The Way of a True Prophet # 2

Bro. Lee Vayle   -   May 16, 1984

	Shall we pray: Heavenly Father, we're very grateful and happy to be
here with Your Presence, Lord, in a distinct and wonderful way at this
end-time, and with each other, Lord, to have fellowship one with
another, walking in the Light and the Blood of Jesus Christ cleansing
us. Be with us in the meditation of the Word, Lord, which You have left
by the mouth of a prophet, vindicated for this hour. May we not deviate
one breath from it, but, be in all, not just in tense and purposes, but
experientially one with that Word.

	Bless everyone tonight, Lord. May we receive what we have come for,
up-building correction, whatsoever is necessary that we may be
thoroughly approved of Thee, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen. You may be
seated.

	[Bro. Vayle address visitors]

1.	Now, we're into for the second time 'The Way of a True Prophet', and
because I read such a little bit the other day, having read what he used
as his text and context. I'm just going to go back to Amos again the 3rd
chapter. [Page 11]

 	[The Way of a True Prophet  05-13-62]

[22]  	Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children
of Israel, 				against the whole family which I brought up from the land
of Egypt…

	Now, you'll notice in there that Bro. Branham has chosen this because,
it is a good type of his own ministry. And you will notice in here that
this is a judgment prophet. Because, he is speaking against Israel and
he says: "…against the whole family which I brought up from the land
of Egypt."

2.	Now, we are known of course as the family of God. And you'll notice
over here in Hebrews 2:11, that's brought to our attention, I've used
this a lot, where he says:

		(11) 	For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all
of 						one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

		(12) 	Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst
of 						the church will I sing praise unto thee.

		(13) 	And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and
the 						children which God hath given me.

	Now, the reason I'm using that, is simply to illustrate the fact of
family. And here we find that as God cried out through a judgment
prophet against Israel, so at the end-time there is a crying out against
the Gentile church which has forsaken God.

	Now, you'll notice He says: 

		You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I
will punish 				You for your iniquity.

	And of course, you're looking again at the fact that: To whom little is
given, little is required. "To whom much is given, much is required."
[Luke 12:48] 

	Now, he says here:  

		I'll punish You for your iniquity.

		Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

	Now, you'll notice in the Scripture that It says, "That two cannot walk
together, except they be agreed." [Amos 3:3]  And It says in 1 John
[1:7]  "That if we walk in the Light as He is in the Light, we have
fellowship one with another."  

	So therefore, you'll notice the perfection here of this Scripture and
Its continuity that there is no walk with God, except through the
revealed Word. 

3.	Now remember, on October 23, 1964, when Bro. Branham was out hunting
that time. (or was it '63, no '64.)  All right, he'd been out hunting
and the storm in Colorado, the blizzard, and afterward it was stopped
the Lord said, "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

	Now, of course you know that could come to mind where Enoch walked with
God, and he was not, for God took him. That being our portion the
prophet having typed what lies ahead for you and me in the hour which is
to come. Two walking together, well they cannot walk except they be
agreed.

	Now, of course you know as well as I know when you talk about the Lord,
then when you are in agreement with Him you don't have any input. A lot
of people feel they've got an input. You don't have any input. It's
whatever God says goes, and that's that. He is highly a dictatorial,
because He is Supreme Sovereign.

4.	Now: 

		Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath taken no prey? will a
young lion				 cry out of his den, if he has taken nothing?

		Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where there is no gin for
him? shall 				one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken
nothing at all?

		Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?
shall there 				be evil in a city, and the LORD has not done it?

		Surely the Lord... will do nothing, but he reveals his secrets unto
his servants 				the prophets.

	Now, you'll notice in here that a judgment prophet is sent before
something which is cataclysmic, something which is going to be very hard
on the people by nature of judgment, because, he's a judgment prophet.
But, you will notice also that God does not do this without sending a
prophet. Now, what you have here is the principle of Alpha and Omega,
which is taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes that: "whatsoever God
doeth, He doeth it forever," you can't add anything to It, or take from
It, and it's been previously done.

5.	So, you're seeing here a law laid down, that people in this hour
cannot recognize, which is that a prophet must come on the scene if
indeed the earth is to be judged. Now, Bro. Branham begins speaking
about this man, what he looked like and how he acted as he stood there
looking over the city of Samaria to which he was sent.

[23] 	His eyes must've got narrow as he stood that morning on the hill
just beyond 				the city of Samaria. I can see his steady hands as they
moved through his 					gray beard; the hot sun was shining down. He
wasn't too glamorous to look 				at: how different from the modern
evangelist today. His clothes were rugged, 				shaggy-looking beard...
And looked down upon that city  Samaria, his eyes 				getting narrow as
he looked... He wasn't much to look at, but he had THUS				SAITH THE
LORD for that nation. 

6.	Now:

		It was perhaps a lot different for this oncoming campaign that the
Lord 					had sent him to Samaria for, than what our modern evangelists
would be. 					(Now, it says,) He wasn't equipped for such a revival, as
we would think 					he should be today. 

	All right, Bro. Branham is giving you an understanding here that
coincides with end-time evangelism that Bro. Branham will not conduct
himself being a prophet of God, as other men conduct themselves.  

	Now, you'll notice that he describes first of all the characteristics
which have to do with the way the man looks. The way he deports himself.
And he's letting you know that his deportment, and his ways will not be
the ways of modern people. Now, so many times he talked of John the
Baptist from the aspect of the wilderness completely untutored, having
literally reared himself, by himself on the desert without help of
others, and then coming before Israel that he was not just a question
mark, but, that actually he would have opened himself up to ridicule. 

	That's why Bro. Branham kept mentioning he was a Kentucky hillbilly,
and how he spoke and all of these things in there. But, the most
important thing to understand what he is getting across here is, that
this man will not be like other men. Now, that's always been the trouble
with people. "Why can't he be like us? Why can't he just go along? Why
can't…?" Well, because he's not supposed to. See, he's not supposed
to.

7.	So therefore, we have another picture. If this man…and there has to
be a man come at a juncture who will be a prophet, and we're speaking in
worldwide cataclysmic proportions, there has to be somebody. See, come,
then you should be prepared somehow to have some kind of a picture that
is already in the Scripture as to what that man is going to be like.

	And Bro. Branham said he'll be a wilderness person. He'll love the
wilderness, he'll cry out against women, he will not be educated
according to the standards of the hour. He won't have to know the Hebrew
and the Greek, and the Aramaic, and speak half a dozen languages. He
won't need any of those things, because he will be unique according to
the Word, absolutely different.

8.	Now:  

		But remember, he wasn't a modern evangelist; he was a prophet.

	There again, you are to notice that the person who is in the focal
point of the eyes of the people who stands out there, the glamour boy is
the evangelist. Now, this man will not be an evangelist. Now notice, God
said he would do the work of an evangelist, which is to bring the 'good
news'. But, he said, "You are a prophet." So therefore, the evangelistic
Message of the hour is on the prophetic level. Now, the evangelistic
message of any hour normally is a propitiation, the shed Blood, the open
Mercy Seat, the Mediator to bring you in, and the Intercessor to keep
you in. And you want to go further, you can establish such things as
divine healing and all of that.

	Well, that is very true. But, the mercy of God is about to end. So
therefore, the propitiation will not be available. The Mediator will not
be available. The Intercessor will not be available. The other things
can and will be available. But, that which is pertaining to this hour of
judgment will be brought to the attention of the people, and they will
know that that is now  a thing of the past.

9.	Now:

		 He didn't care about the modern equipment; 

	How many times did Bro. Branham say, "Well, I can go to a little
church." He could have come here. Why, he came to me, he would have come
any time I asked him in Ohio. And if I invited for other men, he was
glad to come. "Oh," he said, "surely I can come (he said) because, (like
he said on tape, he said,) I don't have a big office to keep up. I'm not
on TV, I'm not on radio, I don't have all kinds of equipment. Why, (he
said) I can just go anywhere. But, (he said) if you're a man with lots
of equipment, and you've got big tents, why (he said) you can only go to
where the people can afford to have you."

