The Greatest Battle Ever Fought #15 Fighting the Good Fight of Faith December 9, 1987 Shall we pray. Gracious, heavenly Father, it was Your absolute, distinct, personal Presence that was with Mary when You created in her womb that which would bring forth Jesus Christ, which we would say that the creation of Jesus Christ started at this time. And we pray, Lord, tonight that Christ may be formed in our hearts by faith, too, to bring forth the life that is a vehicle for Jesus Himself, Lord, to glorify Your great and holy Name. Help us, Lord, to be very circumspect, to be honest, and to deal honorably with You and Your people, that in all things, my God, You might have the preeminence, we might give You glory, Lord, and we might receive of Your blessing. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen. You may be seated. 1. Now, we’re on “The Greatest Battle Ever Fought #15”, and, of course, since this message is entitled “The Greatest Battle” that one is called upon to fight, it is certain that the prophet must exhort us to engage in the good fight of faith. In other words, it would not be possible that Bro. Branham used this title and not exhort us, as a minister, to engage in that good fight of faith, and tell us the things that we ought to know, in order to conquer in that fight. Now, the warfare of Satan, which is to try to overtake our minds, (And that’s the great feature right there of this Message, the great premise, the warfare of Satan trying to overtake our minds.) is an unceasing battle, and we must be alert at all times to quickly defend our position by entrenching behind the Word of God. Now, that’s the thrust of the Message that Bro. Branham brings to us, as we engage in this battle, and there’s none of us who do not engage in it. And there’s none of us can stand back and hope, by sort of hiding our heads in the sand, or not taking issue with the enemy, that we might be overlooked. I’ve got news for you: you’re entirely erroneous. You will not be overlooked. In fact, you will be used as a patsy to do the devil’s work. You’ve got to come clean cut for God. He said, “He that is not with me is against me. And he that doesn’t sow for me is sowing against me.” [Mt 12:30] So, you can’t take a neutral position. 2. So, we come to the place where we learn our offense and defense is one and the same. The applied Word of God. You defend yourself with it, and you come against the enemy and against all that is in darkness by the same Word of God, because the Word of God is healing, as to heal our position, whatever the position may be, and it is light to lighten darkness, it is a quick sword that confuses and conquers the enemy. All right. So therefore, we must understand then it’s an unceasing battle, and we have to learn as Bro. Branham said to quickly entrench ourselves behind the Word of God so that our offense and defense is one and the same, the applied Word of God, which devolves into a quick confession of the Word—a quick confession of the Word and quick obedience to it, and that is the way of victory. 3. Now, last Sunday we used some Scripture which bears repeating, ere we read some illustrations that Bro. Branham gives us on page 35, and those Scriptures were starting with… We took 1 Timothy 6. So, we’ll look at those, and then, we’ll see just where we go tonight to gain what knowledge we can. 1 Tim 6:12: (12) Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called also, and hast professed (or confessed) a good (confession) before many witnesses. Now, It tells you right here that there is a fight involved if you have a hold on eternal life, and especially if eternal life has a hold on you. That’s the main thing. It’s not trying to hold onto eternal life, although that’s true in a limited sense of the word. It’s ‘the eternal life holds onto us’. It is our recognition of that fact, I would say, that causes us to hold onto eternal life. It says, “Whereunto thou art called.” In other words, eternal life is a good fight, and you do it, you benefit by professing or confessing, which means ‘to say the same thing’, and a good confession is to stand right there and keep saying it, and he said you do it before many witnesses. 4. Now, with that we go to 1 Corinthians again, as we did last Sunday, 1 Cor 9:26, Paul speaking: (26) I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: (27) But I keep under my body… Now, he doesn’t keep his body under him, he said, “I keep under my body,” like the wrestler keeps you up in one of those airplane spins. [Bro. Vayle corrects his understanding of this point/statement in “The Known God #1”. He says “I used to think that was ‘that eager wrestler, lifting the man here …’ I taught you that years ago: like, put him up here; you grab a wrestler here; hold him up here, and then give him the old airplane twist; throw him overboard. Not at all. It’s you presenting your body a living sacrifice unto God. {Bro. Vayle explains that statement in “Godhead #1” by saying “That’s how you get under your body. You give your body to God, so that the Holy Ghost may have right of way.} Oh, how we can hear such clap-trap, balderdash, and drivel when you go to hear certain people without the Holy Ghost. I’m glad we have the Holy Spirit.”] (27) I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I (should) have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. Now Paul understands here that there is regiment that one goes through; there is a discipline that one has to keep, and so you simply cannot turn that aside. Now; he says, “I do not run uncertainly.” He knows his goals, he knows what he’s into, he knows where he’s going, he knows what he wants, he’s after it through the Word of God by the power of the Holy Ghost, and he said, “I am not one that’s fighting as though I’m beating the air.” In other words you’re not wasting your breath; you’re not wasting your time. When you’re taking a crack at anything, you’re taking a crack at the devil. You’re taking a mighty swipe, just like Bro. Branham in his fifteen professional fights; he won every single one. He never was knocked out; never was taken by anybody. He was a very good fighter. He learned the same thing in the Word of God that he could not succumb to defeat. 5. Now, most people have defeat complexes and they get it as children, they think they’re not loved, and that’s how we are with Christ. Many trials come our way, and we think He doesn’t love us. We think, “Now, if we were in His position, well, we would do different.” Well now, if you were in His position you’d do exactly what’s being done right now, because He knows what is best. He’s sovereign. Now Paul says, “I do not fight as one just waving my arms and beating the air.” He said, “I know what it is to join in contact with the enemy. I know what it is to win.” 6. Okay, in 2 Tim 4:7. He said here: (7) I…fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (And he knew that.) (8) Henceforth there (was) laid up for (him) a crown righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give…at that day: (when the rewards are handed out,) and not to me only, but to all them also that love his appearing. Now, that’s a special verse for you and me right there. Because though they love to think of His Appearing, they were not able to be a part of His Appearing, which we are today. And we have the ability to fight with the apostle Paul, who fought in the first church age, as Bro. Branham called every one of us Michaiahs. But as I said a long time ago, Bro. Branham by this message put us right in with the prophets, made us all in our own limited order as though we were prophets. Now, we’re not trying to aspire to the prophetic office, but the status is there as to what has devolved upon us, so that we positively can be just as shining in our little place as any other person. 7. Then, he says in Heb 10:32: (32) But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions… And so therefore, there is a fight, again notice in Heb 11:34: (34) Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (And so on.) In Heb 11:6, It tells us categorically: (6) Without faith it is impossible to please (God); for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. And with It, Heb 10:35-39: (35) Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. (36) For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. (37) For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (38) Now the just shall live by faith: (and) if any draw back, (or if there’s any drawing back,) my soul shall have no pleasure in him. (Now, that’s, I believe, God speaking through the apostle Paul.) (39) But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; (That means ‘chaos’, and you know that life without faith—definitive, directed faith in Christ—is a life of chaos. Absolutely.) but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. In other words the progressive utilization of the life that you have. 8. Most of us do not utilize our lives. It’s something like our brains; we don’t use ten percent of them. We simply do not. I don’t think we use ten percent of our lives. Brother Branham at age fifty-one or two was bemoaning the fact he felt he’d done nothing at all in his ministry for Jesus Christ, and yet we’ve seen the great things that had been done. But then again, when you look at it you understand why he was bemoaning that fact: was because, as he said, “I felt as though I was put into a tube.” And he said, “These things were literally forced upon me.” What he saw was by vision. And I would say that Bro. Branham had a difficult time, like you and me, to go straight to the Word and simply believe that Word. But you’ll notice in the messages which we’ve been taking every time we come to service here, “Perfect Faith” and this one here, you will see how Bro. Branham himself became a great strategist, by positively taking the Word and learning to use that Word, engaging in combat. 