PARADOX #2

Presence, Revealed Word, Resurrection

Bro. Lee Vayle

March 14, 1984

Shall we pray? Heavenly Father, we're very happy to be in Your Presence in this place Lord, having You in strength and health and journeying mercies and whatsoever, besides the wonderful grace of salvation, desire to be here so that here we are Lord. And we just thank You for it. We pray You will be with us in the meditation of Your Word. May we be granted Your thoughts in our understanding, that we may know the things that are freely ours which belong unto us and which are fast being consummated now. We ask You to help us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen. You may be seated.

Now, the more I study the Paradox, the more I see there's a tremendous amount of material in here. And I don't know if I'll be able to cover it just the way I'd like to cover it. But we'll try to do it and take our time as we go along.

Now going over last Sunday, we took just a few paragraphs starting with paragraph 13. And you know that Bro. Branham was a boxer before he went into the ministry, before he was saved. And he was a very good boxer. And He knew the laws of the game. And you'll see that he treats this subject, especially paragraphs 16, 17, 18, in that area, 17, just something like a boxer does as he comes on to, or against, his opponent.

2. You'll notice in paragraph 16, he comes on very strong. There's a real flurry of punches in here.

(13) Now, the message that the Lord has allotted me, it's sometimes, you know, these things get pretty touchy. And it's been that way in every age. And I have tried my best to stay with it. It's something. And if I did not speak that thing that God told me, and if it wasn't of God, then it wouldn't be in the Word. If it's in the Word, and a promise for this hour, then I feel that I'm doing what's right, because I'm only trying to keep what He promised for this hour.

Now to everybody sitting there, especially people like me who sat there, that was quite mild. And, of course, to the people that didn't believe like we did, who had no inkling, you know, that amounted to too much. It just went plumb over their heads. This is very, very strong.

3. Now notice. He then backs away. The next paragraph he backpedals. He kind of sizes up the forum to see if he can come back and hit them again.

(14) And many times when you cross someone up in his theology, they'll fall right quick. But that shouldn't be. I try to...I find friends of mine that's of all different denomination of churches, and so forth , and I never fall out with those brethren. My, I go to their churches, everywhere they let me come, and speak. But we shouldn't fall out, over little ideas. Now he calls them little ideas. Now he's backpedaling and soft-pedaling. Now he'll you watch him come on again now.

(15) But, you know, if I said anything different from what's in my heart, I would be a hypocrite. Far be it! I might have to meet Him someday, as a sinner, but I certainly don't want to meet Him as a hypocrite. I want to be true. And if I just said, "Well, I'll just omit this because the rest of them believes this, and that," then what kind of person would I be? You couldn't have any confidence in me, and I couldn't have confidence in God or in myself, when I just so easily compromise.

4. Now you'll notice he comes back very, very strong again in the sixteenth verse. In other words, there's another real flurry of punches here, and they didn't even know it was a knock out blow; but they got it.

(16) Anyone has got to have something that they are sure of. That's when you can base your faith, is when you're sure; but until you are sure, if there is a question, leave it alone until you are sure.

Now everybody in that building had questions but Bro. Branham, and nobody really got that. He was telling them something that he knew to be absolutely the truth. It could be banked on. That there's where you could put your faith. It went plumb over everybody's head.

(17) Now Billy has probably given out some prayer cards...this where we're going to go. He talks about prayer here now, prayer cards, and he said, "And I believe that he told me, a while ago, that he had. Somewhere along there, I'll call a few for the prayer line, after a while, to be prayed for. Now if your card is called, and you're not sure that God is the healer and that He is going to heal you, it won't do you any good to come up here, because you won't be healed. If there is a question, and you say, 'Well, now, there might be something in my life, I really ought to straighten up," you go make that right, first, and then come back in the prayer line, see."

5. Okay. Now we'll take paragraphs 18, 19, 20 and 21. And he's talking about prayer and revivals, of which he has had the great revival of all time, and what it really means.

