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Abraham And His Seed After Him (61-0423)
| Abraham And His Seed After Him (61-0423) |
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Abraham And His Seed After Him (61-0423)
E-1
...be seated. So glad to be here in Chicago again to--in this great
fellowship with the Full Gospel Christian Business Men, and the
fellowship of the people, and to have with me as the--helping me, and
one of my great associates and brother, Tommy Hicks. And we're under
the great expectations this week for the Lord to do great things for
us. And I hear that they've been meeting preceding this meeting. And
its looks like that there's been some great things accomplished. And we
are expecting a greater as we go on towards the end time.
E-2
And as the battles rage, why, you become a real target. So there's only
one thing to do: put on the whole armor of faith, stand true to God,
and march forward. That's all. God's army does not retreat. It goes on.
Many of them drop off to the side, and start this, that, or the other.
But the army of God marches forward. We're going right on and on.
E-3
And if along through the week, now, I'll have Billy over here, around
about six o'clock every afternoon, or something like that to give out
the prayer cards, if anybody... when we get some people that wants to
be prayed for... Brother Hicks, and I, and the other brethren, will be
to pray for the sick all through the week. And we're expecting God to
answer our prayer.
E-4
And now, this afternoon before we approach the Word... And then I want
to make this statement, if you'll excuse me just a moment for stopping.
I want to try to make my messages this week, a little shorter than
usual. I've got a name of preaching anywhere from one to ten hours, or
something like that. But I'll try to make it about thirty-five, forty
minutes, this week, the Lord willing. So the people, most of the
people, I know, I think are always from the south side (I think that's
right, down that way): south side, and--and so, so you can get back in
time, be back for the following service.
E-5
Our heavenly Father, we are grateful to Thee for the privilege of
assembling together on this rainy afternoon in the Name of the Lord
Jesus, once more this side of His coming, believing that someday we'll
assemble our last time, until that great general assembly will be
called in heaven. May our names be written plain and clear, washed in
the Blood of the Lamb. That we can answer at the roll call at the
wedding supper. That's why we're here today, Father, is to prepare our
hearts for that great event.
E-6
We ask now, that You'll remember all of our efforts. You know why
they're put forth. You know why we're here. You know why I answered
Brother Carlson that night on that phone, "Yes, I feel led."
E-7
And now, I'm approaching this subject, this afternoon, the third time,
that I have in the last two months, that I have preached on this
subject. Because I did this is because thinking that if we did not have
a healing service, I could dedicate a little more time to this, because
to my opinion, it's one of the great outstanding messages for this hour
that we're living in.
E-8
And so now, this afternoon I... You have your Bibles and maybe, a
pencil and paper. I would like for you to write these down and study
them after the services is over and in the coming week. Now, I believe
we're allotted till what time do we... Till six o'clock. That'll let me
get one-third of it finished. And so then a little later, maybe we can
go into it a little better.
E-9
Now, whether I can satisfy you with it or not, I do not know. But to
me, it certainly satisfies me. And being not efficient in education;
therefore, I approach the Scriptures from the standpoint of a type, and
more like a typologist to type what has been, what will be. Because we
know that the Scriptures each have a compound meaning. That like in
Matthew 3 it said, "Out of Egypt I have called my son." Now, if you'll
run that reference back, you'll find out that it meant Jacob, His son,
and also Jesus His Son.
E-10
Now, to Abraham and his Seed. I'm going to take on this side over here
to be Abraham, take on this side, like this speaker, his seed after
him. Now, this speaker here represents Abraham and this speaker
represents his seed after him.
E-11
I want to congregation to say it with me, all the--the class, I will
call you, to say it with me. On this side is Abraham, Abraham and his
seed after him. Now, the promise was made to Abraham and (conjunction
that ties sentence) Abraham and his seed after him. Then the Scripture
said, "If ye be in Christ, then ye are Abraham's seed." Is that right?
E-12
Now, like if a vine brought forth a--a grapevine. It--it brings forth
grapes. And a watermelon vine brings forth a watermelon. Then if Christ
be in you, then the Life that Christ lived and the works that Christ
did, you'll do, also. He said so in Saint John 14:7 or 8, I believe it
is. It said, "The works that I do shall you do also. He that believeth
on Me, the works that I do shall he also; and more than this shall he
do, for I go to the Father."
E-13
Now, we remember that by this Holy Spirit we are brought into the body
of Christ and free from the judgments of God. We cannot come into
judgment after you are in Christ, because Christ took the judgment for
you. He stood in the place just like Adam. In the beginning Adam was
not deceived, and II Timothy tells us so, said, "Adam was not deceived,
but Eve, being deceived was in the transgression."
