Desperation no 14

So humble you could miss it

April 13, 2016

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

Psalms 9:12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

Let us pray...

This evening we will pick up at paragraph 24 of brother Branham's sermon Desperation.

24 Now, God, the Creator, can make a set of lungs. I truly believe that we're on the verge (we are on the precipice, we are at the crossing over line) of one of the most mightiest things that ever struck the earth since the days...?... See? But now, we can only be known as... It'll be so humble. See? See, what man calls mighty, God calls abomination. But what man calls foolish, God calls mighty. See? But now watch it (See?); it'll be so humble that you'll miss, that you'll miss it if you've not got the Token there to examine it. You see? See?

Notice br. Branham said it is so humble that "unless you have the Token to examine it you will miss it."

Now, we know the Token is the Holy Ghost, and we know according to 1 Corinthians 2 that unless you have the Holy Ghost which is the Spirit of God, you can not understand the things of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for The Spirit (God's Spirit) searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God knows. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

You see, if you do not have the Spirit of God, how in the world do you think you will understand the things of God. There is no way you can, and God says right here in his Word there is no way you will ever understand the things of God without having His Spirit to do so in you. 15 But he that is spiritual (spirit-filled) judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Water of separation 55-0121 P:27 It's an individual affair, not of groups of people. But it's to you as an individual, that you yourself, as a sole human being might, notice, might forsake your own thoughts. As long as you have your own thoughts, your own ways, your ways are contrary to God's ways. And you cannot be right and think your own thoughts, for you've got to die to your own thoughts. Do you know that? Your thoughts, as long as you look at it, you look at it materially; you say, "Oh, well, that can't happen. It's just not reasonable. It's not sensible to even think such a thing."As long as you do that, then you'll stay in your same condition. You get to a place where you cannot think your ways, but come into Christ and think His way of thinking. Take His words. Then things begin to shape different. For you are dead and your life is hid in God through Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, that walk not after the flesh (what the flesh says), but walk after the Spirit.

Therefore, brother Branham is warning us that what is coming will be so humble and so simple that many will miss it because they have not the Token, and therefore have not the Mind of Christ. But God will give grace to those who are humble, adn make a way for them to see.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Psalms 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

Desperation 63-0901E P:24 Now, God, the Creator, can make a set of lungs. I truly believe that we're on the verge of one of the most mightiest things that ever struck the earth since the days...?... See? But now, we can only be known as... It'll be so humble. See? See, what man calls mighty, God calls abomination. But what man calls foolish, God calls mighty. See? But now watch it (See?); it'll be so humble that you'll miss it if you've not got the Token there to examine it. You see? See?

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, (You've hid these things from those whose understanding is based upon an intellectual conception) and hast revealed them unto babes.

In fact brother Branham said in his sermon, Curtain of time 55-0302 P:28 "Don't try to go away and get all these big educations and scholarships and know God. You don't know God by scholarships; you know God by faith. You believe Him, and God reveals Himself to you. I like that, don't you? He's made it so simple, so humble. Now, so humble and it's so simple, till the wise people can't understand it. It's so simplified, till the wise don't get it. They try to make it complicated to the church. They try to make it a great big lots of sanctifying things you have to do, and stop this, and do this, and all this, that, and the other, and... Why it's not at all; just believe it, and accept it, and that settles it. God comes into your heart, and He takes care of the rest of it. If He can ever gain a place in your heart, then the rest of it will take care of itself. I love that."

Psalms 69:32 The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.

Psalms 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

Queen of Sheba 58-0107 P:33 Jesus was so much human, so much man, just a carpenter's Boy, no education of the world that we know of, poor man. Where did He get this learning? He must've used "his, hain't, and tote, and fetch, and carry, like we would today, some--some grammar that wasn't polished up. Said, "What school did he come from? Where did he get any learning? Isn't this the carpenter's son?" Why, He's so human 'till, so real and so humble until it went over the heads of the people. They didn't understand it. If it would've been Caiaphas, the high priest, or some great polished scholar, oh, they'd said, "Yes, your honor, honor reverend father. Yes, we believe that."But God brings it down to humility, and it passes the heads of the people. That's right. That's the way He's always done it.

QA on the seals 63-0324M P:120 Now, look at John the prophet; he said, "Go ask Him, is actually He the One?" So humble till that prophet missed it... Said, "Is He the One, or do we seek for another?"Now, he never give Him a book for them disciples in Matthew 11, come and asked him when John's disciples... John was in prison, so he'd been all so scrupled up till I believe as Pember said, "His eagle eye got filmed over down there." You see? He couldn't... He done come down to the earth; he'd been up in the air. But when his prophecy was over, he dropped back down to the ground again.

