The Christian and Civil Government # 2

Bro. Lee Vayle

March 13, 1986

		Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we want to add our voices to the voices
already raised tonight. That we’re very glad that we can come here and
be in Your Presence, oh God, and we can, not as a prophet talked face to
face with You, but we have that which has been elect to us which is
really face to face and so we do not lack in anything that’s
concerning this hour but have all things even as Your Word said, “All
things are ready to come to the feast,” and we praise You for that,
Lord. We just ask You now to anoint us to believe as never before, Lord,
to walk so circumspectly and seriously that we will escape all judgment
but rather hear the commendation of our Lord, which is what we desire.
So, Father as we earnestly strive to know Your Word, may we also
earnestly strive to see Your Word fulfilled in us by giving over to You
these lives, Lord which are of no value whatsoever unless You take them
and use them for Your glory. Be with each one tonight, Lord. Give each
one a portion; help each one Lord, to be a better person having been
here and going home Lord, and through the week realizing it’s good for
us to have been together. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen. You may be
seated. 

1.		Now, last Sunday we started with ‘The Christian and Civil
Government’ and we want to continue tonight, with a simple re-cap and
that is we’ve found that very definitely there are two governments, or
two separate systems that ruled here and they exist in the earth in an
intermingled condition. They’re both here together and they’re mixed
together. Then each one however, differs vastly from the other. The
cosmos order of God is one and the cosmos order of man is the other.
You’ll find them in the Scripture, they’re called ‘world’, but
it’s really cosmos which means ‘an order’. Now, God heads one of
the orders, or governments and the devil heads the other one but in the
final analysis God actually controls both, although He allows certain
things to transpire He’s still in control. And it says over here in
Dan 4:34,

(34)	…at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lift up mine eyes unto
heaven, mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most
High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation
to generation: 

(35)	And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he
doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him,
What doest thou? 

2.		So, you can see here it’s just as the Scripture says that, “He
makes the wrath of man to praise him and the remainder of wrath, he doth
restrain.”[Ps 76:10] That God is sovereign and according to His own
divine precepts which come from His omniscience and His order, which He
puts into effect which comes from His omnipotence, God does exactly what
He wants to do in heaven and earth. He has always done it and will
continue to do it; He’s a sovereign God and part of this whole plan,
of course, as Bro. Branham explained is it has been given to us, it’s
sort of shroud in a mystery, we wonder why God allowed the things which
He’s allowed, especially this type of government on earth where the
fall and all It is because in order that the attributes of God might
come forth, this is exactly how and why He did it. Now, we were reading
from  2 Peter the 5th chapter to show you the world of the ungodly and
that’s the 5th verse of the 2nd chapter in the 2nd Book. And it says,
in the time of judgment of Noah,  [2 Peter 2:]

(5)	And spared not the old world, (That’s cosmos, the old world order,
that would be the order of the enemy or Satan.) but spared Noah the
eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon
the world of the ungodly;

		So, you’ll notice in there that Noah was spared, so therefore he was
not a part of the world of the ungodly but he was certainly a part of
the world of the godly, because the Scripture says that he was the only
one perfect in his generation and the Bible speaks of him in terms of
one of the righteous ones of Almighty God. 

3.		So all right, we can see that there is a world of the ungodly and
you’ll notice in first, rather  Jn 3:16. 

(16)	…that God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son…

		Now, you could put in that, because there has been the admixture, that
He gave His blood for all people. Now, that’s true and that’s not
true, there is no doubt that there is a limited atonement. Because if
the Blood was surely shed for all then of course, we know that there
would, God’s purpose would be foiled if that Blood had been denied,
but theB is not denied because He died for the many. You go back to
Isaiah, it does not say, “He died for everybody,” He died for  the
many. So, God wanted to establish His order upon earth, He had to come
in the body of His Son and shed His blood in order to pay the price that
we might be able to come back and share this universe with Him. So,
there’s the order of the godly, there’s the order of the ungodly.
There’s the world of the godly, there’s the world of the ungodly;
whichever way you want to put it. 

4.		Now, we saw that very clearly, that both of those kingdoms exist
today, they come from different roots because they’re entirely
different yet they co-exist and they’ll be here until the end time,
until God Himself makes a separation. And of course, that was in Matthew
13, and we read beginning about 24-30, 

(24)	Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 

(25)	But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the
wheat, and went his way. 

(26)	But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then
appeared the tares also. 

(27)	So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir,
didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it
these tares? 

(28)	He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto
him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 

(29)	He said, No; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the
wheat with them. 

(30)	Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of
harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather you together first the tares,
and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my
barn. 

		And of course, he explains this parable beginning in verse 36, they
said,

(36)	…Declare unto us the parable (or explain thoroughly, tell us what
this parable of the tares mean)… 

(37)	He answered and said, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man;
(now, you’ll watch that, that’s very applicable in this hour) 

(38)	The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the
kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; (Notice,
they’re all lumped in there, see?)

(39)	The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of
the world; the reapers are the angels. 

(40)	As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so
shall it be in the end of the world. 

(41)	The Son of man shall send forth his angels, they shall gather out
of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 

(42)	And cast them into a furnace of fire: there will be wailing and
gnashing of teeth. 

(43)	Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

		You’ll notice in there that when the kingdom is thoroughly rid of
that which was interposed by the enemy. God will then set up His own
kingdom and He’ll be reigning in the earth, supreme with His people. 

5.		Now, we then read 1 Peter the 2nd chapter and we’ll turn over
there and we’ll just take a look at some of those verses, we won’t
take them all, there’s no necessity, we already took them. All right,
the 2nd chapter and we’ll just go to verses 13-15 and read them,
because we find there obedience to a civil law is incumbent upon the
saints. Now, [1 Peter 2:]

(13)	Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake:
whether it be to the king, as supreme; 

(14)	Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them do well. 

(15)	For this is the will of God …

		Now, as we know, I wouldn’t have to put that part of the sentence in
there because you know that because it tells you, “For the Lord’s
sake,” and that would have to be the will of God or it wouldn’t be
for His sake because God wouldn’t ask us to do anything for His sake
if it wasn’t His will. See? You have to keep that in mind because God
in His Will and His Word, everything goes harmoniously together because
they’re all one. 

6.		All right, in verses 16-18 the saints are admonished to have the
same attitude towards civil government as they do toward the spiritual.
Read 16-18,  [1 Peter 2:]

(16)	As free, not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but
as servants of God. 

(17)	Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 

		See, now He tells you when it comes to civil government, you’re to
have spiritual attitudes, just the same as the Scripture warns us that
we’re not to use our liberty in the Lord spiritually, to do things
that are not consistent with the entire life stream as God has laid it
forth in His word. Now that’s where you get wrong ideas of eternal
security, you bend over backwards and get legalistic. What you’re
supposed to do is to simply obey the Word as the Scripture says,
“We’re to worship Him in spirit and in truth.” [Jn 4:24] So, you
combine the Holy Spirit with the Word of God, you’ll have the right
spirit, you’ll have the right Word, you’ll be doing the right thing.


7.		All right, now you must understand then in civil law we are duty
bound to be very, very careful toward it and to fulfill it according to
the letter of it to the very best of our abilities and the right
attitude, of course if the main thing. Now, in verse 25 we have a
statement that I think is especially apt for this hour.

(25)	For you were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the
Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 

		Now until this hour, back there in that hour, till that hour, they run
amuck, they ran amuck of many things. They didn’t understand the Word
of God they didn’t understand the laws of the land. With the result
they tried to interpose one upon the other and supplant one for the
other and you will see that in Matthew 22 as we go along. 

		Now you’ll notice here that Peter is speaking and he said, “Now
look, the days of blindness are over,” (it’s all over,)
“because,” (he said,) “you that were as sheep gone astray.”
Which would make you the same as dogs and pigs, when it comes to the
moral and spiritual understanding, see? Because it’s all mixed
together, it’s all one lump. Just like God takes out of one lump of
human nature, mankind, the elector in there and the non elector in there
and they’re actual reprobator in there. Some that never ever had their
books in the Book of Life and some are going to have their names taken
off the Book of Life. See? So it’s all in there. 

