Stewardship #13
Certified
Shall
we pray. Heavenly Father, we welcome Your Presence tonight. We don’t know where
you are, especially in Your Person tonight, but You are with the Bride, we know
that, the One Who came down here to bring the Word, to bring the Message, to
bring the church in order, to bring a people prepared who are all ready to be
made ready to go for the Rapture. We realize You are here to raise the dead and
bring about the Rapture, and we thank You for that. That you have not left us,
but You are here, Lord, to take us into that glory which has been promised
through the ages, and now that exceeding glory has been manifested to us
through the great ministry of the risen Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit
and by a prophet. And we appreciate that tonight.
Help
us, Lord, to be very reverent and unassuming within ourselves, but give Thee
great glory, and give this wonderful Word of Yours complete credit. May we also
adhere to It and bow down to It, Lord, so that our lives are Word lives, and we
know that is the way it should be, because we are a part of that same living
Word, Lord, and our sustenance and our keep is by that Word.
So
help us tonight to enter into Your closet, as it were, Lord, to enter into the
depth of Your bosom, knowing the true secrets of God, knowing the truth that
has not been known previously, especially in this hour. Not just enjoying it,
Lord, but living it, our whole lives living it, and this becoming all and all
to us, even as the prophet said, “It’s a
matter of live, die, swim, or drown.” We appreciate that, Father, even
though it sounds extreme to some people; we want that which is extreme. So
extreme it’s away from this world, that it’s not even one Word off, any part of
Satan’s kingdom, but it is Your Kingdom. We give ourselves to You tonight Lord
without reservation as far as we know. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
pray. Amen.
You
may be seated.
1. Now
just before I get into the message here on “Stewardship,” and you’ll find that
it’s still on “Stewardship,” that I’m not quite sure just how to put this, but
the last while that I’ve gone through quite a period of, oh. I can’t say it’s
actual physical distress, but it’s a place where you’re not so unhappy that,
and so, you know, unsettled within yourself with problems that have to do with
health, that you simply want to get out of here. I have no real desire for
that, but then again, under the present conditions, if they don’t get some
better, I’m certainly not going to have too much desire to keep on living. So,
I don’t know when I’ll be back in the pulpit again. It could be in October, but
I’m not sure that I will be, because I definitely want to have some time off,
where I do not have to carry any burden concerning the Message for the time
being.
But
I’m saying this, because it goes on tape, and people get the tapes, that. if
you care to, which I’d appreciate if you would, to know just where you’re
coming from and where you think I’m coming from, to send in questions from any
part of the country, any part of the world, and I’ll take those questions, and
I will answer them according to what I understand, and according to what I’ve
been teaching. Because every now and then there are things that are taught…
(This no good?) [Adjustments made to sound system.] So according to what I have
taught, and I’m not sure that it is always exactly understood, and I do my best
to give you as deep and perfect an understanding from the Scripture as I can,
concerning that which I find that Bro. Branham taught.
2. But
you understand it’s literally impossible for any person, outside of God
Himself, and even a prophet would have a terrible time, to take you right back
into the mind of God, to answer your questions so that you could understand
what we are talking about on the level of where we are today, which is human
beings. And, although we have the Holy Spirit teaching us, I agree with Bro.
Branham, who took Scofield’s definition of a mystery, that no matter how that
mystery is clarified, there is always an element of mystery. In other words you
come where the apostle Paul came, and when he showed that God had raised up
Moses, and God had raised up Pharaoh. Then, the question came from the one that
was not the vessel that God raised up, he said, “Why doth He yet find fault?”
In other words, “Why am I, then, being judged for what I am doing, if this is
the purpose of God?”
And
Paul said, “Yea, but who are thou, O man, to reply against God? Can the vessel
say to the one that formed it, ‘Why has thou made me thus?’”
3. Now
that is absolutely throwing the question out the door, or the baby with the
wash[water]. And he just ignores it entirely, because there isn’t an answer to
it. There’s not an answer to it. Nobody can become so definitive that you have
every answer. We’ll get more of those answers in the Millennium. And we’ll get
more answers after that. More and more. Of the very fact that the Tree of Life,
the leaves are for the healing of the nation, and Bro. Branham said that’s to
keep peace, you wonder how in the world there’s any peace to keep, when nobody
has any problem with each other. Maybe we have a problem with ourselves on the
ground that the infinitive knowledge and wisdom of God will even at that time
have a problem of penetrating us—really understanding.
I
don’t say that that’s it, but I want to point out to you that I do not know at
any time that Bro. Branham was able to bring us the wholly definitive, absolute
clarity of some things. I know before he passed away the question was asked,
“Will there be children born in the Millennium?”
He
said, “Sometimes it looks like it; sometimes it doesn’t. If I ever find out,
I’ll tell you.” He never came back with an answer.
Yet
previous to that, when I asked him, because I needed the information for the Seven
Church Ages and other material, I said, “What about it?”
He
said, “No way.” He said, “Because you see, one shall build, another
shall not inhabit.” Then again, you know one shall have a fig tree, or
vine, and another shall not eat thereof. So he said, “How could there be children?” Now was he answering from the
viewpoint of a human being and yet a prophet? We’ll go into that tonight too,
I’ll show you that Paul did the same thing. If we have time. And I hope I can
lay all the notes in there rapidly so you can see.
4. So
all right. I’m willing to take questions and answers, but I’m not going to
stand here and tell you that Lee Vayle is a fount of all wisdom, and he will
tell you what nobody else told you, because that is a little bit presumptuous,
if not to say totally ignorant.
We’re
going to deal with “Stewardship” tonight, and we’re going to go to 1
Corinthians 4, and take the same Scripture that we looked at before, concerning
Paul as a faithful steward of God Who gave him the Gospel that we have today
and very fortunately have, as Bro. Branham said, “Just think how wonderful, the same Pillar of Fire that brought the
Word to Paul is here revealing it.”
5. So,
It says here in 1 Corinthians 4:
(1) Let
a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and (you have the
word—conjuncture—‘and’, but it’s really a preposition, even) stewards of the
mysteries of God.
So
all right. They were to account Paul, and notice in verse 6 he says:
(6) (I’m
referring) to myself and to Apollos…
So,
he’s saying here:
(1) Let
(each person) account of (Apollos and me), as ministers of Christ, (even)
stewards of the mysteries of God.
And
so, therefore, we know that they were the ones, especially starting with Paul,
and he communicated to Apollos. He certainly did, you’ll find that in the Book
of Acts, when Paul went down to
6. So,
now Paul is here, whether you want to take it or not, is vindicated. Now, if
you’re thinking you’ll know what I’m talking about… If you’re not thinking,
forget it. You’ve missed everything I’ve been telling you for the last thirty
years.
(2) Moreover
it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
Now,
of course, Jesus said concerning that same faithfulness, which amounts to the
body of faith as set forth in the true doctrine of Almighty God, and He said,
“Shall the Son of man find faith when He cometh?” So therefore, there is a time
of a certain coming that there would not be that body of truth. And you can
understand that that is exactly what took place as we see as we go along. Now,:
(3) But
with me (it’s) a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s
judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
(4) For
I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me
is the Lord.
(5) Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will (both) bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsel of the
hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Now
you can understand right there that that is going to cause a division, because
it’s simply not going to come to the church and say, “I love you, you’re
wonderful, marvelous,” it’s going to whack right down the middle, or to one
side, maybe a small portion are going to have commendation or they’re going to
receive revelation, the others swept aside. Now you can’t have anything without
a left hand and right hand when it comes to God. So you got blessing, cursing,
light, darkness, and what have you.
7. Now:
(6) These
things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for
your sakes; that (you) might learn in us not to think above that which is
written,
Now
they’ve got man in italics there. You don’t need that at all. That’s an
interpolation. [It] doesn’t belong there.
(6) Not
to think above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up one
against another. (Paul and Apollos weren’t.)
(7) For
who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now
if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received
it?
Now,
first we notice emphatically that these words are not written independently by
Paul, as he views the situation of
8. Now
you understand when I say that many times people have come to me at different
times, and say, “Bro. Vayle, I never understood vindication till I heard you
preach it.” And I’m just saying where are the preachers who believe in this
Message? Come on, I’m challenging you from this Word. These people did not
understand vindication. Is that right or wrong? See, once I start moving I get
into a very nice fighting spirit, because I get angry when things are so simple
and so disregarded by puffed up imaginations. Paul was vindicated. He said so.
Romans, Corinthians, almost every book, Thessalonians, right down the line.
Acts. There’s no place where Paul did not stand upon his vindication. No other
person could do that. He was that person.
So,
all right. So, we notice first, emphatically, that these words are not written
independently by Paul as he views the situation in
9. Now
what I want you to look at here is not something that Paul is equivocal about,
or as though he’s even perhaps straining at an ant and swallowing a camel, or
looking for a hair in the biscuit. He is a great prophet of God, and he is
telling the people their exact condition. And this is just as much “THUS SAITH
THE LORD,” in the revelation of their condition, as it is “You must be born
again.” There is no difference at this point. And I’ll show you in Scripture
later on. So we continue. Paul at this point is not so much the prophet or wise
man as he is the scribe, though we may think differently. So, we go to the Book
of Matthew 23, where Jesus, who is the representative and the vehicle of
Almighty God, God speaking through that Son without a doubt, in [Mat]
(34) Wherefore,
behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of
(these) ye shall kill and crucify; some (you’ll) scourge in your synagogues,
and persecute from city to city:
So,
there is the personages, no matter how many offices, and how many gifts. And
how many differences as to status and to ministries, etcetera, etcetera, you
might find in the body of Christ, you’ll find here that that which God sends to
the church is simply prophet, wise man, scribes.
The
prophet is one who brings the Word, and he is God to the people.
The
wise men, and look in the Greek, you’ll find are those that can handle the
Word. That would be the five-fold ministry, and also added by their own desire,
but not commissioned by God, to be elders.
And
thirdly you have those who can merely bring the Word of God, word-by-word, or
letter-by-letter, writing-by-writing.
That
is the status. You may be one of those that are of a five-fold, you may be one
of those that have presumed, and rightly so, that is your business before God,
that you are an elder, or you have been appointed one and accepted the order,
that is something that God has allowed. And you have to, as Bro. Branham said,
produce a character far in advance, or ahead of those, that are ordained in the
five-fold ministry. Look it up in your Bible. Then, there are those who simply
say word for word.
So,
Paul here, I would say, is more of a scribe than he is a wise man, or even the
prophet, though he is actually all three. But now he is telling them exactly
what the church’s condition is at this particular time, and therefore, it has
to be what God has directed him to give the church, because God alone is able
to judge and to discern, even as Paul said, “There is coming a time when that
judgment shall surely come forth and be manifested.” So he would have to be
giving them what is identical from God in order to have the Alpha of the future
Omega.
So
he tells what the church order is at that time, where they are in error. And
you know as well as I do, Bro. Branham put it very succinctly and very
beautifully, he said, “You have a bullet
that’s one inch off with the barrel, it could be miles off at the time it hits
the target.” Well frankly, it never hits the target. It misses it entirely.
