Righteousness and Unrighteousness

Tucson, Arizona

1972

	You may be seated.

1.	Certainly wonderful to be back here in the house of the Lord, and to
worship God together, and to just have fellowship together. You know,
you just don’t have real fellowship in the Lord unless you’re full
of the Holy Spirit and in His Word. And when we come together on the
common grounds of that Word, and that Word is Christ, we’ll have a
blessed time together.

	Now we don’t want to be too late tonight, and yet the message is one
I feel is needed, because it’s of the end time. And this one will be
followed Sunday morning by another message, which will go with it.

2.	Now back… I can’t remember the exact date, but I do believe that
when Bro. Branham preached on “Does God Change His Mind about His
Word?” he said that at the end time the people would not know right
from wrong. And, of course, ministering to the church, this was in the
church. 

	Now this poses a very serious question, and his little remark of one
sentence, maybe a split second, I want to cover tonight, maybe as long
as an hour and a half. And the message is “Righteousness and
Unrighteousness.” I feel this is a very important subject, because at
the end time the spirits are so close that it’s very difficult, except
for the very elect, to discern. And, if you have a people at the end
time who cannot tell right from wrong, then you can realize how close
the spirit must be in order to cause this great confusion. So, let’s
bow our heads in a word of prayer; shall we?

	Heavenly Father, we come now into Your Presence to study Your Word
together that we might know the things that are truly given to us of
God. We believe that we are in the age of the Holy Spirit that Your
prophet spoke of. We believe this is the day when the latter rain has
fallen for sure upon the Word that has been set forth in our midst. And
therefore, we know that this is the hour that our faith is going to be
turned right back to the fathers, to really know by divine revelation
“THUS SAITH THE LORD,” to stand one with this Word, that we might
have proper understanding and thereby have true faith in Thee. 

	So, Lord, just guard, we pray, the words of our lips and also the
heart, so that the ear and the mouth may be one, the understanding and
the singing might be not only compatible to a degree but to every
degree, right to the infinite. 

	And so, Lord, we commend ourselves to You now knowing that if we pray
according to Your Will, You hear us, and then, if You hear us, we know
we have the petitions we desired of You. So, Father, we rest in Your
hands now believing that everything is going to be just exactly right in
the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

3.	Going to the Book of Malachi [Malachi 3] we read in verse 16:

(16)	Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the
LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written
before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his
name. 

	Now I know we’ve read this verse many times, but because we have
preconceived ideas of what we’re reading even before we read It, we
don’t read It right. The average person will read this verse, and he
will say, “That’s wonderful that they are talking to God.” 

	They were not talking to God. Now, what were they doing? Let’s see
what they’re doing. “They that feared the Lord spake often one to
another.” The people were talking to each other. And God was so
pleased by what He heard that He wrote a book of remembrance. See? 

4.	Now, what kind of a language, and what kind of talk, were these
people doing so that God was so pleased that He did something very
special about them, which was not done, evidently, through other ages?
And he said concerning them, “They shall be mine in the day when I
make up my jewels.” [Mal 3:17a] 

	Now, of course, this can only be the day of the First Resurrection and
the Rapture, when all are together at the great Marriage Supper of the
Lamb. 

5.	So therefore, at the end time, before the Rapture, the people are
evidently speaking in a certain way that pleases God, and nobody else
speaks that way, and they are the only ones who evidently fear His Name,
and understand His Name, because they are the only ones at the end time
who will comprise the jewels at the end-time age, period. 

	There is, of course, only one group of people who can qualify, and they
will be those who give back to God, by speaking to each other, the true
understanding of the Word of Almighty God. 

6.	Now, notice what He says here: “I will spare them, as a man spareth
his own son that serveth him.” [Mal 3:17b] And this also has something
to do with serving. Evidently the rest do not serve Him. 

	Many people speak, many people talk about God. Multitudes talk to God.
But at the end time, it is not ‘you’re talking to God’, but it is
‘you’re talking to each other’ in a certain specific way that God
will recognize you, make you one of His jewels, and consequently, also,
impute to you the fact that you’ve been a true servant. No one else is
going to qualify. 

7.	Now, as much as this may seem bigoted and unfair, I have no choice
but to preach the Word of God the way It is written, not the way I think
It ought to be written, not the way I would hope It might be written in
order to incur favor with people, or even to extend grace to them, which
grace they must have denied, because they’ll not be part of those
jewels. 

	Now this may sound hard, but we just can’t go by what we think. For
us to become lax or generous in a grace which God has not extended,
brother/sister, does not enhance the glory of God or do anything for us;
it destroys us. See? 

8.	Now, notice verse 18, It says:

(18)	Then shall you return, and discern between the righteous and the
wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

	Now my text, of course, is verse 18. And It says, “Then shall you
return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him
that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” 

	Now, first of all, you notice that this verse is very obscure. People
pass over it. They don’t bother to memorize It. And neither do you
find It in the great texts wherein famous messengers of God in the past
are preached. And not only is It very obscure, but It is very wrongly
translated. This is one of the most terrible translations, perhaps, in
the Book of Malachi here. It says, “Then shall you return and
discern,” not ‘between the righteous and the wicked,’ but
actually, “between righteousness and wickedness.” Now, that’s what
the Bible teaches. The discernment is not between righteous people and
wicked people, but is actually between righteousness and wickedness, and
only certain people are going to be able to judge between what is right
and what is wrong. 

9.	Notice also, It says here, that they do not know who is serving God.
But a question arises: what kind of a person is incapable of knowing
right from wrong? Now you’ve got to get rid of your own thinking. This
is why it’s so hard for people to grasp this Message. See? “You’ve
got to let your own thinking go!” as Bro. Branham said. The Bible says
the people of the end time, except for a certain few who speak in a
certain way, fearing His Name in a certain way, will not know the
difference between right and wrong. Neither will they know who serves
God and who does not serve God. 

	Now, remember; this is absolutely in the church. And furthermore,
it’s just like saying that the people at the end time do not know
their left hand from their right hand, spiritually speaking, or they
can’t tell their hands before their face. Now this shows a tremendous
blindness, but the Bible says they’re going to be that way and so
that’s the way they’re going to be, and that’s the way they are at
the end time. 

10.	Now, notice how the Spirit puts It. He said, “Then shall you
return. And after you have returned, then you will be able to do this
very thing, which is discern between right and wrong and be able to know
who is serving God and who is not serving God.” But you’ve got to
return first. 

	Now, that they have to return, then they must be away from God, because
a man cannot return to a certain point until, first of all, he has left
it. I cannot return to my home until first of all I leave it. So
therefore, people cannot return to God until first of all they have left
Him. So therefore, it not only appears here, but it is true that
everybody has turned away from God, everybody has left God, they are all
away from Him, and they don’t even know it, except for this little
group of people who speak in a certain way and fear His Name. And they
are counted as jewels, which definitely show that they have done
righteously, and also that they are serving God, wherein the rest do not
do so.

11.	Now this proves that the Bride is in this mess. Now I know many
people don’t want to say that. 

	They say, “Well, certainly, God has always had a very few and a…and
a… Oh, yes, a few, but always He’s got a few.”

	I challenge you. At the end time, God does not have even the few. He
doesn’t. They’ve all gone astray. They’ve all left God, and it
ends up at this end time that this one little return, if they are going
to be counted as the true servants of Almighty God, they’re going to
be counted as those that know their left hand from their right hand,
spiritually, and they’ll be talking in a certain way. See? Now
that’s just exactly the way the Bible states It, so we’re not going
to switch It. 

12.	Now, look at Mal 3:7, and see for yourself. “Even from the days of
your fathers you are gone astray from—away from my ordinances, and
have not kept them.” See, there it is. “Even from the days of your
fathers…” Now, remember; the hearts of the children are to be turned
back to the fathers. So therefore, he’s talking to the children. And,
remember; it’s in the very age of 2 Cor 11:2-3 that Paul says they
will leave the Word. And it’s in Revelation 2 that John says they have
left the Word; they have fallen. See? [Rev 2:4-5]

(4)	Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left
thy first love.

