Faith no 31

Faith is The Key to understanding the things of God

Sep 6, 2017

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

This evening I would like to focus our thoughts on the fact that you cannot understand the Scripture nor the Message of the hour unless you have been given the Key from God to do so. For the understanding of the Scripture itself has been hidden from man and there must be a key to open that Scripture to you.

Jesus spoke of this key in Matthew 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Now, some people believe that the key itself to revelation is God's prophet himself. But then which prophet? Jesus said, "Oh fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken." That is not prophet singular, that is not speaking of just one prophet, but that is prophets plural. There is an "s" at the end of prophets making it mean more than just one. In other words that is the entire Bible from cover to cover. Oh fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

I've heard br. Billy Paul use a certain illustration to get this point across, and tonight I will do the same. He said if you going to hit your target with your gun you should use both the sites that come with the gun. Your gun has a front site and it also has a back site and you must line both of these sites up if you are going to hit you target. If you try to look through just one site you are going to miss the target. And we have by God's grace today a front site which is this Bible, and a back site with is the Spoken Word of a God's vindicated prophet.

But I am afraid many people denominational brethren use only the front site but have rejected the back site or the Spoken Word and thus when they look through the front site only they are missing the target and do not know that they are missing the target. And they become off target when it comes to understanding the things of God.

On the other hand we have people today also who wish to only look through the latter site of the Spoken Word tapes and do not line them up with the Scripture and are also missing the target as well.

But you must look through both sites to hit the target or to understand the Word for the hour in which we live. And you cannot do it by using just one or the other. You must believe all that the prophets have spoken.

Now, I do not blame many of the brethren for rejecting those who call themselves a five-fold ministry because many who call themselves that are either not living up to the role or a true five-fold or they are not lining up their teaching from both the Written Word and the Spoken Word, and they have themselves gone off the target which is the revelation of Jesus Christ and have begun to focus on taught all sorts of funny and strange doctrines.

You must use both sites, the written word and the spoken word or you will miss the Revelation of Jesus Christ. You cannot say that you can accept one gift that God sent to the church and reject the other gift that he has sent. And we know God sent his prophet as a gift to the church but he also sent a five-fold ministry as a gift as well, which is for the perfecting of the church.

But the key to revelation is having the Holy Ghost because if you do not have it and yet you think that you have it, you will never understand the things of God, period.

The things of God are hidden from man, and without the Holy Ghost you just cannot understand what the plan of God and the bigger picture is.

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

So we see the wisdom of God is hidden in a mystery but it was given for our glory. So we need to obtain it regardless if it is hidden or not. And that is the key right there, do you have the Holy Ghost?

This same apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear has heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has 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. (Therefore he is saying that the very reason for us to receive the Holy Ghost is to understand the things of God) 13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (comparing the Spoken Word with the Written Word) 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.

In other words, unless you are filled with the Spirit of God you will have no clue what the things of God are. So the key to revelation is do you have the Holy Ghost, because if you have the Holy Ghost you will be able to understand the things of God.

Jesus himself told us that unless you are born again you will never understand the Kingdom of God.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

And brother Branham taught us that to see means to understand.

It shall be even as it was told me 50-0818 P:23 Anyhow, "to see" doesn't mean "to look at." The word "see" means "to understand." Jesus said, "Except a man be borned of water and Spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." In other words, he can't understand the Kingdom of God until he's borned again. See? You have to accept it by faith. And then when He comes into you, you understand it.

Again we see in 1 Peter 1:23 That you are born again by the Word of God coming into you as a seed bringing life. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

And then the Apostle Paul gives us a certain test when he says in 1 Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Now, that was the apostle Paul, that was the alpha ministry, that was the front site, the written Word. But now in the Omega ministry, in the back site so to speak, the Spoken Word, we hear brother Branham we hear brother say in his sermon Thinking man's filter 65-0822E P:55 he said, " Now, if you want the evidence of the Holy Ghost, there it is. When that soul of yours will line with the Word of God in every respect, it shows you've drawn your life through the thinking man's Filter, God's Filter.