	Well, that's why Hattie Mosier was able to have Bro. Branham, when a
lot of people couldn't. Get out there where the squirrels were, and just
have a nice time with the people of God.

10.	Now: 

		He didn't care how he looked, and how much fashion he was dressed
like, 					whether his hair was combed right, or whether anybody looked
at him or 					not. 

	Well, that doesn't mean that his hair wasn't combed right. See? He had
the Word of the Lord. And that was his full objective, bring that Word
of the Lord. Now, what's he saying there? This man didn't need props. In
fact, God knocked the props out, what would have been props. You know,
that's right.

[24] 	He had the Word of the Lord that was his full objective: to bring
the Word 					of the Lord. Who was this fellow? Yep, it was Amos the
prophet: rugged 					individual, but he knew where he was standing; he
knew what he was doing; 				he was a true prophet of the Word.

	Now, the Spirit of wisdom, revelation comes into the Church to make
known to the Church the hour which we're living in. How in the world
would the Church know without a prophet? All right, so there's a
prophet. 

11.		And the reason he had come to this city, was because the Word had
come 					to him. 

	I wonder if people realize that the reason that Bro. Branham came to
Lima, was because the Word of the Lord came to him. Now, there's not
many people that actually are in this Message today that actually were
in the Lima meeting, outside a man like Bro. Bob Brown.

	"Well," you say, "Bro. Vayle are you going to qualify?"

	Well, I'm glad you asked the question, because I am going to qualify.
Bro. Branham was saying, "Well, now Lee, I'll come to Spencerville."

	I said, "now Bro. Branham look, I don't know that we've got a place
there big enough, or I can even…you'd never get into the church,
because we've got a tiny church and so maybe the thing to do is go to
Lima."

	And he just turned, and he said, "That's it." God just spoke.

12.	So all right: The reason he'd come to this city was because the Word
had come to him.

		And when the Word of the Lord comes to a true servant, he must go; 			
	regardless of circumstances. regardless of difficulties, he must go
anyway. 				Whether he's prepared, whether he feels like it, whether he
wants to, 					whatevermore; he must go anyway. It's God speaking, and
he must carry 					this message, because... He never goes for
foolishness; he never goes for 					money; he never goes for popularity;
he only goes in the Name of the Lord, 				for one thing: he's got a
mission, and he's sent of the Lord. And he is the 					Word of the Lord,
because he's carrying the Word of the Lord. That is a 					true prophet
of the Lord.

	Now, you notice that in this paragraph here, he is literally saying the
same thing that he says in The Rapture tape.  Now he says, "I'm going to
say things that are strange to you." And he said, "You might not agree."
And he lets the people know it's not for controversy, and not only is it
not for controversy, it is not for sensationalism.

	Now he said, "I don't go (he said) just to have something to say, or to
be listened to." He said, "I'm going, (and he said) and you know me that
I'm serious."

13.	Now, he stood in Yuma, Arizona, and he brought the Message of 'The
Rapture', having previously been in California, especially Los Angeles,
when the city was condemned.

	Now, he says here: 

		…he's sent of the Lord. (And notice what he said about the prophet,)
and 					the prophet is the Word of God, because he's carrying the Word
of the Lord.

	In other words, there is not simply an identification here as some
people would think. That this man being a prophet, and identified with
the Word, and therefore he has this particular status. Although that is
true, but, Bro. Branham is far weightier in his pronouncement, because
he said, "The prophet is the Word of God, because he's carrying the Word
of the Lord."

14.	Now, let's just take a look at that from the Book of Jeremiah 1:4. 

		(4) 	Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

		(5) 	Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou 		
			camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, (that is He put him 	
				aside, special ordained service,) and ordained thee a prophet unto 	
				the nations.

		(6) 	Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a
child.

		(7) 	…the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt
go 						to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee
thou 						shalt speak.

		(8) 	(And) be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver
thee, 					saith the LORD.

		(9) 	Then the LORD put his hand forth, and touched my mouth. And the 	
			LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

		(10) 	See, I have this day set thee over nations and over the
kingdoms, to 					root out, to pull down, to destroy, and to throw down,
to build, and to 					plant.

	Now watch:

	He said, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee." Where was he?
Well, he was somewhere as one of the sons of God that were a part of
that great company of the sons of God who did not, or were not allowed
to have a theophonic body, or spirit body, but had to come down through
this way.

15.	Now, you will notice that John the Baptist stood before the people,
the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ physically to Israel, and they
said, "Who are you anyway?" 

	And he said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. I am
Isaiah, chapter 40." In other words, this man John was saying, "I am
this portion of the Word of God made flesh, because, This is what spoke
of me." So therefore, he would be the Word of God. William Branham also
is  Malachi 3, part of It, and Malachi 4:5-6, part of It, because John
the Baptist was a part in those cases. 

	He also could say, "I am the Word of God." There wasn't any prophet who
wasn't ordained a prophet, because, he was a prophet, and that's before
the flesh. And when he comes down here, the prophet is the Word of God.
And he is carrying the Word of God, that is a true prophet of the Lord. 

16.	So, Bro. Branham is saying here before he gets to his topic. He
said:

[25] 	My text is "The Way of a True Prophet of God." 

	So, he's telling you here, this: that the prophet is the Word of God.
Because he's carrying the Word of God, and I'm going to let you know
what a true prophet is like, especially as refers to this hour. Now, he
goes into the history of the hour, which is going to be parallel in a
great measure to this hour.

		This great, fearless man of God prophesied in the days of Jeroboam II.
I've 				got part of his history written out here before me. (That's
Amos) Amos 					prophesied about thirteen years of his campaign. (Now
notice, he uses the word 				'campaign'.)

 	Now, what is his campaign? His campaign evidently is to get somebody
ready against the judgment, so they're going to escape it. Now, if you
begin to put this to this hour, you're going to run right into the Book
of Malachi. Said, "Behold, the day cometh, saith the Lord, the earth is
going to burn like an oven. And all that are proud and all that do
wickedly are going to be consumed without root nor branch." [Mal 4:1] 

	But he said, "Unto you that hearken to My Name, and to My Word, [Mal
3:16] why he said, "You'll grow up as calves of the stall, you'll
trample the enemy under your feet." [Mal 4:2-3] And he says in there:
"Behold I send you Elijah the prophet, and if I didn't send him, then I
would have to destroy." [Mal 4:5]

17.	So, we find that this one whoever Elijah is, which we understand and
know to be Bro. Branham, is carrying on a campaign. Now, let's
understand what the campaign is, so that you'll get the picture correct.
It's over here in Luke 1:15 and on, concerning John the Baptist who is
mentioned over there in the Book of Malachi.

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

		(16) 	And many of the children of Israel shall he (John the Baptist)
turn to 					the Lord God (of Israel.).

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

	Now, you will notice in there exactly what John was going to do. He was
going to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, which is the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just. Which tells you, that as the
father was the patriarch of the clan, because, they had a clan system in
Israel, and the father was always the head of the clan, and of the
family.

	So therefore, it was necessary that if the children were going to get
something, the father's hearts would have to be turned. Now, he tells
you what the turning is: it's the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.
And the word 'disobedient' there, (as I've told you several times, is
not an act of disobedient, even willful,) it's ignorance. It's
ignorance.

18.	Now, if you go to the Book of Ephesians 1:17, (which we've gone to,
time and time, and time again, that's why we like to keep going back.) 

		(17) 	That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may 
					give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation (even) in the 			
		knowledge of him:

		(18) 	The eyes of your (soul) being enlightened; that (you) may know 	
				the hope of his calling, and (so on .) 

	You can see in exact parallel there, that there would have to be a
prophet at the end-time, do exactly what John the Baptist did, because
that was his commission.

	So therefore, John the Baptist had a campaign, and the campaign was by
some method to open the eyes of those who would be in the father
capacity to the children. So, they'd have an understanding in order to
be those who guided and directed with understanding that which was of
that hour. So therefore, you would have the same thing at the end-time.
You'd have the hearts of the children turned back, so that they would
have an understanding of the end-time.

