Mystery of Iniquity # 1

Tucson,  Arizona  

Bro. Lee Vayle  - February 13, 1972

	Heavenly Father, we come now in Thy Presence at this time, to begin at
this time reading Thy Word, Lord, and the study of these things. Talk
about those things, Lord, which we know as surely are already here in
our midst, but not yet manifested in their fullness. And help us, Lord,
to get an eye single unto Thee, by means of the revealed Word. And help
our lives also God, to measure up where we ought to be in this day,
preparing us, Lord, for that great advent when You become All in all
within Your Church.  Lord, may we not miss that, may we be standing here
at that time. What a privilege it would be, quicken us, O God, help us
in this end time when so many things would stand in our way when
materialism is rampant in the land. And everything, Lord, seems so
conducive it's strangulating materiality as it has done in so many other
ages, only to bring destruction.

	 Help us, O God, we pray and hide us in the cleft of the Rock,
identifying ourselves fully with You. Now, Lord, we pray that every Word
shall be exactly right. May It not only Word by Word, but may It also be
by the Spirit Who gives the Word so the understanding of It may be
presented to us all. And we may hear It and understand and believing. 
Grant, Lord, now that we may have the desires of our heart, because we
ask this according to Your Word. And You said, If we ask according to
Your Word, You hear us. You'll be there for You heard it, and give us
our heart’s desire in Jesus' Name we pray.  Amen. You may be seated.

1.	Now, last Wednesday and this morning we were studying along lines of
the fact that in the end time the two spirits will be so close together
that men would not be able to recognize unrighteousness from
righteousness. Not because that they're so blind and tell us that they
can't see the disparity, that the fact is that they're so close that the
people are confused into believing that they're righteous before the
Lord and they're not.

	Now, I'm going to continue the subject tonight from a different point
of view in the 'Mystery of Iniquity'. Now, this tape, this is not one
that was in the Saskatchewan meeting, but because it goes along with the
messages of the last two services, I thought it might be wise to bring
it to your attention, to show even more closely exactly where we stand
and how this is working out to the Christian church. 

2.	Now, of course I use that word as it's used in the Church Age Book.
Because the people claim to be Christians, then God says, "All right,
I'll take your claim and then you'll have to answer it." Now, see if
they hadn't claimed, then they would be in a better position. You say,
"Why?"  See, I read it to you this morning. 

	He said, "If you hadn't said, "We see, then you wouldn't had any sin.
but now you say, 'we see', your sin remaineth."  So therefore, God Who
judges the church, it's exactly true, because under the Sixth Seal, the
earth is purged, the church is purged, and Israel is purged, but the
Bride is in the palace.

3.	Now, in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 (we have just the one verse) 

		(7) 	For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now 		
			letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

	Now, in this day man is so engrossed with creation, (that's nature, the
earth, and everything that's in it with the material part of the earth)
because of what he can do with it and get out of it that he lost all
sense and sight of reality. And because of his scientific prowess he's
living in a dream world with impending judgment hanging on him. Now,
it's a dream world because I think we're well aware of the fact that the
majority of people know that something terrible is about to happen. But
like men in a nightmare they can't stop it, it still visibly goes on.
But the judgment is impending.

 	Now, this is not an original sin of the Twentieth Century by any
stretch of the imagination, it cannot be dealing with such. Now, this is
that same sin that brought the flood in upon the world, and it's about
to bring about certain destruction, because the Word of the Lord tells
us that there will be a destruction again, but not by water. 

4.	Now, you can see this spiritual picture if you turn to the Book of
Romans 1: beginning at verse 15. 

		(15)	So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you 	
				that are at Rome also.

		(16) 	For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power 						of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew
first, 						and also to the Greek.

		(17)	For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: 					as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

		(18) 	For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness 					and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness;

		(19) 	Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for 
					God hath shewed it unto them.

		(20) 	For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are 						clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even his 					eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse:

		(21) 	Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,
						neither were thankful; but became vain in their (reasonings), (the
						word 'imagination' is reasoning) and their foolish heart was
darkened.

	Now notice, the heart became darkened after the mind gave way. See, to
wrong thinking.

		(22) 	Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

		(23) 	And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image
made 					like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts,
and 						creeping things.

	Now, Paul is telling the heathen at Rome that the need a true
Revelation of God, because their revelation is missing. You can see that
here in verse 15

		(15)	 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you 
					that are at Rome also.

	Now, if he's going to preach the Gospel to them, it is necessary that
they have It preached, because they have not had it previously. (See?)
They do not know the truth.

		(16) 	For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it (and it
alone) 						is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth; to 						the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

	Why? Because herein, and only here, no other place but in the revealed
Word that was given to Paul is:

		(17)	…the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: (in
other 						words, people act on that revelation receiving it,) as it is
written, 						The just shall live by faith.

	There is no eternal life outside of the realm of faith which comes by a
revelation. And Paul which is to come to impart that revelation, because
Rome does not have it, and consequently they are void of eternal life,
even though they may think that they have it. Now, you've got the very
same thing in the Laodicean Church Age.

5.	You can turn over here is you like and we just refresh your memories,
because you can never read some of the passages in Scripture too often,
John speaking here by the Holy Ghost, Jesus says, so then to this
Laodicean Church Age, "I know your works…" and He mentions that He is
a true witness. He mentions it, that He is a true witness. Evidently,
they don’t have it, and He wants to reveal Himself as such. He knows
their works are either hot or cold. Then He says in [Revelation 3:]
verse 17, 

		(17)	Because thou saith I'm rich and increased with goods and have
need 					of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
miserable 						and poor and blind, and naked.

	Absolutely bereft of everything that you need to have to commend you to
God, which is given to the grace of God. They had none of it, and yet
boasted that they had. (See?) Now, this Age then needs a revelation of
God. And if the revelation is missing then the righteousness of God is
not in the people as they claim it is. Now, these are hard flat blunt
statements. And they'd go over like a lead balloon in any place, but a
church like this who believes in the Word.  (See?) 

6.	Now, let's go to Galatians 1:6-14, (for just a second) and see what
Paul has to say about this revelation.   

		(6) 	I marvel that (you) are so soon removed from him that called you 
					into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

	Now notice, he places the Gospel and the person together:  

		(7) 	Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and
would 					pervert the gospel of Christ. (We dealt with that this
morning.)

		(8) 	But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel		
			unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be 					
accursed.

		(9) 	As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any
other 					gospel unto you than that (you) have received, let him be
accursed.

		(10)	For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? 		
			for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

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

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

		(13) 	For (you) have heard of my conversation in time past in the
Jews' 						religion, (see, that's his own thinking in the former
religion) how 						that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God,
and wasted it:

		(14) 	And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine 
					own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my 
				fathers.

8.	Now, Christ revealed Himself to him, and he was very zealous
considering his tradition. And remember, at the time that Paul had his
traditions, it was at that age that they were doing the very best they
could; and as the people of natural election under God they had the only
thing that God had any respect to on the grounds that even though they
were wrong, He still came to them. Didn't go anyplace else. He went to
them. And though they were a million miles away from the truth, he still
came to them. (See?) So, they can be speaking all they wanted, and as
far as their age had been concerned they had a certain amount of truth.
But, they had fallen from it, and now Christ Himself Appeared as a
Messenger to Paul to give him the revelation.

 	And the same thing occurred in this age. That Christ by the Holy
Spirit must also reveal Himself to the people, because at the end time
the last vestige of Christianity is absolutely as corrupt as the last
vestige of the religion of the Jews. (See?) But God respects only
Christianity. He will not go to the Moslems. He will not go to the
Hindus. He will not go anywhere but to Christianity, as bankrupt as it
is, because they alone have the last vestige of it. Now, the whole
thing's bankrupt just a Paul preached here to the Romans. So, we see
that we need a revelation at this time. And God of course is giving us
that same revelation of Eden. 

