Christ is the Mystery no. 38

God’s Three fold purpose part 4

Her preeminence in His Word justifies her
November 7, 2012
Brian Kocourek

This evening I would like to continue with the three fold purpose of God as we continue to examine brother Branham’s sermon “Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed”. Tonight we will focus on paragraphs 82 and 282 where brother Branham speaks to us concerning our justification in Christ by believing His Word.  Let’s just read for ourselves what he says here.


  82   And the other night... If you didn't get the tape that I preached here one night on "A Prisoner of Jesus Christ--Paul, a Prisoner..." See? 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 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 knew 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 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.


  83   Then, this little fortuneteller one day, who he knowed... Paul knowed he had power to cast that devil out, but he could only do it as God willed it. Day after day she followed him, crying out after him, but one day the Spirit give him permission. Then he rebuked her, the spirit that was in her. See? He knowed what it was to be a prisoner.

  

84   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 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." He said, "Then take this, thy rod (God speaking; that's God's Word); go out there and point it toward the east and call for flies." And flies come into creation, because He had a prisoner that Pharaoh couldn't pay off with nothing. Nobody else could turn him no way. He was a complete prisoner in the chains of God's Word, bound up wholly to THUS SAITH THE LORD. Oh, if God can get His prisoners like that.


 85   Now, that's when He can express the preeminences. 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 preeminences 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, this evening I would like to again talk about this attitude of the real believer, because there are a whole lot of people out there who call themselves believers, and most of them are make-believers because they refuse to believe it like the Scriptures and the prophet have told it. We know brother Branham defined the make-believer as one who hangs around long enough to find fault. Well, that can be pastors as well as laity you know.

 

In this sermon, Christ is the mystery 63-0728 P:282 That we are studying, brother Branham said, “And through there God works His threefold manifestation. Going to the Kingdom, risen, paid the price, we're redeemed. God's proved it, vindicated it. See? And we stand justified in Christ before Him, because He cannot pass judgment, for He's already judged that Body in which I am a part of. What, how am I a part of it? Here it is; it's in me. "If ye abide in Me and My Word's in you, then what you say... Ask the Father anything in My Name it'll be done," because it's there. Justified... Glory to God.

 

I get emails all the time with brothers who seem to have the sole purpose in life to disagree with me and brother Vayle, and who want nothing more out of life than to try to prove us wrong, and show us that they know and we don’t. And most of the time it is some great MYSTERY they think they have found and all they really want to do is prove they are the only one who knows this great mystery and every one else is wrong.

 

Like this fellow from South Africa who keeps writing me almost several times daily and began by writing me to tell me that now that Brother Vayle and Coleman and Sothman are all dead, they will finally understand what the prophet taught because when they are over there in that dimension they will be straightened out. And he calls this the Brides judgment. I am sorry but the man who was wrong and went to hell only argued with Abraham about sending his brothers when Abraham told him, though one be raised from the dead yet they will not believe. Those brothers he mentioned did not agree with each other on what this Message is. And I know that brother Branham said if any man knows the doctrine it’s lee Vayle. But this guy persisted that he knows and we are all wrong.

 

I tried to be patient with him and show him where his error is, but he just won’t buy it. He just can’t seem to get over this idea he has that we must all be judged before the rapture, and so he has fashioned a little doctrine that has judgment for the bride before the rapture.

 

I think he sees Scriptures like Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: And also  2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

 

So if we are to all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, then what is that Judgment seat? Jesus tells us how we are to be judged and by what we are judged in John 12:46-48  I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47  And if any man hear my Words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50  And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

 

And this one, Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

 

So we are judged by the word, and if we receive the word and obey it, we receive the Mercy that is afforded us through Christ. But if we turn down the Mercy of God there is only left the judgment of God.

 

In fact we also see in 1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? So each time you come to church you are laying yourself prostrate before the Word of God to judge yourselves by that word. And if you hear it and don’t pay attention to it, you will have to be judged by it one day. But if you hear it, recognize it and act upon it, then your judgment is there in the house of God. And even in our own court system you can’t be tried twice for the same crime. So pay attention to the Word of God and act upon it when you hear it.

 

I told this brother our judgment is now, we must judge ourselves now by the very Word God came down with, but he seems to think there is a physical judgment we must all go to and then the rapture will come. I gave him quotes from  Brother Branham and from Jesus and he thinks because he has a lot of quotes talking about a great judgment, that this great judgment is not the white throne judgment but some other judgment.

 

From his sermon, Oneness 62-0211 P:105 brother Branham said, “This thing of this Council of Churches is nothing else in the world but a stir of the foolish virgin, to be left here on the earth for a picking for the antichrist. But the real church of God will float like old Noah did, and go on into glory just as sure as I'm standing here. That's why He's gathering them together. That's what the Voice is speaking forward today. That's what God's a-doing, is gathering one from Los Angeles, and one from Philadelphia, and one from Georgia, and so forth, gathering them together, His people that's willing to believe the Word of the living God. "As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the coming of the Son of man, wherein the few was saved, just a very few." All right, our Holy Ghost ark will float right above the judgments of God, 'cause we're already judged, as we've confessed Jesus, and He took our judgment.”