19.	Now, that was the campaign.

		And Jeroboam II was just about as smart and able as Israel had had for
					some time. He was a man and had brought prosperity to Israel.
Israel was 					flourishing, but there was something wrong with him; he
was an idolater.

	That's why Bro. Branham could keep on saying, "A million more in '54,
the Baptist slogan. And now there's millions and millions more. Always
the people looked for something which is flourishing.

	Now, that's exactly why there are people who could not throw their
weight behind Bro. Branham, because he didn't have a program, he had a
campaign. Now, the trouble is the people with the program thought they
had a campaign! Now, how can you have a campaign if there's no such
thing as a campaign, unless it's the prophet's got it? 

	Listen, that's the Garden of Eden again, or just outside of it, when
Cain and Abel stood there. I don't care how good Cain was with the Word,
he was wrong! So, you've got people wrong, they've got programs, they
don't have campaigns. Only a prophet had a campaign. So, all this
evangelistic campaign and all these things going on, what's it for? It's
a program! Come on, 'amen', that's the truth. You know it's the truth.
The prophet's got to be right, he's absolutely vindicated of God.

20.	Now, Israel was all flourishing. They're out there flourishing. Like
the big bay tree, but there was something wrong. He was in idolatry, and
that's exactly what went on. As Bro. Branham stayed in the truth he
diminished, and the rest got bigger and bigger, and bigger. Yeah, look
at the estates they're going to leave behind. Bro. Branham, Canadian's
gave him twenty five thousand dollars to build a home. And he gave the
man the money and the guy robbed him blind. He must have, unless Bro.
Branham made a mistake somewhere. And I can't believe he misinformed
when he said he gave it. Maybe I misunderstood that he gave it all to
him, but he gave the guy twenty five thousand. When Banks Wood's pulled
off the front porch, it was made out of one-by-four, instead of
two-by-fours.

	You go back to 1947, what was twenty five thousand bucks like in 1947,
what kind of house would it be? Ha, you wouldn't have to wait for a
mansion in glory, he could have had it right there, if you were minded
on mansion on this earth for your glory. Well, all right, then a house
was given out in Tucson, so now that was put into the estate. Now,
that's all there, and the kids can't even have it. But you get these
rich guys out here they've got foundations, and you watch how their kids
will get money everything else, just multi millionaires. Bro. Branham
didn't hardly have two cents to rub together. 

21.	Now:

		And I, kinda reading this the other day, I kinda thought that was
pretty 					fitting to today. No matter how smart a man is, and how much
he can do, 					and how much prosperity, if he gets away from God, he's
merely a dept to 					the nation, away from God and His Word. I wonder
if it isn't fitting to us 					today, to someone who loves to set on
television and show how smart they 					are, how much brains they got.
But I wonder if they've got enough to take 					THUS SAITH THE LORD? 

	They sure haven’t. Remember, the quiz kids on TV, and all these smart
guys, 'Sixty Four Thousand Dollar questions'? Some of that was rigged of
course, you know, they were too smart.

		He was a smart man all right. Israel was in a backslidden condition;
her 					preachers, her priests, her government had all left the Word of
God. Now, 					they didn't believe that. (In other words, they didn't
believe they left the 					Word.)

22.	Like the fellow that came over here from India, he said he believed
Bro. Branham. "Why," he said, "you Americans, sure Bro. Branham had to
bring the Bible back to you. You know why? He said, "We in India never
left It."

	Now, the guy's a good preacher, I've heard him preach, but he maybe
used two verses of Scripture. I've used as many as many as two hundred
and over in one sermon. Not boasting. He didn't know the first thing
about the Bible along side of us over here in America. I don't care
where you go. There's no nation knows the Word of God better than
America knows. There's nobody knows It better than over here. But they
don't know It period. They may know It cover to cover, and recite you
verse to verse, but they don't know what It means. That's what he's
talking about here. Now, they didn't believe that they left the Word of
God. Oh, if you don't know what It means, you done left It.

		They believed that they were with the Word of the Lord, but "there is
a way 				that seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the
ways of death." 

23.	Now, let's go back to Proverbs 14:11-12. Now, he's quoting from
Proverbs over here, so we might as well just read It.

		(11) 	The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle
of 						the upright shall flourish.

		(12) 	There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof 					are the ways of death.

	Now, It tells you right there that the kingdoms of this earth are going
to fall, but the building of God is not going to. And the trouble is,
with the buildings of this world and the kingdoms they think they know
what's right, but they do not know what's right.

	Listen, how many years did it take us to really understand John 3:16
has always been out of context. It's always been out of context. The
Blood does not avail if you don't come to the Light. But, you try to
tell a person, that and they're not going to listen to It. They won't do
it. 

[26] 	Why was they wrong? Or how could a man believe that which wherein 
				they were wrong, a whole priesthood of men, thousands of preachers,
and 					priests, and kings, and governors, all who professed to be
worshippers of 					God, yet all of them were wrong. (That's your
paradox. See?)

24.	Man comes on the scene demonstrating that what he teaches is valid.
He has the vindication of God. Stands up and tells them the truth. They
said, "Well, now look, we can take the miracles, we can take all the
wonderful works you do, but, ain't no way we're going to believe what
you say." See, they can't take it. See?

	I'll tell you, the trouble is the church doesn't know what is
authoritative from God. They just never learned. See? Now, it says,
"They were all of them wrong." In other words, there wasn't one person
right but Amos.

	"Well," you say, "what about the Elect?" They were wrong too, but they
were going to get set right. Like it was back in the days of John the
Baptist. Now, that's a true legalist. Yep, true legalism. That's what
these fellows, a bunch of legalists. They were self righteous, and
they're self righteous today. They talk about a sacrifice. They talk
about a Mediator. They talk about a Intercessor, then they turned down
the way that God provided for this hour of escape through a prophet.

	Now, you know what they are going to try to do? They are going to try
to throw it all back on the Mediator. 

	Say, "Well, hallelujah Jesus, you died for me Lord, and Lord, I don't
need no prophet, hallelujah, I got You."

	He said, "I got news for you, you ain't got any." No, it doesn't work
brother/sister.

25.		Then they didn't need a king for prosperity. (We don't need one
either. 					Why? Because the Son of prosperity is standing in the wings
to take over.) 				What they needed was a prophet, because the Word of
the Lord, or the 					interpretation of the Word of the Lord comes to a
true prophet. Sometimes 					you can see what his way is then. It's a
pretty rugged way when all the priests, 				and all the preachers, and
all the Diviners, and the government itself against 				him; but yet,
the Word of the Lord comes to the prophet, and that alone. He 				has
the right Word, although he had the same Bible they had. 

	In other words, he alone has the right Word, got the same Bible. He
alone can read It right. Remember, there comes a time when they hand the
Book and say, "Read It." 

	He said, "I can't do it, I'm ignorant." Tell what's in It, there's no
way.

	"Well, you people don't want to believe that." They say, "I can tell
you what's right."

	Even Hebert Armstrong, when his wife died he decided that he liked this
secretary of his, is this forty five year old divorcee. Why he had it
all figured out why she had a wrong marriage in the first time, she can
make it right the second time. Now, he's divorced her. Ha, like the
Pentecostal's. These legalists make me sick. They always got an answer
for their sin. Yep! 

	I was, I'll say it again, I said it a thousand times, a legalist is a
guy commit adultery six times tonight, and six times tomorrow night,
because, "Oh Jesus, forgive me," knowing he's going to do it the next
day again, but, you spit on the floor you're going to hell. That's your
legalist. Now, that's what they are. Don't tell me about them. I've been
all through that hogwash.

26.	Yes sir: He has the right Word. And a prophet reveals. Most people
don't understand. Over there in 2 Peter, where Peter says, "Listen, when
the time comes, when the Kingdom of God is imminent, when that thing is
right under your nose, when that's the hour, it's going to take a
prophet to reveal It." Just like it took a prophet to give It, and he's
going to speak apart from his own mind.

