Desperation no 45
Resurrection no 2 The place
August 21, 2016
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
Now, in understanding the Omega resurrection we must
understand some things about the Alpha resurrection first. Because if we do not
understand the first half of the first resurrection, then how will we ever
understand the second half of the first resurrection.
Last Wednesday night we examined the First Fruits,
because if you do not understand the first-fruits offering you will not be able
to place positionally the resurrection itself. In fact understanding the first
fruit offering you will see that it places the resurrection in its right time
and season.
Deuteronomy
26:2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth,
which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt
put it in a basket, and shalt go unto
the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.
Now, as alpha types the omega, we see God tell the
people that the first fruit offering is to be presented in the place where God
chooses to place his name.
Exodus
22:29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy
liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.
Now, God would never ask us to do what He himself
has not done. And we know that He gave His first born son as an offering to
Himself for our sins.
John
3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.
Therefore understanding the Feast of the first-fruits
and the wave-sheaf offering is critical to understanding what the resurrection
is all about. But also understanding other feast that Israel commemorated are
essential to know because the Old testament is a type and shadow of things to
come. In other words it is the alpha on which we understand the omega.
Before we go further into our study I would like to
lay out the Feast days that Israel commemorated that have to do with the time
of Harvest.
There are only five feasts that God gave the Israelites to commemorate, the
first being The Passover, then
Pentecost, and then the feast of Trumpets, followed by the feast of the Atonement, and
finally the Feast of Tabernacles,
or as I like to put it, the Feast of
the Tent. The Jewish people themselves celebrate several more feast
days than these, but these five feast days were God ordained, the others were
not and are simply the traditions of man. So there are only Five Feast
days which God gave Israel to commemorate as a reminder of their being set free
and their journey to the land of promise.
The first feast we are interested in is the Passover which took place on April
23rd, 2016. We know the Passover was when the Token (which was the blood of an
innocent lamb as a substitute Life for a Life) was applied to each home, and
the angel of death passed over those homes where the Token was applied.
The Feast
of Pentecost - is also called Shavuot
- or the Feast of Weeks: Falls on
June 12th
this year, 2016 and Pentecost is called by many names
in the Bible such as (the Feast of Weeks,
the Feast of Harvest, and the Latter First-fruits).
It is celebrated
on the fiftieth day
after Passover, which is what
Pentecost means, fifty. Shavuot
is a time of giving thanks and presenting offerings for the new grain of the
summer wheat harvest in Israel. The name "Feast of
Weeks" was given because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 23:15-16,
to count seven full weeks (or 49 days) beginning on the
second day of Passover, and then present offerings of new grain to the Lord as a lasting ordinance. Shavuot was
a time for expressing thankfulness to the Lord for the blessing of the harvest.
And because it occurred at the conclusion of
the Passover, it acquired the name "Latter
First-fruits."
The
celebration was also tied to the giving of the Ten Commandments and
is expressed as the "giving of the Law." The belief is that it was
exactly at this time that God gave the Torah (the Law) to the people
through Moses on Mount Sinai. It is interesting that the Word of God
is likened in scripture to a seed that was sown by the son of man, and it is
interesting also that this feast is expressed in the giving of the Law by God
to man through Moses. Because this feast has to do with the latter first-fruits
of the summer wheat. And wheat also is a type of the Word of God, and the good
seed which are the children of God.
The next Feast is in the Jewish calendar is the feast of Trumpets. It falls on October
3rd-4th, in 2016. It is also called Rosh
Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the first day of the Hebrew month
of Tishri (September or
October). It is the Jewish New year, or when the Jewish Calendar begins
each year. Rosh Hashanah or Jewish New Year is called the Feast of Trumpets in
the Bible because it begins the Jewish High Holy Days and Ten Days of Repentance with the blowing of the ram's horn, the shofar, calling
God's people together to repent from
their sins. During Rosh Hashanah synagogue services, the trumpet traditionally
sounds 100 notes. Rosh Hashanah is also the start of the civil year in Israel.
It is a solemn day of soul-searching,
forgiveness, repentance and remembering God's judgment, as well as a joyful day of celebration, looking forward
to God's goodness and mercy in the New Year.
We will see in the following quote from brother
Branham the
Feast of Trumpets pertains only to Israel.