(5)	Remember therefore from whence thou are fallen, and repent, and do
the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove
thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

	Now, notice how he puts It, “From the days of your fathers.” It was
in the very first century that the church began to turn from God. See?
Now he said, “How have they turned?” They have turned from the
ordinances, which is the Word of God. 

	Now, notice what he says, “Return unto me, and I will return unto
you.” Now, how did they turn from God? They turned from God by turning
from the Word. So therefore, only a turning to the Word will bring the
people back to God. 

13.	Now you can see perfectly every single thing I’ve said so far is
one hundred percent correct. You have got to come back to that Word.
And, when you come back to that Word, you will be saying that Word in a
manner which is acceptable to God, and the service, then, will be
finalized as correct. And no one else will be in that Rapture. Now you
can teach it any way you want, but you can’t get past what I’ve
said, see; turning back to Almighty God. 

	Now, notice what time this is going to occur. It’s in [Malachi] 4.

(1)	For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; (Well,
that’s the day that the Rapture is, right at the end time.) and all
the proud, (Those that can’t admit that they’re off the Word, see.)
yea, all that do wickedly, (They don’t even know right from wrong,
spiritually blinded, It said.) shall be (as) stubble: and the day that
cometh shall burn them up saith the LORD of hosts, (and) shall leave
them neither root nor branch. 

(2)	But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise
with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves
of the stall. 

(3)	(Then) shall you tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes
under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the
LORD (God) of hosts. 

	You won’t be coming with a big sword and trying to beat everybody
over the head. You’ll tread them down because they’re already down.
They’ve been burned up. You’ll walk on them just the way Noah and
his little group walked on the dead that were in his day. God just laid
down a big old bed of silt, and they walked right on top. See? Now the
same thing occurs—at least that is my thinking. 

14.	Now, notice; watch carefully. It says here: [Malachi 4]

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

	Now, what does this have to do about that? It’s very simple:
“Remember you the law of Moses, my servant.” What happened to Moses?
In Horeb God had to give him the Word twice. Now he tells you right
here, the Word is going to be given twice. 

	Now, remember; Sinai is what we usually call Mount Horeb. See? Mount
Sinai, the judgments of God, the broken Word of Almighty God, but now in
Horeb, we associate it more with a blessing where the Word of God comes
to the people for their acceptance, and they accept it. And with this,
they were supposed to go into the Promised Land. And so, at the end time
he is saying: remember the law of Moses, how that the Word of God was
given twice; so therefore, I will give the Word of God again the second
time.

15.	And, how’s He going to do it? Verse 5:

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

(6)	And he shall turn the heart(s) of the children (back) to the
fathers. 

	Now I skipped over the one part intentionally, because it’s been
fulfilled. When the Word of God is fulfilled, It passes away. See? For
the Word of God shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. 

	Now this first part was fulfilled: the hearts of the fathers turned to
the children. But at the end time, the hearts of the children must be
turned back to the fathers. And, notice what happens: it has to go back
to the Word. This is why the Word is given the second time, so the
people may be correct. Not that the first time has to be corrected. The
first time was correct, but the people left the Word. Now you’ve got
to get back to what the Word really says. See? And he says I’m going
to send Elijah to do it.

16.	Now he says, if I don’t send Elijah, I’m going to come and smite
utterly the earth with a curse. But, because I do send Elijah, then I do
bring you back to that Word, and therefore, you speak often one to
another this Word, and you know my Name, and you fear me in the
prescribed way; then He said, I will smite utterly the earth and they
will be under the soles of your feet. But you, I will make as my jewels
in that day, saith the Lord of hosts. 

	Now, here’s your picture. People have turned away from God, but they
must be turned back. 

17.	Let’s go to Matthew 17 and see this very thing brought to our
attention. Jesus is speaking out on the Mount of Transfiguration, which
is a picture of the Millennium, which is to come upon earth: Jesus, the
Son of David reigning upon the throne in a glorified body. In verse 11
they said to him concerning this great kingdom that shall come, Jesus
said, “Elijah shall truly first come.” The disciples said in verse
10: 

(10)	…Why then say the scribes Elijah must first come? 

(11)	And Jesus said, Elijah shall truly first come, and restore all
things. 

18.	Now, notice the same thing is brought to our attention in Acts 3:19.


(19)	Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your (sin) may be
blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence
of the Lord; 

(20)	And he shall send Jesus Christ, which was (appointed) unto you: 

(21)	Whom the heavens must (retain, not ‘receive’. It’s
‘retain’.) until the restoration of all things, which God has spoken
by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 

	Who is going to bring the restoration? Elijah is going to bring the
restoration. What is that restoration? That which was spoken by the
mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began. What did the mouth
of all the holy prophets speak? It spoke the Word of God. So therefore,
the people are going to be turned back to the actual Word of God, and
not only just the Word of God in a limited sense, but It said, “of all
his prophets, since the world began,” and the first holy prophet was
God Almighty Himself. 

	So, if you’re going to get turned back to the Word, you’re going to
get turned back to God. It absolutely synchronizes. It’s synonymous.
To have one is to have the other. You could not have God apart from His
Word, and neither can you have this Word apart from God. See? That’s
just absolutely perfect the way the Lord lays It out here before us. 

19.	Now I mentioned that this period of spiritual blindness is just
before Jesus comes. They are so spiritually blinded that they cannot
tell righteousness from unrighteousness. They cannot tell righteousness
from iniquity. Now you know that’s true. They cannot tell
righteousness from wickedness. They have turned from God. 

	Now this is exactly what the Bible says at the end time in the
Laodicean Church Age. This, of course, is in Rev 3:14-22. 

(14)	And unto the (messenger) of the church (which is in Laodicea)
write; These things saith the Amen, (It’s going to wind up now.) the
faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 

(15)	I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou
wert cold or hot. 

(16)	So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I
will spue thee out of my mouth.

(17)	Because thou sayest… (See?) 

20.	The trademark of this age now, remember, is the same as in Malachi.
I believe I counted it one day in Malachi, and I figure it was
twenty-four times the term ‘thou sayest’ occurs. So therefore, the
Book of Malachi and Rev 3:14-22 are absolutely parallel. “Thou sayest.
Thou sayest.” 

	Now, if this is an age of ‘Thou sayest. Thou sayest’, then this
group is also going to be ‘sayest, sayest, sayest’. There you are;
the Bible dovetails. You can’t change it. Every place you go this
message dovetails. The people are talking, but there’s one group only
that’s talking right. The other group is not talking right. See? The
one group that we have must be saying the right thing. 

	And, notice; I lumped the whole thing together before this man Elijah
comes. Before Elijah comes, I put it all in one lump. Let’s see if
it’s all in one lump. He said: 

(16)	…then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
spue thee out of my mouth. 

(17)	Because thou sayest, I am 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…

21.	Now the literal—the actual condition of these people was that they
were actually speaking contrary to the Word of Almighty God. Now God
must do something in order that this whole lump will not speak contrary
to the Word of God, or God will simply send the avenging angels and
destroy the whole lump.

	Now you know as well as I do that God’s not going to have part of a
body ascend in that resurrection. Remember, the body of Christ must come
to fullness. Every member must come in. The body will be full at this
last great day manifestation, which we’re looking for in its own
peculiar, quiet, simple way. 

22.	Now he says here, “I am not going to allow the whole lump to be
destroyed.” So, what’s He going to do? He is going to send Elijah.
Now, watch:

(18)	I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou
mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, the
shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and (Also, not just you anoint
your eyes, but I’m going to give you the salve whereby you can anoint
your eyes that you may see.) 

