Faith no 62

Faith Made perfect through the Sign of Messiah

January 24, 2018

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

 

This evening I would like to address another subject in our Faith series showing like Vindication which we preach on last Sunday in which God vindicates Hi own Word or  "thus Saith the Lord" by bringing what He said to pass. This Evening I want to show something that even goes beyond Speaking in the name of the Lord, I want to show you how Faith is made perfect through His Sign of Messiah. 

 

Now, we know the Sign of Messiah was given to only one person in this hour, and that was God's vindicated prophet. No other man had it, because Sign of Messiah is the Sign of Messiah, that He is here and that His Word has been placed in that vessel. 

 

God has a one man ministry, and the Word of the Lord comes only to that one man for each age, and then from that One man it goes out to others by those who that one man Faithfully taught.

 

Church Age Book  Chapter 4 - The Smyrnaean Church Age P:140 In every age we have exactly the same pattern. That is why the light comes through some God-given messenger in a certain area, and then from that messenger there spreads the light through the ministry of others who have been faithfully taught. But of course all those who go out don't always learn how necessary it is to speak ONLY what the messenger has spoken. Remember, Paul warned the people to say only what he said, I Corinthians 14:37, "If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD. What? came the Word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?" They add here, or take away there, and soon the message is no longer pure, and the revival dies down. How careful we must be to hear ONE voice, for the Spirit has but one voice which is the voice of God. Paul warned them to say what he said, even as Peter did likewise. He warned them that EVEN HE (PAUL) could not change one word of what he had given by revelation. Oh, how important it is to hear the voice of God by way of His messengers, and then say what has been given them to say to the churches.

 

So we see the plan of God is to send one man, and then faithfully teach men who are faithful to hear and listen and pay close attention to what that one Messenger has to teach. Notice his wording again, the light comes through some God-given messenger in a certain area, (In this last hour it happened to Come to One Man, William Branham who happened to be in the United State. That is the God-given messenger in a certain area that we are looking at in this hour.) and then from that messenger there spreads the light through the ministry of others who have been faithfully taught. But of course all those who go out don't always learn how necessary it is to speak ONLY what the messenger has spoken.

 

Here we are looking at this one Messenger who faithfully teaches others who are faithful to shut up and listen. So we see the plan of God for each age is the same.

 

Now, if people want to debate this we can sit down because we have a list of 7 Messengers and how they came at certain junctions of time, we call that a Church Age, and then there were men who were close to that Messenger who learned at the feet of that Messenger. I can also show you other men who raised up in those days and those men didn't understand what the messenger had brought by way of the Word of God, and so they went off in their own direction. And I can also show you examples throughout the ages of men who sat at the feet of the Messenger but got what he said wrong and therefore went into fanaticism. 

 

Such is the case of Carlstadt who studied under Martin Luther and then went into fanaticism as soon as Martin went into hiding while he translated the Bible into German. He had to come out of hiding to stop the fanatical destruction that some of the followers of Martin's Message had gone into following the leadership of Carlstadt in Martins Absence.

 

Martin Luther never set up Carlstadt to lead in his absence, just as William Branham never told the people to follow any man in his. God never works that way. He leaves it up to the people to have the correct discernment to follow the Holy Spirit (Through the leadership of the Pillar of Fire, His Presence).

 

So we must understand the difference between Spiritual Discernment and the Sign of Messiah because they are two different things and show forth their fruits in two different ways.

 

The Sign of Messiah that Brother Branham refers to throughout his entire ministry was first seen when God came to visit Abraham in the form of human flesh, that Angel that came to Him and spoke to him and after reassuring Abraham that He would fulfill the promise He had given Abraham about being blessed with many seed, Sarai, Abraham's  wife laughed within her heart, and he called her unbelief out. This was the first time the sign of Messiah or the Sign of God's presence was seen in a man. The first time we see it in the invisible God was in the garden of Eden when God again discerned the thoughts and intents of Eve's heart, and called her out for lying to him.