8.		Now, you were as sheep going astray, that’s why he could say over
here, [1 Peter 2:]

(1)	Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings,

		You say, “Well, could a Christian possibly ever entertain such
things?” Well, look at your own hearts and then close your eyes in
shame. I mean, you know, I don’t care how wonderful you are there’s
the, man has this problem of simply rising up against men, that’s what
I said last Sunday. If there weren’t laws of restraint in the land,
we’d be decimated and we’ve even seen what genocide can do. So,
we’re not so humpty dumpty you know, by ourselves. We’re just, you
never can look at yourself and say, “Hey, I’m thoroughly
sanctified,” like the old Nazarene theory and they’re trying to
bring it out in this Message here too and then they’ve got to find
ways to sin. “Well, you didn’t do it.” Well, who did it? I mean, I
don’t, I get bored to tears with this crass ignorance that they try to
foist on us and I say look, there’s nobody here that can’t be
tempted and rise in the wrong way, let’s understand that. 

9.		Now, he’s telling you here, “Now but listen,”(he says,)
“you’ve got a lot of help.” See? 

(2)	(You’re born again; you) desire the sincere milk of the Word. 
(You were sheep gone astray you’re not going astray anymore.)

		In other words, the propensity to wander is not there anymore, the
propensity is to zero in, hone and stay where home is, which is in the
Presence of the Lord. Now, the shepherd and bishop of our souls,
headship as Bro. Branham says, has returned to the church. So therefore,
if there is any question concerning civil obedience and spiritual or
what we might call Christian obedience, as the Bride would perform
toward God and her fellow man in the church, well there’s no need
anymore. There wasn’t any need back there but you know as well as I do
Laodicean’s got awful lax. 

		Like I told you, a fellow told me years ago, he made a big joke, he
said, “When I’m driving my car, (he said,) I’m not under law,
I’m under grace.” Bro. Branham said, he said, “A man breaking the
speed limit should get twenty five years in jail, (he said,) “because
it’s tantamount to murder.” What happened? A drunken driver came
down the road on the wrong side and killed him. See? So, and he did say
in a sermon that, “One day these booze guys would get him,” and it
was the booze crowd that got him, because they’re the ones that sold
the liquor to this boy and our government sells liquor. Now, when the
government sells liquor it doesn’t mean you got to go buy it. “Well,
the government sells it therefore I am entitled to it.” No, we’re
not talking about that. See? 

10.		But we’ll look at the Word and now let’s take a look at Jas
1:22-25 and it says here, 

(22)	But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves. 

(23)	For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto
a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 

(24)	For he beholding himself, goeth his way, and straightway forgets
what manner of man he was. 

(25)	But whoso looks in the perfect law of liberty, and continues
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed. 

		Now, this is telling you here and not deviating from the Word that
Peter preached, we’ll see Paul preached the same thing, that you’ve
got to actually not just know there’s a law in the land, you’ve got
to obey it. As I say, many people don’t like obeying laws, they know
they’re there and they try to get around them or they just simply say,
“Well, who cares?” They say, “Well, I wasn’t caught” and they
see how far they can go without being caught. And then of course, when
you get caught for some thing’s there’s not much of a penalty to it
so people don’t feel too bad about that and they just don’t mind
being caught. Now you see, that’s bad because that hardens the heart
that hardens the conscience, hardens the neck, gives you hardened mind,
pretty soon you’re hard and plumb away from God, grieving the Holy
Ghost. Now at the end time of course, like James mentions, you look in
the perfect law of liberty and continue. Now Paul mentions that looking
into the Word, which is revealed to this hour, will bring us into the
image of Christ. Well, the man that wants to be in the image of Christ
by looking in the Word has to remember there’s a civil word we’re in
obedience to as well as this Word and we’re told to obey it. 

11.		Now, we go to 1 Peter which we read already, 2:13-17 just to kind
of repeat here. It says, 

(13)	Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake:
whether it be unto king, as supreme; 

(14)	Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 

(15)	For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to
silence the ignorance of foolish men: (Now, notice the reason that
we’re to obey the law. Now, foolish people evidently think they can do
anything or are not supposed to do certain things they’re supposed to
do. See? Now, watch)

(16)	As free, not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but
as the servants of God. 

		In other words, you’ve got a greivance against the government, you
don’t like the way they do things and so you take things in your hands
to try to get back at them and there’s certain ways that people can
get back at government and it’s not scriptural. See? Now this is
something that’s preached in the churches, you’ll notice. Most
churches today preach free moral agency which means that the government
doesn’t mean anything, we put her there, we don’t have to obey and
you’ve got the Lutherans and the Catholic ministers especially and
I’m sure the Anglicans aren’t far behind and you can throw in the
Presbyterians. I don’t think the Baptist’s are too hip on it,
they’re a little more circumspect yet. But most of those guys are out
there ready to lead a parade against the government when they’ve got a
way to settle it by vote and you’ve got some are willing to join the
church with the government and mess that up.

12.		God did not ask us to fight, He asked us to submit. See? Evidently
the yoke of Christ is easy in the Christian world and the yoke of the
world, government, is easy in the secular world, if you are willing to
bear it. You see, most of our troubles lie in our minds anyway, in our
hearts. But once you make up your mind and your heart to be obedient,
it’s not half as bad. See? And once you overcome that temptation that
lies within you, then it’s all over. And I’m not speaking with a lot
of authority, but I’m but you don’t realize I’m speaking with a
great deal of authority tonight. I’ve been through some of these
things, it doesn’t matter anymore. You say, “Well Bro. Vayle,
you’re old enough.” I was old enough when I was eighteen years old,
kid, so let’s get that down flat. When you come to a certain place it
doesn’t matter, when God makes a marvelous way for you, He just takes
care of you. See? 

13.	 	So, the Scripture here tells us very, very clearly that there is a
civil law that we must be obedient to. Now of course that’s God Word,
that’s not mine. And of course, we’re not yet finished, because we
want to go on with some more witnesses, perhaps three or even four
witnesses to what Peter said, because the Bible has more then one
witness. Now the first witness we’re going to look at to see how close
we are to the truth, is over here in Matthew 17, I believe it is what we
want, 24-27,

(24)	And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute
money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? (Now
understand that this is a toll, a poll tax, is what this is.)

(25)	He )said,) Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus
(stopped) him (stopped him right there, see?) saying, What thinkest
thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute?
of their own children, or of strangers? 

(26)	Peter (said,) Of strangers. (of course) and Jesus (said,) Then are
the children free. 

(27)	Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea,
cast an hook, take up the fish that first comes up; and when thou hast
opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give
unto them for me and thee.

		Now I’m told that that’s a fish in the Orient, India and different
places that swallows bright shining things like if somebody dropped a
coin in the water or jewel, that fish has a pouch and that fish will
pick that thing up. And the Easterner’s know that if they catch a fish
like that they could actually find something quite valuable; of course,
today tinfoil is what it would be, but back there they didn’t have
tinfoil. And another thing about this, that they used to cast in gems
and gold coins and rare coins of value to worship the god that was there
and that fish picking it up. So now, the rare thing is to find, is to
catch that fish, that’s the rare thing that was the miracle, that he
could go down and just chuck it in like that and pick that fish out when
you just don’t do that, it’s a very, very rare type of fish. 

14.		So, there was a miracle here and Jesus was not going to make Peter
rich, because one ruby or one diamond or one opal or something of value
or sapphire, who knows? Some gem, could make a person getting that fish
a very rich person but you’ll notice he got just the right amount,
enough for two; it was the poll tax is what it was. See, they lived
there, nobody had a right to tax them, they were free. And so, they
said, “All right, we’ll pay the tax.” And that’s the thing,
you’ll notice in there then that this is speaking of the cosmos
system, because God’s system does not tax people. Now, there is a
certain portion of money that belongs to Him called a tithe that He
requires but He’s not in the tax system. 