9. So, on page 35 he begins illustrating to us concerning the good fight of faith, which we’re engaged in. Now, before we read this, we might as well sort of clear the air. And that is, in my thinking I cannot come to any place wherein I find that we can sort of just settle down with the revelation of this Message and say, “This is it,” and not be engaged in a personal battle in our daily living, our daily walk, and those exigencies and circumstances which might be sometimes terrible experiences that devolve upon us. We have got to engage in a battle there. 10. Now, certainly it’s a battle of the mind, the same as taking this Word that Bro. Branham preached. But this, that we are taking here in this Message, which has been vindicated, is that of a pacifist. In other words, “live or die, sink or swim;” if I don’t make a move, and it’s not incumbent upon me to make a move, this is what it is and this is it, so I’m stuck with it. But when you talk about this other, which is not, necessarily, and is not Heb 13:8, but is into Mark 16 and other portions of Scripture which show the promises of God that are available to us, then we are like the Israelites who must come in and take our position and possessions by defeating the enemy or the giants within the land, which, according to the ten spies who brought back a negative report, the conditions were far superior and left them with such a feeling of inadequacy that they simply couldn’t reach out, ditching their own thinking and latching unto God’s thinking, and go in and get the land. Now, you can’t bypass that. That is not pacifistic. That is aggression. We have to be aggressive. So, but we can base our aggression upon that which is pacific. Because this pacific faith we have—live or die, sink or swim, fatalistic—is the basis because of vindication to know the other holds good. It is exactly like Rom 8:32: “If God spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?” 11. If God gave us Heb 13:8, then He gave us as never before all the other promises, particularly those of Mark 16, because they’re the promises that we really need above anything else. If we have peace with God, if we have continued health, on the grounds of reaching out and getting the aid we have need of, surely there’s not one of us who cannot work. And as I said before, pick manure with the chickens if we have to, and get a living. As David said, “I’ve been young, now I’m old, yet I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.” [Ps 37:25] There’s always provision. It doesn’t mean that God is going to feed us on, you know, rice cakes that’s filled with jam, but it may be just the rice cakes. 12. So, we’re looking at something here tonight now, which really we’d be vastly benefited if we had someone in a pastor capacity who could bring you in the meantime, between these messages, the series of faith I’ve preached in about twenty-two sermons of an hour and a half to two hours apiece, to begin to inculcate faith on a moving basis, which I would take and start number one: without faith it’s impossible to please God, show the process of faith, from one hour and a half, forty-five minutes to an hour and a half, then the next night repeat, cut down a little bit and add, the third night repeat again, but cutting it back, adding some more, until there was a continuity and progression in the message whereby your minds and my mind would be saturated to believe God in the particular area where we’re directing our faith. And in those meetings you’d be very, very profitable. 13. I remember a lady, her husband wasn’t too good to her, she had to work for a living, she needed a car. Without even praying, but having sat in the meetings for days and her faith came to a high peak, where people were being healed just sitting there, she just believed God somehow. Within a few days somebody came by and said, “Sister, I know you need a car. I’ve got a car; I’ll just give it to you.” See, we’re not getting into the realm of the charismatic, but the point is: if a charismatic movement, which denies the Word of God, and it’s strictly Trinitarian, which is absolutely the devil’s creeds and dogmas, not God’s Word, you can’t find it here. All you can find is one God, Who had a Son. You won’t find one single, solitary thing. It’s one God Who is Spirit. 14. Now, because they use this Bible, fooled by the devil, who in his angelic light came and showed them the perfection of Mark 16, to destroy Heb 13:8. Though they practice that, and that is the true unadulterated Word, which is Mark 16, we don’t throw it aside just because the devil lets somebody else use it. We don’t react to scarecrows; we’re beyond that. At least I hope we are. If we’re “live or die, sink or swim,” with Heb 13:8, and Mark 16 is a part of Heb 13:8, we can certainly reach out and take one of those logs, great log promises of God in this ocean of turbulence out here, and hang on until we safely come to a haven where we’re provided with these needs that we need to have built up in our lives or satisfied. 15. All right. Bro. Branham says: [Greatest Battle Ever Fought, 03/11/62] [35-0] Well, brother, if you’re a soldier, stand out there; there’s a battle on. Right and wrong are engaged. Let’s fight. Now, right and wrong being engaged, it’s sin versus righteousness, and what comes out of righteousness and what comes out of sin or unrighteousness in manifestation are also engaged. In other words, righteousness now, with this manifestation, is here to overcome unrighteousness and its manifestation. Now, that manifestation can be very tricky in the unrighteousness. 16. [35-1] Like Peter Cartwright when he went into a city, and he said, “Lord told me to come in here and have a revival.” He rented an old storeroom, got in there, and began to clean it up. [35-2] And the big bully of the town, with a pistol hanging on his side, walked down and…said,”What’s that guy doing down there?” [35-3] Someone said, “He’s a preacher. He said He’s going to have a meeting.” [35-4] “Well,” said the bully, “I guess I’ll…have to go down and throw him out in the street, and run him out of here. That’s all. We don’t want any meetings around here in our place.” 17. [35-5] So he goes down there, and stops at the door; and Peter Cartwright had his coat on, you know, and he was just washing the windows and walls down—little bitty fellow, you know. It’s recorded that an old preacher laughed at him, you know, for eating chicken with his hands (which is etiquette today…). So he was just washing the windows and fixing around. The big bully walked over there, pulled his coat back, pistol hanging on his side, and said, “What are you doing?” [35-6] “Oh,” he said, “I’m washing windows.” He just kept on washing windows, you know. He had one purpose: God told him to hold a revival. So he’s washing the windows down... (Just getting the place cleaned up so people could come in, and you know and have a meeting.) 18. [35-7] The bully said, “We don’t allow revivals around here.” [35-8] He said, “Oh, but the Lord told me to hold this revival.” See? He just kept on his work. See? [35-9] He said, “There’s one thing you have to understand.” He said, “I run this town around here.” [35-10] He said, “Oh, do you?” just kept on washing the windows, you know. [35-11] So the bully said, “Before you have a revival you have to whip me first.” [35-12] He said, “Oh, I do? (This is a true story.) Well, I’ll just do that next then.” He took off his coat, walked over there and reached up and grabbed him by the collar and knocked him down on the floor and jumped up on top of him, and said, “I must fight if I should reign. Increase my courage, Lord.” Pounded the tar out of him. He said, “You got enough?” [36-1] He said, “Yes.” He got up and shook his hand; he got saved that night in church. There you are. See? Just take the Word of God and cut your way through every doubt! Now, it doesn’t mean you grab everybody by the tie and knock his block off, although that doesn’t really hurt too much, I guess, if the guy’s asking for it. I mean I’m not here as a proponent of that, but you know sometimes strange things happen. Like, you know, a lot of people got their heads cut off, back in the Old Testament. Now see, don’t go around starting fights now, but then, neither do we back away. 19. [36-1] You just take the Word of God and cut your way through every doubt! You see it? Sure, that’s it! If that’s the next job, let’s get it done (knocking the devil’s head off). Right! Next thing I do is get away from my doubts, cut them down. [36-2] That’s my next job is get all my frusterations away. If my senses tell me, “Well, you feel bad,” the next thing to do is cut that thing away. That’s right. Now, remember; we all have bad