E-14
Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 that--that antichrist in the last days
would so close like the real Christ, till it would deceive the very
elected, if it was possible. I heard our Brother Billy Graham say a few
days ago in a message, that the antichrist had already deceived the
elected. But that isn't so. Brother Billy, I... Not disagreeing with a
great evangelist like that. But they cannot... If it was possible, but
it's not possible, because the church was elected to eternal salvation,
and there--there's nothing can separate them. They are Christ's. And
that's--that's it. They're in the body of Christ and nothing can
separate them. And that's part of the subject this afternoon.
E-15
But on down about two hundreds years after, three hundred years later,
they got away from that, and become come into an organization. And then
they organized a great universal church, which "Catholic" means
"universal." And from that they begin to have a apostolic succession,
and bring up another man to take Peter's place, and popes. They begin
to call them after bishops and on and on. And they actually begin at
Pentecost. That was right. 'Cause all Christendom begin at Pentecost.
E-16
Now, we begin there, and know that that was the beginning of the
church, and that... Mainly, in the beginning was all Jews. After the
Jewish people evangelized, then it went into the Romans, and to the
Greeks, and so forth, and started. But the reformation come in
the--back in the early fifteen hundreds and there begin, the Christian
church begin to organize Itself, or get itself together. And we're
living in the last church age now, the Laodicean, according to
Scripture.
E-17
Now, we find out that when God called Abraham, it was by election. I've
heard people many times say, "I sought God. I sought God." No, I
different with you. You never did seek God. God sought you first. You
never seek after God. It's God seeking after you. It's you that will
not surrender to God. It's just like what if you could tell the hog in
the hog pen, that--that he shouldn't eat slop. If he could speak, he'd
tell you, "Why, you tend to your own business." See? Until his nature's
changed, then he will always remain a hog.
E-18 It should have been Adam screaming, "Father, Father, where art Thou?"
E-19
And now, there's three classes of people, that always is in every
congregation, made up everywhere, wherever you find them: that's
believers, make-believers, and unbelievers. You find those three
classes of people in probably every church there is in the world. Is
make-believers, and unbelievers, and believers.
E-20
Now, if He's infinite, by His foreknowledge, He knew who would come to
Him, and who would not come to Him. He knew who would be saved and who
would not be saved. That would certainly clear up Romans 8 and 9 for
you, if there's any question about God... whether He calls His children
by election or not.
E-21
Now, He called Jacob, not--called Abraham, pardon me, by election and
by grace, and give him Eternal Life, and told him He'd come to him in
an old age. He didn't have to do one thing about it. Only thing, it was
by grace, and that's exactly the way the church is called today. Is by
grace are you saved through faith. And we know that's right.
E-22
Therefore, over in Colossians we find, Colossians 3, it said, "Don't
lie to one another, and all things that you used to do, lay them things
aside. No malice, no strife, and everything and love one another, for
our life, we are dead; our life is hid in God through Christ and sealed
there, by the Holy Ghost. And when Christ, which is our life, shall
appear, we shall appear with him. Oh, what a--a... What it would do to
a man or woman that has that hope living in them today, to see that
we're in the last days, and know that our Life, Christ, when He appears
we will appear alive with Him. Amen. We have the earnest of it now by
the Holy Spirit.
E-23
Oh, the ministers today are having such a time with the--getting their
people out to prayer meeting on Wednesday night. They--they love
television program, and--and they love amusements. Sunday... They don't
want to come to church on Sunday, many of them. They tell me, the
ministers, that the church pews are empty, emptying out, because that
people are beginning to go... The world offers so much class, and so
much fancy, and--and tinsel upon the things of the world, and the
people fall for that.
E-24
Now, God called him by election, give him the covenant in Genesis the
12th chapter (Now, we want to remember that.), and called a total
separation from all the things of the world. Now, Abraham did not obey
God.
E-25
Now, we find out that justification... God called Abraham by
justification. And by grace he called him. By election he was elected.
By grace he was called and given the covenant with Him. Before Abraham
had one word to say whether it was right or wrong, whether he would, or
would not, God called him. Is that right?
E-26
Now, and then we notice that in the 15th chapter of Genesis, now that's
what God did something else to Abraham. Now, how did we call the... How
did He call Abraham? By faith, called him by grace, saved him by grace,
justified him by grace. Is that right? How did He call the church,
Abraham's seed? By faith, by grace, justification by grace, by faith.
Just as He did Abraham, so did He the seed of Abraham after him. All
that believe that say, "Amen." [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Sure. There's justification.
E-27
Now, Luther said, "The just shall live by faith." And that's exactly
the first calling of the seed of Abraham after the hundreds of years of
dark ages, to make up the church that will go in the rapture. Now, bear
with it a minute.
E-28
Notice. He told Abraham in the 15th chapter; you'll notice this. That
He told him to take a heifer of three years old, a goat, and a sheep,
three years old, and split them apart, and to offer them to Him. And
Abraham taken these three animals of three years, as I told you, three
separations, the three like the trinity, and so forth, the three.