15.		All right, now we go to Mt 22:15-22 and we look at what another
encounter with Jesus and the Pharisees this time. 

(15)	Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle
him in his talk. 

		Now, they’re out to trap him and the trapping was this, “Will this
man betray himself and deny Caesar?” See? Which means, will he say,
“Look, I don’t believe in the Roman government, I am against it. I
will not obey it. I’ll not do what they say. Let us rise up an
anarchy”? And they started this way because this is a good place to
start, a little simple thing that has to do with the taxes, things like
this. Just going to say, “Now, what do you think of this?” And
they’re going to trap him in and get, and then they say to the
government, they say, “Hey, look it here, that man said so and so,
he’s against the government, he’s an anarchist, get rid of him.”
Now, you know in America we practice anarchy, it’s a pity but anarchy
is very wide spread. Any man that defies the law is an anarchist; I’m
an anarchist at heart. I’ll be honest and you might as well say the
same thing because you know, you don’t like the laws. Nobody likes the
laws and yet we’ve got to learn to like the laws, we’ve got to be
submissive to them because they are so close to the laws of God which
we’ll see, we’ll read about it, we’ve already read some of it,
we’ve got to be very careful. 

16.		Now, [Matthew 22:]

(16)	And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians,
saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God
in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the
person of men. 

 		Well, you’re a Christian what do you care about the government?
You don’t have to pay your taxes, do this that or the other thing. Now
don’t tell me that people in this Message aren’t doing that because
there’s one guy on the run from, more then one guy on the run, but
there’s one especially I know of, left Arkansas, he’s on the run
because he joined the gang that says you don’t have to pay taxes. Now
who said you don’t pay taxes? The Bible said you do pay taxes, as
we’ll plainly see here, just wait awhile. Okay. But here look at, look
at how they, how they try to bring this in here, well look, “Well,
you’re a real man of God, you’ve got the truth. Now come on, let’s
stand up and tell this government off.” Don’t tell the government
off at all. Everybody spouts up, I spout off. Sure, we all don’t like
certain things, that’s a privilege; that’s where you get your first
clause in the Constitution. In fact, most of your clauses in the
Constitution absolutely have to do with our freedoms, that’s what
it’s all about, and to keep our freedoms. 

17.		Okay, you don’t regard the first amendment. 

(17)	Tell us therefore, What do you think? Is it lawful to give tribute
unto Caesar, or not? 

		“Should we pay taxes with this bunch of birds, with their pork
barrel schemes?” We’ve got senators right today that for, in no way
shape and form, as long as they are in power, they’ll defeat every
single bill that’ll do this country good as long as there’s a pork
barrel for the state of Mississippi or Missouri, that’s pretty well
that area, and then up north you’ve got one just as bad. What is it,
that state of Maine? I forget. Two …?... are outstanding. One is
Mississippi and Missouri then there’s the up north country. They’ll
mess the whole country up over two hundred million people, for what?
Twenty million dollars? Doesn’t bother them one little bit. You could
rise up and say, “Listen, no.” What’s wrong with the rest of the
guys in government? They’ve got a pork barrel too. We put them in
there. “What are you going to do?” Well, that’s a good question,
very good question. Change the whole bunch around, vote them out. “How
are you going to do it?” Well, I don’t know how you can, you’ve
got lobbyists; they’ve got the money. So, it boils down to you and me.
Well, we’re right where Jesus was with the common guys. 

		Let’s find out what he said. 

(17)	…Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 

(18)	But Jesus perceived their wickedness, (Now notice, they were
wicked. Now of course, they were trying to trick him. They were paying
taxes, they didn’t want to pay taxes, they wanted to make him the
scapegoat.) Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites? (See?)

(19)	Show me the tribute money. And they brought him a penny. (Now
that’s your poll tax again.)

(20)	And he (says,) Whose is this image and superscription,
superscription? 

(21)	They (said,) Caesar's (of course). Then he (said,) Render therefore
unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things
(which) are God's. 

(22)	When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and
went their way. (Well, there’s nothing else to say.)

18.		Now you’ll notice in there the, that what the question really
was, “How do you stack up in the land today according to civil
government of which you are really not a part?” Now their condition
was worse then ours because we are a part in the sense, we’re
Americans and we’re not ruled over yet by anybody outside the people
we put into office and it’s a pity they don’t understand what the
office is all about. They’re to go in to do our wishes, when they go
in, they forget about us entirely and do their own wishes. So all the
yelling at Russia, we’re not very far behind if we’re far behind at
all. What’s the difference whether you starve because the government
imposes things on you originally in the manner of despotism or you
finally starve this way? Well, it is nicer to starve in pleasure with a
soft bed that is without rocks and bumps on your head; I’ll admit that
it’s a leisure. But you see for one, the pot can’t call the kettle
black, see? Now, I’m talking this way, because I know what’s near
our hearts as people, because we in America have the right to protest.
Not to get up a rebel army and then bomb the White House or something,
you know, we’re not that kind of people but we’re great at spouting
off. Now, what is to be our attitude so that actually it may not prevent
spouting off because criticism is legitimate, if you don’t have it,
it’d be pretty pitiful. See? You’ve got to have criticism and
assessment in the right place. Now what about it? 

19.		Well, they’re saying here, Jesus is saying here, “Look, there
is two distinct camps and two different governments.” Now, you do not
confuse the two. They’re both existing side by side and what’s to be
obeyed in the kingdom of life must be obeyed and what’s to be obeyed
in the kingdom over here must be obeyed, and there’s no argument,
you’ll do it. And now if there’s an argument in the things of the
Word you got to go to the Word and see what the Word really means, then
if there’s an argument in the things of the world, you’d have to go
to the courts. You got no, you got no way, you got to go to some
authority and it’s pretty pitiful when you go there because the
lawyers themselves don’t know what it means. That’s true, it’s,
that’s why the lawyers are always fighting each other because you
know, you got the complainant and you got the defendant and they’re
both, they’re both standing there, two different lawyers and both
lawyers are trying to beat the other lawyer with the same law. But what
can you do? You’re stuck with the system. 

20.		All right. 

		Now, there’s two cosmos’ here, absolutely and they’re together
but they’re separate but you’re in both and you’ve got to have
something to do with both and you got to obey both. All right. Now,
that’s what Jesus said. Now, let’s go and find out what Paul said,
now he’s not over Jesus but it’s the same spirit. I thought I’d
start with Jesus. We go to Romans and we read Romans 13: the first seven
verses, I think that’s a good place to start.

(1)	Let every soul be subject unto the higher (authorities.) (It
doesn’t say one or two, it says every, like Peter said. Notice, it’s
the same spirit.) For there is no (authority) but of God: (no authority,
no enforcement) the (authorities and enforcements) that be are ordained
of God. (Now we see right there, He ruleth in the armies of heaven and
earth. See? There you are, the Scripture will never vary. Now,)

 (2)	Whosoever therefore resisteth (authority,) resists the ordinance
of God…

		You say, “Is God in these men legislating?” You’d better believe
it. Now He’s not in them like He’s in us, we’re, that’s a
personal experience you’re talking about. We’re talking here of the
world as the Headship and God has kept in His own hands the right to
legislate. See? Through these men and like the things you see in Russia
today, didn’t come there by accident. The conditions in England
didn’t come by accident. What’s in Yugoslavia, Romania, all those
countries, didn’t come by accident. And what’s coming is not by
accident. What’s in Poland is not by accident, what’s in Germany,
what’s over here is not by accident. There’s a sovereign power and
God’s over all of it. Now notice he said, “It’s ordained of God
and when you resist civil authority, you resist God,” see? Now, watch
it very carefully. Now, it says,

(2)	…they that resist shall receive to themselves (judgement.) (Now
God’s Word guarantee’s it.)