times. That’s what we’re looking at here. The secret is to go on and put our mind on the Word, like Abraham did. Now, I realize that you can use biofeedback on this. There’s such a thing as getting the circulation in your body back where it should be. You can have your skin suffused with blood by merely taking thought. There’s many things you can do. The mind is a very powerful instrument. And it’s so powerful that it can influence your life to the place of destruction or eternal life, influence you to the place of getting something from God or getting nothing from God, influencing you to do your best for God or doing nothing for God, to live righteously or live unrighteously. So, your mind’s very powerful. And to think that it cannot be exercised in the processes of faith because we feel pain, or… (And that’s the big one; that’s the big one.) or tremendous anxiety, that’s not true if people would try to tell the Christian that cannot be done. 20. Now, I told you before that I think the big problem here is this woman, Mary Baker Eddy. She called God universal mind. Now, God is not universal mind, and our mind is not universal God, and our minds are not God. But she believed in mind over matter, which in a sense is basically true, but in other sense is basically wrong. Because it is not really mind over matter; it is actually the mind over our physical matter and our own thoughts, wherein we begin to put credit in the Word of God in the face of what our minds would tell us. So, she said, “Well, sin doesn’t exist. Death does not exist. Pain does not exist. So, you could not confess those things,” which in itself is a lie. Her paper for years, whether it’s changed or not, The Monitor, I don’t know, whether they still got the best reporting in the world. It’s possible The Christian Science Monitor is still the greatest paper in the world. But in that paper they were not allowed to talk about death because, you see, death did not exist. They weren’t allowed to say anything negative, because nothing negative exists. And the truth of the matter is, they said the truth: “Nothing is lost. It is only misplaced.” That’s the way we were lost. We were just misplaced. And under the adoption we’re placed right, as sons. So there’s such a thing as a loss, of course, you understand that, but when you talk about something being truly lost, can it be truly lost? No, it’s misplaced. They understood a lot of things in the positive, but she said the blood of Jesus Christ has no more efficacy than the blood of a rooster, so you could see where she was. She was a mental case, you know. She tried to destroy a neighbor, she was an incinerist [a made up word], an arsonist, which she was. She burnt down the neighbor’s house hoping to get the neighbor. But the neighbor wasn’t taken by her little contact. 21. All right. He says here: [36-3] You say, “Well, they tell me that... (you know, going to express something) You know, my conscience tells me…(Well, really, the word ‘conscience’ is all right, but it’s not the right word. It’s his consciousness, life processes, or really, intelligence.) You know my intelligence tells me, Brother Branham…” Well, you might as well cut that thing away; (because you see nobody’s that smart.) you aren’t going to get any further than that. Just get your next job done. Take off your coat and barrel…into it. Just keep on going with one objective: “I’m going to win.” Amen! “I can’t lose. I’m going to win.” Amen! Now, that’s the attitude that you enter the fight, the good fight of faith, that “I am a winner. I am not a loser; I am a winner.” Now, you work at it. 22. Now, remember that it is said truly by Benjamin Franklin, and by others, and we know to be true, that the greatest relaxer in this world is work. It is the greatest relaxer is work. Get busy doing something. Now, it doesn’t mean slaving at a job, or doing something you don’t like. But a lot of people have an idea that there’s such a thing as real relaxation outside of work. There really isn’t, because that’s what God laid down. He said, “You’ve got to work.” And a good sweat does people an awful lot of good. And I don’t say to over sweat and kill yourself by working. But people learning especially to work, and with their hands, of course, is better than any type of work in the world. Now, if work is good for us, and it is… Remember; Jesus sweat great drops of blood fighting himself mentally, in the Garden of Gethsemane. And he came out of it perfectly relaxed to even die on the cross. Now, many of us do not press ourselves in battle to the place of relaxation. 23. There’s an old trick they used to use years ago in alcoholics. Seabrook tells of this in the asylum, which was put into moving picture. I don’t remember if I saw it or not. But when he signed himself into the institute in order to help overcome alcoholism, and his terrible nervous… I’m going to use the word ‘depravity’, because he was depraved. What they did—and I don’t understand how they did it, but—they took two sheets, and they lay him there, and they crisscrossed so that one person pulled on this side, one on that side, back and forth till they wound him so tight that he had no recourse but to finally snap. And for the first time he slept in a relaxed condition. Well, sorry folks, but that’s the truth. I can’t preach something easy up here, because I don’t have it to preach easy. We simply do not fight to the place of being overcomers. I’ve tried to tell you time after time in my little two-bit, cross-eyed, knock-kneed, water-downed experience, that I learned what it was to go on the road and stand there, with tears on the inside and tears on the outside, and everything thrown at me on the road, and phone calls back home of the kids cutting up and everything going haywire, and you stand there. And you know what? If you don’t learn that, you are never going to get anywhere. 24. I quit preaching years and years ago, after going through literally a nervous breakdown, everything else. I knew I had to go back preaching, and I knew I had to do the things that I’d never done before, and I did them. And this is the only way you will ever grow in your faith. Now, you can get the Message down very pat, and you will get Heb 13:8, and it will be a fight in order for you to ditch your own creeds and dogmas where you’re settled. And if you don’t, as sure as you sit here, you are lost, lost, lost, because you’ve come to the light and you back away from it. And that’s perdition. I’m sorry, but that’s the Word of God, and I wouldn’t change you and a whole kettle of fish; I don’t care what you’re worth or anything else. That’s just the truth. And when you come to this, though, to Mark 16, as you had nothing to do with Heb 13:8, except believe it, you have everything to do with Mark 16. You’ve got to go in there fighting. And it may be a staggering cost on your flesh, but you’ll come out the better for it. And let me tell you something else: the more that you take what I’m talking about now to fight the good fight of faith, the more Heb 13:8 will become real and true to you. I don’t believe for one minute if I had not been on the road and back in the ministry, as I went back, to determine never to turn again… And I haven’t to this date, and I don’t see any reason to believe that I possibly would—better just die. If they don’t blow my brains out, blow my own brains out, than to turn from this Word and go back on it. But you see I believe all those things I went through on the road were very helpful to come to the place when Bro. Branham preached this Message, I could say, “That’s it; live or die, sink or swim.” Now, “Live or die, sink or swim,” of course, is part of the other, but it’s only a bare part of it. 25. Okay. The one objective… Now, he said here, “Just keep on going. The objective I’m going to win. This is the promise that is mine. I can have it. I can take it. I will encroach upon Satan’s territory.” You don’t have to use that term at all; rather put it this way, “Satan has encroached upon my territory. I will kill him because he’s just a farce.” Now, the need for healing doesn’t have to be every physical problem. That’s just one physical problem. See? It’s perhaps the worst. I know hunger’s a bad thing, I know destitution’s a bad thing. I know all those things can hurt, but there’s nothing worse than being sick, you know, when it comes to physical problem. Problems of friends and fellowship, that’s something anybody can do. The Bible simply says, “He that would have friends must show himself friendly.” And yet I suppose some of you are still sitting here tonight, and you’re withdrawn, and you’re withdrawn, and you look at yourselves… Ah, you make me sick. I’ll tell you right in your teeth. Get friendly! That’s what this church is built on! Rub elbows! Not the men kissing the women or any crap like that, but friendly is friendly. Make yourself do it! Make yourself do it! You won’t go crazy. You’re driving people nuts now by being so withdrawn. If you can love little kids, you can love anything, because they’re sometimes the most miserable things in all the world. You know, aren’t they? They’re something like cats. They want to come round; you pet them a little, and they’ll just walk off. No, I love children. I love pretty well everybody. But you have to simply be gregarious. You