Stewardship #13

Certified

August 30, 1997

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 Ephesus. And you see here then that Paul is letting the people know that what God gave him, held in stewardship, even as he commended Timothy to do likewise: to teach faithful men to teach exactly what Paul taught him.

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 Corinth, described by him in the first three chapters. And you’ll notice in there the first three chapters, which I won’t read tonight, that Paul is alarmed at their sisms, that their puffed up condition, where one boasting against another, as though one had authority, the other did not. They’d split themselves into various segments, becoming literally cults. And they made Paul a cult figure, Apollos a cult figure, Peter a cult figure. And it was entirely wrong, because they did not even understand the fact of vindication.

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 Corinth described by him in the first to the third chapters, and is giving an opinion, or even a decision, but it is absolutely an authoritative revelation from God via Paul.

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] 23:34-45:

(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 4:16, appearing at the Ohio River at the border of Indiana and Kentucky. Right there it’s the end of the street,. Spring. It’s all changed now as to scenery, but it’s the same God and the same place.

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 Yuma, Arizona in 1965. We remember that, don’t we? He said, “The Bride’s waiting for the revelation of the mystery.” The Bride was, but the rest weren’t. They already had it figured out. Isn’t that tragic? I imagine the same God that gave the Word, you don’t think He’s not going to come around and reveal It to us as is necessary? Hey listen, we’re living in some kind of a satanic dream world, comatose to the things of God, if we’re not awake and aware to that.

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 Canada laughed at in the Seven Church Age book. And Time magazine came out six weeks later and blasted the ridiculous Pentecostals plumb off the map, showing cellular therapy was working. And now they finally kicked in and realized, with Parkinson’s and various diseases, you can make a transfer of cells. And now they’re working on the pigs and the sheep, and they’re putting more human cells in. And we’re animal anyway, ninety-nine point nine nine percent of the world’s already got the serpent seed body—one father. [It] won’t be very long, get those organs, get a pig’s heart, bump bump bump; you feel good, pigs liver, oink oink oink. No problem. No problem. Say, you know, listen, everything lines up in the Word of God.

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 4:12. And in 2 Tim 4:7-8 again.

(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 Egypt, but He Himself appeared, and you’ve got His picture.” There it is right there.

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 4:12, which I mentioned awhile ago, well, let’s got to Heb 4:12. I didn’t ever read it. [ ]

(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 Ephesian Church was, as in order—church order. Not just putting gifts in a little room. Come on; forget that. That’s symptomatic of the junk you’re in. It’s off the Word. See?

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 Erie one time. I forget his name now. But anyway, he challenged me on the baptism with the Holy Ghost; he had to speak in tongues. I said, “Look man, I spoke in tongues years ago, forget it.” I said, “I’ll tell you, Bro. Branham never spoke in tongues, and he received the Holy Ghost.”

“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 Eden.” See?

(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 Lake of Fire, prepared for him and his angels.

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 Missionary Alliance Church blew its fuse. They sure did. …?…, when the baptism with the Holy Ghost came in vogue, you know, it was the third thing: blood, water, spirit. Pentecost. The gifts restored. And they tell me that fire even appeared in their dorms, where the people were. They could see flames of fire. And the people spoke in tongues, and they roundly condemned it of the devil. They, like the Nazarenes died, where Bro. Branham saw the Nazarene church was making love to a corpse. If you’re an undertaker and you do that, you’re thrown in jail for abusing a corpse. So here these preachers are going to be going to hell, because they even abused a dead bunch of people. Further leading them astray: twice dead, plucked up by the roots, ready for the Lake of Fire. I’m not telling you these things for the fun of it. I’m just telling you what the Scripture said. See? Right down the line. The gifts are real. And, of course, this all goes back to Ezek 28:13-14.

41. Now see 2 Corinthians 11, the church falling away: Ezek 28:13,14.

(13) Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, (and so on,)

(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.