11. So,
all right. We can understand this now, that Paul is acting and setting forth as
a scribe, because he tells you that he is a scribe, because chapter 14 is no
more written by the Apostle Paul, and no more less written by the Apostle Paul,
as in chapter one. Do you get what I’m saying? Chapter 1 is no different from
chapter 14, right? Because it’s the same person writing.
You
say, “Well I think he had an amanuensis, that’s a secretary, or a stenographer
wrote it down.”
It
doesn’t matter. Would anyone here in business, would you have a secretary write
down what you didn’t tell that secretary to write? You’d boot them out.
So,
Paul here is apostle, wise man, and scribe. And here’s what he says over here
in 1 Cor 14:36-37:
(36) What?
came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
(37) If
any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, (that’s full of the Holy
Ghost, you’re a prophet,) let him acknowledge the things that I write unto you
are the commandments of the Lord.
So,
Paul is giving them a “THUS SAITH THE LORD.” And notice, as a faithful steward,
a man committed with the Word, he did not fail to give them the Word. Why?
Because as Bro. Branham said, the Word corrects the error! Now who wants to be
wrong? Because, if you’re wrong, you’re going to pay the price of wrongness,
and I’m going to pay it. Even in our most, well you might call it infamous
attacks of pride and arrogance, we don’t want to be wrong. Why we’d go out of
our way to kill somebody to prove we’re right. So the question, who wants to be
wrong?
12. Now,
if you’re a child of God you don’t want to be wrong. So here we’re getting the
correction, the Word correcting the error. The Word was brought to them. They
got into error. The Word comes back and corrects the error. So therefore, the
One Who brought the Word that went off, because of people going off, is on the
scene to correct the error. Isn’t that what the Seals are all about? Didn’t He
come down to correct the Word? Then, don’t we have a perfect Word? Then, are
not the errors corrected? Then, are we not walking in the light? Are we, then,
not having fellowship? Are we then, not covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ?
And are we not, then, full of the Holy Ghost? So okay. We’ll be all night here,
I’m sorry. I should send you home; forget it.
Now,
let’s continue. We go to Hebrew. I’m just apologizing, because we’ll likely be
late. I get so happy with this, you know. This is my whole joy. I can’t go play
horseshoe. My neck is getting stiff. I have a hard job sleeping, everything
else. But this is fun. This is great. And I appreciate you coming; you may
enjoy my enjoyment.
13. Now
Heb 1:1-2.
(1) God,
who (in many parts and many ways) in time past spoke unto the fathers (in) the
prophets,
Now,
of course, it’s by the prophets, but it’s in the prophets! God in the prophets.
That’s why starting with Moses, Moses was God to the people. I know some get so
squeamish they want to put it, “as God to the people.” Then, I suppose Jesus
was as God to the people. Hah! Let them swallow that one. Well, come on! I’m
going to get you people shouting like a bunch of Pentecostals; I’m failing my
job tonight. Can’t I get someone running around screaming? Oh, come on; give me
a break. Give me a break. My Lord they claim I’m the deadest preacher in the
world. You people are the deadest people. We ain’t got nothing—just mechanics.
Merciful God, if the right mechanics weren’t there, God would never pour the
dynamics on them. So, what in the world are they talking about? I don’t know.
[It] just boggles my mind.
14.
Listen.
(1) God
(in the prophets) spoke (to) the fathers…
(2) In
these last days (has) spoken unto us (in) Son, (same thing! But he was the
fullness of the Godhead bodily, he was all the Word, and they were part of the
Word! But it all came together in Jesus.)
So,
keep that in mind. Now we go a little further. God to the people. Then, is this
continuous? See? Okay, with this we go to Gal 1:11-12.
(11) But I
certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after
man.
Now
this man says, “Look, I’ve got an authoritative notary public who will stamp
the seal as I say this is the truth.” Not swearing by God, but saying as Bro.
Branham, “This Bible open before me, and
knowing there is a God in heaven, and raising my hand, I’ll tell you, I will
not tell a lie. I will tell you the truth.” Notary public. The seal of
government. “I certify you. I am a certified individual. And, if you take what
I say as certified, you become certified with me.” To certify, make sure it’s
correct. Authoritative. It’s positively in line with the word of the government.
He said:
(11) …the
gospel (I preach) is not after man.
(12) For I
neither received it (by) man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ.
God
Himself. Jehovah-Elohim is the One that came right down and taught him that
which he brought forth. But as a prophet, he is a judge who interprets the
Word, and adjudicates, concerning the situation; as found over here, which we
read in 1 Cor [4:]3-5.
(3) But
with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of (all of) you, or of
man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
15. This
man doesn’t even plumb his own depths. He doesn’t begin to look within himself
and say, “Oh could this be right? I wonder if I made a mistake? Oh, oh, am I
lining up?” Forget it! You can’t judge a prophet, and a prophet can’t judge
himself! Do you realize the power that God has over a prophet and such a one
who’s in our midst? That I could shake his hands, hug him, and he hug me, and
we carry on conversations? And get to know the deep secrets and things of Almighty
God? This is a privilege beyond imagination. And Paul says, “There’s no
judging.”
(4) I
know nothing by myself; yet (I am) not hereby justified:
Certainly
not he’s not justified by that! He’s vindicated by God! By signs and miracles,
“THUS SAITH THE LORD,” that precede the Word, knowing that it is the Word of
God! Signs can follow any Word! But a Word of God must be preceded by “THUS
SAITH THE LORD,” and the thing coming to pass, even as Deuteronomy says It,
“Anybody can come;” along with Deuteronomy 13—Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; be
anything you want to be.
16. Then,
he says:
(5) Judge
nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will (both) bring to light
the hidden things of darkness, make manifest the counsel of the heart: then
shall every man have praise of God.
We
have found that as far as I am concerned to be a period of time starting with
Bro. Branham’s ministry, and Heb. 4:12, where God Himself came down. And 1 Th
17. Now,
verses 3 to 5 can only be based on 1 Cor 4:1-2.
(1) Let
a man so account of us, as the ministers of Christ, (even the) stewards of the
mysteries of God.
(2) Moreover
it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
Paul
is telling you this: “What I started out with, I have now, and it will never
leave me. And I will never leave it.” It will always be the same, Word upon
Word, and Word for Word; taking nothing away and adding nothing to it. It’s
that unmitigated, perfect revealed truth, God Himself speaking, revealing
Himself. Doing it by a prophet, fully vindicated.
18. Now
this is backed up by 1 Pet 4:10. Now remember, Peter is an advocate of Paul
under duress. The rest of them were not advocates. They had to admit that Paul
was correct, but let’s go to 1 Pet 4:10.
(10) As
every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as
good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
(11) If
any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; (Let him say exactly what
God said as the mouthpiece of God, or shut-up!)
There’s
your prophet, wise man, and scribe. Prophet brings the Word vindicated.
Five-fold ministry can handle the Word. The rest to the people, Word-by-Word.
That’s the safe course. Because, if you don’t have the gift to handle the great
Gift, there is no way that you can possibly be right before God, and we’ll see
more and more of this. Just the Lord help us. That’s all I can say.
(11) …If
any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in
all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and
dominion for ever and ever.
The
praise and dominion, notice, comes through the hands of these people who are
faithful to God, stewards of the Word and the ministries, and gifts that God
gave them. I told you this a long time ago when we started this
series—responsibility.
19. I
remember years ago, when I was in Pentecost, (Thank God I’m out of it and it’s
out of me.) and the latter rain department by the way, which was the closest to
the truth Bro. Branham said, and therefore, the furthest from it. For
ninety-nine percent truth is the greatest lie there is.
So
anyway, we were preaching on gifts. And a woman said, “Well Bro. Vayle, if I
don’t know anything about these things, then I can’t be responsible.”
I
said, “Woman, you got to be deceived. You are responsible. You’d better learn
about it and find where you are in Christ.”
Now,
of course, I was way off a beam on trying to help her on the grounds that I was
sure she must have some kind of gift that I could stir up within her. Those
days I could see sweet little old widows come by and lay hands on people, they
just read them like a book. Right Frankie [Proctor]? We were into a mess,
weren’t we? It was a wonderful mess, we thought. O God have pity on us. Why, we
thought the stinking horse carcass out there in the slough was roses. You know,
listen, the dead church brother/sister, stinks. Dead people smell just the same
as swine. Yeah, maybe worse even. You have a better appetite for worse things.
All right.
20. Tells
you right here, Peter says, “Either you say what God says, or shut-up.” He even
cautioned people, he said, “Paul says some strange and deep things that people
wrest to their own destruction.” He’s saying, “Look, say it and shut-up.” Don’t
twist it; don’t try to understand what isn’t given yours to understand.
That’s
why nobody could ever get the Rapture till now, and Bro. Branham preached that
in
21. Now
notice how careful Paul is in his office. And we go, and I told you I was going
to bring this to you, in 1 Cor 7:25, he says:
(25) Now
concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord:
Say,
that’s what he’s saying now. He didn’t say that in the first chapter to the
fourth. He never said that. He didn’t say he had no commandment. [He was] to
rectify the church’s error and put them on the right path. Then, if that man
indeed was a prophet of God—and he has to be, because he’s vindicated, because
God backed up what he said—then he did not speak of His Own when he put the
church in order, anymore than the Apostle Paul. You know, people talk about
Paul, and then, turn down William Branham. Just like the Israelites talked
about Moses and turned down Jesus. Now he says:
(25) …Yet
I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
Now,
to be faithful [to] what? God gave him what it took to remain true to the Word.
Just like Bro. Branham. He was vindicated. Yet, if there was any time when he
would have gone astray, and gone where he shouldn’t have gone, the angel of the
Lord appeared, as the time he was going to go with …?… to Mrs. Beale’s up in
Detroit, Frankie. Remember Mrs. Beale? Oh, old mama Beale. She was a pistol all
right. She was Latter Rain, boy. She had everything by the nose. And women
can’t even preach, bless God, and that’s the Word of the Living God. And she
was a-preaching up there.
22. So,
Bro. Branham had a little suitcase packed. Hhe walked to the door to go to the
car, and the Angel of God stood there, said, “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Why,” he said, “I’m going up there to Sis. Beale’s at Citadel,” or whatever they
called it.
He
said, “Unpack your grip. You’re going nowhere.”
Another
time he was going to go to another meeting that was a bunch of soul mating
bunch—Jolly and that bunch. And God said, “You’re not going anywhere. Go on
back.”
And
Bro. Branham himself got up, and he said, “Listen,
I used to always believe love is the evidence of the baptism with the Holy
Ghost, but God came, the angel of the Lord appeared, and He said, “That’s not the evidence, the evidence is believing the
Word for the hour.””
23. See,
these people do not proffer judgments, unless they can go right back to the
Word. And give you some foundation from that Word, because they’re faithful to
the Word. Now he evidently could not get and did not get an answer from God
concerning this question. So he says, as one who never sticks his neck out
beyond the Word, “I’m faithful. I’m a steward, and you won’t catch me off
base.” But he said, “I will give you what I know from Scripture.”
