Christ Revealed in His Own Word # 4

The Crown of Glory

Sunday Morning March 31, 1996

[ Brian Kocourek, Pastor Grace Fellowship]

 

So we see in this Message Christ Revealed in His Own Word, brother Branham is setting the stage for what this Revealing of Christ is all about when He opens in Prayer and Quotes from  [ 2 Peter 5: 4]  "And when the Chief Shepherd shall Appear, you shall receive a Crown of Glory that shall never fade away."  Now we have already pointed out that Paul spoke of this Crown also as pertaining to the Appearing. Now, this is important for you to understand. Why would Paul and Peter and even James all speak of this Crown of righteousness that is to be given to us at the Appearing of Jesus Christ?  Now, because I believe there is a great significance to this scripture and the association of our receiving a Crown of righteousness at the time of the Appearing or in association with the Appearing, I would like to  examine this thought this morning. What is this crown any way? What is any Crown ? Just what exactly is a crown? WEBSTER  CROWN = from the Latin word Corona meaning garland and the Greek word korone meaning wreathe. In the scripture the word used is in reference to a Loral wreathe which is a reward or honor given after victory. It is worn on the head and brings pre-eminence to the head.

 

Then I would like to ask the question, what is this Crown of Right-Wise-ness, any way? And why is it stated in several scriptures that we receive it at the Appearing of Christ?  What then does it have to do with the Appearing? Well, First of all we know according to [ 1 Cor 9: 25] That we are not to receive a corruptible crown but an incorruptible One. Now we find according to [St. Peter 1: 4 ]and [1: 23 ] That this incorruptible crown is actually part of our inheritance and if it is incorruptible, it can only be one thing and that is the Word of God.  In fact we read in [Isaiah 40: 8] tells us, The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of the Lord shall stand forever." In fact Jesus Himself said, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle of Gods Word shall fail." And so if this Crown according to [ 1 Peter 5: 4 ] is incorruptible and can not fade Away, then it must be One thing and One thing only, The Word of God!  In [ 1 Thes 2: 19 ] Paul tells us this Crown has to do with the very Presence of the Lord Himself. And in [ James 1: 12] it is called the Crown of Life.  So here we have a crown that is promised to us and it is called a Crown of Life, a Crown of Glory and a Crown of Right-wise-ness. And in all passages of scripture it is identified with the Appearing of the Lord. And in examining these three Crowns, we must ask ourselves, since these are all three associated with the Appearing of the Lord, are these three different Crowns? Or are they these three actually the same Crown but called by different terms or descriptions. A [Crown of Life, a Crown of Glory and a Crown of Right-wise-ness.]

 

To find out we must first ask ourselves "Now what is a crown any way?" A crown is a head-piece that is worn on the head to bring preeminence to the head. Now, let me  repeat that. A crown is a head-piece that is worn on the head to bring preeminence to the head. That is why we are called the jewels of His Crown in [Malachi 3: 16 - 18]. So what we are looking at here is something that is to happen to the Elect that will bring preeminence to the Head which is God. And we find it in { 2 Thess 1: 10 ] where we are told that He will come to be Glorified IN His Saints. Now we know that this word GLORY is the Greek word DOXA which means "the opinion, assessment or judgment of".

 

In fact we can read of this Crown of Glory that was prophesied to come even back in the book of     [Isaiah 28: 5 - 6] Notice that He will  not only be our Crown, but The Spirit of the Judge will be upon His People in that day. And why is that? Because as He is so are we to be in this World. And if He is here as Judge, then if we are to come into His Image and become reflectors of what He is, we too will become Judges, or discerners of the Word of God. So we see then that the very mind of God is to come into the Elect in this End-time because we believed Paul's Report in that day which is this day. And didn't brother Branham tell us that He only preached what Paul preached?  And so we see that at the Appearing we are to be like Him for we shall see Him as He really is and by seeing Him as He really is we are to be changed to be like Him.  Let's just follow this through in scripture. [ 1 John 3: 1-3]  [ Col 3: 4 ] [ 1 Cor 13:  9-12] and [ 1 John 4: 17]  Notice it tells us that in this world we are to come into a confidence because of His Love. And this Love also ties in with the next part of brother Branham's prayer.

