In His Presence # 3 Bro. Lee Vayle - March 7, 1984 Shall we pray. Heavenly Father, we're again very happy, we're so privileged to come together knowing that You're here in a way that You've not been here previously here, knowing Your Presence in a way that It has not been known for this special end-time and for the work that You're doing. And we're very grateful It, Lord, that You have caused us to know these things, and we are not in ignorance, we're not in doubt, but we know now in Whom we have believed and we're persuaded that You're able to bring this light into the Resurrection into eternal glory, into immortality. We believe that, Lord, and we're standing on it that we don't have any other means and faith Lord, to do this. We believe in. We're grateful that this is the end of our faith. This is the upward step now that passing from a faith to look forward to, to a faith which is now, which is knowledge, and we thank You for that. Be with us tonight, Lord, as we further study a Message that Your prophet gave in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. 1. Now we'll take number three on 'In His Presence', and we have read and commented on Bro. Branham's sermon, 'In His Presence' up to paragraph 67, on page 15. And to this point he illustrated the effect to the Presence of God upon I believe eight people, perhaps nine, with whom he included himself. And he told on how God speaks to men by nature, or creation, and by the preaching of the inspired Word by signs and wonders by the Pillar of Fire, by angelic appearances, by visions and various other means. Such as we remember how that Samuel was able to hear the Voice of God, and that constituted a vision. Now, of course he spoke especially of his own ministry in relation to the Presence of God. But you'll notice that he made it very clear that the manifestation and revelation of His Presence had a two-fold effect that could not be denied. A. It opened the eyes of one, and It blinded the eyes of another. B. It made one a believer, and It made another one a scoffer, or an unbeliever. C. It caused one to praise, another to blaspheme. D. It cause one to go the Word to see that It was there, It caused another to go to the Word to prove to himself that It was not there. 2. Now, I want to read a little bit about that from 'A Paradox'. [01-17-65] [27] There are some people of today, that do not believe in miracles. They say they just can't believe that there is such a thing as miracles in this modern age. Well, I don't mean to say anything bad about that person, but they're spiritually numb...spiritually blind. They have no spiritual sight or spiritual feelings at all. (Now, that's a pretty strong statement. You see a person would deny that. So, I want to tell you something: I got very strong spiritual feelings, the guy's a liar.) You know, this is the thing that bugs me. It doesn't bug me, because I think you're getting to be sort of my temperament and my timber which I don't say is good for you. [laughter] But on the other hand, how can you read the Word of God where It says, Jesus said, "If I had not done the works no other man had done, they had not sinned, but now they've both seen and hated both Me and My Father." [Jn 15:24] How do you get around a statement like that? Now I'd like to know. Now, either the Word of God is a lie in this spot, and then the whole thing is a lie. Because there is no used God telling me don't take a Word and don't add, and Him stand back there very pious, and Him crud His Own Word up. The very manifestation of God in human flesh, It says, "Find one word: which of you convinceth me of sin?" [Jn 8:46] That's confute. [prove wrong] Turns around, and says, "Well," He says, "Ha, I've got it in for you guys." Huh? They're liars. Haters. Now you do what you want with it. 3. I like Bro. Branham, he said, ...no spiritual sight or spiritual feelings at all. Now, just a minute William Branham. Just a minute, let's go to the Bible and see what Jesus said. Now you see, look, you see, you got to get to the place where the Word of God is the Word of God. You got to get to where you really believe it, that if decisions are your decisions, It's faith is your faith, see? It's perception is your perception, It's discernment is your discernment, this is the great filter. We have never deviated from this Word from one minute to my knowledge, and it would be without our knowledge if we deviated. We don't intend to. Now: 'Cause no man can set in a crowd of people, wherein the Holy Spirit is falling, no matter if he's absolutely a sinner, or she, but bound to sense the Presence of God, when you see the Word He promised being fulfilled. Then you would have to be numb; and when you see it with your own eyes happening, then you'll have to be blind, spiritually; I'm not speaking physically. But you can certainly be (blind spiritually) and have twenty- twenty physical sight. [28] And you can stand in the Presence of the living God; you can stand under the anointing of the Spirit and see It moving, and still It won't touch you. You can see what God said, preached to you perfectly and then manifested, and still go in, don't believe it, then there, you are beyond reach. You are already dead, numb, blinded, gone on. They were completely. (I could have read more, but time goes on.) 4. All right. Bro. Branham categorically placed his ministry and the Presence of Christ in this hour with Hebrews 12:25-29. Now we know that, we'll read It again. It's one of our favorite portions. This is the first time that I've actually seen him do it, but I knew this was Bro. Branham here. (25) See that (you) refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him (not) that speaketh from heaven: (because He's down here, that is from heaven, that's Revelation 10:1) (26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. (He's going to shake the devil plumb loose, cast him right down too. Move right on to where the physical thing moved.) (27) And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Now, you know there's only one thing that can't be shaken, that's God and His Word. The Kingdom of God. (28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved... So we better be one with the Word, one with God. See, He's speaking, the Person and the speaking is one, and the listener will then be one with the speaking in the Person. You follow? I'm not telling you a mystery, that's exactly the truth. That's John, Book of John. Alright, we're one with the Word. (28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, (well, we can't be moved either,) whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (29) For our God is a consuming fire. Remember, Bro. Branham talked about the coal from off the altar? Purified Isaiah, and he was relating the same fact and figure to himself where he was designated through vision to come and bring us the sanctifying Word. And we're totally sanctified by the Word. "Sanctify them by the word, Thy Word is Truth." [Jn 17:17] By thy truth, (and of course word is 'truth') he said, "Find such a woman of such character, that Bride, who will stand still and listen to the Message." 