Look at the way God uses man. God doesn't do things because man asks Him to do it. God does what He wills to do, not what you will for him to do. God used John the Baptist to bring forth an introductory Message of His Son. That's it, and when his introduction to messiah was over John came back down to earth so to speak, lest any man get puffed up and begins to think, "look what I've done", and takes credit for what God has done.

The human way is to work and work and work your way up until you can rest on what you have accomplished. But God's way is to do what He wills to do, and nothing more and nothing less. When he is done He will call you home. That keeps man humble.

Third seal the 63-0320 P:30 The Bible said that everything will be so great in that day even to all the high places will be made low, and all the low places will be brought up (Yes, sir.); and all the rough places will be made plain. Why, I can imagine seeing them out there think, John would come out, or this great forerunner of Christ, and just take all the desert and smooth it out and put it in grass again. See? Oh, then I imagine they had it all fixed up about like they have today. But it was so humble, even the apostles missed it. They said, "Well, why does the Scripture say... Is the... You're going up there to be offered up now; why does the Scripture say that Elias must come first?" He said, "He's already come, and you didn't know it." And the Son of man, they'll do the same thing; but, "John," He said, "did just what was listed for him to do, and they done to him just what they were supposed to do"; and said, "so must the Son of man be suffered." Why, there wasn't, I guess, one-third of the whole Jewish race ever knowed that Jesus Christ was on earth. They might've heard of some fanatic down along there somewhere, but they didn't pay any attention to it, just going on. "He came to His own, and His own received Him not."

Look, people want to think that William Branham was omniscient, but he was not, only God is omniscient. God kept many things back from his servant. God kept back his mother's death, God kept back his brother's death, and his father's death. God kept back the death of his wife and baby Sharon Rose. And the visions God gave him, he even said, many times I do not know what they mean, until I see them come to pass. and we know that God interprets His won Word by bringing it to pass. That is why there are so many prophecies in the bible. Something like 2,500. And when God brings it to pass, we can look and see the manifested Word and then go to or Bibles and say this is what God meant when he said this.

But we should never get ahead of the picture. Faith is a waiting game. we must wait until we see God's Word taking shape and then we will know that is what He meant when He said thus. And as brother Branham said, God brings His word to pass in such a humble and simple way that if we are not aware it will pass right bye and we will not even notice it.

That's why when the whole world says this is going to happen or this is going to happen because God's Word says thus, that tells me that it most likely will not happen that way. Because a vindicated prophet said, "when you think you have it all figured out, know one thing for certain, you don't."

Pride 55-0807A P:10 Now, as I was saying, the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, and it's written in such a way, that there's no way at all for man in his mental conception to understand what it is. No matter how well you get it wrote out, how well you can put it together, it's wrong to begin with. See? Because He's hid it from the eyes of the wise and prudent, and it's a spiritual revelation. Look at the Pharisees and Sadducees of the days of our Lord Jesus, how that they had it all figured out just to the dot, how that Christ would come and everything; and when He came, He come vise versa from what they had figured out, just to show that He's God. And it was... He did not come contrary to Scripture, He come contrary to their conception of the Scripture. But He come exactly the way the Scripture said, exactly.

God hiding Himself in simplicity 63-0412E P:70 God makes Himself so simple that He just goes plumb over the top of the... The wise are so smart, that little peanut brain, you know, they've got it all figured out, and you can't tell them nothing about it. The world can't rise, the sun can't shine, the world can't turn without their knowledge of it. You see? But God just moves right over the top of them, and just let's them set there. That's just the way He always does. Yes, sir.

World's Falling Apart 63-0412M P:25 The religious world then was looking for a promised Messiah. The Jews all would tell you, very staunch believers, "Sure, we've been four thousand years looking for a Messiah, and we believe that He's coming. Certainly, we believe it." The political world of that day were looking for a messiah, and all the rest of the nations, each one, was looking for the Messiah. And when He did come, they did to Him just like they did at other times. They was looking for something to hold them together in the days of Noah. And when God sent them a messenger, what happened? They turned it down. And they looking for it in all ages. That's the way it happens. They just... God will send it to them, and then they just... they turn it down. Because why? It doesn't meet their taste. See? They don't want it the way God wants to send it. They want it the way they want it. They've got it all figured out the way it must be, and if it doesn't come that way, then it isn't of God. See? That's the way it's always been.

Putting on the whole armor of God 62-0607 P:22 They just don't realize it. Yes, building great big roads and super things like that and trying to make the earth a better place and so forth; they don't realize that the meek's going to inherit it. So there you are. So just... See, God's got it all figured out for us. That's only thing we have to do, is just hold onto Him and just go right on if have all believing. That's all He asked us to do. He will take us right through.