9.	Now, let's continue our thought. You'll notice here that the revealed
Word reveals the very righteousness of God. We go back here to Book of
Romans again chapter 1: now we look at It.

		(17) 	For therein is the righteousness of God revealed… 

	What is? The Gospel which Jesus Himself gave to Paul, which is the Word
of Almighty God, from God to man. He said, 

		(17)	(Here in this Gospel) …the righteousness of God (is) revealed
from 					faith to faith: … 

10.	Now, what is that righteousness of God? We go to 1 Corinthians 1:30,
and It says:

		(30) 	But of him are (you) in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
						wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:    
                          			(See?) 

	Now, reading again:

		(30) 	But of him are (you) in Christ Jesus, (that's in the body of
Christ in 					that Bride, in that true Church, now this:) who of God is
made unto 					us…(see, He is made unto us our) wisdom, (our)
righteousness, 						(our) sanctification, and (our) redemption

11.	With that we go to 2 Corinthians 5:21, and he said:

		(21)	(But) he hath made him (that's Jesus) to be (made) sin for us,
(that's 					actually is called the sin offering, Jesus) who knew no
sin; that we 						might be made the righteousness of God in him, (or in
union with 						Jesus Christ our Lord.)

	And there is no way to apprehend, or in other words to utilize, to make
use of, to gain the righteousness which we must have except through this
revealed Word.

12.	Now, let's go back to Roman again 1st chapter. You'll see here in
verses 17-18

		(17)	For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: 					as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

	Now watch:

		(18) 	For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness 					and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness;

	Now watch: here we find in these verses 17-18, that both speak of a
type of righteousness. That may sound strange, but if you just watch.
And that verse 17, it says:

		(17)	For (herein) is the righteousness of God revealed (he says here) 
					from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by
faith.

	Now:

		(18) 	For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness 					and unrighteousness (in) men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness.

	Now see, you have one group that's going by a true revelation of God on
the Word. And          they are perfectly secured and their
righteousness is absolutely one with Christ, because He                 
     is righteousness. On the other hand, you have these other people
who hold the truth in      unrighteousness, and this is what they depend
upon for their righteousness. Now, you say, "I don't see it that." You
wait awhile and you will. One righteousness is of God, the other
righteousness is the righteousness of man that God called
unrighteousness, and both are explained. God's righteousness is a true
revelation of Himself to us the revealed Word. The other comes from
holding the truth in unrighteousness. (See?) 

13.	Now, what does that expression mean 'holding the truth in
unrighteousness'? If this is the refusal of the truth and the repression
of the revelation. Now, just let that sink in. God calls it
unrighteousness, the unrighteousness of man. When he had the chance to
receive the true revelation, and you cannot be received of God, nor can
you receive God apart from a true revelation as we showed you, otherwise
your faith is absolutely vain. It would not do you any good. Got to get
right to the truth.

	Now, what happened, It says that these same people, …?... when the
Word comes to them, they refuse the truth and they repress the
revelation. Why? Because they want their own way to worship and to serve
God, and they go about doing their own will. 

	Now, you'll notice we're right back where we were this morning. You
don't have a bunch of filthy unclean people necessarily handling the
Word. Although, that's possible. You see a lot of that. But speaking in
general we're still talking about those things in the church that deal
with morals and a fine way of life, an attempt to serve God in that
particular area. But, what they're doing is refusing the revealed Word.
(See?) And then they go about to serve God by repressing the truth.
(See?) A repression of it, and also to repress those who have the truth.

14.	Now, this in none other than perversion. The very thing we said this
morning in 1 John 3:  Let's go back and look at It again. He said here
in verse 7

		(7) 	Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth
righteousness 					is righteous, even as he is righteous.

	And then It says in verse 10

		(10) 	In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of
the devil: 					whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither
he that 						loveth not his brother.

		(11) 	For this is the message (you've) heard from the beginning, that
we 						should love one another.

		(12) 	Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, (that) slew his
brother. And 					wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were
evil, and his 						brother's righteous.

	Now, what was Abel's righteous work? It was the rightly divided Word,
and the presentation of the right offering before Almighty God. What was
Cain's wrong work? It was the presentation of a right offering in the
wrong place. He refused to apply the shed blood, and yet he offered the
offering of the first fruit. And who was identifying himself with the
Resurrection, when wouldn't take the way of the Resurrection, which was
the right division of the Word. He wanted it without going the way of
the truth. 

	Now, you see here what happened. Cain was holding the truth in
unrighteousness, and he repressed it by killing his brother. You follow?
It's exactly what the Bible teaches. He held the truth in
unrighteousness. He would not accept the revelation, but he went on
handling and mis-dividing the Word and attempting to worship God anyway.
 Now, you begin to see the antichrist system? See your two spirits so
close?    

15.	Now, let's re-read back here in Romans 1:17-18

		(17)	For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: …

	Wherein where?  The Gospel given by Divine revelation so that not one
Word can be added to, nor be taken from It. Paul said, "If I, or anybody
else come and take this Word, change It one iota, (he said) let him and
me be accursed." [Revelation 22:18] Now listen, the only place you can
find the original cursing was the serpent and Cain.

	Now remember, the serpent was cursed physically, reduced to a
slithering snake. But Cain went on being an upright creature, but cursed
from the Presence of Almighty God, and marked! There's your old
antichrist, marked, started right back there just outside the Garden and
is going on right today. 

	 Now:

		(18) 	For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness 					(see, even the) unrighteousness of men, …(coming into
a condemnation 					and being judged for it.)

	But remember, when you come up in the White Throne judgment, they
without the Gospel will be judged without the Gospel. But these men are
judged as though they were part of it. See, they came right up to the
Light, saw and refused It.

16.	Now, let's go to Romans 10: and see It, because here It is.

		(1) 	Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that
they 					might be saved.

		(2) 	For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not
according 					to knowledge.

	You go and tell them that, they say, "What do you mean I don't know
God? It's you bunch of stupid so called Christians that don't know God.
You can't chop our God in three parts and give Him back to us." They'll
tell you right quick what they think. (Pretty good thinking too) They
may be ignorant of God, but they're not stupid. They got a zeal, but
there's no revelation.

	Now listen:

		(3) 	For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about
to 						establish their own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves 						unto the righteousness (which is) of God.

	And this is exactly where Cain stood. And this is where everybody
stands that's going to come into judgment and be condemned for it.
Because they came right up to the revelation. The demonstration of truth
and walked right away from it.

		(4) 	For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that 						believeth.

	Believeth what? The truth. I wish somebody said about the Word, or what
the truth really says about itself. In other words, it can bring itself
into manifestation for the day in which it is. And when you turn down
that, which that Living Word bringing Itself into manifestation is the
Word of the hour, and you turned It down when you had your chance, and
you still go on to serve God, then you are right in this place the Bible
talks of. (See?) 

17.	Now: 

		(5) 	For Moses describeth the righteousness which is the law, That the
						man which doeth those things shall live by them.

		(6) 	But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on (in) this
wise, 						Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that
is, to 						bring Christ down from above:)

	You know that was the silliest thing in the world to tell a Jew?
Questions, questions, questions, questions, questions.

		(7) 	Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that's, to bring up Christ 
					again from the dead.)

	They say, "Well, if God came down and died, then who is going to raise
God?" They say, "Haw, haw, what a big joke that is." (See?) What is it?
Question. 