5. All right, this when which He identifies Himself brings us to the very words of John the Baptist who was Elijah number three. Elijah, Elisa, John the Baptist. And over here in Matthew chapter 3, we're familiar: (11) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: (the change of your mind) but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, with fire: And you'll notice it repentance brings about the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. And what about repentance at the end time? It'll bring down the Capstone, the Sealing in of the entire Bride. (12) Whose fan is in his hand, throughly purge his floor, gather his wheat into the garner; burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. We have Elijah number four as John the Baptist, telling this is that hour our God is a consuming fire, the separation is on, what's left is going to burn. Can't change the Word of God. 6. Now, page 15, paragraph 67, and he speaks of Jacob meeting God. And as we read remember, one cannot be unchanged in His Presence. Not as individuals, not collectively. Here is where neutrality ends right here in His Presence. See? Can't sit on the fence. Got to get on one side. There's no neutrality from this point on. Why? The fan is in His hand. Thoroughly purge the floor, gather the wheat, burn. You say, "Well, I like to get in between." You'll burn anyway, because the fire reaches everywhere, except in the pavilion and the refuge. The neutrality ends right here right in His Presence. Go on, or go back. You know, people are hard to convince. Stick around and find out. I got to face in this Word that I never had in my life before. I stick with the prophet, "If we're not Bride, there's a Bride out there somewhere." You bet your life there is. Just see that you don't get in her way. We'll go on or go back, it can't change on this very subject. In Romans 9, It says, "Whom He wills He'll compassionate, [verse 15] and whom He wills He hardens." [verse 18] And you'll see that this end time Presence was meant absolutely to divide. The fan is in His hand. Remember, Christ is known as the right arm, the hand of God. All right, the Holy Spirit here in our midst doing this. 7. All right, we'll start reading. [In His Presence 09-09-62] [34] After Jacob had wrestled all night in confessing his sins, you remember the place he was? It was called Peniel, P-e-n-i-e-l, Peniel. The word "Peniel," in the Hebrew, means "the face of Almighty God." The little shyster. His name was "Jacob," which means "supplanter," that's a deceiver, had run all of his life, away from God, but when he got one time in the Presence of God at Peniel, in the face of God, he got ahold of God and wouldn't turn God loose. God, we need more Jacobs. He held on to the face of God in the Presence of God, he stayed until it was sun up. You know something? We've had men battling through Seven Church Ages to maintain the Presence of God like Jacob. But this is our hour to see sun rise. To see the sun rise in the Presence of Almighty God. God said, "Let Me go, because the sun's arising." And he stayed in the face of God until sun up, but he went away justified and saved. (Of course, this is our Easter, the Rising of the Son.) Oh, what a great thing it was now to know that he had wrestled through. Now remember, he's talking about the Presence here, what this fellow was, and he was talking over here about repentance. And you'll know therefore then this is the great battle of Armageddon and spiritually fought in the mind. It's a great battle. Wrestling with the mind. Oh, what a great thing it was now to know that he had wrestled through. That he had seen signs of God, he had had dreams about God, but this was one time he was in the face of God... Now, Bro. Branham you know the Presence of God mentioned the fact quoting Moses. "There are those (he said) God speaks in visions and dreams." But he said, "There's a type of prophet that God speaks face to face." And so we have a prophet that God spoke face to face to, the same as Jacob of old and wrestled. He wrestled with an angel, that an angel would be a manifestation of God, what It was. 8. All right: Think of it, friends, now as we hurry up. In the Presence of God a man's changed. Jacob was changed. [35] Now, he could walk with God. Remember, Bro. Branham walked with God October 23, 1964, up there when the storm was turned back in Colorado. The Voice said, "How would you like to walk with me?" He walked with God. Yes, he was a different man from what he was when he went up there. The battle was now over. And that's true. Once a person comes to a time in his life where he will say "yes", it doesn't mean that he's not going to have problems, but he knows that that problem being solved, that he's going to go on with God, everything else begins to fall in line. But there's got to be that dedication to God. He was a different man...The battle was over. Yes, sir. And he begin to build an altar. He hadn't been used to building altars, you know. (That's true. Now his pappy and grand-pappy, they had, but Jacob had not. But now he built an altar.) But I tell you, when you come in the Presence of God, you want to build an altar somewhere. You want to find somewhere where you can pray. He built an altar. He was cleansed, and God had won. In other words, now this was the time when of worship. And you'll notice the time that when God answered Elijah, (forerunner John, and our forerunner,) and it was a matter of who is God let him be God, because their worship was entirely in error, which was a conglomeration of the Word of God and the worship of Baal, and it was a real mess. 9. All right, as soon as their hearts were turned back they were able to worship correctly. And so we find here the Presence of God brings us a correct worship of God. Many people just believe that somehow they can tune into God, and therefore it is a correct worship. That's not the Bible. It is got to be a correct worship. And you'll notice at this time that this was not the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. This was the Baptizer Himself with the Holy Ghost. That's why we're at that same place today in the Presence of God. We understand very thoroughly justification gave way to sanctification. Sanctification gave way to the Baptism, and the Baptism gives way to the Holy Ghost Himself. That is a difference right there. We've come right to the Capstone. And Jacob was changed from "Jacob,”“supplanter," to "Israel,”“a prince, having power with God." That's what happened to Jacob. The supplanter, the deceiver, the unrighteous, the unholy, who deceived his brother, stole the birthrights, as it was, from his brother took a little dirty way of doing it, such a deceiver. He deceived his father-in-law. Put poplar sticks and made speckled calves, when the cows being pregnant came there, look at it, and sheep... see that speckled stick and make speckled cattle, give them birth marks. Deceiving his own father-in-law. Deceived his mother, deceived his daddy, deceived his brother. He was a shyster. He was running everywhere, always on the run from God; he was on the run from his brother. But when he come into the Presence of God... He stopped running from Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, back to the Amish, and back to the Catholic, and over there again to the Pentecostal's to see if there was any holes, like a bunch of rabbits look for. He starts running. That's what's wrong, people don't recognize the Presence of God. Don't know what they're dealing with. They think we're simply dealing with a creed and a dogma. 