E-29
Like Brother Aegery, or some of these brethren, not long ago, the
Lutheran brethren, who told me they knowed a witch that healed the
people...
E-30
And these people are approaching these idols, and images, and witch
doctors, and fortunetellers, and all those different things like that.
They get healed because they have believed that through there they're
approaching God. And Divine healing is based upon--upon faith, if you
believe it. E-31 Now, what was God doing? To kill these animals, it taken blood. In order for the sacrifice for the cleansing of sin, there has to be a blood offering. God based that in Genesis, when man tried to build himself an organization, or some kind of fig leaf apron, and get around it. God refused to look at him. And God, when God once makes a--a statement, when God once says anything, when God ever once called on the scene to make a decision, that decision He makes has to stand for eternity, because His Word is perfect. He cannot go back and say, "I was mistaken yesterday. I know more about it today." How can He be infinite and--and make him a statement, and--and then have to go back on it? How? That gives us confidence in the One that we're talking about: God. He cannot fail.
E-32
If God was ever called to heal a sick man, and He healed him on the
basis of his faith, if another man comes on the same grounds, He's got
to meet that same condition, or He did wrong when He healed the first
man. Certainly. If He saves a man on the basis of faith, then how are
we going to get in then upon church joining, and sprinkling, and
baptisms, and so forth? It's by faith, by grace, by the power of God,
by something that you was--something that met God's requirement and He
called you and changed your life before you even could do anything
about it.
E-33
How we going to get around that? There's so much make-believe going on
sensations and different things like that. But when in your heart you
believe it, when something has happened to you, it's God did it, and
God's the only One that can do it. So God by grace and election put
that in your heart to believe it. It wasn't there to begin with, and
you had no way of putting it there. God placed it there and you
answered the call.
E-34
For without the shedding of Blood there's no separation from sin. See,
it's through the shed Blood. Now, notice what he... what taken place.
E-35
Now, how do we make a covenant? Say for instance, Brother Carlson here,
stand up just a minute, Brother Carlson. If I was going to say,
"Brother Carlson," say, "Brother Branham, will you come to Miami to--at
the meeting?" E-36 Then they took the skin and tore it apart, and one kept one piece; one kept the other piece. And then when this covenant was brought back, or when the covenant was brought to its fullness, then these two pieces had to be dovetailed together and made that skin, and them letters meet letter by letter. That's the way the covenant was confirmed to Abraham. That's... He was showing him there what He was going to do in the times to come through the Royal Seed that He had promised him, yet him without any children. He had promised the son, that he was going to have it. He was seventy-five years old, and Sarah was sixty-five when the promise was made, and it was twenty-five years later before the--the promise was ever fulfilled. But God kept His promise with him, because Abraham kept faith in God.
E-37
Now, all along, instead of getting weaker, Abraham got stronger, the
Bible said. He was stronger, giving praise to God. He knowed it was
going to happen. No matter how long it lingers, it's going to happen,
going to happen. Like people today, they say, "Oh, the Bible said... It
ain't no difference from the time our fathers fell asleep. Oh, I've
heard that coming of the Lord since I was a little kid. My mother said
she heard her mother talk about it. There's no such a thing."
E-38
Now, but when he gets slothful and say, "Well, well, I've heard that
stuff," and go on. See, it's not Abraham's seed. Abraham's seed doesn't
take back. They're not up and down, and in and out, and backslid one
day, and go to church the next day, and then come back. They stay put.
Brother, they're in Christ, and there they stand. There's nothing can
shake them. Why? Jesus said, "Upon this Rock I'll build My church. The
gates of hell can't prevail against it." God done made the covenant
with Abraham, and his seed after him. And that church will be there
without spot or wrinkle. You can just depend on that.
E-39
Now, that's exactly what God did by the Royal Seed of Abraham. Now, I
know Isaac was the seed of Abraham potentially...?... it was the
natural seed of Abraham, but not the real Seed of Abraham. The real
Seed of Abraham was Christ, the Royal Seed. Isaac only was
substitutionary until Christ came, which was the Seed of Abraham.
E-40
And Jesus said, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he
do, also." And we see that that's God's way He confirmed His covenant
with His church (Amen.) by Blood offering, through the Blood of Jesus
Christ. Now, He sanctified that church then, cleansed it, separated it.
And when separating comes, means to be "set aside." The... Actually the
Word "sanctify" is the Greek word, compound, which means "sanctified,
cleansed, and set aside for service."