	Now watch: faith doesn't ask questions, faith believes! (See?) 

		(8) 	(Now, for) what (says) it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy
mouth, 					and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we
preach; (Paul 						speaking)

		(9) 	That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and 			
		believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou 		
			shalt be saved.

		(10) 	For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with
the 						mouth confession is made unto salvation.

	Now, you notice you believe unto righteousness, and righteousness is
the end product of faith. And faith is the end product of a revelation.
Turn down the revelation, where do you stand? Outside of Christ.  "What
revelation?" The revelation of the Word of the hour. (See?) That which
God brings into view, because the Word will bring Itself to pass. It's
just like sowing a seed. You're not to dig the seed up and see all about
it, the life within the seed will bring it to pass. So, will the Word of
God bring Itself to pass, because that Word is God.

18.	Now, 

		(10)	…with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

		(11) 	For the scripture (says), Whosoever believeth on him shall not
be 						ashamed.

	Now notice, we mention here in verses 8-9,

		(8) 	But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and
in 						thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

	But notice, this is a revelation, because in the days of Paul they
perverted the Word, and Paul was able to tell where the perversion lay.
Because in him was the power to give forth the revealed Word.  Now,
notice in verse 11, It said:

		(11) 	For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be
						ashamed.

	And there you have the Word of God is saying It, and the Word of God is
bringing into effect what you will believe in order that you won't be
ashamed. The workmen, you see that need not to be ashamed. See, it's all
in there and we have It revealed.

19.	 Let's go to John 7:38. Now:

		(38) 	He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly 						shall flow rivers of living water.

	Now, the Bible doesn't say, "He that believeth on Me is going to have a
Holy Ghost experience." It says, "He that believeth on Me as the
Scripture has said."  So, what has the Scripture said, because men can
argue them? It's just what I said awhile ago, it's the Word that  comes
into manifestation, because the Word is fulfilling Itself in the hour in
which we live.

20.	Also in John chapter 8:37, (oh, a little further on)

		(37) 	I know (you're) Abraham's seed; but (you) seek to kill me,
because 						my word hath no place in you.  

	Now, what word? Jesus was duty bound not to go outside of the Old
Testament, because that was the Word. He couldn't go outside of It,
because that's the Word. You go to Revelation and every seed was sown.
And if you get outside of the Book of Revelation, you'd be a million of
miles off. He went right back as the Seed of the woman, and brought it
right up before them. And they said, "Kill him." Now, He didn't say
anything else, but what I just said here. 

	He said, "Why do you seek to kill Me, because My Word has no place in
you." [John 8:40] And that Word was the Word which they knew. For He
said, "Search the Scripture, for in them you think you have eternal
life, and they are they which testify of Me." [John 5:39]

21.	Now, what was it? They missed the revelation. And missing the
revelation they went about to establish their own righteousness, as Paul
said, and they're dead right today. (See?) Now, we haven't got any Word
brother/sister at this end time that William Branham brought. He did not
bring one Word, he already had It all here. It was all here. For him to
add one Word, would have made him a liar and a fraud. See, you can't add
one Word, and you can't take way. But what is it? It's the revelation,
the Word of the hour, and Israel turned It down. 

	He said, "My Word has no place in you." [John 8:37b] 

	You say, "Well, I believe that It does had place."

	You're wrong! The Word of God is the undefiled revealed Word of what He
means when He said It. And there's no man living can know exactly what
I'm saying even at this moment, unless you're right in my mind, and in
me to know exactly what I'm saying, because you've got to interpret it
the way you think you hear It according to your own experience. That's
why it takes the Holy Ghost of Almighty God to indwell you to know what
Jesus Christ said. Even though George Fox knew that.

	He said, "The reason that people didn't understand Moses in his day, is
because they didn't have the same spirit in them." (See?)  "My Word has
no place in you." He said right there, that makes the difference. That
brands them. 

22.	Now:

		(38) 	I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and (you) do that
						which (you've) seen with your father.

	Two camps, Cain and Abel. Say what you want, Cain and Abel, you can't
miss it.

		(39) 	They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus 		
			(said) …If (you) were Abraham's children, (you) would do the 					
works of Abraham.

		(40)	 But now (you) seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the
truth, 						which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

	Now, He's telling them right there, He said, "Would Abraham have risen
up to kill the very messenger that brought the truth, would he have
risen up to destroy somebody? Why, (He said) if Abraham understood Me
when I was back in that theophany, (He said) if you had what Abraham
had, you'd recognize the revealed Word in your day, the Word made
flesh."  But He said, 

		(41)	(You) do the deeds of your father. (And who was their father?
Cain 					was their father. They said to Him) We be not born of
fornication; … 

	They knew the serpent seed doctrine a hundred percent, because they
knew there was a race born of fornication, and a race that wasn't born
of fornication. Because remember, Ishmael was not born of fornication.
Abraham had a legal right to that woman under polygamy. (See?)  

		(41)	…we have one Father, even God.

	Tracing it back to God. You can go back as far as Abraham, you go right
back to God.

		(42) 	Jesus said…If God were your Father, (you) would love me: for I
						proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but 	
				he sent me.

		(43) 	Why do (you) not understand my speech? even because (you) cannot
					hear my word.

23.	 Hearing the Word of God is understanding the Word of God. You say,
"I hear the Word of God." Then you understand It. Then what's all this
talk about…see, Bro. Branham is supposed to have said, "You don't have
to understand, only believe It." The point is, he's telling you if you
don't understand It, believe It till you do. Check the rest of his
tapes. 

		(44) 	(You) are of your father the devil, and the (pleasures) of your
father 					(you'll) do. He was a murderer from the beginning, …

	The devil never murdered anybody in the beginning, Cain did! Then he
lied about it. The first murderer and liar was Cain. Because he lied
about his brother. God said, "Where is your brother?" 

	He said, "I don't know, what am I suppose to know about him, leading
him by the hand?" He murdered and lied about it. 

		(44)	…When he (speaks) a lie, he (speaks) of his own: for he is a
liar, 						and the father of it.

		(45) 	And because I tell you the truth, (you) believe me not.

		(46) 	Which of you convinceth me of sin?...

	In other words, "Which of you can confute Me. Stand up now and tell me
where I'm off this Word one iota." And not one could do it. They said
they went behind His back and attempted a murder, which they finally
carried out.

		(46)	… And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

		(47) 	He that is of God heareth God's words...

 	Oh, isn't that the same thing John said, "He that hearth Me is of God,
and he that doesn't hear Me is not." Every Church Age messenger had the
very testimony. He stood up and knew the rest were not of God, blasted
out against that generation and stood there in the gap. You show me a
Church Age messenger that didn't do it. If fact, you show me a preacher
doesn't do it. It blasts out against what's against the Word of God.
That would be a true man of God, and of course He'd blast with the wrong
crew, then He'd just want them. Now, He said,

		(47)	…(you) therefore hear them not, because (you) are not of God.

 	Now, see what Israel did there in Jesus' day. They were just like
Cain. They were dead. So, is their death to all who hold the truth in
unrighteousness. In other words, when the truth of God is presented,
they still stay with their creeds and their dogmas their old dead manna.
(See?) In other words, they're trying to judge by a former day when the
Word of God came to them. That Word that they had is now perverted. 

24.	Now, this is exactly what we saw in Genesis 2:9 and 17. 

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

	But notice, that tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And verse 17

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

	They went to the perversion. They would not hold to the truth. Eve
would not stay with the Word, and so they all fell. Now watch; Bro.
Branham said in 'The Greatest Battle Ever Fought', (I think it's in page
21) "A man cannot sin until he first cast aside God's Word," exactly
what she did. Now, what was that tree? You can see if you want to bring
it down to a type, it was definitely the perversion of the Word of God. 