From his sermon, Recognizing
your day 64-0726M P:18 brother Branham mentions several feasts that
coincide with the first-fruit harvest. "Now, we noticed last Sunday there was, preaching
the feast days... And there was a feast of Pentecost. And between the
feast of Pentecost and the feast of Trumpets there was a long period of time, exactly
fifty days between
Pentecost and the feast of the Trumpets. And fifty days, which
Pentecost means "fifty"; and it was the sheaf-waving, or the in-gathering, the first-fruits
of the harvest was brought in. And we see that it was in type back there with
the natural first-fruits, representing the first-fruits of the Holy Spirit
to be poured out upon the people. And we find out then that them fifty days was
received by the Gentiles, which God called from the Gentiles a people for His Name, the feast of the Pentecost.
And we have been going through that long feast of Pentecost. Now, actually from the fifty days
would be exactly seven sabbaths. And seven sabbaths represented the seven church ages to be
called in the time of the Pentecostal--feast of Pentecost, to call a
people from the Gentiles for His Name. Now, at the end of these seven Sabbaths which has been,
there was to be the
Day of Atonement, which was the Seven Trumpets. And the Seven Trumpets
was to call a day of mourning back for the sacrifice or the atonement. And we
find out then that Israel--the Seven Trumpets pertained only to Israel.
Feast of the trumpets 64-0719M P:101 How many understand what the Pentecostal feast is? It's
the first-fruit of the harvest, the first-fruit of the resurrection, the
Pentecostal feast. Don't
miss this people. And you on tape listen close. This
has been the time of Pentecostal feast. The Jews has laid silent; they rejected
it. Now, they've got to be called back to the Atonement. We know Who the Atonement was;
they didn't. And the trumpet sound after the Pentecostal
jubilee calls the Jews together. Can't you see how that trumpet of
persecution under Hitler and them blasted, and the Jews was forced to come
together to fulfill the Scriptures? Now, you got it? All that's got it say,
"Amen." [Congregation replies "Amen"--Ed.] Good. All right.
The next Feast day is the
Day of Atonement which
is also called Yom
Kippur and is the most solemn and important holy day of the Jewish
calendar. In the Old Testament, the
Day of Atonement was the day the High
Priest made an atoning sacrifice
for the sins of the people. This act of atonement which was presented as a blood sacrifice brought
reconciliation between the people and God. Yom Kippur is celebrated on the
tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishri (September or October). This year it
will be October 12th, 2016.
The Feast
of Tabernacles begins five days after Yom
Kippur, from the 15-21 day of the Hebrew month of Tishri (September or
October).
Since this is the Feast of the Tent that requires
All Believers to appear before the Lord, I thought it would be interesting to
see what the Scripture has to say about it.
Deuteronomy
16:13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
So you can see this is after the harvest has begun.
Deuteronomy
16:16 Three times in a
year shall all thy males appear before
the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, (That's the Feast of the Passover
which we commemorate every-time we take communion) and in the
feast of weeks, (which is the feast of Pentecost) and in the feast of tabernacles: (which
is the
feast of the Tent) and they shall not
appear before the LORD empty: 17 Every
man shall give as he is able, according to the
blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.
Deuteronomy
31:10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the
solemnity of the year of release,(the year of release is actually the
fiftieth year which is the Jubilee) in the feast of tabernacles, 11 When
all Israel is come to appear before
the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read
this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy
stranger that is within thy gates, that they may
hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do
all the words of this law:
13 And that their children,
which have not known any thing, may hear, and
learn to fear the LORD your God, as long
as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
Leviticus
23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel,
saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
Now, of all the Feasts that the Jews were commanded to keep,
there are three that are most significant to the Elect Bride of the end time. The Passover and The Feast of Pentecost which
is also called The feast of the first Fruits and
The Feast of Tabernacles are the three most significant for the gentile Bride to
be aware of. For the Feast of Passover represents the Token being given for every house to
protect them from the judgments that will come on the unbelieving populace. The display of the Blood of the lamb on each home kept
the angel of death away. and it had to be applied or it was of no effect.
The Feast of Pentecost or the firtst fruits is
significant because it deals with the time of Harvest and resurrection. The Feast of Tabernacles is also very significant because it is this Feast of Tabernacles
which is also called the Feast of Tents and it actually represents God's Presence tabernacling or
dwelling with His People. And any person who did not come to this Feast of Tents
during the time of the Feast of Tents was placed under a curse where the plagues of Judgment
would come upon them. That is a promise of God.