E-41
Now. Then when He does that, then you don't want more smoking,
drinking, no more of this running around, carrying on. You're separated
people. That's right. God separates you as a peculiar people. Lot of
make-belief's go along in all these things. But yet, the real true
church, I'm talking about the--the real seed of Abraham, the one that
really is the seed... E-42 Now, in other words, "Abraham, you--your--your life is dead. As far as that concerned, the life of your body is dead." The deadness of Sarah's womb, it's--it just wasn't... She was sterile to begin with. And now look how hold she is now. She's... If he's ninety-nine, she's eighty-nine. "And so, now, look how old you are. And look how old Sarah is. But I am the Strong One Who gives Myself out to you. Lay upon My bosom and nurse yourself, My Own Life into you. I... By taking My Life into you, I'll give you strength for the coming son, for the coming one."
E-43
That's the thing He done to the church after they come through
justification, sanctification. When did He do it to the church? All of
those was orders that were done through faith and grace. But on the--on
the Pentecostal move, God called His sanctified people to His breast to
nurse from Him the Life that was in God in them. There is the baptism
of the Holy Ghost for the church, just like He did to Abraham. There's
the elect Pentecostal group that they call fanatics today: I mean the
elected group. There they are, just as He calls justification,
sanctification, and filled Abraham with His own strength. He called the
church through justification, sanctification, and filled the church
with His own strength, His Spirit into the church, and give the church
the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That was the great, next great move that
struck the earth. We know that.
E-44
Now, if we notice, in the Old Testament there was... When a child was
born in a family, that child was, say a boy, he was a heir, of course.
But before that child was fully a--a heir of all the things that his
father had, before he came into power, he was first put under a tutor.
And this tutor raised this son. Now, we--all the clergy knows that,
that he was put under a tutor. And this tutor was a man that the father
searched out to find the very best man he could find, because that's
his son. That's what's going to fall heir to him afterwards.
E-45
So when the father got the very best tutor he could find, the best
raiser... Now, that tutor must've blushed when he walked up in the
front of the father, and say, "Oh, your son..."
E-46
Notice. But this must be said. How that the Holy Spirit was made Tutor
over the house of God, not some dominating bishop, not some
overpowering organization, not some of these manmade theories. The
child of God is to listen to the Holy Spirit, the writing of the Word:
the real child of God, the real son of Abraham. Now, here's where the
separating time comes. Notice.
E-47
Jesus, catching John up, and He said there he'd not die. And some of
them said He said it, but He didn't do it. Said, "What'll happen to
this man at the resurrection? What business is yours if He stays, till
I come?" But instead of doing that, being that they said it, He just
raised him up and showed him on over, till He did come, at the end of
the church age. So He brought up... E-48 The very thing that we come out of, Pentecost went right back into it again, just as hard as they could go. The very thing that you used to call, "old formal Baptists and Methodists," it--it ain't formal Baptists; it's formal Pentecostals now. You done the same thing that you come--your fathers come out of. You turned right back around and done the same thing and bottled It up, made one church over here, and another over here, and fighting one another. If this person don't come to your church, you have no cooperation with it. E-49 Oh, you poor backslidden hypocritical, so called, Christian. Shame on you. Your hour is at hand. God will punish you for that, as certain as I be His servant standing here. Separating the laity and making differences between brethren. God have mercy. Nothing against the Pentecostals, that system... Nothing against the Catholic, it's the system of Catholicism. Nothing against the Methodist, it's that system. Nothing against the Lutheran, it's the system. Justification by Luther was right, but when they systemized it by organizing it, they did wrong. And the Wesley... Luther never organized it; the ones after him did. Wesley never organized it; the ones after him did. And it wasn't the Pentecostal fathers that come out of that corruption, it's you bunch after them did. Exactly what you done. That's where we're at today. If the Pentecostal church would stand two hundred years from now, the dis... the...?... the ground that it's gained in the world in this past thirty years, or forty, it would be worse off than the Catholic doctrine today. The Catholics started at Pentecost too. What did it? Twisting up. Now, but the true seed remains right.
E-50
Notice. What if that tutor that taken care of the child back under the
Old Testament, oh, if that child was just like the father. My,
everything the father said, "Yes, that's it. Amen. That's true. We'll
do it that way." How that tutor must have walked up before the father
and said, "Your son is a wonderful boy. Just the things that you do,
that's exactly the way he does it too. I don't care how, you got some
bosses and superintendents out there. But oh, my, they don't bother
him. He's stands right exactly like you do. Amen."
E-51
And how the Holy Spirit today must feel when He goes before the--the
Father and says, "Why, You know what? Your--Your--Your women's wearing
makeup. They're bobbing their hair. Your men... Your brother, children
is organizing their churches just as tight as the rest of them. And
they won't cooperate with one another, and all these things." How He
must feel. How the... How God must feeled about His church. How it must
be a disgrace.