(19)	(Now, notice he says:) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be
zealous therefore, and repent. 

	Be zealous. The zeal of the church at this age, brother/sister, in the
light of the coming Rapture before Almighty God, is a zeal of the Word,
because the word ‘repent’ means ‘change your mind’.

23.	Now I don’t want to fuss at anybody, but I’m just a little bit
fed up with those people who think they know this Bible more than I do
and more than the Greek, to tell me that ‘repentance’ is other than
what the Greek says it is. Repentance is not a good feeling. Repentance
is not sorrow, because godly sorrow worketh repentance, not godly
repentance worketh sorrow. 

	I’m not going to stand up here self-righteous and indignant, and
don’t think I will. I’m not going to do it. But, if I lower the boom
on this, I have reason to do it, because there’s too much said over
the sacred desk of Almighty God that doesn’t edify you and help you,
but confuses you. 

24.	Now ‘repentance’ means ‘change your mind’. Look it up for
yourself. See? Repent. The Message of the age is change your mind,
because it’s by the mind that we’re going to be renewed and
transfigured. And, if you don’t have this Message, you’ll never make
the Rapture, because nothing outside of this Message will come to life.
Now do you see why I preach it? And, remember; the mind is the womb. Are
we a bunch of prostitutes with whoring wombs? Huh? I’m not trying to
blister you; just trying to bring this across. We’re not here to play
church any longer. The Word of God is the Word of God. And it’s not
what somebody up here interprets and tells you; it’s “What does the
Word say?” There is one Message for this age, and that Message is
‘repent; change your mind’. See? 

25.	Now, your mind has everything to do with it, because God can’t
instruct an idiot. The only thing He says about the feeble minded is
comfort them, because they don’t know anything. Now this age is so
mentally shot; and remember, conscience is a part of your mind. This age
is so mentally shot before Almighty God that, unless this mind is
attacked by the Word, (the Sword of Almighty God, which is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart)…if this Word does not attack
and change our minds, we are just as much lost as anybody else is. The
message of this age is repentance: change your mind. Get lined up with
the Word of God. See? 

	Not just your actions. We have had fine acting men for generations. We
have had sweet, loving men for generations. But this is the age where
man has left that Word and, consequently, left God, and now refuses to
come to grips with the Word that the prophet brings. 

26.	Now he said, “If Elijah doesn’t come and bring you back,” and
the Message is the change of mind… It’s not that they don’t
worship God. They are worshipping God. It’s not that they don’t
steal. They aren’t stealing. It’s not that they don’t believe in
gifts. They are speaking in tongues. So, what is it? The Word of God
must be restored. 

	Now you can only talk, brother/sister, according to your mind.
There’s a foolish statement that says that a man spoke before he
thought. Now that’s a lie; he just didn’t think long enough before
he spoke. Now, how are you going to have a people speaking the things
that God wants to hear, that’s going to bring the record that God’s
going to lay down to make up His jewels, unless it comes by the mind?
See? To speak out of your heart signifies only sincerity of what you
really are, hypocrite or otherwise. But you’ve got to come by the
mind. 

27.	Now he said here, be zealous to keep changing that mind of yours,
and lining up, because at the end time, in this great Holy Ghost age,
that’s going to be precept upon precept and line upon line, and here a
little and there a little, which boils down to precept, line, word,
word, word; until it’s one Word. Now, that’s your end time.

28.	Now, notice what Jesus also said about this end time. I want to show
you how it all comes to pass. Lk 17:26-30:

(26)	As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it also be in the days of
the Son of man.

(27)	They ate, they drank, they married wives, gave in marriage, until
the day Noe went into the ark, flood came, and destroyed them all. 

(28)	Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank,
they bought and sold, planted and builded; 

(29)	The same day Lot went out of Sodom (and) it rained fire and
brimstone. 

	Remember; one rain was moisture and one rain was fire. How fortunate
today we have had former rain and latter rain. See? Because the day it
rained hailstones, one hundred pounds apiece, and stoned the harlot…
It’s going to rain again, brother/sister. What rain do you want? What
rain do you want? You want former and latter rain, and make it, or do
you want the hailstones, because you’ve got your choice tonight? See? 

	Bro. Branham said this is so simple. It just goes over everybody’s
heads. 

	“He’s looking for this; he’s looking for that.”

	What about looking at that Word? See? Every thought brought into
captivity leads to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, listen; it’s going to
rain again. 

29.	Now, “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is
revealed.” [Lk 17:30] 

	Now, notice what Jesus said here in Lk 17:26-30, he said this was going
to happen, see? 

	Now, if you just let me illustrate something here: Jesus, in Matthew
17, said Elijah would surely come and restore, and Peter explained it at
Pentecost. Now, if Peter had the keys and explained that at Pentecost,
or just after Pentecost, what Jesus meant when he said, “Elijah would
restore,” then, in my thinking, it is absolutely possible that Peter
might also have taken these words, see, about the days of Noah and Lot
and explained them to us in the light of what he was speaking of:
end-time restoration of the Word, without which man would not know
righteousness from wickedness. And you know something? It works.

30.	Let’s go to 2 Peter 2 and find out. 2 Peter 2. You’re going to
see that Peter does the same thing for this as he did for Matthew 17.
All right. Verse 1; “But there were false prophets…” The word in
the Greek means to arise; they arose. I like that better, because it
signifies the whole impact of that spirit lying there like there’s two
hundred thousand devils in Euphrates until the day they are unbound.
They arise. See? “And there arose false prophets also among the
people, even there shall be false teachers.” Oh, we get so interested
in these false prophets that can do a sign and a wonder, but we forget
that Peter said false teachers. 

	You don’t need a lot of false prophets. You just need a couple of
real fourteen carat phonies, and you’ll have a hundred teachers rise
up to follow them. That’s right. Teachers, “teachers among you, who
privily bring in damnable heresies,” the very thing that Paul spoke of
in 2 Corinthians 11: 

	 “…Even denying the Lord that bought them.” [2 Pet 2:1] They sure
do. They don’t know the Lord God of Israel. They don’t know the Lord
God of the gentiles. They don’t know the Lord God of the universe.
They’ve got a Jehovah and an Elohim and a Jesus and you name it. There
is just one; they don’t know him. See? 

31.	Now, “and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” That’s
exactly right, because the swift destruction comes at the end time, when
they’re having a great hallelujah jubilee, when they think there’s a
great worldwide revival. Oh yes, they think it’s just wonderful, and
it will look wonderful, and there is swift destruction, because
they’ve denied the very God that was sent forth among them when God
identified Himself amongst them. Amen.

	I like that. It sets my soul on fire. I’d sooner go to hell preaching
the truth than to go to heaven preaching a lie. You’ve got to have
tough fiber in your soul. Stick with the Word of God. Sure someone’s
going to get offended. Don’t worry. Let them be offended. The offences
must come. 

32.	“And many shall follow their pernicious ways,” [2 Pet 2:2a]
where the blood of Jesus Christ will not apply any more. They can talk
all they want about a sacrifice, but brother/sister, the Blood of the
Covenant won’t do them one bit of good, because they’ve turned down
the Word of God according to Hebrews 3 and 4. 

	Now, listen; “by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken
of.” [2 Pet 2:2b] There you are. They’ll speak against evil.
They’ll just speak the Word of Truth. No wonder God’s making up His
Book of those who speak a certain way. Why? Because they speak the Truth
and the Lord Jesus Christ demands It. Amen! I’ll tell you that in the
Lord Jesus Christ you’ll speak the Truth, and, if you’re in the
Truth, you’ll be in the Lord Jesus Christ and put them both together,
you’ll be confident. 

33.	Notice: [2 Peter 2] 

(3)	Through covetousness (They stood)… with feigned words (‘Feigned
words’, the prophet said. The prophet… Find it on a tape for me.)
(they) make merchandise of you: (Men don’t want quality increase.)
whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation
slumbereth not.