10. I tell you, listen: (we'll try to finish this up tonight.) Look, when I first begun to see something about...well I wasn't seeing anything to tell you the truth, really, too much. I only knew that Bro. Branham was talking in terms that I didn't understand. And when he talked about the 'Token' coming at evening time', the people were saying, "Well, nobody's really got the genuine Holy Ghost. Nobody's really got It." Now, I couldn't buy that, because I knew that Luther did, and Wesley and the rest. And I knew that there was a Presence, because he said, "He is here." "Well," I said, "He is descended by the Word; the prophet's spirit." And I was putting Him here and putting Him there. And I don't do it anymore. I say, "He, Elohim is here whether you like it or not." And I'm not trying to dress Him up in the Word. 11. Look, this is just printed form. When It's made manifest and It's the Word of this hour, you believe it. You're eating body Word. That's a different thing again. But what we're talking about Elohim. I'm talking about God before there was a speck of stardust. I'm talking about Him. And when you have a confrontation with Him, believe me things are different. You stop your running, because there's no place to run. You stand there and you wait to understand, and if you wait for years, you still wait to understand, you don't run. There's no use running. ...when he come into the Presence of God, he recognized he was a sinner. What did he do? He saw his opportunity. He met something that he didn't even think about before, and he stayed there until all sins were gone. [36] Oh, my. God got him in His Own Presence. (Now, that's a revelation right there.) God manages a way to get men in the Presence, then they make their decisions. Some of them run from Him; some run to Him. If they're predestinated to Life, they believe It; they hang onto It. If they're not, they try to get away and say, "There's nothing to It." See? And that's the guy that's lost. The guy that confesses his sin, shall have pardon. If you hide your sin, you'll not prosper. Now, that's Hebrews 6. That's when the Word comes at the end-time and people come in, because there's a Word in every Age. Alright notice, that's salvation. All right. So Jacob when he, you know, the next day he met Esau his brother. (That's his twin brother, remember?) He didn't need any help from him then. He didn't need his armies. He was in business building altars. (He was worshipping and praying.) He wasn't afraid of Esau any more. That's like Bro. Branham back in 1946. He said, "I have got to know. I've got to understand what this is about." He said, "I cannot go on any longer." And there he was confronted with the Angel of God who told him what he needed to know of how It was God Himself in the Whirlwind, in the Pillar of Fire, in the Light, and so on. 12. Now, you will notice in here that this man Esau and Jacob they were twins. And Jacob in the image of Abel was able to overcome Esau who was in the image of Cain. Now, we know that Able was killed by Cain. But you notice Esau couldn't do a thing with Jacob. And this is what we're looking at here in this end-time face of God. The Bride is going to come out victorious. Psalms 16:8, David said, "I have set the Lord before me." That's a good thing to do. Psalms 16:8, "I've set the Lord before me." So he could not be confused about it. He wanted to be conscious of His Presence, so David said, "I have set the Lord always before my face. Now I, David, have set the Lord before my face, always to be conscious--conscious of God's Presence." Wouldn't that be a good lesson for all of us? 13. Now, I think that actually comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. (4) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (5) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) ...thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and (shall) talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Now remember, he taught this on the way to going in the Promised Land. Malachi says the same thing on the way to the Millennium. Now that's why I've admonished you to come together and talk. And talk in your homes. Now notice: (7) ...when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Now, last thing at night, first thing in the morning. That means twenty four hours if you're awake you'll be talking Word. Now, watch in verse 8. (8) ...thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. (9) And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Now, you notice in here, they put them little, little boxes, or things, and then they put little band on their head. And these little cubicle, little cubes, that contain the Word of God, or some of the Word of God where they could all just lift their eyes up and they'd see the Word of God. Well we've seen Him unveiled, or revealed through the Word. See. So, David says, "I'm going to keep that Word always. I'm going to keep God in my mind before me at all times. And this I believe he took from this physical way of keeping a little object lesson always pertinent to them. Wouldn't that be a good lesson for all of us tonight? ...be always to be conscious of God's Presence. Put Him first. Why? Put Him first, before you. Then you won't sin when you are realizing that constantly you're in the Presence of God. When you realize God's around, you watch what you say. (Notice, number one: justification. Number two: sanctification.) 