	Devil came in on an Irvingite  meeting years ago, back there, I
understand it was a darkened room, (though I don't know for sure) and
this woman fell on her back in a trance, spoke in tongues, and
interpreted and told all what 1 Thessalonians is about, with a secret
Rapture and all that kind of stuff. She was as phony as a three dollar
bill. But, she set the tenor under Satan in order to deceive the whole
world. And a prophet came on the scene vindicated. She was no more
vindicated than a hotdog was. Fap! You talk about a stinking mess.

	Vindicated prophet came on the scene and tell what the Rapture's all
about, and people sit there, they say, "Well, I can't take that."

	Well, I'm into the Rapture already! And they can say all they want.

	You say, "Well, I don't believe that."

	You have to believe nothing.

27.	Let me tell you something: Peter, James and John stood there, the
whole bunch stood there, and He said, "Some of you standing here will
not taste death and see death rather, until you see the Son of man come
in His glory in His Kingdom." And He took three men aside, and I want to
tell you what He did, He took them there to Mount Transfiguration and He
stood there, and suddenly He said, he took them in His arms and rose up
with them. They were already into It, by the Words that He said. They
were the very Elect. We're in the very Election today,  brother/ sister,
getting ready to go on up. And if you haven't got your momentum now in
the Shout, you ain't going to get your momentum the next time around
either. All right, paradox. They couldn't take It. Now here:

 	 	They had the greatest buildings, and the religious systems, and so
forth, 					they ever had, altars built everywhere, and all kinds of
things; but still 					they were a million miles from the Word of God. I
think, myself, the picture 				would be very fitting today as I read
this Book of Amos. You must read it 					all when you go home. All the
government, priests, all of them, all  had left 				the Word of God. 

28.	Let's go to Isaiah 29: (I was going to read that for you when we had
to close off. So we're finally getting around, to making another little
page or two count tonight.) All right.

		(1) 	Woe (unto) Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add  year to year; 
					let them kill sacrifices.

		(2) 	Yet I will distress Ariel, (that's Jerusalem) and there shall be 
					heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

		(3) 	And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege
against 					thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

		(4) 	And thou shalt be brought down, shalt speak out of the ground,
thy 					speech shall be low out of the dust, thy voice shall be, as of
one that 					hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, thy speech
shall whisper out 					of the dust.

		(5) 	Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust,
the 					multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth
away: yea, 					it shall be at an instant suddenly.

		(6) 	Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and
earthquake, 					and great noise, with storm, tempest, and the flame of
devouring fire.

		(7) 	And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
even all 					that fight against her and her munition, and that distress
her, shall be 					as a dream of a night vision. (Now, they just pass
right away, and never 					come to nothing.)

		(8) 	It shall even be as when an hungry man (dreams,) and, behold, he
(eats); 					he (wakes), his soul is empty: when a man (thirst he)
dreameth, and, 					behold, he (drinks); he (wakes), and, behold, (he's)
faint, his soul hath 					appetite: so shall the multitude of all the
nations be, that fight against 					mount Zion.

		(9) 	Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are
drunken, 					but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong
drink.

		(1)0 	For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep,
and 					hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers
hath he 					covered.

		(11) 	And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book
that 					is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying,
Read this, 					I pray thee: he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

		(12) 	And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying,
Read this, 					I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

		(13) 	Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me
with 					their mouth, (now notice,) with their lips (they) honour me,
but have 					removed their (hearts) far from me, their fear toward me
is taught by 					the precept of men:

29.	Now, that's a condition that's rectified in Ephesians 1.

		(14) 	Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among 
					this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom 		
			of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their
prudent 					men shall be hid.

		(15) 	Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the
LORD, 					and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us?
and who 					knoweth us?

		(16)	Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as
the 					potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He
made 						me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it,
He had 						no understanding? (Notice, in there now, discernment comes
in, in 						verse 15.)

		(17) 	Is it not  a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into
a 						fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a
forest?

		(18) 	And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and
the 						eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of
darkness.

	Now, remember the Laodicean church is blind at the end-time like
Israel.

		(19)  	(And) the meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and
the 						poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.  

30.	  Now remember, in here you got the law of the parallelism of
Scripture, it's right side by side, blessing and cursing, blessing and
cursing, blessing and cursing. And if you don't understand that, you're
going to get so mixed up that you'll try to put a curse over here, and
say, "Well, this is wa-a-ay down the road." It's not so! The blessing
and the cursing are hand in hand. 

	At the end-time when Elijah comes, He said, "Except for Elijah, I'd
destroy root and branch, I wouldn't leave one thing there." And He said,
"I'm going to burn up all the proud." But," He said, "you that believe
in My Name, you that hearken, (He said) you're going to grow up as
calves as a stall." 

	And remember, it was at one time that Israel stood the males, stood
upon Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, the twelve sons of Jacob on one. And
blessings went forth and cursings went forth. And remember, at a time of
a prophet, at a juncture, when the hearts are turned, they receive a
blessing from God, and the others receive a cursing. When those angels
appeared, it was under vindication as a blessing to the Bride
forewarning of destruction to those who weren't coming in. 

31.	So, don't you read your Scripture any other way.

		(19) 	The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor
						among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

		(20) 	For the terrible one is brought to (nothing), the scorner is
consumed, 					and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:

		(21) 	That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him
that 					reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of
nought.

	In other words, he's telling you right there, people are going to put
pressure upon others to go their way. They haven't got one bit of
vindication, but they're going to put pressure anyway. And you've got
this right in the Message. I preach awful stout, but you know this, I
just preach hard because I believe what I believe. You don't have to
believe anything I preach. Nobody does. And, actually the fact I get a
little scared at times, when I think maybe too many people are believing
I can't be right. And I find out later on, they don't believe it, I'll
believe anyway, Joe knows all about that. [laughter]  

32.	Okay:

		(22) 	Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning 
				the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall
his 					face now wax pale.

		(23) 	But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the
midst 					of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy
One of 						Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

		(24) 	They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and
they                                   			that murmured shall learn
doctrine.

	In other words, It tells you right there, there is no table that's not
full of vomit. There is not one person that understands, but at the
juncture period of a Word prophet, there are those that are going to
understand! "Oh, why does God bother to send a man?"  

 33.	I said:  I would just like to read another portion of Scripture
here, I got, 					to show where they did it.

[27] 	Now, let's read the 2nd chapter verse 4 just a minute.

		Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four,
(not 				seven as far as I know, I think it's the fourth one. I don't
think it's going to 					be seven here.) I will not turn away the
punishment thereof; because they 					have despised the law of the
LORD,... (That's the Word, despised It yet 					they thought they had
It.)

	Now, four is the number of deliverance, and of course seven is the
number of completion. You could go either way here. But, let's take it
to the four, because there's four beasts with Seven Seals, and seven
Church Ages. So, I'm going to take this to the fourth, because, four
spells 'deliverance'.

34.	Now, let's watch, number one: The Word of the Lord came to Luther
and the Catholic's despised them.  Two: The Word of the Lord came to
Wesley and the Lutherans despised them. Number three: The Word was
fulfilled in Pentecost, baptism with the Holy Ghost, and the Wesleyan's
despised them. Now: [Four] under us there is a prophet William Branham
that the Pentecostal's despise. But, it's under the fourth there's
deliverance. And there cannot be deliverance without judgment. That's
exactly why a woman suffers pain when she bears a child, because she's a
perfect picture of it.

 	Now, they had the Bible these people; but, the lies they had joined
with it had caused them to error. Now notice it, Bro. Branham calls it
lies, not errors. The lies brought the error. It was Satan's lie to Eve
that brought her into error. So, who do you think has been feeding the
church all these years? The devil. Like old [William] Aberhart up in
Canada said many, many years ago. He said, "You better be careful how
you pray, especially that Lord's prayer." He said, "You pray, 'Our
Father which art in heaven'." Now he said, "The Bible says, "The devil
is the prince and power of the air." He said, "You just could be praying
to the devil." I think he had a pretty good point. I don't want to push
it, but, when you bring it right down to it...

35.	All right notice, they despised him, see? And you'll notice here
that they despised the prophet who had 'Thus saith the Lord', to whom
the Word of the Lord was given. And that's just like over there in John
15:24, where we read: (we quoted It so many times.)   