 

And from his sermon, Ten virgins preached in 1960-1211M P:23 brother Branham said, “Now, don't get the rapture of the church and the white throne judgment mixed up. Because the rapture of church, there is no judgment (See?); you done met it right down here. That's right. For they which are in Christ are free from judgment. Jesus said, "He that heareth My Words and believeth on Him that sent Me has Eternal Life and shall never come into the judgment, but has passed from death unto Life." How do we do that? We come into Christ and are baptized into one body (I Corinthians 12), one body. We're baptized into the body of Jesus Christ, and God has already judged that body. He could not stand us in judgment again, because He's already judged that body. And by the permission and grace of Christ He brings us into Himself: I Corinthians 12. By one Spirit we're all baptized into that one body, and free from all judgment, 'cause He's done stood the judgments. Oh, aren't you so thankful for Him. He took the judgments for us: no more judgment. But those who refuse to come into Him, that body, the mystical body... How do we get into it? By shaking hands? No. By letter? No. By some sort of baptism, water? No. By one Spirit, Holy Spirit, we are all baptized into that body.”

 

Now, I know there are some who will not accept anything that was preached before the Seals, so here is what brother Branham preached during the Seals, or right after preaching the seals, while under the same anointing of the Holy Spirit in which the Seals were delivered. Brother Branham said in Questions and Answers on the Seals, the following.

 

QA on the seals 63-0324M P:174 44. After the rapture of the Bride, when does the church that had to go through the tribulation period stand judgment? (It don't stand judgment.) Is it before or after the millennium? (For the church... Oh, I beg your pardon; pardon me ever who wrote this.) When does the church that... After the rapture of the Bride, when does the church that had to go through the tribulation period stand at the judgment? Is it after or before? After. The rest of the dead live not for a thousand years that didn't go with the Bride. Let's see.

 

And again brother Branham said in QA on the seals 63-0324M P:94 16. What happened to the born again believers who are in the various denominations but not in the Bride of Christ? What happens to them? Well, I think we explained that awhile ago. See? They go into the tribulation. They are martyred in the tribulation, come up in the last after the millennium for their judgment (See?), because the Bible said that the rest of the living... the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years was expired. Then there was a resurrection, and then come forth the both just and unjust and was judged by Christ and the Bride. He came to the earth with ten thousands times ten thousands of His saints (Is that right?), His Bride. Judgment was set, the books was open... Books was open, and another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life. He separated from there the goats from the sheep. Is that right? That had nothing to do with the Bride. She was standing right there in judgment with her Queen, the Queen and King together. 95   He came with His saints; ten thousands times thousands ministered to Him: His wife; then judgment was set. And then the sheep was separated from the goats. (You remember the other night me bringing that little meditation, so you'd understand it, "The Cowboy Meditation"? See? There you are.) No, they are... That's the...They,  the church, the people that's in denominations that are genuine Christians who's receives the message... And they will never see it. It'll never be preached to them. And those in a mixed crowd (who it is preached to), it'll go right over the top of their head unless their name was on the Lamb's Book of Life. That's right. But they will be good people, and they'd be raised up again and given trial, and be judged by the very group that preached to them. Don't you know the saints will judge the earth? They'll be preached to. See? They'll be preached to by the very same people witnessed to them of the message to come out of it. See? (I hope that explains it. I've got so many here that...)

Notice he tells us those who preached the Word to you will be the ones who will judge you if you do not accept that Word that was preached or testified to you.

 

And that is what Jesus said in Luke 11:31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

 

And again we see it in Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

 

And one more quote from QA on the seals 63-0324M P:35 Now, but see, you can't say those things; best to just leave it alone. And you remember the third pull; it said, "Don't tell nobody." What did I say was that... How many remembers that? Oh, sure. Remember standing there trying to lace that eyelet in that little shoe in the vision? He said, "You can't teach Pentecostal babies supernatural things." And I said this will be the third pull and it will not be known, so help me, by the grace of God. Now, now, we're right down at the end time now. Won't be too long until mercy seat will be judgment seat.

 

I finally had to put the brother on spam because every day he would write two or three times to argue, and say I don’t believe because I don’t see it his way. I don’t have time to do that kind of stuff, and who ants to fuss anyway. You will only see what you are ordained to see, so let’s face it, it all comes down to election anyway. As brother Branham said about his own daughter who refused to say the blessing over her food, “she knows better”. And whether she’s the daughter of the prophet or not she will have to answer unless she gets sealed in and is Bride, then she has already judged herself and will not have to go through the judgment.

