Christ Revealed in His Own Word #100
“The blinded ones”
Wednesday, May 7, 1997
Brian Kocourek,
Pastor Grace Fellowship
114 There's many tried to impersonate them prophets, like priests or
so forth. And what do they do? Just messed up; that's all. They couldn't do it,
'cause God had selected the man for the age, and selected the message, and even
the nature of the man and what would go over in that age--what He could put
over, how He could... With the nature of
that certain man, He could blind the eyes of others. The words that that man would say, the way he acted, would blind others
and open other's eyes. See? He dressed the man in the type of dress that he
was, the nature, the ambition, and everything, just the way he had to be, just perfectly selected for that certain
people that He'd call for that certain age. While others would stand, and look at him, and say, "Well I
can't... There's... I--I can't..." See, they were blinded.
Now, what I would like to
look at this evening is this: Brother
Branham is speaking of a blinding of
people while the eyes of certain ordained people are opened to the age and the Message for that age. [Acts 13:48]
Now, we have already studied
this aspect of the effects that the Messenger and the Message have upon this
certain group of people which are Ordained to Hear and Believe. But what I would like to focus upon tonight
is the blinding, because I think so many times we take for granted that the
blinding is a one sided element, and the ones who are blinded totally reject
the Truth flat out by turning it down. But what I would like to show you
tonight is that this blinding takes place in a two fold way. It is true that
some who are blinded are those who flat out reject the Word by simply having
nothing to do with it. These are no doubt unbelievers. But there is another
Group who are also unbelievers, but are
labeled more specifically as make-believers, because these make-believers do
not really believe, but they are smart enough to know that there is something
to what is being said, and so they hang around looking for the gimmick, or
something to point at and say, “Aha! I thought so all along.” And so we find Brother Branham warning us
about this group more than any other because these are the guys who will try to
do damage to the Word, and to those also who believe the Word. Let’s see what
Brother Branham had to say about this third group, called, make-believers.
7-6
THREE.KINDS.OF.BELIEVERS
JEFF.IN N-3 N-6 63-1124E
There was all three of them
standing right there in that one company of people: believers, make-believers,
and unbelievers, right found in this chapter right here. And because that Jesus had spoke the Words the
way He had, it separated His congregation, but it must be done. Now, notice this last
sentence here. Let’s read it again. And because that Jesus had spoke the Words the
way He had, it separated His congregation, but it must be done Now, remember in pp. 114 that brother
Branham said, “The words that that man
would say, the way he acted, would blind others and open other's eyes.” So
we see the two-fold reason that God had for fashioning the Prophet the way he
did. It was to gather on one hand and separate on the other. And the same Word
would do both. And notice how it was the way that that Word was given that
would cause this strange paradox to happen. Just like the same sun melts wax
and hardens clay. So then what we see is the make-up of the two groups must be
of a different substance and nature in order to have a response that is so
completely the opposite.
26-5
THREE.KINDS.OF.BELIEVERS
JEFF.IN N-3 N-6 63-1124E
Now the third class we're
speaking about is the make-believer. That's the boy, the make-believer. Now,
remember, in there stood all three. Now, we
find out they do just exactly like their father does, Judas ( sounds very much like what we preached on Sunday
morning, doesn’t it?). There was Peter,
and the rest of the apostles: believers. There was the seventy: unbelievers.
And there was Judas hung right on; he was a
make-believer. What do they do?
This is the kind that holds on
until they can find something--a fault in it. They're looking every time to
find a loophole, see how it's done, see if it's a trick, if it's a gimmick.
They're waiting to be sold out. They're looking for that. The unbeliever,
he don't even wait around; he's condemned it and walked out. The believer, no matter what happens, he
believes it anyhow, for It's the Word. There's your three classes. The old
unbeliever will walk out on the first thing that's said, he don't like about
it. Brother, he's going to show his colors right then; he's a unbeliever.
Christ
Revealed in His Own Word #100
Wednesday,
May 7, 1997 “The blinded ones”
27-2
THREE.KINDS.OF.BELIEVERS
JEFF.IN N-3 N-6 63-1124E
Paul said, "They went out from us, because they wasn't
of us in the beginning. They started with us. Oh, you did run well, what
hindered you?" See it? They
went out because they wasn't of us. When they see the Word perfectly moving on,
why, they want to get some kind of gimmick they could work. See? But the
real believers don't question nothing. It's written in the Word, and they
believe it, and just go on. That's it. Always it's written. If it isn't
written, why, you just stay away from it, no matter what happens. It's got to
be written. See? And they see that written Word and they believe It. And they see God moving in His Word, see
the hour, the Message, the time, and they walk with It as I said this
morning.
27-4
THREE.KINDS.OF.BELIEVERS
JEFF.IN N-3 N-6 63-1124E
Now, the make-believer hangs around and acts just as pious as he can, but
down in his heart he's trying to find what--what--see how you do it. Oh, if
the country isn't full of that part of the hypocrite. That's a Judas. That's
exactly. Hangs around, becomes part of
the group, he was the treasurer. See? He stands around; he's always got his hand out for money. You
can tell that one thing; he's always fishing for money, and got his hand out
for this, and he is a make-believer. He acts like a believer, but down in his
heart... You remember, he wasn't fooling Jesus.
28-2
THREE.KINDS.OF.BELIEVERS
JEFF.IN N-3 N-6 63-1124E
There's that make-believer
that's just waiting. He'll sing like that, "Oh, I believe this, and I
believe this, and I believe this, but oh, you
know I heard somebody say so-and-so times..." See? Just long with ears...