E-52
God don't care a nickels worth about that. He wants a man that's filled
with power and the Holy Ghost, that'll stand and tell and the truth,
regardless it shook the hide off of them. That's right. But where do we
fine it? Everybody's got a meal ticket and a Cadillac. Something's
wrong somewhere. Something's wrong somewhere. That's the reason the
church is rocking today the way it is, because it's off the foundation. E-53 Well, now if this son is a good son, then one day we have what we call in the Scripture in the Old Testament, a placing of a son. Or it's called sometimes, "the law of adoption." Now, this same son that was born into the family, and he never... he came... His--his name's no good on the check. We call it like that. His name's no good out there yet. He's never had the law of adoption done to him yet. But when it comes to the time for the law of adoption, the father takes his son out into a public place, and sets him up on a place, and dresses him in a certain robe, and performs what's knowed as the placing of a son, or the law of adoption. And now, when this son is adopted into his own family, from then on, this son is given power. He's gifted, then his name's just as good as father's is on the check, because he's the boss. He's over the straw bosses. God gives him things that none of straw bosses knowed nothing about, because he's a son. That's right.
E-54
And that's exactly what God did to His own Son, after He'd proved Him
in everything. And 17th chapter of Saint Matthew, He taken Him up on
the mount and overshadowed Him there with a--with a cloud of glory. And
His raiment shined like the sun in its heat, or its strength. And when
He did, He heard a Voice coming from heaven, Peter, James, and John,
said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I'm well-pleased. Hear ye Him."
E-55
The next thing was then, what did He do? The next thing was
sanctification by the Blood: sanctification by the blood to the seed.
Next thing was nursing God's own strength into him: taking God's own
strength into the church. What He did to Abraham, He did to his seed
after him. Everybody understand that? All right, now notice.
E-56
"Now, My name is Elohim, and your name is Abram. And you'll not no
longer be called Abram, but you shall be called Abraham." Now, is when
we're going get down some real stiff teaching now. Abraham... Watch.
From Elohim to Abraham. He give him part of His Own name, when He
placed him.
E-57
Notice. Elohim: Abraham: give him part of His own Name, because why? "I
have made you the father of nations," a father. "I have made you a
father of many nations. And I'll put part of My Name with your name."
Oh, how I could squeeze something right here now. Give him part of that
name: Abraham. And changed Sarah's name 'cause she was a part of
Abraham.
E-58
I'm not prone to looking at television, because I'm against them
uncensored programs. But last night, in the place where I was staying,
I picked up a book after I got in real late, and looked on the
little--reading the book there, and said, "television guide." And I
happened to notice there, there was a place where they was going to
show these atomic missiles, or something another from the Pentagon.
E-59
Now, when Abraham, after he'd been justified, sanctified, received the
Holy Spirit, his seed like that, and had placed the son. This son
proved that he was, 'cause he had the Spirit of God in him. He did the
same works, what his word was was just exactly like the Word of God. E-60 Now, as we move on. Abraham setting under the oak one day, he looked up, and he saw three Men coming to him. Now, place this down now in your memory. He saw three Men. They were dust covered, perhaps, and come from a distance. Abraham looked at Them, and he recognized there's something godly about the Men. They didn't have Their collars turned around, perhaps, and high turbans on, or neither were they called bishops, or... But he looked at Them. They were just ordinary Men, clothing just like the rest of the men had dressed.
E-61
And Abraham run out to Him, and said, "My Lord, will You come in and
set down under the tree? And I'll fetch a little water, and wash Your
feet, and--and give You a morsel of bread, and then You go on your way."
E-62
But the man who was separated, knowed when he seen Him. He said, "My
Lord (Elohim,) come by and set down here." And He walked up to Him. And
he run in and told Sarah, "Knead some bread right quick, of some meal,
we want some cakes and--and go out and get a fatted calf, and they
killed the calf, and got things fixed up, brought it out. And He set
there and eat it. Two of Them went on down to Sodom to preach to Lot
down there in Sodom and to bring that lukewarm church out.
E-63
Watch. To the church that was in Sodom in the world... Now, sometime
this week, we're going to take the mark of the beast and the Seal of
God. And watch how that started right in Eden, and come right out where
Cain went out from the Presence of God to get his wife; how Seth stayed
in the Presence of God and got his wife. How the churches different
way, went out with their organizations to--going out with their
organizations of system and got themself a--a church, a bride. And when
the real true church stayed with God, perfectly...
E-64
What did He do? His message blinded their eyes to the Door. That's what
it is today. The message blinds their eyes. They got so much
organization in them, they can't see the Door, and Christ is that Door.
That's right.
E-65
Now, watch. To this One that stayed back behind, to the elected church:
One, He said, "Now, look..." Just a few days before that, Abraham's,
Abram's name had been changed to Abraham. Now, He never said, "Abram,
where is thy wife S-a-r-r-a?"
E-66
He said, "I'm going to visit you. (I, that personal pronoun involved.