(3)	For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil…

21.		Now, notice, now there’s the key right there. Good works are what
he’s talking about to keep people suppressed so they do not hurt each
other or do damage in any way that they could do damage and it runs the
whole gamut. That’s why in America a doctor stopping by your car and
trying to help you out of a fateful heart, you could be a dirty bird and
sue the doctor because he didn’t maybe do things as good as he should,
because he was beside a car instead of an operating table. Now, as a
Christian you wouldn’t do it, you’d say, “Hey, the man tried to
help somebody, I couldn’t do that.” But you see, God has a law in
the land, it’s permitted of God and nobody can take that law away
until the people themselves legislate that a doctor cannot be attacked
in a court for trying to be a Good Samaritan. Now the law never ever
wanted anything like that in its courts. The law started out so that
people would be protected and doctors could do good, people could do
good, keep away harm, try to build up the people everyway they could. It
started out that way, what happens? Just like in the Garden of Eden,
things get in there. But you see the precept was of God so we mustn’t
be disobedient to the works that are – what they do in government. 

22.		Now, he said, “The rulers are not a terror to good works but to
evil.” Now, notice right today in America, they can be a terror to
good works. Now God didn’t – God’s rules in America never started
that way. God’s rules on earth didn’t start that way. He’s in
government but those things will be there; people taking advantage, just
like a Christian. Can that Christian truly born again be lost? No, he
can’t be lost, he can’t be. Oh, they do a lot of things they
shouldn’t do. So, you’re going to find lots of problems in this life
but you just simply keep reading the Word here. Now,

(3)	…Wilt thou then not be afraid of the (authority?) do that which is
good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 

23.		Now, how many people would sit here tonight or any place in
America, except the completely criminally insane and be very happy that
some doctor stopping on the road to help a poor person was hit with a
very heavy fine and a jail sentence? See? Nobody. The praises are good
but you find a doctor stopped, when he was busy going some place, maybe
to another errand of mercy but found this was a greater mercy, stopped
there and people stopped their cars and helped. Why, people praise that,
they can’t help but praise it. But, there’s always somebody in the
Garden of Eden sneaking around to mess things up and you got to
recognize it’s going to happen. But the law must be obeyed and the law
never said, “Hey, I’m going to tell you folks something. Now,
we’re going to protect the doctor and protect you but of course if you
get in an accident and the doctor stops and helps you and he doesn’t
sew you up quite right to save your life, like you do in an operating
room, you can sue him.” Where did the law say that? The law doesn’t
say it, law never has and never will. The law basically is the terror to
evil and does good. And people always want to mess it up; they mess up
every single thing in life. Now, there’s where the Christian’s got
to watch that he understands these laws are good and going to help you
out. Now watch,

(3)	…Wilt thou then be afraid of the (authority?) do that which is
good, and you’ll have praise of the same: 

(4)	For he is the minister of God to thee for good…

24.		Now, everybody talks about the preacher being a fine man, the
deacon being a fine man, the five fold ministry and, “Oh boy! this,”
and “Oh boy! that,” and they forget here it says right down to this
man is the minister of God, this policeman, this judge. I didn’t say
the lawyer was right, now you didn’t hear me say lawyer; I said a
judge and your legislators. A lawyer can be the same thing but you see
once they begin questioning and fooling around there can be problems but
these are put in there, and so are laws, put in there for good. Even
Russia and these communist countries mistakenly have many laws that are
for the good of the people. They are trying to build a proletariat up,
right across the board where they say, “Everybody works, everybody
eats.” They try to make it right across the board, you can’t do it.
There never will be a decent set up. Why? Because they’re not born
again and even if they were born again it won’t work. You’ve got to
be glorified brother/sister, let’s get that flat. But, see your law
here is laid out in the Bible. These men are ministers of God for good
and we need them according to this Scripture. Now you might say, “Like
fun, I need them.” I got news for you; you need them because God’s
not stupid.

(4)	…But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not
the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute
wrath upon him that doeth evil.

		Now, He’ll avenge and revenge. In other words, He’ll work out
what’s right for the one person and work it out for the other guy
that’s wrong. Now, it said, “Don’t be afraid.” This is the same
thing He said to Christians, if your heart doesn’t condemn you, we
have faith in God. So, therefore we do what is right. Now, many people
do wrong in a pinch. That’s what’s wrong with the born again people,
we do things wrong in a pinch. Now, pressure comes here, we’ll do
wrong.

25.		I know a fellow in Florida, very nice man they tell me, a
contractor and he got away from many for a long time without paying
income tax, not income tax but what he had to pay in for social security
and those things for his men, to the government, one was social
security. There’s other things you pay besides social security. What
is it? [Someone in the congregation answers] “Withholding tax”.
Withholding, yeah, there are withholding taxes, which one of which is
social security and there is others in there too. Well, anyway, I
won’t tell the man’s name, I couldn’t remember it anyway but our
good friend, Lois Mercer that supports this church and she writes
letters to us the odd time and some of the boys here got them, her
daughter works for a senator and she’s a personal secretary to
senator’s in Washington, she’s been a service to more than one
senator. Well, she used to go with this man’s son and so this son and
her didn’t marry or anything but the day came when this man was
confronted with the possibility of going to jail over what he had done,
because he couldn’t cough up the money. He had used it because he
needed it to keep from going broke, bankrupt. Well, bankruptcy was
closing in on him anyway and now he’s caught in this mess and so he
appealed to her which was something that she could talk to the senator
about. Well, there was nothing she could talk to the senator about;
there was nothing she could do. 

26.		Now, you see, expediency is not the thing to do if there’s
something wrong with tax. Like Paul said, “All things are lawful but
all things are not expedient.” All things are lawful but I’ll not be
under the power of any of it. See, happy is the man that condemeth not
himself and think that he allow it. This is where we always find the
trap. To attempt to get a better way then God’s way and that’s what
Eve did and it didn’t work and that’s why the yoke it easy, the
burden is light, if we watch this Word here. But, you know, actually we
don’t have much teaching along lines like this. You know, of course I
realize some folk do teach pretty good along this line, the Amish folk
and Mennonite, if they’d want to get born again with this, that’d be
tremendous. They’d be real show pieces in America. They are show
pieces, a lot of them because they are fine, fine people, very fine
people but well, they no more believe the truth of the Word of God than
nothing. Well, where does that leave us? You know, that’s works
without faith is dead. I don’t care, you don’t say, “Faith without
works is dead,” you put it where it is, it’s not faith without
works, it’s works without faith. 

27.		Now,

(5)	Wherefore ye must needs be subject, (now watch)  not only for wrath,
but also for conscience sake. (Where does the conscience come in?
Because of disobedience to God, see? It’s not living up to the Word of
God. Now,) 

(6)	For for this cause pay (we) tribute also: (pay taxes) for they are
God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 

		Those men God’s ordained, He’s put the ‘this’ into effect, we
know and we’re privy to it, we’re doing it too, where you got to pay
those men. How you going to pay them? Now, you can’t somebody pay a
pound of butter and a dozen eggs, because some people don’t have cows
and chicken’s, some don’t even have gardens. “Well, they can go by
and prune his bushes.” Well, maybe the guy doesn’t have bushes to
prune? You can’t live under a barter. Barter sounds good but you
can’t live under a barter. Jesus didn’t say, “Let’s go back to
barter.” He took the tribute money and he endorsed the money system.
In fact, a lot of British’s will think the gold standard was made by
God. And they talk on the great pyramid, they’ll try to show you that
the gold system is in the pyramid. I don’t believe that nonsense,
maybe [Bro. Vayle chuckles] you know, it’s all right but stay away
from that stuff; that’s not going to get you anywhere. But see the
truth here, you got to pay taxes to keep these men up. Now here’s the
point about government: You pay government maybe more than they’re
worth but you got to pay them because they got a job to do because you
and I can’t do it. 