		(24) 	If I had not done among them the works which (no) other man did,
						they not had sin: but now (they've) both seen and hated both me
and 					my Father.

	Now, you'll notice in there, they despised the Word of the Lord.

36.	Okay, in 2 Thessalonians 2:10, It says:

		(10) 	And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish…

	Now, It says, "All deceivableness." In other words, everything that
could be deceived, or bring deceit that was in the person has to do with
the Word. So, if you're off the Word, you're finished. One Word off is
Satan's kingdom.

	Now, "with all deceivableness of unrighteousness." In other words the
deception will throw you entirely unrighteous, and it's already in the
person down in the soul. It's already there waiting. Now, listen to the
rest:   

		(10)	…because they received not the love of the truth, they might be
						saved. (See, they despised it. See?)

	You're looking at the picture here of the paradox. Simply cannot take
God's ordained way of bringing the Word. They'll turn It down every
single time. See?

37.	Now, he said here:

		 (Now, they had the Word, Bible, but the lies that they had joined
with It 					had caused them to error.)... after... which their fathers
have walked:

	In other words, that's where they're walking. Not in the Light, but
they're walking in the light of their own understanding which is wrong. 

	Now, every time God brought Light, there was a glory attached to It.
The glory that Luther had was greater than anything the Catholic's
brought forth under Saint [Francis of] Assisi and different ones of that
caliber. The glory that Wesley brought was greater than Luther. What
Pentecost brought was greater than Wesley. But, this glory of course,
will never fail.

38.	Now:

		See the reason? They had had error, because they'd put their own
translations 				or interpretations to the Word. And I thought it was
fitting to today, as many 				want to put their own idea to the Word, we
get in a mess. What a rebuke from 				God that this prophet had. 

	Now, remember The Rapture tape again, he was telling you, that you and
I would not believe of ourselves the truth. It wasn't going to ring a
bell, unless God was in It for us.

39.	Now, let's go back to Matthew 15:1-9 here. This is their own
interpretation see? What they're doing with the Bible.

		(1) 	Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of
Jerusalem, 					saying,

		(2) 	Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for
they 					wash not their hands when they eat bread.

	Now, they came to Jesus and they complained. The disciples were
breaking their traditions they'd laid down.

		(3)	 (And Jesus said,) Why do (you) also transgress the commandment 		
			of God by your traditions?

		(4) 	For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He 
				that curseth father (and) mother, let him die the death.

		(5) 	But (you) say, Whosoever shall say to his father (and) mother, It
is 						a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

		(6) 	And honour not his father or mother, he shall be free. Thus
(you've) 					made the commandment(s) of God of none effect by your
tradition(s).

	Well, you've got the same thing right today. His kid get up and he
said, "Why, (he said,) I got a gift right here that proves I'm above
it." And you get Pentecostal people in muttering and women speaking in
tongues and say, "Thus saith the Lord," and everybody falls for it. So
much for your gifts.

	How are you going to put gifts above the Word of God? All you've got to
have a Pentecostal church of some kind of a gift, and everybody goes for
it. Now, so much for gifts.

	Okay, now listen:

		(6)	 …(you've) made the commandment(s) of God of none effect….

		(7) 	(You) hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

39.	Now, why does he call them hypocrites? They know jolly well this
Bible did not come by a bunch of people coming together. One man at a
time, spoke by the Holy Ghost literally forcing him to speak. The same
as the end-time prophet will be literally forced of Almighty God to
interpret. He said, "You hypocrites:"

		(8) 	This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth(s), (honor) me 
					with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

	Now notice, that's what John came to do, to turn the heart. See, the
eyes of the heart, that you might get a spiritual understanding. And
remember, a spiritual understanding cannot come by way of the brain,
though the mechanical word does come by way of the brain. God anoints
you to understand down in your soul.

		(9) 	…in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments 					of men.

		(10) 	And he called the multitude, and (so on…)

40.	All right:

		Now, Amos was God's prophet, a true prophet. Any man that ever reads 	
			about Amos knows the boldness of that fearless man of God. He's
considered 				one of the minor prophets, because he didn't stay very
long; but he certainly 				laid the axe to the root of the tree. 

	Now, you'll notice God never called those men minor prophets. Students
called them minor prophets. And Bro. Branham will tell you why they're
called minor prophets, because they had a very short tenure. Well, how
much tenure did John the Baptist have, and he had one of the greatest
ministries of all?  

		He was one of the most fearless of the prophets, and he come with the 
				anointing. He come with THUS SAITH THE LORD. He knew what he was 			
talking about, because the anointing of God was upon him to bring the 		
		right interpretation to the Word of God. 

	The prophet at this end-time does the same thing. That's in 2 Peter
1:19-22. We talked about It. All right:

 		Amos come from the country, the wilderness, to the city of glamour.
(Which 				is Los Angles) He had never been there before. He was a
country boy, way 				back out in the wilderness...

 [28] 	…while he was back there in prayer, God had met him and had
told him of the 				wickedness of this glamorous nation in which he was
a part. And Samaria 					was one of the capitals at the time in the
reign of Jeroboam. 

		And when he stood there that morning at the top of the hill, walking
in with 				his old, crude, country clothes, perhaps dust and mud on his
feet, and 					where he'd slept in that old ragged garment night after
night. And I don't 					know; he didn't have bathtubs in that days; it
might've been a few days since 				he took a bath. But that doesn't hurt
the inside of the man.

41.	Well, you know the reason he didn't take a bath, he didn't have a
bath to take. (Yeah.)  

		Too much today is putting on the outside, not enough on the inside.
(Now, 					there's his criterion right there.) We're so concerned about
whether we bathe 				each day, and our hair is groomed, and our clothes
changed, everything; 					and then, let the inside go any way--wear the
same old (now, he's bringing 				out) and wear the same old sinful
garments, (that's inner) stinking the soul 					up with creeds and
dogmas, and never search it and wash it in the Word of 				the water of
separation from the things of the world. 

	Now, let's get the picture here, he said, "the people need an internal
bath. The cleansing of the soul by the washing of the water of the
Word." Otherwise, he said, "You got a stinking soul." Which means: the
soul gives the nature to your spiritual part, and the spiritual part
acts through the physical, then no matter how beautiful your works are
apart from the Word, they stink in the nostrils of God. Now, you're not
going to find people believe that. Now, we believe that here, because we
teach it all the time.

42.	Let's go to Matthew 23:13.

		(13) 	…woe you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for (you) shut up
the 					kingdom of heaven against men: for (you) neither go in
yourselves, 					(nor) suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

	Now listen, he said that about the corrupt ministry of the hour. Now,
he says about the five-fold ministry in the Bride which was the Holy
Ghost come down, coming up through the Church, going back to Headship
will bring a Bride to perfection. Now, I'm reading you the Scripture.

	All right, other words, what I'm telling you here is that a lot of
people think that there's such a thing as a complete and final
redemption outside of a prophet and a five-fold ministry, they're wrong.
You can do what you want. I don't give a rip.

	You say, "Well, you're trying to make yourself a case." I have to make
a case, I've got a whole trunk, honey. I got the Word. These were
negative, we're positive! And you cannot have a negative unless there
was a positive! There cannot be a counterfeit, unless there was a
genuine. These are a bunch of hypocrites. And they said they shot up to
heaven.

43.	I'm going to tell you something: a true servant of God by the Holy
Ghost will open the heavens using the Scripture.

		(14) 	Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites! for (you) devour 	
				widows' houses,  for a pretence make long prayer(s): therefore 					
(you) shall receive the greater damnation.

	He said, "Pray yourselves out of that one." See, you can pray yourself
out of the bad graces of people that know you're bunch of skunks. Pray
out of this. My good friends the Hardy boys (they might be dead by now,)
John and Fred Hardy, a couple of German boys back in Canada. They were
going to desert the Catholic church. 

	Their mother said, "Now boys, why are you doing it?" 

	They said, "Look ma, smarten up, we looked in the priest's window, now
we know why his house keeper goes away once a year, because she's
pregnant."

	"Aw," she said, "son, they're human. You forgive them, because when
they got the garb on (you know) they're God."