See?) I'm going to visit you." That's how He knowed is name was been...
He was the One changed his name, "Abraham. "I'm going to visit you
according to the time of life with Sarah. And I'm going to send this
child, just exactly like I said I would do. (See?) I'm going to do it."
E-67
Now, as husband and wife, the--the family relationship had ceased for
many years. They was a hundred years old. She said, "Me, again a young
woman could live with my--my husband there, and we'd have pleasure
together like young married people?" And it tickled her. And she said,
"Me, an old woman live with my husband, out there again, when we
haven't had that type of life, maybe for fifteen, twenty years." See?
"We... How could that be?" And when... E-68 Can you see where Lot sets? Can you see where the message is? Can you see the message that's gone to the elected church? The power of God back amongst the people, God dwelling in human flesh of His own church, performing those same signs, and they call it mind reading, mental telepathy, fortunetelling. No wonder they're doomed. No wonder guided missiles there... They call it in the air, and they know nothing about it. I'll give you my exclamation of it. It's Angels that's come down, like they did there at Sodom. You know, I believe we have the picture of one on the back--on a picture here somewhere. It'll be in the meeting the next couple days. Got the same Spirit; it does the same things. That same Spirit in the church will perform the same things Jesus did.
E-69
And we watch. And on the Pentagon when they get around there and could
see those missiles gathering in around them, like that, not something
made up, some fiction. It's actually the truth, here it is on radar.
Here it is on--on the camera taking it. And they are so fast till they
would just disappear. Einstein proved before he died, if two missiles
was coming fast enough, or two men coming down the road in an
automobile, could be coming fast enough they could pass right through
each other without even disturbing each other. Coming so fast, it would
take billions of miles per second to do it. But they would. E-70 He said, "When these things come to pass, lift up your head, there'll be signs in the heavens above, and in the earth below, the sea a roaring, earthquake's in divers places. That's the time to begin to look up. Your redemption's coming near." You see the signs of Sodom, the organization where it's took the church out yonder in the mystic... Oh, a self-righteous legalist way... But that man and woman who's waiting on the promise of God has the sign working among them, as the true living God, discerning the very thoughts of the heart. It's the Word. Jesus was the Word.
E-71
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us." Saint John
1. Is that right?
E-72
Then you see why we got our name on a missile hanging out yonder
somewhere. You see where judgment stands. Notice. Sure we're doomed.
There's the Billy Graham group down there, preaching to that "Lot come
out of Sodom. Get out of Sodom. Get out of Sodom." Maybe the boy don't
know it for all I know, or the man. I think he's about thirty-seven
years old, or forty, no, about forty-four or some, forty-five. I don't
know how Billy... Said, well, he's getting up somewhere in his forties.
E-73
"You're name is called Simon; hereafter you'd be called Peter. You was
Saul, but you'd called Paul from now on." How about all these names, if
they don't mean something?
E-74
Some minister ask me one time, "Brother Branham, did you say that was
God?" That was God. Abraham called Him, "Elohim." If you want to argue
with Abraham, the Bible, that's all right. But he said it was Elohim,
stood there and He eat flesh, with ordinary clothes on, eat flesh,
drank the milk of the cow, eat bread, vanished out of Abraham's sight.
He was Elohim. Proving what? When Jesus referred to it, that "Elohim
come back into the seed of Abraham at the last days."
E-75
And to the church in Sodom: so shall it be. Now, we see where they're
standing don't we? We see the names, everything, placed just exactly,
just perfectly where we're setting. What did he do then? Immediately
after that, as I've took this many times. I believe I preached on it
one time for you. He changed Abraham and Sarah's body and put them back
to a young man and woman.