	Now, how was this done originally? It was done by side stepping the
Word. Now, you'll find that actually in the Greek.  This is exactly what
Paul is trying to tell us, disbelieve one Word, misplace, or
misrepresent it, or misapplied it spells unrighteousness. (See?) That's
what it does.

25.	Notice over here in Romans again, chapter 1:19-20

		(19) 	Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; 				
	for God hath shewed it unto them.

		(20) 	For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are 						clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even 						his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse:

	Now, It says here that they knew better than to do this thing which
they were doing. (See?) Now, isn't that exactly as it was with Cain? He
knew better, because It was absolutely laid out before him and he still
persisted in the mis-handling of the revealed Word of God. Because
remember, the Pillar of Fire must have of necessity have taken up the
offering that Abel laid out. Because that's how God did, he had to have
a fire for the offering. You just didn't kill the lamb, you burned it.
(See?) 

	Now, the offering no doubt was consumed by the Pillar of Fire coming
down as It did in Abraham's and also in Elijah's day. (See?) Now, notice
also he says here:

		20) 	For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are 						clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even 						his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without (an)
excuse.

	Now see, listen: how can God condemn anybody until first of all the
life's been manifested? Why do it? Do you realize how close we are to
that today? 

26.	There's a brother that wrote Bro. Branham some long time back, he
wrote and enclosed a fifteen hundred dollar check. And Bro. Branham got
on the phone and immediately and said, "Brother why was this fifteen
hundred dollar check given to me?" 

	"Well, (he said) Bro. Branham, I didn't understand tithing all these
years, it's the time I've known the Message, (and he said) therefore I
figured up I owed tithes on fifteen thousand dollars, I'm sending you
fifteen hundred dollars."

	Bro. Branham said to the man, he said, "Sir, as long as you were in
darkness, (he said) you had hope, you're forgiven. So therefore, I'm
sending it back to you, from now on you pay tithes."

	See, when you have a confrontation with reality and then you turn it
down, that's what we're talking about in this day. (See?) And this is
where God gives Himself the privilege of destruction. Otherwise they'll
come up in the White Throne judgment, and there they're judged only
according to what they saw.

27.	Now, these people knew it took a revelation from God, and they knew
how God gave His revelation by His Word. Now, let's go to Deuteronomy
18: I know this is what you'll think this is over here in the time of
Israel, but listen, God never did change His way. I'll prove it to you.
Deuteronomy 18: It says here in verse 20.

		(20) 	But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name,
						which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in 		
			the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

		(21) 	And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which
						the LORD hath not spoken?

		(22) 	When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing 		
			follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath 	
			not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt
					not be afraid of him.

	Now, God`s obligated in giving His Word by manifested prophet.

	Now look it, It says in the Book of Acts, concerning the Second Coming
of Jesus Christ. It says, that the "heavens must retain Him, until the
restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets
since the world began." [Acts 3:21] So, you got It right there, God has
never ever changed His way of bringing His Word. There's always been a
way that God showed exactly what the truth was. It's manifested and
perfectly so, and if you walk up to that truth and turn your back, there
is nothing but judgment facing you. You know it, see? Absolutely right.

28.	Now, they knew there was a God, because nature proved it. But wisdom
derided from nature won't bring a revelation of God. It takes the
prophet. Romans [1:] 21: now:

		(21) 	Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,
						neither were thankful; (see?)

	Now watch this: "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him
not as God." That's the case of Cain.  He knew God, absolutely, but he
would not glorify God. In other words, he would not worship according to
truth which is the revealed Word. He said, "No, I won't do it!" Now,
what if somebody worships outside the revealed Word for this day?
Absolutely backs away from it, and won't do it when he comes up against
it. (See?) 

	Now, let's keep watching this verse, "neither were thankful." In other
words, they were not thankful that God brought the revelation, instead
they became very unthankful because they wanted their own way, their own
creeds, their own dogmas, their own organization, their own
understanding. For they not only pussy-footed about the revelation, they
left it. They weren't thankful. And what happened? They became vain in
their reasoning. In other words, there was no Holy Ghost revelation
anymore in the camp, but now with reasoning, reasoning, reasoning. In
other words, pitting their intelligence against the truth. What
happened?

		(21)	…their foolish heart (became) darkened.

	The got the heart of a fool. And the heart of a fool says, "There's no
God." [Psalms 14:1] In other words, they were better off if they had no
concept of religion at all. Better to have simply said, "No God."
Because God crashes out.  

		(22)     Professing themselves to be wise, … (professing in
themselves to 						have a revelation, which they could not backup and
prove) they 						became fools, (and from that point they went on
downwards.)

	Notice, this is exactly what happened to Cain. Very same thing. And
that's what Jesus said about those Jews of that day. And Bro. Branham
said, "The church will be in the same position that's taken over by the
devil, just the way he took over those Jews. Now, but by the time of the
flood through scientific reasoning they had a new kind of a god. You
know who it was? He was they god of their imagination, not the God of
the Word. That's exactly what Paul said was going to happen. They would
change the truth of God into a lie. [blank spot] Some people made
millions of gods. Sure, or they became pantheist and so on. But as long
as you worship some kind of a god you were accepted by the crowd. Same
thing going on today.

29.	 This brought on the depravity of immorality, murder and anarchy
until God destroyed them. Let's look at It, what does It say in [Romans
1:] verse 24?  

		(24) 	Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the 					
(pleasure, the lusts) of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies
					between themselves:

		(25) 	Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and
served 					the creature more than the Creator, … (they served
themselves instead 					of mankind) who is blessed forever. Amen.

		(26) 	(And) for this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: …
(and so on.)

	And you can see what happened, God absolutely had to destroy them. And
you've got the same thing today in the same seed. When you come against
such a violent revelation as we had in this day, when the demonstration
with the vindication of the right of the prophet to speak being so
tremendous, what could you possibly have but God overthrowing this
generation? It couldn't be otherwise. But before the flood, you notice
that God sent a prophet. Sent Enoch to warn them, and He did, but they
wouldn't listen.

30.	Notice what came next. God revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, and the children of Israel and He gave them a national revelation
itself to know this. [blank spot] …gave themselves nationally to
Israel. What did Israel do? They sinned at Baal-Peor, fornication,
organization, mixing themselves with creeds and dogmas. 

	In other words, you know what they did? Remember that the Midianites,
Boaz and the rest were worshippers of God through the daughters of Lot.
(See?) And Balaam was truly a prophet. But they weren't one with the
Word. Now what happened? Israel joined them and God never forgave them,
but they died like files in their fornication. Then what happened?
Korah, Dathan and Abiram left the Word for gifts. Israel left the Word
for miracles. And at Kadesh Barnea the Bible tells us in Hebrews 3:7
exactly what happened. We're going through the same thing now. Hebrews
3: Paul speaking:

		(7) 	Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today, if (you'll) hear his
voice, 					(notice, if you hear His voice,)

		(8) 	Harden not your hearts, as in the (day of) provocation, in the
day of 					(the) temptation in the wilderness:

		(9) 	When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty 	
			years.

	And you know what this provocation was? They provoked God, they refused
to take the signs that God gave them and said, "Moses, give us our own
signs and we'll believe you." They said it to Israel, and they said it
today. They wouldn't stand back and see what they had. Show me a sign
greater than this: "Bring me twenty-four of your worse cases, and I'll
guarantee healing." What time did 'Thus Saith the Lord' ever fail? 