 

But before we actually get into that part of Brother Branham's prayer, I want to examine further this thought of the Crown.  Now Jesus received this same crown as we see in [Hebrews 2:9], and also we see this prophesied in     [PS 8:5]. That is why Jesus could say in [ St. John  17: 5 ] Father, Glorify me with the Glory we shared before the foundations of the world.  He was speaking of the Mind of God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. That is how God was in Christ, it was the Word of God in the Son. And Brother Branham said to Lee Vayle in his private audio letter, "For as He come then to the natural seed, Abraham, He comes now to the Royal seed Abraham, who is  ALSO  waiting for the promised Son, not the natural son Isaac, but the Royal promised Son." And so according to the Scriptures we have already read, The Elect,  as she receives this crown which is Christ Himself, she then gives back to Him this Revelation or Glory, or mindset, which she received by Him, and this then becomes her offering unto Him. She then becomes His crown as we see in [ISA 62:3] and [PROV 12:4]. The difference between Him as her crown and her as His crown is that the word for Him as CROWN is TSePHIYRAH meaning a crown ( as encircling the head). The word for her as a crown is TSANIYPHAH a head dress (ie. a piece of cloth wrapped around ) a hood, diadem, mitre. MITRE=   which is the official head-dress of the ancient Jewish High Priest.

 

As he did for Job, we see this crown that He places around her is a crown of Protection. [ Job 1: 10, Psalm 27:5 & Psalm 31: 20 ] He's here to seal us in and so after we receive the new heart and new spirit, which is the new understanding and a new desire that results from that new understanding, He then anoints that understanding in our mind, and it then receives a sealing off to other seed. Just as when the male sperm comes in contact with the egg, it causes a chemical reaction in the egg that actually produces an outer coating around the egg sealing it off to further insemination. Other-wise, an egg could begin to develop and every time the woman received seed after that, the sperm would enter into the egg and then you would receive in that egg many different lives that would also begin to develop and what kind of a monster would you have? Fifty arms and legs and 25 heads and whatever more. Just a mass of people all grown together, with 25 personalities to boot.  So what we see here is that this crown He gives her is for her protection, to seal her off from further impregnation.

 

E-38  PERSEVERANT  62-0623   And you know the ark was made out of shittim wood. And if you ever know what that was, it's lighter than balsam. It's nothing... It's just like a sponge, so light you could pick up a great big beam of it and hold it in one hand. And wouldn't it seem strange that God would construct His ark out of such a thing as that? [Blank spot in tape--Ed.]... and pour it into this to fill up the pores. And then it become harder than steel.   And that's the way we have to do, is empty out every creed, everything that's in us, and every nonsense, and every ungodly unbelief, that the Holy Spirit might fill us, and seal every pore of our believing, every pore of our minds, until you won't notice whether it's your neighbor, or who it is setting around you. You're sealed into the Kingdom of God. Then you can stand the buffet of the waves as you go through a persecution.

 

2  GUIDE A  V-12 N-7  62-1014E  And then Ephesians 4:30 says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to the day of your redemption." Sealed into the Kingdom of God! Now, don't forget that. Keep that in mind now, takes these things first. Then the sealing is the Holy Spirit, the Cap that seals us into the Body. All right.

 

E-76  HIDDEN.LIFE.WITH.CHRIST  MINNEAPOLIS.MN  56-0213

 And if your heart isn't tender before the Lord, if there isn't something in your heart that is satisfied day and night, no matter what comes or goes, as Paul said, "I'm now ready to be offered up. I fought a good fight; I finished the course; I've kept the faith. And there's a crown of righteous laid up for me, that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at that day: and not me only, but all those who love His appearing." Did you ever think of that, "Love His appearing"?

 

pp. 111 PRESENT.STAGE.OF.MY.MINISTRY - JEFF.IN -62-0908   "In that dark hour, mid rendering rocks and darkening skies," said the poet, "my Saviour bowed His head and died; the opening veil revealed the way to Heaven's joys and endless day. He had to do that in order to make a way for us. That's right. But what did God do? He was true to the Word and He embraced the cross. But was it the end of His ministry? Was His ministry washed up? God crowned it with the greatest crown that ever could been crowned. He crowned it on Easter morning, on the resurrection. He crowned the ministry of our Lord Jesus, He raised from the dead and is alive forevermore. He wasn't washed up because all men forsook Him, He was crowned! Yes, sir. Yes, sir. He was crowned because that He was, had been forsaken, and He must do that when He raised Him from the dead.