God in simplicity 63-0317M P:209 Remember, friend, don't look for great big... You say, "God." He speaks of great big things. There'll come a time there'll be this, that, or the other, great big things... I hope you're catching what I'm talking about (See?), great big things... See? And oh, when this comes to pass, it'll be great, big like this, and it'll be so humble you'll miss the whole thing and just go right on. See? You'll look back and say, "Well, that never did come to..." See? Passed right over the top, and you never even seen it, just...?... See? It's so simple. See? God lives in simplicity to manifest Hisself in greatness. What makes Him great? Because He can simplify Himself. A big great man can't simplify himself; he's got to be a dignitary. See? But he ain't big enough yet. When he comes big enough, then he comes down like this (you see?), can humble himself.

And again from his sermon, Identification 64-0216 P:81 Now, sometimes faith is unknown to you. You got it and you don't know it. If you try to push yourself into something, you miss it. You go over the top of it it's so humble and simple. See? And He is a High Priest that can be touched by our infirmities.

And from Jesus Christ the same 63-0604 P:55 But you know, He don't always come the way we think He comes. See? He comes so humble. The people's got it all fixed up the way they want Him to come. And we walk over humility. And there's where you find God. Scientists today can send a man into space in an orbit, and walk over a blade of grass that he knows nothing about. See? Oh, you got to humble yourself to know God. You've got to get rid of your own ideas and just open up your heart and life to Him. Then He'll make Hisself known.

Third seal the 63-0320 P:66 Now, it's the same thing today when it rises on the scene. Now God said in Malachi 4 that He would send the message in the last days that would restore... Joel said, "I will restore all the years..." Everything that Rome eat up, and everything that the Methodists eat up, and everything the Baptists eat up off that original Pentecostal branch, God said, "I will restore in the last days." That's right. And He can send us such a person that will be... The only thing that God ever sent His Word to was a prophet, not to reformers, to prophets. It wasn't the hour for it. Now, it's getting to be the hour, and that's the reason we are watching for it to come. It'll be so humble and gentle and so...

We have seen His star 63-1216 P:82 They haven't got it today. They don't know what these things are, where they ought to know it, where the great heads of churches ought to be aware of these things. But God always works in the minority, and so humble that it goes right over top of them, they don't know it. But yet, He fulfills His Word like that. That's it. We get our own selves twisted up in these great big things, and we can't move. God, cut us free from them things, that we can see what hour we're living in. If God has to work through a dream again, He can reveal it to you. Certainly He can. We're living at the last days. Now listen. Oh.

Seventh seal the 63-0324E P:34 Now, could you imagine when this person comes on the scene, when he does, remember, it'll be so humble and things till the churches will miss it a long ways. And could you imagine the churches, still under the tradition of the reformers, would ever receive a prophet from God who would be firmly against their teachings and organizations? Now, there's only one person could fulfill that, only one spirit's ever been on earth that I know; it would either be... It would have to be Elijah in his time. And it was predicted that it would be, which is nothing but the Spirit of Christ. When Christ come, He was the fullness; He was a prophet; He was the God of the prophets. See, see?

Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

QA on the seals 63-0324M P:111 22. Would the Bride of Christ have a ministry before the rapture? Sure. That's what's going on right now. See? The Bride of Christ... Certainly. It is the Message of the hour (See?), the Bride of Christ. Sure, She's consist of apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors. Is that right? That's the Bride of Christ. Sure, She's got a ministry, great ministry; it's the ministry of the hour; it'll be so humble...

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Lift you up, there's your rapture, and it will be so humble that only the humble will be aware of it.

Fourth seal the 63-0321 P:103 Now, the last message they get is when this prophet that I've been speaking of, which I've been reading many books about it... And I know that real good sensible, spiritual thinking men know that that's coming. See, they know it's coming. See, they... But the trouble of it is, they keep saying, "We need it. It's going to be." And when it comes, then they'll be so humble they'll probably miss it just like they did the other time. That's right. People will write about it and everything, say, "Oh, yes. It needs to be," and then let it be showed right before them, and they just go right on. See? They've always done that.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

First seal the 63-0318 P:94 Now, look at Malachi 4 just a minute. Well, well, you just mark it down. He is a prophet and restores the original faith of the fathers. Now, we're looking for that person to appear on the scene. He'll be so humble, the ten millions times ten millions will... Well, there'll be a little group that'll understand it.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

God in simplicity 63-0317M P:128 The Methodists said, "When we shouted, we had it," but they didn't. The Nazarene said when they lived holy they had it, but they didn't. The Pentecostals said, "We speak in tongues; we got it," but they didn't. See, see? God unfolding Himself, not in sensations, no, that's... Sensations yet is with it. You see the place? He just gets it so humble till anybody can see it, if you don't try to inject your own mind to it (See?) and your own thoughts.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Sirs we would see Jesus 57-1211 P:57 But remember before this happens, the Church has to go. Amen. So we're at the end time. We're right in the shadows of His coming right now. I'm so thankful to see that He's come down to prove His Word if it's before a dozen, or before a million. But it'll pass right through the people, and millions will never know about it. It always has been that way, and it always will be that way. Then they'll wonder sometime, "Well, I didn't... I really didn't know it." Got eyes, but can't see. Watch Him now, as this woman touched His garment. And she received. Jesus looked all around, said, "Who touched Me?"Peter said, "Everybody's touching You."He looked around; He said, "But I got weak, somebody... Oh," He said, "it's you. You with the blood issue there, your faith has saved you. It's all over now." That was Jesus yesterday. And when He left He said, "A little while and the world won't see Me no more, yet you'll see Me, for I'll be with you, even in you, unto the end of the world."