31.	Notice what God said in verse 10.

		(10) 	Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do 
					alway err in their heart; they have not known my ways. 

	What's the way of God? Fulfilling His Word and you're to believe It and
stay with It. When you believe the fulfilled Word, then you're one with
Him. (See?) 

		(11) 	So I sware in my wrath, (God angry) They shall not enter into my
						rest.)

		(12) 	Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart
of 						unbelief, in departing from the living God. (Using God when
He's 						revealed to you.)

		(13) 	But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest
any of 						you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

	There you are again, all deceivableness of unrighteousness going on to
worship God anyway, when you've been brought face to face with the
revelation of the true God. You're absolutely antichrist. (See?) 

		(14) 	For we are made (not partakers, we're made fellows) of Christ, 	
				if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

		(15) 	While it is said, Today if (you) will hear his voice, harden not
						your hearts, as in the provocation.

		(16) 	For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that
						came out of Egypt by Moses.

		(17) 	But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them 	
				that had sinned, (see, the sin…what was their sin? Refusing the 		
			Word that Moses taught, and their) carcases fell in the wilderness?

		(18) 	And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest,
but 						to them that believed not?

		(19) 	So, we see… (now listen) so we see that they could not enter
in 						because of unbelief.

	Not the sacrifice, there's plenty of sacrifice. The Blood of Christ
could save every single person from sin in this world, and the Life of
Christ can more than imbue every single unbeliever, until no one lacks
eternal life. What stops him? He won't believe. 

32.	[Hebrews 4:] 

		(1) 	Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering
into 						his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

		(2) 	For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but
the 						word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith
in 						them that heard it.

	How many people believed that Bro. Branham was the Elijah for this day?
Oh, hardly a handful. In spite of the fact they've got every Bible
evidence to prove that every man that God sent on the scene had to
identify himself. And they forget that Jesus Christ was crucified,
because He identified Himself. John the Baptist was spit on, because he
identified himself. [Elijah] was run out by Jezebel because he
identified himself. And when a man comes along and can prove by the Word
of God, by authentication, vindication and thereby identify himself, how
can a man turn him down?

	Well, you can go to a store and all you got to do is drag out your
credit card and show who you are. And they'll say, "Goodie, goodie,
goodie." Run stuff up for a million dollars about. But, these people
won't walk in and take eternal life. Hard to understand, they died. But
God sent them a messenger again.

33.	Now listen, before He revealed Himself in human form (now watch) for
had He not done so, He would have had to destroy all for any lack of
righteousness. That's right. When Jesus Christ was about to be filled
with the Holy Ghost, God filling His Temple. If John the Baptist had not
been there that Spirit coming down as a Dove, would have had to destroy
every single person, just like It says in Malachi. 

	Let's go back and look at It, the Book of Luke 1:13-17

		(13) 	But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer
is 						heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt 						call his name John.

		(14) 	And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at 
					his birth.

		(15) 	For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink
neither 					wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy
Ghost, 						even from his mother's womb.

		(16) 	And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord
their 						God. (When every single one was turned away from God. That's
						right.)

		(17) 	And he shall go before (God) in the spirit and power of
(Elijah), 						to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and
the disobedient 						to the wisdom of the just; (see?) to make ready a
people prepared 						for the Lord.

	Now, what is this? Disobedience. Disobedience is not the willful
rejecting of a command, but it's even to walk in error, because you
don't understand. How many understood the Word in the days of John?
Nobody. They'd all been turned away from God. What did John come to do?
He came to bring understanding, and the only way he could was by
identifying himself. And the Bible says, he turned many. In other words,
he turned the elect. And when he did by the Word, they were turned back
to God. This is why when God came as a Pillar of Fire, He could not
destroy, but would have destroyed. (See?) Even at the very first advent
it would have occurred.

34.	Now, this is no idle assumption. Let's turn to the Book of Romans 1:
again, and just find out, looking at verse 18 

		(18) 	For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness 					and (all) unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness;

	And there was nobody there with the revelation. Then this in not the
judgment of God, (the wrath) but it's the personal emotion of God. God
angered, God discussed it, God fed-up, and He's fed-up tonight, I'm
going to vomit you out of My mouth. The fed-up God. And if the fed-up
God ever came on scene without some preface, He would destroy. I'll
prove it to you, what about the day He said, "I'm going to go down and
destroy Sodom and Gomorrah."

	Abraham said, "Lord, peradventure fifty people, there would be
destroyed."

	"Well, certainly not."

	He said, "Lord, would You do that if I said forty?"

	He said, "No, I'll save for forty."

	He got down to ten. "Well, (he said) just one more time, (he said)
please don't feel that I'm butting in, but (he said) if I could find
ten, (he said) would You destroy?" 

	He said, "Certainly not, (He said) absolutely not, I wouldn't destroy
for ten, no, no, no."  [Genesis 18:]

	What happened when Lot left with the two daughters, and the wife of
course, she died in the way, the Fire fell. You get God on the scene
without a forerunner, and there's nothing but death and destruction.
There it is. You still don't believe it?

35.	Let's go back to Malachi 4:5-6

		(5)	 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of 	
				the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

		(6) 	And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, (who
is 						that? John the Baptist, read the rest) …lest I come and smite
(utterly) 					the earth… (because there's nobody there who has the
truth. Well, 						what about Laodicea? See?)  

	Now, but after Pentecost the same thing happened to the church has
happened in Eden, as           I read this morning in Acts 20:30, men
rose up and they turned away from God. How? By perverting the Word. John
saw the same thing in the Book a Revelation that Paul saw in chapter
6:2.

		(2) 	And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a
						bow; (no arrows) and a crown was given unto him: and he went 					
forth conquering, and to conquer.

	The antichrist imitating the Spirit of Christ, a religious order set up
mouthing and parroting the Word of God, but no revelation, antichrist. 

36.	Paul gave us the exact account over here in 2 Thessalonians 2:

		(1) 	Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus 			
		Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

		(2) 	That (you) be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, (and)
neither 					by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that
the day of 						Christ is at hand.

		(3) 	Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
					except there come a falling away first, and (the) man of sin be
revealed, 					the son of perdition;

		(4) 	Who opposeth and (exalts) himself above all that is called God,
or 						that is worshipped; so that he as God (sits) in the temple of
God, 						shewing himself that he is God.

	In other words, he right in there interpreting the Word, forgiving
sins, and he's taking the place of the Word. He's infallible. You listen
to him. If you want something and you can go to him and change his mind,
they'll say, "Alright, we'll fix that up for you too." (See?)  

		(5) 	Remember not…I was with you, (yet) I told you these things?

	What'd he tell them? He told them men were going to rise up and pervert
the Word, till the whole thing was perverted. This thing took over the
whole Word just like Jesus said. "We've going to run it all in a system
of religion." Talking about God worshipping God. 

37.	They said:   

		(7) 	For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now 		
			letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

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

	In other words, it's going to be absolutely a complete takeover of
Christianity. (See?) 

	Now remember, as we said before there has got to be a forerunner.
Where's your forerunner? It tells you right here. 

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

	God sending the truth, the absolute revealed Word of God in order that
He maybe just, when He comes personally to absolutely destroy those who
held the truth in unrighteousness, who refused the revelation and
suppressed it. Where are you preachers today that say they believe God?
What about that vision Bro. Branham had, after he had that little vision
of those two little kids in that little car? Great big crowd, and the
preacher dismissed the meeting. He began crying and the angel appeared
and said, "What are you crying about, you're not even Jesus, you're just
a prophet?  If our Lord was only left with twelve, and they didn't turn
out so good for awhile, what are you crying about, you only got a
handful." (See?) 