were meant to be. So do it. Don’t use excuses. You see? 26. Okay. Take the attitude: “I am going to win. And in this fight of faith, though I may feel tensed up, I am going to win, and when I do I’m going to know the power of relaxation, having gone through the straight things of life.” What about people who just normally win battles on the sheer principle of mental faith, not spiritual faith in the Bible? They’re fantastic people. You don’t find them grumping, grouching, and messing around. Really, that’s what’s wrong with the church that’s always complaining. They don’t lick their battles. Sure. This pulpit up here is seldom negative. I only get negative when I lash out against preachers and what they’re doing to the people. And I see certain things going on. Then I’m ready to raise bumps on heads or something else, because that’s not the way it should be. We try to maintain a positivity, because things are looking up…certainly, looking up more and more. Now, he said here’s the thing you got to do. You got to just begin to cut things away. You’ve got an objection…the objective, “I’m going to win.” And you have an objection, too. You object to the devil snorting around on your ground when he doesn’t own it, just pretending to. 27. All right. Work at the Word. Now, watch: [36-4] Satan anoints. See? What’s his first tactic? What was the first place to get to? The mind. Eve stopped for a moment to listen what he said. [36-5] “Oh, you don’t say so!” (You know, she’s listening.) That’s where many a little female made her mistake, and many a little male made his mistake. That’s right. Stopped for a moment; just stop for a moment. [36-6] How many times have I seen divorce cases and things come up? “Well, I tell you, Brother Branham, he whistled at me, you know, and I stopped; and honest, I didn’t mean to.” Uh-huh, there you are. [36-7] “Oh... I was setting across the table from her; she had the prettiest eyes.” (Well, the Bible said, “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is pleasant to the eye” Would do great things for you.) See? (You see?) That’s it. The devil does the same thing. Now, there’s three things in the Bible to watch for: “the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.” [1 Jn 2:16] Now, that’s what you got to watch for. 28. [36-8] “Oh, the doctor told me I couldn’t get well... “ Well, he impregnated the brain right there. Here’s the authority. Here’s the authority. It’s right there. Why, some of you people got parents. Absolutely, no doubt, would have no more faith in preventive medicine than nothing. They have no faith in alternative remedies, though it’s been proven, irrevocably proven, one hundred percent, that the allopathic methods used on cancer, you lose more patients using scientific methods than you do if you just let people live until they die. The hospital strike in California proved that. For the few days that doctors were on strike, nobody died. I think five days. When they got back to work, they died like flies again. So, who’s your friend? You’d better count on Jesus, not the doctor. It’s got to the place I got to tell the doctors what I want done and how to do it. I’m about as read up as they are. You know, it’s come to the place you might as well just trust God and die doing it, as go to a doctor and be sure you’re going to die. 29. [36-8] “Oh, the doctor told me I couldn’t get well…” (What’s that got to do with it?) There you are. Same thing. See? The greatest battle that ever was fought! Now, listen; actual physical opposition cannot be rationalized. You can’t rationalize your hair falling out, your teeth falling out, your kidney failure, TB of the lungs, cancer of the kidney. You can’t rationalize that. It’s there. So, you cannot rationalize it away. Only attacking it by the Word in the mind can beat it. We can disown it and disavow it as to its powers and authority and permanency, and deny its lying authority or justification of its residence. You can deny it all in the name of the Lord, by the Word of God and fight, and when you do, you can get a victory. And how to make sure you can get a real victory: if you figure you brought this on by drinking, or by smoking, or by living wrong, and you’ve made your life right, you call the elders of the church. 30. And let’s find out what we can about the elders of the church. James 5, I think it is. If it’s not somewhere else, we’ll find it. All right. It says here in Jas 5:13: (13) Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. (Not go downtown to the beat of the Beatles and dance like an idiot.) (14) Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders (or her, for the elders) of the church; let them (the elders) pray over him, (or her,) anointing him (or her) with oil in the name of the Lord: (15) And the prayer of faith (by the elders) shall save the sick, and the Lord (not the elders) shall raise him (or her) up; and if he (or she) have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him (or her). Now, that tells you right there, if you’re on the spot, because you’ve been sinning, you’ve been loose living, you call the elders, and they’ll pray, and God will work a work in your life whereby you will come to the place of repentance and restoration and restitution, if necessary, and you will get your healing. Now this is a guaranteed Word. Now, you don’t just run from church to church and preacher and preacher and get prayed for. This is a one time thing. But the elders you call had better have the prayer of faith. Yeah. They’re on the spot, same as you’re on the spot, and they’re on the spot just as much or more than you are. All right. 31. Now, the actual, physical opposition can’t be rationalized away. It is there. Only attacking it by the Word in the mind can beat it. Thereby we can disown it and disavow it and its power and authority and permanency, deny its lying authority—because that’s all it is—and any justification that he might try to palm off on you as to the reason Satan’s got a control in your body and mind. Now, this here is a strong statement that I made, and it’s very, very true and very important. And we have the remedy right here in the Word of God. 32. [36-9] “Well, they tell me... I saw So-and-so claim to have the Holy Ghost.” Yeah, you looked at some old hypocrite. How about those that really had It? You see? Yeah, the devil will point…out…some old crowbait to you, but he won’t show you the true dove. That’s today in this Message. People look around, and they don’t see anything too good, might pick on one person and miss all the good stuff going on by all the others, and they forget that it took just one Judas to both betray and kill the Lord Jesus Christ, while the eleven went on till Paul came by. [36-9] Yeah, …look at some old crowbait, (he said, not) the real dove. That’s right. He won’t show you that one; he will keep that blinded from you. In other words, as Bro. Branham prayed, because he said the devil likes to magnify anything to instill unbelief. If five hundred people out of five hundred and one got healed, he’d still get you looking at the five hundred and one and identifying yourself with the five hundred and one—you know the last one—never mind the five hundred. It’s just the same way he’d have us identifying with Judas rather than with the eleven that stayed true. Oh yeah, he wants that done. 33. [37-1] Oh, he’s a warrior. (Talking now about Goliath.) Remember that greater is he that’s in you, than he that’s in the world. So hold to God’s Word. Why? Because that’s the only reason you know greater is He that’s in you than he that’s in the world—because the Bible says so. If you look out to the world for your references, you will be certainly confirmed that greater is he out there than anything you’ve got inside of you. You’d better believe that. Like as I’ve said before, there’s nothing out there to encourage you, and there’s everything here, and it won’t discourage you. You see? Nothing out there will encourage you. Now all right. 34. [37-1] Oh, he’s a warrior… …greater is he that’s in you, than he that’s in the world. So hold to God’s Word; and believe It, you captains of the army. Hold your fort, brother. That’s right, hold your post of duty! Now, he said, “Believe it, you captains.” All right. What about ‘captains’? That’s over here in the Book of Joel. Brother Branham makes a statement on Joel here, stuck inbetween Hosea and Amos here, if I can just find it. And it’s the 2:7-10. (7) They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his way, and they shall not break their ranks: (8) Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. (You don’t just take a crack at these guys; doesn’t mean a thing. They stumble, fall upon a sword. Sherman tank hit them, so what?) (9) They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up on the houses; they shall enter in the windows like a thief. (10) The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and moon shall be dark, and the stars…withdraw their shining: What’s that? Just before the Great Tribulation. Who are they? That’s the Bride. That’s the Rapture. Going to leap over a wall. What wall? The wall of dimension. Out of this dimension into another dimension. Just as you leaped through the wall of unbelief and sin into heavenly places in Christ Jesus, this is going to bring you to the materialization of the jump that you made when you were born again. 