 

Brother Branham spoke on this subject of the sign of Messiah many times during his 33 year ministry.

 

So what is the Sign of Messiah? And how does it perfect our Faith of make our faith come to maturity and rest?  These are two questions I wish to address tonight. We hear brother Branham talk in terms of the "Sign of Messiah", the "Messianic sign", or the "Messiahic sign". All in all br. Branham mentions these terms for "the Sign of Messiah" at least 219 times. In all the various forms where he mentions this "Sign of Messiah", brother Branham is very clear in what he is referring to, and in almost all of them Brother Branham illustrates this "Sign of Messiah" either from Genesis chapter 18, where God revealed the thoughts of Sarai; or from the Gospel of John chapter 4, where the Jesus reveals the sins of the woman at the well and she recognizes this revealing as "the sign of Messiah" in Jesus; or in John chapter 1 where Jesus saw Nathaniel under the tree praying.

Now, let's go to the Scriptures to see for ourselves these three instances of the sign of Messiah that brother Branham refers to.

 

Genesis 18:1  And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: (so the scene is set with the Appearing of the Lord) and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;  2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3  And said, My Lord, (Now, notice that he saw three of them but only recognized one of them to be Lord) if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4  Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5  And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.  6  And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.  7  And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8  And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 9  And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; (now, notice here that God said to Abraham, "I will return you to the time of life" which we know is sometimes between 16 to 20 years old. That is the time of life, when we are at our best. And then after he promises to change them in their bodies back to younger life, he promises them a child through Sarah) and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; (I hope you caught that, they were both old and well stricken in age) and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. (she passed her menopause, she couldn't physically have any children.) 12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? (Now notice, Sarah did no t laugh out loud, the Bible says Sarah laughed within herself.)

 

13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

 

Now, most people read this and say at the time appointed I will return unto thee, and they stop right there expecting that somewhere down the road God will return again. But that is not what he said. And that is the problem with people, they do not read what God said. They gloss over it and read right over what he said.

 

He said, I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, The Hebrew word Shuwb does not say "Turn again unto" thee, as if God was coming back Himself to bring the promised son. This word Shuwb means  to "turn back", therefore rendering this as "I will return thee back, according to the time of life. Halelujah, The Lord is the same and changes not.  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever, and we are going to get our body change before we go to receive the promised Son, just as Abraham and Sarah got a body change before they could be ready to receive the promised son.

 

Listen to what Br. Branham says in his sermon Possessing gate of the enemy 64-0322 P:11 Now, in here watch what He did. Now, Abraham and Sarah was both old, well-stricken the Bible said. Now, it wasn't just because they were just people lived longer there. The Bible said that they were well-stricken in age. Now, notice. Immediately after this Angel appeared, we been talking about, which was Elohim, God... And He said, told Abraham, "I'm going to visit you, according to the time of life."Now, watch. All down through they were a type of the church, all the way through. Now, look. Here's what happened. Now, He just didn't patch Sarah up and patch Abraham up. He turned them back to a young man and woman. Now, that may seem strange, but now watch the rest of the Word and put it together. The Word is inspired. You have to be inspired with the Word. Now, remember, Immediately after that, immediately after the appearing of this Angel...I can just see that gray hair of Sarah, little grandma with a shawl over her shoulder, and a little dust cap, holding a stick going around. "Me, having pleasure with my lord, and him old too?" See? And here was Abraham, his long beard, holding on a stick, as he was well-stricken in age. And I see the next morning his shoulders begin to straighten up; the hump come out of his back. Her hair begin to turn. They went back to a young man and woman, just showing what He's going to do to the royal seed of Abraham (See?), when we're changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, and be caught up together.

 

15  Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. Now, why would Sarah deny laughing if she had laughed out loud? She laughed within herself and thus tried to justify herself in that she suppressed the outward laughter by laughing within herself. But it was the same spirit of unbelief whether she had done so outwardly or inwardly. That is why Jesus said if you look upon a woman to lust after her you have committed adultery with her in your heart. God looks upon the heart, and Jesus said "Judge not according to the outward appearance but judge righteous judgment."