38.	 Refusing the truth and suppressing it. And you know something? We
haven't begun to see anything yet as to what it would be that way, Jesus
said, it would be that way in Matthew 7:21.

		(21) 	Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, …

	I don't think you won’t be saying, "Hallelujah, Lord, we love you,
miracles in Jesus' Name." The worship of God doesn't guarantee anything.
Miracles won't guarantee anything. See, what is it? You got to be with
that Tree, the good Tree with the good Fruit.  

		(21)	…but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

		(22) 	(For) many will (come) to me in that day, (and say,) Lord, Lord,
						have we not prophesied in thy name?...

	But just a minute, He told them to prophesy. Then if they prophesied,
and He told them to prophesy is not that the will of God? No! Because
they did it the wrong place, in the wrong time.

		(22)	…in thy name have cast out devils?...

	Did He tell them to do it? So why isn't that the will o God? Because
they went around casting out devils indiscriminately. They went under
the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

		(22)	… and in thy name done many wonderful (things?)

	Aren't we to do great things in His Name? He said, "Greater works than
these shall you do." [John 14:12] Then what is He talking about? Because
they're outside of a revealed Word. They're looking just they're
genuine, but when you give them the Word test, they are not living in
the revealed Word of the hour. Why? Because this is a judgment period.
This is a juncture time as Bro. Branham called it, 'The Flashing Red
Light of Warning', (See?) 

39.	Now, let's take a good look at that word 'unrighteousness', that is
what is unrighteousness, the same thing that man calls his
righteousness. What is it? It's the heart of 'the mystery of iniquity'.
The heart of the mystery of iniquity, is what man calls righteousness,
and God calls unrighteousness. So, therefore we have the unrighteous
worshipping God through the creeds and dogmas inspired by the antichrist
system, and God turned their worship down. It's the refusal of true
worship by the Word of the Living God. Men and woman literally ending up
humbling themselves through the worship system, humbling themselves to
the antichrist in whom browsed the devil, and yet the claimed they're
worshipping God. 

	Now look, just look around you now, you show me any church but those
who are trying stand with this Word who are not already in the
antichrist system. Now go ahead. If I preached you the truth in three
sermons, which would take you roughly five…hours of preaching, you
find me one place that you can contradict me. You can't do it. You can't
do it, because it's all laid out here,         a-b-c, as clear as
crystal. These men and woman worshipping God claiming to do God a
service, claiming to be God's own sheep. But the true revelation of the
Word is missing.

40.	Let's go back to Romans 1:25, notice:   

		(25) 	Who changed the truth of God into a lie, … 

	Wrong translation, cross it out of your Bible, they changed 'the true
God' into a lie. Christ the Word perverted to the lie of the devil.
Exactly what Bro. Branham said, and they worshipped and served creation.
Creatures, it became a creature religion instead of the true worship of
the true worship of Almighty God.  Ask them Who Elohim is, they don't
know. Ask them Who Jehovah  is, they don't know. Ask them Who Jesus is,
they don't know. How can they know, because every messenger of every Age
received the revelation of God. That became the Word of the hour and the
rest of those verses deal with the historical aspect of the church for
you know the hour in which you live. The revelation is missing.

41.	Look what It says again, keeping that in mind, they changed the true
God into a lie, the Word. (See?) Going back to 2 Thessalonians,  (again)
2:4  

		(4) 	Who opposeth and (exalts) himself all that is called God, or that
						is worshipped; so that he as God…

	A liar, an absolute liar who is the head of the organized creed and
dogma system that is supposed to be honoring and serving God Himself.
They have changed the true God into a lie, and the lie has been
insinuated into a personification, a person that sits in the temple.
He's been sitting there for years. Of course, the pope will finally take
over.

	They can do everything but stay with the Word. I don't care what any
righteous person does, any true believer. I don't care what the prophet
did, they'll impersonate the whole thing. They say they are in the Word,
but like Cain they act just like Israel. Like Cain and Israel, they just
act the same thing out. They preach and teach and carry out the
commandments in their own way, but they can't go Word by Word with the
revelation as It says in Isaiah 28:8, let's look at It.

42.	Now, 

		(8) 	For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, (and) there is
no 						place clean. (Not one church, not one word that's not been
messed 						up.)

		(9) 	Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to under-		
		stand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn 					
from the breasts. (You got to get past Pentecost, the restoration of 			
		gifts won't bring it.)

		(10) 	For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; …

	Well look, how in the world are you ever going to know the Word of God,
except you go to the Word and get a revelation? You're not going to get
It by signs and wonders and miracles. That's just to hold you, to see
where it goes. (See?) See if it goes to the Word like the prophet did.
Now:

		(10)	…line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little:
(that they 					might go and fall backward and be broken and snared and
taken.)

	That's exactly what happened, because the Word of the Lord comes that
way, and they turn It down and they're snared; and they're taken and
they're broken. That's exactly how it happened.

 	All right, listen: wasn't that what happened to Cain? Tell me, was it?
Don't think it won't happen again. You find one place in the Bible where
this didn't happen. This is your trail of the serpent, the whole thing
just like a billboard fourteen feet high. (See?) It's your worship. 

43.	Now:

		(14) 	Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, (you) scornful men, that 		
			rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

	Not heavenly, but earthly according to Galatians where you get your
allegory. 

		(15) 	Because (you've) said, (We've) made a covenant with death, and 	
				with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall 		
			(come), it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, 
				and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

	You mean to tell me that those people that stood before Bro. Branham
didn't know more than they let on? Come on. If the devil himself can
come face with God and realize it, then don't tell me a creation can't
come face to face with Reality and not know it. Don't tell me they
didn’t know it that they were scared stiff by the hierarchy and the
system, and the Trinitarian club that kept knocking the woman down. 
(See, ertainly.) 

	Now: 

		(16) 	Therefore saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion (that's New 
					Jerusalem, that one) a foundation a stone, a tried stone, (the Word
						of God.)

	Do you know that foundation stone is? It's the Word. A tried stone. You
show one Word that didn't come to pass. 

		(16)	…a precious corner stone…

	You show me anything else could sit in that corner but the Word of God.
You try to build any building outside the Word of God, it'll all go
askew, askew to you, it won't work. 

		(16)	…a sure foundation: … [blank spot] (They turned it down.)

		(17) 	Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the
plummet:

44.	 Now, where's your ripeness? The Plummet is the Word of God. See, it
can't be a creed or dogma, because your faith won't hold otherwise.
Because by grace are you saved, through faith, and faith is a
revelation, the Word of God released. Now then, where's your salvation?
Sacrifice won't avail you. Works will not avail you. Nothing will avail
you. It's believe this Word and go from there. The people are turning
this Word down, and still trying to get there. It will not work.  

		(18)	 …your covenant with death (will) be disannulled, your
agreement 						with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge
… (passes) 					through, (you're going to) be trodden down … (the
great tribulation.)  

		(19) 	From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning
by 						morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall
be a 						vexation only to understand the report.

	My Lord, we got it right in this day today. The more you talk about it,
the madder and meaner the people get. (See?) 

45.	 Now, what is it that has gotten into the church? Now what is it
that's gotten into the church? I'll tell you, it’s iniquity, the
mystery of iniquity, where God planted the mustard seed that covered the
whole earth. And every filthy bird came and lodged in it. God planted
good seed, and the enemy sowed the tares. God had three measures of
flour and they hid the leaven in it. Yet, every single one is called the
Kingdom of Heaven.