(18) Because healing is the children's bread. We realize that. It's in the atonement, and the atonement first is applied to our souls. And healing has always forerun every message, and it's also been a means to gather people together. Now you want to watch the gathering here, because there's two gatherings.

(19) Many people will sponsor a healing meeting. Many will come to a healing meeting, or to a song festival, but when it comes to a poor lost soul to get saved, there are not many people interested in that. They just... But that's the main thing. Divine healing and singing festivals, and so forth. As Bro. Bosworth used to say, 'It's the bait on the hook.' And you just show the fish the bait, not the hook.

Now, here he's warning the people that there is such a thing as majoring on a minor (which is actually healing) and to come together for a time of worship--a time of good fellowship. But the actual value in meetings is for the Message to bring in whatever is to be brought in, which of course, would be souls. And he shows here that healing revivals are to get the people together in order to get them on the hook, which is the Message.

6. Now he says here, Bro. Bosworth said that healing was just the bait.

(20) And that's just the thing, to get the people to listen a while, till you can really present to them your message. God has done that in every age, through every age. There has always been a healing campaign. And if it's a genuine healing campaign, behind that campaign, always, is a message. There is never a sign given just for a sign. Now you know healing was a sign. It's forerunning a message.

Now what we're seeing here is that it's the Word that really unites them to Christ, where there is a spiritual healing, not just a physical. The physical is an attraction.

7. Now we go here to Hebrews 2, you can see what is being said. Chapter 2 of Hebrews,

(1) Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

(2) For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

(3) How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

(4) God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his [own] will?

(5) For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

(6) But in one certain place testified, saying, What is man, that you're mindful of him, or the son of man, that you visit him?

(7) You made him a little lower than the angels.

And so on right on down the line. He gets into the heart of it, showing you that as Bro. Branham said here, that signs are merely that which point you to what God wants you to really have and subscribe to. So many people subscribe to the healing, but they did not subscribe to the Message. So the healing was an attraction or a sign to get them to the Message.

8. Now he says in the next paragraph,

(21) And I believe the same thing is, seventeen, or eighteen years ago, that the Lord sent me out to start praying for the sick. It made a great revival among the people. Many great servants of God have gone forth in healing campaigns, but the healing campaign, in itself, if you still stay in the same old trend of what you always were, there is something wrong. That healing campaign wasn't sent from God.

Now, what about then, back in other ages? You'll find the same thing. What God did was to rouse the people up to bring them to the fresh manna of the hour. Like in the time of Dr. Price, men were used by God to get the eyes of the people onto the move of the hour, which was restoration of gifts and what the Word had at that hour.

9. But at this time there is a definitive Message, that Bro. Branham will go into as we proceed. Now he said, "It's got to attract attention first, see, get the attention, then the Message." Now, he's already preached on the "Anointed Ones of the End Time" in July of 1965. He hasn't yet. This is in January of 1965. And it will be in July 1965 he goes to "The Anointed Ones of the End Time."

But you'll notice, all the way through, he's been laying the foundation for "The Anointed Ones of the End Time" by showing that there are those things which are correctly the manifestation of the Word of God. In other words it's in the Word, and it's a manifestation--like a gift--that's generally true, but it is not that which is sent of God by the messengers of God. Like Baalam, he could prophesy. But he was no more a messenger of God than nothing. He was wrong. So Bro. Branham was leading up to that. So he said he's trying to get the people to look at the Message, which is the Elijah Message of the hour. He also indicated strongly that his healing campaign was positively of God; so a message must follow--a new Message

(22) Jesus, when he came forth, healing the sick, and so forth, He was a great prophet to them all. But when He begin to tell them the Truth, of the Gospel, Who He was and what He came for, then He was not popular after that. And that's the way it's always been through every age, and it will continue that way.

10. Now let's go back to Jn 14:10. "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?" Now they said, "Just a minute. You're blowing off steam there, boy." "The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Now you can see right there that the works manifested was what was supposed to cause the people to listen to the Word. And of course, they wouldn't do it.