Deuteronomy
31:10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven
years, in the solemnity of the year of
release, in the feast of tabernacles, It is at this time in the year of Jubilee at the time of the feast of
the Tent that we are commanded to come into God's Presence.
In Zechariah 14:16 we read, "And
it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which
came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King,
the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be,
that whoso will not come up of all the
families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts,
even upon them shall be no
rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not,
that have no rain; there shall be the
plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the
feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not
up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Now, we are looking at the place where the
resurrection was to take place. It was to be in Jerusalem, and those who were
not there would miss it. That is what these feasts were typing. That is why
Jacob gave grave instructions to Joseph to remove his bones and bury them in
Palestine, the land of promise. Because the prophets knew that the resurrection
would take place in Palestine.
Entombment 57-0420 P:43 St.
Matthew 27,
that "Many
of the saints that slept in the dust of the earth, rose and come out of the
graves." Who
was it? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, those who by spiritual revealed revelation knowed that
the Redeemer would stand on the earth someday. That's them, the first-fruits of those that
slept. There
they walked in the city. I can see Sarah and Abraham, young, and full and
handsome, and full of life, never to be old no more, never to be sick no
more, never to hunger no more, walking around in their body.
So we see if you missed Wednesday night go back and
study it, because it laid out the purpose and plan of God in utilizing a first
fruit offering to coincide with the time of the resurrection.
We examined Matthew 27:50
the earthquake that shook the earth and the graves opening up and the old
testament saints which slept came out, but they did not come out until after
Jesus came out because there is an order to the resurrection. We saw that order
as the first fruit must come forth first and then the rest of the harvest after
that first fruit. And what blessed me so much is that understanding the first
fruits helped us to understand not only the first resurrection when Jesus came
forth as the first fruit, but it also helped me to understand that we have the
Spirit that was in Christ and have become the first fruits for his hour.
In his sermon Be not
afraid 61-0311 P:90. brother Branham quotes 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
and then tells us this speaks of an order to the resurrection. "I would not have you
ignorant, brethren, concerning those that are asleep, that you sorrow not, even
as others that have no hope. For if we believe that Christ died and rose again
the third day. Even so, those that sleep in Christ will God bring with Him.
For we say this to you in the commandment of the Lord." That we will not be
as hindered. It won't hinder us when we are
sleeping. And we
watch the order of the resurrection. The first thing, we get together, not
until we get together will we go together to meet Him. Mothers and
fathers will meet one another. Children and loved ones will meet one another,
and then be caught up in the air to meet the
Lord. And when we stand there, singing
redemptions songs, and Angels, with a circle around the earth will stand with
bowed heads, not knowing what they're talking about. They never was lost. They
don't know what it means to be lost and to be found. But, Lord, we know what it
means. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see.
Now, I hope you are understanding that there is a
lot concerning the resurrectiojn which we have been taught by not only our
being able to understand the things of God, because we have the Spirit of God,
but we also have a Message that God Himself came down with in this hour to give
us clarity of the things that are to come.
So we see that there is an order to the resurrection,
but we will not get into that until next week.
But the thing that strikes me the most is our being
prepared for that hour.
Brother Branham said in his sermon Rising of the sun 65-0418M P:38 that Jesus is the
first fruit of the first resurrection because he was the first son to come to
full maturity. I think those words are remarkable considering that we have been
preaching this revelation for 8 plus years without even knowing he said it.
Listen to his words from Rising
of the Sun. "Notice, It was the first Corn of God's wheat that had
been raised from the dead: God's first Corn of wheat, by God's Quickening
power. God had quickened His life, raised Him up from the dead, and He was the First-fruits of those
that slept, the
First-fruit. He was that Sheaf; that's why they had to wave that sheaf, for it
was the first One that come to maturity. And it was waved as
a memorial of thanksgiving to God, believing that the rest of them would come. And
it was a sign. And today, because He was the first Son of God to come to
full maturity to be in God, He was plucked up from the earth and is
waved over the people (Oh, what a glorious lesson.) by the Quickening power.