	God ordained that man should worship Him. That's why we know Him as
God. We don't know Him as creator, that's just a minor thing. But, in
the revelation of God, and the relationship to man He is God to us the
object of worship. And He cannot receive any worship, except in spirit
and in truth. Then how can any man have the Holy Spirit if he's outside
the truth? They can't do it. (See?) 

46.	Now, God chosen place of worship is Christ the Word. His Name is
only in one gate.  Only one Message, no other. All else offends, they
are gathered and bound. But beloved, we don't need to be in doubt about
the end time, but we can be sure. Because God promises the very thing
that Bro. Branham quoted thousands of times, "Behold, I send you Elijah
the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
Lord: and He shall turn the hearts of the children to the fathers."
[Malachi 4:5-6] And in that way, I won't come and smite utterly the
earth.

	The guarantee of God is to "turn the hearts of the children to the
fathers," so that there will not be a curse. Now, who is the fathers?
The prophets. What did the prophets bring? The Word. I'm not just giving
them my idea, remember It says in the Book of Acts, "They're waiting for
the time of restoration of all things that God spoke out of the mouths
of His holy prophet." [Acts 3:21] What's restored? That which is spoken
by the mouths of the holy prophets. What did their mouths speak? The
Word of God. Then what's restored? The Word. 

47.	How is It restored?  The meaning was given. Why? Because men have
departed from the original revelation and gone to the creed and the
dogma. And they're under perversion. (See?) They're being watered with
the waters of perversion. They're being dressed in the robes of
iniquity. They having turned down God's righteousness, the revealed
Word, bringing Christ into view and efficacy, they now establish their
own righteousness, which is what? Unrighteousness before God. That's why
the whole thing is iniquity. 

	But, He promised them Malachi 4:5-6 and the restored cannot be lost.
Again, It says in Revelation 10:7, in the days of the voice of the last
messenger, all the mysteries of God should be fulfilled. Elijah comes to
sow the entire seed of the Bible. He said he would sow it from serpent
seed, to the prophet in the former rain. He reveals Luke 17:30, the Son
of man, the days come back to earth.

48.	The vindicated prophet came just like John, Luke 1:17  

		(17) 	And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of (Elijah),
to 						turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, (in this case
you may 						read it, He shall go before him in the spirit and power of
Elijah, to 						turn the hearts of children back to the fathers, even)
the disobedient 					to the wisdom of the just; (in order) to make ready
(the prepared 						people) …

	A people prepared need to make ready. As he said awhile ago we're all
one lump. Everyone is under condemnation. And as Abraham said, "If I can
find those ten, will You not say to…" He said, "Find those ten…" And
had there been ten, it could have been saved. What's the number at the
end time? Can I find more than one per million? I don't know. I don’t
know what the number is, but I'll tell you one thing He's not going to
find them. But there'll be an absolute revelation as there was in days
of Noah, and in the days of Lot, to the Gentiles. They're Gentiles. 

 	There'll be indisputable revelation, the Son of man will be revealed
in human flesh. And they'll turn down the manifestation, they'll turn
down the revelation. They will turn down the Word of Almighty God. And
you know what? They will go on their way to establish their own, which
will be a world system of the merging of the minds until they're
absolutely judged iniquitous. And no matter what they can produce, on
that great judgment day, they will be lost from the Presence of 
Almighty God.

49.	Now, how can the Bride therefore have any righteousness, but His Own
revealed righteousness which is Christ? Malachi 3:17-18 we read the
other night.

		(17) 	And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day
when 						I make up my jewels; (that's the Rapture) and I will spare
them, as 						a man (spares) his own son that (serves) him.

	Okay, who's serving Him? Who worships Him? 

		(18) 	Then shall (you) return, and discern between (righteousness) and
						(wickedness), between him that (serves) God and him that (serves) 
					him not.

	How is He going to do it? [Malachi 4:] verse 4, 

		(4)	Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him 			
	in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

	What about Horeb? The Word of God given the second time under Moses.
That's the Book of Deuteronomy twice given. The Word of God came the
second time, because men broke It. But, now God in period of judgment,
he who wanted, He took them out of Egypt. He wanted to take them into
the Promised Land. He did exactly what's being done through every
juncture, and they turned it down. And now to boot we are facing the
last sign, the promise was given. The Word has been met once more, "will
you come in to the Ark of safety, will you get ready for the
Millennium?"

	Now, comes Elijah the prophet with the Word of God. Myriads of signs
and wonders. Indication, indicating the Word, vindicated by a ministry.
Authenticated by Almighty God. What did they do? They turned down the
Message which foreran Jesus Christ. 

50.	Now, where do we stand? We stand in the simplicity of the Gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Men don't want it. What would have happened if
Bro. Branham had gone to the Assemblies of God? Well, I'll tell you,
they'd have said, "He's right, because he says what we said."

	But, what if he said what they said? Then he would have been wrong.
Now, a prophet of God doesn't care what the other man says, because he
can't help what he says, because the Word of God is altogether till He
come. And the Word of God burned. Now, you're not going to burn with one
thing instead of another. You can't do it, because a prophet's son is
not made that way. There has never been a prophet given that ever
pleased the people. Jesus never pleased the people. But, He said, "You
find Me off that Word." They couldn't do it. Now, we have the same thing
right today.

	So, what are they doing? They have turned from the righteousness of
God, and gone about to establish their own righteousness which God calls
"unrighteousness," which is the mystery of iniquity, (see?) because
it’s so close, and yet it's off that Word. 

51.	All right, when you start going around telling the churches, you
know, go ahead. You tell me where they're off the Word on Jesus Christ
is the sacrificial Lamb, you can find hardly any that are fundamental.
They preach that Word of God right down the line. They type It, they use
shadows, they use ever single word to show you. 

	You show me one, that doesn't know all the Word here to show the man's
a sinner. You show me one, that doesn't know all the Scriptures to
proved that Christ is Savior. You show me one, that doesn't know how to
lead you to Jesus Christ. You show me one, that can't bring an altar
call?  You show me one, that can't teach you the good way of life? You
show me one, that can't show you the way of living for Jesus Christ?
There isn't one that can do it. And you find the one that says Elijah
must come, because every table is full of vomit. You show me the one,
that says, "We don't know?"  Now, the very fact that they're organized,
makes you to know that claim they simply know, or claim that they know,
even though they don't know.

52.	How close are they? Go to your Pentecostals, you mean to tell me
they're not getting healings? You think their little lady preachers,
though the kick their shoes off, think barefoot is going to do it, knows
to put on sack-cloths and thinks that's going to do it? And those that
tip-toe across the platform like some movie actress thinks that's going
to do it. You tell me they're not genuine healings? And you tell me
they're not there merely to exercise my brother, and my sister, even
Paul the apostle was exercised to do the impossible things, which was to
give his life for the brethren. And these people are also exercised by
the impossible thing, they want to see these folk in …?... how can
they be there when they're living a lie? Well, how close are they? How
close are they? Go ahead look at them. Check out their works, go ahead. 
You'll see beautiful wonderful people, just like you.

	They're not demented, devil possessed moronic individuals. Oh, how they
criticized Pentecostal's for years, because they spoke in tongues. We
were a bunch of morons, a bunch of stupid nincompoops.  The off scouring
of the world. We didn't have the brains to blow our nose, or coming out
of the rain. Now, everybody is talking in tongues. 

53.	So, they suddenly found out we weren't a bunch on nincompoops and
morons. Now, I want you to get this tonight, neither are they, because
they turned down this Word, a bunch of nincompoops and morons. They are
as fine as fine as this Word outside of a revelation can raise them. 
But, they have missed the reality of Eternal Life, and there's your
mystery of iniquity.

