Christ is the Mystery no 182
Believers and Unbelievers
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
This morning we will begin our review number 4 in which I would like to call it Believers and Unbelievers and we will begin by reviewing Christ is the mystery no 44 Earnestly Contending or just contentious.
We took for our text Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Romans 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
In Paragraph
184 in the
Spoken Word booklets, brother Branham said, “Predestinated... There's
the mystery. Before Christ or anything else was ever on earth (You see His
great mystery?) that He chose the Bride, knowing Eve would fall from
disbelieving the Word, knowing that she would fall, but He would choose a
Bride that would not fall, that would hold to that Word
regardless of what all the rest of the world had to say about It; they
would hold to that Word. They are predestinated to stand there. The
adoption of children by Jesus Christ predestinated the Church to that great
glorious stand.
We spoke on the importance of being IN Christ, because most church goers might be in Church, or they might be in the right circle in their church, or they might even be in the doctrine of their church, but the question is are they “IN Christ the Word".
You see it really does matter that you're in the right thing. And the right thing is not the doctrine of your church. The right thing is not your circle in your church, but are you in Christ? Are you completely surrendered to Him? Are you completely filled with His Spirit?
In fact we find there is coming a squeeze on the people and the governments of this world have already started contacting the churches in several countries that I know, and are telling them that they will not be recognized as a church unless they join a confederation of churches. I received an email from Gabon from a brother who asked me if it is ok to join, and I said yes, if you want to take the Mark of the Beast. But if you do not want the marl of the beast then absolutely do not join any federation of churches no matter what they call themselves.
The brother told me that Congo DRC there is a very large church with around ten thousand people and that church has confederated and many smaller churches now are identified with that church as the leader of the Federation of Message churches in DRC Congo. When I was in the Philippines in 2000 I saw a list being circulated that many ministers were joining. Another federation of Message churches. I have seen this type of thinking going on for at least 14 years now. They think where there are numbers there is safety.
But let me share with you what brother Branham said on that.
Token the 63-1128E P:72 I'm trying to press upon your minds, friend, that the hour has struck, that something's got to be done by it. We must do something. It's either in or out; that's all. The hour has come where the Token must be there. If this church ever expects to remain alive until Jesus Christ comes, the Token will have to be here. That's all. If death don't, it'll take the death mark. And soon, it's in congress right now, the big machine set up to make all churches come into that federation of churches. And you'd better really have the Token shining. But the hour is here for the exodus. And this time we're going to a promised land, the promise of Eternal Life.
Indictment the 63-0707M P:132 Look at the scandal in England. Look at the scandal here. Look, the whole things become a house of prostitution. Why is it? Why did Russia become communism? Because of vulgar and dirtiness and the non-power of the Catholic church. That's exactly why this nation is taking over communism in a federation of churches and joining itself up with the Catholic church, which communism and Catholicism will unite together, you know. And here they are doing it. Why? Because they have rejected the Gospel that separates them and makes them a different people. Nonsense? That's exactly the reason. And ministers in the pulpit's putting up with it for a meal ticket, for a social standing of some creed, say, "I belong to So-and-so," swapping education for the power of God.
Is your life worthy 63-0630E P:31 And tonight that's the reason this nation stays... She's doomed; there's no hope for it at all. She's crossed the line between judgment and mercy. And she's elected in what she has here to control the nation; and she's rotten to the core. Her politics is rotten. The morals of this nation is lower than anything I could think of. And the religious system is rottener than the morals. She becomes... In doing this she has now joined herself, all these churches and of the nation, into the federation of churches and has taken the mark of the beast. What a thing. Why? Christ give them the opportunity, "Come to My feast," the Feast of Pentecost which means "fifty."