35. [37-1] That’s right, hold your post of duty! That’s a serious charge, doing our Christian jobs; even the daily attendance and the daily things we attend will give us strength for extra problems. Responding to life’s problems and conditions daily as Christians fit us for the greater problems or the exigencies or the tragedies or emergencies or whatever comes forth. In other words, in our post of duty is to live within the Word and keep it in our hearts and minds. 36. See, never forget that God told Israel, “Make little phylacteries, little boxes, and you bind them here upon your forehead, and go bump, bump, bump, every time you do them, bump, bump, bump, remind you of the Word of God, remind you of the Word of God, remind you of the Word of God. On your wrists, tinkle, tinkle, little jiggling all the time.” See? Reminding you, reminding you, reminding you. We do not dwell upon the Word of God richly, as we should. Brother Branham warned us, and you and I know it to be true, in this day… Just put it this way, where has 1987 gone? Tell me. Where has it gone since last March? Where’s it gone since January 1st? Where’s it gone since the month of September? How did October finally go so fast, and where in the name of common sense did November go to? You know tonight?...December 9th. All those lights decorating out there; it’s going to be January 1st right off the bat; a new year come. Where’s it gone? See? What I’m trying to show you is the acceleration of our lives, which is scriptural, because time and eternity have blended. Then, the more consideration we must give to the Word—day-by-day, everything judged by the Word. 37. Now, he’s going to illustrate about Nellie Sanders. [37-2] …I had a little girl here one time. The lady may be sitting here now; her name was Nellie Sanders. One of the first times I ever saw a devil cast out. (We lived... Now, if we can just get the place it’s about three blocks up here, beyond the graveyard.) Now, I’d just become a preacher, and I was preaching here right on this corner with a tent meeting. And that little girl was one of the best dancers. She went to high school down here. And she and Lee Horn (and many of you here in town know Lee Horn down here, runs the pool room in there.)—so they, she and Lee Horn, were the best dancers that were in the country. He’s a Catholic himself; ‘course, religion didn’t mean anything to them. So then (Nellie and they), she was a great dancer and he was too, and they had this dance there called the “black bottom” and “jitterbug” and all those things; and…those two were the best dancers in the country. [37-3] One day she staggered up in here (one night) to the meeting. There she fell down at the altar, little Nellie; bless her heart. She just laid there at the altar; she raised up her head, and she cried and the tears running down her cheeks, she said, “Billy...” (She knew me.) She said, “I want to be saved so bad.” [37-4] I said, “Nellie, you can be saved; Jesus already saved you, girl. You have to accept it now upon the basis of His Word.” And she stayed there, and she cried, and she prayed, and she told God she’d never listen to the things of the world again. All at once a lovely, sweet peace come over her soul. She raised up from there shouting and praising God, glorifying God. [37-5] …about six or eight months after that, she was coming down Spring Street one night (Now just a young girl, she was just in her teenage, about eighteen years old.), and she came to me, and said to “Hope...” (That was my wife, the one that’s gone on.) She said, “I wished I looked like Hope and Irene.” She said, “You know, they never did get out there in the world.” She said, “The world puts a mark on you. See, I got a rough look. Now, I quit wearing makeup and stuff, but I look so rough. Even the cast of my face,” she said, “I look rough. They look so innocent and tender.” And said, “I wish I’d never done that.” [38-1] I said, “Nellie, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, Honey. Go on, believe it.” 38. [38-2] Wayne Bledsoe (many of you know him here, a bosom friend of mine many, many years), he was a drinker, and be came up here with my brother, Edward. And he got drunk down here in the street, and I picked him up, ‘cause the cops were going to get to him. And I brought him up here; and I was a preacher, and I lived here with my mama and papa way before I was married. And I took him, put him in the bed in there; and I slept on the Duo-fold. There’s a big bunch of Branhams, you know (ten of us), …so we had about four rooms, and we had to kinda double up a little. So I had an old Duo-fold I slept on, I pulled it out this and put Wayne in bed with me, drunk. Had to pack him in the house and lay him down. And as I was laying there, I said, “Wayne, aren’t you ashamed of yourself like that?” [38-3] He, “Uh, yep, yep, Billy, but don’t talk to me like that.” You know? I put my hand over and I said, “I’m going to pray for you, Wayne. God bless you.” [38-4] And I’d been saved about, oh, I guess about, a year. And then all at once a cab, slammed the door outside, and somebody knocked really hard, “Brother Bill. Brother Bill.” [38-5] I thought, “My goodness, somebody must be dying.” I jumped up to the door, grabbed my old thing there, (That would be a dressing gown.) threw it around my pajamas like this, and covered Wayne up, and ran to the door. It sounded like a woman. I opened the door, and this young girl standing at the door, said, “Oh, can I come in?” [38-5] I said, “Come in,” and I turned the lights on and... [38-6] Now, she was just crying like that, and she said, “Oh, Bill—oh Bill, I’m gone, I’m gone.” 39. [39-1] I said, “What’s the matter, Nellie? You got a heart attack?” [39-2] She said, “No. Brother Bill, I was coming down Spring Street. …Honest, Brother Bill, honest…, I didn’t mean any harm; I didn’t mean any harm.” [39-3] I said, “What’s the matter?” I thought, “What am I going to do with her now?” See? I didn’t know what to do. I was just a young fellow... [39-4] She said, “Oh, Brother Bill, I’m just all to pieces.” [39-5] I said, “Now, quieten down now, sis. Tell me all about it.” [39-6] …she said, “Well,” she said, “I was coming down the street, I passed the Redmen Hall...” (…they used to have Saturday night dances there.) And she said, “I had some stuff; I was going home to make me a dress.” And she said, “I heard the music,” and…said, “you know, I just stopped a minute,” and she said, “It kept getting better. So I thought, ‘You know, it won’t hurt if I stand right here.’” [39-7] That’s where she made her mistake, stopped for a moment. [39-8] She just listened and said, “Well, I’m going to think.” Said, “Oh Lord, You know I love You. You know I love You, Lord, but I sure can remember the time when Lee and I used to win all the cups and so forth.” She said, “My, I remember the old music used to attract me; it doesn’t now.” Oh, oh. When you think it doesn’t; it’s already got you right there. That’s just as good as he wants right there. See? In other words when you think you’re past the place where you cannot be influenced, because you’ve been through the mill, or you’re saved, or you’ve had some experience, that’s where you’re exactly wrong. See? 40. I remember a fellow years ago that the Lord took away his habit of smoking. And he just got so bold, why he said, “The Lord could take that out of my mouth.” He said, “I can smoke a cigarette and the Lord will stop me ever doing it.” The man died smoking cigarettes. In other words, “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.” [Mt 4:7] In other words get on believing ground and get off of temptation grounds. As the Scripture said, “Lead us not into temptation.” 41. [39-9] How many ever knew Nellie Sanders? Well, I guess a lot of you. Yeah, sure. …She said, “Well, do you know what? Maybe if I walk up on the steps up there, …maybe I’ll be able to testify to some of them.” See, you’re right on the devil’s ground. Stay out of it! Shun the very appearance of evil. Don’t come close to it. [39-10] But she walked up to the top of the steps and stood there a few minutes, and the first thing you know, she was in some boy’s arms out on the floor. Then she came to herself, and she was standing there crying and going on, said, “Oh, I’m lost now for good.” [39-11] And I thought, “Well, I don’t know too much about the Bible, but I believe Jesus said…: ‘In my Name they’ll cast out devils.’” And Wayne had sobered up a little bit and was sitting there watching it. See? So I said, “Now, devil, I don’t know who you are, but I’m telling you now, this is my sister, and you haven’t got any business with her, holding her. She didn’t mean to do that; she just stopped for a minute.” (That’s where she made her mistake though.) And I said, “But you’re going to have to come out of here. You hear me?” And so help me, (God will judge me at the judgment bar.) that screen door begin to go opening and shutting by itself: pumpity, plumpity, there at the door, ka-plump, ka-plump, ka-plump. And she said, “Bill, looky there, looky there.” [40-1] And I said, “Yeah. What is that?” [40-2] She said, “I don’t know.” 42. [40-3] I said, “Neither do I.” And the door went pumpity, pump, ti-pump, shutting like that, I thought, “What’s the matter