You see in your soul you are lined up with the Word of God in every respect, alpha and Omega, the Written Word and the Spoken Word. If you try to look with only t

From his sermon, Queen of Sheba 61-0219 P:19 brother Branham said, " If you notice, Peter, by revelation, was given the keys to the Kingdom, because God knowed that he had the revelation of the Scripture. For He asked His disciples in whole, "Who does man say I the Son of man am?"And one said, "You're Elias." And the other one said, "You're the prophet." And one said "Moses."He said, "But I'm asking you, Who do you say I am?"And Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."And Jesus said, "Blessed art thou, the son of Jonas: flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father which is in heaven. (See, it was a revelation.) And upon this rock I'll build My church; and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it." See? It was a direct revelation that had been made known to the apostle, that He was the Son of God. Now, if the church of God still exists, then those in the church has come in there by spiritual revelation, because that's how we come into the church. But many of us try to come in through doctrinal theology, and so and so, and all right. Which I speak nothing against that. But I'm trying to differentiate between what is really truth and what is part truth. The revelation that God reveals to you that that is His Son Who died in your stead, then that's the revelation, Who He is.

So it is not just revelation in general but the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Paul said in Ephesians 4:5 there is one Faith and One Lord, and that one faith is the revelation of that one Lord.

Nothing else is important. Nothing else constitutes a new birth. people can fuss over this doctrine or that doctrine but there is only one Faith and that is the faith of that one Lord.

So many people say God revealed this to me and God revealed that to me, but there is only one revelation that matters and that is the revelation of Jesus Christ, and that is Who He is.

Godhead explained 61-0425B P:61 Now, Matthew 28:19, and if Matthew 28:19 contradicts Acts 2:38, then there's a contradiction in the Bible, and It's not worth the paper It's wrote on. Now, if you will notice in Matthew the 16th chapter, Jesus gave to Peter the revelation and give Him the keys. Now, remember, the Bible is not revealed by theology of some manmade scheme. It's not. It's a revelation. It was a revelation to begin with. Why did Abel offer unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain? It was revealed to him that it wasn't peaches, and apples, and oranges, and apples that... If apples will make women realize they're naked, we better pass the apples again, brother. Don't you think so? That sounds sacrilegious, but I don't mean to say that; but it wasn't apples. No, sir. Now, and if that be so, then it was revealed to Abel that he was the blood of his father, so he offered blood, because it was a revelation. The whole thing's built upon that.

So let me just say this, it matters not if you believe in listening only to the tapes, or if you believe you must hear from a True Five-Fold ministry. if you do not have the Holy Ghost you will not understand the revelation of Jesus Christ any way. And you will just go on fussing with others who do not see what you see.

From his sermon, Five identifications 60-0911E P:86 Brother Branham said, "Now, here stands Peter with the keys to the Kingdom, on his side, the keys to the Holy Ghost. Jesus said, "I say thou art Peter. Upon this rock I'll build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." What is it? A spiritual revealed truth. "Flesh and blood has not revealed This to you. You never learned this in a seminary. Somebody didn't teach it to you out of books, but it's a revelation." Revelation... "I say that you are Peter. I give unto you the keys to the Kingdom. Whatsoever you bind on earth, I'll bind in it heaven. Whatsoever you loose on earth, I'll loose it in Heaven." He has to keep His Word. On the day of Pentecost, who was the spokesman? Peter, 'cause he had the keys.

Now concerning this key which opens the word to us concerning the revelation of Jesus Christ, brother Branham said in his sermon Key to the door 62-1007 P:22 "Now, a key... I notice here as we read, that this Angel came down from heaven, having the key in his hand. I believe it's Revelations 13 or 19, we find again, another Angel coming with a key. And a key is, a purpose of a key, is to unlock something, something that's been locked up, or it's something that should be locked up. But a key is given for that purpose. Now, there are many kinds of keys, because we have many uses of keys. There's keys to the storehouses; there's key to your own house; there's key to your automobile. And we call them keys, and they are keys. And they can be duplicated many times.

And from 49 God Only Provided Place of Worship 65-1128.1M there's only one key to each door. That's right. And no other key, no matter how much it looks like it, God has no skeleton key; just got one key. And now, you've got to have that key, or the door won't unlock. No matter how sincere you are, you still can't unlock that door.