		Now, watch, 

(7)	Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute; custom
to custom; (Now, that doesn’t mean that they rub noses, you rub noses.
That means custom officers, bringing stuff in the country. You pay tax
on it and different things that you do like the, like, you know, trade,
get the balance of trade up…all these things.) fear to whom fear;(Now,
that’d be men in authority that bring, to enforce the law.) honour to
whom honour. 

28.		Now, that’s what the Bible tells us here, very, very clearly.
Now, if you get the context of those Scriptures, you’re going to find
the context is in the 12th chapter because the Bible was not made in
chapters by man, by God, it was put in there by man. Which I’m not
against, it’s just a matter that sometimes we don’t get the proper
continuity. And in there it tells you; let’s take the 16th verse, 
[Romans 12:]

(16)	Be of the same mind one toward another. (not high minded) not mind
high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your
own conceits. (Now, you see, you watch, He said, “You’re not just
spouting off and you think you know something when it is merely your own
idea.”)

(17)	Recompense to no man evil for evil. (there you are) Provide things
honest in the sight of all men. (Yup.)

(18)	If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all
men.

(19)	Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto
wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the
Lord.

29.		Now, some people say right there, “Well, I’ll give way to
wrath.” That doesn’t mean that you bop somebody or get mad, it means
you let the wrath of God take care of it. Give way to God’s wrath.
Because you see, if they’re his ministers He’s going to judge them.
See? If we got a president in here, which I think this president’s
very good actually, I got some differences with him, I don’t think
he’s done right on some things but you show me a man that does right
in everything and I’ll give him this pulpit. He’s a good man, does a
lot of good things, and nobody can figure how that his ideas are paying
off when nobody’s else did. Because his are better ideas then the rest
of them, they would have to be then, more in the plan of God than the
others. Not trying to make Republican’s God, in the pocket of God,
don’t think I am saying it, I’m just talking to the man. The man’s
done a better job, see? Now, it says here, “Just leave everything in
the hands of God because God’s going to do the thing right.”

(20)	Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him
drink: for in so doing you’ll heap coals of fire on his head. 

(21)	Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

		Now, it says right here, what it says then, if the tax payer wants
taxes, you give him taxes. Right down the line, you do what you’re
supposed to do. 

30.		Now, let’s go read in here then from the 8th verse and see the
context there. [Romans 13:] 

(8)	Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth
another hath fulfilled the law.

(9)	For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, not kill, not steal, not
bear false witness, not covet; if there be any other commandment, it is
briefly comprehended (or clued) to this saying, namely, (you’ll love)
your neighbour as (yourself.)

(10)	Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law. (All right. Now, notice he says down here,) 

(13)	Let us walk honestly,(verse 13) as in the day; not rioting and
drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and
envying.

(14)	But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

		Now, it tells you right there that anytime the flesh rises up and
says, “I’m not going to do this thing, I hate doing it.” It says,
“You watch it right there and start to do what is right.” Now,
that’s the Word of God. Now, we’ve gone over 13 to 1-7, I won’t
read anymore.

31.		Now, let’s go to Daniel the 3rd chapter, maybe I’ve got
something in here I want to read you, 16, we’ll read first of all
verse 14.

(14)	Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said... Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, do you not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image I
set up? (Verse 16.)

(16)	Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king,
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 

(17)	If so be, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.


(18)	But if not, let it be known... O king, we will not serve thy gods,
nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

		Now, those boys paid taxes. Those boys, Daniel were part of
government. They absolutely had good lives in civic government. They
had, they were well report. They were fine people in the community but
the king passed a law that went against God, the Holy Spirit and their
conscience and they said, “No way, no way.” See? Now we got to
understand that, there’s many, many laws that we obey, we have to
watch that. Now, we can argue all we want about obeying certain laws of
man only. Now, see? That’s…many people will do that, they’ll argue
it, but there is only one answer to that. We read it now. “What laws a
man requires to sin against the Word of God?” Now, there’s your stop
right there. 

32.		If it were sinful to pay taxes then you shouldn’t pay it. Now
people say, “Now just a minute, a lot of my taxes will be going for
the upkeep of the army. I’m a conscientious objector. I don’t want
my taxes going there> I won’t pay taxes.” Now you’re wrong. You
pay your taxes and Bro. Branham was not a conscientious objector, there
is really no such thing, but he said, “If you are, be a good one.”
See? Why? Because if you’re sent to war and you kill somebody, your
country’s judged, you’re not judged for that. Now that’s the best
I know to tell you. 

		Now you read your Bible and you know there’s a civic, a civil law,
there’s a spiritual law, there’s an international law. Your civic
and international come very close and men fight. What would you do if a
person came into your house and was going to kill, was going to kill
you? You say, “Well, just go ahead and kill me.” Now, you’ve got a
wife and young kids there, you got to be crazy. God never told you to be
insane. Why listen…these men that are here to protect you against
evil, they’re not there just as men, the principle is evil and anybody
attempting to destroy you is evil. It doesn’t say you got to destroy
him but you’ve got every right to take care of yourself, protect
yourself. See? So we mustn’t be carried away with that. 

33.		Now, if it be the denial of our rights to pray, to worship, to read
the Word, we can die for it even. But almost every other law must be
obeyed. You say, “Why do you say almost every other?” Because
sometimes there is just a little hair line difference. And it could be a
matter of conscience and you knowing just what way to go. Now remember,
conscience is not necessarily of God but it’s there anyway as a
valuable tool under certain conditions. The Bible speaks of men having
their conscience seared. So we got to have a tender conscience toward
men and toward God. The thing is then I’m looking at is this,
there’s some areas of doubt. If there’s an area of doubt what do you
do? Sit still until you find which way it goes. And if it does mean that
it’s going to destroy you and take you away from the Word of God then
you don’t do it. 

34.		Now let’s look at unions. Now I know a fellow that he’s a real
mischief maker to be honest with you, won’t pull my punches on that,
he’s just a mischief maker. He’s prided himself for years, he
won’t join unions but he sure joins the devil’s union to abuse
preachers and everybody else that he can get his hands on. (You need to
turn it over? Okay, turn it over.)         [End of side one]

		Now, he’s missed good jobs and kept his family from having a better
living by, he wouldn’t join a union. Now what did the prophet say? He
said, “It’s okay to join a union now because you can’t work if you
don’t. But, (he said,) there’s coming a day when you have to leave
them, when the churches, they get together, but ( he said) we know when
to do it.” Now, the thing is what do you what…now there’s your
answer to your conscience. Certainly there’s things that have a
borderline and they’re a little rough to get into but normally
speaking, you know this, if a law is put there, basically started out to
be a good law and when handled correctly by the authorities, the
judicial system and so on, it is a good law. You obey that law and I
obey that law and it costs money so we pay money. See? 

35.		Now remember, the time that Jesus was born the taxes were wild and
the land was-- ready for anarchy and America’s the same way. All
countries seem to be the same way, so don’t get flustered because
taxes and things are high, just find a way that you can pay minimal
taxes. Now it doesn’t make you a great Christian to say, “Well my
taxes take twenty percent, I’ll see that they get forty.” See? No.
The tax system is legally based on this thought; take every deduction
you can possibly get but don’t take one that’s not coming to you.
Now, I know our system today is pretty bad and I know that they’re
just like the tax collectors of old; we’ll talk about them when we see
what John had to say. The land doesn’t have too much to rely upon when
it comes to real Christian government and laws that were put in there
for our good to being enforced properly. Well look, there’s a lot
that’s wrong but still, this is still the best in the world. There’s
nothing as good as we’ve got and I’d be wrong to tell you people not
to pay taxes but I got to say what they say, don’t pay what you
don’t owe and if you don’t owe it, demand an explanation. If it gets
to the place they don’t want to listen then just pay them. Say,
“Lord, I’m sorry. I pay these fellows, you take care of them.”
That says, “Give way to wrath.” Not your wrath, you keep quiet if
you possibly can but let God handle them.

36.		I don’t know if you folk believe in the White Throne judgment the
way I do but I got this, Bro. Branham’s little clue was this, he said,
“There’s not a motion a sound ever lost, it’s recorded up right up
there. It’ll be played back on judgment day.” 