Asked
of Bro. Branham, “Could an illegitimate child be in the Bride?”
He
said, “From my thinking, I don’t think
God would do that, from my judgment.” And he said, “Even in Scripture, a bastard child…” And remember, illegitimacy is
not what most people think it is. He said, “A
resultant infant from ten generations could go in.” He never said that was
“THUS SAITH THE LORD.” He made a pronouncement.
24. So,
I’m trying to show you here, without reading this all, where Paul was very,
very careful to distinguish when it was absolutely “THUS SAITH THE LORD,” or
whether he with the ability of the wise man, not the prophet now, but the wise
man, to go back as house holder in the Word of God, and take out the reality,
and present both old and new, and say, “Look, you won’t go wrong going this
way.” And that’s what he does in this chapter. And he said, “I’ll tell you how
you will be right, and you won’t go wrong. And I will give you reasons why it’s
good to marry, and good not to marry.” And he lays them down. And he lays them
down from the Word. But, if you’re the kind that’s a marrying kind, you’d
better marry. And about ninety-nine percent of us are. And we should marry and
stay married. Because anything else is adultery. And disease, and AIDS, and
death, and cancer, until even cancer looks like a cold by what’s coming upon
the earth. Just wait till they get those organs that are all mixed up. And the
transplants and the cells.
Cellular
therapy, which they laughed at, the Pentecostals in
25. Now
as Paul nears the end of his life, there is absolutely no change in his
God-given stand found in 1 Cor 4:2, which is a faithful steward. For here is
what he says in 2 Tim 4:6,7.
(1) For
I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
(2) I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Never
changed one word. Never went back and unsaid anything. Never went back and ever
undid anything. Stood his ground. Got out of line a little one time, when he
called the high priest’s bluff, called him a whited wall. And then, he
apologized for offending someone in authority, because he knew God put him
there, whether he liked it or not.
Like
when somebody came to Bro. Branham one time and says, “You know Bro. Branham,
they’re saying terrible things about your family.”
And
Bro. Branham said, “Hold it. I don’t want
to hear it. God ordained that. I must have needed it.” Walked down the
road.
26. All
right then. We see Paul’s stewardship of the mysteries of God, or God’s Gospel,
so that it is not to be changed by one word. And that is the norm, and
continuing demand through the Seven Church Ages; there was to be no change. And
let’s face it; there is no change in the original revealed Word of Almighty
God. No. No, no. God never changed one word, never changed His mind about
anything. [He] ever changed anything whatsoever. [It] is man that comes along.
And we know it started right back with the devil, and unfortunately we’ll have
to go back and talk about the devil tonight as we continue.
27. So,
all right. Gal 1:6-9. That’s a little bit before the verses we just read
previously.
(6) I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ (or Messiah, into) another gospel:
(7) Which
is not another; (now notice what he said, the grace comes from that gospel.
Which is not another;) but there may be some that trouble you, and would
pervert the gospel of Christ. (Now who’s the original perverter? The devil
himself.)
(8) But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that
which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
(9) As
we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you
than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
. All
right. Of course people changed it after the way of Satan. Now Paul challenges
the Gentile church in Corinth about all Seven Church Ages stand, and even
today, as seen in 1 Cor 4:5. Now that’s the stand we’re looking at. Way back
there, comes right down to church age number seven, and never did change all
through seven ages. So, there is not a Gospel given by God through the two
thousand years that ever changed because of circumstances, or culture, or the
need of the people, or politics, or anything else. Nothing. Absolutely
inviolate. Okay,
28. [1
Cor]4:5.
(5) Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will (both) bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsel of the
heart: and then, shall every man have praise of God.
As
I said this, my understanding is right down at this age, where Bro. Branham
came, fulfilling Heb
(7) I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
(8) Henceforth,
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge (Now notice, it’s righteous judge. And Paul was judging righteously being
a prophet, and it was “THUS SAITH THE LORD” at that day, and here’s the Omega.)
shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that love
his appearing.
And
Bro. Branham said, “Appearing and coming
are two different words. He’s appearing now, not only in mighty signs and
wonders, as He did in
29. So,
all right. It’s right from that age to this age. So Paul had “THUS SAITH THE
LORD” in showing the church it’s error, and what condition it was in, and
giving the Word of Promise, bringing them back to perfection. We’ll show you
perfection here in the Bible. Then, we have that Alpha, and we have the Omega
now, because he certainly did say so. And also, we read Heb
(12) (Wherefore)
the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
(13) Neither
is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are
naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Now,
“with Whom we have to do” you can tell right here is a judge. So with Whom do
we have to do? The Judge. And Who was the Judge back there? God Himself. Holy
Spirit. Paul had “THUS SAITH THE LORD.” [He] told the church it’s condition;
brought them back to the Word. And those that came back to the Word were now
ready, as the
30.
Now, in 2 Thessalonians, which you read many, many times… [End of the first
side of the first audio tape.] That’s the first chapter. It says here:
(7) And
to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels, (I believe that’s that cloud right there. I
think it is, I’m basing everything on it that I know about this Word.)
(8) In
(flames of) fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
(9) Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power;
(10) When
he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and be admired in all them that believe (because our
testimony among you was believed) in that day.
So,
when that takes place, this testimony of Paul must be believed. Now how are you
going to believe it, unless the same God that gave it, is here giving it again
like Deuteronomy twice given, and Bro. Branham brought it out. Well, I want to
know the answer! Are we going to bring up the dead, bring up the church members?
I can tell you things from this Book that God has shown me because of the
prophet, you will not find in writings in this world! And I can prove it to
you. And I’m not any smart man, and I’m not up here boasting. I’m just telling
you, William Branham, God, that man that God inhabited with “THUS SAITH THE
LORD,” revealing this Word, revealed the principles, and the power of Almighty
God in this Word. And a wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein,
why? Because it’s a perfect map that anybody can read! But the trouble is,
they’re blind, and they say, “We can see.” And they can’t even see the bold
print, let alone the fine print that God whispers to people’s hearts. No way.
31. Now:
(11) (Therefore)
we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling,
and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with
power:
(12) That
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, (and so on.)
The
same Paul that wrote this wrote at the end time that God Himself would come
into the church, the spirit of wisdom, and the revelation, and the knowledge of
God, and reveal the deep secrets of God as Bro. Branham said.
So,
all right, here we are. It’s conclusive that this Word never changed; man
changed it! But the Word of God never changes, no way, shape and form! There
are no conditions. There’s nothing extraneous. There’s nothing you can add.
Nothing you can take. It just stands there. And thank God we have it revealed.
However, we find that the church fell away from what Paul planted.
32. In
1 Cor 3:9-10:
(9) For
we are laborers together with God: (Paul says that, because God was in him,
giving the Word. Now Apollos is a laborer, why? Because he is a child of the
prophet. Same seed. Same food, same everything.) ye are God’s husbandry, (you
are God’s acreage, God’s farming, God’s agriculture.) ye are God’s building.
(See there’s two things mentioned here. One is agriculture—husbandry, one is
building—carpentry. Now watch.)
(10) According
to the grace which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, (notice he
mentions grace of the gospel, grace to keep it.) I have laid the foundation,
and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth
(thereon).
Now
it doesn’t say ‘what’; it says ‘how’. So therefore, the ‘how’ is the wrong
usage of the ‘what’. And the wrong usage of the ‘what’ could be misplacing, or
using something of one quality in a place where that quality is not demanded;
and therefore, you don’t have that thing in the place where the quality is
demanded! People aren’t even baptized correctly in the Name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. How are they going to get the Holy Ghost? Tell me how the Spirit of
God’s going to answer to the Blood that you’re depending on to cleanse you, if
you’re baptized incorrectly.
“Oh,
well, for me, God will change it.”
That’s
like the guy up in
“Oh,”
he said, “that’s right, because God knew he didn’t believe; so therefore, he
let him get away with it.”
Come
on! Don’t tell me he didn’t say it; he said it to me! When Marilyn [Shearer]
gets back she’ll tell you, or I’ll phone her dad. Don [Keller] will know, and
her Uncle Gale will know. And he’s supposed to believe Bro. Branham. What did
he believe? Don’t ask me. He didn’t believe, he’s a liar. You see? All right.
33. Now
Paul built correctly. So let’s go now to Matthew 7, so we can get this picture
here a hundred percent right, and in Mt 7:24-29:
(24) Therefore
whosoever heareth these (words) of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto
a wise man, (who) built his house upon a rock:
(25) And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
(26) And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, (that) built his house upon the sand:
(27) And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
(28) And
it came to pass, when Jesus ended these sayings, the people were astonished at
his doctrine:
(29) For
he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Now,
here then, we find that the church fell away from what Paul planted in 1 Cor
3:9-10, and comparing that to Mt 7:24-29, which we read, which in turn, Mt
7:24-29. Now that’s the houses on foundation, was the conclusion of Mt.7:15-22!
Which was “Beware of false prophets, who have all the trappings, and they
perfectly look like sheep, but they are not!” They’re not. Everything going for
them, but inside they’re ravening wolves. They’re destroyers. And they have
just one thing about them; they’re playing your game to get you. They’re
playing your game to get you. Christian Science, Bro. Branham says, more love
produced then we’ll ever produce—so-called. They have one purpose in mind: to
match you; to be like you; to live with you; to agree with you, and catch you,
and destroy you. Now those are false prophets.
34. (16) (And
you’ll) know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles?
Now
he’s got a beautiful mixture here. He’s got animals—wolves in sheep clothing.
Now suddenly they’re trees bearing fruit.
(17) Even
so every good tree bringeth forth [good] fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth
forth evil fruit.
Now
you’re back to the Garden of Eden. Knowledge of good and evil, and the
knowledge of good, of life.
(18) A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit.
It
says it can’t, so it can’t!
“Oh,”
you say, “I could change that, I could fix it.”
Shut-up
and sit down. You’re making Jesus a liar.
Paul
said, “The wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That word “wholesome” is
salubrious, meaning, ‘health giving’. You don’t call death healthy, do you? We
passed from death unto life; we’re healthy in God. The inner man renewed day by
day; the outer man can perish. Forget the outer man; he’s just sawdust anyway.
(19) Every
tree that bringeth not good fruit is hewn down, cast into the fire.
(20) By
their fruits ye shall know them. (By their fruits. Now it says,)
(21) Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
(22) Many
will say (unto) me, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
(23) And
then will I profess (to) them, I never knew you:
35. Now
we’re talking about works. Works. I’ll tell you something. Word precedes works.
If you have works without Word, forget it. It tells you right here. A false
prophet, that means he brings you a false word, he has a sign and a wonder
according to Deuteronomy 13, legitimate just exactly like Balaam. Legitimate
gift. He comes on the scene; he presents it. And remember, Balaam followed
Moses! The vindicated Moses had a vindication before he brought the Word, but
as soon as the Word came out Satan could use it to his hearts desire! And he
grabbed old Balaam. And because Balaam sought God, understood a few things
about God, entered into a ministry using a gift of God, a prophecy that’s
coming to pass right today, and him as phony as a three dollar bill, a wolf in
sheep’s clothing.