11. Now let's just take some more Scripture. We go to Rom 9:33 "As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumblingstone and a rock of offense: and whosoever believeth on him..." Now you will notice that different ones had different opinions of who Jesus was. Now Jesus said, "Who do men say that I the Son of man am?" And some said "Well, we believe, some say you're Jeremiah. Some say you're Isaiah. Some say you're John the Baptist. Some this and some other things." That didn't do anybody any good. Now the reason they were believing that, was because they had seen something. But they wouldn't take what the authority Himself had to say about the subject. But Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said, "That's right, because you had the revelation."

12. Okay, Let's go to Gal 5:1-11

(1) Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

(2) Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

(3) For I testify to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

(4) Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace.

(5) For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

(6) For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

(7) You did run well; who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?

(8) This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

(9) A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

(10) I have confidence in you through the Lord, that you'll be none otherwise minded; but he that troubles you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

(11) And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer

persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

You can see right there that Paul had trouble with the Message of his ministry. He didn't have trouble otherwise. Now he could have come on the scene and been a very powerful person with a great ministry, and they'd have said, "That's fine. That's just great." But the minute he went positively to the Word, to the Message, then they turned on him. They did not want It.

13. Now over here in 1 Pet 2:8, you see the same thing take place. And It says here, "And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto they were also appointed." You'll notice again, when it came to the Word, no way did they want It.

14. Now let's go to Hebrews 6:

(1) Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on

unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

(2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of

resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

(3) And this will we do, if God permit.

(4) For it is impossible for those who were once for all enlightened...

Now you'll notice that the enlightenment is categorically what you are after. Now with it, they taste the heavenly gift, partake of the Holy Ghost, taste of the good word of God, the powers of the world to come; and they still fall away from what? The "once for all" repentance. And when they do, it's all over. And this age closes out with destruction.

15. Now this is what Bro. Branham is trying to tell them. That the great healing revival of Acts 3, "When times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord," which is a great healing revival, there has to be, at that juncture, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, which cannot come until the restoration of all spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets comes to pass. Now, what was spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets that have to come to pass? Whatever was supposed to be for that hour. Now, the thing is they're going to turn it down flat. See?

16. Now you'll notice he starts in here, and he's bringing it right over to where he's talking and saying healing is a great thing. But he said the healing is not the major. The major is the revelation--the revealed Word of God--the Message.

(23) Now this afternoon, and then tomorrow afternoon in this same auditorium, seven o'clock tomorrow, Ramada Inn, Wednesday, Thursday - that's what starts the convention. And the Lord willing, I want to be here through all of it. I'm here, your brother, a helper in God's Kingdom, to help you in anything I can. To answer your question, I might not be able to do it. (But watch now.) But, prayerfully, we would probably understand if we would pray over it and went to God about it, and not draw our own opinions.

Now you tell me anybody outside of William Branham that could do that. How often have you and I gone to God in prayer and come back with our own ideas. See? He's letting them know, "If you ask me a question, now I couldn't answer it." But he said, "I've got a way of getting to God. Now if He doesn't want to answer my question, I'm not going to get it. But if it's a question of the hour, and especially is applicable, or really more than applicable as a part of the Message, He said, if I get my own thinking out of the way, I'll have no trouble getting the answer."

17. Now everybody else has got to start with something as a basis in order to progress. Everybody that knows anything, you started learning from your mother's knee or your father. You started learning from the cradle, the crib, and you built on what you knew. But this you don't. Now he said,

(25) If you were sick, I wish I could heal you, but no man can do that. It's already done. Healing lies in you. It's your faith in the finished works that God did on Calvary, with Jesus Christ. And outside of that, there is no healing; and outside of that, there is no salvation; no church, no denomination, no ritual, nothing packs salvation. Jesus Christ. "He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities and by His stripes we are healed. By His stripes, He said, we were healed." It's in the past tense.