 

112 PRESENT.STAGE.OF.MY.MINISTRY - JEFF.IN - V-11 N-2 - 62-0908

  The same was with Elijah. We spoke of him a few moments ago. Elijah, that poor old broke down prophet laying out there in the wilderness, and had to be fed by what the birds would bring him. And his little old skinny drawn up, brown-looking body, little cruse of oil hanging on his side, his whiskers all out, and head probably bald and sunburned, crippling on down with a stick like this, but down beneath that little old heart beat the Spirit of God. When God seen His little old tired servant getting down to the end, everybody forsaking him, and everything else, did He let him down? He sent a chariot down, picked up His tired servant, "You don't even have to walk up like Enoch did, I will just take you home in a chariot." That's right. He crowned his ministry with a chariot ride home. That's not so bad, you know. Yeah. Yes, he didn't have to walk home, He just sent a chariot and picked him up 'cause he was tired. I like that. Amen. Poor, little, old tired servant, He picked him up and took him Home.

 

114 PRESENT.STAGE.OF.MY.MINISTRY - JEFF.IN - V-11 N-2 - 62-0908

  So, you see, it's at that time when men forsake man, God's servants that stay true to the Word, that God seals their minis­try with a crowning time.

 

    pp. 121 PRESENT.STAGE.OF.MY.MINISTRY - JEFF.IN 62-0908

  Well, all man has forsaken me, but there's one thing, He stood by me!...?... I'm not, I wasn't disobedient to the Heavenly vision that's happened down there on the river. I've stayed true to it. He's been true to me. I'm trusting in Him, someday, I don't know when, for a crowning of my ministry. I will stay just as true as I could be. I don't know what it'll be, I don't know when it'll be. And I... But when He's ready, I am. Now look here. I hope He will crown my ministry with this, of letting me take the clothes of the Word, and dress His Bride in the cloth of the Word, and for His righteousness. I hope He will crown me and let me stand there on that day, and say, "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world."

 

pp.129 PRESENT.STAGE.OF.MY.MINISTRY - JEFF.IN  62-0908

I said, "Lord Jesus, with Your grace I will stay true to the Word." And now I see it's produced just exactly what it done in other times....Search me, Lord. I've made many mistakes. I've done wrong, Lord. Many times I've failed You, as I just testified a while ago about a failure. God, I, quick as I do it, I want forgiveness. In my heart I love You. And I know You showed me recently about that place we're going. And I don't know when You're through with me now, Lord. I'm here tonight, by Your grace, and I don't know when You're through, but I know this has to come to this. But when it comes that time, I don't want to be a coward. I want to stand like the rest of them stood. But, God, if I have to seal my testimony with my own life, or whatever it is to be done, Lord, crown it then. Not crown me; crown the ministry that I've preached, Lord, it's Your Word. And I know that Word is more than able to raise me up again at the resurrec­tion. And I'm not ashamed of the Word that I have preached, because It's the power of God unto salvation to as many as      believe.

 

 pg. 44  pp.4 BLASPHEMOUS NAMES  62-1104.1M   I don't think Demas went out into the world, 'cause Demas was of a... If you know his history, he was of a big, rich family; and he wanted to go with the rest of the crowd. But Paul, poor little Paul, what was it? God always lets a ministry get like that and then crowns it. He let Jesus get to a place (look at there!), when He could raise the dead, when He could do anything He wanted to, and let a Roman soldier jerk beard out of His face and [Brother Branham makes a spitting sound--Ed.] spit in His face. Hit Him on the... Put a rag around His face and said, "Now, you know, they tell me you are a prophet..." All of them stood around with their reeds and [Brother Branham illustrates hitting Him--Ed.], hit Him on the head, and said, "Now tell us which one hit you." He knowed which one hit Him. Sure He did! See? But His ministry was fixing to be crowned. It always gets that spot where it seems like It's real, real weak, just about gone, then God crowns it. Oh, Lord, let it happen. Let it happen, Lord. Let's bow our heads.

    

pp. 55 THE WAY BACK - 62-1123   Here was Jesus standing there. What a wonderful example He was. What an example Paul was. There he had power to smite a man blind, heal the sick, call the cripples back to healing, all these things. And then, could you imagine the last part of his ministry, when he stood there and let the coppersmith stop his meeting and run him out of the country? I guess some of the critics says he lost his power to smite blind. No, he didn't have a gimmick, he had the Holy Ghost. He only minded God.  I guess then... He left his friend sick up there, Trophimus, up at a place sick, I guess he lost his power to heal. Also, he packed a doctor along with him--a Divine healer, packing a doctor with him, Luke. God was fixing to crown his ministry, 'cause Paul always wanted to suffer for what he done to Stephen. It was his desire....He knowed he was going up to die for Jesus. That was his heart's desire, to die for Him.