	It's not cursing, swearing, killing, marauding, robbing, raping, not
criminals. The two spirits so close. But one, and too many worshipping,
and both right in that Word. But, one man would not divide the Word
according to the revelation of the hour and his name was Cain. And God
said, "You're cursed." [Genesis 4:11a]  "And the blood of Abel speaketh
of better things." [Hebrews 12:24b] See where we stand? 

	Oh my brother/sister, "with all deceivableness of unrighteousness." [2
Thessalonians 2:10a] The mystery of iniquity right here, worshipping God
through creeds and dogmas. (See?) The devil's got them just he wants
them. Because, remember even the devil can't change, and he was the
leader of the…of the heavenlies, for he was an archangel over the
Mercy Seat wherein as he approached unto the Lord.  

54.	Do you know what the Bible said? "Come unto Me all you that are
heavy laden." [Matthew 11:28] The Bible said, "I am the door, and anyone
else is a thief and a robber." [John 10:9]

	 Here they say, "Come by us to God." Thieves and robbers, wolves in
sheep clothing. Beautiful, beautiful Babylon, but full of ever foul bird
and every rotten act. The cup of iniquity is all but over flown and she
will be destroyed and go down. There's your mystery. There's your
mystery. How could it be so wonderful and still wrong? How could God
curse Cain, that lovely brother taking the first-fruit offering,
identifying himself with the Resurrection, identifying himself with
Christ in the Resurrection?  But, he mis-divided the Word.

	"Oh, (the say) you're straining at a gnat." No, I'm not straining at a
gnat. One Word. I'm not straining at any gnat. Who am I to stand up here
and tell God what to say and what to think? Am I going to say, "God,
come on down and have a conversation. I'm going to set You straight."
Let's try it and see what we get. What if He did come down, what are you
going to do with Him? What if He appeared as a babe in the days of
Herod? "We'll kill him." Yeah. They couldn’t do a thing. He said, "You
can't take My life, I only give it when I want to give it, and I give
it." 

55.	Now, that He gave it, it let me retain It. What would he do with God
tonight?  What would He do? Would you gladly say, "Lord, let me be
accursed for those, let me be an offering?"  There'd been an offering
granted, they turned it down. Why should they take you? What are you? 

	"Lord, help me stem that tide." How can to stem the tide, the die has
been cast. Flee for your life, time to flee. Now, why aren't you fleeing
from, you're fleeing into. Because it looks so nice. You follow, so
sweet. Yeah. Yes sir, and we'll all be together, and it looks so
wonderful.

	He'll say, "Brethren, we're looking in troublous times." Oh, what a
blemish on us as people that we should let this earth that can produce
so much, not produce for us all. And they say, "Johnny, they wouldn't be
your meal-ticket, let's love each other." 

	See, why the love of God is filling a Bride and closing every inlet to
the soul, to make you one with that Word, that phony love as the
antichrist is filling every one that is not in the Bride. Or are so
blind, they can't see what's going on. Because some that are not Bride
are a pretty excuse. (See?) And that phony love in that, is opening
every channel to reasoning until they turn It down. And they walked into
a trap, (see?) that call of seduction, "come on in. How beautiful." When
the trap's sprung, they're going to find like Eve. That you can't have
God in faith in God like you thought, and still deny that Word. Amen. 

	The Lord bless you, I hope by these three messages it's been a help to
you to see what the prophet taught. Not that I'm here to explain it,
make you see any better than he could. But, let's face it, he never had
time to take one point and put five hours on it, or he'd still be here
for another twenty years. It's our job to do this, I trust it's been a
blessing to you. Next Wednesday night there will be a service 7:30, I
won't be here for that service, I'll be back next Sunday for the Sunday
services as I said that I would be. So, may the Lord bless you and give
you understanding, illuminate your heart and make you see how important
it is, that we must give our whole lives to this Word, there is nothing
else to get It to. Shall we rise and be dismissed.

	Heavenly Father, once more, Lord, we bow our heads thanking You in
gratitude, that we don't believe, Lord, You've let us say one Word that
wasn't exactly right. But rather, Lord, in Your grace, by Your Spirit
You've given us a greater realization than ever before. To see, Lord,
that that prophet of God could show us the mystery of godliness, of
Christ the Word, then You would the revelation of the mystery of
ungodliness of iniquity which was the tampering with that Word, and then
to try to stand in Your place.

	Lord, surely, we see that there is no other door but You, that Word. We
see that there is no other gate. We see this, everything else a thief
and a robber. And we know, Lord, that no lie is going to prosper. No
Sir. O God, how we thank You for truth. Let our feet, Lord, be upon the
solid Rock of the revelation of Jesus Christ. God like David has cried,
and all the great saints have cried, "Fill our hearts and our mouth,
write it, Lord, upon our hearts and upon our minds until we become that
solid Word of God revealed.

	Lord, tonight let this be our meat, we esteem it more than our
necessary food. So, Lord, if it men that matter of turning down
everything for this Word, then, Lord God, we're going to kick off our
shoes, anything else necessary.  Cast it to one side, looking for You,
Lord, to clothe us with this Word, which is Eternal Life.  So, all
things else perish, endow us with immortality, Lord, by the putting on
the garment of immortality.

	Father, we believe Your prophet came to call a Bride, to teach the
Bride, and to dress the Bride to get her ready. Father, we're wrapping
ourselves in the robes of Your righteousness by the Word. Looking hope
upon hope to depart from this old pest-house. To be a part of the
glorious convocation which is soon to come. To be one of those chosen
stones of New Jerusalem, Lord, we're praying tonight, for that end. O
God, I know, Lord, that we're in this place that's neither light or
dark, yet we're still staggering as it were, in this twilight zone. But,
Lord God, we know that there's going to come a day, (hallelujah) when
that's going all break forth, and then it'll be all over. Hallelujah.
Every little wonderment we had will give way to perfect illumination,
because we stood with the Word. 

	O Father, help us all to bring every though into captivity Jesus
Christ. We don't ask this, Lord only to Your honor and glory, although
we're zealous of it. But, O God, we ask it for our own good, because
it's perilous days, it's troublesome times, Lord, we're in a danger
spot. O God, we're at the crossing of the river, help us, Christ, help
us to cross the river with You. We don't want any trouble, Lord at that
day, we want it just right.

	Father, we know that You heard it, we believe, Lord, somehow that we
are the Elect. We are the apple of Your eye, that we're in that Bride.
Somehow, Lord, it's got to be, because we're putting on all of our trust
in it. But anyway, why shouldn’t we, for eyes have seen the glory of
the Lord. Hallelujah. How foolish would we be to turn aside. O God,
don't let anyone here be like an Esau, or like a Cain. Identify us in
the Blood stream of the children of Abraham through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Who hear this Word and receive It the same as Abraham did. Not
even some Sarah laughing up her sleeve, but coming out of senses,
falling down, saying, "Lord, let it be even as Your Word said." Make us
all Mary's, Lord, not doubting and wondering how it's going to be. Let
It be according to Thy Word.

	Father, there's a lot of things we don't understand, let It be
according to Thy Word. A lot of things we don't see, but let It be
according to Thy Word. Hallelujah. God, keep us in the attitude of the
prayer we're praying right now. And we know we're going to see the
golden gates wide open. And above all we're going to see Him, Whom
having not see we love. And though yet now we see Him not yet believe
and rejoice in Him with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Unto Him the
only wise God be all power in honor and glory, be forever more in Jesus'
Name. Amen.

	All right, let's sing that song, 'We'll walk in the Light'.  

 

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