Now, as I said earlier, we are going to focus on the
place of the resurrection in the Alpha before we can hone into the place of the
resurrection in the Omega. So we hear again brother Branham from his sermon, Queen of Sheba 58-0208 P:63 "And when Joseph
died, he said, "Don't you bury my bones
down here, but someday God will visit you. You
take my bones out of this Egypt up yonder in the promised land and bury them." Why? Nothing wrote in the Word about it. But it was a
spiritual understanding. They knowed that first-fruits of the resurrection,
that Redeemer, that Job saw, would rise, and on Easter morning when He rose up,
there come Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the saints that slept under the dust of
the earth come out and went into the city and appeared to many.
And from his sermon, Go
tell my disciples 53-0405S P:26 "Then finally, and as we have took in the last
few days, for a background, of how that all the people, all the prophets of
the Old Testament specified their place of burial. Today you'll go to the
graveyard, many of you, put flowers on your loved ones or on their graves. Now,
watch this. All of the prophets of old, not having any Scripture to go by as we
have, any Divine promise of God, only through the leadership of the Holy
Spirit... "Men of old, as they was moved by
the Holy Spirit, wrote the Word of God." Each one of them, when they
died, they specified they wanted to be buried in Palestine. They did
not want to be... They died out of Palestine, many of them, but wanted to be
buried in Palestine, because God gave the first-fruits of the resurrection out
of Palestine.
Deuteronomy 11:24 God making promise to israel
that every place that the sole of their foot tread upon would be theirs. "Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall
tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and
Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall
your coast be." Notice God is telling them where to
place their feet in order to possess the land of promise.
And again in the book of Joshua
1:3 we read, "Every place
that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you,
as I said unto Moses."
From his sermon, Way of
a true prophet 63-0119 P:62 brother Branham said, "Joseph, when he
died, he made mention, said, "Someday the
Lord God will visit you." He's a prophet.
He said, "The Lord God will visit you, and
don't you leave my bones down here, but take them up in the promised land." Why? He knowed that the first-fruit of the
resurrection would come out of the promised land. That's exactly. Jesus,
when He died and rose up on Easter morning, the
Bible said that many of the saints that slept in the dust rose, and come out of
the graves, and appeared to many. Who was
it? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. Why? They were in the right place."
And again in his sermon, Why
little Bethlehem 63-1214 P:36 brother Branham said, "How about when Job
died and specified his burial place? Along came Abraham; Abraham bought the
parcel of ground to bury his wife, Sarah. And Abraham, when he died, wanted to
be buried with Sarah. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac, when he died, wanted to be
buried with Abraham. Isaac begot Jacob. Jacob died plumb down in Egypt, but he
made Joseph his prophet son swear by him with his hand on his limping hip, that
he would not bury him down in Egypt. Why? Said, "Take me up into the land,"
and there let him be buried. And Joseph, when he died down in Egypt, made
mention of the departing and Israel going out according to the prophecy, but
said, "Take my bones out of this land." Why? They knew the first-fruits of the resurrection was coming up from that
land, because Job said, "I know
my Redeemer liveth, and at the last days He'll stand upon the earth; and though
the skin worms destroys this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."
Again from his sermon, Israel
at the red sea 1 53-0326 P:45 brother Branham said, "I'm still banking
the same thing tonight: what God told Abraham, "I'll save you and your Seed." I believe it."Someday you're
going out of here," and they believed it.
And one day old Joseph's bones...Moses started out, the Holy Spirit spoke to
him, said, "You're forgetting something,
Moses. Go down and get the--the bones of Joseph."
Moses wrapped them up, and here he come, the Pillar of Fire leading him on to
the promised land, and buried them by the side of Isaac and Jacob. Why? They knowed there was coming the first-fruits of them that
slept. They knowed there was coming a
resurrection one of them days. They knowed that Just One, that Job said,
"I know my Redeemer liveth, and at the last
day He stand upon the earth." And they
knowed that Job had an idea where He was going to stand, so he said, "Bury me here." They
wanted to be with Joseph, or with Job, and they buried right around there in
Palestine, because that was the promised land. And they knowed the
resurrection wasn't going to be in Egypt; it wasn't going to be in Europe; it
wasn't going to be somewhere else. It was going to be in Palestine, so they
buried them there.
And in Glorified Jesus
55-0225 P:42 brother Branham said, My, how that those old Hebrews look into that
casket, and see those bones, and know that someday they'd go out of there. Then
when Moses come to take the children of Israel back to the promised land, he
gathered up the bones of Joseph, and took them before him, and took them
back over to Palestine, and buried them in Palestine. I wonder why? Spiritual
revelation. Look, those prophets knew that the first-fruits of the
resurrection would come out of Palestine, not out of Egypt, Palestine! The resurrection wasn't coming
to Egypt; it was coming to Palestine. That's the reason they
wanted to be buried in Palestine. And that's the reason that I said bury me in Jesus.