Lord just once more 63-0628A P:63 And remember, in that time all the ministers give in. Jezebel was the leader. Listen, Ahab himself was a pretty nice guy, but Jezebel was the neck behind the head. She was the one who did it. She was the renegade. I ain't got nothing against that man as a president, but it's that Jezebel system that's behind it. Can't you see these popes and things coming in now; one's raising that don't know Joseph. And the first thing you know, we are right now asking the Protestant church to consolidate with it, and every organization will go right into the federation of churches, and there you're trapped. We are living off of tax money that'll be paid in forty years from today. The nation's broke. Where's it at? Who's got the money? We haven't got it. Our bonds are no good. We've got to have gold. Who's got it? The Catholic church. What will they do? Before these whiskey men and all these great holders and stockholders will ever give it up, they'll absolutely sell out, and the church will loan the nation the money. And what it will do, it'll sell its birthrights right straight into Catholicism. Then what are you going to do? Amen. That's the gold of the world, them and the Jews, and that's the covenant that he makes with Israel. See, you Bible readers can teach that in your church. You see, I'm just showing you I believe the same thing.
Be not afraid 63-0607 P:76 The only thing that can save the people, they're afraid of it: Jesus Christ. In this hour of tragedy that we're in, when the church is just about ready to go into the federation of churches, ...
Influence of another 62-1013 P:54 I understand that everybody that won't agree and come into the international agreement of this fellowship that they're trying to form and unite all churches together, the federation of churches, that all that won't come in and unite with it, they're making them a little province; they're going to send them to Alaska. You might as well get ready for cold weather, 'cause it looks like it's coming. So what a disgrace.
Spoken word original seed 62-0318E P:194 Remember, there will be such a denominational gathering pretty soon; it'll be terrific. And they will bring themselves together into this federation of churches, and then this kind of a church will be put out of operation (as far as they know). It's at that time that Jesus will appear, and He will show which is Bride and which is not.
Spoken word original seed 62-0318E P:183 Remember, the tares, the weeds, are to be gathered and bound in bundles. Is that right? This has come to pass. The apostate organization churches is bound tighter than they ever was bound. They are bundled together in the federation of churches, ready for the fires of God's judgment. (I never wrote this; I feel that He did it.) Pentecostals are full of so-called... the same as them... The wheat-Word will be gathered someday after they leave for the Master's...
Spoken word original seed 62-0318E P:9 Now, there's many young people here. I don't know; Jesus may come this afternoon; He may come next year. I don't know when He will be coming. But remember, if I do not live to see that day of His coming--which I hope that I will, and somehow believe I will... Now if I do not see it, do not let this Word ever depart from your ears and your heart. See? Just remember, I speak in the Name of the Lord. Now, I believe with all my heart, that's the way it'll wind up. There will be like a union, a boycott. All such places as this here will be closed down. And you'll not be able to speak unless you got a permission or a license from this federation of churches to hold a service.
Hearing receiving and acting 60-0607 P:59 The carnal church is heading right towards a federation of churches. That's exactly right.
Hear recognize act on word 60-0221 P:102 See, we're at the end. The carnal world, the carnal church is at it end. Watch how it's heading up in the federation of churches, the United Brethren went into them, the Pentecostal is into them. All the rest of them organize themselves.
Hear recognize act on word 60-0221 P:100 Now, the church life is at the end, the normal church, the church, Now, this may stick just a little bit. But the church carnal, the Esau church, she's come to her end. What she doing? Heading up in the federation of churches, which will finally join with Romanism or with Catholicism to fight Communism. Pope John is calling for all the churches to come back, and they will. And they'll unite themselves together, just exactly what THUS SAITH THE LORD.