	Take the garb off, they're garbage. They're garbage with the garb on or
off. I don't care what anybody says. That goes for the Protestant's too
because they stink. You think the Catholic's are bad, I can take you to
a place right now in the State of New York, where the Presbyterian
minister got just about every woman in his congregation messed up, till
the Protestant's are worse than the Catholic's. Well, six of one, half
dozen of the other.

44.		(15) 	Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites! for (you)
compass 						(land) and (sea) to make one proselyte, and when (he's)
made, (you) 					make him twofold more the child of hell than
yourselves. (Now, let's 					face it, if we're wrong, we're doing the
same thing right here.)

	You say, "Well, Bro. Vayle, I think really that referred…"

	No! Now look it, don't tell me what you think, let's go to the Bible.
Any church that's off the Word is doing it. And I'm going to tell you,
some people sell themselves awful cheap, because, I understand the
Pentecostal's are winning souls for twenty five cents apiece. I think
the price is up to two dollars now. Oh God, you can see… Listen, you
can see where this whole thing stinks  brother/sister. Lord, get us out
of here.

		(16) 	Woe unto you, ye blind guides, (that) say, Whosoever shall swear
						by the temple,  is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold 
					of the temple, he is a debtor!

	Come on, …?... right today in this Message, they quote the prophet.
"You got to have a church, the gold and pay your tithes!" Oh, you don't
have to come to this church and pay a plug nickel. I learned years ago,
(you know) you can't come here and I'm going to see you through. I'd
like to find a pastor to see me through. I don't need one. I got the
Chief Shepherd right now, the big Pastor, He's going to see me through.
You know, if I keep pointing you to Him, I got no trouble. It's your
trouble. You got to look to Him, not me.

45.		(17) 	(You) fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or
the 						temple that sanctifieth the gold?

	In other words, look at all these things that are. What's the big
thing, out there or the Word that made it all? Ha, let's get to the
Word.

		(18) 	…Whosoever swear by the altar, is nothing; but whosoever
sweareth 					by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

		(19) 	(You) fools and blind: for (what) is greater, the gift, or the
altar that 					sanctifieth the gift?

		(20) 	Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by
all 						(the) things (there upon.)

		(21) 	…whoso(ever) shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, (and
all) 						that dwelleth therein.

		(22) 	And he that swear(s) by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, 	
				and him that (sits) thereon.

	That you see, you got to watch pretty careful what you're saying, and
all those things there.

46.	All right, now:

		As he stood that morning looking over the hill at that glamorous city,
full 					of modern things that he had never dreamed there was such a
thing, Israel 				was at its height. (Now, when Bro. Branham condemned
LA, miracles was 				at its height. It was in an alliance with all the
nations around it: very 					glamorous, women dressed to the spot and
the men, and they were pleasure 				stricken, running races, at
Olympics, (LA in '84 eh?) and everything 					going on. 

[29] 	No wonder his eyes narrowed, with the glamour of the city (like
some tourist 				would do, coming into New York or LA), seeing the
half-dressed women, and 				men carrying on, and the sin. 

		Some friends of mine a few days ago coming up from a fishing trip,
just below 				a Bible college, of a great, famous Bible college. (If
that's Kentucky, I don't 				know which one it is, could be 'Berea', I
don't know.) They were laying in 					the road in the weeds were young
girls half-dressed and young boys, perhaps 				students from the
college, drinking and carrying on, horrible. 

		Now, such carrying on as that tickles the appetite of a many American
who 				calls themselves Christians. When they look down to Los Angeles,
or I've not				--watched them on the plane when we'd come into Los
Angeles (they'd never 				been there before), to Hollywood, (in other
words, he's watched in this in their 				first trip there, he watches
how they react.) ...all the neon lights and palm trees 				down there in
Florida. Oh, (now listen, he said how they act) they'd powder their 			
noses afresh and fix up the makeup. (You know, make it beautiful I
guess.) They 				thought they were the most glamorous thing  ever to be
seen. And see the well-				groomed, well dressed walking on the streets,
they wanted to get out there and 				show how tight they could wear
their clothes, and twist up and down the streets, 				when they think
that that is something beautiful.

 	Well, you see what he's trying to tell you. The spirit inside out
there, responds to the spirit out there, you ain't got the right spirit
on the inside. That's what he's just telling them. He said,    "I don't
care what you talk, Christianity, what you say, it just shows what you
are." See?

47.	All right. Anything that would constitute an unwarranted temptation
is wrong. Let's get that flat. That's why he said, "Now women, you're
enough tempting to men as you are." And men are tempting to women as
they are. They don't need to go on, do those things. When they begin
doing the wrong thing, which is enticement which shows exactly what they
are. And let's be honest about it. Come on  for Pete's-sake, a young boy
is born for sex. And a young girl is born for sex. I learned something
from reading 'Coleraine' [news paper] the other day, I didn't believe it
was possible. Did not believe it was possible. Right in the womb they
say a fetus can (a boy) can have a sex sensation, and a little girl in
the womb can have a sex sensation. Now, I wasn't there to prove it. I'm
just making my point. If that's the way it is, who needs to drag it out?
You got enough right there to put the lid on it. No wonder the world's
gone plumb.

	I just told you what I read. I can believe it. I believe anything these
days. This is a hell hole we're living in. It's a pitiful thing. Bro.
Branham called it a pest house. 

48.	Now:  

		 But those God-anointed eyes of that prophet didn't narrow because of
the 					glamour, like some tourist's, but on the moral corruption to a
people that was 				called to be blessed of God.

	Now, you know that Paul the apostle put certain things in the Bible
that you got to watch out for the last day.

[30]	 His eyes didn't look at glamour; they didn't narrow because of the
glamour; 				it was because of the indecency and the corruption of a
people that had been 				called to be the chosen of God, and would act
in such a way as that. No 					wonder he said, "The lion roareth, who
will not fear? God spoke, who can 				keep from prophesying?" 

	Now, he reads here, and he said, "The lion roars, who will not fear?" 

49.	Okay, let's go back in Amos 3:8, and read It all.

		(8) 	The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord hath spoken,
who 					can but prophesy?

	Now, we go back to verse 4, because they are not walking together, see,
they're way apart, God and man's departed.

		(4) 	Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath (taken) no prey?
(Now 						listen, and get your context here. Let your thinking go, like
I'm 						trying to let mine go with the prophets.) Will a lion roar in
the forest, 					when he hath (taken) no prey? will a young lion cry out
of his den, 						if he have taken nothing?

	Now, if I'm reading that right and understanding, It tells you right
here, that God, like a hunter is going to take a prey. And the roar is,
the chips are down, it's all over. 

	Let's keep reading:

		(5) 	Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where (there is) no
gin 						for him? (Well, if the bird's caught, there was a gin [snare]
there.) 						shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have (not)
taken 						(anything) at all?

	Do you lay a snare and not catch something? Why he said, no way. So,
what's he telling you here? He's telling you the judgment is coming, and
the prophet is as a 'lion roaring'. So then, in Revelation 10, as when a
lion roareth, prophet. He's Revelation 10:7. Holy Spirit is Revelation
10:1. And he's letting you know it's already happened. We're here.
There's your 

judge. [points to the picture of the Cloud] We read that in "Rising of
the Sun." Right? 

50.	Rising of the Sun. [04-18-65] Page 45, paragraph 3.

		He is the One Who opened those Seals; He is those Seals. For the whole
					Word of God is Christ, and Christ is the Seals that was open. What
is the 					opening of those Seals then? Revealing Christ. And the very
seven Angels 					which represented the Seven churches was all
completed, and we couldn't 					even see It. (The ones up there, seven
spirits before the Throne, seven eyes, 				the whole thing. Now, they're
in a body form.) They did--they took the 					picture, not us. 

 		And there He is standing there, supreme Judge, showing that He is
Alpha 					and Omega, the Beginning and the End. What identification.
(What 					identification? JUDGE!)

	"Oh, Bro. Vayle, that's down the road!" No, no, no. Who but a Judge can
say, "Little Bride?" Because He's the Son of man, prophet. 