Now
you can’t say that this man didn’t build the right altars, give the right
approach, have an understanding, and that is that he said, “I can only curse
what God curses. I can only bless what God blessed. There’s nothing I can do,
but it’s going to come by God. This is the genuine gift. You watch it.” And he
sold out with the genuine gift. His works. What was his works that destroyed
him?
They
said, “What must we do to do the works of God?”
And
he said, “I’ll tell you what the works of God. You believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, the only begotten Son.”
36. Can
you believe starting that this is the Holy Ghost, that this is Almighty God
operating through that man? Could you understand and take that? If you can’t,
let me tell you this: I don’t care you sitting here what works you’ve got, and
what works you think you might do, and what penance you might go ahead and
think you can run through, and what you might possibly present to God, I’m
going to tell you right now: you’re wrong. You’re wrong. You haven’t got a
prayer. Because it says right here, you can come with a full manifestation,
looks just exactly like a sheep, and be a hundred percent wrong, because you’ve
got the wrong leadership. You’ve got the leadership of a false prophet; and, if
he’s false, then, he is a man who perverts the Word! And he’s a false shepherd.
He’s a false everything.
37. Now
we go quickly back to Gal 1:8. Now watch what It says here:
(8) But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel than that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
If
an angel of heaven comes down, absolutely manifest as an angel from heaven,
there is no doubt about it, this is real and for real, and he brings you one
word off from the Apostle Paul, or comes into a contradiction from what a
prophet says, that man is a false prophet and is of the devil. And that angel
is of the devil, if not the devil himself, categorically.
Now,
as we say, going back to Gal 1:8, to follow through on the progression of the
fall. Verse 8 distinctly says that it will be first an angel from heaven that
comes in to destroy the Gospel of Paul. That’s what he said. An angel from
heaven. Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall from heaven.” We saw him kicked out, yet
he’s able to go back and forth somehow. God does allow it, and that is God’s
business, one hundred percent. I agree with God for doing it. I’m happy that’s
the way it is, because, if God wants it, that’s what I want.
Not
like Bro. Branham, of course, he said, “I
always do what I want to do, I want to please God.”
I
can’t confess that, but I can say, “I’m happy that God’s doing what He’s doing,
and I’m all for it.”
38. Now watch what It says
in 2 Cor 11:2:
(2) For
I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
(3) But
I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtility,
so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Right
there. Now the Bible says, “Satan, you were in
(4) (So
that) he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, (and so on.)
Now,
let’s find out who this is. Verses 13-15:
(13) For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ. (That’s the true messenger, taking the Word.)
(14) And
no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed (to be) an angel of light.
(15) Therefore
it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of
righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Wolves
in sheep clothing. There you are. Satan himself doing it. Serpent seed. Two
lines in the church. True vine—false vine. Twins. One abomination—one of God.
Left hand—right hand, God Almighty adjudicating, standing in the middle. “Come
ye onto my right hand, ye blessed of God; depart ye into the
39. Now,
as I say 2 Cor 11:13-15 enlarges upon it, and Mt 7:15-20 is taken from the
prophecy of Jesus Christ, who said, “Beware of false prophets. And those people
and their followers are going to come at the end time with manifested gifts,
which I will not deny are positively gifts of the Holy Ghost, and they will be
able to say, “I have cast out devils. I’ve prophesied in Thy Name. I’ve done
wonderful works,” and I cannot deny the works, but I will deny them.”
That’s
the same as when Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and all their ilk, went down into the
pit. Not Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, but the other bunch. I forget their name
now. They bore false incense in the vessels of the Lord. He said, “Save the
sensors, save the vessels, and destroy those that used them.”
The
gifts are real, and they’ll always be real. That which came from the Holy Ghost
is always of the Holy Ghost! Don’t blame Him, and don’t ever deny those gifts,
and don’t ever speak evil of those gifts. But the people that use them are
condemned!
40. Now
Bro. Branham warned us. Remember the
41. Now
see 2 Corinthians 11, the church falling away: Ezek 28:13,14.
(13) Thou
hast been in
(14) (I
set thee as) the cherub that covereth; (and so on and so on.)
Now
that goes back to Gen 3:1-7, because the devil was in the serpent who got to
Eve, who got to Adam, who brought the whole thing into disrepute, and death by
sin, because of unbelief in the Word of God, brought by God Himself. See? And
in …?… time, God can call the angel of the covenant, messenger of the covenant.
And remember, God brought His Own covenant. He’s His Own messenger. Sure He is.
Now
then, let us get to the point. I’m actually re-teaching in this material. It is
because we want to know now and forever, once for all, live or die, that the
history of heaven and earth, as we know it, is an account of Satan’s iniquity,
or the perverting of the Word of God, which is unbelief, in the vindicated or
manifested Word of God, which changes came, of course, and the church fell for,
as Satan gave them the false word, by perverting it. But it is also seen, at
the same time, that the never ever changing Word of God, and those who are
ordained to it, will be with the unchanging Rhema Logos God, both now and
eternally.
42. So,
what I’m trying to tell you here is we’re looking at the history of heaven and
earth. And one side is where you see the never changing Word of Almighty God is
perverted by people as though it could be changed, and them depending upon it.
Then there is the other hand, the right hand, which never deviates from the
unchanging ordained Word of God, because they are ordained to it! Now you’re
right back to foreknowledge, election, predestination, and you can’t do a thing
about it but sit there and believe it. And there’s nobody that can explain it
to anybody’s satisfaction, except as Iraneous did, “God being a Savior, it was
necessary to predestinate a sinner who’d require salvation, in order to give
God reason and purpose of being.”
And
you can’t go beyond that. You can say, “Well then, why does God judge and do so
and so?”
“Who
are you O man to reply against God?”
Wait
until the day manifests it. And that day has not yet done it, because it’s only
at the White Throne Judgment you’ll get a knowledge, which you didn’t have
before. And then, the strange thing is when you see the devil brought down,
you’ll say, “Oh my, was that the puny thing that I listened to, and made the
world to tremble? I can’t believe that he got away with the bluff. I can’t
believe that people were sucked in.”
43. Don’t
you pick up the paper today and read all the scams that are going on? Where
people are using phone calls, and people with a little bit of money are being
sucked out of their money by promises—even the old scam where “I’ll meet you in
the park,” and they say, “Now look, you go to the bank and get the money now.
And I’ve got this big bunch of money here, but you’ve got to, you know, show
your faith,” and blah, blah, blah.
There’s
a guy in Canada they tell me, he’s given a bum up down here thousands and
thousands of dollars, because he tells them he knows how to get money from the
IRS, it’s all packed in there, and he’s just waiting for the IRS to give the
money up, and he sends these letters out, and people even in Canada fall for
it, and its nothing but a scam. Pete’s [Klassen] nodding his head; he knows
what I’m talking about. Yeah, just a scam. Say, “I can’t believe it! I can’t
believe it!” With the wisdom of God, you wonder how people can believe, but
they do. And they believe to destruction. Okay.
44. Now
we showed you Ezekiel 28, and Genesis 3, and now we think of Matthew 7, the
false prophets who appear, as Paul said in Acts 20:25-35, and distinctly Satan
in 2 Cor 11:2-4. Now Acts 20 is where Paul calls the elders, and he warns them
that men of themselves will rise up to get preeminent, and draw people after
them, by perverting and changing the Gospel. And any perversion, one word off
is Satan’s kingdom, which means you’re under the thralldom and the kingship and
the power and the dictatorship and the whole panoply of whatever he has in his
kingdom. You’re under it. One word off, lock, stock, and barrel.
Now,
what we have just read in 2 Cor 11:2-4 is gnosticism. And that’s the subject
under “Stewardship” that I’ve been talking of: gnosticism. Notice the Gospel of
Paul. One: Jesus who was crucified. Where Paul said, “You’ve changed
everything.” He said, “All right, you’ve got another Jesus.” Next he said,
“You’ve got another spirit.” Absolutely. Not the spirit of Acts 2:37-39,
“Repent and be baptized every one in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the promise is unto you and your
children, and all that are afar off.”
Now
they certainly had gifts and anointing. Then, what spirit did they have? They
had to have some kind of a religious spirit that came into them from Satan!
They’re certainly anointed by Satan even though he could manipulate the gifts.
And Bro. Branham said, “There isn’t one
gift of God that Satan can’t manipulate and imitate and do something bad with
it.” The third thing: they had another gospel. Another Jesus, another
spirit, another God, another gospel.
45. Now
notice carefully the words of Paul. He said, “Another Jesus;” not, “no Jesus.”
Right? Right? Now listen. He said, “Another.” Is that correct? He didn’t say,
“no Jesus.”
You
say, “Well Bro. Vayle there’s [not] another Jesus. There’s no Jesus.”
Now,
just hold your horses. That’s not the Bible. The Bible said another Jesus. So
there’s a real Jesus, and there’s a wrong Jesus. Or to them there’s no Jesus,
period. Another Jesus. There’s another spirit. Not a genuine baptism with the
Holy Ghost. There’s another gospel. Doesn’t say there’s no Jesus, no baptism,
no gospel. It says another.
46. Now
‘gnosticism’: ‘denial of truth as a once for all revelation from God with no
change by adding or taking even a word’, but exactly as given by the apostle
Paul’. It is not the denial of the truth by changing its existence, or denying
its existence. Truth is.
But
it’s the old familiar cry of Pilate, “What is truth?” “Hey, Paul, what’s
truth?” “Hey, William Branham, what’s truth?” “You say you got it? Ah, I
disagree. I don’t believe you got it.”
See?
It’s the old cry. They don’t say there isn’t any. In fact the joke today coming
back from Sigmund Freud, and all the philosophers who call themselves
psychiatrists and psychologists, who make studies and all, even your
spiritists, your Christians, your non-Christians, everybody’s going to tell you
what truth is. Yeah, they’re going to tell you what truth is. And they don’t
agree with us. But they got it.
See,
now gnosticism does not deny—it does not deny—relevancy. It denies the point
and what you might call the environment of relevancy. See, they admit to truth,
but they cannot admit to what it is. They refuse the vindication of truth, and
go on with the devil, the same as Eve did, because she didn’t say, “There’s no
God.” The devil didn’t say there was no God. The devil didn’t say, “God didn’t
say it,” and Eve didn’t say, “God didn’t say it.” They both agreed that what
God said. God did not actually mean that there was another revelation or a
depth of revelation to it, which, if you got to it, would supercede what you
have, and thereby bypass any condemnation you’re in! You understand what I’m
saying? Okay, keep it in mind, then.
47. So,
what I am saying is this, as Bro. Branham said it. Forget politics; forget
communism. It is the
Get
your eyes on the Scripture that alone is the prophecy of God, and believe what
God says as found in Revelation 17, which is the Roman Catholic prostitute
church that believes in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and has superceded the
revelation of Paul by giving their own revelation and doing their own thing.