here? What’s the matter?” And I looked in like that, and I said, “Leave her, Satan. In Jesus’ Name come out of her.” And when I said that, it looked like a great big bat, about this long, rose up from behind her, with long hair hanging down out of its wings and off its feet like that; and go, “Whrrrrrrr,” started whirring right towards me, just as hard as it could come. And I said, “Oh, Lord God, the blood of Jesus Christ protect me from that!” [40-4] And Wayne jumped up in the bed, and looked; and here it was like a big shadow, circled around, and went over, and went down behind the bed. And out of the bed went Wayne, into the next room as hard as he could go. (I think I would too. In fact, I know I would.) [40-5] So I got Nellie and took her home, and came back, and couldn’t find it—couldn’t find the devil. Mom went in there and shook the sheets and everything; but there wasn’t anything in that bed. What was it? A devil went out of her! What happened? She stopped for a moment. That’s all. Now, in other words, don’t ever try to test the devil or see how close you can come without being burnt. That’s where temptation comes all the time, even with the biggest battle that is lost by ninety-nine percent of the people, which is sexual. That’s why the Bible said, “Don’t you try it; don’t you touch,” or this or that. And I agree with Bro. Branham that all of the things we call affection and want to do should reserve for the day we’re married and not before, because it’s very, very dangerous. You cannot get on the devil’s ground; there are too many things that are too tempting, absolutely. 43. [40-5] Now: She stopped for a moment. Now, there’s a very serious principle here: a command in Deuteronomy 5. I think that’s what I want here, if I’ve looked this up right here, Dt 5:31-33. (31) But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and statutes, and judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it. (32) Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. (In other words once you start walking, don’t turn left, don’t turn right, don’t stop.) (33) Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God commanded you, (keep out of the dance halls, the beer parlors, every place else. Any place else that constitutes a temptation.) that you may live, …that it may be well with you, and…you may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. Now, we’re being told here by the Bible, by Bro. Branham, to guard our weak spots or what we used to go for when we were in the world as sinners. Like this girl loved dancing. So, she went back to the place she should not have gone back. If you’ve been a drinker, don’t prove to yourself you can sit in a bar. If you’ve been a smoker, don’t try to prove to yourself that you’re above those things. Just keep walking and thank God you’ve escaped. Because the minute that you get on that ground, or the minute you start to deviate, you watch; you will go right back to doing what you did, because that’s your old nature: the dog to the vomit, the sow to the wallow. 44. [40-6] Don’t stop at all! God sinks His Word in your heart, just take that Sword and start chopping and cutting! Hallelujah! “I haven’t got time to wait for anything else. Just crossed over; I haven’t got time even to settle down.” In other words, like Abraham: you own it but you don’t worry about it, just keep moving. Then he talks about the little boy getting healed. [40-7] He said, “When you take my staff and lay it on the baby; and if anybody speaks to you, don’t even speak to them. If the devil says, ‘Hey, you know what your feeling...’ Don’t even speak to him. Just keep going on.” 45. Now, when he talks about healing and something you’re feeling, you’re having a problem, we might as well take a look at Hebrews 12. Of course, this covers everything. Now: (1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin (that)…easily beset(s) us, and let us run with patience the race set before us, (2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, …is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Now, that is Heb 13:8. You’re looking to Him. For what? For strength to come from Him because he overcame. That’s Heb 13:8 and Mark 16 again, relationship. The Heb 13:8 is: (3) For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. (4) Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin (which Jesus did). That’s Heb 13:8. Now you take Mark 16. You associate with that, and you say, “He did it. It was done for me; it’s for my admonition; I’ve got my lesson, I’ve got my strength; I’ve got the vindication; I can do it too.” And when you take that stand, you’ll be able to get what you have need of, and you’ll get it from God. 10/14/16 46. [41-1] The devil—you know, the devil say, “Well, but you know what? You know So-and-so, when they got the Holy Ghost, you remember, they almost lost their minds.” Don’t even speak to him; just keep on going. You have no part with So-and-so; it’s you and God. In other words, don’t worry about the other guy. That tells you that in husband and wife. It says, “Do the best you can, but don’t sell out.” Because how do you know, oh wife, you’re going to win your husband? How do you know, oh husband, you’re going to win your wife? How do you know, parents, you’re going to win your kids? How do you know, kids, you’re going to win your parents? You don’t know. It’s not a family affair. 47. I remember my wife’s poor, old dad. He’s a good old boy, in his way, you know. But, you know, he didn’t believe in dancing and all those things, but his kids got out of hand. So, my wife… She would be a crazy dancer, no doubt. I don’t think she did the black bottom and all that, but she’d admit she’d love dancing. So the old boy, he finally let the girls go dancing and what have you, then next thing he backslid. I’d boot my kids out on their fannies, I can tell you right now, instead of me backslide. Of course they’re all gone now. But I’m going to tell you something. If you are not ruthless with the devil, he’s ruthless with you. He doesn’t care about you; doesn’t care two bits. All you do is pick up your newspaper and read the people that have got into trouble and are disgraced. 48. Of course, I didn’t think too much of the Bakkers in the first place, and that crowd, you know. Why should I? You could tell right away that even looking at the TV screen and hearing them talk; whatever they had we don’t want. But look what’s being cast upon the people, because of the devil just took them right in hand…made everything that Pentecost—and I’m sorry for them—stood for, a laughing stock in the whole world. I mean, look; he’ll never live it down. They’ll never live that down, there’s no way to live it down. It’s too bad. 49. You just can’t fool with the devil, because he’s out to get you. And if you really realize that, the devil is out to get me; not to bring a scare complex on you or something. You know what I mean. But realize, look; he’s not your friend. But he’s an angel of light to trick you. He was Eve’s friend. Why he said, “Look honey,” he said, “sure,” he said, “God said that. But you know, really, let me tell you something. That’s not the way it is. By his stripes we’re healed, but listen; God gives doctors now. You don’t have to worry about stripes.” Why, the same devil’s in the mouths of doctors and preachers, but the preachers are the worst of the whole bunch of them. Let’s get that flat, because, if they’d have been true to the pulpit and to the church, we wouldn’t have the mess we’re in. The church would be taken care of, the poor folk in; they’d be taking care of everything. They’d be handling marriage and divorces, not the judges. The church has failed. Of course, the church failed by trying to regiment people instead of bringing them Christ. 50. Now, there’s regimentation with bringing Christ. Regimentation does not bring Christ, but Christ brings regimentation, and don’t think He doesn’t, because you’re completely off your rocker if you think that. We’re an army. And He descended with a military shout. We’re right in the greatest, divine, church order and putting into a position the church has never been in. And believe me, Bro. Branham in his vision saw the girl out of step, and he screamed, “Get in line!” That’s right. We’re regimented whether you want to believe it or not. So, you might as well believe it, because it’s the truth. Why believe the devil’s lie? He just told you you’re not regimented. I’ve got news for you, not regimented by me and these phony preachers that try to regiment you and say, “Well now, you know” – what’s that word? Shun, use the shunning, where you can’t visit your parents, you can’t do this, can’t do that. I’m going to tell you around here, you’d better visit your parents and watch your kids, or I’ll be on you with a four-by-four, and this time I will slug you right between the eyes. God being my judge; I will be tough. I’ve never used a two-by-four yet, but I will. We don’t believe that kind of stuff around here. And the people in this Message are getting too many preachers that are pulling that. And it’s going to end up in the worse vile sin you ever saw. This church will be clear with the Word of God and the preaching of this Word here, brother/sister. I’m not fooling around anymore. I won’t allow no one interfere with me, nor will