		And it’s not going to be blup like that and they say, “Hey,
don’t like it, pfft you’re gone.”

		It’s going to be every person judged for every single thought and
every word. And you say, “That might take a thousand years.” 

		What’s it to you when you’re immortal? What’s fifty billion
years and infinity? I want to ask you a question. How many times will
trillion times trillion times trillion times trillion times many, many
trillions go into infinity? An infinite number of times. So listen,
don’t worry about what’s going to take place there and how long
it’s going to take, God’s not in any rush, you can tell He’s in no
rush letting the time drag on the way it’s dragging right now. Oh,
it’s not dragging to God, it’s just dragging to you and me, let’s
face it [Bro. Vayle and congregation chuckle]. Don’t try to blame it
onto God, just trying to express our own feelings on it, see? 

37.		So, what we’re to do then is to obey. But to deny any law with an
attitude of 1Pet 2:16 is wrong. Let’s go back to 2:16 and see this
again. What’s He say here?

(16)	As free, not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, (or
of malice) but as servants of God.

		Now, what’s He doing? He’s telling the people, in their form of
obedience, to be very careful and to do it in the best they can in the
Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ because that’s what counts. 

38.		Now, let’s take a fourth witness and that fourth witness is John
the Baptist. So we go to Lk 3:10-14. Watch what he say’s here.  3rd
chapter, I’ve got to the wrong chapter. All right,

(10)	And the people asked John, saying, What shall we do? 

(11)	He answered and (said,) He that hath two coats, let him impart to
him that has none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 

(12)	Then also came the publicans to be baptized, and said, Master, what
do we do? 

(13)	And he said, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 

		Now, that’s so much for the IRS today too. Yup. I’ll tell you what
they’ll do, they’ll contradict each other and they won’t give you
a straight answer. Oh they give you a straight answer for the time being
but it won’t hold in court or any place else. Most people don’t know
you can go right to the, to the registrar. What do they call him, it’s
a certain…he’s the head of the whole district, the deputy or
whatever he’s called, I forget his name, he’s got a special name.
When you get to him you can say, “Listen I’ve got to have a straight
answer.” If you’re an accountant, maybe even teaching classes, say,
“I’ve got to have the answer and you’ve got the answer or you
shouldn’t be here. What is the answer?” And, he’d better know
because that’s his job and he can’t equivocate according to the law.
And if he does equivocate you can appeal right to the president’s
office. Most people in this country don’t even know you can appeal to
the president’s office. You may think that’s a waste of time, it’s
not a waste of time. Not a waste of time. One little guy can make heads
fall. Not, don’t hurt anybody. Look, if they don’t do their job or
they’re crooked, the law is supposed to be a terror to the man that
enforces the law. 

39.		What about this guy over here in ?Arcanan? Was it in ?Canon? was it
a few years ago, they found out the guy that robbed the bank was what?
Local police. Not bad at all, not bad at all. If anybody should make a
haul you’d think he’d make a haul but they caught him. So don’t
think because a man becomes a law enforcement officer or he’s some
authority in government that he’s above the law, unless of course
…?... maybe, something like that. And I don’t care if I said this on
tape and on record and I’m not the only guy. Okay. We have a right to
question things; we have a right to have answers. If these are ministers
of God, they are liable to the highest authority which means there must
be a godly conscience behind it if it’s right. Now, of course you’re
going to deteriorate but you and I have got a right to know things. Now
here the Publicans say, “What do we do?” You know what He said?
“Don’t exact more than that’s appointed.” In other words,
there’s a law, you can take so much and no more. Ask Charlie Fetter
what they did to him. I know different cases around the country. 

40.		Let’s go a little further,

(14)	 …soldiers likewise demanded, saying, what shall we do? And he
said, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content
with your wages.

		What about that one? Boy that, that really hurt their feelings you
know. You can’t beat people up, you can’t accuse them falsely and
you better not strike for higher wages. Now what about then in the
police force, what about the firemen, what about the doctors and
different people, nurses, pulling off a strike? Well, I’m very
grateful the president had enough gumption to stand up to the
controllers when it come to the, to the air service. He said, “You
made a vow, an oath that you would not strike, you’re fired.” Now,
people don’t like that. I know, people always… look it, we’re all
human, we all want to be dealt with nicely when we sin. 

41.		I’ve tried in more then one case to see where it would go, trying
to get, help a preacher out of adultery. But I had to stand before him
and say, “Look I don’t believe you’ll do it. In fact, I don’t
have any hope you’ll do it.” But wouldn’t it be nice that there is
such a thing in this congregation to obey God, to restore that man in
love and try to help him. But they wouldn’t do it and I don’t blame
them for it, I don’t blame them at all. Why don’t you go outside and
do it? That’s like the sheep dog that has been sent to watch the sheep
and he sneaks in and gets at a lamb and cuts it, bites through and
brings down the coyote. So, it would be nice that people had that kind
of - I am talking as a human being up here, not talking as a saint of
God now let’s get this flat just partly. Just partly, see? 

42.		Wouldn’t it be nice to come to the place where we really could do
those things with real confidence and faith. Well, saw one man go on in
more and more sin, more and more women,  the next guy, the same thing.
One guy is back preaching, I wouldn’t go near him, I wouldn’t go  
to his congregation, couldn’t. I wouldn’t go near him, I wouldn’t
get a tape of his or anything else, unless I was just curious to see
what kind of mish mash that boy, a guy like that, is preaching because
he’s all mixed up in adultery in his life in the church. How can he
have anything but adultery here in the Word? I wouldn’t give him the
time of day on it just… Come on, let’s face these things
brother/sister, I’m not being hard, just telling the truth. See? 

		Now, but here’s the thing there’s obedience required here and the
Bible is not a book that deals with the theoretical. It doesn’t deal
with something which is, you might say, a fantasy, a man’s
imagination, a sort of Utopia, a sort of well, the Bible is not a book
that panders to euphoria. “Oh, everything’s just great.” No,
everything isn’t great. The Bible tells it as it is and the Bible
said, “Look, you’re born again but you’re not resurrected.” And
you got everything going against you like the man in the world does but
there’s one thing, you’ve returned as lost sheep to the Bishop of
your souls, the Holy Spirit’s here to help you, that’s what it’s
all about. 

43.		Now, there’s laws in the land and don’t let people trick you.
Don’t let them say, “Well, those laws I don’t have to obey.” We
have to obey the laws. Now you can’t sin against the Word of God in
doing it. Now there may come a time when they say, “Now, we’re going
to close you folk down and you can’t worship anymore, we’ll be
watching you.” Well, you do your best to get together somewhere and
somehow. You just do your best, that’s all. 

		They say, “Well, you can’t have a building.” 

		Say, “Well, all right you can’t have a building” 

		They say, “We’re going to dispossess you.” 

		Well, they dispossess it. 

		You say, “What would it be like to be in the streets out there?” 

		Well, we could be naked, cold and dying, I haven’t got that far yet.
I don’t know what it will be like. I know what it’s like to be cold
but not naked and cold. See? I don’t know what it is like. I have no
idea what it’s going to be like but I know that anything coming upon
us - the law of the land to begin with, was not a wrong law, it was a
right law. But things have kept and kept and that’s why you see, we
are today that which is right and that law being originally right,
we’ve got to go to that right part of it. Now, if they say, “You
can’t worship, you can’t pray, you can’t read the Word of God,”
then that’s wrong. 

		Of course like David, we could say, “Thy Word I have hid in my
heart, we won’t sin against you and nobody can take it from us.” 

		That’s good. And I suppose that if they did take our Bibles we would
be very, we would, we would find just how much Bible we really know. We
wouldn’t have to worry too much. 