And they are the children of the serpent seed. Their pastors, prophets, wise
men, and scribes, are children of the devil, and they are totally under the
48. We
now realize that what is termed gnosticism is the religion of the devil that
will lead to satanic worship. See how when he, Satan, perverted the Word, he
presumptuously announced his position or office, and consequently went from his
ministry, which he had by his position, which was a ministry of the worship of
God, to a self-assumed, elected, non-office of God, and in competition with
God!
You
know, I hope these statements are rocking you, because I write these all down,
as I’m lead by the Lord. Then, I sit and look at them before I bring them to
you. And what I have read I claim to be a hundred percent authentic from this
Message and the Word of Almighty God; because Satan said, “I will exalt myself
above the most High,” he came in direct competition to Almighty God and
demanded worship. And [he] is getting worship in the very
49. Now
make note that from ministering to a position that was not of God—see now
notice—from ministering to a position, which is not of God, whereas a true
servant of God, a faithful servant goes from a position and place or gift to
ministering what he has been given. See Satan wouldn’t minister to God and lead
in worship. He said, “I’m going to have it.”
Now
listen carefully to what I am saying, because I’m giving you a chronology here.
And this chronology is very important, because it’s difficult to understand to
a degree. That is a reverse from Satan. He left his position because of a
ministry. In other words he put such stock in the ministry, what he was able to
do, what he could perform, what he had. He put such stock in it that he fell
from it! He left it! But he, then, took another position unwarrantedly, stole
it, bamboozled it, which was not his, a fake and a phony, and bringing people
in.
50. Okay,
let’s go to Jude. And in Jude, verse 6… Now:
(6) And the angels which kept not their first
estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains
under darkness unto the (day of) judgment.
So
their estate, which was their position, they left, because they were able to
minister. They figured they had a better and a higher ministry! Yeah, fooled by
the devil. So did Eve! And so did Adam! And so today in the omega of the alpha.
To see this, we go to 1 Cor 4:1-2.
(1) Let a man so account of us, as of
ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now
that’s it. That’s it. That’s what Paul was given. He was given copyright. Yeah,
copyright to the Word of God. That’s why I turned back copyright on the Seven
Church Ages Book, that is getting money for it, because I felt bad in my
soul. And I gave it all back, and then some. In my own way I did it. Because I
said, if you can copyright anything of this prophet, I’m going to have a
séance, and call up the Apostle Paul, and get a copyright on his.
Paul
had a copyright. And so does every true minister of Christ. And that’s given to
him of God, sealed in, because it’s the vindicated Word of Almighty God, and he
better be faithful to that copyright—that privilege of being the minister. And,
when you got a copyright and a franchise, you can go to court and beat the
spots off of anybody who tries to take your position. And God will back you up.
Huh? Moses, Paul. Oh, that’s great; but what about a five-fold ministry? “Ah,
five-fold ministries, hah.” You better look out.
51. There’s
a certain guy, as far as I know, he’s nowhere today. He smarted off at me in a
meeting many years ago, and like the same voice that said, “Your ministry in
the West is over, and your brother will die,” said to me, “You can tell him, if
you want to, that he’s forgiven, if he accepts your forgiveness.” And I walked
off.
You
say, “Bro. Vayle you make something of yourself.”
Just
maybe I don’t. What if I have a copyright? What if I should have a ministry?
What if I should be teaching and handling the Word of God the way I’m supposed
to?
“But
oh Bro. Vayle, he’s just mechanical.”
My
prophet told me, that’s the man right there, [Bro. Vayle points to the picture
of the Pillar of Fire with Bro. Branham.] told me that God only puts the
dynamics on the true mechanics. What are you going to do now? What if I should
be right? The Bible’s still open. I challenge any man living who gets this
tape, come and stand before me with my notes and prove me wrong. Can’t do it. I
don’t take one word. I take every word, like that pie, …?… or straight up, and I’m
not boasting, I’m just telling you how my ministry works, which is nothing to
anybody but me, as far as I care. I don’t care. It’s my business. You’ve been
given a copyright—been given a franchise? Then, you better be faithful. You
better not think above yourself. You don’t need to argue, fight, or anything
else. It will be self-evident, it’s there.
52. Now,
let’s go to 1 Corinthians 12, because this is the same book by the same Holy
Ghost, the same Paul writing everything he’s supposed to write.
(4) Now there are diversities of gifts, but the
same Spirit. (You bet there are. Several kinds of them. All kinds of them.)
(5) Differences of administrations, but the
same Lord. (God works those gifts in those positions, everything the way He
wants them, to different people, the way he wants it done.)
(6) There are diversities of operations, (Sure
that’s right. Same gift manifested different ways in different people. But it’s
the same God working all in all.)
(7) But the manifestation of Spirit is given to
every man to profit withal.
Now,
let’s go to Romans 12, see what It says. In Rom 12:3-8:
(3) For
I say, through the grace (of God) given unto me, to every man that is among
you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Now
watch what that measure of faith is in every single member.)
(4) For
as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
(5) So
we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
(6) Having
then gifts differing (everybody just alike, but everybody different.) according
to the grace that is given, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the
proportion of faith;
(7) Ministry,
wait on our ministering: teach(ing), on teaching;
(8) He
that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, with simplicity; he that
ruleth, with diligence; sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Hundreds
of gifts in the body of Christ, hundreds of gifts, hundreds and hundreds.
They’re there. Every one according to the proportion of faith. And every one
members of each other, like the cells in our body, pulling together, every one
working under the Spirit of the living God. No conflicts, no fooling, no “Big
I’s,” no “little you’s.” “Look at me; man, you’ve got nothing, I’ve got it
all.”
See,
Paul said, “Look, why do you boast as though if you received it as though you
didn’t receive it? Then, if it’s given you, why do you boast at all?” If it’s
given, then you become a faithful servant, or what? The dispensation is against
you. Grace turns to disgrace. That’s a pitiful thing, but it’s true. And what
about Eph
53.
Okay, It tells you in Ephesians 4:
(4) There is one body, and one Spirit, even as
ye are called in one hope of your calling;
(5) One
Lord, one faith, one baptism,
(6) One
God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in you all.
(7) But
unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ.
He
tells you that; it’s the same thing he said in Romans.
(8) Wherefore
he saith, (now he’s going into something different here. He’s beginning to
personify this to the extent that he begins naming rigid offices.) When he
ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, gave gifts unto men. (And so on.
And then he says, verse 11.)
(11) And
he gave, apostles; prophets; evangelists; pastors and teachers; (five-fold
ministry. What for?)
(12) For
the (perfection or the equipping) of the saints, work of the ministry, edify
the body of Christ:
(13) Till
all come in the unity of the faith, (even) the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of Christ: (Yup.)
Now
listen what he says here, “the knowledge of the Son of God.” Now that’s
meaningful, because that’s referring to the Holy Spirit coming in this day and
bringing us to a complete Headship.
54. Now
what I want you to look at is verse 8.
(8) Wherefore
he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts
unto men.
And,
if you know that’s taken from Psalms 68:18. Now there’s nobody that doesn’t
know that, because most people have a concordance or a Scofield Bible or
something, that refers you there. So, it’s not hard to come across that one.
Not something I found on my own. Now:
(18) Thou
hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received
gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell (and
they say) among them.
So,
at the time of the dwelling of God, God has given gifts to men, five-fold
ministry, and to those outside waiting, because they will be deceived, he has
given men with gifts. Of the Holy Ghost. And that goes right back to the Book
of Numbers, Numbers 16, where you find Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with a gift
of prophecy rising up against Moses and say, “Listen Moses, don’t think that
you’ve got everything from God, we’ve got some too. And we’re going to be made
known in this bunch, and people are going to listen to us, because we can
prophesy.”
55. And
I ask you one question: how many that listened to Balaam, who really had a
gift, got to the Promised Land? None. They died in adultery, fornication,
idolatry, manifested as to what they were. And when gifts come along, it will
manifest to all the Branhamites. Who wants gifts just to talk about them? Men
will come into their churches and they’ll just talk, and they haven’t got a
thing. What they’ve got would even make a spiritist vomit. Because they can
produce.
I’ve
never seen one person that came to Branhamite meeting, who can do what the
great …?… down in
56. How
about the man up there in
What
about the guy, his name was Whits something. A little fellow that was a
Baptist, to my knowledge, or a Presbyterian. I’m not sure. He went to
57. Come
on you guys out there: let’s see something! That’s enough right there. I’m not
interested in seeing any more. I just want to believe, because that’s the work.
And that’s where faith lies. Yeah. God’s among us today, lots of gifts,
everything. Where’s God? Well, He’s amongst the Bride somewhere; I got no
trouble there. But this is the manifestation of the presence of God: gifts.
Where there’s a true five-fold ministry with the Word of God, and gifts in
order as they should be.
Every
true member of the body of Christ is a gifted member for ministering. Each is a
Word member son of God, and ministers works or manifests or serves only
according to the Word, and within its framework as set forth by the prophets as
in 1 Cor 12:13-14. Now in chapter 12, Paul tells the Corinthians all that whole
church is in confusion. He does not fault any gift, but its misuse as to time
and place, which we know is rectified by Bro. Branham in our day. Now notice
how modern Corinthians of the
58. Now
we pretty well got to know what that is. 1 Cor 14:35, and It says, concerning
women:
(34) (Now)
let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them
to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as saith the law.
(35) And
if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a
shame for women to speak in the church.
(36) What?
came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
(37) (And
if you think you got the Holy Ghost or you’re a prophet, you’d better
superimpose what I’m telling you upon any knowledge you think you have, because
you’re wrong and I’m right.)
Now
with that we also go to 1 Tim 2:11-15:
(11) Let
the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
(12) But I
suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in
silence.
(13) For
Adam was first formed, then Eve.
(14) And
[Adam] was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
(15) Notwithstanding
she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and (chastity)
and holiness with sobriety.
The
trouble with Eve was she opened her mouth! And out of her mouth did not come
the Word of God. That’s what should have come in faith. She said, “Yeah, God
said it, but I just wonder.”
[She]
listened to reason. She substituted Satan’s word for the Word of God. Now
notice, he didn’t say that God did not have His Word. He just said, “I’ve got a
higher and better revelation. I’ve got more than you’ve got. I’m going to lead
you now.”
And
he took her right away from God. And when the Pentecostal church is a full
women preachers…
59. Now
emphatically and indelibly notice, use of gifts out of order gave them
self-appointed offices, and left the Word by means of a perversion. If this
chronology is difficult to see, we go back to Satan. Number one: anointed
cherub that covered. Number two: priestly vestments. Number three: the highest
position of cherub next to the throne. Number four: this ministry gave him the
leverage of the Word. He was the one to listen to; he was gifted. So he leaves
his God-given ministry—see, based on what he could produce in it—changes the
Word of God, presumes and assumes a position, and uses the anointed ministry to
gain power over the angels and people! This is gnosticism in full force. And
this is today in
Now
watch what happened in
60/ Now
this is what I wanted to bring to your attention that I didn’t bring last time.