Questions and answers COD 59-0628E P:73 And now, that church was taken up, and the remnant of the woman's seed who keep the commandments of God and have faith in Jesus Christ (See?), not the bride, the remnant of the woman's seed... Then the dragon spurted water out of his mouth to make war with the remnant of the seed. That's when the Protestant church under the Federation of Churches, which is the image to the beast, which is now being formed... And there'll be a boycott upon all churches like this. Like we're in a great tax gathering right here now, a dispute, trying to say that we're not a church, and we got Constitutional rights to say that we are a church. As long as the Constitution stands there, no amendment to that, then we absolutely have the rights, just as much right as anybody. Our forefathers stood for that. But what have we done? We've broke every Constitutional law that they can break, and soon the Federation of Churches, which all the churches and denominations are invited into, and the Devil's got in and making worldliness and everything in local church members and so forth like that, and great congregations, and class, and society, when the little old church is still down yonder being borned again in a mess like any birth is, still paying the price, still getting down and dying out, acting the same way they did when they first got born at the day of Pentecost, same kind of a church down there... They'll be closed and shut out under the Federation of Churches. It'll be a boycott like a union or something. You'll either come in or you'll go out.
Unity one God one church 58-1221E P:24 Did you ever think of Catholicism and the Catholic church is trying to make every person Catholic? It won't work. It's under a manmade program. Did you ever think of the Protestant church under the federation of churches is trying to force all these little churches out? And it will happen, that you'll not be able to go to church unless you belong to the union of churches, then little places like this will certainly pay for it. But we got a Scripture that says, "Fear not, little flock, it's your Father's good will to give you the Kingdom." That's what we look forward to.
So brothers and sisters it does matter who you are in. And if you are not in Christ you will take the mark of the beast, that's for certain. For all who do not take the mark of God will take the mark of the beast. and we know there has got to be something to take the people out. We see a great falling away already taking place on two fronts. One by rejecting out-right what the prophet of God taught, and they have set the stage for leaving the message altogether and are in the process of going out. And the others will federate themselves together, and when they do they take the same mark of the beast as the Catholic church has taken. There is no difference. That Organizational spirit ends up taking the mark of the beast.
And what about you who are in Christ? How do you get there? "By One Spirit we are baptized into one body." Not two bodies, not three bodies, but one body which is the body of Christ, and Jesus is the head of that body. And so in Noah’s day it was most important to be IN the ark which was the Message for that day. Come into the ark or perish. In this Day the Message is come into Christ or perish. You must be in Him or you are going to perish one of these days.
Too many people have a carnal mentality when it comes to this Message or when it comes to being a Christian. They are comfortable with the tenets of their church, but they are not comfortable being in the fellowship of His suffering.
Last year I had a conversation with Br. Billy Paul Branham and I mentioned to him, “Br. Billy, my whole desire and what I feel God wants me to do is to get the people to see that the same God-Life that was in His son, is the very same God-Life that was in Br. Branham, and that same God-Life is supposed to be manifested in us.” and he replied, "brother, “That is the Message”, That is the Great Revelation of this hour". And as we have studied the Spoken Word is the Original Seed, that entire Message dealt with the Life in the Seed, and that same Life is to be in us.
Br. Billy Paul also said to me that his Father told him that if anyone wants to hear one Message that brings out My entire Message in one sermon, it would be “The Spoken Word is the original Seed.” He said "that one sermon is a compilation of all that I have taught.”
So we read from the Spoken Word is the Original Seed 62-0318E P:108 where brother Branham said, "Oh, people, God bless you. Hear me. I can't believe nothing but God's Word, and I want It to be my life, everything that I am. I want you to do the same. Let your walks, your talks, your moves, everything you do, be in the Word of God. Let the mind of Christ come into you, and that'll impregnate you with the Word. If you let the mind of the denomination come in, you'll be denominational pregnated. If you let the mind of Christ come into you, He can't deny His own Word, 'cause He's God. You'll be impregnated with the Word and believe It. I don't care if they put you out, kick you out, run you out, and every door is closed, you'll go just the same. Amen.