 

pp. 72 GO AWAKE JESUS   63-1130.2E   And then the make-believers is the ones that hangs on, just sticking around until they can find something. They say, "Uh-huh, there you are. That's what it is. Uh-huh, there, I thought there was something. There you are!"  But a real believer, that don't stagger him at all. Nothing staggers him.  What about Jesus standing there, spit over His face, and blood on His face, and a crown of thorns upon Him, and--and all that He had there, a mockery crowd, and so forth? Well, what would the unbeliever think about that, or the make-believer? Just sold Him out. And, you find out, the make-believer is the one who sells you out. He is the one that ruins your ministry, is that make-believer.

 

I hope we can see how it is that this crown of Righteousness also called the Crown of Glory and Crown of Life will be rejected by all others but this only serves to identify the crowning itself. What is foolishness to man is esteemed by God and visa versa.

 

E-94  FIVE JUNCTIONS OF TIME  56-0122   And the mark of the antichrist is to reject that Holy Ghost. Which you're sealed outside of the Kingdom forever, with no, no way they'll ever be forgiven. He that speaks against the Holy Ghost will never be forgiven in this world or the world to come. There's your mark of the beast and the seal of God in one little handful. The seal of God is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And the mark of the antichrist is to deny it. Now, you're marked one way or the other. Don't you want to have the Holy Ghost today?

 

E-49  MARY'S.BELIEF  LA.CA  59-0409  The Holy Spirit's here now in Its Fullness, in Its power. Be careful, All that didn't receive the Seal of God got the mark of the beast. You know what the mark of the beast was to reject the Seal of God. ... "Faith cometh by hearing." If you don't hear it and receive it, then you're marked on the other side. Then you can't come in.

 

E-28  ALL.THE.DAYS.OF.OUR.LIFE  CHICAGO.IL  59-0612   So you're a slave; you're marked. And the Bible said in the last days, there would be two marks. And every person on the earth would have one or the other. You just can't get out of it. One's the mark of the beast, the other one was a Seal of God. And the Seal of God is the Holy Spirit, God's provided way for His Church. Ephesians 4:30 said, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you're sealed unto the day of your redemption." And to reject that Holy Spirit is to take on the mark of the beast. All that didn't have the Mark of God had the mark of the devil. So, you're marked. You're either marked a bond slave in the love of God, or you're marked a slave to the things of the world of the devil.

 

388-126  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS    COD  59-0628E   The mark of the beast is on today, and the--the Seal of God is the Holy Spirit. To reject It is the mark of the beast. Ever who sees the Holy Ghost, that you're supposed to receive It, and don't do it, automatically you take the mark of the beast; because there's only two classes to exist: all that didn't have the Seal of God had the mark of the beast. So to receive the Seal of God is to receive the Holy Ghost. To reject It is to have the mark of the beast. There's the whole thing. That's exactly right.

 

146  HEAR RECOGNIZE ACT ON WORD V-13 N-7  60-0221   And Jesus predicts that this Holy Spirit, in the last days, would be the Seal of God. Now, what would be the mark of the beast? Would be to reject the Seal of God. For, all that didn't have the Seal of God had the mark of the beast. And if it's two spiritual marks, one of them will be a true mark of God, the other one will be apostasy. Can you see it?

 

E-60  HEARING RECOGNIZING AND ACTING  60-0607 It's heading up in two great things, coming to the end time: the mark of the beast, and the seal of God.   And the Seal of God--any minister knows--that the Seal of God is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It's exactly right. Ephesians 4:30 says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed until the day of your redemption." Amen. Oh, I know you think I act funny, but maybe I--I feel good. Oh, my, coming towards the end...  Now, remember what is the mark of the beast? The mark of the beast is a carnal Esau to reject that birthright. Didn't Esau weep bitterly, trying to restore that birthright again, but there was no place of repentance? When you reject the Holy Ghost you seal yourself outside of God's mercy. Amen.