I allow anyone to interfere with you as far as I can possibly do. We will stand clear on what we know. 51. Now, our conduct we’ve got to guard, each one of us. It’s a difficult thing, but remember; take Heb 13:8 right here and Hebrews 12, that portion right there. Then we go right down below: (3) Consider him… lest (we) be wearied… (We cannot weary; we cannot faint; we’re going on with God.) Get your theorem premise exactly right and from that time you begin moving on. How we going to fail, brother/sister? We’re believing in an unfailing God. See? And that’s what Abraham did. Okay. 52. [41-2] He anoints His servants. (I’ve got to hurry.) God anoints His servants. See? (Now, I got to bypass notes here, and so on.) Here... Listen now, close, little lady. (Talks to the little girl in the cot.) Listen close now. [41-3] Here we see the tactics of the devil—what he did. I’ve got a lot of Scriptures here, prophets and things, where he came to them and to different people through the Bible and did the same thing. (That’s the devil did. Oh, yes he did.) It’s always his tactics to try to get the people to disbelieve God’s Word. Now, that’s especially over here, I think, in… I would put this especially in 2 Peter 1: that Terry [Sproule] went into the other day for you, if I could just get these pages apart: verse 12. (12) Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the…truth (that is presently before you). In other words, this present day Message brought us the seven virtues and the presence of God and laid us right here in this epical season to get out of here in a Rapture, and Peter said, “I’m going to keep you in mind all the time concerning these things, because you’re in it.” You’re into Heb 13:8, with the byproduct of Mark 16, and we don’t let down for one minute. Now, we’ve got to start beginning to rev ourselves up. We’ve got to start putting fuel on the fire. We got to start putting our self in position to believe, and holding the position, hold the fort. That’s good when you’re assaulted. But it’s better to get out of the fort and assault the other guy’s fort. Go and take the fort. 53. [41-4] Listen, you soldiers of the cross! When you disbelieve one Word of God’s written Bible, you’re disarmed. You believe that, honey? You’re disarmed; you surrender. You jellyfish, put on the full armor of God! Amen. We’re in a battle. What God said is true: every man’s word’s a lie. So, that means right there you’re battling with the Word of God to settle It in your hearts and your minds, to say, “This is it. I myself am a liar, everything conspires against the truth, but the truth is victorious.” There is a conspiracy against the truth; that is what God allows! But with it He allows us His Presence and the privileges to fight those condition. And they can be, brother/sister; let me assure you. See, that’s why I wish we had more of a pastoral outlook in this church here, and you’ll get it by the grace of God, if I’ve got to do it myself, because I preach heavy doctrine all the time. But you’ve got to be inspired to do these things because they can be done! And it’s not somebody doing it for you; it’s you learning it yourself. That’s right. Even you go out here in the wilderness, a fox, a vixen, she’ll take her little foxes and she’ll train them how to catch field mice and rabbits and things, then she turns to them, and say, “You’re on your own, get out there and… you know, live or die, sink or swim, you’re on your own baby. I’m finished with you.” See? You got to learn these things. Okay. 54. Now, there are seven words on the cross, or seven sayings on the cross they tell me. I never did have much interest in them. But fellows like Dr. Rimmer found them and others. And they’re very famous, all the time somebody’s preaching on the seven sayings. Well, there are seven church age messages. We don’t live in the time back there on the cross, and we don’t live in the six church ages of six messages. We live under the Seventh Church Age Message of the Seventh Seal of the revelation. So, that’s where we get our strength. You will not get it any other place. You will get it from the eagle. And the eagle is the eye, and after the eye there are no moving parts. From thereon there is a well or a receptacle or a sink tank that takes input. And what’s going to save us and help us all is the input under the seventh saying from the cross, which is the Seventh Church Age Message in the mouth of William Branham. And to flood our hearts and our minds and to stand with whatever he said concerning this hour and concerning us is the sure way to get there. Now, he calls anybody that doesn’t go this way a jellyfish. Now a jellyfish of course is too soft to get into the fight. Why he just oozes himself away. Ever seen jellyfish? Ugly, crazy looking things. One must never back away from a battle. Because to move away or to run away is to expose the back and there is no shield on the back. The thing is to do is to take the sword of the Lord, which is what? This Message that Bro. Branham preached! 55. So therefore, you can see the principle of Heb 13:8, coming more and more into Mark 16! The stronger you get in this Message, the more Mark 16 will be fought by the devil, oh yeah, but you will come forth stronger than ever. And we will. Because Bro. Branham said the sweet spirit of Christ coming more and more in the church will put all these other things on the shelf until the very sick amongst us are all healed. And he prayed always that all the sick would be healed. And this is something that God wants for us. And John said, “I wish above all else that you may prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.” In other words, there’s your criterion. Let the Word of God dwell in you richly, in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That’s this Message today. 56. [41-5] But as soon as he gets you to listen to one thing, (That’s his tactic.) you’re disarmed. How many things did Eve have to listen to? One, (Now, this is a beautiful point. How many things did Eve have to listen to? Just one. And) she was disarmed right there. (See?) In other words, we miss one word of the Seventh Church Age, our strength is gone. You’ve got to believe it all. You’ve got to understand vindication so that you know the Word is vindicated, that you’re not standing on something that’s man’s guesswork. You’re standing on vindication. She turned from the Word and her back was exposed. Right. We must face the enemy. 57. Now, next paragraph: [41-6] What’d the devil do? Swept right in through her mind into her spirit, and there she was perverted… Now, notice how he said it: swept through the mind into the spirit. Nothing can affect us for good or for bad, truly, when there’s an issue, unless it comes through the mind. [41-6] Swept right in through her mind into her spirit, there she was perverted. Is that right? She was perverted the very minute she was disarmed, when she disbelieved God’s Word. (She was perverted.) In other words she didn’t have perfect reconciliation and orientation with God and the world. That is why Bro. Branham had the closest orientation to God and nature, any man in the twentieth century, where the hornets left him instantly when he apologized; when the bull charging lay right down, went back to sleep; when the storm quit, reconciliation; the deer came up, stood right in front of him, wouldn’t even move away: reconciliation; orientation. Why? Because of the Word. There’s no other reason, brother/sister. Let’s not put it down to beautiful nature. Hogwash. Pbbt. Nothing to that nonsense at all. The nature would have to be of God. He Himself said, “Your own nature has to be annihilated.” How does it get annihilated? Through the Word of God. The Word of God alone kills cancers, brother/sister. 58. All right. Never let us fool ourselves. This is a lifetime battle we’re into. But as we work at it, we will grow more and more adept. Let’s look at it. Hebrews 5:14: (14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, (That’s the Melchisedec hour now.) even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. All right. There’s some of your senses right there. You’re looking at the picture. There’s senses right there. We were in the meetings; we saw a prophet with “THUS SAITH THE LORD” stand there, and we knew he had what nobody else had, and our senses were exercised unto righteousness because we are believers and we believe. Take that same thought and apply it to the fact I can exercise my senses over all the conditions in the world out here, my bodily injuries and ailments, and I can bring myself in tune with the life which is in the Word that’s within me, and that can be loosed and bring me to the place I desire to believe. We must practice or train our organs of perception. We’ve got to do that, practice and train them. 59. Hebrews 12:11. (11) Now no chastening for the (time) seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Hard times come, tough times come, stand in there and fight. Exercise your senses unto righteousness. In other words make them coincide with the Word, until the Word begins a reverse flow, then dynamically comes against the things out here, and the things out here become nothing—we live a godly, beautiful Christian life in Jesus Christ our Lord. All right. [41-6] …she was perverted. Is that right? She was perverted, the very minute she was disarmed. All right, she was perverted. Okay. Now, leaves the Word of God, which she did, and it brings perversion or a filthiness of the spirit. 