	And Bro. Branham said, "If you can't give back to God, nothing comes
back, give the right thing." And when he talked about Hattie Wright, he
threw It right into, Son of David, Son of man, (because He was the Son
of David,) Son of man, Son of God, Son of man, Son of David.

	You say, "I don't believe that." You don't have to believe nothing.
Don't believe anything. Nobody makes anybody around here believe
anything. Okay.

		(6) 	(Should) a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not
afraid? 						shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done
it? (Or 						some have something to do with it?)

		(7) 	Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret 
					unto his servants the prophets.

	But, revelation comes by performing, he reveals by manifesting It,
what's He's doing. Then what happened here to catch the eye like John
did, to make ready the prepared people. To get the Bride ready to get
out of here, "come out of her my people." [Rev 18:4] Oh, the whole thing
is just as clear as anything if you want to believe It. You don't want
to believe It, that's fine. My, I got no problem there. I just keep
moving down the road. Sure.

51.	Listen, I read It to you. 2 Thessalonians 1.

		(7) 	And to you who are troubled rest with us, (relax, when?) when the
						Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
(messengers),

		(8) 	In flaming fire taking (what?) vengeance (which is what?
vindication, 					vindicating them. Taking vindication, first of all,
then what follows 					vindication, those) that know not God, that obey
not the gospel of our 					Lord Jesus Christ:

		(9) 	(Who'll) be punished…

	Now, the vindication through the camera, the mighty Angels coming
[pointing to the picture of the Cloud] gives the Bride rest, throws the
others into the judgment of destruction.

	Now: 

		(10) 	When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be
admired in 					all them that believe (because our testimony among you
was believed) 					in that day.

	Now, It tells you right there, they're going to come with the mighty
Angels. He's going to give us rest. The rest of 1 Corinthians 1:7-8.
Same rest over here, right down the line, telling us who we are, what we
are, bringing us into that great relationship that is ours. Then
bringing judgment upon the earth.  

52.	All right, let's go to 1 Thessalonians 5. Now, notice at this
end-time, but other times he talks of the Rapture.

		(1) 	But of the times and seasons, brethren, (you) have no need that I
						write unto you.

		(2) 	For (you) know perfectly (well) that the day of the Lord so
(comes) 					as a thief in the night.

		(3) 	(And) when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction 					upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they
shall not 						escape.

		(4) 	But (you), brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake 					you as a thief. (Certainly not. Why? Because, there's
going to be 						revelation.)

		(5) 	(You) are all the children of light, (now remember, the light
comes to 					the west, the revealing of the Son of man. So, that puts
you into the 					light, not in night, but into day and out) of
darkness. 

		(6) 	Therefore let us not sleep, as others; let us watch and be sober.

		(7) 	For they that sleep sleep in (at) night; and they that (drink,
drink 						at) night. (They're drunken.)

		(8) 	But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the
breastplate 						of faith and love; and have a  helmet, the hope of
salvation.

		(9) 	For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation 	
				(through) our Lord Jesus Christ,

 	All right, he's telling you here at this particular time, judgment,
and remember the two Mounts, cursing and blessing. See? One is taken as
a bird to be destroyed; one taken as a prey to a lion. The others are
free. Always the same thing. 

53.	Now:  [The Way of a True Prophet]

[30]	He saw the corruption, the decay. That's what he was looking at;
that's when 				he saw all of that. It didn't attract him; it sickened
his soul. Why? He was a 				prophet. 

	Now, you'll notice that Bro. Branham is emphatically showing that a
prophet has a perception far beyond anybody else. Certainly, because he
can look under the surface. See, there was dry rot there.

		He knew what God had promised to bless, and what a blessing was, and 	
			how people act with the blessing. And the devil has perverted in his
day 					from what a real blessing was to moral decay, a blessing to
tickle the eyes 					and appetites of unconverted people--through the
will and way of God, 					and God's way of life. 

	Now, that's going back to the Garden of Eden, when Eve saw through the
prompting of the serpent that the tree was good to look at. That's
right. You understand that. Okay, now:

		How typical it is today! How preachers can stand in the pulpit, and
look 					upon sin and corruption of this world, and see people doing
and acting the 				way they do, and then, just bless them because
they're a member of their 					church or denomination, it's more than my
soul can understand. When God 				speaks, prophesy!

	Now, in here of course you got the understanding of popularity, money
and so on.

54.	Now, let's go over here to 2 John verses 10-11.

		(10) 	If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive
						him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: (Don't say, 		
			"God bless you," don't greet him.)

		(11) 	For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

	There are a lot of people they just think we're horrible, because, we
don't like truck and trade with all this nonsense. I just simply don't
have any use for preachers going around and say they believe Bro.
Branham, this Message, and they can't even understand how he's God to
the people, period. Can't put their churches in order, or anything else.
Then I can't understand how preachers can commit adultery and everything
else the people stand for it. Now if that's not the stupidest thing I've
ever seen in my life, I can't buy it. Neither does God buy it. God wants
nothing to do with it.

55.	Now, It says right there. It tells you right there: "If any man come
unto you and bring not this doctrine." [1 John verse 10] In other words,
the Word, the correct Word of God. Don't have him in your house. You're
not obligated to do a thing for him. No, don't help him on his evil way.

 [31]	 If the Spirit of God strikes a real prophet of God, he'll cry
with the Word. 					I don't want to be critical, but who can hold his
peace? Who can stand to 					look upon such a thing and profess to be a
servant of Christ and not call it 				out? I don't care what a
denomination would say or what any church would 				say; that's the
reason I don't belong to them. (See, he's a judgment prophet 				is what
he is. To be critical is a judgment prophet. See?) (I don't belong…)		
		They'd kick you out the first thing. (Oh, that's kick Him out.)

	 What about you and me? We're supposed to come out. I've been kicked
out of course. I was with the clergy. I don't have my clergy card.

		But God's Word comes first. If you're a messenger, you've got
something 					to say. And if you say anything contrary to this Word,
you're not a messenger 				from God; you're a messenger of the covenant
of some denomination or 					some theory. 

	Now, there again he shows you, there's no covenant outside of the Word.
Then when Bro. Branham came on the scene with the affirmation of the
covenant, it established the Blood as nothing ever did. Absolutely.
Established a Bride. You come under the free gift of God then, because
Blood is a purchased price. 

		But a messenger of God has the Word of God. And our friend this
morning, 				as we look at him, he had the Word of God, (that's old
Amos) because he 					was a true prophet of the Lord. 

		Now, they thought they had the interpretation, and thought, "Why sure,
look 				what we're doing." (There you are, legalist again.) 

		Now, the thing of it is, we've got him standing there on top the hill 
					this morning looking off down through the city, shaking his head,
his eyes 					narrowing, taking his sleeve and wiping the sweat from his
face, and dust, 					hot sun shining down upon his bald head, beard
hanging down; he's 					rubbing it with his hands. He didn't see
glamour; he saw sin. It didn't 					please him; it sickened him. Why
would he not say, "I'm an Israelite, look 					how my country's
prospering"? How could he say that when he was a true 					prophet of
God?

56.	In other words, a natural thing would be, "Well, just a minute,
can't you tell what we've got: sick are being healed," this that and the
other thing. There's nothing against the sick being healed, that's Mark
16. But, when you get to Hebrews 13:8, that's a different thing
entirely. That's a different thing  brother/sister. You're getting to
the concept of God Himself. You know, healing is just a little something
that God does for you.  

[32] 	Let's stand him on the hill today and let him look down: let him
look at 					Jefferson… at the people who call themselves Christians.
Let him look 					anywhere in America for a people who call themselves
Christians. His God				anointed eyes would narrow again. His hands would
twist in his beard. 					Why? He don't see the glamour and prosperity
that the world sees; He sees 				the going away from God; he sees the
moral decay of the people. He sees the 				backsliding of the nation. He
sees the rottenness in the church. How could 					he do anything but
narrow his eyes and long to get into it, so he can tear it 				to
pieces? (See?)