And also from The Spoken Word Is the Original Seed 62-0318M P:173 brother Branham said, "Now, it's rough, friends. It's very rough. I don't mean to be that myself. Yeah, I hope you understand that. See? But today I'm giving the expression of why I have did the things that I have done. Now, for just a little analysis before we dismiss for lunch is this: I want you to know that I have... This has been my motive, and my objective, is God's Word. My motive is to please Him. And I can't listen to everything and believe God's Word; neither can I listen to everything and please God. My motive is to know His Word and to please God by serving Him by His Word.
And so I was thankful to hear what Br. Billy Paul said, because so many in this hour have gotten sidetracked by the explanation of the doctrine that they have failed to realize that br. Branham taught us that “the doctrine is Christ”. So it’s not to know about Him, but rather to Know Him is Life.
Some think “if you have the right doctrine you have Christ”. No, That’s not what the bible says, it says if you don’t have it then you can not echo God, so you need the doctrine in order to echo God, but let’s face it, you can repeat the doctrine like a parrot and still not have Him who is the Doctrine. But I believe if you have Him, you will come to know the doctrine, because he is the Doctrine.
But to have the doctrine in your head and not in your heart is no good. Believe Him, and He is the Word.
Now, that sermon led us into Christ is the mystery no 45 Christ the pattern for all sons of which we have spoken concerning this topic on many occasions, and we used the following Scriptures for our text.
Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
In other words understanding the Godhead is not a theology, something made up by men, but it is the reality of a living and breathing God living in your very person.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
And brother Branham said the same thing in paragraph 100 of this Message Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed. 100 Now, down through the ages He has been slowly unfolding this mystery. Can you see now? Now, down through the... how that He... What happened in the prefigure now? He opened Adam's side and took part of his flesh, which was Adam, to make Eve. The Bride has to be the Word, for He is the Word. She cannot stand on creeds; She cannot stand on denomination; She cannot stand on good behavior; She has to stand alone on the Word, because She's part of It; She was taken from Christ. See?
102 "If ye abide in Me (the Word), My Word abide in you, then you ask what you will." because you and the Word are the same. He has the preeminence. He's got the rulership. You're a prisoner to Him. The world is dead. You have nothing more... You see the rest of the people living the way they do, but yet you do not do it. You're a prisoner; you're yoked with Him. "My yoke is easy." (Yoked with Christ, with His Word.) "I do that only which pleases the Father. And if you can't believe that I am He, then believe the Word." So perfect...
And so that lead us into Christ is the mystery no 46 Revelation or delusion and the sad thing is, that many people who claim to believe William Branham don't even know the difference between what a revelation is, or what a delusion is. And so they have opened themselves up to receive a delusion.
We took our text from paragraphs 120 through 122 where we hear brother Branham say, 120 Look, Christ in you makes Him the center of Life of the revelation. See? Christ's Life in you makes Him the center of the revelation. Christ in the Bible, makes the Bible a complete revelation of Christ. Christ in you makes you the complete revelation of the whole thing. See, what God's trying to do? What is the new birth then? You say, "Well, Brother Branham, what is the new birth?" It is the revelation of Jesus Christ personally to you. Amen. See? Not you joined a church, you shook a hand; you done something different; you said a creed; you promised to live by a code of rules; but Christ, the Bible... He is the Word that was revealed to you. And no matter what anybody says, what takes place, it's Christ. Pastor, priest, whatever it might be... It's Christ in you. That is a--the revelation that the Church was built upon.
121
You say, "Well, I'm a Lutheran"; "I'm a Baptist"; "I'm
Presbyterian." That don't don't mean [Brother Branham snaps his
fingers--Ed.] that to God, not a thing, not a snap of your finger. What is it? It's
Christ being revealed, and He is the Word. And when the Word is
revealed, It expresses Itself. See? That's God's purpose for Jesus
Christ, was to express Himself, to take His own laws and live by His laws,
and fulfill His law by death. Christ, God died in flesh in order to condemn sin
in the flesh that He might bring to Himself a glorious Bride, redeemed back, that
will believe only in the Word of God and not swap It, like Eve did, for
intellectual conceptions of men. You see it?