I didn’t really bring it out that this is gnosticism. And when you find a rule
and a law in the Bible, which is Gnosticism, you take the Alpha and you take it
all the way to the Omega. And this is a law. This is a principle. This is a
product from the wrong vine. So, It says in 1 Corinthians 12:
Okay.
Now here we got:
(1) Now
concerning spiritual gifts, (that’s the energies,) brethren, I would not have
you (to be) ignorant.
(2) Ye
know ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols, even as (you) were
led.
Now
that let’s you know that these people actually were under the thralldom of
spirits. And many times they had to work themselves up or do certain things in
order to get into a position whereby that the spirit would come in, or if
already in, would move. Now you understand what I’m saying?
61. Now
remember, Bro. Branham said that Balaam had a key. I asked him one time, talked
to him: I said, “Bro. Branham, isn’t it so that Balaam had a way of getting
into his ministry, like his trance? He had a key?”
He
said, “Sure Lee. I got one too.”
He
took up a parable. And then you’ll hear him say on a tape that he says words
he’s faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, it clicks in. Will
you believe that that’s the same way the devil can work? Would you believe by
the powers of concentration, calling on God, that you could swing into a trance
and a vision? Frank nods his head. The rest of you don’t dare, because you
don’t even know what I’m talking about. I’ve done it. By the powers of
concentration and moving. Like the old Ford …?…, click, click, click, click,
click… suddenly I’m zoom, right into it. And, if I’d have continued to do that,
I might have ended up a desperate, desperate individual, way away from God.
Because what followed I cannot say was of God for any way, because I do not
know. Carried away means just what it says: carried away. Now you can be just
as carried away by manipulation, and by trance, vision, some force and power
can carry you away, but you can be carried away even further without any of
that, by just disbelieving the Word of God.
62. Now
these people here knew the difference between spirit power and the power of
God. What I have today is so different from what was years ago in Pentecost.
I’ve got a patience that Bro. Branham speaks of, which is in the Bible; I can
wait for my answers—not to get rushed into anything. I’m in no hurry. If you
knew how it operated, you’d understand. It’s no big deal, it’s just that’s how
my nature is. Maybe in life I’m erratic, frustrated, nervous; but not with
this. I’ve nothing to do with the world outside; this is what is on the inside.
(2) (You
know you) were carried away (by) dumb idols, (now a dumb idol couldn’t carry
anybody so it had to be a spirit. Now,)
(3) Wherefore
I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit…
Now
these people were speaking by the spirit, and they were calling Jesus accursed.
Now ‘gnosticism’. What is it? It’s not denying It. It’s taking the truth, the
revelation, adding, subtracting, modifying, presenting, and say, “This is it.”
63. You
want to look with me? How about we go to Gal 3:13.
(13) Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: (There
it is. That’s Old Testament.) Cursed is every one that hangeth (upon) a tree:
(14) (Notice,)
that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ;
So,
now they’re taking a Scripture, and by some either implied or actually
demonstrated factor of force, have perpetrated upon many people another gospel,
whereby they’re now calling Jesus accursed. Now get this. That is a true
Scripture; He’s cursed hanging upon a tree. But He’s not cursed of Himself! He
took it on Himself! No longer under the curse; risen to be what? Lord! Now
under the Holy Ghost you’ll never call Him cursed, because He’s not. He’s
entered into the glory and beyond the glory He ever had, and He’s a High Priest
for us, and He’s on the right hand of the Majesty on High, and in this hour
He’s on the very throne of God. But, neither can you call Him Lord without the
Holy Ghost! You get Him all mixed up. “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit thou on
my right hand’.” The head of woman is man, male, female. (Now, put her in the
head of the church!) There’s neither male nor female in Christ. If there’s none
in Christ now, there never was back there. So, forget about that other stuff.
Right? So, now we’ve got the head of the Bride is what? Jesus, the Son of God,
Christ. Who’s the head of Christ? God. Neither can you know Godhead and
understand your position, the great mystery, the great One out of the Seven
Seals, unless you’re full of the Holy Ghost.
64. I
may be sort of twisting this, but I’m not too worried about it. Because I’m
going to tell you one thing: I wouldn’t have a clue, except for “Who Is This
Melchisedec?,” and watching every word Bro. Branham said, that I would know the
truth of God, Who is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I and you and all
of us are brethren. And we’re one great family. And the Omega of the Pillar of
Fire above the throne, God, the Lamb on the throne, and the Bride, and the
other virgins outside, I would never have known that to be the truth. I would
never have figured it. I would never of my own understood that Bro. Branham
said that God gave birth to that Son, because the light formed, and only God
was there to form from it. And like a child playing around the Father’s throne,
the act of creation began: God creating through Christ Jesus. God manifesting
through Him so that all things bodily that ever came would have to come through
Him. Why did God do it? That’s God’s business. That’s the wisdom of God. It’s
only my job to see it and to believe it.
Now
he said right here that these people are not in the Holy Ghost to deny or to
pervert. Just the same as John said, “If you don’t have the Son, you don’t have
the Father, and, if you don’t have the Father, you don’t have the Son.”
65. So,
what are all these Mohammedans, and all these people out there, the Buddhists
all saying, “Oh, we’ve got God, Ramah; we’ve got Mohammed; we’ve got this;
we’ve got Allah; we’ve got that.”
The
Son? Forget it. There’s no light.
You
see they have all changed the Word of God. We know that this is gnosticism. We
know that this is what is going on. And therefore, we do not destroy the Word
of God. We stick to the truth of the Word of God. And where an illustration is
there, as Bro. Branham said, “I must be
careful lest I pervert the Word of God through illustration,” we are able
to know the truth in spite of what other men say about it.
66. Now,
let’s go, and let’s go to the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13.
(1) Though
I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not (love), I become as
sounding brass, (and) tinkling cymbal.
Bro.
Branham was categorically asked, “What is this love?”
He
said, “That’s the Holy Ghost.” Did he
not, or did he?
Now
you know the tapes as well as I do, maybe even better. Many a time I’ve told
you, God in threes. Bro. Branham used to say for a while, “Omniscience omnipotence, omnipresence.” He said, “Nope, He’s not omnipresent. He’s
omnipresent by omniscience and omnipotence.” But God’s in threes! Now the
Bible says God is love! Bro. Branham said, “It’s
Holy Ghost.” I forget what tape it is. You’ll find it. Don’t even worry
about your computers. They’re so bogged down, it’s pitiful. You can’t find half
the things you want to find. Maybe that ought to tell you something.
67. Now,
let’s read it.
(1) Though
I speak with the tongue of men and angels, and have not (the Holy Ghost), I am
as sounding brass, (and) tinkling cymbal.
(2) Though
I have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and
have all faith, (and can) remove mountains, and have not (the Holy Ghost) I am
nothing.
(3) Though
I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and give my body to be burned, and have
not (the Holy Ghost), it profit(s) me nothing.
(4) (The
Holy Ghost) suffer(s) long, (he’s) kind; (the Holy Ghost) envie(s) not; (the
Holy Ghost) vaunt(s) not itself, (he’s) not puffed up,
(5) (He)
doth not behave (himself) unseemly, (doesn’t even seek his own…)
Now
he said, “her own.” No problem there. He’s also talking about the way people
act as a Bride. When you got the Holy Ghost you’re not going to seek your own.
[The] church doesn’t seek her own. She’s not out there wanting this and wanting
that. In other words she doesn’t take a rigid position and stand up and cause a
fight and a brawl and everything else, and takes a sword or anything. She just
stands there, and says, “Well.”
It’s
like when Bro. Branham said to Jack Plummer, “Jack don’t keep asking God for things. Just live the life and be a
Christian. He’ll give it to you.”
I had a guy, one fellow says he really prayed to God—He wouldn’t
have had to send Bro. Branham. We didn’t have to pray to God to send Bro.
Branham. We didn’t have to seek him. God just sent him. Tell me when Rebecca
was out looking for Isaac. Or Rachel and Leah came hunting down Jacob. I can
see the harlot on the corner doing it. But I can’t see the sheep looking for
the shepherd; I can see the shepherd looking for the sheep.
68. Now
he says here:
(6) (The
Holy Ghost does not rejoice) in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; (Now
that’s sure the truth there.)
(7) (He
bears) all things, believe(s) all thing, hope(s) all things, endure(d) all
things.
(8) (The
Holy Ghost can) never fail:
Now
you can use that as an illustration, and that’s fine. And you can relate it to
people, that’s very good. And you can have a lot of truth there. But I want to
show you here that when you get to the definitive, you better realize that
there is a principle with the definitive, and, if any time an illustration is
used, it could lead you vastly astray and destroy you. That’s what Bro. Branham
was very worried about. What about the parables of Jesus? He explained them
all. So, when a man has the Holy Ghost, a woman has the Holy Ghost, that person
will act out, should act out and will act out, if he brings under his body,
stands right there holding it up, as a sacrifice to God, that person will act
out the Holy Ghost. And, when he does, he will not rejoice in iniquity, he’ll
only rejoice in truth; [he] will bear all things, believe all things, hope all
things, endure all things, never fail, no matter what comes.
69. Now,
watch:
(8) …whether
(it) be prophecies, (they’ll) fail; tongues, (will fail, they’re going to)
cease; knowledge, (will) vanish away.
Why?
Because we have just a part. We have just a part. Now watch.
(9) We
know in part…
(10) But
when that which is perfect is come, (maturity, ripeness, complete fullness,
finishing, it’s all over, complete, the Alpha made Omega a hundred percent)
then that which is in part (is) done away.
Seven
Church Ages, seven Messages, all things are gone at the end time, because He
Who is all things is here, and we have it all. And they said, “Well, what does
it mean Bro. Branham ‘That which is perfect is come’?”
He
said, “Who is perfect but God, and what
is God but the Word? And by His grace we have the perfect revelation of the
Word for this hour.” And Bro. Branham said, “If God ever sends His power back in the church, it will be by grace
and not by works. And it won’t be by faith.”
70. So,
what about praying for Bro. Branham? Or praying and God would have not had to
send him? Tell me he didn’t bring the power back in? Shall I read you Hebrews 6
over again; let you know what we had in this hour? Tasted of the good world to
come, the heavenly gift, and the power of the ages, and that which is to come.
We have it; we’re in it. Gnosticism pervades and prevails in every church in
the world where the Name of Jesus Christ, as Son of God, and God the Father, is
recognized and spoken of to any degree whatsoever, except at the end time a
little tiny Bride. And she is not gnostic; she is not agnostic. She is a
believer. And they’re the only ones that have Him. See?
Now,
so it is almost utterly unbelievable. But in a gifted church, caught up in the
thralldom and excitement and church worship, worshipping God, they allowed the
devil to so take over the people; they denied the lordship of Jesus, even
called Him accursed, while all the while using spiritual gifts. See?
71. Now,
let me try to finish it up. Satan in the midst of the church is still
perverting Scripture, using the reasoning’s to appeal to men as to what the
Word really does mean. What I mean by that is Satan appeals to the senses as he
did with Eve, in other words reasoning and these things that are out here, that
you’re going to observe, and say, “Well, if this is so that should be so.” And
they try to work it from the Bible. They try to get a revelation and a working
system within their lives and their worship and say, “Well this is my tie post.