44.		Now, what they’ve done, they’ve taken this separation of state
and school, of the religion around the church and the state, so far
apart that you can’t pray in the school. Now that’s really an error.
You can pray in school under certain conditions. But you can’t break
the constitution when it comes to that one thing that they demand, that
you don’t foist something upon somebody that that person doesn’t
want. I don’t see any reason why a Jew would have to listen to a
Christian pray. On the other hand what’s the matter with the Jew that
he couldn’t listen to a Christian pray? I don’t see why a Christian
has to listen to a Jew pray, but what’s the matter with the Christian?
If he’s a real Christian he will listen to a Jew pray. But it’s
pretty hard to have a Christian and a Jew sit down together and that
child, forced against his will to enter into a Christian service.
What’s wrong with the little Jew and other little Jews having their
own little service? Ah, now the teacher’s rise that we’re going to
waste too much time. What’s wasting time with kids praying and going
into religion, even if it’s not a true religion? Like Bro. Branham
said, “They go to church not to be worse, but to be better.” You go
to the bar room to get worse, not to be better. See? But the
government’s gone so far that it has become blind. 

45.		Now you say, “I’m going to take my kids out of school.”
People are doing it. You say, “I can’t stand what’s going on.
I’ll educate my children.” People are doing it. Now will I tell you
say, “Now, you got to send your kids to school,”? You’ve got to
educate your children. If the law allows you certain privileges you take
those privileges. Nobody is standing up here saying, “Hey, you’ve
got to kowtow to every single law that the law lays out there.” But
you must obey that which was intrinsically right from the beginning so
that you just don’t say, “Well, I’m a law to  myself.” See,
that’s the worst thing in the world; people are a law to themselves.
That exactly what Cain was, he was a law to himself. Now, we cannot be a
law to ourselves. “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
but unto God the things that are God’s.” [Mt 22:21] And if there is
a narrow line somewhere between the two, wait till you get your answer.
Sometimes you can’t get the answer, pray. I don’t know, I am not
here to tell you I got answers, I don’t. 

		Now, what I feel we’ve talked on this last little while and last
Sunday, sets forth in the Word that’s very evident that there are two
kingdoms, two sets of laws, God’s over all. And we are to obey both
the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man in so far as the kingdom of
man does not attempt to destroy our revelation and our standard in the
kingdom of Almighty God. Now, when we consider the laws of man we know
that those laws of man are inferior to the laws of God. The laws of God
never contradict each other, they run in continuity. If you know your
Bible, if you’re lead by the Holy Ghost it just comes right in
beautifully but the laws of man, they shoop, just like this. They’re
scattered like the dandelion fluff in the summer time and the fall. The
laws of man are confusing. Why? Because they deviated from the original
precepts of the Word of God. So, what can you do? Just do your very
best, like we could discuss many things along this line. 

47.		Now, we do not have a guarantee of justice even though the
constitution might be in our favor and we could go to court, we don’t
have a guarantee that we would ever get any proper justice or give us
any freedom that we deserve, because always, there are new laws passed.
And then the judge will say, “Well, in the light of the constitution,
or light of this amendment, light of this, light of that…well, that
wouldn’t work today.” You’ve got a problem, I know we’ve all got
a problem and laws just keep superceding each other until we got too
many laws in the land. They ought to scrap the whole bunch and start
over again to tell you the truth; they can never do it though. See? Why?
Because the Bible tells you that, it’s got to come to, to a harvest
time. Going to court’s usually a lost cause. I don’t say we don’t
need to go to court sometimes but I would stay with, stand with Bro.
Branham, if you can possibly avoid court, don’t go to court; just if
you possibly can. I’ll tell you why.

48.		The Bible says,  [Matthew 5:]

 (25)	Agree with thine adversary, whiles thou art in the way with him;
(See?) lest... the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge
(to the keeper of the prison,…and they put you in there and you stay
there).

		You realize that’s a very funny thing for Him to say? Because the
man that’s bad should go to prison, didn’t say you were bad, said
you were the good guy. Now this is not a western movie. The western
movie, the bad guy’s always get shot and the good guys live. But I got
news, the good guy’s going to get shot down and the bad guys going to
live. The Bible tells you very, very soberly here, if you don’t agree
with your adversary, you’ve got trouble. What is that trouble? The
trouble is the gall of bitterness, the anger, the resentments the things
that build up. You say, “Well, what if I lose this and I lose that?”
Well, who hasn’t? Some lose far more than others but let’s look at
it this way, at least you had the privilege of having a whole lot more
then others for the time being. “Well,” you say, “that makes it
all the worst.” Well then you should have learned to be a poor boy
like the rest of us I guess. [Bro. Vayle chuckles] I am kind of laughing
at the whole thing because you got to know what I am talking about.
There’s got to be an attitude toward everything that has to do with
the law and that has to do with the things of God, because bitterness
and resentment and all these things that come in our lives when they
shouldn’t be there, over what? Over the very fact that there’s
certain things laid out here that we’ve got to get along with. 

49.		Now, let’s look at the good laws, I’m not going to take a long
look I’m just saying look at them for a second. Those laws can be
interpreted different ways because there’s been, well you know,
superimpositions made upon them, there’s been changes and all. Now
then, the point is this. What if a person did go to the law and he had a
good point? And it’s not wrong, I say, to go to law, for the right
thing. Paul appealed to Rome, Paul went to Rome, it’s all right; they
took Christ to judgment so it’s all right. But in that, there is
certain areas they can twist things. Now then, we have a judicial system
with a jury system. It’s the best system there is when it comes to a
jury system but you know one man on the jury, for some little quirk, can
throw the whole thing into a mess. What are you going to do then? Well
you could appeal. Certainly you can appeal it then you come to the place
where there’s no appeal left and the man’s exhausted. 

50.		So what am I trying to say tonight? There’s laws to be obeyed and
if we are fully cognizant or we’re aware of those laws, which many
times people are not aware of laws, which is too bad but what can you
do? When you’re aware of certain things and most of us are aware of at
least a certain amount, we should labor within the framework of
Christianity and I use that correctly. Labor within the framework of our
experience and life with Christ to interpret every single law as God
said here that these men and these laws are from Him and we do our best
to comply with them as long as we know they do not go against us
spiritually. And that’s what we’re talking about; other things
brother/sister I leave to your own judgment because your judgment in
your own case is superior to mine. 

51.		Now, I had trouble myself one time, I didn’t have to go to court
over it, but I found out a company was kept, was not keeping their books
right. So I said now, I kept going back and seeing them and then every
now and then they wrote me a letter and tried to collect the bill and so
I would just ignore it finally. So one day they sent a man come to my
door, a collector for an agency, he said, “Are you Lee Vayle?” 

		I said, “I sure am.” 

		“Well”, he said, “I’m so and so here and,” he said,
“I’ve got a bill that you didn’t pay the …?... company. 

		I said, “Like fun you have,” I said, “Pfft…haul her out.” He
hauled her out and I said, “Would you like to see my checks now,
Mr.?” 

		He said, “I sure would.” 

		I took out my checks, “Now, where’s your bill?”

		“Oh,” he said, “I’m sorry.” He said, “We’ll give them
back this case.” He said, “You don’t owe them a plug nickel.” 

	I said, “You bet I don’t and don’t you come around here again.”


		So, fine...I get another call. So after about three or four times more
I go in and I say, “Look, I’ve come in here every day on my day off
and it’s all over. I’m going to sue you now because here is the
bills, here’s my payments, you know it and I know it.” 

		“Oh,” they said, “people make mistakes.” 

		I said, “Hold it, I’ve dealt with Woodbridge down there, they
didn’t make one mistake.” I said, “I’m going to tell you what
you’re doing. You’re a big outfit and you think, and you can if you
want, you can, anybody who comes here and deals with you, you can
destroy any records you want hoping they’ve destroyed yours, theirs or
haven’t got it and then you’ll say, because you are a big outfit,
‘You owe me money, you owe and you owe’, and you can make a lot of
money.” 

		And I said, “I’m calling your bluff now because I am going to sue
you, take you to court to get my time that you’ve wasted because I am
an honest person and I make money and I labor to make it.” Oh, it’s
a different story right there, the books were in order instantly. 