For those that are in Jesus, will God
bring with him at the second coming. No
matter what the world's got to say about it, let me be dead and buried in
Christ. Hallelujah. Spiritual revelation...
Now, I have read several quotes this mornign showing
you that in the Alpha resurrection, those who went in it were aware by
revelation that there would be a resurrection one day, and they prepared for it
by being buried in the place where the resurrection would take place which was
Palestine. And as it was in the Alpha, so shall it be in the Omega. And in this
hour only those who are buried in the right place will come up for the
resurrection in the Omega. So you had better know where you should be buried.
And the Apostle Paul said if we are buried in Christ
we shall be raised with him.
Romans
6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by
baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life.
Colossians
2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him
through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Putting on the whole Armor of God 62-0607 P:55 "But He said, "Children, you go out here and be baptized in my Name now. And
I want you to confess your sins. And you go and you wait up there at the city
of Jerusalem, and I'm going to give you the earnest of that. I'm going to give
you the earnest of your salvation." You
know what the earnest is. It is the down payment. It's some of it... It's
just a little bit of the real. "Now, I
will give you the earnest of it." And
then they waited until the day that it came, and they received the earnest of
their salvation. Now, think of it friends. There's no more. We're on our
road. Where? To a promised
land. Journeying--with what? The evidence. Our Joshua has come back.
Glory. And we have the evidence. For once we were in sin and trespasses,
but we died to the things of the world. And we are buried in Him and raised with
Him in His resurrection. And now, we're up
above them things, passed from death unto Life. We're living in it, the evidence. How
do you know He lives? Well, I'm living above that, already raised up from that,
done tasted the
first-fruits of the resurrection. That's it. That's what I'm talking
about.
Colossians
3:3 For ye
are dead, and your life is hid with
Christ in God. 4 When
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall
ye also appear with him in glory.
2
Corinthians 4:14 Knowing that he which raised
up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with
you.
Now, from brother Branham's sermon Planting the vine and where to plant it 59-0920 P:31 he
said, No wonder
they're odd and peculiar people. No wonder they act strange. They don't have no
more affairs of this world, for they are dead
and buried in Christ, and are raised to a new
life to be the first-fruits of them that enjoy the spiritual resurrection.
From that time 62-0713
P:26 Now, even to
this day, that same Holy Spirit that has lifted us up from a life of sin where
we once live... And we've already dead in Christ, buried, and raised with
Him in His resurrection, and setting now in heavenly places with Him
(Amen.), watching Him work among us. Why? Why ain't I out yonder amongst
the denominations? Because it's those that are dead and buried in Him, and
raised with Him in His resurrection... And now, not we will be, we are
now in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, looking back to where we once come
from: a direct evidence that we received part of it because we are dead, and our life is hid in God through
Christ, and already
raised again in the resurrection with Him. Amen.
Listen brothers and sisters, I don't think you are
even getting what he is saying here. he is saying the evidence that you will go
in the resurrection if you pass over, or the evidence that you will be there in
that tent for the resurrection ministry is that you have already raised with
Christ when His Spirit quickened your mortal body.
Easter seal 65-0410 P:23 I'm
wondering today just what's happening. Are we really getting the people to God,
or are we just getting them to church? We must get them to Christ, where
this quickening power. It's good to go to church, sure. If that's as far as
we go, it's not far enough. When you come to church, that's good; but go on to
Christ from the church; because we must receive this quickening power if we
ever expect to be in that general resurrection, because it's the only thing
that will ever bring us from the dead. "For if this spirit that raised up Jesus from the
dead dwell in you, it'll also quicken, make, bring to life your mortal bodies." What a promise to us.
Romans
8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his
Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we
are debtors, not to self, to live after self. 13 For
if ye live for self, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds
of self , ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God.
Rising of the sun 65-0418M P:31 Now,
the very essence of the Message that was sent that, "He is risen from
the dead," we, His beneficiaries, we, who share the resurrection
with Him, draw benefits from this by proving to the world that He is alive.
