? I don't know how I'd get you through here. I want to pray
for you, and I don't know how to do it. You see what, look at the wall,
how am I going to get them in there? What if you get one aisle jammed,
you got the other one blocked right there, everybody stopped still.
157 Listen; hear me. Have I ever told you anything in the Name of the Lord but what come to pass? Is that right? Everything has always been right. I've never asked you for one penny of money in my life, have I? Not one time. Never took an offering in my life. I'm not here for money. I'm not here to deceive you. I'm here to manifest God's Word of the hour. I've told you the Truth, and God has testified that it is the Truth. Now, I tell you, THUS SAITH THE SCRIPTURES, that if the believer lays his hands upon the sick, Jesus said, "They shall recover." Do you believe that? Then in the Presence of God don't you believe He'll do it right now?
158 Now, put your hands on one
another, and just hold it there for a minute. Now, don't--don't pray,
just put your hands on one another; out there in the land. And me
myself, I'm laying myself over these handkerchiefs. Now, I want you to
look at me just a minute. What has God left undone? Look how He's, what
the Word that we have read, the prophecies that we have told, that
Jesus identified Himself by the prophecy. Now, look at the hour, and
these last three weeks where we have placed the hour that we're living.
Look at what we have read, how about the false prophets and almost
signs that would deceive the elected. How the Word has been manifested,
how the god of this age has blinded the lie, hearts of the people. And
how that God Himself has said through His prophecies that these things
would take place in this Laodicea age. There's nothing left undone. God
is here just the same God that talked to those people on Emmaus, that
identified Himself by the prophecies that was foretold of Him, He's
here tonight identifying His Presence by the prophecies foretold for
this age. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Can you believe
it?
Then lay your hands upon one another. Don't pray for yourself, but in
your own way pray for that person that you got your hands on, because
they are praying for you. Now, look; don't doubt.
159 And now if you could see what I'm looking at. And you know I wouldn't lie to you, standing here. If you could see, and your faith could draw that great Holy Spirit that sailed yonder in the air--air, that science has took pictures of, and see It moving through this building just trying to find a place to--to land, trying to find a anchor place. Only believe It, my brother. He's identified it by Scripture and so forth, that it's right. Now, pray with sincerity for that person you got your hands on; they are praying for you.
160 Dear Jesus of Nazareth,
while we are conscious, Lord, by the Word that You're here, by the
promise that You are here, "Wherever two or three are gathered in My
Name, there I am in the midst of them. And these signs will follow them
that believe; if they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."
Out over the waves of this telephone, may the great Holy Spirit go into
every congregation. May the same holy Light that we look at right here
in the church, may It fall upon each and every one, and may they be
healed at this time. We rebuke the enemy, the Devil; in the Presence of
Christ we say to the enemy, that he is defeated by the--the vicarious
suffering, the death of the Lord Jesus and the triumph resurrection on
the third day. And He's proven evident, that He's here among us
tonight, alive after nineteen hundred years. Let the Spirit of the
living God fill every heart with faith and power, and healing virtue
from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who is identified now by this
great Light circling the church in His Presence. In the Name of Jesus
Christ, grant it for the glory of God.
May these handkerchiefs that we pray over, may they go to the sick and
the afflicted that they're intended to. May the same Holy Spirit that's
here now identifying Himself, identify Himself on every patient that
these is laid upon. May the Presence of God so fill their heart with
faith until the sickness of their body will be healed. This we ask for
the glory of God, in the Presence of Jesus Christ and in the Name of
Jesus Christ, as we the servants of Jesus Christ ask it. Amen.
162 Now, from your hearts, I
don't care what was wrong with you, can you from your heart believe
with all your heart that the Word of God has granted you your request?
I believe that every hand, as I could see, went up. If you believe it.
Now, remember, it is finished.
You out there on the telephone wires, if you have believed with all
your heart, as the ministers are laying hands upon you, and the loved
ones laying hands upon you, if you believe with all your heart that
it's finished, it's finished. The great Holy Spirit, He's here in the
Tabernacle tonight. I seen Him move over the people, showed Hisself
over here on the side of the wall, and went down upon a man, come down
here and up through the building, making known the secrets of the
hearts, the identification of His Presence, to show that He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever. He is in our midst. He's God, the
never-failing God.
164 And did not our hearts burn within us, and does not it burn now, to know that we are now in the Presence of the resurrected Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and praise forevermore; Who is in the express image of the Almighty Jehovah; Who sailed down in a form of a Pillar of Fire in a burning bush to attract the attention of a prophet; Who has descended upon the mountain, and anyone that even touched it was to be killed, besides Moses and Joshua. How it was that He led the children of Israel through the wilderness in their journey as a type of the called-out people today. Here He is by scientific research, even identified Himself before science. And by His very actions and by His very prophecy, the things that's prophesied of Him to do in this day to make Him the same yesterday, today, and forever, has been perfectly a-vindicated. Isn't it enough to make our hearts burn within us? God bless you.
165 Now, with one accord, let's
stand and say, I now accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Healer. [Congregation
says, "I now accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Healer."--Ed.] And by His grace ["And
by His grace,"], from this hour henceforth ["from
this hour henceforth,"], O God ["O
God,"], let no unbelief ["let
no unbelief"] ever
enter my heart ["ever
enter my heart,"], for I have seen ["for
I have seen"] the
prophecy ["the
prophecy"] of
this day ["of
this day"] fulfilled["fulfilled."].
I believe ["I
believe"] that
Jesus Christ ["that
Jesus Christ"] is
alive ["is
alive"] and here
now ["and
here now"], confirming His Word["confirming
His Word"] of
this hour ["of
this hour."]. The prophecies ["The
prophecies"] that
was written of Him ["that
was written of Him"] has
now been fulfilled in our midst ["has
now been fulfilled in our midst."]. He is my Saviour ["He
is my Saviour,"], my God ["my
God,"], my King ["my
King,"], my All-in-all["my
All-in-all."].
Dear God, hear our testimony and give to us, day by day, the Bread of
Life. And we offer Thee praise, O God, from the depths of our heart. We
praise Thee, the Mighty One, the God of the prophets. In Jesus Christ's
Name. Amen.
167 Oh, what a moment, what a
time.
...
only believe;
Only
believe, just only believe,
All
things are possible, only believe.
May we sing it like this:
Now I
believe, oh, now I believe,
All
things are possible, now I believe;
Now I
believe, oh, now I believe,
All
things are possible, now I believe.
Is that your testimony? Now, as we bow our heads:
Till
we meet! till we meet!
Till
we meet at Jesus' feet;
Till
we meet! till we meet!
God be
with you till we meet again!
[Brother
Branham hums "Till We Meet"--Ed.] play...?...
... at
Jesus feet;
Till
we meet! till we meet!
God be
with you till we meet again!
167 With our heads bowed,
Brother Vayle is standing here to dismiss in prayer. Brother Lee Vayle,
he's a writer for the Tabernacle here, of the literature and books, and
so forth. Very precious brother, he's been with me in many campaigns.
Wished I had a chance to let every minister, to get him up here and
talk to him. You understand, I'm sure. Every minister, we're glad to
have you here. All the laity, the people of different churches,
whatmore, we're glad to have you here. And it's truly our prayer to one
another: God be with you till we meet again. With our heads bowed and
our hands raised, let's sing it again real sweetly to God.
Till
we meet! till we meet!
Till
we meet at Jesus' feet!
Till
we meet! till we meet!
God be
with you till we meet again!