E-76
Why did Abimelech--Abimelech fall in love then with Sarah, when she was
an old woman? Said, "Me, an old woman, well stricken in age. Me, old
like I am now could ever have pleasure again." And when she took a
three hundred mile journey, and went down, and seen a young king, he
fell in love with her, the most beautiful thing he ever seen. He
changed her body. Why? He had to change her body in order to receive
the promised son. And that's the next thing in order: the changing of
the body, the rapture. E-77 What? She couldn't have went in labor with a heart a hundred years old. The milk veins was dried up in her body. Her womb was infertile. Oh, I know it seems strange. I know it does. It seems strange. Could you... What if a little baby before it's born, when it's in its mother's womb could say, "Oh, woe is me. They tell me I'm going to be born in a few days. What'll I do? They tell me it's a big world; there's sunshine, people walking around. Oooh. How'll I... What'll... How will I get a living? I'd drive by they'd...?... Oh, that big face, what will I do? Woe is me." But if he could only think of what it was, if he could... After you're once out on this side, and then look back, you never want to go to the womb again. E-78 And that's like we are now, thinking about, "What's that going to be? What's...?... the world, where we can pass from glory..." Why, when they can take a scope, and see a hundred and twenty million years of light space, that ain't one sixteenth of an inch in eternity. Hallelujah. Glory. But Jesus come from heaven to earth in a thought. Glory. And the church will be the same way. Passed light with such speed... Glory to God. You say, "How can it be done?" Just like... How do I know now? Only thing I know now is inches, and yards, and miles, and days, and weeks, and hours, and minutes. That's the way we figure. We're are in the womb of the earth. But wait till we're born once on the other side. Glory. Wait till this change comes. Yes. Then space to come like a--from the glory here in one split half instance, such speed passed right through the wall, don't even know it's there. There you are. These earthly things will be so simple then. It... Oh, my. There won't be nothing to it. No, sir. E-79 When Abraham's body was changed, Sarah's body was changed, like it never had been changed before... Now, when we all know that when Jesus comes we'll be caught up in a rapture. And we know our bodies will have to be changed first. And it'll... It won't have to be just go back to young men and women, but it'll have to be changed, because Abraham and Sarah's body had to be changed in a way that they could receive the promised son. That's Abraham. His body had to be changed to receive the promised son, after being justified, sanctified, filled with the Holy Spirit, called by election, manifested God of glory in the midst of him. And then his body was changed in order to receive the promised son. E-80 Well, the church has come through justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost, gifts manifested to It. And now what? The Spirit of God moving in the church, doing the same works that Jesus did before He left as a promise. And what's the next thing? The change. The next thing happened to Abraham was a changed body. He had to have it or he'd never got the son. And the next thing happens to the church is the rapture. We'll have to be changed and caught up in the air to meet Him. We can't meet Him on earth; we've got to go in the air to meet Him. It's the coming Son, the promised Son. Amen. We've looked for Him now for hundreds of years. He will come someday. But the next thing for the church is to be changed. We've had every sign: justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Spirit, placing of a son, manifestation of the Spirit. Now, what? The changing of the body for the rapture.
E-81
Oh, my. How the church ought to be waving Its hands in glory, thanking
God, thanking God, any minute the change could come. For the Bible said
it'd universal. Jesus said, "There will be two in the mill, grinding,
I'll take one and leave one; two in the field, I'll take one and leave
one; two in the bed," showed it'd be on both sides of the earth, while
it's night on one side, be day on the other, "I'll take one and leave
one." The rapture will be universal, and their bodies will be changed.
E-82
"And when you see these things begin to come to pass," Jesus said,
"raise up your head." Look up! Your redemption's drawing nigh. When
Jesus referred to it, He said, "As it was in Sodom..." When you see a
modern Billy Graham go down into Sodom, when you see the signs begin to
appear before the elected church, and the rest of it fighting against
It, watch, the time of the rapture is at hand. The fig tree putting
forth its buds over yonder... That generation will not pass away till
all be fulfilled. And she's way into that generation, since the Jews
have been returning to their homeland. We're at the end time.
E-83
Come, go with us to Miami, when a man that stood with his hands yonder
in Greenland to turn atomic bombs loose that would destroyed half the
earth, shook and become a Christian will be speaking. When he saw a
missile in a screen, and they thought it was Russia starting. We're
ready too. Other nations are ready, also. Castro, used down yonder just
as a--a puppet, playing up so Russia can in there close enough they can
throw their atomic and missiles and things. Here it is right under our
nose. And the gifts of God, the manifestation of God amongst His
people, doing the same thing that Jesus Christ did has swept the world
across now. See? She's ready. Now, the next thing is the change and to
be caught up in the air to meet Him. E-84 Why this earth will blow to pieces one of these... It could happen before morning. There's only one thing; that's Almighty God could keep us from being blowed to pieces by another hour from now. Russia's so far ahead of us in science... And as that news commentator said the other night, it's not Russia doing that, neither is it our scientist; it's the Germans is what's done it. In the war we took some and they took some. And there you are. They've got a man now that goes... Stands up in a little gadget a sputnik of a thing up here on the earth... What if... They might have hundreds of those. What if they just come over to the United States, and say, "Surrender or go to ashes." [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... surrender, of course. What would happen? In would come the Russians, out of your home, you know what would happen.
E-85
If they don't what happens? Ashes come. When could that happen? In
another hour from now. But remember, before that happens... Here's
where you disagree. But before that happens, Jesus comes for the
church. Before one speck of fire fell on Sodom, Lot had to come out.
Before one drop of rain fell, Abraham had to be in the... I mean, Noah
had to be in the ark. And as it was in the days of Abraham--or days of
Noah, and in the days of Sodom, so shall it be at the coming of the Son
of man. Before anything takes place, the church takes its rapture.
Amen. They're in Christ, already judged.