We cannot do it by word only; we cannot do it by some tradition of man; we
only reflect exactly what we're pointing to. I'm afraid today that too many
of us are not getting people to Christ. We're getting them to a church, to a
theory, but we must get them to Christ. He is the only One, and the only One
that has Life. "He that has the
Son, has Life." And if the life of a man that's dead
be projected in you, you will live the same life he lived. If
the blood of a man was a certain type, and you took the blood from one man and
changed the blood of the one man into another, he'd absolutely be that typed
blood. And if your spirit that's in you is reckoned dead, and you are
anointed with the Life that was in Christ is upon you... Romans
8:11 says, "If the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead
dwells in you, It'll also quickens your mortal bodies," that same Life, them same powers, them same
beneficiaries that He had here on earth from God. He redeemed you, a seed that
was foreknown by God, whose names was put on the Lamb's Book of Life before the
foundation of the world. And that Gospel Light of the resurrection, the
confirmation of the Word... How did we know He was the Christ? Because He
proved what He talked about. How will I know the Message of the hour?
God proves what He promised and He talks about it.
Show us the father 62-0722 P:52 And when you are planted into His death, burial,
and resurrection--planted in Christ, and receive His Holy Spirit
Life in you, everything that you've got need of all the way through the
journey is in you right then, for you become the Seed. See it? God in
His Word. Now, what does a tree have to do? When you plant it, the only thing
you have to do is water it, and then it's got to drink. The leaves are in it;
the apples are in it; everything's right in the tree. But it's got to drink.
It's got to drink more than its portion. And as it drinks, it pushes out,
pushes out leaves, pushes out blossoms, pushes out apples. But it's got to
keep drinking, drinking, drinking, in order to push out. And when we take a
promise of God, drop it into our heart, we keep watering it with faith; and it
keeps pushing out, pushing out. Hallelujah. When Christ is planted in
our heart, the Holy Ghost, the only thing we do is drink in the Word of God.
And it pushes out salvation; it pushes out Divine healing; it pushes out
glory; it pushes out everything that we have need of; is right in us when we're
planted in Christ Jesus.
And that means that we need not worry about the
resurrection, nor worry about being there for the resurrection ministry, for we
are already raised in Christ. That is why it is not necessary for us to die and
be buried, because we are already buried in Christ, and we know just as the old
testament saints knew where we must be buried. They had to be buried in Palestine,
but we have to be buried in Christ. And you can't be buried unless you have died
first.
Broken cisterns 65-0123 P:33 What it is, it's got to be a fellowship, and not a
fellowship of some creed. But a fellowship in Christ by the power of His
resurrection, that's the thing that brings Life. It brings birth. And
before birth can
come, we realize there has to be death before birth. And a birth
is a mess; I don't care what kind of a birth it is. If it's in a pig pen, or
wherever it is, it's a mess. And so is the new birth, it makes you do things
that ordinarily you wouldn't think you would do. But when you're ready to die to yourself, then you're
borned again, a new creature in Christ Jesus, then things open up
and life becomes a new sight to you, because you've accepted the Person of
Jesus Christ, and not some theory or some creed. Or even to the written
Word, It's got to be
quickened by the Holy Spirit. No matter how much theology you've
got, it's laying there dead. I could have a handful of wheat; until it gets
into the process to where it can be quickened, the wheat will never live. And
you can have a doctor's degree, Ph., LL., whatever you wish to; but until
the Holy Spirit comes upon that and quickens it to you, as a personal
experience with God, then the wheat does no good. Your learning is in
vain.
Jehovah Jireh 57-0326 P:104 Now, don't be excited; don't rush to come here;
don't try to touch, push; just look, and live. God made the promise; you're
the children of Abraham. Now, if God made the promise, then here's what
it is. He promised that whatsoever
things you desire when you pray, believe you receive it, you shall have it." The things that I do shall you also." After the resurrection, He, if He was
supposed to do, that Spirit that was sent back that was in Christ to come on
the church, was to do the same works that Jesus did when He was here on
earth to make the covenant of people exactly the same with the body.
This is the physical
Body of Christ now. And when it is resurrected, it goes to meet its Mate, Christ
Jesus, as Husband and Wife or as King and Queen. It's the same material that was
in that Body is in this body of believers. The same Spirit
that was in Christ is in us, doing the same works if Christ keeps His Word.