And then he said in  53 God Only Provided Place of Worship 65-1128.1M  I've said this because I've been so many times misunderstood, and people has told me...   I say, "Are you a Christian?" "I'm Baptist."Are you a Christian?" "I'm a Methodist."   "Are you a Christian?"  "I'm a Pentecostal." 54  Now, see, that doesn't mean one thing to God. You're just prodding with the wrong key. But there is a right key, there is one where God... God never promised to meet you as a Methodist, or as a Baptist, or a Pentecostal, or no other denomination. He don't even consider the denominations, they're against Him. 56  Now, people act like that God is obligated just to meet them on the basis of their theology. Now, people act like that. They won't associate even with one another. The Trinity or the Pentecost won't associate with the Oneness, neither will the Oneness associate with the Trinity. The Methodist won't with the Baptist, because one is a legalist and the other's a Calvinist, so they have no fellowship at all. And they wind the people's minds around so bad that they even against one another.

God said in Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

God promised to reveal the things He wants known to us. And there is a purpose to His revealing these things to us. "That we might do all the word."

Now, in Amos 3:7 we read that The Lord won't do anything until He first Revealeth it to His servants the prophets. And This Word  revealeth is translated from the Hebrew Word "GALAH" which means "To uncover oneself, to discover or show onesself, to reveal onesself ( In speaking of God).  To disclose, discover, uncover, make known, show or reveal oneself".

So we see here that this key that Jesus Speaks of in Matthew 16 is one and the same thing  as we see in Amos 3:7

If Jesus said in Matthew 16 that Revelation comes from God and is the Key to the Kingdom, and if God will not do anything except He reveals it through a prophet, then we see the importance of the Prophet  in the economy of God. You have to have both the written Word and you must have the Spoken Word or you will never be on target with the things of God.

The first thing we must understand here is what is a key  and what is it used for?

So let's just digress  for a minute here and look at this thought brother Branham is laying out for us to understand.  What do we see in this type. What is a key and what is it used for?

I).   What is a Key?

1. A key is a device  used to unlock  or lock something.

2. A Key is Something that completes or holds together the parts of another thing, as a keystone holds together an arch.

3. A key is something that is strategic in nature as to give access or control:

4. A Key is the principal thing needed before one can do certain things or express itself:

So what  we see here by these definitions that a Key is a very important instrument which is essential for Access, Entrance, Control, and Expression.

And Revelation is the Key having Access to God, to having an Entrance into the things of God, for Controlling our reactions to the things of God , and for Expressing the Nature of God. We know this because we have Scripture for it. But what sort of things do we use a key to enter? Usually a key is used to open a door. And didn't Jesus tell us in John 10 that He is the Door?

John 10: 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Now what happens when we enter this door? It says we are saved. So we see here the importance of this Key. It is needed to save us. Our salvation then, depends upon whether we have this Key of revelation or not. Then we see that this Key is very important to us, for without it we could not enter the door, which is Christ the Word. and therefore we could not be saved. Therefore how do we find this Key.  Amos 3:7.

He said people are so dependent on the theology of their church yet how do they even know that what they believe is correct. If there are over a thousand denominations and every one of them believes that they are right, then how can they all be right. They can't all be right. So God said it must come through a prophet.

Deuteronomy 18:15-22 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16  According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17  And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Now, here is the balance of what I am trying to say this evening. I believe what God is telling the people, is that He promised to you a prophet and He says, "you better listen to that prophet because I am going to require it from you.

So those who think they can get in by just hearing a five-fold minister and then turn off the tapes and refuse to listen or take heed to that prophet are in danger because God will require it from them.

Then God speaks about other prophets, such as Five Fold prophets 20 But the prophet, (notice this is not the prophet God promised to send with Thus Saith the Lord, but of which is still a prophet) which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

So God gives us the way to know for certain, and that is by Thus Saith the Lord never falling to the ground. In other words God vindicates that prophet as a Word prophet by bringing to pass the words he speaks, because they are not his words but God's Word or God's Message that God sent the man with.

Exodus 20:18-20 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

So we see that the purpose of God's presence among the people was to prove the people.

Deuteronomy 5:1-5 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

So the purpose then as Moses put it was not just for the people to hear his voice, in our vernacular the purpose was not to just listen to the tapes. But that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

Token the 63-0901M P:103 Don't just come this far, say, "I believe the message." You obey the message. Come into Christ. You say, "Oh, I believe every word you said, Brother Branham."That's good. but that's just--that is just being able to read. Take the Message; take it into your heart, that you must have the Token, the very Life that was in Christ, be in you. "When I see that, I will pass over you."