14. Now: [37] A man, when he thinks God's gone, he'll cuss, he'll lust after women. He'll steal, cheat, lie. He'll do anything when he thinks that God don't see him. But bring him into the Presence of God, he'll stop it right now. See? And David said, "I have put the Lord before me." (Always give Him preeminence.) That's a good thing. No wonder God said he was a man after His Own heart. Man will do everything when he thinks that God isn't near. But when he realizes that God's near, did you ever notice a sinner? Let a godly person walk up, he'll quit his cussing, if he's got any respects at all. See? He won't tell the dirty jokes that he would've told. He'll leave off, because he knows in the Presence of God, because God dwells in the tabernacle of His people. (That's Christ in the believer.) You can read...I won't read tonight 2 Peter 2. You can see how the people in this end-time absolutely live so wickedly in their unbelief, you couldn't...you just can't believe it, and yet some of those very people would say, "Well, I believe in a prophet William Branham." Oh what do they believe in? They might have been his converts, the sure weren't God's. So like the time that I told you Moody a fellow drunk and reeled up to him and just slurring and everything, he said, "Well, Mr. Moody, how do you do sir? I'm one of your converts." He said, "You sure must be, you couldn't be God's." You see the same thing right here. 15. Now: After David did this, he said, "My heart shall rejoice." I wish you'd read, Psalms 16. "My heart will rejoice, and my flesh shall rest in hope." Why? My heart shall rejoice because I've got God before me all time. "And my flesh shall rest in hope; if I die, I'll be raised up again. For He'll not suffer His Holy One to see corruption, neither leave His soul in hell." See? When David put God before him, and was conscious that constantly he was in the Presence of God. It was, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." Now, that reminds me too of this hour in which we live. See, first of all justification, sanctification and now the Baptism which gives us the entrance to the Resurrection. But actually the Resurrection Himself is here. "I am the Resurrection and the Life, he that believeth in Me though he were dead, yet shall he live." [Jn 11:25] And we have a hope not only that if our bodies went to the ground we would come back, but we have a hope today which would never were allowed before by vindication that we are not going to die. Not saying we won't, who knows. [38] Now listen, church, I love you. I want you to listen to me now. As Brother McCulley used to say, I'm going to say something. Always put the Lord before you, and don't you do nothing that you wouldn't do in His Presence, because He's watching over you. See? The Lord is encamped about those who fear Him. He just stays right near you. He knows everything you're doing, and you must recognize that. When you start to tell a lie, don't do it. Remember, God is listening at you. If you start to do a little cheating, don't you do it; God's looking at you. If you start to take His Name in vain, don't do it; God's listening at you. Start to smoke a cigarette, He's watching you. See? We used to sing a song, All along on the road to the soul's true abode, There's an eye watching you; Every step that you take, This great eye is awake, There's an eye watching you. 16. [39] Remember, do like David, put the Lord always before your face. Then your heart will rejoice and your flesh shall rest in hope, for He promised it. Yes, sir. He knew that he'd raise up because God had promised it. (He promised it.) All right. When we come into His Presence, we're changed, never to be the same. Look all down through the ages of every walk of life, at Man. Look at Abraham. You say, "Well, the changed life is just for ministers." Oh, no. The changed life is for everybody. Now, do you remember, Bro. Branham had a man come to him, he was a car dealer, and he talked to him he said that he wanted to be saved, and he didn't really understand? So he told Bro. Branham how that he'd been here, been there, did what everybody told him to do, and it didn't seem to work, he didn't have it. So Bro. Branham took him back to the time when the man had picked up a tract. A tract of some description and he read it, and he said he didn't smoke anymore, he didn't cuss anymore, his life had been changed. And Bro. Branham said, "See, that's the time, (he said,) that you got it." He said, "Just look back there and remember you aren't what you used to be." And I believe in this hour that there is something that is going on. That God's Spirit is doing in the lives of people bringing us to the very end, through the moment of visitation that He's with us, that is bringing us into the concepts of God we hadn't had before into understanding, appreciation and those things where lives are absolutely changing very, very radically. And we'll see it all consummated before the day is over. 17. Now, Abraham was a farmer, but when he heard God's Voice speaking to him, He saw that vision, he was a changed man from that time on. He separated himself from his kindred, (Notice what his change was. He left his kindred,) his associates, walked as a pilgrim, a stranger in a strange land the rest of his life, dwelling in tents; because he clearly confessed that he was seeking a city whose Builder and Maker was God. Now, there's a big difference there. A lot of people looking around, they're looking maybe for something better than they've got, but you'll notice in here that this man was looking for something that God was building. You know, I remember a very nice brother that I introduced to Bro. Branham, and Bro. Branham liked this man and his wife very, very much. One of the finest men I've ever met in my life. But you know, he couldn't...I think maybe his age, I don't know, let's believe to that end, because I wouldn't want to be unkind. But just as an illustration, you know, the man was quite well off which I appreciate, but you know, he wanted somebody with a program and Bro. Branham didn't have one, but he had God. So, the man gave thousands and thousands of dollars to Bro. Roberts. Well, he might as well have given it to Bro. Armstrong [could be referring to Robert Schuller] who will eventually have the finest underwater auditorium in all the world. [laughter] He'll get it, don't worry. Then where's is money gone? You know he'd be better doing? He'd be far better taking his money just visiting foreign land judiciously talking and helping where he could help in a dignified and godly way, then to give his money to organized religion, that all it was doing was feeding the harlot. More fodder. It's a pity. I feel sorry for the man. I hope that his age meant that much difference that...I hope that it wasn't blindness. 18. But Abraham you see, was looking for something that God was doing. Sure. "Except the Lord build a house that labor in vain that build it." [Ps 127:1] He knew there was a God. "He knew there was a city somewhere whose builder and maker was God." [40] That's what Hebrews 11 tells us, that he was seeking a city that his Builder and Maker was God. He was a changed man, yet he wasn't nothing but a mere farmer. (See, it wasn't the matter of the old boy's hands were, (you know) not messing down there in the dirt, planting, and pulling up, weeding and everything else. That wasn't it at all, it was the inside.) But he saw a vision and come into the Presence of God, and he was a changed man from then on. Moses, was a shepherd, but he was a changed man when he come into the Presence of God. He was a coward; he was running from Pharaoh, with a whole army behind him… That would make anybody run I'd imagine, but he was running from Pharaoh …with a stick in his hand, he went back and took the whole nation. See? Why? He came into the Presence of God. He was a changed man, a shepherd did this. Peter, a fisherman, knew nothing about God, only thing he probably knew was how to catch fish. (That's true too.) But