 

Brother Branham said from his sermon, God's provided way 53-0613 P:21 But you already judged yourself. And when you reject Jesus Christ the Saviour and God, you don't have to be judged, you're already judged. Your attitude towards God's provided way has judged you. It's not necessary that any man would go to hell. And God don't send no one to hell. You send yourself to hell. God's done everything in the world He can to keep you from going to hell. And He let's you determine to go to hell. You fight over every barricade God puts in your way; you just go right on over it. "I don't believe in this. And I don't believe in that. And I don't believe in this." Just headlong...Now, there's a red light here in the city. And it turns red and green. That tells you when you can stop and go. If you run it, well, don't blame the city. They put the light up there for your protection. But if you run on through it, that's up to you. It's you brought your own judgment.

 

Scriptural signs of the time 64-0410 P:5 Now, we know that Jesus turned and said to him, "Elias has already come and you didn't know it." Now, wouldn't it be very sad, one of these days, if we find the church over in the tribulation period? Now, I'm not here to preach doctrine. I don't do that. I respect my brothers. But if you'll forgive me, let me just inject this just a moment. I, for myself personally, certainly I'll believe the church goes through the tribulation period, but not the Bride. The Bride goes home. See, God brings a Bride out of a church, like He brought a nation out of a nation in Egypt. See? The Bride...That's the remnant of the woman's seed. The elected, that's His business where He puts the pattern. But the remnant is what's cut off from the pattern. The woman's seed goes into outer darkness. Right. But not, not the elected church. It's already judged and purified, because it's in Christ. It don't have to go through anything else. The others has to go through judgment because they wasn't in.

 

Listen to what the Apostle John said about our going through the Judgment? 1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. And what is He? He is the word and so are we and we all know in John 17 Jesus said we are one because we have received the Word he received from the father and gave to us. Now, how can God send His Word through the judgment when he already did it in Christ Jesus. And we are complete in Him.

 

But rather peter tells us who is going to the judgment in 2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: So it is the unjust, those who have not received justification by Faith, by revelation, they are the ones the judgment is reserved for.

 

Again we see who goes to the judgment in 2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

 

And again in 2 Peter 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

 

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

 

John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

 

Jesus Christ same 61-0516A P:60 Abraham was the elected. And we all know that Christ is coming for a elected church; that the rapture is the remnant (we know that), the elected church. The others goes through the judgment. But the elected goes first in the rapture, because they cannot go into the judgment. Jesus said, "He that believeth on Me has Everlasting Life. He that heareth My words and believeth on Him that sent He has Eternal Life and shall never come to the judgment, but is passed from death unto life." Saint John 5:24. We are in Christ, already judged. God judged us for our faith in his Son, Christ Jesus. And by the Holy Spirit we're baptized into that body and become part of Christ, elected Church. Abraham represented the elected Church, just the same as the elected Church of his seed after him in this day. You follow it? Abraham, not only Abraham, but his seed after him.

 

Abraham and his seed after him 61-0423 P: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, Noah had to be in the ark. And as it was in the 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. And one of these mornings, there'll be a disappearing, and one of these nights, there'll be a disappearing; and the church will be changed and caught up to meet Jesus in the air. And woe unto this bunch then. They'll gnaw their tongues for pain, when the atomic sweeps into the nation, burns eyes out, and runs like water down, and tongues are gnawed for pain, and screaming, just one bomb bursting after another. You'll remember how much it was mental telepathy, how much it was a bunch of holy-rollers or fanatics. Remember, God knows what He's a doing. Yes, sir.

 

Seed not heir with shuck 65-0218 P:30 There is no judgment to the royal, spiritual, predestinated Seed of Abraham, for they are predestinated to Eternal Life. They have accepted God's provided Sacrifice, and that Sacrifice which is Christ, the Word. "And there is therefore now no condemnation (St. John 5:24, if you want the Scripture)... There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)... walk not after the flesh, but the Spirit." And Romans 5:24, "He that heareth My Word (the word there is 'understandeth.' Any drunkard anything else can hear it and walk away.)... But he that heareth My Word (understands My Word) and believeth on Him that sent Me hath Everlasting Life and shall not come into the judgment, but's passed from death unto Life." Yes, sir. He that this great mystery of the God made known, understand, how that God was in Christ reconciling Himself to the world, how that He and the Father were One, how that the great mysteries of the fulfilling of God taking and bringing Himself, manifested in the age of human beings, and in the strain of human beings, and in the company of human beings, to make His Word manifested in the day in the eastern rising of the sun and to do the same thing as the sun sets in the west, to make Hisself manifested in a Bride church, the Word made manifest. See? It will to... "He that understandeth (that is, to know), that's been revealed to him of Him that sent Me, has Everlasting Life and will not come into the judgment, but's passed from death unto Life."

 

Let us pray…