(4)	For if God spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down to
hell, deliverted them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto
judgment; 

(5)	And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person.
(There they are.)

	As it was in the days of Noah—giving in marriage. We’re going to
get the picture of this thing now, see what we’re talking about. He
said they’d be parallel, and yet he said in Malachi they wouldn’t
know right from wrong. Let’s find out about this picture, whether
God’s going to renew men’s minds and give them a chance to repent.
Listen, “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth
person, a preacher of righteousness.” There you are. Sure. It’s got
to happen this time, too. God had to send a preacher of righteousness. 

	I believe William Branham was one of the most consecrated, perfect,
guileless men in all this world, but I want to tell you: other men were
just as great in that same gifted way. But they weren’t the man to
become the preacher of righteousness. 

34.	Now: 

(5b)	Bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 

(6)	And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned
them with an overthrow, making them examples unto those (who) should
live ungodly; 

(7)	And delivered just Lot, vexed with the…conversation of the wicked:


(8)	(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing,
vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 

(9)	The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of (temptation), and
to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment…

	You’ve got a picture right there, what God said He’s going to do in
Malachi. He’s going to overthrow the world with the flaming fire of
judgment. I’ll not destroy this world once more by water, said God;
I’m going to destroy it by fire. I’m not speaking now of dissolution
of the elements, when he’s going to bring New Jerusalem down upon a
recreated earth. I’m talking now when he said we’re walking on the
ashes of the wicked. And you’ve got them two sitting right here, and
they’re going to be here. 

	But he saves the righteous, as he saved Noah, as He saved Lot. See? And
their souls were vexed. Why? Because there was a cross-current on the
Word. That’s what it was. One group looks every bit as good as the
other group over here. They’ve got just as much power. They’ve got
just as much… In fact, they seem to have more. But the cross-current
lies on the Word. See? There’s where your revelation was. 

35.	Notice verse 10, “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in
the lust of uncleanness.” See? Now, why? They’re not washed by the
water of the Word. I don’t care how good they act and how perfect
their actions are, how moral they seem to be. If you’ve been washed
any place outside the washing of water by the Word, it won’t hold up.
See? 

	How many even go as far as the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? See?
You’ve got multiplied millions of those, and billions. Or even talk
about a three-god and a trinity—in the name of Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost. You’ve got a cross-current right now on that sweet Name: Lord
Jesus Christ. 

36.	They “despise governments.” [2 Pet 2:10b] Sure they do. They
hate governments in the church. They should not. This is not simply a
typical city government. They despise the authority that God set in the
church. And that despising is in every church, even in the Roman
Catholic, because they’re telling the pope what to say. 

	But you notice how the pope said last Sunday. I wish I had his words in
my pocket. I wrote them down. Don’t have them with me. He literally
said, “If it took force to bring about ecumenicism, they’d use
force.” Well, the pope hasn’t changed, but neither has Jesus,
hallelujah. And Jesus is going to out-live the pope any day because
he’s run several in the ground now, back to the bottomless pit. 

37.	Notice; “presumptuous are they.” They don’t have “THUS SAITH
THE LORD;” they talk contrary. A good Mohammedan will do just as good.
See? 

	“Selfwilled;” they won’t put their wills down to the Word of God.
And “not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” [2 Peter 2, continued] 

(11)	Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not
railing accusation(s) against them before the Lord. 

(12)	But these, as natural brute beasts, …speak evil of the things
that they understand not; and they shall utterly perish in their own
corruption; (by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of
yourself.) 

	But, brother/sister, if you don’t have the revelation, then you have
a reprobate faith from a corrupt mind.

38.	[2 Peter 2] 

(13)	(They) shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they count
it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots are they and blemishes,
sporting themselves with their own deceiving while they feast with you.

	What do you feast on? The Word of God. And they’re deceived
concerning their own creeds and dogmas. 

	“Having eyes full of adultery…” [2 Pet 2:14] “Join this, join
that. Oh, it’s wonderful; all get together. The ecumenical movement is
on, wonderful! We’ll all be brothers.” 

	Count me out, please. My stomach can’t stand it, and I’ve got a
headache as it is. 

(14)	(They) cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls. (The rock
of the revelation is the only stability anybody’s got.) (And the)
heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children. 

	They belong to Cain. Hold that in mind while I talk about Cain and Abel
tonight: why Cain was cursed.

39.	“They have forsaken the…” Notice; [15] “they have forsaken
the right way,” (They had it. They turned it down.) “and have gone
astray,” (How?) “following the way of Balaam,” who used genuine,
pure gifts of God to enhance himself and to destroy Israel and died in
sin fighting Israel. 

	That’s exactly what the Bible teaches, because he was found dead in
battle, fighting against Israel, and “Was rebuked for his iniquity:”
[16] (daring to use a gift apart from the proper place of its use).
Listen, “the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the
madness…” 

	Bro. Branham said, “They’ll be mad: spiritual amnesia,” the
madness of the prophet. That’s what the Bible teaches. They will go
mad. 

	“These are wells without water,” They’re getting something, but
it’s not water. Then, in spite of the fact they say they have the Holy
Ghost, they don’t have the Holy Ghost. 

40.	(17)	(They are clouds carried with a tempest; no rain in them) to
whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 

(18)	For when they speak (thou sayest, thou sayest, thou sayest) great
swelling words of vanity, (Vanity is vain; doesn’t do you one bit of
good—pride.) they allure through the lusts (the pleasure) of the
flesh, much wantonness, those that (are) clean escaped from them who
live in error. (Religious experiences, cleaning up lives, gifts of the
spirit manifested, looks like the real thing; haven’t got it.) 

(19a)	While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants
of (the same) corruption.

	What was that corruption? The corruption of the Word of Almighty God
which brings death and not life. See? Sure. I know the world thinks
we’ve strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel, but that’s where
they’re wrong.

41.	Now, watch:

(19b)	…for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in
bondage.

	What did they leave? They left the truth. They went after gifts. They
had manifestations. We’ll tell you what they had shortly. They had a
lot of things, but they’re in bondage. They’re right in bondage.
They’ve put their ear to the door, and they say, “I love my
denomination. I love my tongues. I love the way I’m going.” 

	And the little old awl punctures the ear lobe, and they’ll never hear
again. No, they won’t. I can prove that. Wait till we get to Hebrews
6. Sure. 

42.	Listen: 

(20)	…they’ve escaped the pollution of the world through the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Now they pollute.) They
escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the
latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

	Now, listen; the Bible said that he which hath begun a good work in you
will perform the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “My sheep hear
my voice, and they shall never perish. No one will pluck them out of my
father’s hand.” He said, “You’re sealed by the Holy Ghost till
the day of your redemption. Eternal security is absolutely in the Word
of Almighty God, if you’re born again. And these folk were not born
again, because they can go right back to where they were. 

43.	What are you born by? You’re born by the revealed Word of Almighty
God. So therefore, these weren’t. With them it’s creeds and dogmas.
And don’t think, brother/sister, they can’t do miracles. Listen, if
I can go to Christian Science and Unity Church and see miracle after
miracle based upon the fact that they believe in a god, and that they
are one with him, and that god is a god of love, though they deny the
virgin birth of the beloved Jesus Christ, if I can see that, then
don’t tell me you can’t see mighty miracles of those who go further,
and they’re all wrong, if they don’t go back to the Word. Why? In
the day he was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God, [Jn 1:1] and where were you? You were one of those little words
inside of Him. See?

44.	Now It says, the end is going to be worse than the beginning. He
said, you can’t imagine. He said, “What you think that you escaped,
you can’t imagine the bondage you’ve actually placed yourself in.”

	Let’s go back to Malachi. Except those who speak this certain way and
fear the Name, except by a revelation, It says, all of you are going to
be destroyed. Wait until the tribulation hits them. And they’ll say,
“My God, what happened? Where did we miss it?” See? 