 

E-86  JEHOVAH.JIREH  YAKIMA.WA  60-0802  Ephesians 4:30 says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed until the day of your redemption." How many knows that? God's Words says the Seal of God is the Holy Ghost.  Now, and then what is the mark of the beast? Is to reject the Holy Ghost, a mark of apostasy. Remember, in the old days when the trumpet, the jubilee year come, and the trumpet sounded, and every slave had a right to go free? But if he didn't choose to go free, he was taken to the temple, and they took a awl and bored a hole in his ear, and he was marked out for the rest of his days. And what is it? On the ear, when God calls you to receive the Holy Ghost, and you refuse It, then God marks your ear to where you'll never want to try it anymore. See? Then that's the mark of apostasy. And in the Bible it said, that these last days that there'd be two classes of people: One with the Mark of God, the Seal of God, the other one was the mark of the beast. Is that right? Now, you're wearing one of those marks tonight.

 

319  TEN.VIRGINS  JEFF.IN  ROJC 425-492  60-1211M  Oh, I just love Him. Don't you? Yes, sir. Oh, the... What is the--what is the Seal of God? Holy Ghost. What is the mark of the beast? Reject It. That's the two. One is to see, and...  Well, they're... And how many was on earth that didn't get it? "All that was not sealed took the mark of the beast." All that had not the Spirit of God had the mark of the beast. The Seal of God is the Holy Spirit. The Bible said so. Every place in the Scripture speaks of it, says it's the mark of God, the Seal of God. And all that did not have it, was the one who reject it. And how did they reject it? By refusing to hear it. Is that right?

 

So we see that she is not for His protection as He is for hers, but rather she is for his beauty personified, in which she, by her beauty, is to attract attention to the head, giving the head the full preeminence. Thus we have a true picture of a bride and her groom and how each compliments the other.

 

     [Malachi 3:16-18] gives us a better understanding then of this protection he gives her and her giving back this revelation to Him which He has given to her.16"Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name.  17 "They will be mine, "says the LORD ALMIGHTY, "in the day when I make up My treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

 

Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed p.24-25  First, to reveal Himself in Christ, the Fullness of the Godhead bodily, and then to bring that Fullness of Godhead bodily into a people that He could have the preeminence, the oversight, the leading ....When God gets you to be His prisoner, then you can't do nothing but what the Spirit says do.   Paul, with all of his great intellects... He taught--he was taught by Gamaliel to be a great priest or rabbi someday. And he had high ambitions. He was intellectually a great man: great authority, great man in the nation. But he had to sacrifice every bit of it (See?) to become part of the Word, to express Jesus Christ. He knowed what it was to say... He had a notion to go to some place (some brethren had called him), but he was forbidden by the Spirit to do his own will. Oh, if--if people half spiritual can pick that up... See? He was forbidden to do his own will. He only could do... "The Spirit forbid me." See? He was a prisoner to Christ.  Moses: his intellectuals, he had to lose them in order to find Christ, to be a prisoner. Then when God got all the world beat out of him and all the mighty man that he was, and stand in the Presence of that Pillar of Fire that day, he was found just speechless. He didn't even--he couldn't even talk, he said. God had a prisoner then. See? You won't try after your own searching. Then God had to endue this man--endow him with power enough that he could go down there. And he said, "Lord, I told Pharaoh what You said, and he wouldn't do it." Now, that's when He can express the preeminence. You see? He's got the man or the person so that he knows nothing but Christ. You get what I mean? All right. That's secondly.  First, to express Hisself completely: God in Christ. Second, to have the preeminence by this in His Church (which is His Body, Bride) to... He could have the preeminence to express Himself through them. All right.  And thirdly, to restore the Kingdom to its rightly position that fell by sin by the first Adam, back to where He walked in the cool of the evening with His people, talked with them, fellowshipped with them. And now sin and death had separated them from His Presence and His entire expression. Do you read it? Before the foundation of the world to express all of His attributes, what He was...

 

    Now we see here a beautiful picture of Bride and Groom. As she dresses to meet her mate, she first puts on her shoes (which is the preparation of the Gospel).She is then dressed in the Word and the last piece of apparel she puts on before she is presented to her Groom is the crown or headpiece which consists of a head-band, veil and train, representing God before her, GOD behind her, GOD over her and all around her. She is then ready to proceed down the isle to meet her Groom.  As she walks toward her Husband she is veiled to all who happen to look on. She then takes her place before Him and as she stands in His presence, He reaches forward, removes her veil once and for all. He then kisses her and for the first time she is purely face to face and mouth to mouth.( and the Bride will have "Thus Saith the LORD," or she will keep still.) [ZEPH 3:9-17] "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.