Token the 63-0901M P:113 Notice, they were not just yet come together to talk about the message. They come together to apply the blood, to apply the token. That's what you must do. Pastor Neville, and to this congregation, trustees, deacons, to you brethren, it's time that we laid aside all the foolishness of the world, time we laid aside everything else. We've seen enough now, that we're positive, sure, and the Token must be applied. Without it, you're going to perish; you must perish. That is the only thing. Oh, don't come together, say, "I believe it." Get beneath it. Get into it. How to do it? By one Spirit we're baptized into the Body of Jesus Christ. Everybody believe with all your heart. See? He was not responsible for any out from beneath it.

Again we see in Deuteronomy 13:1-5 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2  And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3  Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4  Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5  And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

The Apostle John said in 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

And how do you try the spirits? You give them the Word test. That's exactly what the first church age did. They put them to the Word test.

The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:8-9 The measuring instrument is what He taught. Therefore if any man says other than what the Apostle Paul das said, that's the testing method of whether he is on or off the mark.

Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

So what did the Apostle Paul teach that we should teach as he taught? well lets read a few of his thoughts concerning just one matter.

I Corinthians 15:23 " But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's at His Parousia.

Is that not what Paul taught? "though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

let's read another of what the Apostle taught...I Thessalonians 2:19 " For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the sight of our Lord Jesus Christ at His parousia.

oh, o there's that bad word again parousia. Hmmm... Do you think the apostle Paul would use it if he didn't mean what he said and said what he meant?

I Thessalonians 3:13 " To the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." 

Oh, o, there's that bad word again. Or perhaps it's their understand that could be bad...If Paul said "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Well if Paul preached it then William Branham had to preach it or he would be cursed because that is what the Apostle Paul told us. And did not William Branham tell us that he only taught what Paul taught?

Sardisean church age 60-1209 P:46 He said, "Whosoever shall take away or add to, the same will be taken (his part) out of the Book of Life." That's the whole thing covered over then. So there's no room for you to jump or squeeze any place else (See?), 'cause that's it. That's what God said; that's what the Spirit said; and that's what the churches said. Now, if you try to force in any other kind of a doctrine than what Paul taught, it's wrong. The Bible is correct. His life... Jesus said, "I'll take his part out of the Book of Life."Now, you say, "What part of the Book of Life?"

This is fun, so let's continue with what Paul taught in I Thessalonians 4:15 " For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the Parousia  of the Lord shall not hinder them which are asleep."

So we just heard the Apostle Paul teach us that there will be a people who are alive and remain until the Parousia of Christ. is that not what he said? So there has to be a Parousia of Christ. So to teach that there is a Parousia of Christ is not false teaching. Now you might misplace that time like the Jehovah witnesses did by placing it at 1917, which would make their understanding of the timing wrong, but the doctrine itself is correct. But there is no getting by that it was a doctrine taught by the Apostle Paul, and so not to teach it you would not be teaching what Paul taught.

Again he said in I Thessalonians 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Again the Apostle Paul said in II Thessalonians 2:1 " Now we beseech you, brethren, by the Parousia  of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him."  

ok, now here the Apostle Paul speaks of the Parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ and he associates it with a time we are gathered unto Him. so now aw are looking at a Parousia of The Lord Jesus Christ and a gathering unto Him.

Therefore if you are not teaching this you are not teaching what Paul taught.

Lets continue, II Thessalonians 2: 8 " And then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness (the Epiphanea - do you know what the word epiphanaea means? It means the manifestation of the appearing) of His Parousia.

Now, some might have a hard time receiving this but did you know that God's Prophet William Branham taught the Parousia of Christ just like the Apostle Paul did? He taught it but he used the English equivalent word for Parousia which is "presence" instead of using the Greek word "Parousia". But we all speak from our Bibles in English to our English speaking people, and the French speak to the French using their French Bibles, and the Spanish using their Spanish Bibles. So you would not expect a prophet of God to come speaking in a language different from his audience.

In fact he used the word presence concerning the Appearing of the Lord more than 4,400 times and he also spoke of God's presence here more than 1400 more times using the word "He is here".

That means God's prophet averaged more than 5 times per sermon speaking of God's Presence at the end time being here with us in the form of the Pillar of Fire.

Now, remember we just read where the Apostle Paul said in II Thessalonians 2: 8 " And then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness (the Epiphanea or appearing) of His Parousia.