when he come in the Presence of God, and saw the great Creator Who could create fish, when He told him to let down the nets for the draught. [draw] There wasn't any fish there; he just pulled his nets up. But he said, "At Thy Word, Lord. I believe that You're the Son of God, if I let down the net, You told me to do it at Your Word, because You and Your Word are the same, I'll let down the net." And he begin to pull, he said, "Depart, Lord, I'm a sinful man." 19. [41] See, a fisherman, after Peter met Christ he was never the same anymore. Actually, this is the story of humility, pride. Remember, Satan fell by reason of pride. And man's greatest problem is pride. But if you can become humble, you're like a child, you're part of the kingdom. He, afterwards, was so true to God, he was given the keys to the Kingdom. Paul, a self-styled Pharisee, educated, trained in all the religion of the world in that day, one of the highest known scholars in the land, but when he come before that Pillar of Fire one day, the God that he had persecuted, ignorantly. He was a Pharisee; he didn't believe that God was a Man. He knew God was the Pillar of Fire; It led His people out of Egypt; It had been with them all along. When He saw this Pillar of Fire, he fell on his face. And that he heard a Voice saying, "Saul, why do you persecute Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" He said, "I'm Jesus." (That's Jehovah Savior.) He was a man that said, (Paul said,) "How have you been baptized?" He had been in the Presence of God. He was a changed man from then on, he had been in the Presence of God. It changes a man. Charles Finney, a lawyer, a great Philadelphian lawyer, when he was in the Presence of God dropped his law study and become a mightiest preacher of this nation. Some lady said to him one day, "We're praying you'll receive the Holy Ghost." He said, "I got the Holy Ghost, I'm a preacher." They said, "Mr. Finney, you're a great man, you got a great hold of the Word, but you need the Holy Ghost. We're praying for you." Sweet little women... So he went on, on. So every day he'd go out behind his office, his boss and all of them there he worked, and he'd go out of his law office and go out there to pray. And one day he was out there praying and he heard a brush break. He thought his boss was coming up, hunting him. He jumped up real quick. He was saying, "Lord God, I believe You." And he raised up looked around, see what broke the brush. It was then he come into the Presence of God. He realized that brush had broke for a purpose. He stood there; the tears running down his cheeks. 20. [43] He said, "Maybe them women's right. I'm ashamed for somebody to see me talking to my God, but I'd think it was an honor for somebody to see me talking to my boss. How much greater is my Lord than my boss." Said, "Lord, forgive me and fill me with the Holy Ghost," started screaming and shouting. He was in the Presence of God. He run downtown real quick to his office. He got to screaming so hard he had to go behind the door, and said, "Lord, I'll bring disgrace upon You. Hide me back here till I get over this spell." Why? He'd come in the Presence of God. He was a changed man. The sermons that he used to preach, he preached them same sermons and souls came to the altar. See, he had been in the Presence of God. Moody, a little old shoe cobbler, hardly knew his ABC's. That's right. His grammar was poor. Somebody said one day, "Your grammar is awful poor, Mr. Moody." He said, "But I'm winning souls with it." One day the newspaper editor went over to see how could this man hold crowds of people under any condition, little old guy, baldheaded, everything, whiskers hanging way down, kind of pot-bellied; he was a horrible looking man to look at. 21. [44] So this newspaper really give him a write-up, and said, "I don't see what in the world that anyone would see in Dwight Moody." "He's ugly; his voice is squeaky; he's got whiskers plumb down to his waistline; he's as baldheaded as a pumpkin." "How in the world would anybody ever go to see anything in Moody?" So Moody's manager happened to see it, said, "Look, Mr. Moody, I'll read this to you." And Moody couldn't read it himself. So he said, "I'll read you the editorial." And he read it. Moody just shrugged his shoulder, and said, "Certainly not, they come to see Christ." That's all. Why? He had been in the Presence of God. From making soles on shoes, for people to wear out; he shod the people with the Gospel of preparation. Why? He was in the Presence of God. A little woman one time came in the Presence of God, as guilty as she could be. In a moment when she realized that she was in the Presence of God, every sin was forgiven, she was as pure and white as a lily. How many more I could call off here of people, if time wouldn't permit. But I want to talk a little bit about myself. What could been any lower than I? 22. [45] Where was I? Come out of a family of drunkards, family of murderers, come out of a family of bootleggers. And you know that; every one of you know it, know what kind of a name we had down here. People didn't speak to us on the street. I'd go downtown, start to talk to somebody; nobody would talk to me unless somebody wasn't around; they'd talk to me. Somebody else come up, they'd leave me. And I'd stand there and cry, "No, this ain't so; it can't be so. This is wrong." But one day I come into the Presence of God. He changed me and made me another kind of son. His grace brought me into His Presence. I've never wanted to leave it. I've been in here now thirty some odd years; I don't want to leave it. I've got the assurance that I'll always be there. Even death itself will never separate me from His Presence. No, I'll be with Him forever. When I saw His Presence the first time, I cried like Isaiah, "Woe is me." Then He touched me with His grace. I was a changed person. The little renegade that used to get out here and carry on and everything was changed, and since then I've been His child. 