Rising of the sun 65-0418M P:33 A Easter morning, not only did He raise, but His
beneficiaries raised with Him. They were in Christ at His crucifixion;
they were in Him at His resurrection. We are His beneficiaries, quickened
after being dead in darkness, in a darkened world of unbelief, where churches,
and denominations, and so forth had drawed us out; and there's something in us
calling, "Oh, we want God; we're hungering and thirsting for God." We
join the Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, and whatmore, and
still there was something wrong. We just couldn't find it yet. And all of a
sudden, while we was groping in darkness, the great resurrection came to us in the manifestation of
the promised Word of God, like He was the manifestation of the
promise Word of God. "I will not leave His soul in hell, neither will I
suffer my holy One to see corruption." He manifested it, every Word of God
that was promised to Him; He proved it when He raised on the Easter morning.
Jesus Christ the same 62-0718 P:35 Then we have an earnest of our inheritance.
He's told the church, "Go up there to Pentecost, up to the, ten days up at
Jerusalem, and wait up there so long. I'm going to send you the earnest of
this great land." And we confess our sins, and we die to ourselves,
and we rise with Him,
and we got the evidence.
Look where we were. Look where we are. Amen. See, we were once down there. Now,
we're up here, already holding the evidence that we are dead and buried in
Christ, and raised again in the resurrection, and setting tonight with Him
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Oh, my. Every devil, every sickness, every
disease, everything is conquered by Him. He's that mighty conqueror. You
don't have to conquer anymore. It's already conquered. We're already dead.
We're already risen
(Amen.), already raised from the dead. How many in here feels that way
tonight? Just look here. Already
raised from the dead, you once were dead in doubt, trespasses,
doubted the Word of God, doubted It to be true.
Israel at the red sea 1 53-0326 P:47 Therefore today, brother, you can have whatever you
want to, all the old cold formal religion you want to, but bury
me in Christ, for those that are in Christ will God bring with Him in the
resurrection.
Say whatever you want to, and call it fanaticism and whatever you want to do,
but just let me stay in Him, for those that are in Him is coming out of the
grave on the resurrection, for God shall bring them up. He promised to do
it. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him.
What house will you build me 65-1121 P:23 Dear God, I'm thinking of another great time
coming, and that'll be the resurrection, when the old-timers will come
forth first, saints, the patriarchs. "For we which are alive and remain shall not prevent
or hinder those which are asleep; for the trumpet of God shall sound, and the
dead in Christ shall rise first."
Then when we see that great, just those people going, marching up through the
skies; and we'd be standing, waiting for our change, knowing that we'll fall
in line also, God, make us faithful soldiers. Only those who have really
associated and been in the war would know what that really meant to see those
tanks rolling by. And, God, we think that those who've been in the battle of
life will know what it means when we're waiting our turn to fall in position
and place in the resurrection, to go up.
God's provided place of worship 65-0425 P:62 Now, remember, in Christ we are flesh of
His flesh, bone of His bones. When God wounded Christ at Calvary, He was
wounded for me and you. We are flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bone,
body of His body, Name of His Name, Bride of Him. See, we are in Him;
we are His flesh and His bones. And God has already raised us up
potentially. The Quickening Power that raised us from a life of sin, and
changed our being, it has potentially raised us up in Christ Jesus, which the resurrection will
bring us forth in the fully maturity.
What is the Holy Ghost
59-1216 P:75 How many
knows that we have got to be in Christ in order to go in the resurrection, because it's His Body that God promised
to raise up? There's no other way; there's not another way. If you're
outside of Christ... You might look back here and believe on Him, say,
"Sure, I believe Him. He's the Son of God." Good, my brother, I'm
ready to shake your hand when you say that. "I believe on Him. I'll confess
Him as my Saviour." That's good, but you're still not in Him.
"I'll shake hands with the preacher. I'll confess my sins." That
still ain't in Him.
And how do you get in Him? You have to die to self and
be buried with him, and if you are buried with him you shall also be raised with
him.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with
him.
Identified with Christ 59-1220E P:38 But, oh, I'll be thankful all through eternity to
one day I read about Jesus. That satisfied me. I want to be like Him. That's my
desire, to be able to turn the other cheek or go the second mile, to be able to
forgive when the odds is all against you, hold nothing against anybody, though
they're mistreating you rightfully--or wrongfully for your right doing, but
still love them. That's the way I want to be. I want to be that kind of a
person. I want to be able that when I'm railed upon I would rail not back.