Presence of God unrecognized 64-0618 P:19 I tell you, friends, just because that we're members of the church, or something like that, that doesn't mean too much to us. You better buckle up that armor. You better take that whole Word of God and hold onto It, and quit this Hollywood acting around here. It's got right into the church, and it's a shame. But Hollywood glows, just makes a bright light, and the church today is trying to compare with Hollywood. Christ is not in Hollywood. Christ is in the individual. Hollywood glow or... Hollywood glares, while the Gospel glows with humility. God ain't in these great fine fancy places and all this stuff that we see. He comes in in humility, in form of meekness and gentleness, pass right through. And if you're acquainted with the Word, you'll see It. He that has an ear to hear, "let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." See?

2 Chronicles 34:27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.

Door in a door 63-0223 P:61 Oh, surewe want Jesus. Certainly. We think we got Him, and all like that. But I wonder if that rapture could pass, and we'd be left alone one day, then wonder where it's all at, if it'd come by real secretly, you know. And that's what it's coming, like a thief in the night. Ninety-nine out of every every million, will never know the rapture takes place. It'll be gone and they won't even know nothing about it. Jesus said so. So that makes it right. See? Certainly. It'll come like a thief in the night and be stole away. Like that book I read one time. What was that guy? Romeo and Juliet, or something like that. See? He come and got her at nighttime. That's the way Jesus do. When the world's just lolling in sleep like the Bible said, the Laodicean age, He'll slip in and get that bride.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Lord just once more 63-0628A P:75 You know, one time Jesus was asked a question. He said, "Why does the scribes say that Elias must first come?"And Jesus said, "I say unto you, He's already come and you didn't know it."One of these days you're going to say, "Well, I thought the Church was going, had to do this, that, and the other. I thought there'd be a rapture. I thought..."See, it'll be a secret catching away. If He took one here in Hot Springs, and one somewhere else, and one down there, one there, will make up literally millions of those that come up out of the ground. And there's at least five hundred people, every day missed in the world, and we don't even know where they went to. See, the rapture's going to make up of all those who sleep in the dust of the earth, that's right with God. They'll say, "Well, I thought a rapture's take place.""It's already passed, and you knew it not. You're left." See? "Well, everything's going..." Yes, sir. It's a secret coming, the rapture is, comes to steal away. Like that book I read that time of (What was it?), Juliet and Romeo. He come at nighttime, when the people were sleeping in worldliness, and the church all in worldliness. And all of a sudden, the cry come, and away they went.

Absolute an 63-0127 P:57 We think this great big bunch of cannon fodder here, atomic ash, is going. It'll only go if it's got the Life of Christ in it, because God will raise it up. That's right. There'll be a rapture. You think. Two or three people here, and one over here, and somewhere else somebody come up missing, thought they'd run away from home, they... Better be careful; they might be gone. Looking for a rapture, and it already passed...Now, that isn't contrary to the Word. No, it isn't. He come like a thief in the night. See? They'd be gone before you know it. God places His great power out in the church. See, it don't take a great big group in; it takes a minority. "Fear not, little flock. It's your Father's good will..." You that's holding to the absolute (That's right.), with the confirmation of God working in it...

God in simplicity 63-0317M P:186 He's already told us this, the rapture, then judgments will strike: sin, plagues, sickness, and everything. The people will cry for death to take them when the judgment... "Lord, why is this judgment upon us when You said that there'd be a rapture first?" He will say, "It's already come, and you didn't know it.": God hiding Himself in simplicity. Oh, my. All right. "It's already happened and you knew it not." Why don't believers believe the simple signs of His coming? They're expecting all this things that's spoke of by the Scripture, and the moon's going to go down in the middle, the sun in the middle of the day, and there's going to be all kinds of things. Oh, if we just had... I got the notes wrote here on it (See?), to show what them things are, and we'll get it on the breaking of these Seals this week anyhow. See, see? There it is, just where it's already passed and you didn't know it. See? See if it is. If the Angel of the Lord will break them Seals forth to us... Remember, it's sealed with them seven mysterious thunders. See?

Let us pray...