18. Now, let's go to Heb 9:19-26.

(19) For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people.

(20) Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you (Now it's not the blood that was enjoined, it was the testament that was enjoined. And then the blood was sprinkled to radify God, the Word, and the people, as one in a union. Okay.)

(21) Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

(22) And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

(23) It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

(24) For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; (just types) but into heaven itself, (where the figure came from) now to appear in the presence of God for us:

(25) Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with the blood of others;

(26) For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

(27) And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

(28) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

What my thought is here is that the sacrifice has been complete and every covenant has been already enjoined by blood. Therefore, the blood at no time is ever set aside, and there is no time when you are not ever under the blood and with the blood, when it comes to participating in the Word of God. You heard what I said? The blood has been shed. It's a finished work. The Life has gone forth, and now it depends on if you are a part of the Word, which means you are under the blood and in the light. Both the sacrifice and you are now, not only acceptable, but perfected together.

19. All right. He said,

(26) I don't have but a few minutes to speak this afternoon, probably twenty or thirty minutes, and then we're going to run a prayer line. Each day, as usual, there'll be new people come in, so there will be new prayer cards given out. But we will do all that's in our power, all that God will permit us to do, to pray for every sick person that comes, that wants to be prayed for.

(27) If there is such a thing as a person dying, an emergency, then of course." he said, "They can't sit, they're dying. I'll minister right away.

(28) But it's much better, if you're not in that emergency state. If you'll just take your creeds and beliefs, and push them aside a few minutes."

Now of course right away they all think, well, there's is a bunch of local bobos in here that don't believe in healing. Now why do you think they came? They did believe in healing. The people who were supposed to put their creeds and dogmas aside were the people sitting there--everybody.

20. "Put your creeds and dogmas aside and your beliefs. Just put them aside for a few minutes, long enough to listen to what the Scripture says, and then what God does about what He promised. And that will build faith. And you won't even need to be in a prayer line."

Now notice we're talking about healing, and we're talking about the fact that you've got to have something to build your faith on. You've got to know where you stand to build your faith.

Now, there wasn't one person in that building, outside the prophet, who knew just where faith was. Now, there was a lot of understanding at the end of his ministry. We were well into the doctrines by then. But talking in terms of original, there wasn't one person who could possibly have escaped the wrath of God. "Except I send Elijah, there won't be anybody live." Now that's a statement that people don't want to listen to, or they'll give it to the Jews. Well, might as well give everything to the Jews.

21. Now, he said,

(29) It isn't necessary to come up here and kneel down, and pray through, until you're saved. You're already saved, but you have to accept it. Your praying doesn't do it. Your faith is what you're saved by. Not by prayer; but, "By faith are you saved." Same thing by healing. I'm sure we all understand that."

Now, that's a doctrine. The doctrine is: it's not your prayer that saves you. It's not one step you take. It's your faith that saves you in the finished work that's already consummated. And it is lying there for you to receive it, by faith, which of course, is "Word Faith."

22. Okay. Let's go to Rom 4:2-6.

(2) For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

(3) For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Now that's why you don't hear a lot of talk from this pulpit and around anybody who has any real faith in God. They don't talk about themselves. They talk about God. And they don't talk about what wonderful fellows they are--even wonderful things are done by God for him. "Look at me now." That's Pentecostal peacocks. There are too many other peacocks too, not just Pentecostal. Because the Bible distinctly says, that if you learn to get out of the way is the only time that God can use you. See. God's not looking for a headless person. He's looking for a brainless person, in the sense of brainlessness concerning his own smartness. Too many manure heads. They think it's pure gold, and it's pure manure. Did you ever hear of anybody gold-bricking? Well, gold-bricking is when you ain't got it. You put on a show. So much for the manure heads. Can't you get that? You're dumber than I am, and I'm pretty dumb.

23. Okay? He said,

(4) Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

(5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

(6) Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.