	Of course, there’ll be some saying, “Well, we told you we don’t
get raptured until the end.” Then, when will the end come? Rapture,
Lord, rapture, Lord, rapture, Lord. No rapture. See? 

45.	Now, listen; “It had been better for them not to have known the
way of righteousness.” [21a] It were better that they didn’t know
the difference between right and wrong. It were better that they
hadn’t had the chance to know. That’s what he’s really saying,
knew right from wrong. See? Far better than to… than “after they
have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”
[21b] How many times was it delivered? Twice. 

	Remember ye Moses, the law of Moses in Mount Horeb. Remember, the
second time the Word of God comes. Remember, the first time it could
fall, but the second time it can’t fall. Why? It’s restored. See?
You’ve got a bone that’s broken. If it mends right, it’ll never
break in the same place again. Why? Because there’s a new rib around
it.

46.	Now, listen:

(22)	But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog
is turned to his own vomit… (What’s vomit? What he ate. Not what he
‘did’. What he ‘ate’.) and the sow to the wallowing in the mire.
(What’s that? Her natural nature.) 

	How many people had a chance to hear this Word and went right back to
proving what they were, because they didn’t want the Word? They’re
still anxious to fuss about it; they just can’t take it to heart. 

47.	Now you notice here what we have read. Notice verse 5 again,
“Noah, a preacher of righteousness.” Not the great doer, although he
was a fine man and did the right thing. But he was preaching It. And
brother/sister, when you’re preaching, he was teaching. He was
bringing to the people the Word of the hour that saved the eight of them
and everybody else perished outside of that Word. [End side one of the
audio tape.] 

48.	The message without a solid revelation… Everybody perished but
those that came out by that Word. Brother/Sister, don’t you see that
Lot sitting in that gate was no paragon of virtue? Don’t you see why
Bro. Branham talked the way he talked? Sure it changed his life, but
character is not the great thing that’s coming. It’s that Word. See?
There’s the difference: those that wanted the revelation and were not
fooled. All but the very elect shall be. See? Notice how he puts it;
receive the reward of unrighteousness. See? Right down the line.

49.	Now, let’s just leave Peter for just a moment there, and let’s
find another witness. Let’s go to 2 Th 2:8-12. Are you still with me?
That’s good. It’s going to be good; maybe a little hot at times, but
it’s going to be good. All right? I’ve shown you a lot of good. I
don’t know about you; I’ve always enjoyed this, because it just
shows to me so clearly what’s taking place. Now: 

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

(9)	Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders. 

	See, no Word though. See? Who was Satan? The anointed cherub that
covered. Now, what’s the anointing? With the Holy Ghost. Satan was
anointed by the Holy Ghost, as he stood guard over the Word in the
worship of God. Think of that. 

	I can tell you’re thinking. Oh, I know; “Oh, don’t mention the
Holy Ghost and the devil at the same time.” See, where you are? 

	I went to a church in Pennsylvania, and some were so offended; a little
sip of wine at communion. I said, “Look, when are you going to grow
up?” Bunch of babies. Don’t want to eat it the way it’s written;
don’t want to know what the Word really says. Now I hope you’re not
in that class. 

50.	Thou art the anointed cherub that covers. Right. And he took and
prostituted with his own word, the worship of God, and God threw him out
of heaven. And they’re going to have the same thing repeat at the end
time: a leadership in the worship of God, which God despises, because
Satan is tripping them and taking them to himself, and he’s going to
do it. How’s he going to do it? He’s going to do it with the very
things of God laid right down here in this earth for a pure Bride to
have her hands on, and the rest are going to disclaim it. Amen. 

51.	Listen: 

(10)	And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they (receive) not the love of the truth that they might be
saved. 

(11)	And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe (the) lie: 

(12)	That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but (have)
pleasure in unrighteousness. (They loved it.) 

	Now, remember these words, which Peter said, are not words that sound
out vulgar terrible bombastic things. Remember, brother/sister,
everything on this earth is a shadow and the true substance is in
heavenly spiritual. So, every word that sounds so hard and so vile here
in 2 Peter is really a shadow of the substance which is spiritual and
with spiritual connotation in these words. They are not physical.

52.	So, when the eyes are full of adultery, it is not somebody running
around looking at lascivious women. It is lascivious men fornicating
with church systems to see where they can benefit themselves and make
themselves a name; and that’s with the law. No wonder they don’t
know the name of God at this end time. They’re so busy glorifying the
names of Miss Baptist, Miss Presbyterian, Miss Oneness, Miss this and
Miss that, that they miss it all. 

53.	Listen, “they’ve had pleasure in unrighteousness.” They loved
it. It was their joy. It was their spiritual exhilaration. Not some
take, eat, some moth-eaten, blasphemous thing out there in the gutter.
But in the church, in the beautiful worship, they cried and worshipped,
“Alas, Babylon, that mighty city: it was beautiful; it was lovely.”
Aiming for this thing for centuries and generations. And now we’ve
come to a place of the “great love of the brethren and the church
doing the wonderful duties to bring righteousness upon earth,
hallelujah!” Wrong. 

	And the lust… And the Pentecostals who claim they’ve got the Holy
Ghost are just as much in it as those that don’t claim any Holy Ghost.
And they love it. They’re prisoners in it. Their joy is in it. But
ours is in the stimulation of the wine of the revelation by the Holy
Ghost of Almighty God. Amen. I don’t know where the world’s getting
their pleasures, but I want mine in the Word. 

54.	Now, all right. We’ve established the end-time condition of
Christianity. That’s right. I know people don’t want to believe
this. 

	They say, “Oh, that Lee Vayle, he’s a communist.” 

	I got news for you; the dirty commies are a whole lot cleaner than
those so-called Christians. See? So, there is a spiritual, great
deception at hand. Spiritually-blinded people. They can’t tell
righteousness from unrighteousness. Right in the church they fail to see
who serves God and who serves Him not, and they end up worshipping the
anti-Christ just like the Bible says. 

55.	Now comes the question, where did this all come from? See? Why must
it end this way? Why must it end in the church worship system? Fine
people. Nobody’s fussing at the people; the system. See? Under the
system. Now, what is it? What does it? What brings it? Now we’ll go to
1 John 3, and we’ll find it. We’ll talk about it. 1 John 3:7:
“Little children, let no man deceive you: (See?) he that doeth
righteousness is righteous.” 

	“Oh, bless God, don’t tell me any man can deceive me. I can see the
truth in here. I know when a thing’s right and when it’s wrong.
Glory to God, what do you think I am, some kind of a stupid fellow?” 

	Way back there John warned them about the very thing of our day.
“Little children, don’t let anybody deceive you.” 

	“What’s to be deceived? I can tell you when a guy’s really
unrighteous and when he’s righteous.” 

	John said evidently you don’t know what you think you know, or
you’d take me seriously. How many read this and take it seriously, up
to here? 

	“Oh no, we’ve blindly, blindly, crossed over. That’s nice.
That’s very sweet.” I don’t know. Nobody’s serious; no fear
grips the heart. 

	Although someone will think like, “Say, did you hear that stock
you’ve got has gone down?” 

	“My stock go down? I’ll lose a dollar? Please Jesus, please Jesus;
don’t let my stock go down.”

	Bunch of ignorant people, aren’t we? Something’s wrong somewhere.
It’s not God, brother/sister. It’s not God. This book’s stood the
test of time. It’s not God. Nothing wrong with Him; it’s wrong with
us. See? You don’t believe it, but we’re ordained to believe it.
I’ve got news for you; one day we’re going to believe it, when the
squeeze comes down. 

56.	And, oh, Sarah stood at that tent door and God said, “And you’re
going to have a child.” 

	And she said, “Ho, ho, ho.” 