This has got to be it.” But every generation sees a drift, and there is no tie
post there. See? So it was with Eve. The fruit was good to see. Makes one wise,
opens one eyes, etcetera, etcetera. And so men today will take a Scripture that
is foundational, and disregard it in favor of an illustration that comes out of
it, and apply the illustration to life, and forget the basic premise.
Now
that’s what I did here in this chapter of 1 Corinthians, just to impress upon
you that Bro. Branham said that “God is
love.” and backed it with 1 Corinthians 13. I brought this out many times
to you, other times. I can’t remember exactly where it came from. But here you
find it here God is love. And He brings us to this particular position.
But
people will take what has been used as illustrative—that which has been derived
from the original principle—and put within men, showing them that these are the
ways of life and the conduct that is expected, because this is in the Holy
Spirit, this is in God, then will be reproduced in a measure. Now remember,
Bro. Branham said we sin a thousand times a day; we backslide; and so on. I
appreciate that. I understand all these things. But there is in there, as Bro.
Branham told us, Word upon Word until we become the stature of Christ, living
and moving by God, as the Apostle Paul said, and William Branham could say,
“I’ve been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I,” see? “And
the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Who
loved me and gave Himself for me,” and mentioning that every move that he made,
in his ministry as a gifted ministry, was moved upon by God in order to be all
of God.
(16)
See, these people don’t go that far. And in their
production they have fooled people, and they’re being fooled at this moment.
Bro. Branham spoke concerning himself in illustrations. Paul used an allegory,
but made sure the allegory was not doctrine, but simply an illustration. And
when Jesus used parables, every time he dropped the… you know, the Word of God
to the people, He would then hammer out the truth to them. In Matthew 13 we can
see that. All right. And I can give you an example, which I just did, in 1
Corinthians 13, and in the last service, I brought you a portion of James 3.
And in James 3, and I know you’re getting impatient, and so am I. So we’ll try
to finish this to show you what I’m driving at here. In James 3, and I could
take the whole Book and show you where there’s a complete misunderstanding, and
why even Luther called this the straw book. And it wasn’t meant to be. Because
men begin to take what is basic to people’s conduct, and what should come out
of a Christian’s life. Not going back to the complete principles of Almighty
God as to what is foundational, and then that which can come out of it, and
whereby there’s any perversion of your understanding, you’ll drift right away
from the basic understanding and take an illustration. Now I hope you’re
understanding what I’m saying. If you’re not, we’ll get to it.
(17)
So, let’s talk about it. Jas 3:8:
(8) But
the tongue can no man tame; (it’s) an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
(9) Therewith
bless we God, even the Father; and therewith (we) curse men, which are made
after the similitude of God.
(10) Out
of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things
ought not to be.
(11) Doth
a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
(12) Can
(a) fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no
fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
(13) Who
is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of (his)
good (behavior) his works with meekness of wisdom.
(14) But
if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not
against the truth.
Now,
hold it. He’s right on Paul’s ground. Paul in 1 Corinthians found them
striving. There was bitterness. There was division. They were off the truth.
This man is quoting Jesus, and illustrating from Matthew 7. Brambles can’t
produce figs, and figs don’t produce brambles. Corrupt tree does not produce
anything but corruption, and a good tree will produce that which is good. And
there is a division there.
Now
this man is showing you what a dual is; he’s a hypocrite. Out of one side of
his mouth he says the Word of God; the other side he’s against the Word of God.
Because that’s the original precept given by Jesus that Paul called the
wholesome, healthy words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this is what I’m
preaching: Lee Vayle’s understanding from principle. See?
74. So
now:
(15) (But)
this wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
(16) For
where (there is) envying and strife, there is confusion and every evil work.
Isn’t
that the Corinthian Church? Where did it get it? It got it through gnosticism.
Then don’t tell me this is anything but gnosticism. The illustration is still
there, like in 1 Corinthians 13. Certainly as people that belong to Jesus
Christ, and having the Holy Spirit, we should be producing that which lies
within the Holy Spirit as we give ourselves over to Him. And let Him operate
through us whatever ministry lies within us. Now does Satan allow God to
operate his ministry? He did for a while; he went from it. Did Jesus allow?
Every single time He allowed it. Do you and I? I hope so all the time, but
maybe a lot of times we don’t. But there is this muddiness.
75. Now
watch:
(17) But
the wisdom that is from above is pure…
And
we went into that one time, showing that there is absolutely a
purity—chemically pure! Now he’s telling you: how can you have a mouth that’s
full of sensuality from the devil, and a mouth that’s chemically pure? You
can’t do it. Then, I want to ask you tonight, how can you sitting here say
anything but the Word of God that Bro. Branham brought us concerning any
subject concerning anything? And tell me that you haven’t got a dual mouth? I
want to know why whole churches are dedicated to speaking in tongues and
everything on the floor, and they’re not dedicated to church condition as Bro.
Branham brought it. How can people sit in pews where preachers lie to them?
76. Now
It tells you. Here’s a man that’s doing both. James calls him a double-souled
man. In “Spoken Word Is The Original Seed,” Bro. Branham calls him a dual,
which is a hypocrite.
So
one guy’s mouthing the Word, like the devil, at one time. “Yea hath God said
you eat of this tree, and you’ll die?” Perfect! Out of the right hand side of
the mouth, there comes the perfect Word of God.
She
said, “Yea, God hath said we can eat of every tree, but that tree there—die.”
“Ah,”
he said, “God surely told you a lie.” Other side of his mouth.
Do
you believe Bro. Branham is a vindicated prophet and believe all this junk out
there in the world? And you talk all that junk out there in the world? And it
comes down to pinning the Word of God down—you don’t know what Bro. Branham
said. Like a woman sitting here some time ago. I told her to get out of the
church. I’ll be honest with you. Bro. Branham said, “Lee,” he said, “you’re too
tough.” He said, “You’ll uproot the
wheat with the tares,” he said. That’s why I’m not a pastor.
I’m
going to tell you one thing: I don’t believe I uprooted that tare, that root,
that wheat. Because I said, “Bro. Branham said so and so.”
She
said, “I don’t care what Bro. Branham said!”
Now,
if that’s wheat, I’m a tare, because I do care. And Bro. Branham’s a tare. She
didn’t care what he said. But she, oh, believes Bro. Branham—believes Bro.
Branham. She believes when it’s convenient.
77. I’m
going to tell you something. You don’t know, but you’re just one breath from
death tonight; so am I. I want to ask you one question. How do you feel about
it? Are you scared? Doesn’t do any good to be scared. You’re going to try to
get better? Forget it. How are you going to get better? Can you get better than
the part of God that’s in you? Bro. Branham already told us, “One day you’re going to find that you
always were saved. You never were lost.” What are you going to do about it?
One time you speak the sensual things the devil puts in your mouth, like Eve,
the next time it’s the things of God. The Word of God says, “By your words
you’re justified, and by your words you’re condemned.” Not something I’m making
up. See?
So,
you can see right here, we can say, “Now just a minute, let me tell you
something.” You know, you’ve got a mighty big tongue, and you’re boasting. One
time you lie, even look people in the eye and lie. “Oh, I wouldn’t do it, oh,
no, no, no, no. …?… Look you.” That doesn’t mean a thing. Turn right around and
do something else. Now I’m going to tell you something. Nobody should do that.
There shouldn’t be bitter and sweet water in our mouth concerning a mouth of
hypocrisy that says nice things about a person to his face, and rotten things
behind his back. I admit that we shouldn’t say that. That’s illustrating what
we’re talking about here. I’m getting down to principle. See? I’m getting to
principle. See? How can you being evil give good gifts? How could you and I
being evil ever do anything but what the devil did? Talk out of both sides of
the mouth: “Sure, God said it! Amen God said it! But I’m going to tell you
about this. Hey, look, I know what God said, but I don’t have to do it.”
78. How
many people don’t pay tithes? They’ll go back and tell you, “Tithes is under
the law. I don’t have to pay a nickel.”
Bro.
Branham said, “If a man’s born again, he
will pay tithes.” And that’s just a simple stupid thing anybody can do. One
cent on every ten cents, every ten cents on every dollar belongs to God. It’s
not yours. It’s not mine. It’s God’s! Both corners of the mouth. [Can the] man
[be] full of the Holy Ghost? Forget it.
See,
when you begin putting the ultimate definitive that Bro. Branham brought us,
that’s in the Word of God, where Bro. Branham brought out against his own
former teaching, Matthew 7, where he said the evidence was love, that isn’t so,
because the evidence is not love. The Holy Ghost Himself is love. That’s not
evidence; that’s essentiality. And he said, “I
was wrong.” And he used my name from the blue board where he had the
conversation. And he said, “He showed me
the evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost was believing the Word for the hour.”
And
in my heart I was so happy, I said, “Amen.” And I was so happy that I forgot
that he didn’t give us any Scripture. And I forgot he had nothing to stand on,
and I was happy for standing on nothing. And one day I’m going down the road in
my old Buick, and I said, “Oh I like that. That’s exactly true,” but it’s… Hold
it, hold it. Where is the Scripture? And I, being sarcastic, heard a sweet
little sarcastic voice inside of me say, “It’s in the Bible. Why don’t you look
for it?” The very same thing Bro. Branham told me. He said, this, that, I said,
“Bro. Branham, where is it in the Bible?”
“Oh,” he said, “it’s in there, you can find it.” …?… I was mad. So God knew me, He
took me at my own little stupidity. And he said, “The Bible’s full of it. You can find it.”
And
I said, “Thank you, I’ll just do that. And the Bible’s full of it. Read the
Book of John. You can’t miss it. START HERE
20SEP02#$&*#$&#*()$&@*()#$
79. See,
we’re looking at the ultimate. We’re looking at the definitive. And, when we
do, every single thing must come to the definitive. As I showed you here,
there’s no way that James can be in the Holy Ghost, and not somehow come to the
same definitive that Jesus [did]. You cannot pick figs off of briars. Can’t do
it. You’re dealing right there with a false prophet, with false god, you’re
dealing with gnosticism; you’re dealing with death. You’re dealing with the
devil. In the meantime it is true that we don’t spout lies and truth—nice, bad.
We walk that line. But I’m trying to show you there is the highest of all. So,
when I said the other day… Look, badmouthing is bad, because our conversation
should always be polite and good, never commit ourselves beyond yea and nay.
And that’s fine. I’m all for it. And we know that’s right, but I’m trying to
show you what is behind it—what is behind it.
80. Now,
when we see that, and let the Word of God as Bro. Branham said, “Pile Word upon God,” he said, “You’ll be a living, moving statue of God.”