60. Let’s go to Revelation 22, the whole world is in this, but now we come to Rev 22:10: (10) …Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. (The Seals are now opened, the thunders have thundered, Rev 10:1-7 has taken place. We’re in the ushering into the Millennium. Watch:) (11) He that is unjust, (is) unjust still: he (that) is filthy, (is) filthy still: he that is righteous, (is) righteous still: he that is holy, (is) holy still. (You’re right to the place now.) Why? Why will the people be filthy? Because they disregard the Word or take away one Word; they abuse the Word; there’s something wrong. Why are these people not filthy? Because they have taken every Word! Now, there’s your Heb 13:8. If that’s going to get you here to the Tree of Life, immortality, what will Mark 16 do based upon Heb 13:8? It will do in its ordained position and pre-configuration what God has desired for us in this hour here. You don’t need healing in heaven. You don’t need healing when you’re changed. You need it now. But now that you’re in view of and faced with immortality, that which is in part is done away, and you’re looking for the full grace of God, and all of the healings and things which are in the Word are perfectly ours. 61. Okay, let’s go to 2 Corinthians 6, what I’m looking at here, 11-18. (11) O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. (12) Ye are not straitened in us, ye are straitened in your own bowels. That’s what Bro. Branham said to the world church. He said, I’ve brought you the full understanding and the heart of Almighty God. I’m big enough here to bring the whole thing to you. All the seven ages, sum up to the Tree of Life. You people turn it down. You think I cut you back. You women didn’t want your hair growing long, and you men that didn’t want to face up. Why, he said, it’s your own miserable, little, stingy hearts that did it. (13) Now for recompence in the same, (I speak…unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. (Come on, take the message to get where I’m at. See, you and I can do that.) (14) Be…not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: (come out of her my people.) …what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? (Cain with Abel?) …what communion hath light with darkness? (Creeds and dogmas with the real Word of God?) (15) …what concord hath Christ with Belial? (two gods right there, the headships) …what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (One that doesn’t believe.) (16) What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God…said, I will dwell in (you), and walk in them; be their God, and (they’ll) be my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, be ye separate, saith the Lord (God), and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (18) And (I) will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Almighty. [2 Corinthians 7] (1) Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. He’s telling you, take this Message! There’s your Heb 13:8; there’s the whole of it; there’s the perfection. Take that, and you’re on believing ground to get the others. I believe this, therefore, I can and do believe that. That’s what you’re looking at. And you’ve got to work on it. No way about it. 62. Notice: [41-8] …put on the full armor of God. You got a minute? Let’s go back just a minute. Let’s just see what the full armor of God is. All right. Let’s begin in verse 10. Now, listen close. Now, let’s find the full armor of God. Now, what time we got left? [Brother with recording gives answer.] How many? [Answer repeated.] Not enough time. So tomorrow, Sunday, we’re going to start here on the armor of God. That’s all the time we got for. 63. Now, so you learn tonight…you learned that it’s not quite what you thought it was. You’re back to the same old thing. In the sweat of your face, sweat of your brow, amongst the briars, amongst the brambles, you’re not going to go out here and get a lovely, lovely harvest—just throw in your lamp; you’re going to go out and work for it. Now, you and I didn’t do one thing for Heb 13:8. It’s thrown right in our laps. Just believe it. This is different. Though you believe it, this depends a lot on you—the other depended upon God. Because if God did not reveal it to you, you could sit here and rot! You could work, spiritually speaking, your fingers to the spiritual bone, while all you’d know is what he said, but that’s as far as you’d go—profit you nothing. 64. But this is different. Anybody, sinner and saint, can use it. But we are in the enviable position of knowing we have every right to it. We are not false anointed. We are the children of God with the bread of God, and we can have it, but we’ve got to work for it. We’ve got to consider Him, Christ. We’ve got to consider the prophet; we’ve got to consider these things and begin to move in. And the more you believe this and this, the more you take Heb 13:8, the more you will take Mark 16. Why? Because one brings the complete rest of the soul, and when the soul comes to the complete rest of prospering, the body has to prosper too, and you can get a hold of this much, much quicker and much, much better. 65. We are in an enviable position, my brother/sister. When we come and say, “Have we not prophesied in thy Name?” “Yes, fine and dandy, one hundred percent right.” “Have we not cast out devils?” “Right, right, right.” “Have we not as elders and so on prayed for the sick?” “Right, right, right. Good, my faithful servant; you get rewards. You others, I know you not. I don’t have a thing to do with you.” So therefore, you look at this as we haven’t looked before. I can enter in as a true servant of God, same time benefit my brothers and sisters, benefit myself, be to the glory of God, and stand on a day and hear Him say, hopefully, and believing He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joys of thy Lord.” What more could we want? Let’s rise and be dismissed. Heavenly Father, we want to thank You and praise You again for Your love and mercy and grace, Lord. And Lord God, we know that it’s a cold kind of a sweat we go through at times to get Your promises, but You sweat blood, and we look to You, all right, by Your strength we won’t sweat blood, that’s true, but we may sweat a cold sweat, but we’re coming through. And we know, Lord, all through it, we know that Your Spirit was given to us to comfort us and help us, like as one Scripture says, “You’ll hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk therein,’” just going step-by-step like Abraham, not knowing where’s he going, but knowing he’s going to get there—knowing as the prophet said, “We don’t know how He’s going to do it, but we know He’s going to do it.” Lord, we can be in that place tonight, and we are in that place. Help us, Lord, to have the decency, the spiritual decency that we will stand up and be counted, O God, to know these things and practice these things for Your honor and glory. Now, Lord, we’re hoping, we’re believing tonight, trying to ask in faith, Lord, to let the Word so influence our minds tonight as never before, to get right down in our hearts, that we might be vessels of the Holy Ghost, living Word, emissaries, epistles, read and known that You are in us. Father, we really want that, to live that kind of life in graciousness and kindness, all the things there, so that, Lord, as we walk around this life we literally can minister the good things of God in the capacity that You have given us to perform these various things, all not doing the same thing, Lord, (We know that.) but each one going around daily, looking daily, Lord, to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ in some respect. So, help us all, Lord, now to move forward as never before with faith in our hearts, and everyone so primed up by the influence of the Holy Spirit, that we will know, Lord, and others will know, that we are a people who know their God, and are known of Him. Father, we don’t want to be big shots; we don’t want big names. We just want to be satisfying Christians, satisfied Lord as You take us on, Your heart satisfying, people around us satisfied. At least, Father, if they’re not satisfied, let it be that they can’t lay a finger on us, that their talk will just be gossip, and nonsense, just like the devil, accusations and no substance. Help us to that end, Lord. We know You’re here tonight, Father, we know You’re here to take us exactly what we’re talking about, because that’s what Your Word says, and we not going to sell It short by Your grace. So Father, we commend our self to You, every single one in this building, O God, missing not one single adult or child, any way, shape, or form, but all moving on, Father, to see Your face in the great Resurrection, of the Wedding Supper, when You incarnate Yourself once more in the beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, becoming Father and Son, the Prophet, Rose of Sharon, King of Kings, Lily of the Valley, Altogether Lovely, the great God of gods. We give Thee praise. Dismiss us as we go. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. “Take the Name of Jesus with You.”