A real believer don't hear nothing but the Word. That's all. He watches the
Word. He ain't looking for no loopholes; he ain't looking for no gimmicks. He
believes God, and that settles it, and he just keeps going on. See? There's the
believer. The unbeliever fills up in a minute, and he can't stay to listen
to ten minutes to the message; he's got to get up and walk out. It's against
his creed, and he just won't have no more to do with it, so he goes out.
Then the make-believer hangs right on,
that Judas. See? That's the deceiver.
That's the--that's a rascal (if I have to say such a word). Judas, he hangs around.
28-4
THREE.KINDS.OF.BELIEVERS
JEFF.IN N-3 N-6 63-1124E
This is the time... Sometime these make-believers are very
popular with the people (That's right.), these make-believers. See? Some of
them are mighty men, educated, doctor's degree, big pay, everything; some of
them are great men, shrewd, just like sons of Satan would be. Look how Satan
come right up there and agree with every bit of that Word. He's just waiting to
find that weak spot in Eve to where he could show his power to deceive her, to
betray her. That was--that was Satan, and here Satan is in a form of Judas in
that age. That was Satan in the first
age. What was he? Agreeing with the Word till just--just one little thing... He
was just trying to find a place where he could get a weakness, and that's
exactly what the Judas finds right now. He'll
come right along with the meeting, and watch right around until he can find
that little spot that he... "Oh, there it is; that's it. (See?) Oh, that's
the way it's done." See? That's just exactly.
Now, what I see by these
quotes from brother Branham and his usage of the example of what the
make-believer is, is that the most dangerous and destructive person is the make
believer, and yet he is still an unbeliever, but he is a little more polished
in how he goes about his unbelief.
Now, it is one thing for the
unbeliever to just get up and walk out because he does not agree with what is
being said. But the thing about the make-believer is that he doesn’t believe it
either, but he is a bit more deceptive about the whole matter. He not only
disagrees, but he also is vindictive and wants to expose, and cause harm to
Message and Messenger. So he is constantly looking for things which he can
point to and say, “Aha! This is it. This is what’s wrong with this group, this
is what’s wrong with this Message,” Etc.
And so what we are looking
at is motive. The two groups don’t agree, because they have been blinded to the
Truth. They both hear the Message, but one group walks off and says there’s
nothing to it, and that’s the end of it as far as far as they are concerned. But the other group, although they are
blinded as well, instead of just walking off, they instead hang around and try
to figure out what there is about this Message that so attracted the people to
begin with.
Christ
Revealed in His Own Word #100
Wednesday,
May 7, 1997 “The blinded ones”
Now, tonight I would like to
diagram these three groups for you so that you can see what attributes are
predominant in each group. It can not be said that “not every one is affected
by the light. No one can claim to be non affected by the Light. The light
affects every one, although the effects on some is more severe than upon
others. But The Light or Word of God does affect every person who ever heard it
in some way. [Romans 3:3]
[Matthew 13:10-16] The fact that some hear but do not understand
does not mean that they have not been affected. Rather, they have been affected
but because of their own unbelief or their own pre-conceived ideas, they reject
what they hear. [Romans 9:6] Some
like the unbeliever, choose not to listen, or as soon as they hear something contrary to what they
have ever heard, they walk out from the Light. Others like the Make-believer,
not only hate the truth, but because of their evil nature, they will hang
around looking to somehow expose the truth as being wrong. Does their actions then make the Word of
God of none effect? The answer is no! [Eph
5:13] & [Psalm 1:1-6] [Mark 7:7-13] It is because of their
traditions that they make the word of God of none effect for their benefit.
Because they have their minds already made up and will not submit to the mind
of God. [91: 7] Now, we know that there is to be a falling away in the
last times. And this Psalm tells us that the ones who shall fall away are ones
who have been at our side.
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Blinded |
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Blinded |
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Hang Around |
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Look for fault |
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Hope to find gain |
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The make-believer venerates
and worships God according to their own mind, and their own stupid zeal and in
their own eccentric piety, they are worse than the ungodly. For God’s sake they become enemies of God, and for the fear of God they become scorners of
God. Because of piety they become
impious; and for the sake of peace
they disturb the peace; because of their
love and holiness they become envious and unholy; in the interest of humility
they become proud. Such is the fictitious piety of their stubborn mind and
the hypocritical understanding of confirmed obstinacy. So great is man’s
arrogance and his absolutely vain delusion.
[Romans 11:7-10]The snare is scripture itself, inasmuch as it is
understood and handed down or taught in a deceitful manner, so that under the
show of pious instruction the souls of the deceived and simple are craftily
ensnared. From one and the same table, or from one and the same Holy
Scriptures, one draws for himself death while the other life, the one honey and
the other poison. Hence, nothing else should be treated with such reverence and
so altogether without arrogance as the Word of God. It at once ensnares the
proud and traps and offends them, though in a way that they do not perceive:
Indeed, in a fascinating and beautiful disguise. And this is not the Words
fault, but that of human pride, which arrogantly raises it’s head against
it. The stumbling block consists of
this, that they who are ensnared by false teaching constantly take offense. For
if they are ensnared it is through that which they understand wrongly. To that
they cleave and with it they are pleased. So without realizing it, they permit
themselves to be ensnared willingly. But they take offense of what is pointed
out to them as the truth from which they turn away. If they can not avoid it,
(the truth) they distort it and deny that scripture must be so understood. At
last their eyes are darkened 11:10, so that while others see, they themselves
do not permit themselves to be enlightened, and while all others are raised up,
they remain perverted in their mind.