	And God say, “Why did Sarah laugh?” 

	“I didn’t laugh. I didn’t laugh.” 

	He said, “But you did laugh.” 

	You haven’t been rebuked yet. We’ll start believing when the rebuke
comes. Don’t worry. I’m in the same boat with you. I only put it
this way, not… you say, “Well, Lee Vayle, he’s really aware and
his heart goes pity-pity-pat.” 

	Oh, no it doesn’t. I don’t have any more fear than you got; maybe
got less, I wouldn’t lie to you. We didn’t tremble in His Presence;
we’re going to now. See? We need help to be serious. But we’re going
to be serious, though; the prophet said so. And he never lied, and he
never fooled us, and it never ever failed. So, one of these days we’re
going to get real serious. Hallelujah! He’s coming. Yes sirree! 

57.	Now, listen; “He that doeth righteousness is righteous.” See
that word? 

(7b)	…he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as (Jesus) is
righteous. 

(8a)	He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from
the beginning.

	What beginning? Not the very beginning, because there was no iniquity
in that beginning, but in the other beginning, when sin came on the
ground, and he was that cherub that covereth. What was he doing? Oh,
that’s when it started. See? Let’s get the picture now. Don’t ever
lose the picture, brother/sister. That’s what the prophet taught us.
See? Now he said, if you ever get off mark, bring that bullet back;
don’t get your lines crossed in times like these. No, don’t get your
thinking wrong; keep it right with the Word. 

58.	Now, listen: 

(8b)	For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might (not
‘destroy’ but bring to nothing) the works of the devil. (That’s
what he said ‘nothing’. Now, listen:) 

(9)	Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth
in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 

	Now, notice right here, It says the reason a man can’t—doesn’t
sin is because he can’t sin. Now the reason I don’t lift five
hundred pounds and run around town is because I can’t lift five
hundred pounds. I can’t even lift a hundred. So, you’ll never see me
running around town with five hundred pounds on my shoulders. Don’t
ever think I will because I won’t, because I can’t. 

	Now, that’s what It says here. It says this man doesn’t sin because
he can’t sin. Yet over here is another place it says he can sin. Now
in one place he needs an advocate; the other place he doesn’t need an
advocate. He must be talking about two things. He must be talking about
something here that, if you’re a child of God, you just simply can’t
do, but over here you could. And it has to do with righteousness and
unrighteousness. It has to do with what Bro. Branham says, You can’t
be deceived. See? But you mustn’t fool around just the same. 

59.	Now watch; verse 10:

(10)	In this (this very thing) the children of God are manifest, and the
children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,
(It tells you right there, if you are of God you’ll do it.) neither he
that loveth not his brother. 

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

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

	Now, right here we often read this wrong. See? “The unrighteous
person killed his brother.” 

	Well, that’s true but we always say this: “What was that
unrighteous thing?” 

	“Why, he killed his brother.” 

	The Bible doesn’t say that. The Bible says that Cain did an
unrighteous thing, and it led him to killing his brother. See? It
wasn’t the killing. No, it’s true, that was unrighteous, that was
naughty, that was wrong. But what was that unrighteous thing that he did
that led him to killing his brother? Now, if we can find that out, we
can find what this whole thing is all about. See? 

60.	Now, let’s go back to Genesis 4, just like Bro. Branham taught us.
All right. Notice: 

(2b)	And Abel was (the) keeper of the sheep, and Cain was (the) tiller
of the ground.

(3)	And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the
fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 

(4)	And Abel also, he brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the
fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and unto his offering: 

(5)	But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And (because
God did not respect Cain’s offering, Cain got mad. In other words,
what Cain did was unrighteous. And now, notice.)

(6)	And the LORD said to Cain, Why are you wroth? and why is thy
countenance fallen?” 

	Now, listen; when I read this in the King James, according to what is
translated from the so-called Hebrew, we’re going to get a big mess.
But I’ll read it anyway. 

(7)	If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest
not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and
thou shalt rule over him.

61.	Now there’s only one place to find the correct answer, and
that’s in the Septuagint. Believe it or not, because Jesus used it,
and Paul used it, and Peter used it. They used the translation from the
Hebrew to the Greek by the seventy elders or scholars in Alexandria
under Ptolemy. 

	Now, what is the actual translation from the Septuagint? Here’s what
God said, “Thou hast offered right, yet, if thou hast not rightly
divided, hast thou not sinned?” 

	Read it again, “Thou,” said God to Cain, “has offered right, yet,
if thou has not rightly divided,” even though you did the right thing,
you are still in sin. 

62.	Now, let’s go to 2 Tim 2:15 and prove it. 2 Tim 2:15: let’s find
out all about it. And right here It says:

(15)	Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman (serving God) a
workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.” 

	So, there is no such thing as a workman who will not be ashamed unless,
or until, he divides the Word right. 

	Now, if Cain offered right, what did he offer? He offered the
firstfruits. Is that in the Bible? Yes. If it’s in the Bible then the
offering was right. The division was wrong, because he should’ve given
the blood first, then the firstfruit. He misinterpreted the Word, and
thereby, his offering of worship and service to God was not accepted.
The act of worship was unrighteous. The service was turned aside. 

63.	Now, let’s prove from the very New Testament that what I told you
was the truth in case you’re a little bit worried about whether Lee
Vayle’s trying to give you a snow job. Let’s just read, without
turning to it perhaps, Hebrews 11: “By faith, Abel, offered unto God a
more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” [Heb 11:4a] So, if Abel offered a
more excellent sacrifice, then Cain offered an excellent sacrifice.
There is your answer. 

	What did these boys do? They claimed to worship God according to the
Word of God, but only one was in the Word of God by revelation and
according to God, he did a righteous thing. But the other one, trying to
please God, trying to serve God, trying to be right, tried to do right,
without the revelation; his work was unrighteous. 

64.	Now It says in your Bible, if you’re a true child of God, you will
never ever be outside of the division of this Word. You will be
approved; you will be accepted, because you cannot be deceived. Cain was
deceived. How? Like millions more; simply reading that Bible and
believing their own interpretation and idea rather than standing with
what the Word of the hour absolutely brings forth in that day. 

65.	Now you notice right here, two acts by two men. One served God; the
other served him not, though both said they did and both tried to. 

	“I’m serving God!” 

	You’re wrong; God says you’re not, if you’re not in that Word. 

	“Okay, bless God, I’ll sure do so and so.” 

	So did Cain. 

	“Well, I want to tell you, ‘Look how right I am.’” 

	You’re unrighteous. You’re works unrighteous. 

	“Yeah, but now… Hold it. Bro. Vayle, you are actually talking about
a sacrifice.” 

	That’s exactly right. I hope you caught it. Because you can talk all
you want about the death and resurrection, the mediatorial and the
intercessory power of Jesus Christ, and be just as lost as Israel who
left Egypt with a blood sacrifice and a Holy Ghost revival and still
perished, because the Word was not mixed with faith in them that heard
it. See? 

66.	Now, who would? Cain was a worker, a tiller of the soil. Abel went
by pure faith. Abel divided the Word rightly but Cain did not. 

	Now hear what the prophet of God said: “Spoken Word Is the Original
Seed:” “You can only serve God as you do and believe the servants
that God sends you.” You can only serve God on earth as God’s
servants that sent on earth, by divine interpretation, interpret the
Word to you. See? Am I preaching the Word the way he preached it? I
don’t know one point I’m missing on. 

	Cain had the right act in the wrong place, and then, he hated the one
who had it right. Now, notice; Abel even had the Word right. Then he
loved his brother, for he did not even defend himself. But see…
Listen; it’s the correct Word and then love. Don’t make love your
criterion. It is not your love first. It is not your work first. It is
being in the spirit of God and having the Word for your day. Make the
revealed Word your criterion, and it starts with “THUS SAITH THE
LORD.” 