122
That's Christ's idea. That's God's idea. The new birth reveals this. And
if a man says he's born again and try to place these promises of Christ in
this last day to some other age, making Him Christ yesterday, but not today,
then that man or that person has been in a delusion by Satan. And if
that man says that he believes that, and it doesn't manifest itself through him...
Jesus said in Mark 16, "These signs shall follow them that believe... into
all the world and to every age." Casting out devils, and speaking with
tongues, and all of these great manifestations of gifts that would follow, that
they shall--not that they maybe, they ought to; they will. And heavens
and earth will pass away, but His Word won't.
Now, Revelation is a manifestation of divine will or truth. Notice it is not words, it is not just knowledge as though someone tells you something, or your mind understands something. The definition of Revelation is that it is a MANIFESTATION of Divine will or truth. Notice, Manifestation as in expression. So it is the invisible becoming visible.
Word become flesh India trip 54-1003M P:80 Now, you can express it by mental conception, but if it becomes a real revelation of God, that you see it before it happened, and express it in word form, that word takes a hold and becomes material: a thought expressed. Oh, my, how God could... See? If your heart and your mind is so, and infilled with God's Spirit, until your thoughts become His thoughts... Amen. There you are. When your mind, and your leading, and your guiding, becomes a direct place, or a direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit that's moving your mortal being... Oh, my. What kind of people should we be? If the very Holy Spirit has you so embodied or empowered, that you don't use your own thoughts, you don't use your own mind, you don't use your own opinion; but the Holy Spirit has you so built, until your thoughts and your being is God's Spirit expressing Itself through you, what kind of a church would we be? What kind of a people would it be, this morning, if this Branham Tabernacle, this morning, was so filled with the Presence of God, why, when you didn't even use your own mind, didn't even use your own thoughts, didn't even have no alternative of your own, but just to be led by the Spirit...?
So filled with God’s Words that our bodies begin to express God-Life within us. That is when God Word becomes manifested Word.
Now, the opposite of this Revelation is delusion. A Delusion is something that is falsely believed or propagated b : a persistent false belief regarding self or persons or objects outside of self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary;
Like saying John 14:12 is only for one person when there is hundreds of Scriptures and thousands of quotes to prove otherwise.
At the end-time we find two conditions exist. 1) An End-Time Revelation which is a Divine truth that has been manifested and the other condition 2) is the great delusion in which people believe the lie.
Which condition you find yourself in will depend on the condition of your own heart, your own election, and whether you have a genuine love for the truth.
The promise of the great end-time revelation we find in 1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
And again in Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of un-righteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are two words that are very important here for us to review. with all deceivableness of un-righteousness in them that perish
1) He says with all deceivableness: now, there is not an English word deceivableness, in the dictionary, but there is a word deceivable which means To cause to believe what is not true; to mislead and there is the suffix -ness which denotes the quality or state of being.
2) Of un-righteousness: un right wise-ness or not wise which means incorrectness
Notice that the attributes of these people is that they deceive using un-right-wise-ness or incorrectness in their doctrine. That is how they deceive.
The First Seal 63-0318 P:44 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness... (deceiving people by un-righteousness)... in them that perish;... (not this Bride, in them that's looking for such a thing)... because they received not the love of the truth... (And Christ is the Truth, and Christ is the Word, but they'd rather have a creed.,... that they might be saved. And for this cause God has sent them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:... (It should be translated there, as I looked in the Lexicon, "the lie," not "a lie"; "the lie," same one he told Eve.)That they... might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
From his sermon, God of this evil age 65-0801M P:33 brother Branham said, Making a strong delusion, as the Bible said it would (II Thessalonians), how this man of sin would come into existence and set in the temple of God, showing himself he was God and caused the people to go into strong delusion to believe a lie; and believe it will be damned by it. That's the same thing he did to Eve, give her... Never told her the Word wasn't right, but give her a strong delusion that she believed a lie. The spirit of delusion is of the devil, devils now working in the children of disobedient. Disobedient to what? What's the children of this day disobedient to? Like Eve was at the beginning: the true Word of God.