	Now, you know brother/sister, this is true. Every place you look, TV,
radio, anything else, everybody is looking for success. And that's
exactly what's happened with programs. Bro. Branham didn't have one, so
the people couldn't put their money to it. They want someone that's got
some kind of a showing. You see, they couldn't, they want to identify
with success, but when you identify with success, you cannot identify
with Isaiah 53. Because, the minute you glamorize Jesus Christ you've
lost the gospel.

	I don't know, but you folk are not acquainted with the old, the real
Philadelphian understanding of the Word of God, which is the…not the
legalist, it's the old Calvinistic concept. But, don't put it on Calvin,
put it on the… (I forget their name right now) an old group of people
that were really godly. And they understood the sovereignty of Almighty
God, and they understood all these things.

57.	And years ago, they would go knock on doors and they would ask the
people would they like to come and hear a series of protracted [lengthy]
meetings and learn about Christ. If so be, they might come and learn to
suffer with Him. Well, that went over like a lead balloon. But, that's
what it was, if you're going to preach religion as glamour.

	You see, that's why women cut their hair and call themselves
Christians, wear short skirts, and do all manner of evil things, men do
the same thing. In fact, they like the women to do it. Is
because…everything's a success. And suffering is not successful
believe me. It just doesn't work.

 		Now if some bishop would've met him up there and said, "Now, are you
the 				prophet of the Lord? Now, we'll tell you what you can say and
what you 					can't," you think he'd have listened to that? 

	Now, that's the organization, the organizational attitude of not just
preachers, but especially a prophet. They in fact don't believe in
prophets.

 		What if he'd said, "Come join our organization now, and we'll help
you 					in your campaign"? You think he'd have listened? No, I couldn't
imagine 					that out of a man like that. No, he was sent of God. He
didn't have to have 					their cooperation. (No, certainly not. Paul
didn't have it.) He had God's 					Word, and God's anointing, God's
appointed time; (now, watch that, God's 				Word, anointing, appointed
time) coming with THUS SAITH THE LORD; 					that's a true prophet. (Now,
William Branham said, "I'm a true prophet," 					right there see?)
That's the way he travels. 

[33]	He travels with nothing but THUS SAITH THE LORD.

58. Let's go to Luke 10:4,  for just a second here, (and that's a bit of
the gospels) 	

		(4) 	Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by
the 						way.

	Now, let's go to Luke 22:35.

		(35) 	And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip,
						and shoes, lacked (you) any thing? And they said, Nothing.

	Men, people of God traveled pretty light.

		Would this glamorous city of Samaria, this self-styled, high educated
Israel, 				these fine polished preachers and priests receive this
little unknown fellow? 				Probably his grammar was very poor: came from
a poor family in the 					wilderness; left home, called of God, went
into the wilderness to study God 				and His Word and become a prophet.
The Lord borned him that way.

	See, He caused him to be born without the possibility of all those
other things thrown in there. So, he couldn't make flesh His arm.

 		Prophets are born a messenger for the age, who God by foreknowledge 	
			knows the age and has His agent there to call out sin. 

	So, you see, that's the thesis correct: God Prophet, prophet God.

59.		Could that glamorous city receive him? You think those women
would've 					paid any attention to what he said? You think those
priests would've listened 				to him? Why, no, sir. He had no
recommendation with them from any 					organization. He couldn't say
that, "The Pharisees sent me." Neither could 				he say that the
Sadducees sent him. He didn't carry any credentials. He 					didn't have
any fellowship card from any group of people. He had no 					forerunner
to fix up his campaign. There hadn't been all the Pharisees had 				had
a union meeting and a ministerial breakfast and got everything together 
			to fix his campaign up, and knowing that he was coming; and he was 		
		unknown to them.  

[34] 	He had no fellowship card. (In other words, they didn't have any
big 					how-do-you-do for him when he came to town, because they didn't
even 					know he was coming.) He had no credential. He had no
recommendation 					from men, but he had THUS SAITH THE LORD. That's the
way of the 					true prophet. He had THUS SAITH THE LORD. 

	Now, the Sadducees they didn't believe in angels, spirit of
resurrection, and they were way off. The Pharisees believed in all of
it, they were still way off. See?

		If he had THUS SAITH THE LORD, it's so far different from our manmade 
			schemes here, that's all he needed. If he came this way, he came in
the 					name of the church. If he came this way, he came in the Name of
the Lord. 

	In other words, if He came anyway but, 'Thus saith the Lord', you
weren't in the Name of the Lord.

		So a true prophet always comes the way of the Name of the Lord;
always, 					he comes in the Name of the Lord. 

60.	Now, a lot of people say they do, but they don't. If you want to get
the truth, It's back in Deuteronomy 18, we read It many, many times. 

		Now, he couldn't show fellowship cards, but he had the Word of God;
and 					that's what God had sent to the people. Now, the people had
formed themselves 				organizations. They had different sectarian
groups, and that's what the people 				had formed. But Amos didn't have
that; he just had THUS SAITH THE LORD; 				that's what he had. 

	Now, Bro. Branham was telling them what a true prophet is like, and
you're going to find out that nobody is going to believe this, except
us. And even we'll have a time, because, you know, we're a little bit
too erudite  [knowledgeable] for that.

		I'd imagine those priests of a morning have a little Sabbath…a
little prayer, 				so forth, and a little dedicational services, went
back, and talked a few things 				on great Moses, that lived one day, 
and great somebody else lived another 				day. "But oh, the days of
that's past now. You people know our new 					president, our new
government, all we got"; and talk about things like that 				and go
home. (Well, a lot of people do preach that kind of a sermon.) 

		But here came a man not caring for that; he came with THUS SAITH THE 	
		LORD. See?

61.	Now remember, that's not Pentecostal 'Thus saith the Lord'. No way,
shape and form. They just pipe dream it. See?

[35] 	That's the way of the prophet: no cooperation; knowing what was
facing 					him; knew that everything would be against him; knew that
they'd reject 					him, they'd turn him down. But he was coming in the
Name of the Lord.

	Now, that's something right there that you got to remember that would
face Bro. Branham. And would face anybody that wants to stay right with
the Word the way he stayed. 

		Jesus knew that Calvary was facing Him, but He came in the Name of the
					Lord. (I come in My Father's Name, He said.) That's the way of the
true 					prophet. 

		He had the Word of the Lord for the nation, but the true Word of the
Lord 					was foreign to those people; yet they thought they had it. (I
hope this gets 					down deep.) (Said Bro. Branham) They thought because
they were so pious 				and religious, that they had the Word of the
Lord. But, the real Word of 					God was  foreign  to them. See?

	Now,  brother/sister, what about such things as conduct and gifts and
all those other things? It's foreign to the people. You could no more
tell the Pentecostal's this than anything at all.

		Now, that's the way of it today. The true Word of God made manifest is
a 					foreign thing to lots of Pentecostal people. The real
interpretation of the 					Word, the real woes and curses, the real
blessing of God is a foreign thing 				to many people who call
themselves holiness...

62.	Now, you notice in here he said, "The true Word of God made manifest
is a foreign thing to lots of Pentecostal people." See? Now, in other
words, I look at it this way to read this correctly to me and get the
understanding: is when the Message is proven true, or to be the truth by
manifestation through vindication that becomes entirely foreign to the
people. They simply can't take it. Because, they don't believe that God
reveals His Word, or interprets It by bringing It to pass. And then the
prophet is there to tell what went on. Then he tells them what the real
blessing is, what the real curse is. And the real blessing is a 'Shout',
the Message come down; all of this laid out.

	And they say, "Aw, who needs it." And walk right on to the cursing.
They don't understand what they're getting, with the Word of God. They
just don't. Because they don't understand the Word of God is Living.
It's Living, and I don't care where It lives, It's a Seed, and It can be
in any rotten skunk under God's high heaven. But, you let the Light hit
It, you watch what'll happen to that Seed in there. See?

	Just like a cocklebur on the outside, it doesn't matter. You don't look
at anything anymore, you look and understand Seed, and what Seed is
going to do. See? Now, the Seed will never be in a reprobate, there's no
way, never be in a serpent.

	Now… is that it? Okay, that's an end for tonight. [tape ends]

  

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