67.	Now you can see the picture. This is what the works of the devil
are: misinterpretation of the Word and serving God by creeds and dogmas.
“In vain do you worship me, having for doctrine the commandments of
men.” [Mt 15:9] 

	The same thing that he perpetrated upon Eve. Why he said, “Eve,
it’s all right. Didn’t God tell you to multiply and replenish the
earth?” 

	“Why,” she said, “He certainly did.” 

	“Then,” he said, “Let’s do it.” 

	Absolute mis-dividing of the Word, yet attempting to please God. 

	And then, she said, “I have received of God a man.” 

	Oh, yeah. All claim big things. They’ll all claim they’re right.
But, how can we be right, if we’re off that Word? Listen, Jesus and
Paul both were killed because they worshipped according to what people
called heresy, but which was the revealed Will and Word of Almighty God.


68.	Now, let’s go back to Hebrews 11 again, verse 4 that I quoted to
you.

(4)	By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.

	Watch. Both men offered. Now, listen; both men had faith in their
revelation. That’s right. You’ve got faith in yours; I’ve got
faith in mine. Baptists got it in his, Presbyterian in his. They’ve
all got faith in their revelation. Sure. But notice: one was wrong. That
manifested who was right. 

69.	Now, back in Abel’s day, I believe that God showed His divine
approval by sending a Pillar of Fire to lick up the offering. But, what
about today? How do we know today if we are lined up with the Word? Now,
how we going to find out? Now the Word of God has to have the answer. 1
John 4; listen to verse 1. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try
the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets…
[Seven second blank spot on tape.]

70.	Verse 6, listen to John, we’ll take verse 5 first. [1 Jn 4:5] 

(5)	They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the
world heareth them. (Now, listen; John says:) 

(6)	We are of God: he that knoweth God (listens to me). 

	You weren’t even listening. Did you catch it? Did you ever hear such
a big mouth in your life? Unabashed, unashamed, unequivocally stand up
there and say what I just read. “He that knows God hears me.”

	He drums his fingers. That’s the same thing. And he said, “He that
is not of God does not hear me.” 

	He stops a while and says: “And this is the way you know the spirit
of truth and of error.” 

	Now people just read that, and they say… They don’t even think
about it. They just ignore it. Well, they find the most important
verses, “Hallelujah, for we use the most important verses.”

	I don’t think there’s any important verse in the Bible when you
want to consider one over the other. My Bible says no Word of God’s
void of power. Well, they don’t like these little thoughts in here
about a man standing up and drawing his robes around him, looking down
with his steely eyes and saying, “You’re one—one who knows God?
I’ll tell you who. I know him. And, if you hear me, then I know that
you hear Him, too! 

71.	Isn’t it funny, the pope gets away with it!? The idolatrous,
Babylonian system knows more about reality than the so-called Holy Ghost
faith people. See? Because, if you brought this before anybody, or Bro.
Branham had a stood up and said this very thing, which he was qualified
to say, they would have run him out of town in such righteous
indignation. [Bro. Vayle is quite dramatically sarcastic at this point.]
Surely, the brother catches on. I’m not putting an act on. I’m
telling you the truth. There is the Word of God. They don’t want to
know it. 

	This is the only way I know how to get it across to you. If I just went
and preached like any other preacher, you wouldn’t get it. You’d be
still sitting there half asleep. You’ve got “THUS SAITH THE LORD”
in the camp. We’ve dealt with God. We’ve seen Him face-to-face as it
were, through the revealed Word. God identifying Himself, hallelujah,
glory to God! It’s not wrong to shout a little bit, if you’ve got
something to shout about. Amen. 

	I don’t mind you shouting when I shout because, then, nobody loses
what I’m saying. If you shout when I’m talking it might not be quite
so good. So, all right. See? We feel religious, with the right kind,
too. 

72.	“Hereby we know…” This is how we know what the spirit is,
whether we got the right one or the wrong one. Not these other things
maybe we thought for years. That’s the invitation, but this is it.
See? 

	Now, listen; let’s go a step further. I want a witness like John.
Maybe John got off the track a little bit. You know you sometimes get,
oh, you think you’re what you aren’t. You know, you try to make
yourself somebody. Let’s find out if somebody else did the same thing.
Thank God he did, and he’s dear, old, apostle Paul that everybody just
loves to quote. And what I find in 1 Corinthians 14, I find Paul saying
in verse 36: 

(36)	What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
(Where did this Word come from? Did you produce it, or did I produce it?
Now, listen:) 

(37)	If any man thinks he’s a prophet (part of the five-fold
ministry), or spiritual (got the Holy Ghost), let him acknowledge that
the things that I write unto you are the commandments of (God). 

	Do you have the Holy Ghost? Are you part of the five-fold ministry?
“Well, Paul. I’ve got just as much right to talk as you’ve got.”


	What!? Where’d this Word come from? Where do you think you’re
producing anyway? 

	Two men standing up in that first century. Peter himself said, “If
any man speaks, let him speaks as the oracles of God.” You hear me
talking don’t you? Then it’s “THUS SAITH THE LORD” what I’m
saying. Three men said it. What more do you want? A whole multitude?
I’ve got news for you: Prophets don’t come in multitudes. No
apology. 

73.	Now, listen; this identification has never ever ceased in the
church. Right. Because people might say, “Well, preacher, that’s
fine. I’m ready to walk out now because you blew it, because nothing
has happened after the first century.”

	Well, don’t walk out, because I haven’t blown it. Revelation 1:10,
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a
great voice, as a trumpet.” Now you know the trumpet is the Message,
because except the trumpet make a certain sound, who shall prepare
himself for battle. 

	Now, notice in verse 12, “And I turned to see the voice.” What
wonderful language! You and I would say, “I turned to see the
speaker,” but John does not. He turned to see the voice. Where is that
voice? Where is that voice of Paul? Where is that voice of John? Where
is that voice of Peter? Where is that voice of Jesus? Where is it? Never
mind the man. I don’t care how he comes in or how he looks. Give me a
John the Baptist eating locust and wild honey with an old sheepskin
around him. That’s fine with me. Give me that Word. We’re involved
with life and death.

74.	And I turned to see… I turned to check that voice. “And when I
turned I saw the Bride—seven golden candlesticks:” the Bride in
Seven Church Ages. There she was, and the voice was in the Bride, and
you’ve got to look to that Bride to get that voice. Now, find that
Bride. Now, find that Bride; no place else, because she’s in seven
golden candlesticks, because that’s the Bride. 

	“And he saw one like unto the Son of man,” which in the Greek may
also be interpreted, ‘one who said the same thing as’. That voice
caught him. 

	Now, that one had in his hand seven stars, which were seven messengers.

75.	Now, let’s go to Rev 2:1. 

(1)	Unto the messenger of the church (which is in) Ephesus write; these
things sayeth he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who
walked in the midst of the (Bride for seven church ages saying the same
thing.)

	But, watch verse 7.

(7)	He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the
churches.

	But he’s only talking to one man: the messenger. So therefore, if you
want to hear from God, you’re going to have to identify with the
messenger, who has a message, which is a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Because every time Jesus introduces himself to a messenger, He gives him
a revelation of who He is, and then, He gives them the historical data
of the age, so he can place it. 

	What is the Message of every age? It is Christ revealed! Hallelujah!
…Until at the end time, the Alpha and the Omega comes into full view,
see, and He gets us ready for the Rapture. 

76.	Brother/Sister, that voice has been in every single age. And at the
end time, we’ve had a most marvelous phenomenon, because at the end
time, God, not willing, and making sure that there would be a people
identified with the Word, who would not die, he said He Himself would
come on down. [Revelation 10]

(1)	And I saw another mighty messenger come down from heaven, clothed
with a cloud: a rainbow upon his head, his face as it were the sun, and
his feet as pillars of fire: 

(2)	And he (came down with that little) open book, (to earth, in order
to read it) on earth. 