Well, brother Branham defines that for us in his sermon From that time 62-0713 P:102 How many knows there's a difference between the appearing of Christ and the coming of Christ? It's two different words. Now's the appearing, the coming will soon be. He's appearing in the midst of us, doing the works that He once did, in His church. Now, you're a part of that church, and by grace you believe. I am a member of that church. Now, I'm not a preacher. You know I'm not. I have not the education to do it. Sometimes I feel reluctant standing here by men of God, who's called to that office. There are apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists. Not all are apostles, not all are prophets, not all are teachers, not all evangelists. I'm standing here...But my ministry is a different ministry from a pastor or teacher. I'm not. And if I say things wrong, brethren, forgive me. I don't mean it. But this is my ministry (See?) to declare Him, that He's here.

Again we see in his sermon Jehovah Jireh part 2 62-0706 P:74 This is the close of the royal Seed's waiting. He's here, the appearing of Christ. Did you ever try to divide... There's a place in the Bible, you know, I ain't got time to go into it, says, the appearing of Christ, and then the coming of Christ. That's two different things altogether, the appearing and the coming. He's appearing now, working with us in the form of the Holy Spirit, making it just perfect, the Church; It has to.

And brother Branham also said in It is I be not afraid 62-0611 P:81 You know, there's a difference between the appearing of Christ and the coming of Christ. That's two different words altogether. He's appearing now in His church. We see Him; we know it's Him. It's the Holy Spirit. See? We know it is. Now. We believe that the Holy Spirit is God. All of us know that.

Now, we know that William Branham had to teach what Paul taught because he told us he did.

Sardisean church age 60-1209 P:46 Now, if you try to force in any other kind of a doctrine than what Paul taught, it's wrong. The Bible is correct. His life... Jesus said, "I'll take his part out of the Book of Life."

So we need to be careful to say it like Paul said it.

Manifested sons of God 60-0518 P:126 And, look, if I preach to you just what Paul preached to his church, if his group gets in ours will too, 'cause we got the same thing. Amen. Let us bow our heads now while we say, "God bless you." Now...?...

Brother Branham quotes the Apostle Paul and says in his sermon Why are we not a denomination? 58-0927 P:107 For the Bible said, "If any man thinks himself to be a spiritual, or a prophet, let him acknowledge that what I say is the commandments of the Lord." And if his spirit don't bear record with that Word, he's a false prophet to begin with. I'd rather be a woman hater than a woman lover to go such stuff as that, to put up with such stuff as that in the Church of God contrary to the ordinances of God. And Paul said, get Galatians 1:8; Paul said, "If an angel from heaven would preach any other Gospel than that what I preached unto you, let him be accursed." Now, what are you going to do about that?

But let's not leave it there, let's see what brother Branham said about his own ministry being in subjection to the Ministry of the Apostle Paul.

Adoption or placing 60-0522E P:48 But some glorious day the Son of God shall come, and you will be judged according to the Word that you preached to them."Oh, brother, I said, "Will Paul have to bring his group?""Yes, sir."I said, "I preached It just exactly like Paul said It. I never divvied; I never took into any church creeds or anything else. I stayed the same."And all of them screamed with one accord, "We know that. We're resting with assurance." Said, "You will present us to Him, and then we'll all go back to earth again to live forever." Oh, my.

And what about Jesus? Did he preach concerning his Parousia?

Matthew 24:3  "And as He sat in the mount of Olives, The disciples came unto Him privately, saying, tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Thy Parousia ( presence) and of the end of the world?"   

Matthew 24:27 " For as the Lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the parousia of the son of man be."

Matthew 24:37 " But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the Parousia of the Son of Man be. 

Matthew 24:39 " And knew it not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the  Parousia of the Son of Man be." 

And what of Peter, he was not a prophet but certainly he was given the keys to understanding the things of God. Well he said in II Peter 3:4 " And saying, where is the promise of His Parousia  for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."  

And again Peter taught concerning the Parousia of Christ II Peter 3:12 " Looking for and hasting unto the Parousia of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, And the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"  

And again Peter said in II Peter 1:16 " For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty."

And then what of the other Apostles? James 5:7-8]" Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the Parousia of our Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until He receive the early and latter rain. Be ye patient; stablish your hearts: for the Parousia of the Lord draweth nigh."

And we see the Apostle John in I John 2:28 " And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He shall Appear, we shall have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His Parousia." 

So we see that the Parousia of Christ was not some false doctrine, nor was it a strange doctrine to the early church. It was taught by Jesus first and then the Apostle Paul, and Peter and John and James, all the authors of the New Testament, and finally by William Branham the end time prophet of God.

Let us pray...