Paul said, Philippians 2:5“Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” But he also said, in Philippians 3: 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
So what gives us the ability to be Thus Minded is Revelation that comes from God. And remember Revelation means "Manifestation of Divine Will or truth". So we are dealing with manifested Word.
Now, to save time I am not going to go into no 47 at this time but skip up to number 49 and 50 which are as follows. Christ is the mystery no 49 The Voice of the Sign in which we showed that many people come up to the sign, (and a prophet is a sign to the people) and they will claim to believe the sign, but these same people refused to believe the voice of the sign.
Brother Branham said, "Many people loved it when Jesus came with miracles, but when he spoke, when he begin to teach his doctrine, that is when they turned against him." And to make things short, brother Branham said the voice of the sign is the doctrine that He brought.
And so today there are more than 2 million people who claimed to believe the prophet, and there is even a website called "believe the sign", and these guys are the biggest haters of William Branham today, And the reason is they never did believe the voice of the sign, they never understood it, and they fought the voice of the sign for years, so who should be surprised by their fighting the sign that they once claimed to believe.
The Voice of the Sign brother Branham said, the coming of a prophet was the sign that God is ready to speak, 'cause if God ain't going to speak, the prophet wouldn't be on earth. Now, remember that. He wouldn't be on earth, unless God was ready to speak.
And in 1982 I remember very clearly the words brother Vayle spoke at the Columbus convention, where he said, No prophet no God, No God no prophet. And told us that a prophet on the scene is a sign that God Himself is on the scene.
And brother Branham also said in Voice of the Sign "The coming of a prophet is a warning sign that judgment is at hand, always has been."
The Token 64-0308 77 He displayed His sign as Messiah, and so forth. And they, many of them, said, "Yes, I could go for that." Well, now, if that was a sign, there's got to be a voice of that sign. What was the voice behind it? When He begin to teach His doctrine and call them a bunch of snakes in the grass, He wasn't popular from then on (See?) when the voice came with the sign. The sign went first.
Notice what Brother Branham just said here. The voice behind the sign is the doctrine. But they do not want the doctrine, therefore, they do not accept the Voice of the sign. They claim they want the Word of God but they do not want the doctrine which is the voice of the sign.
And this led us to Christ is the mystery no 50 The great falling away where we took our text from paragraphs 138 and 139 where brother Branham said,
138 Just like all them other spies did that went over and looked at Canaan. They come over there and said, "Oh, we look like grasshoppers the side of them. We can't take them. The Amalekites, and all these--what they're going to do." And they went back. And Caleb and Joshua, being thoroughbreds (Amen!) by the Word of God, knowed God said, "I give you that land." They said, "We're more than able to take it." It depends on where you're born from. If you're born of the Word of God, God's Word has the preeminence in His Church. That's what He died for. That's His purpose, that He might be able to achieve to have His preeminence working in His Church. Let the Word of God shine forth first, no matter what anything else looks like. I don't care if the intellectuals says this, that. That has nothing to do with it. God's Word said so, and we're more than able to take it. "If I preached that in my church," a minister told me, said, "I'd be preaching to four posts in the church." I said, "I'd preach to that." That's right. God's Word said so. We can do it. God said do it. Amen.
139 Oh, here they excuse themselves by this. See? That's why they're blind to the Message of the end time, this last days when God is proving Himself.
And I would like to ask the same question, "how can a true believer have seen the vindication with infallible proofs of God's presence, God backing up what the Messenger says, and then find something to find fault with and stumble over it?"
How can that be? This is not evidence of a true believer, someone believing the sign? This is evidence of those who are totally lost. Those who the seed falls upon for a season and they rejoice for a season but when the trials come because of the Message they wither away, dry up and perish.
Let's bow our heads in prayer.