	And the thunders came on earth, not the heavens. And at the same time,
a prophet stood there in order to say, “I challenge you.” Show me
one time he was ever wrong. 

	But they didn’t want that. They couldn’t stand another Paul. They
couldn’t stand another John. They couldn’t stand another Peter. And
they said, “What is with this man anyway? Oh sure, because he’s got
a great ministry, now it’s gone to his head.” Oh, they all did the
same thing, and they all knew it. 

	They said, “This man is a fallacious individual too.” 

	No, he wasn’t a liar, brother/sister, because the Bible said when
that man came who had “THUS SAITH THE LORD,” you hear him and you
fear him, or you will be cut off. Every age, as Bro. Branham said, “In
the Word he was indicated, he was authenticated, and he was
vindicated.” What more do you want? See? 

77.	Listen, this demonstration was so fantastic, that this was the
end-time messenger, that It says this in Hebrews 6, concerning this age,
verse 4:

(4)	For it is impossible for those who were once (for all) enlightened,
(Now, listen what they had.) (they may taste) the heavenly gift, (they
may partake) of the Holy Ghost, 

(5)	(They) have tasted the good word of God, (they will taste) the
powers of the world to come. 

	And they will still fall away. And they will never be renewed to a
change of their mind. And never once did that word ever come back to the
mind, but as dogs to the vomit and the sows to the wallow, the ox to
destruction, and the fool to his folly, as the bird that’s struck by
the arrow, they go to their death. Why? Because they don’t believe
that the spirit of truth and error is associated with men. And as men
will indicate the spirit of error, by their error, so the men of truth
can only stand with the truth. 

78.	All of these things are marvelous. Listen, enlightenment, partake of
the Holy Ghost, taste the good Word of God, the powers of the world to
come; all of these things, absolutely every one manifest. Remember; when
Christ was here, that took place and again at the end time. The end-time
messenger with the same identical ministry standing on this earth brings
this all into focus. They turn it down. See? Turn it down, because they
don’t know the Word of God. What a fantastic vindication. Yet it’s
turned down. 

79.	Going back to 2 Thessalonians for just a second, notice what It says
in verses 10-12. [2 Th 2:10] 

(10)	And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. (No, they won’t be saved. No.) 

(11)	And for this cause God (not the devil, brother/sister) for this
cause God (Himself is going to) send delusion. 

	“Oh I believe the devil does that, Bro. Vayle. Oh you see, what it
is, God will get the devil to do it.” 

	No. It says God Himself is going to do it. 

	How much personal honor is at stake at this end time, with the end-time
messenger, that God Himself is going to see to this? Not just leave it
and run its course; God is going to do it. They’re going to believe a
lie. Why? That they might stand in the judgment and be condemned,
because they took pleasure in their own type and system of worship:
calling upon God just like Cain. 

80.	What was that unrighteous act? It was to worship God apart from a
revelation, using this Scripture, apart from the Word of the hour, and
saying, “Don’t tell me that we’re not right. I can talk in tongues
to anybody. Don’t tell me I haven’t got it. I’m the one who is
born again. I went to that altar. Don’t tell me I don’t know how to
get saved.” 

	Brother/Sister, this is what the Bible teaches. They took pleasure in
the church system of their creeds and their dogmas. But we’ve been
resurrected from the creeds and dogmas, and, for the first time in two
thousand years, the Holy Ghost Himself has been liberated to bring us
the truth. 

81.	Their lies are bound in their creeds and dogmas to which at the end
time they add a miracle ministry of Mat 24:24. But, as Bro. Branham
said, “Give them the Word test.” Like Cain, they cannot take the
Word, and they hate those who do. Let me show you where we are,
brother/sister. Everything runs in a circle. The Book of Revelation now
coincides with the Book of Genesis. Do you mind if we go back to Gen
3:22 and read It once more? 

	“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to
know good and evil.” 

	Right now we’re at the place to reach out the hand and take hold of
eternal life, and God says you’re not going to do it because you do
know good and evil, and you’ve turned down the truth. But there’s a
little group, said God, at this end time, that Bro. Branham spoke of,
that would know right from wrong. And He said, “I’m watching them,
and I’m writing a record on them, and they fear My Name, because
they’re the only ones that know the Name.” Nobody’s afraid of
Jesus, vindicated, but you and me. See? 

82.	And the way they talk, nobody else talks like them, and they keep
talking to each other. And He said, “What I hear is causing me to
write a record, and they’re mine, and they’re the only ones that are
mine. And, when I come to make up my jewels, they’ll be with me,
because they have turned back to me, and they know righteousness from
wickedness. They know how to worship. They know the truth.” 

	They know who serves God and who doesn’t serve God, and they take a
stand over it. They don’t just accept anybody and everybody. They just
don’t say, “Everybody that talks about God and prays to God,
that’s got to be a Christian.” They don’t say, “Everybody talks
about being born again is born again.” And they don’t think just,
because a man’s got a healing ministry, that makes him of God. He
said, “Do you see my people?” No. Because you can’t fool the
elect. 

83.	Now, what does that word ‘elect’ mean in Mt 24:24,
‘eklektos’, ‘those who come out by the Word’. You won’t be
deceived little children; you won’t. But I’ll tell you, if you’re
one of His, for all time, you have laid down every single thought
you’ve had on the subject, and you’re willing to line up in your
mind with everything the prophet said. And, if he said something
contrary then you’ll backtrack, and you’ll clean that tare out of
your garden, which is in your mind, which contains that Word of God.
See? 

	We’re at the end time. They don’t know unrighteousness from
righteousness, error from truth, service from infamy, and they’ll go
on until they end up in the camp of the antichrist, thinking they’re
worshipping God, through a church system of creeds and dogmas and be
absolutely lost. 

84.	Bro. Branham said, “I don’t call you ‘church’ anymore, or
saints, I call you ‘Bride.’” 

	I think it’s about time we took maybe even one more step, because I
know he would have taken it if he were here. He could’ve also said,
“Jewels, are you ready for the crowning day?” Jewels of God, lively
stones, to reflect the light that has been shed at the end time. 

	Here’s where we stand, brother/sister: my hope is built on nothing
less than Jesus’ Blood and righteousness, on the fact that he had the
divine revelation, absolutely authenticated. Let men say we’re bigots.
Let them deny that we have a right to say as we have. They’ll hate
that right in us one of these days, but we’ll go right on just the
same, because the truth cannot perish anymore than God can. So,
righteousness will not go down, but as in that end time when Noah, and
old Lot… And he was pretty mean, actually, in a way, but he believed
that Word, and that saved him. 

85.	The Lord bless you. Now Sunday morning we’ll take the following
step on the same subject: All deceivableness of unrighteousness, the
deception that’s in the church today in a system that literally
demonstrates to God—they reject it. Will it be done? It’s being done
right now. Amen.

	We have a baptism service I believe, so shall we bow our heads in a
word of prayer before we change the order of the service.

	Gracious, heavenly Father, bless Thy holy Name for allowing us to be
here together, to give us such a time, Lord, of inspiration and worship
around Thy Word, to know just where we stand, because we know this is
absolutely the truth, because it is Your Word. Oh, how precious to stand
upon that which has been vindicated. How exhilarating to know that it
was absolutely authenticated. Hallelujah to Your Name! Oh we rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 

	Thine be the honor, O God. Thine be the glory. Let Thy Name be exalted,
Jesus, for Thou has done great things. And, let it be unto us, O God,
according to Thy Word. O Lord, if You’re writing that Book, and we
know You are, help each one of us, O God, that we’ll fill the pages as
we give forth that which was given to us, for each other, by the
infallible ministry of the prophet You sent us. Thank You for it, Lord. 

	Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be
all power and honor and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 2 Cor 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin
to Christ.

  3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through
his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ.

 Mt 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect.