RAPTURE #1

The Subject Is the Rapture

September 18, 1983

Shall we pray? Heavenly Father, we’re very happy to know that we’re just not singing but it’s actually a prayer unto You, a communication, and a respect of Your Presence, knowing that You are here. We know that one day it’s going to be such a reality that this will not, though it might fade in a way, it won’t fade, because it is Word piled on Word, reality piled on reality, coming closer and closer. It will just be a more complete and perfect realization of the revelation which has been given us. We are very grateful for that.

We ask You to be with us in the study of Your Word; may it be far reaching down to the very depths of our souls. May it be spirit shaking, O God, so that we are more in line with You. We know there has to come this hour, and we’re longing for it. We realize that much comes with it, but because of the grace and because of reality, we believe, Lord, we have been positioned by You and strengthened with might in the inner man to cope with all the other things now. Since we believe that, Lord, and we’re calling upon You for the help we need at this moment, we believe You’ve already answered us. And we take this now as a special privilege from You, that we have this petition that we’re part of this Word and also that part of the overcoming, which comes with it. We give Thee glory in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen. You may be seated.

1. Now, I’m going to do something which I haven’t done previously on a Sunday. As much as I’m going to do it for at least two Sundays now, which is this and next Sunday. We are going to go into reading Bro. Branham’s message, and we’re back to the “Rapture”. I cannot get away from it. There is no way.

Now, first of all, on page 6, Bro. Branham said, “I want to speak on the subject of the rapture.” What is the subject that he is going to speak on? Say it. [Congregation: “Rapture”]. Then everything he says is about what? [Congregation: “Rapture”.] So the subject is “Rapture.” Right?

2. All right. When we started this awhile ago on the Wednesday night services you will notice that I brought this to your mind: it is a revelation, and it is the revelation of this hour. So therefore, no previous hour understood the revelation. Is that right? So therefore, any thoughts you and I had on the revelation of the Rapture were what? Wrong. So therefore, Bro. Branham said, “Get rid of your thinking.” Is that what he said? Get rid of your thoughts. You don’t have any thoughts on the Rapture. If you do, they are ‘manure head’ thoughts. Right? Your thoughts are wrong thoughts. My thoughts are wrong thoughts. It was constantly the idea: look, your thinking is wrong. Get your thinking lined up. Don’t think anymore the way you used to. Listen to Bro. Branham. Those are the thoughts. Is that right? All right.

3. For the next two meetings it will be subject, subject, subject. Understand what I am saying? Keep in mind what the subject is. I am not going to be talking about a horse, and then, without any reason, switch to a motor car. I’ll not be talking about a motor car and weave in an airplane. It’s going to be ‘Rapture, Rapture, Rapture.’ You understand? What is a ‘rapture’? A catching up. You understand what I’m saying? We are getting right down to business. We are not fooling. All right. The subject is the ‘Rapture’—not horse-and-buggy Pentecost. Not your thinking. But this is the thinking on the subject ‘Rapture’.

4. “Now,” he said, “I believe there’ll be a rapture. All Christians believe that.” Anybody who doesn’t believe it is just not a Christian. Sorry about that, but that’s it.

“Well,” you say, “what about it? Where are you going to place that catching up? Before the tribulation, during the tribulation, after the tribulation? Before the Millennium, after the Millennium?”

I don’t care where you put it. There is a catching up. It is Bible doctrine concerning the witness to Christ. Everybody that’s a Christian believes in a rapture of some sort. Now if they don’t—well, they might not be Hindus, but they might as well be.

[29] Now, to read for a background...

For what? A background. For what? [Congregation answers: “Rapture.”] Thank you, that’s very good. All right. A background is a setting that complements and enlarges the understanding of the subject to be presented. So he said, “I’m going to start a background here that if you listen, you will know that what I am going to deal with from this background lines with this.”

5. All right, Ps 27:1-5:

(1) The Lord is my light and my salvation; (Something about the Lord and the Lord is the light and the salvation.) in whom shall I fear? (The disappearance of fear) the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Well, there’s something to be afraid of, but God becomes a strength.)

(2) When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. (That’s what It says. And the Rapture brings us something that causes men to stumble. They’ll fall, but we won’t.)

(3) Though the host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: (Bro. Branham said he had no fear.) though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

(4) One thing have I desired of the Lord, (Now, this is an attitude.) that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.

All right. We know the body is the Bride—to be a part of the Bride, to worship as a part of the Bride, to behold Him.

(5) For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: (There is going to be a refuge at this time.) in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; (Now that’s a mystery. That could be the mystical union of the Bride in the tabernacle.) he shall set me up upon a rock (—the rock of revelation).

6. Now he said, “This is the background.” Which indeed is the root of 1 Th 4:13. I’m reading it in chapter 4; so we read It.

(13) But I would not have you to be ignorant concerning them which are asleep, my brethren, that ye sorrow not (or be troubled), even as others which have no hope.

In other words you don’t get to be in trouble. You don’t get to Jacob’s trouble, that time of sorrows, the great tribulation, as others that don’t have this hope that we are talking about. Now there is a certain hope or expectation that lies in the Rapture—which is the spirit of the Lord’s Day—which is something that you get imbued with. All right.

(14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, (the basic premise of all Christianity) even so them also which sleep in Jesus God has to bring forth with Jesus. (The same as He brought them forth out of the grave—incorruptible.)

(15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, (THUS SAITH THE LORD. This is the Scripture. This is the affirmative expression.) that we which are alive and remain unto the presence of the Lord shall not take a pre-eminence over them which are asleep. (We’ll go into that later on.)

(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

(17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: so shall we ever be with the Lord. (So we escape the trouble...having entered into a previous rest of hope and expectation.)

(18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This will be the same as Mal 3:16:

(16) They that feared the Lord and thought often upon his name, spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened. (The Bride has a language. See? She talks different from others. She talks truth! See?)

[1 Th 5:1]

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

Now, he says, in this are times and seasons—the epochal season where you’re moving into something. So therefore, within this there are periods of progression.

7. I am being fought on that. Listen to me. I’m prepared to die for it! We’re in a progression now. You have been caught up into something wherein you will be caught up to be with the Lord. And the Lord does all three. Look, I can sit right here, and I don’t read your minds, but I know you. And I know where previous influences will come from. You don’t have to believe this. The less that believe It the better. Because then I’m more sure I’m right. Not trying to hurt you... Want you to know one thing: I’m not fooling.

8. (2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (Now, you will find that Bro. Branham hit that in the “Rapture.” Did you hear what I said? I’ll take you to it. It’s right here, page 238 on the “Third Seal”.)

(3) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with a child; and they shall not escape. (They’re being birthed into something! bringing forth a human, which is the devil! Don’t be nervous. I’m not. Excited? Yes; but not too nervous. “And they shall not escape.” You believe what you want.)

(4) Ye, brethren, are not of darkness, that that day should over take you as a thief. (He says it twice. The day that brings forth the Antichrist in vengeance is not your day. You get out of here like a thief.)

(5) Ye are the children of light, (Why? They know something. “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”)

[Approximately 85 seconds cut from the tape.]

[ ]

(5) Ye are the children of light, not the children of the day: we’re not of night, nor darkness.

(6) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; (A little folding of the hands, a little slumbering, and it goes down the drain.)

(7) For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. (It’s not that we’re not drunk. We’ve got a different wine—the wine of stimulation of revelation.)

(8) But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breast plate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

(9) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (He is our Light and our Salvation. If He is a Light, then He is our Salvation. If the Light has come, Salvation has come. Yet people try to talk about a salvation apart from Light.)

(9) ...but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ

(10) Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

(11) Wherefore comfort yourselves together, edify one another, even as you also do.

In other words there is an edification in talking this Message. There is no edification anywhere else! If you want to get built up, never mind what the neighbors are doing out there in the world, the world church—or anybody else. Here’s the one place where your edification is. All right, that’s the background.

9. [30] Now today, speaking on this subject... What subject? (Congregation: “The Rapture.”) Is this part of the Rapture...Psalm 27? (Congregation: “Yes.”) Fine, thank you. That’s good. Now, speaking on this subject... the Rapture. And now, some of you may differ from the avenues that I take.

Now, he said, You are going to believe different from what I’m going to tell you.

They said, “You’re wrong.”

I don’t care what you believed about the Rapture—post-trib, pre-trib, pre-Millennium, post-Millennium, this thing, that thing, the other. I don’t care what you believe. You’re wrong, because you differ. How can a spirit-filled believer set aside a revelation built on vindication?

...How many here believes that the Bible teaches there will be a rapture of the Church? (yes, that’s right!), a catching away of the church.

10. What is a ‘rapture’? A catching away of the church. And Bro. Branham differs on it from everybody else. [And] he’s the only man that’s not of a reprobate mind concerning this subject. We saw that in the third exodus. Everybody else’s heads are full of vomit and manure.

[30] Now: Whether you are Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, whoever you are, Pentecostal, there will be a catching away. In other words it doesn’t matter what your church believes—there is going to be a Rapture the way I tell it. See? Now he is different. Absolutely. Right?

[31] And I think that in speaking... Speaking what? Concerning the subject, the Rapture... which you will differ from me, and I don’t care what you believe. You’re wrong. I’m right. Vindication!! I just don’t get up here to say something that I think would please the people. Like Paul, he will make enemies.

Well, he’s telling you: you are not going to be happy with what he says. And we will show you in a few minutes who are going to be saying what. And I told you I sat there when he said what the ‘Shout’ was, and I said within my soul and my heart, “Bro. Branham I’ve heard you say a lot of funny things, but this is the queerest of all. I can’t go along with it.” Suddenly something in me against my will said, “But when was he ever wrong?” And I said, “That’s right. He’s right. Praise God. “The Rapture... Shout’s the Message.”

I don’t care what anybody else said what the Shout was. I don’t care how many theologians. I don’t care how many smart brains. I don’t care! I’m going to tell you if, William Branham is wrong, I’m wrong. And if he’s right, I’m right. And I’ll throw my lot with it, and I have thrown my lot with it.

11. Now he said, “I’m not going to please you.” He said:

[31] Now, I just don’t try to get up and say something that I think would please the people. I’ve never been guilty of that. You better believe that. He hit them hard with a four by four. I want to get up here and say something as I feel led to say it, otherwise he isn’t going to say it, that I think would be a help to you, something that would further your experience with God if you are a Christian, and if you are not a Christian, make you so ashamed of yourself you’ll become a Christian. Now, of course, that’s impossible unless the person has seed. All Bro. Branham can do is throw seed out and water it. If there wasn’t something in there to get it, forget it. And that’s the purpose that I’ve always tried to line up my thoughts as the Lord would lead me.

[32] Now, we are warned, as in the doctrine of this... The doctrine of what? (Congregation: “The Rapture.”) Thank you. ...in this last day will be scorned.

Now, what are they going to do about the doctrine of the Rapture in this message? They are going to what? [Congregation: “Scorn it.”] Thank you. That’s good. They are going to scorn it. Now don’t fail to see that: that the scoffers in 2 Peter 3 has to do with Psalm 27.

12. The secret of the Rapture is that God is sending His power into the church to raise the dead and get us out of here. Let’s find out. We don’t care what anybody else says.

Say, “Bro. Vayle you teach it wrong.”

Well, fine. I’m wrong. Praise God, I’m wrong. I’m going to go to hell screaming glory. I’m sorry, there is no way I can change. Now: [Ephesians 1:]

(16) I cease not to make mention of you in my prayers;

(17) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory (verse 17), may give unto you the revelation and knowledge of himself:

And Bro. Branham said, “The spirit of wisdom comes into the church to make known to the church by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.” In other words no man can do it. The Holy Spirit comes Himself, and He Himself gives the revelation. William Branham didn’t. And there is no revelation that is Word revelation until that Spirit comes, and that Spirit gives it. And the Spirit had better be identified! because in the end time the two spirits are so close, only the Very Elect will not be deceived. We will hit that in a little while. Don’t worry; I’m coming to it. Maybe not this morning. It’s going to be a long drawn out season on this. So I’m going to take my time.

...Bringing the church in and revealing what day we are living in—the day of the Rapture, the day of the Resurrection. And it takes a revelation from the Holy Ghost Himself to give you the spot, the day and the hour! And if He doesn’t do it, that’s not the day—that’s not the event. Just the same as Gabriel came to Daniel—Dan 8:16—the Holy Spirit comes to the church in the last days to reveal these great deep secret things. All right.

13. He comes in, in order that [Ephesians 1:]

(18) The eyes of the heart might be enlightened; that we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

(19) And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,

(20) Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. (That’s the living Bride—changed when the dead come out of the ground and they are taken up in a Rapture. Now, he says, “This doctrine is going to be scorned.”)

14. Now let’s read in 2 Peter 3. Let’s see if it’s not right what I’m saying about the scorning of It.

(3) Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. (In other words they built everything upon what they want it to be! Not what God says it’s going to be, but what they want it to be.)

(4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep (Now what is he placing this? Rapture. The subject is the Rapture.) all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.

All right. That is: just go along with salvation, and baptism with the Holy Ghost, and one day, with nothing else that is needed, nothing else is to take place: suddenly the dead come out of the ground; suddenly we’ll be changed. Hogwash! That’s a lie from the pit of hell! Things will not simply go along, because the baptism of the Holy Ghost peters out. Something is going to happen. A corner is going to be turned.

But they are saying, “Oh, who needs this? Who needs that? Who needs Elijah? Who needs the Presence? Who needs this?” Shut-up. And say you believe in William Branham, the prophet? You are a liar, and the truth is not in you. Ride on his coat tails; but you’ll ride to hell, because the coat tails of William Branham do not make the Rapture. William Branham makes the Rapture. Coat tails get sawed off. Scoffing. That’s what they are doing.

15. Now: they said, “Who needs anything?” Let’s find these scoffers before we talk too much about them...going into what Bro. Branham said. Revelation 3:

(14) Unto the messenger of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; (Tell them about these scoffers, Bro. Branham.)

(15) I know your works. You are neither hot nor cold... (You sit on a fence trying to jump on either side at the right time. How many people in the Branham message tried that? That’s where I got into my fight with preachers—church of the revolving door. I simply walked out. Take your stand: put up or shut up. And the pressure is even on yet.)

(17) Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not you’re wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

They’re scoffers. Why? Because the truth is: you’re poor, wretched, miserable, blind, and you say, “Hogwash, I got it all.” Yeah. “Why,” they say, “the path of the righteous shineth more and more unto the perfect day. We’ve walked in the Light. We’re in the Light.”

16. I remember Pentecost years ago when I was twenty-one. They said, “Listen, our fathers came out of these churches because there was Light. Let us not turn down future Light.” And they turned it right down.

“Oh,” they said, Baptist, “everything continues—fine.” And the Lutherans said, “If everything continues, fine. Forget it.” The Catholics said the same thing. Wesley said the same thing, “Continue…everything’s fine.” Now Pentecost says, “Everything’s fine. Keep going on.” They are liars.

17. Further Light. And this time a truth is revealed, and scoffers come against It. They come against the truth of the Rapture as enunciated by William Branham. Maybe not by me. I could be teaching it wrong. I admit it. I could be fooled. I could be fooling you. But I’m honestly fooled, and you’re honestly fooled; and we are not scoffers. We are doing our dead level best to be the least of the scoffers. But they are fighting, because somebody has to fight these things. “Well,” they said, “everything is just fine,” whereby they for this are willingly ignorant of. [2 Peter 3]

(5) Now this they are willingly ignorant of, that is by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

(6) Whereby the world that was then, being overflowed by water, perished.

Now, he is telling you something. Judgment has to come; and the judgment evidently has to come because of the betrayal of the doctrine of the Rapture. I’m sorry about that, but that’s where it lies. Otherwise, why did the prophet say this? Look, I can’t have a house in Cleveland at the same time I’ve got the same one in Cincinnati! In other words don’t you dare, as the prophet said, “wrest the Scripture and take a thing out of context.” Then he is not taking this out of context— somebody else is. I don’t care what anybody says...scoffers.

18. [33] Now, we see the reason this something is so lightened... In other words there are two ways you can take this. It’s made light of, or, at this hour, we’ve got the Light on it; and both are truth, because the hour we’ve got Light on it, people make light of it. ...Because the prophet, that prophet, here has said in this last days there would be scoffers would come and say these things. Okay.

Now watch: these scoffers would come and say these things. “Where is the promise? What do you mean, “this thing”?

You’re talking about something that has to take place that’s going to trigger this, when all the while it’s just going on, on, on.

You say, “That’s not so.” See?

Now, see? It’s predicted...say these things; it’s predicted. The reason the people, Now, who are the people? The scoffers are acting today the way they are acting...

19. Now he is going to tell you something. Now see, the reason this subject is so lightened, which could be both ways, is because that the prophet here has said, “In the last days these scoffers would come saying these things. ‘All things continue; we’ve got it made. Who needs anything?’” See? It’s predicted. In other words predestinated into manifestation according to what was said and resolved in heaven. Now it has got to be.

The reason the people are acting this way today is...the way they are acting: scoffing, see? there is a spirit released that brings three responses: one, from the elect; two from non-elect; and three from the reprobate. Three classes. One man will walk away, “Pugh!” he said. The next guy will stick around, and he’ll play with it to destroy it—believer, make believer, unbeliever. And there’s a spirit released. See? Now remember, the reason this subject ‘Rapture’ is a target for the true Light...always looking at it, not getting the true Light. The prophet said, “There would be scoffers.” So therefore, when you use the word ‘lightened,’ it really means ‘make light of’ and the scoffers make light. It’s predicted.

20. Now the Rapture becomes a subject of derision. God help us. The Rapture is a subject of derision. We’ve got to watch our spirits.

“In the last days they would be heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God”—over the Rapture. You mean just over doctrine? Hah! “The Lord Himself shall descend.” False accusers. You think I haven’t been lied about? I’ll get you the tape and prove it. I don’t know why my good buddies never send the tape. They know it’s on there...where my name is mentioned...lies told about me. Bob Brown came out clean. He told me flat I was lied about in Europe. Why? Why am I worth to be lied about? Well, I want to know. You don’t have to lie about me. Just follow me around awhile, and you’ll find that I betray myself every moment of the day. You don’t have to lie. You can find out the goodies.

21. “Incontinent, despisers of those that are good, having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof, from such turn away.” What power? The power sent into the church by grace—Eph 1:19, that Spirit. Now listen. Let’s look at it. These are scoffers. Now watch: denying this power in the church—God Himself—from such turn away.

Two men from Africa came over here trying to get me to kiss certain people’s feet. Oh, I’m not supposed to fight. I’m not supposed to tell the truth. They lie! Yes, they lie. “From such turn away.” When did Light have fellowship with darkness? You say, “What if you are wrong?” I’ll take my chance on it. They took theirs.

For the whole thing, my brother/sister, is a matter of revelation. Whether you’ve got it or not, and then it goes from there. Because if you’ve got the right revelation, you’ve got the right spirit. And there are two spirits, and they are so close only the Very Elect do not get deceived by what is Satan and by what is God. We will get to that. Don’t worry. Keep all of these things in mind, because we are going right down the path this morning. [ ] All right.

22. Now, listen: “from such turn away.” “Can we look for an impersonation of truth?” asked Bro. Branham. Certainly. Then where is the derision? Against the truth! Not against the catching away, but the truth of the catching away! An impersonation. What is an impersonation of truth? The devil’s lie—creeds and dogmas. So, are you a manure head this morning? head full of vomit? Do you know anything but the fact the Rapture as Bro. Branham said, “He descends. Jesus does all three in descending, and the Shout is the Message, and the Voice is the Resurrection, and the Trumpet is the catching to the Wedding Supper. And He does all three in descending.” Now, is that a progression or isn’t it? I’d like to know. I’d like to be put right if I’m wrong. I’d have a lot of apologizing to do; but face it, an apology is not as bad as burning. A red face is not half as bad as getting your hands and feet burned off.

23. Now listen; talking about the Rapture... The subject hasn’t changed! Now he illustrates...and he illustrates with the alpha that goes to the omega. Do you follow me? All right, if there’s an alpha and omega principle... I’m not going to put you on the spot. Look, you wouldn’t give me the right answer anyway. Not because you don’t know it, but because you wouldn’t know what I want my answer to be. If you’ve got an alpha and omega, you don’t worry what’s in the middle. That is merely illustration, shadows of shadows. But when you’ve got an alpha, you’ve got the demonstrable, proven fact of which the omega must take the same channels.

[34] When Moses went down to Egypt—talking about the Rapture—to deliver—talking about the Rapture—the children of Israel—talking about the Bride—with only a stick in his hand for vindication.

Then somebody has got to have something in his hand for vindication, or alpha is not omega. “Oh,” you say, “Bro. Vayle, I don’t go for that.” Then go someplace else. You don’t believe the prophet. You’re a gas bag. I can tell you what kind, too—methane. Methane comes from manure. Right? Manure head. Breathe out the mouth...set it on fire, [and] you singe your lips. Got nothing to do with that nonsense. The greatest battle ever fought is in the mind. Shall I do? Shall I not? Shall I believe? Shall I not? Will I? Won’t I? Will I? Won’t I? Will I? Won’t I? Something like Alice in Wonderland. Would not, could not, would not, could not. Could not join the dance, or would not join the dance? The head sitting on a fence. That’s why your neck is a pivot.The Great Chiropractor came down and got the neck in a proper swivel, but nobody wants it. The Bride was a pain in the neck to God. Not now. He got her straightened out.

24. [34] So Moses—alpha of the Rapture—went down to Egypt to deliver—the alpha, the type of the Rapture—the children of Israel—type of the Bride—with only a stick in his hand for vindication, with the God of Heaven behind him. God in man! Alpha is omega. Moses didn’t take them in, God took them in. William Branham doesn’t take us in. God takes us in. But He used those two men, and they only. This is the alpha, the omega. Then he says, ...There come the impersonators behind him doing the same thing.

Mt 24:3. You don’t have to turn. Just listen to me, and don’t worry about your Bibles. I’ll take care of your Bibles for you. It’s on the tape here. And he said, “What will be the sign of thy Presence?” And He said, “I’ll tell you the sign of My Presence. Many shall come in My Name: false Christs, false prophets—the same thing—do great signs and wonders in as much if it were possible”—thank God, it’s not—”the Very Elected”—not just the elected, but the Very Elected, those that don’t die, those that are raptured— “all but them will be deceived. For as lightning comes out of the east and shines to the west so shall also the Presence of the Son of man be.” He’s coming as the light to gather the Bride—the Presence of God. See?

25. Now let’s watch a little further. There come these impersonators—pretenders is the word. Imitators is the word. ...Now, they come second after he did it first. That’s the alpha. After Moses came Korah, Dathan, Abiram. They rose up from the very ranks which he was in. Yeah. Dove and crow sit on the same roost. I don’t know who is on whose roost, and I’m not making any differentiation. I’m just telling you the truth. ...Then they come around because they were copying, imitating, after what he did, impersonating the original. What was the original? Vindicated authority; and the vindicated authority led to the Word. That’s what it’s all about.

And then they got some authority via gifts, and they said, “Now listen; we don’t care what Moses said, bless God. We are in this thing, too, and you listen to us.” And that’s the one time Moses lost his temper. Before, no matter what they did, they could go out there and commit adultery, blaspheme the Name of God by open sex...yeah—filth! And Moses said, “Tut! tut! Now, Lord, stand back.” He said, “Don’t destroy them.”

And God said, “Okay, this time I won’t. I’ll deal with them further down the road.”

And He did. But this time when they came against Moses, who was the Word of God made flesh, he said, “God, if these men die the common death, then You never sent me.”

How come he got mad? Because everything depended on it. If he was fooled, then where was he? If William Branham was fooled, never mind us, we can say, “Die, you swine! Look what you did, you got us in this thing.”

What is He going to say? “Well wha...ah...ba...bli...I didn’t really mean to.”

Oh, no. There would be no place to hide, because I’ll be there. Moses was running scared—like William Branham.

26. That’s why John the Baptist said, “Were you really the one?” And Paul said, “Did I really preach the truth?” And William Branham said, “I’ve got to find out. I’ve got to find out.” I’m satisfied we found out! William Branham was just a man—fine man; but he was a Branham. That tells you a lot right there. Except for God—study about the Branhams, you’ll find out what he would have been. The only defense he had: “Lord, I haven’t committed adultery.” At that point he hadn’t. What about down the road? If God hadn’t had His hand on him? If that’s all you have to offer to God—”I haven’t smoked”—go out there and do something. You might as well. You’ve gone to hell anyway. You’re guilty; you’re guilty. It’s either go there in perfection which you’ve got to borrow, rent, buy or steal. It’s out.

So he was a goner, too. Now he’s got all this compounded on him. He’s got all of us on his back, because he said, “If I’m wrong, I’ll stand for all of you.” Moses was the same way. Now, he said, “God, if these men die a common death,” he said, “the chips are down.” He said, “The chips are down.” And you know what happened? Bro. Branham didn’t die a common death.

And now they say, “So there; so there. His judgment fell upon him.” Oh, beautiful! Like they said upon Jesus, “So there. The malefactor died.” Oh, Lovely Love! I love the way He’s got everybody fooled but a Bride. You say, “What if you’re fooled?” Well, hallelujah! Bless God! He can fool me, too. Of course, that’s an easy one. Or is it?

27. He said, ...They come around the second after he did it..imitating the original. We find that. And now, you say, “Well that was in Moses’ day.” But the same Scripture—for the alpha—says, they’ll come again in the last days—for the omega. “As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so these men of reprobate minds concerning the truth”—of the Rapture. Because what is he talking about? What truth? Rapture. “Oh,” you say, “Bro. Vayle, I think he’s talking about many things.” Well, you think he is...that’s fine.

So there you are again. I have to give a dissertation upon the organ and I say, “The organ is a fine instrument,” and I turn and talk about the piano. You say, “Well, he’s not very smart.” Then don’t accuse the prophet of being a dumb idiot. He’s got more shrewds than I’ve got. I don’t have the Holy Ghost that’s got me in a pipe. William Branham was in a pipe.

A lot of people are in a pipe. Tsss. They’re in a pipe dream. The meanderings of their own goose pimples, because ‘o-ooh! they felt something!’ “We’re all going to the same place.”...?...

Forget your feeling. Adultery is the best feeling I think there is—illicit bread—but it turns to gravel. Your creeds and your dogmas are adultery. They follow their lusts. Do you follow what I’m saying? Shall I write it out? Fornication is a type of idolatry. Adultery is a type of the Church, philandering with somebody else, when she belongs to a certain man. And we’ve all been in our adulteries and our idolatries, which are false doctrines and false understandings of God.

Reprobate mind. Though you think it may line up, it can’t line up, if your off on this one! Sorry about that. Because God does not add a pig ear to a sheep, or a sow lip to a sheep, or the dog’s tail letting you know what’s wagging behind even the tail. And notice how they like to cut the sheep’s tail off? Oh, yes, they would cut his head off if they could get wool...save you feeding them. Come on, let’s get down to where the nitty gritty is, brother, sister. God uses vindicated prophets who foretell or forth tell only true Word.

28. All right. Moses—alpha: ...So will these men of reprobate minds concerning the Truth of the next exodus—the Rapture. See? Impersonations, all kinds of things to upset the people.

They don’t deny the Rapture, brother/sister. They just give you a tenet for it. Then the people get vexed and when you get vexed, you get mad; because that is what vexation is. People are bound to be upset by all kinds of ideas about the Rapture.

Reprobates. Reprobate mind has to do with the scoffers, who reprobate the understanding of the Rapture, and those who reprobate the understanding of the Rapture by creeds and dogmas are reprobate minds, because he is not talking about the grey matter. He is talking of what’s in the spirit, that is stored in the grey matter. See? Impersonating upsets them.

Listen. Whatever that truth is that he is talking about here…whatever it is—there are those that are reprobates—those who oppose it. And remember, the signs of the prophets of Matthew 24 goes from the prophets to the false teachers of 2 Peter 2.

(1) But there were false prophets also among the people, (your Korah, Dathan, Abirams) even so there shall be false teachers among you, who privily bring in their damnable heresies that bring destruction and judgment (that God cannot overlook).

What is it? The great tribulation. What if everybody took to the understanding, as Israel could have taken to Christ; they would have been that holy nation. But they didn’t. Neither does this age. So the Millennium is aborted for three and half years, and judgment sets in, bringing swift destruction. Many, It says, “denying the Lord that bought them. Refusing Him. Turning from Him.” So He is not here in the sense of His Presence as Bro. Branham states in this message.

“He always was here. What are you trying to tell us? Since Pentecost, it’s always the same. Oh yes, ...always been here.” That is their thesis or doctrine.

You can’t tell them anything. You can’t tell them anything. There’s no way. If He always was here, how come He comes down? See? They don’t understand English anymore. Deny, refuse, say “No” to the Lord. And then It tells you what’s going on: the Balaams, the money grabbers, all of these things. Then they get to the point of saying, “The Rapture, as Bro. Branham taught it, is pure hogwash. Why he has just made himself somebody.” And the women prophetesses get up and prophesy against it. The Amy McPhersons...so many further miles down the toll gates to hell that it’s pitiful. ...Impersonating all kinds of things to upset the people, causing division.

30. Now: 2 Pet 2:15; I think it is what I want. I’ll soon find out.

(15) Which have forsaken the right way, gone astray, after the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

All right, 2 Pet 2:15 is not 2 Tim 3:8. I made a little note there. So let me see if I’m right on it or not. You know I could be wrong. 2 Tim 3:8:

(8) Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses...

Now, not the same people, but it is the same thing. In other words it is the same time. See? Because it was in the exodus—getting out to go in, see? that first of all Jannes and Jambres stood up. Then came Balaam, then came Korah, Dathan, Abiram, prophets, powerful men, magicians with poison, impersonators of a true prophet. Then It says, “Watch your teachers.” Why? Because they’ve got itchy mouths, waiting for itchy ears, and itchy palms to get the money. If they only knew they could trust God. What a joy it is! And then if this Rapture, which proves our comments on paragraph 34 that says,

[34] When Moses—alpha—went to Egypt to deliver—type of the Rapture alpha—the children of Israel—type of the Bride—with a stick in his hand for vindication—Bro. Branham had the sign—with the God of Heaven behind him, he performed miracles. There came the impersonators. Right? All these came.

[35] Now then, if this rapture, talking about here in paragraph 34, which is coming to pass, which is coming to pass—not ‘going to come’. It’s in process. And anything that God has in line of His Word, there’s always something to come out to upset that if they can. It’s Satan’s purpose to do that.

31. Now, ‘to upset God’s plan,’ this is part of Mt 24:24 because the elect have Mt 24:27. And Mt 24:24 just stands out there: watch the false prophets. Then It turns right around and says, “Go ahead and watch them.”You are going to get taken anyway—you’ll get sucked right in. Their vacuum cleaner is so powerful, with this great revival coming on to turn the world to God! Hallelujah! Suck you all in.

“Why, Bro. Vayle, don’t you know the Catholics are reading the Bible?”

So what? What’s it done for the Protestants to read the Bible? They might as well have not had it, because they are going to miss the Rapture anyway...because they took creeds and dogmas and say, “Well, we’re above the Catholics.” Hogwash! You are ten feet below them. You are, too, because the Catholics are going to lead the whole bunch. Don’t think the Protestants know anything... They are stupid and ignorant and what have you. The Catholics are the smart ones. Sure. This is the part of Matthew 24—this thing that upsets. But the Elect—they’ve got the Light. They know what to do, because they have Mt 24:27, because they know it takes the Presence; and it’s the Presence that comes as Light. And this subject has been ‘lightened’ about.

32. I told you about back in the days of Dr. Charles Fuller and Sperry Lewis Schaffer. Oh, Fuller, he was going to tell all the dope on the Rapture. “Oh yes, now I’ll pat myself on the back. Now, you folks, you think you heard something about the Rapture. Now, the thing is this: there are a lot of pros and cons. Is it before? Is it after? Is it in the middle? What is it?”

And he gets up and is going to tell us. Well, that old boy died not knowing that on that doctrine he was a phoney. But that doesn’t make him a phoney, but he shot his mouth off. And he is the reason why the Pentecostal age and the Wesleyan age can’t make it, because they weren’t in the truth of it. I’m sorry.

Like Bro. Branham said... He said, “Oh,” he said, “Moses came on the scene,” and he said, ‘Now listen, we will slay the lamb, and we’ll put the blood on the lintels and on the door post.’

And they said, ‘Oh, great Rabbi, that is the thing to do.’

The Rabbi said, ‘Now, why don’t you do it?’

‘Oh, I believe it’s the thing to do. I believe it’s wonderful. Put the blood there.’

He said, ‘Then, put it there.’

‘Well, I think it’s wonderful...yap, yap, yap...’ but never do a thing about it.”

Let’s face it; that age couldn’t apply what’s for this hour. The Blood only obtains in the Light. If you walk in a wrong Light, the Blood isn’t there; fellowship is not there; worship is not there. I’ve proved that by sermon seventeen years ago about...fifteen years ago. Bill knows. Norm knows. You both were there. Now, we’ll get in here and show it to you.

33. Now he said, “It’s Satan’s purpose to do this.” See? To throw a phoney light on the Rapture as it was back there. Now, just a minute, didn’t he say the same thing about the Seventh Seal? Well, he sure did. Don’t worry. We’ll get that a little later on. Paragraph 36:

[36] As the brother here from the meeting up here at Las Vegas said, “Satan,” he said, “the world was his dominion and that being his headquarters up here.” That’s Las Vegas... That’s not really true. I don’t care what Las Vegas does by reason of crime or anything else—Rome is the headquarters, because Las Vegas can’t do anything. It’s going to buckle. When Rome says, “Buckle”, they’ll buckle. They’ll find their slot machines don’t turn the money out unless you put something in them. It will be gold. I know that Satan is the god of this world. Now, just a minute, brother/sister. Let’s read the next sentence. Every nation under Heaven is controlled by him. That’s exactly!

How exactly? Because the same prophet said, I think in “Communion,”—maybe no, another one—”One word off is Satan’s kingdom.” Now then, what about the Rapture for one word off? Where are we going? Now listen. That doesn’t mean just one word. That means changing It. I’ve said that for years, and I finally found one place where Bro. Branham said it. I forget where it is. Don’t ask me. I don’t remember anything. I lose the notes I make; but I can tell you flat he brought it out. I knew he had to, because I could throw a double negative in there, and it doesn’t change a thing. So it’s not one word adding; it’s one word added that throws It out of continuity, and one word can do it. So don’t you dare take a thing out of continuity.

34. Now remember. The subject is the Rapture! Are you wrong on the Rapture? You’re in the wrong kingdom. You’re making claims that won’t hold. Now, look, either this is the Rapture or it is not the Rapture. I don’t care how my fellow preachers read it. Why do you think I myself don’t know the Word anymore? You ought to know by now. Why do you think I don’t even want to bother preaching anymore? You ought to know by now. It’s a tough row.

...This world belongs to Satan, but Jesus will take it over. Hallelujah. And if I’m not one Word off, I’m going with Him. Satan offered it to Jesus one day, and Jesus refused it; because He knew He would be heir to it then when the times came.

[37] Now listen: Scoffers. What’s he talking about? Those in Satan’s kingdom—one word off. Right? I don’t want to be unkind but, come on, what are we talking about? Tell me. (Congregation: “Rapture.”) Are you sure? (Congregation: “Amen.”) Then don’t let your minds wander, see? Getting out of here... Do you want to get out of here? I hope we do. Scoffers.

Let’s just take a few minutes on that one word before we go further. Scoffer. He’s going to tell you about these scoffers. I was reading a paper about two weeks ago in Tucson that where some Englishmen from England had made a statement. Now he is going back to the Wesleyan age and the other ages and the Pentecostal; you watch. But he’s talking about us relative to it. It was in the headlines of the paper—that the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ was only a fake between Pilate and Jesus, that he came to make, just to make Himself something. Now what’s he talking about? (Congregation: “Rapture.”) Thank you. You say, “No brother; that’s crucifixion.” You’re wrong. He is illustrating, but he is talking about the Rapture. You follow me?

36. Okay. Still love me? I don’t care if you do or not, but you better be scared of me. That’s all I want—a little fear, a little respect—and then we’ll get the love later, because you’ll find out I don’t lie to you. No sir. I don’t ask for your money or anything else. You want your money back? Tell me how much you gave me and I’ll give it back to you. You say, “Well I sat in your church and listened.” What do you want to get paid for? Tell me; I’ll pay you. I’m not kidding you. You think I’m bluffing, making a joke? Don’t ever think I’m bluffing. Don’t ever think I’m bluffing, because there is a spirit to this thing, brother/sister. There is a spirit to this thing. I could tell you something, but it’s all right. You’ll get it later on.

37. All right. Now listen. He says, “What they believe about the crucifixion, what they have faked in their own minds by being the scoffers of Satan’s kingdom”—There’s no way that we could disprove that to them, because all the things of God is received by faith. We must believe it. Now, he went ahead to give a description of how it could be done. That man that said that.

Now notice carefully here. This is my own thought. He is comparing the crucifixion with the Rapture. Now Jesus Christ was really there doing what had to be done in the sacrifice, and they say it’s faked. Now then, He has got to be here doing something that people are going to call a fake—to crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, because after this comes the burning. When the Rapture takes place, the burning takes place. [Bro. Vayle pounds on pulpit for emphasis.] Do you understand what I’m saying? You don’t? Or do you? Do you understand they’re going to burn?

You say, “Oh, Bro. Vayle!”

I’m not burning them, my brother/sister. I don’t have a thing to do with it.

You say, “Well, if we really believe as you ought to believe, you ought to be out there screaming to them.”

How are you going to scream to what’s lost when the prophet said, “I don’t pray for America.” I’m not using that as an excuse. I’m just telling you. I don’t excuse us for not praying or anything else. We are rotten to the core by being indolent...not serious enough. Well, how serious are we? Just remember my preamble when we shut the tape off. Now, this faking, they’re going to say about the Rapture, “What if I should be out of here?”

“Well,” they’ll say, “Vayle faked it.”

I don’t care what they say as long as I get out of here.

38. [38] Now, listen: Here not long ago that great nation, London, in England rather, where John Wesley, church age messenger to number six, and many great preachers of the early days, Spurgeon, them that preached the gospel in hay markets, everywhere... That was Whitfield, went out there and showed Wesley how to do it. Went out in the hayfields, preached in fields to thousands and thousands. Everywhere there they turned down that message of their day and look what they are in this today. The crucifixion is a phoney. There is where Bro. Williams is tonight. It is one of the lowest degraded countries in the world. I’ve been over the world. I don’t even think there is anything so illegitimate as England. Billy Graham said the same thing. Why, he had to take his wife from the parks. How the acts between men and women were publicly in the park. What about when the students up in Chicago did it out in the streets? What’s the difference between them in the streets and pornography on the film? When I was there I never saw such a thing would break a person’s heart anymore than what was going on in England, which had the opportunity and one time led the world in reformation. What about Pentecost? We’ll talk about that later on, the big firebird. Just show it how it can fall.

[39] But you see what that does, the message that went forth then, the Englishmen tried to hold to the same message for today.

And what is the message on the Rapture that came out of England?—under the Irvingites?

A woman in a dark room fell on the floor in a trance, spoke in tongues and interpreted. And out of it came the false doctrine of the true Rapture; and they hold to it right today. Fundamentalism; and Satan has already done great damage so that those who believe wrong cannot make it. He’ll do everything he can for you and me that we won’t make it. That’s why everybody is screaming, “Conduct! Conduct! Conduct!” I showed you over in Columbus fifteen points—and fourteen were not conduct. One was on how they behaved—the rest where they went off. As Eve went off in unbelief—one word.

39. ...That won’t work today. It won’t work, he said. No, their message won’t work. They had it wrong, see.

[40] What if Moses would have come and brought Noah’s message,”We’ll build an ark and float down the Nile?” In other words what if you tried to take the alpha, and take a message of the ark when there wasn’t going to be a flood? There wouldn’t be waters come down. There would not be waters rolled back. It wouldn’t have worked. Two different things. “We’ll build an ark and float down the Nile.” See? So therefore, all previous teaching on the Rapture is out. He said, It wouldn’t have worked. Neither would Jesus’ message have worked by Moses. No way! Moses couldn’t bring it—he typed it. Neither Wesley’s message work in Luther and Luther’s message vice a versa. And today our last great reformation was Pentecost. Yeah. Now, we’ll just keep reading. And today we’re moving from that. The Pentecostal message won’t mix with this, because it’s another day. It’s all the Word of God, but it’s building. Then all teaching, except Bro. Branham’s on the Rapture, is false. Denominational tenets.

And it wasn’t time to incorporate that. See? Men like Rotherham, truly full of the Holy Ghost—from the last age, knew you’d have to wait and find out what certain things were in the Bible. [Taps on pulpit for emphasis.] I don’t care if it’s Parousia, Presence, or anything else, the prophet said, “God reveals His Word and interprets It by manifesting It, bringing It to pass.” God Himself proved He was here and is now here.

40. Those people that say they believe this Message turn that down flat. Merciful God! Listen: “I wasn’t the one.” He says here…Let me get it for you, “I wasn’t the one that appeared down on the river. I was only one standing there when He appeared.”

You say, “Oh, He didn’t appear. He didn’t appear.”

See how they go? Just start denying one thing, and you add a word, and you add a word, and you add a word, until the whole Book is thrown out. Why does this age end this way? Because the cup is filled. They’ve taken every rotten wrong thing ever said and used it. Now,

[40] It’s the Word of God building. Like feet, arms, coming up, it’s forming a Bride for the rapture.

Then it takes this message and truth on the Rapture for the Bride to get into the Rapture. I’m sorry, but that’s what he is saying. It’s part of the Bride.

“Oh Bro. Vayle; you don’t know, he’s only drawing our attention to it.”

Oh, forget it!

41. Now we believe there will be a rapture. All Christians believe that.

So, Bro. Branham says,”Now I’ve got this great subject and it’s very alarming, and I’m going to tell you things” and he said, “ because you people don’t believe in a Rapture.” You know, I’m tired of them making Bro. Branham of an inferior mind. I realize William Branham had only seventh grade education. I wish I had gotten out of school as smart as he in grade twelve. And they aggrandize him, “O great prophet,” and then they make a fool out of him. I don’t understand that. [ ] No wonder James said what he said... Well, we won’t go into that.

42. Now he’s talking about messages. And the message that forms for the Rapture wasn’t there previously. It was there building to it, but it couldn’t form it. “For they without us could not be made perfect.” And we’re living. All right.

[40] See it don’t—don’t displace them people back there; they lived to their message. All them will come out that was in the Bride. Just like life going through a stalk of wheat. It leaves the wheat—the hull, but the wheat forms itself, like the grain of wheat that fell in the ground.

And this is the time. Not that the Resurrection forms the wheat but we standing here form a wheat, without dying. All right.

The body for the Rapture is built from feet up. Each Word age built that part of the body, and it’s all of it Word, but it’s different parts such as arms, and trunks, etc. But they are all part of the same flesh of the Word, but they’re all positively different as to time and place and manifestation. The same life through the genetic code of the sperm and the ovum makes a body. Right? And it forms itself in a certain area first, and then it moves until ready for delivery. So does this Life that’s come up through the church ages. They weren’t ready to move out. This is moving out time. Watch your alphas and omegas.

43. [41] Here not long ago I was reading a book that some German wrote in criticism; he said, “Of all the fanatics in the world, William Branham tops them all, nothing but a magician. That’s how he does those things.” See, the man not knowing.

[42] The man was a critic. Scoffer. See? He didn’t even believe in God. He said, “A God that could set up in the Dark Ages, hold His hands across his tummy, and laugh at a bunch of Christians being martyrs, and His own disciples was suppose to be—mothers with little children and things, and let the lions eat them up and never turned a hand.” You see where the carnal mind, where education and things can’t catch the vision. That corn of wheat had to fall in the ground.

44. Now, remember—it’s important—how Bro. Branham keeps trying to get to them. There is a Word for the hour, and it is the revelation of It, as It was with Luther and the rest of them that take you in the Rapture, for that is the subject. We were coming up to It, and the truth got the Bride this far, and they say, “Well if that’s the case there’s no further truth.” That’s where they’re wrong. It isn’t that you add to the Bible or take from It. It isn’t that the Seals are something added to the Word—it’s the revelation! And something’s got to happen in this hour that it doesn’t get perverted. And it won’t in a Bride—the Very Elect.

[43] Just like Jesus had to fall to rise again, so did the church of Pentecost had to fall.

Now that’s something that people can’t get into their minds. That’s a tough one. Now, if we can’t get it, we’re manure heads, reprobates.

You say, “How are we going to get it?”

Keep saying it, “The Church had to fall in the ground and die! The Church had to fall in the ground and die!” Bang! Bang! Bang! Hit your head—the greatest battle ever fought. Ask your wife to take a four-by-four, and you take one to hers, too. The greatest battle ever fought: the church had to fall in the ground and die. Did the Church fall in the ground and die? Yes. Yes! “But thou will not leave my soul down there.” Remember, she types him all the way through. Jesus had three and half years. Put that down as one day for each church age. It was in the fourth church age that she went plumb under it. The prophecy was gone... They had Jezebel.

But it’s got to come back! Because she’s like her Lord. Now that’s the key. The mind said, “Just a minute, is she like the Lord?” Yes, she is.

“Well I don’t know any verse for that.” Well, she came out of Him.

45. You’ve got to let your thinking go to the Word. In other words you’ve got to start a whole new chain of thought, not just to refute anything, but to come to where he said. Now, I’m talking about this because he said, “These are things that bother me.” And if I figure I’m bothered, I figure just about everybody else is bothered. Not that everybody is bothered like me; but let’s face it, one man can relate to another man, a woman to another woman, because they are human beings—one’s male, one’s female. It doesn’t mean they are all perfectly just alike and everyone have just the same thing, but there’s a thread that runs through that makes a man a man, a woman a woman; and we’ve got the same thing in the Bride. There’s a thread that runs through, and there’s problems...it’s right in the mind...the greatest battle ever fought. Faith and the mind. Faith does it. We’ll get that later on, this whole thing here on Abraham... Can’t reach it right now.

Oh my, seven minutes to go. Three pages, just three pages. All right.

46. [43] Had to fall in the ground and die in the Dark Ages. Any wheat that—any grain that goes into the ground, it has to lay in that dark time to bring forth. But it started sprouting in Martin Luther.

Why did it have to go in the ground and die? It had to lose everything but the Life, so that when the Light would hit it, it would start coming back right but take the same process as what it went to go down. And remember, t