23. [46] Since then, I've desired to give my whole life for His service, only wish I had ten thousand more lives to give Him. This one's getting pretty well wore out now; fifty-three years passed. About thirty-three of those has been, or thirty-two of those has been in the Gospel. I wish I had another thousand that I could spend. Why? When I came into His Presence and realized that there was Somebody Who loved the unlovable, there's Somebody loved me when no one else did, there was Somebody Who cared for me when no one else cared; I put my arms around His cross; I embraced it to me, and He and I have become one.. And from then on I've loved Him. He stained my bosom and my heart with His Blood by touching me and forgiving my sins, and I'm happy tonight to be one of His. I never desire to leave this heavenly place, though the tempter to persuade me oft has tried; but safe in God's pavilion, (See, right back to Psalm 27:1-5) happy in His love and grace, and I'm living on the hallelujah side. My, it makes my heart rejoice. I'm recommending Him to every weary person. Tonight I'm recommending to you that have no hope. 24. [47] You that's never been in His Presence, the only thing you have to do is confess your sins and realize that you're wrong, and God has that Angel ordained tonight, called the Holy Ghost, that'll take all your sins away. Now you noticed, now he calls them Angels. See, anything from the Lord, like I preached that sermon on Christmas. Although we didn't have it here this Christmas, that illumination was called an Angel of the Lord. In other words, it was a manifestation of a Presence, and the Holy Spirit manifesting through dealing with people's hearts. See, God has sent that Angel ordained tonight called the Holy Ghost that'll take all your sins away. Don't ever fail to catch these words that Bro. Branham brings out. They're key words to Scripture, changes your whole thinking around. And the more your thinking gets changed around, the more your understanding is. ... take all your sins away. Then you'll cry, "Lord, here am I, send me." Then you'll raise your hands and sing, I will praise Him! I will praise Him! Praise the Lamb for sinners slain. Give Him glory, all ye people, For His Blood has washed away each stain. I love Him. Don't you? Living in His Presence. 25. Now, you noticed in here, the Angel of His Presence, talking about the Holy Spirit, that same One indwelling us. And now God in us, God with us, amongst us, God over us, making it a complete and perfect picture. [49] Now, if you're in here tonight... And I know His Presence is here. Standing in there awhile ago to a little Church of God girl, the Holy Spirit moved in upon me when I was praying for that little child. The parents had come down from the Anderson (That's Anderson, Indiana) Church of God camp- ground. The overseer over there, knowing the child, the doctors said, "Could... It's got to die right away, it's leukemia." The little, sweet little girl last stages now. She come back there and held her little hand out to me, it all swollen up, with needles and things been in it, and blue. I looked upon her. I saw a vision. The parents had just been reading a book out there. They knew nothing about it. The general overseer at the camp told them, said bring the child down here. They wanted to come back when we had a healing service. And I said, "Bring the child now," felt led. When I was standing right in there, the Holy Spirit went right back and brought out the history of the child. Told all what happened, what had been done. Told the little girl's ambition, was to be a piano player. And that mother just almost screamed out. And that daddy said, "That's the God's truth." Setting right there in the car now listening to it, couldn't get in, setting out there listening (see, that little radio that transmitted out to the cars.) Then there come a big veil of a shadow hanging over the child. 26. [50] And I said, "Satan, you are defeated.” “You're no respecter of person, God. And by the power of Your resurrection, and as Your servant, I drive this devil from the child." A big bright Light flashed over the top of her; it was over. Amen. What? Sure, He's worthy of all praise. You noticed here, the devil doesn't mind going into God's Presence. He hadn't had a bit of trouble. And yet you've had people they feel, "Well I don't know I'm in God's Presence or not." Well, if the devil can get there, what about you? Remember, the Blood doesn't even avail for him. Of course he comes as an interloper and an intruder. God knows all things. He knows your heart. And you what you're thinking; He does too. If there's a little sin hanging on you tonight, and you wouldn't want to go in the Presence of God with that on you, would you once more raise up your hand and say, "Brother Branham, pray for me; I want to be in His Presence at that day, guiltless." God bless you. Many hands, God sees it. In His Presence. Now, I'll tell you what you do. ...listen closely. Do like David did; put the Lord before you right now. Put the Lord between you and that sin, whatever that little besetting sin is. It might be lying, might be stealing; thinking evil; temper, drinking, smoking, gambling. I don't know what. It might be lust; it might be anything. I don't know what it is. Whatever it is, put the Lord before you. Then your heart will rejoice, and your flesh shall rest in hope, for you know that Christ promised He'd raise up again us in the last days. When He comes forth, we'll come forth in His likeness. (Now, of course that's exactly what happened.) 27. Now, you noticed, that we got through early tonight. But you notice what Bro. Branham did. He took us to the very principle of the doctrine, the truth of the little Presence of God. Elohim right here. He showed us the various ways all through the Ages that that Presence had been manifested, and how the Presence is known. And we've been coming to this very hour until here, God Himself is, and we're in His Presence. And I like the fact that he uses what I often call the devotional approach to the Message. He speaks to us not just in the line of the Presence of Almighty God, but he warns us, advocates that we begin to realize that Presence, and to literally keep It in mind. Not that we're going to have some tremendous experience that puts us into a straight-jacket, or Roman candle bursting around us, or voices speaking to us, but you notice that he brings us to the place where we have something to do, the same as God did something for us. And as Israel was asked to do those things which was constantly able to keep them knowledgeable, and not just knowledgeable, but aware of the Presence of God and their relationship. So he advocates that we do the same so that we will walk in more victory. It is certainly true that if you notice people, and people are people, there's the propensity to let down. There's the propensity to take easier way, to go with the crowd; to indulge, there is that there. I mean, that's just with people. 28. Man's propensity is like his own physical nature as concerning gravity. I don't care how high you jump, gravity pulls you down. I don't care how holy we get before the Lord, there's always that in us which is there that could harm us spiritually. And so the prophet letting us know the great ministry showing the Presence of God. A great prophet at the end-time. All of these things show the hour in which we live. It does not take away from the realization that we do have a walk with God as the Scripture said, "If you live in the spirit, walk in the Spirit." [Gal 5:25] As the Scripture says, "If we walk in the light, as He is in the Light." [Gal 5:16] Now, of course the revelation, the grace of God comes first. But if there is any grace of God, (and there is,) then that grace will always correct us, and help us to walk even as He walked. As Paul the apostle said, "I want to be an example to you. I want you to walk even as I walk." And you'll notice he spent chapter after chapter warning and exhorting, and until we are out of here. Taken out of here. There is no place to let down the bars. I know a certain preacher, I'm told he never prays. And they said, "Well, why don't you?" "Well," he said, "I just don't see that's part of the ministry." He said, "You pray." Well, I don't believe a preacher should lack prayer. Should lack study. Should lack hospitality. Should lack alms. Should lack generosity. Should lack any of these graces. I don't believe anybody should, if you're born again. It may be that some people will manifest more grace under certain conditions than others. That is true. But you may find that that person would then manifest a far greater grace then you would in that certain condition. 