That's the kind of a Example that God gave us in Jesus Christ. We ought to be
identified with Him. We are..."How do you become identified with Him?"
You'd say, "Brother Branham, now, to get... You have to dress like the
Hollywood stars and do these other things." But how do you become
identified with Jesus Christ? First, you repent of what you already have done.
And then, you're identified with Him here in the pool. No doubt but what
many will be identified with Him in a few minutes. In the pool you are
identified with Him in baptism, for if we are buried in Christ we are
identified to His death, burial, and resurrection. That's why we are
baptized. We go down into the water, come back up to witness that we believe in
the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And if we be planted in His likeness in His death, God gave us a promise: we'll be like Him in the resurrection.
Junction of time 56-0115 P:42 There He walked to the grave, Omnipotence
manifesting here among us, living with us, God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Here He lived with us, God proving Himself
through His Son, Christ Jesus, He was omnipotent and miraculous. And if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He said, "I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I'll
be with you to the end of the world." How can we look for anything else, but when
He speaks, for the miraculous to happen. How can we expect anything else? So
here He goes down to the grave a weeping. And then Omnipotence gathered Itself
together, and He spoke, "Lazarus,
come forth."
And a man that was already rottening; the nose had fell from his face in four
days; the skin worms had done set in. Corruption knew its master. Hallelujah.
He give back the life of this dead man, and a man that was once dead stood on
his feet and lived again, the miraculous. "I am the Resurrection and the Life," saith God. "He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die."
Look, that is His promise. and If you believe it you
have already passed from death unto life.
Resurrection the 53-1205 P:62 One of these days God will press the button, and
some of these shackled down people with worldly lusts and pleasures will be
left here, and the cold, formal church members will lay there. But them who
were born again, them that are in Christ, will
God bring with Him in the resurrection, going in yonder to the big molding pot. And these
old, frail bodies will be molded in it and made into His own glorious likeness.
Why wouldn't it make a man shout? Why, it'd tear you to pieces. That's right. I
thought of how glorious..
Faithful Abraham 61-0312 P:53 Now,
the church that professes to be a Christian church, will have to have that
same Spirit that was in Jesus Christ. For at the resurrection of the
church, Christ and His Bride will come together and dovetail. The writings
and promises of God will be made fulfilled there. So it cannot come together
unless the same Spirit was in Christ is in you and me. And then
if that same Spirit is in there, It'll do the same works, and live the same
kind of a separated life, and do the works that He did. The Bible said so, all the way to Genesis confirms it. Genesis is the seed chapter. "Genesis" means "beginning." Here it is
confirming. Would that not make us all happy? Would not that make a sinner...
It ought to be striking. It ought to make a church member come to Christ and
stay until he's filled with the Holy Ghost. It's the only promise of the
rapture, the only way that the church and Christ can come together, the very
Spirit.
Christ
is the mystery 63-0728 P:252 His body was not
held in the grave, but was recognized with Him in the resurrection. Do you get
it? Then the Body of His believing children will not be held in the grave
when He comes, but will be recognized with Him, because He died for the purpose
to resurrect His Bride, the Body. Recognize, because it is His Body, because it's the Word.
It's so completely yielded from denominations and things to Him, and He is
the Word. See? And it's
recognized with Him because now we have the first-fruit of our resurrection by
know that we've passed from death unto Life, become prisoners of
His, and God proving to us by His personal Headship that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, by doing the same things through the Church that
He did then. He in me, and I in Him, and you know, and so forth. That's right.
His body was not held in the grave, recognized with Him in the resurrection,
same as He is now.
Token the 64-0208 P:69 He
could not go into a house, the death angel destroyer, and take one out. He
couldn't do it, because there was the blood of the lamb, the requirement of
Jehovah. And the requirement of Him today is the Blood of His own Son Jesus
Christ, and the Token of the Holy Ghost. If we haven't got it... We might
be Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostals, whatever we might be. We
might shout, scream; we might be, oh, so educated. That has not one thing to do
with it. You must
present the Token. Then you're a subject for the resurrection, because the
resurrecting power is already in you. The Token is the
resurrection power, showing that Jesus raised up from the dead, and you are
raised from the dead, the dead things of unbelief, and have been made alive
in the Word of Jesus Christ. You believe it, and the Word lives through you.
Let us pray