E-86
The next thing waiting is for that elected and called out seed of
Abraham, who's recognized the manifestation of God among His people and
standing and waiting. That'll be the one that'll be caught to meet Him
in the air.
E-87
What is sin? Is unbelief. Unbelief in what? The Word of God. Now,
that's the Word of God to Abraham and His seed after Him. If you
haven't been known to God as His son, as being borned again filled with
His Spirit, you've never drawed from El-Shaddai, the bosom of God, why
don't you come right here and stand here. Let's have prayer with you,
while minister brothers are around to pray.
E-88
Do you know what God did? He reached... It's passed time. He reached
out with His hand and stopped it. He's holding time in His hand for the
church to make itself ready. There's a few more members yet to come in
of the Body of Christ. Maybe one of them is here today. That's why I'm
here. That's why I'm led here, is to try to persuade you. I'm not
saying, now don't be Catholic, don't be Methodist. I ain't saying what
for you to belong to. You belong to all of them or none of them. But I
want you to be filled with His Spirit; if you're not your... Just
remember, I'll meet you at that day. And these words will be a witness
against you. It's all on God's tape recording, and with his great
picture camera. And you setting and walking away and leaving it, you'll
see your ownself at that day in the mirror of God. Will you come?
E-89
Are you yielded? "Let Thy will be done, Lord. Take all the churchanity
out of me. Take all the star--starch and denomination out of me, Lord.
Let me be a real Christian."
E-90
Now, while the people are moving down, still coming, as long as people
are coming, we're going to hold it. I don't think we have too much more
time in this world to make these kind of calls.
E-91
Now remember, after this message this afternoon, I am free from all
man's blood. The meeting has been give out in Chicago; I've told you,
THUS SAITH THE LORD; I've proved it to you by the Scriptures that we're
at the end. Now, I'm not guilty of any man's blood from henceforth. I
wonder how many Christians out there would walk up to the altar and
pray with these people, around standing around the altar, and pray. Any
you Christians that's filled with the Holy Spirit would like to come up
here and pray with these people? E-92 Abraham and his seed after him, Abraham and his seed... Let me tell you something. Just a few days ago I was in California in a great denominational church, Pentecostal denomination. A few people came to the altar, four or five after preaching a hard message. And then, four or five sinners run up to the altar, falling over one another. I had to beg and persuade people to come pray with them. I did that for a purpose this afternoon, see who'd come up. And amongst about three hundred people, look what come to pray. Why the Kentucky Baptists down there in the mountains where I was born, would make the Pentecostals feel ashamed of themself. Let one soul reach up to come towards the altar, there'll be the whole church right around him trying to... so thankful to God that one soul has come in. And then we are Abraham's seed; we've lost all the zeal we ever had. See what I mean? O God.
E-93
Let's bow our heads. To you people at the altar here, I want you to
surrender life to Him now. Remember, I'm going to meet you at that
morning. I'm going to give an account for this message this afternoon.
I've been in Chicago since the beginning of my ministry, as it is
ending now. I cannot be a prophet and an evangelist at the same time.
One ministry will take its place soon.
E-94
While we close the service with you around the altar here, praying. I'm
going to ask the congregation and all to stand in prayer. You're hands
on one another around the altar here. You people with these...
E-95
Father God, these who've come, Thou has said in Thy Word, "He that
cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out." And also, "That no man can
come except My Father draws him first. And all that comes to Me, I'll
give them Everlasting Life and raise him up at the last day." That's
Your promise, Lord. E-96 Someday a mistake, too much vodka will be drunken or something. Then a missile will fly into a screen, then here it goes. God, You promised us, and I'm believing you. Noah stood in the ark door and preached to a dying people. And today, the real born-again man of God stands in the Door, Jesus Christ, and shows the people the way out. Not a church, not an organization, but the Door, Christ. May these people come to the Door right now, knocking at the Door. We know there'll be a welcome hand reach out and say, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, enter into the joys that's been prepared for you since the foundation of the world, 'cause no man could come but those who He foreknew." And they've come this afternoon, and I give them to You, as Your servant and as Your people. Grant it, Lord, to each one of them. In the Name of Jesus Christ. E-97 And while each person in here, you people that's around the altar, by faith, by faith, you don't have to feel one thing, but in your heart. Now, how'd you come up here? God back there in the audience drawed you up here. Jesus said, "No man can come to Me except My Father draws him. And he that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has Eternal Life." And there's only one form of Eternal Life, that's the Holy Spirit.Now, if you will believe with all your heart that God will give you the Holy Spirit, raise up your hands and say, "Thank You, Lord. I've come here now to receive It." All you out in the audience that believe with them, raise up your hands and say, "Lord, we stand ready for the Holy Spirit." Brother Tommy Hicks, I want you to come and offer prayer now over them, right here. Yes, sir. All in...?... |
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