29. So, no one is trying to run anybody down, nor necessarily try to build anybody up as though somebody was terribly inferior, and somebody was certainly (you know,) arriving. That's not it at all. But bearing each other's burden and realizing what manner of men we ought to be, taking our clue and our cue from the Exodus when the mixed crowd was there. What abomination it brought. What tragedy it brought. What separation it brought. Even the death of Moses. I don't say that we run a parallel in Bro. Branham being taken off the scene. I know that the prophets are gathered to their people, so therefore prophets die. They do. The last two prophets in Revelation are killed. They lie there for three and a half days and they're caught up in a resurrection and taken off this earth. So prophets die. They're just none of them that have a ministry like that that don't die. You say, "What about Enoch?" Enoch didn't have that kind of ministry. Elijah didn't have that either. This man was like unto Elijah, but he had a different ministry again. It was that nature, but it was a concluding ministry. But he went off the scene. Moses went off the scene. However, whichever ways that they went we still have to go along, and in our going along there is a life we have to lead, ways we must go, word we must adhere to, and if we're Bride we will. 30. And remember, the Scripture says Its commandments are not grievous. In other words, they'll never bring you into difficulty. You may have a job at times, but they'll never, ever harm you, they'll give you strength. Like Job said, "It's like I'm looking and walking in perfect darkness. I look forward, I can't see Him. I look back I cannot see Him. I look around and I cannot see Him." He said, "I know He's not trying to hurt me, He's trying to put strength in me. And when He's tried me, I'm going to come forth as gold." Gold means he's been beaten, but the true character and his true value comes forth. So, in His Presence is not just a matter then we understand of doctrine, and the fact that He is here and say, "Well, that takes care of everything; we're unique people." Paul said, "No way. We do not take precedence, or preeminence over anybody. We've got the same rugged walk. We've got the same rugged way. We got the same hardship. We got the same temptations, same trials." In fact it may even we worse is certain areas, then they were at any other time in history. I don't know. At this particular point I haven't seen one single solitary thing that makes me to believe that we've had anything at all that amounts to a hill of beans. And yet, we do have great temptations. We have temptations by reason of the fact that our very bodies have been seduced, (and I'm using my words carefully) and are being seduced, broken down, destroyed, cast in molds and channels which were not there previously by the poisons in the food. Stuff that we eat, by the indiscriminate use of hormones that they use in everything under God's high heaven, from even the fruit the spray them with and everything else. Until man is pulled a thousand different ways within his own frame. But you know, there will not be one excuse down the road. Because when you think of His Presence, the prophet said, "All you got to do and you won't be doing those things. You'll be walking step by step with the Lord." 31. So, we must raise our standards higher than we've ever raised them before. I believe that with all my heart. I not only believe it, I expect it. I do. I believe that Bro. Branham made a statement one time, he said, "To make things right, even if it skins you." He said, "Make things right." Why would you make things right? If they're not in the Blood, sure they're under the Blood. God doesn't see them, God doesn't hold them. But I tell you, you see them and you know it, and people know it. And when they're cleaned up, when something is done about them, not that we can do anything about them on the spiritual frame from God's side. But when we begin to work from our side with the grace and the strength that is given to us, we come forth as better people. As the Bible said, "He that suffers in the flesh has ceased from sin." [1 Pet 4:1] It also tell us, "When we chastened ourselves, judge ourselves, we are not judged of the Lord and chastened of Him. [1 Cor 11-32] 32. So we go on day by day not thinking only in terms then of this great and tremendous event that is here. We are no different from the rest of the Six Church Ages. We must plod on diligently and bring ourselves under...into the obedience of Jesus Christ. And as I said before, and I'll say it again, if at any time there should be fruit, this should be the hour of greater fruit than ever. If there's a time of consecration and a time of endeavor whatsoever has been formerly let me assure you I believe there is far greater now. I believe in every way there is a greater fulfillment, and there is a wonderful Bride to be taken off of this earth. Not wonderful in herself, no, no, but by the grace of God given to her. That's what counts. So, let's just keep on serving the Lord and not giving up, not slacking off. You see, that's the very thing that Bro. Branham worried about, and I worry myself. I think myself, that there is a worry amongst those and a great concern, because those that have the concern are where we find themselves moving on. And they look around and they say, "I don't understand." I cannot understand people slacking off. It seems everything is important. 