24. Okay, let's go back to Rom 9:11, "For the children being not yet born (not yet born; not yet born; not yet born.) neither having done any good or evil (providing they had of been born, but they weren't even born), that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth." God with a purpose perpetrating His Own purpose.

27. Rom 11:6: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. "Nah, no, no, people don't believe that. Fap. I could take that out of my Bible and spit in it, and everybody would say, "Hey, that's a good thing you did that Bro. Vayle. Oh, oh... Don't do that Bro. Vayle. Why do you do it? Why does everybody do it? Nobody likes that. People don't like that. You get some poor eternal security folk. Never had any grace in the first place. They believe that more than the people who are supposed to actually have grace. Well they're supposed to have grace too, aren't they. "And if by grace, then is it no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace." Now you're talking about redemption. You're not talking about a walk. You're talking about a redemption of whom Jehovah is the redeemer. "But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise works is no more work." In other words grace and works are more diverse than oil and water. You can't even emulsify them. You can't emulsify oil and water. But you cannot emulsify works and grace when we're talking what we're talking about. See? And that is redemption per se.

26. All right. Heb 4:1-10:

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

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

(3) For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (In other words everything that needed to be done has already been done.)

(4) For he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

(5) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

(6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

(7) Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

(8) For if Jesus, (Joshua) had given them rest, then would he not afterwards have spoken of another day.

(9) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

(10) For he that is entered into his rest, also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Now, it doesn't say one thing about you not working for God, which you certainly can. But it says absolutely, there is nothing, but nothing, but nothing you can do about your salvation--period. And the minute you think you've got one thing to do with it, God goes off the scene; because He's a jealous God.

27. Okay. He said, hop to it. One of the most difficult things of all the world to believe. It seems that people are willing to believe that God will do certain things, and then it ends right there, even concerning salvation. See? Now He said here, you were already saved. You have to accept it. In other words, you believe the things that have been done already. You believe the things that have been done already. Now, salvation has already been accomplished, or it has not been accomplished, because your faith can not depend upon what is to be done. It depends on what has been done. All right. Now bring this to the present hour. What has been manifested, wherein your faith rests? Now that manifestation has to be right with that Word, or you cannot build any faith upon It.

28. 28. Now people don't even believe Elijah's first got to come. Oh, fine. Don't believe it. When the fire falls, it'll be too late. Well, you say, "Bro. Vayle, you are cold blooded." I'm not cold blooded. I believe the Word of God. People want me luke warm and pukeified. It's impossible. I'm red hot.

I talked to the doctor the other day, and I said, "You know, I'm cold blooded." He said, "What do you mean?" Well I said, "Man, I can't stand the cold." He said, "You're hot blooded." He said, "Cold animals, cold blooded, they can't stand heat, you see. But cold blood, it can take the cold."

But I'm hot blooded, and I can't take the cold. I'm red hot, and I ain't going to get cold. Might as well call the church what it is. You say, "What's going to happen?" I'm resting on Him; what He did. If He hasn't done what He was supposed to have done, then I don't have any faith. My faith is vain. But what if my faith is not vain, then that's life. I'm going to tell you one thing, brother/sister. When I go down town to buy turkey, I don't come home with a chicken. You say, "Well, do you mean that you don't change your mind?" I'm not going to change my mind about this. You're not going to give me some lousy buzzard for an eagle. I respond only to the eagle.

29. So faith rests upon what has been done. Then that rests upon who has done it. And then that rests upon whatever Word was involved. But if you are where we believe we are, you got it made. The final Message and the consummation are here.

(30) Now there may be a stranger in our gate, we want you to know that, as for myself, or this group that I'm here with, the Full Gospel Business Men, we represent no denomination or organization. We only represent Christian believers in all denominations. Everyone is welcome. We're just glad to have you. You say, "Well, I belong to a certain church, could I be prayed for?" Now, you don't even have to belong to a church. You don't have to belong to anything to come up here and believe God. That's all you have to do. God does the rest.

Then the quest