52.		Now, I don’t say that you have to take any kind of roughage. Bro.
Branham said that to be a Christian doesn’t mean that every body
tramps all over you. Well, I settled, it was all done and I just let it
go at that. So, what can you do? To go to court? I think I would have
gone to court, I think I likely would have, because I’m hot enough
tempered. Over the years you lose a lot of that temper because you find
you can’t win anyway. By the time you pay a lawyer, unless you can sue
them for the cost and this and that, which you can in Canada, it’s
pretty good up there in that respect, usually you can sue to recover
cost, but America is not very easy, hardly ever hear that over here but
up there you can, you used to be able to recover your complete cost. 

		But the, but here’s the thrust of the message is this, that in this
end time the Chief Bishop of our souls is here and we’re back to the
days of the Son of Man and in no ways and under no condition can we
abrogate or cause to set to one side, what He faced back there and those
people faced, under those same conditions. The same conditions are Son
of Man right in this hour, Paul visited by the Pillar of Fire. Peter
knowing the Word of Almighty God, the Spirit bringing back to his mind
what was said that we’ve got to be very careful about the things of
the law and obey them right down the line as given to us from God,
because originally they were. Keep ourselves in a right attitude and a
proper spirit and at all costs avoid getting involved with the law. Now,
if we do accidently I understand those things but to get out of it, get
out quick as we possibly can and above all keep the best spirit. 

53.		Now I know that’s difficult. I’m not standing up here saying
it’s easy. Look, it’s not easy, it’s not easy. The very thing
that’s supposed to help you is now turning on you. But I’m going to
tell you, one of these days the very thing that’s, you know, that’s
supposed to help us physically, is going to turn us so to speak, watch
what I am saying, the spirit just goes out of us. And after all the soul
to follow, the soul follows then the body’s gone, there’s no life
left, there’s nothing. So, let’s begin to try to look at these
things in the light of a Scripture to obey, for conscience, well not
consciously, for the spirit of Christ’s sake, for the good of
ourselves, for the whole church, so that we don’t get ourselves
embroiled in a place where things get out of hand and the Spirit of God
departs from us as individuals, which can happen, so bear easily when
God has made a provision for us. 

54.		So, now I’ll just say this in closing. I don’t intend to close
this off with these thoughts tonight but I myself will not pursue it but
it’s very interesting if you care to do so. You can ask questions and
I might not have the answer but we could pursue them from the Word of
God if we can possibly find them and see where it would go with some
questions because I haven’t covered everything tonight. I haven’t
covered that side and I really can’t cover that side of personal
problems unless I knew the problems. What I might tell you I might do
from what I know the Word of God to be and what I know Bro. Branham to
have said and what I find in my own experience, just how I conduct
myself. But, remember the law was set there for the terror of evil and
as one man said, “When good men do nothing about the law then anarchy
completely takes over.” 

		And I have not suggested to anybody that you have a just cause, that
you simply say, “Well, it’s okay, that man can eat me up, take my
living or take this and take that.” I never said that. But I’ll say
one thing, if you can possibly avoid any court involvement, any legal
involvement, which you might not be able to, because the more we’re
involved the more bitter we get, the more anxieties come upon us, the
more problems. If there’s any way to avoid it, we avoid it, maybe
there’ll never be a, maybe you can’t avoid it. See? Some people say,
“Well, I cannot go to law, period.” I will not say that in this
pulpit, neither do I say, “Go to law.” But I say, I don’t know
where you’d be forbidden. I don’t know where you have to take
everything lying down and say, “Well, that’s the way it is.”
That’s not the way it is. 

		So, the Lord bless you, I hope this has been some help to you. I
can’t say that some of these things helped me too much except to tell
you that since I realize more and more and I started thinking about
these things about eight years ago, seven, eight years ago, the law, I
find myself, the more I obey the law the easier it is, no matter what it
is. The more I give in to those things that perhaps aren’t even
incumbent upon me to give into, because I’ve got my rights, see? You
come to the place where you say, “Well, this cost something but it
could have cost a whole lot more.” And that’s a very good thing to
understand, that’s the thing we’re looking at. So, the Lord bless
you, let’s rise at this time, be dismissed. Sunday morning, 10:30
again as usual. And we’re planning for an Easter meeting Friday,
Saturday and Sunday and whoever the girls phoned, different ones, and
tell you what we plan on doing, we don’t expect to do anything too
much but we will be, we will try to help the guests that come in as they
usually come in at this particular time of year. 

		Heavenly Father, we’ve been grateful again, we are very grateful to
know we can be here tonight, discussing some of these things Lord, that
we don’t have all the answers to because we don’t go into every
facet Lord. And if we did, we might not have the answer because we are
not wise in ourselves, but we know that in Your Word here Lord, there is
an answer. If it even came down to just one thing, agree with thine
adversary, work something out and then forget it and let it alone. Lord,
we know that in countries where people are really oppressed that’s
what they got to do because there’s nothing left to do. We don’t
know if we’ll come that far here, Lord, either in our country as a
great nation or we’ll come that way in our spirits. But I hope Lord
that we will try and come to a place where we have not yet arrived, as
to our submission to these things Lord, in the Spirit of the living God.
This is what we want Father.

		I know Lord, it’s been a difficult thing for me in certain areas and
yet my, Lord, when I look at it, why should it have been difficult?
I’ve got so little to do with the law anyway. Driving a car, just
doing little things here and there, never involved too much in politics
or anything else. Surely Lord, it isn’t that hard and there’s been
no pressure put upon us, we’ve actually had it very easy. So Father, I
pray that no matter what we have to do by way of taxes, by way of even
some type of a service in the community, called upon to do, that we’ll
begin to do these things as unto You, Lord. We know that some things are
better done with our hands for the community than just giving money
although money seems the easiest thing to do and the government seems to
think the same way, which I guess is all right, Lord, because that’s
what they’re doing and we don’t want to fuss about them. But Father,
we want to be Christians, not just in Word, we want to be Christians in
deed. We want to be Your servants in the kingdom of God while we’re
still here in the kingdom of man, the devil’s cosmos and do it in such
a way, Lord conduct ourselves that people cannot put their hand on us,
they cannot point a finger. We know that that’s a very high thing
we’re asking for Father but to ask for less would dishonor Thy Name,
for why should we ever do those things that would dishonor You? And
we’re so grateful Lord; You’re teaching us how to stay away from
those things. 

		Help us, oh God, we pray, make us as wise as serpents and as harmless
as doves, that’s what we want in this last hour. So if the men would
take our coat, well, we’ll just give them our top coat too, if that
were necessary, that they would borrow. Help us to do it in such a way
we turn them not away. We realize Lord, all these things are here for us
as Christians. Now Father, if we’re going to be a real family and
You’re going to be our real Father, the One who brings us together, we
in You and You in us and we’re all one together, Lord, it means
we’re going to have to just be a little more circumspect then ever
before and just all pull together in love and help and kindness,
consideration and prayers and doing whatsoever might be done oh God, so
that we just really are one and show forth that we are Your dear son’s
and daughter’s. So help us that in Lord, because we want that and we
know that when life is all over, all these things won’t matter anyway.
It won’t matter Lord, what taxes we paid or what pressure we were
under to pay those taxes or what pressure under to do service to for
people, the government and those things Lord, required of us because
they’re just so numerous. 

		But, one day Lord, it’s going to be all over and we want at that day
to be able to hear that we did well Father, we pray that we will. Some
of us don’t have too much time left and I speak for ourselves, myself
particularly, what time I have got left, I don’t know but maybe a
young person here doesn’t have time either. So we pray, Heavenly
Father that You’ll just give us our depth of the pressure of Your
Spirit upon us to direct us in a life of civil obedience and Christian
obedience, because that’s what it’s all about. We ask these mercies
Lord, with good health, in Your care in the Name of Jesus Christ, we
pray, Amen. The Lord bless you, let’s just sing 

		‘Take the name of Jesus with you.’

	

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