33. Look it, I want to tell you something: if you're not born again you're going to hell. I don't care if you've got the best job in the world, who's the smartest person, I don't care, that you can draw the finest print. That you got education, yeah. Now this being axiomatic, what is the matter with people in this day that they're slacking off? There aren't any excuses. There's no excuses. No one can pamper himself in the Presence of God. Let not this church ever believe for five seconds that I stand here and believe in the Presence of God is the great panacea, [cure-all] and anybody can live here in sin, and myself included, let us understand that, or in some lackadaisical fog, it isn't true. "The path of the righteous shine more and more to the perfect day." [Prov 4:8] Now look, one of these days there won't be jobs to go to. There might not be homes to go to, and beds to go to. I'm not bawling anybody out here, I'm just letting you know and pressing you. Keep on, keeping on. And those that don't, what trumpet call do they hear in the first place? I can go back thirty some years where I just knew that I had failed God and it couldn't happened again, and that was because of the Presence of God in William Branham's meeting in 1947 in Spring in Canada. And I knew that there wasn't any going back. Now, I'm not a paragon of virtue. I'm neither a paragon nor virtue, it be nice if I were. But you must know there comes a time when this is it. 34. Now, you wonder why I'm a little hard. I'm sorry, but there certain things I just can't fool with that's all. See? I'm not trying to pick on anybody, I'm just saying look, because it's simply with this Message. The prophet brought it right back down to the Presence does not give us a feeling of euphoria. It does not give us, "A Lord descend with a Shout," and that gives it the preeminent. That gives us a pat on the head. We are the same as anybody else ever was. If it means Daniel back in the lion's den, Polycarp back at the stake, I don't know. So if ever watch ourselves. And remember, we also have obligations to each other. To attempt, to encourage. See? Keep pressing in, because the fan is in His hand. And that same Word that opens one eye, blinds another. You say, "Me sitting in this room? Look at this building, it's nothing but an old house." You got nothing to do with anything. It's going to burn, it might even fall down before it burns. I mean, nothing is that... but the Word of God endures forever. 35. So, let's spur ourselves on as never before to pray, to seek the face of God, and to remember that Bro. Branham, and I've never seen his equal, had a sincerity and a sobriety. Something about him in the knowledge in the Presence of God that Daddy Bosworth didn't have; that Charles Price didn't have; that great missionaries like Bailey of South Africa, Jonathan Goforth, other men didn't have. They didn't have it. But neither were they accountable. No, they weren't accountable. But he had that sincerity and that sobriety. And I trust that all of us will begin to understand the most important thing in this life, if fact it is life itself. This life that we have a little tiny bit of, of Whom the living Life Himself is here to bring the dead out of the ground. What if that were to happen, there's someone was down there looking at a show that wasn't fit to look at? I'm not against going to shows if you pick something decent. Bro. Branham said... I wish I could preach ...?... pretty horrible myself talking, because I always consider myself the lowest man on the totem pole when it comes to any type of life. And yet, I know a little bit about certain things. Maybe not too much. But I do believe that it's time to press in to a higher level, to move in to a more heavenly atmosphere. To walk with Him as we never walked before, because this is a different hour. It is a different hour. And if you understand and I understand that: "To whom much is given, much is required." [Lk 12:48] It's true. We've been given much. Let us be unbending if we can in giving ourselves. That's going to be the great thing right there. As we give ourselves, getting ourselves out of the way with the things of the world. Getting the things of the world out of our way in His Presence, constantly concentrating upon Him. Let me assure you as you already know, it becomes richer and deeper. It can't help but be, because this is what the prophet told us from the devotional aspect of your life and mine as creatures of faith in His Presence. You understand what I'm saying? Okay, fine, let's rise. Heavenly Father, we're very grateful tonight that we can have the opportunity to get serious with ourselves. I'm serious with myself, Lord, and I know people serious with themselves, and unfortunately I'm the one that must say things at times to prick our conscious, to keep us ever alert, that there are pitfalls. That there are those things in life that we are called from into Your Presence as Abraham, old farmer, no doubt he could have had a hundred and one excuses for not following along in Your Presence, but he began looking for a city which had foundation, Who's Builder and Maker is God. Moses leaving to serve You. Father, tonight we know that this Message has been preached for two thousand years. That there is a walk to be walked, there is a life to be lived. And Father, we know that that is by the same filter we examine everything with which is the Word of Almighty God. And Lord, at this end-time You've warned about the increase of love of pleasure. Love of self, undue attention the things which pass away with the use thereof. That we're all stewards, stewards unto You, stewards unto each other, stewards unto the world even. We've got to do certain things in the world that evolve upon us as obligation. We pray, Lord, that we'll begin to understand that the great obligation of all is to just follow that Word. So, help us tonight to be more rudimentally minded in this then we perhaps have been to recognize there are cups of cold water to be given. There are little extra journey's of mercy to be taken. There are moments if not hours of waiting on You in prayer, meditation, in study, in application there are. Not looking at this as a little corner of life as we're so prone to do, and I'm very guilty of this, but looking on it as the Life itself. So, help us tonight, Lord, we know, Lord, we're not going to go home, throw up our jobs or anything else to do this, but we're going to begin to realize as never before that when we give You the preeminence, we give you the time. Everything else begins to find time. Begins to find right time. Begins to find efficient time, productive time, when we get our clocks lined up with You. Help us, Lord, to get these inner spring clocks wind up with You. Our hearts tick better than the clock. Do far better. Help them to be lined up, wound up with Your Word now. We know that You heard our prayer, and we feel we're taking a step forward in spite of ourselves. We cannot praise You enough for grace. We cannot praise You enough for Your goodness. Lord, we love you tonight. We know that You loved us first, having revealed Yourself. How fortunate we can come together and talk about Your Presence as men elsewhere do not know Your Presence, as other people do not know Your Word as other do not, not because we know anything, but because You did it for us. You gave us the opportunity to become knowledgeable concerning You and it's wonderful. We praise Thy Name, O God, we glorify Thee. Be with everyone tonight, Lord, we pray. Heal the sick amongst us. We believe You'll do it. We've got the word of the prophet, and that's Your Word. We've got It, and we thank You for It. Thank You for love building up in our hearts, in our minds and our ways. We cannot praise Thee enough. Now, Lord, God in heaven we just give ourselves to You, may it be unreservedly in the Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. Let's sing, "How I love Jesus." In His Presence # 3 (1884) - Page PAGE 18