God help us to get there. I don’t know if I’m going to get there. I don’t know
if you’re going to get there. I know one thing. By the grace of God we’ll get
there through the perfection of the Blood of Jesus Christ, and the Word of
Almighty God. Let those filled with the Holy Ghost receive a true revelation of
the Word, and then, that Word fill their souls and minds and mouths. We will
not be verses 15 and 16; that’s the sensual earthly wisdom. But we will be of
the heavenly wisdom which comes from God. We have perverted all words, and they
are just the end result of the original perversion. Thus, I say that as long as
preachers simply preach against smoking, lying, stealing, etcetera, you are
merely hitting at the attributes of sin and not sin itself, which is unbelief.
And unbelief is against the Word of God. [It] ends in gnosticism, “Oh yeah,
there’s a God, yeah. I believe this, oh that’s true,” and pervert the whole
thing out of line, see? I’m grateful and happy for all of us to keep our lips
and our tongues in a Christian-like way of life. And that’s good—the
Christian-like way. Very good. But it is not eternal life; it is only good
works. See?
81. The
goal we have today as Christian believers not only is to attempt, as Luther
called James the straw book, that we should bring ourselves under submission to
a program of good works, a constant application of good behavior, a constant
sifting of those things so that we can properly adjudicate(—Should we say it?
Should we not say it?) Always being positive to lift up. Those things
positively, my brother/sister, are true—absolutely true. But where are the
people in Mal 3:16?
(16) Then
they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: (They weren’t speaking to
God! They were talking amongst themselves.) and the Lord hearkened, and heard
it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the
Lord, and thought upon his name.
(17) And
they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my
jewels; and (I’ll) spare them, as a man spare(s) his own son that serve(s) him.
(18) Then
shall ye return, and discern between righteous(ness) and wicked, (wickedness
and righteousness, and those that serve God and those that don’t serve him.)
And
the returning is today under this Message. Are we constantly in line with this
Message and this Word? [Are we] saying everything the prophet said, believing
it, and at the same time walking in a meekness of spirit!? And a meekness of
spirit, my brother/sister, is not the ultimate! That can be a wolf in sheep
clothing! The ultimate is the Word! Then, out of that spirit comes forth that
spirit of meekness, where Paul said, “Let your moderation be known unto all
men.” And that moderation is that line that many people take, and they take as
the ultimate. That is not the ultimate. That is a product of the ultimate. I
want the ultimate—to have the product. I want Christ, the Holy Spirit, in my
life, not a gift of the Holy Spirit. Not even nice manners, not even a gentle
subdued way, looking like a sheep. I want to be essentially a sheep. And that’s
what we’re talking about today, getting back to essentiality, which is your and
my soul, which is a part of God, which will respond to this Word.
Now
I’ve taken a long time. I’m sorry I did, but I’m not sorry, because I got this
part finished. Because tomorrow morning, by the will of the Lord, we’ll get on
to what we want to get on to, but before we read a Scripture, let’s bow our
heads and pray.
Heavenly
Father, I pray tonight that nothing has been said to disturb people to the
extent that they are upset with themselves as though they were believing wrong,
rather Lord, trying to establish what is right and going on in truth. And I
pray Lord if anything was said, amiss or remiss, You’ll give us the light to
correct it so people will truly understand what we are dealing with, as
principle of THUS SAITH THE LORD, and that which can come out of that, which is
therein, and that which also can be misunderstood, as though it itself were the
ultimate. And we pray Lord that this shall not be so, but we will begin to put
our lives together in the order of which we see in the Word tonight, hopefully,
and believing that this is the order that You desire, for those people that are
truly reborn of the Spirit of Almighty God, and the seed of God, will come
forth even as shown forth in this Word. And we know Lord that some will shine
brighter than others, we understand that, because there are those who have
become more submissive to Your Spirit, even as we saw in Bro. Branham. Help us
to be submissive to the truth that the truth might come through us and we shine
forth as gems in Your crown, that’s what we want. That You hear our
conversation and You are blessed by it, and You put Your mark upon us. O God
this is what we desire above anything in the world, and unto You we give glory
in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Communion Service
1. Well,
the Scripture coming to my mind, of course, is over here in 1 Corinthians
again, for the Lord’s Supper, and we will be engaged in it, in a moment, and of
course we also look at the Scripture here where Paul says, 1 Cor 11:23.
(23) I
received of the Lord that which I (also) delivered unto you, That the Lord
Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
(24) And
when he had given thanks, he (broke) it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body,
which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
(25) (And
then he said,) the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped,
saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye
drink it, in remembrance of me.
(26) For
as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew (forth) the
Lord’s death till he come(s).
And
remember, Jesus also added to that that they would drink it anew with Him in
the Kingdom.
2. Now
this Scripture here that I read substantiates exactly what I talked about
tonight. There is no change in the revealed Word of God. You can do what you
want with It. You can say, “Well, this is the Blood of Jesus Christ. This is
the body.” It doesn’t say that it is. That’s wrong. It doesn’t say that at all.
You could say, “Well, I don’t see any need to eat the bread, and drink the
Blood or the wine, for this reason, we have the Holy Ghost, we have this Word,
we don’t need that.”
Oh
you could also go ahead and say, “Well I understand that the Rhema-Logos came
down, Jehovah-Elohim came down. He’s here; so now it’s all over. We don’t take
it.”
Or
you say, “Well now, He’s here, this is the Millennium.”
You
see what you can do? You can go… Like
I’ve gone what? Five different ways already. About five different ways. And
I’ve got no way to go except the right way! Take it, do it, and you’ll do it
later on again. Right? That’s exactly what it is. Why fool with it?
3. So
we’re not gnostics. They were gnostics back there when they took it. They made
a feast. “Oh,” they said, “hey, we’re going to have a love feast.” Find that in
the Bible! This is a feast unto death and resurrection! Well, come on. That’s
all; let’s face it. That’s no love feast. The love feast is yet to come. Sure,
in the great marriage supper of the Lamb, crown Him King of kings and Lord of
lords. But they made a love feast. So what did they do? Why they brought in all
kinds of food. The rich people dressed in their finery. With their great big
pots of lovely… oh you know, beautiful food. Poor people come in, dressed
humbly with a crust of bread, pretty soon the poor people felt they didn’t
belong. And the rich people were sure they didn’t belong. Well you had a caste system.
You had a defilement. Now, hey! They were talking about the blood and the body!
Right? Sure, it’s in the Bible. But they’re all wrong. And they all came
together, and when they did it, they left in worse shape then when they came.
Wonderful. You go sit in the pew where they’re against this Word, keep sitting
there, every time you come, you go out in worse shape then when you came.
Wonderful! You sit in the pew where the Word of God’s being preached, you go
out in better shape than when you came in. Better still.
4. Now
don’t tell me it doesn’t work, because it does work. Come on, I know better
than that. I know the Scripture. Hey, I’ve been preaching for roughly sixty
years, come on kid. I’ve preached series that have been fabulous, not because I
say so, because people could lay down their crutches, get out of wheelchair,
walk off. Don’t even pray for them. Let God do the work by His Word. No
problem. Oh yeah, it says right here that Paul took what God gave him, and he
didn’t put any ifs, ands, or buts, or dress it up with embellishment, he didn’t
do what the Latter Rain do, take a loaf of bread and … [End of side one of the
second audio tape.] …pass it around, break a piece off. And then, turn around
and drink grape juice. Pfft. Grape juice spoils. Wine is the juice of the grape
that comes to a state that is palatable and is right for the occasion. And old
wine is what has the best savor. Wedding …?… proves that.
5. So
now, I ask you a question. Would you sooner have some new wine, that isn’t
really fit for consumption, all this talk about the communion, take a loaf of
bread, break it, say it means this, say it means that? Or would you simply have
the old wine that’s the best of the works—the real good stuff: the mellow, the
tested, the proven, the right. Well, it’s right here. It says, “Hey, I want to
tell you something. I got this straight from God.”
The
night Jesus was betrayed He instituted the Lord’s Supper. He took some bread
and broke it, and He said, “Here, take and eat this. This represents my broken
body which will soon be broken.” Now He said, “Drink this wine. This represents
my Blood that is about to be shed. Now you do this till I come. It represents
my death, my resurrection, and all the other elements in the Word that belongs
to it.” And He said, “Now you just do that.”
6. Now
It says right here, “If you eat this bread and drink this unworthily, you’ll be
guilty.” Now what’s an unworthy servant? An unfaithful steward. Right? That’s
what he is; Bible says so. The unfaithful steward. The unfaithful servant. Now.
Why was he unfaithful? Because he took what his master had and used it wrongly,
either for himself, or against the master, or against the order of which it
should have been done. He was a wastrel; there was something there that just
didn’t jibe.
Now
how can you and I, then, not simply take the elements for what the Bible says
and believe it, and say, “This is it.” And everything that lies within it in
the simplicity of this order is ours, we benefit. And remember no Word of God is
without power, and no Word of God returns to Him void. How much then when a
Word is fulfilled in you and me goes back to God and the pleasure of God is
ours tonight.
7. So
that’s what we’re looking at: Communion. Don’t change it. Don’t give it a
meaning that’s not there. Just don’t do that. And examine yourself, and that
examination Bro. Branham said, those that are full of the Holy Ghost take
Communion. Do you believe that the Word of the hour is what you live on? That
no message outside of this has any life. This is what counts. I know this
narrows it down, but that’s not my responsibility. If I exclude myself by this
Word of God, or this Word of God excludes me, I’m not part of It. That’s beyond
my control. But by the grace of God, because we are so inured and so caught up
in this Word, I believe we’re a part of It tonight. We have every right to
partake of these emblems, calling ourself a part of the body of the Lord Jesus
Christ, worthily drinking, because we understand, have our faith, and exhibit
it in the areas in which it can be exhibited by every man, because all men have
not the same gifts—just where God has placed us. We’re faithful where He has
placed us. We can drink unto ourself that which comes forth, healing and all
those things which have been represented here. We are saying yes to the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Shall
we rise at this time and brethren come forth and serve the emblems, and we’re
going to also have foot-washing. Shall we bow our heads, then, as we ask the
Lord to bless these elements that are here before us.
Heavenly
Father, as we partake of these elements we plead in the Name of the Lord Jesus
Christ that the perfection that comes by the Blood, scattering sin until there
be no evidence thereof, be our portion this evening hour. And wherein, Lord, we
have failed You in our conduct in many ways to give not place to the Holy
Spirit in our lives, to be those servants of Yours, Lord, in the positions
You’ve placed us, we pray You do forgive us, and by Your grace, Lord, with the
help You give us, which we know You withhold not from us, to do better in the
days to come. Help us, Lord, in our relationship to every person in this
universe here, that we have grace and faith and goodness toward all men, and
leave all judgment in Your hand, Lord, and keep our hands off of everyone, in
any way concern Lord, unless we put our finger where You alone have the right
to come.
So
Father help us now to be isolated unto You and Your Word, Lord, in Your Word,
so that we become now so moved by Your Spirit that we as a body, recognize the
body, recognize the love, recognize our union, recognize You in our midst,
recognize You as our head, and each one of us, Lord, as that special part of
the Bride of Jesus Christ. We give You glory, Lord, as we partake. And may
there not be any profanity or any profaning amongst us, but only the purity of
the Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of Almighty God Himself. In Jesus’ Name we
pray. Amen.