 

16  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

 

Now, the apostle Paul told us this blessing of God to Abraham and his seed was not for the physical seed but the Spiritual Seed as we see in the following Scriptures.

 

Romans 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.  16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

 

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

 

And if we are in Christ, then the promise is unto us.

 

Now, brother Branham speaks of this scene in Genesis that we just read and he ties it to the term "the sign of messiah" as we see in his sermon, The Second Seal 63-0319 P:96 Notice, count it. Now, there was one come to this church spiritual, the Bride, Abraham, that wasn't in Sodom to begin with. And watch what He did. He never done no preaching like they did. He taught them, but then He done a sign before them. He done the Messiahic sign. He had His back turned to the tent, and He said, "Abraham..." Now, remember his actual name a few days before that was Abram. But He says, "Abraham, where is your wife, S-a-r-a-h?" A few days before that it was called S-a-r-r-a. Abraham said, "She's in the tent behind You."And He said, "Abraham, I (There's your personal pronoun again.), I am going to visit you according to the promise that I've made you." You see Who it was. See? A Man with dust on His clothes, eating the meat of a calf, and drinking the milk from the cow, and eating corn bread (Yes, sir.): God, Elohim, manifested in flesh: promised in the last day to manifest Himself in flesh again. Notice. "Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?""She's in the tent behind You."He said, "I'm going to visit you."

 

And from his sermon Jehovah Jireh 55-1117 P:50 brother Branham said, "Abraham was a young man yet. Sarah, immediately, after that, more than a year or two, had the baby that had been promised all the time. Notice...Now, you said, "That's what He done to Sarah, but what about Abraham?"Even after Isaac died, or I mean, after Sarah died, when Isaac was way up a young man, old enough to be married, around forty years later... "Why," you said, "they lived longer in them days, Brother Branham."Now, wait a minute. The Bible said "they were both well stricken in age". That's right. And Abraham married another woman after the death of Sarah, forty something years later, and had seven boys. Hallelujah, it's our God. He showed in Abraham and Sarah what He's going to do to you and your wife, some of these days: turn you back, young again. Now, if that ain't a blessed hope, I don't know what is, brother. When He appeared there, got Himself  a handful of material that makes human beings and just spoke it into existence, said, "Come here," with another handful, and put two Angels in the side, and walked down and talked to Abraham and turned him back too, to a young man and proved what He was going to do. Hallelujah. We're the seed of Abraham on our road to the promise. When little Isaac was born... Oh, my, do I have to quit here? Give me just another five minutes, will you, ...

 

Marriage and divorce 65-0221M P:72 When Abraham took Sarah down into the Philistine country, there was a king down there named Abimelech. And Sarah was a hundred years old (right at it), but she had been changed back to a young woman and been made beautiful. You know that? All right. And Abimelech wanted her for a wife. You remember my message on it? Abimelech wanted to take Sarah for a wife. Probably had a harem.

 

Ok, so now, let's move forward to the New Testament in the Gospel of John and turn in our Bibles to John 1:44  and read, "Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45  Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46  And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49  Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50  Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

 

Now, What did a vindicated prophet say about The Messianic Sign? He said it was the knowing the very thought and intents of the heart as Spoken of in Hebrews 4:12.

 

From his sermon, Show us the Father 61-0521 P:90 brother Branham said, How many knows that He perceived their thoughts and knowed all about them? That's right. Now, that was sign of Messiah."

 

Notice he specifically tells us that "knowing the thoughts and intents of the heart" is the Sign of Messiah which is Hebrews 4:12.

 

Then from his sermon, Convinced Then Concerned 62-0118 P:98 brother Branham said, "How did they know that that was Messiah? How did the woman at the well know that was Messiah? When He told her that she had five husbands. How did Nathanael say, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God"? Because He said, "I saw you when you were under the tree." See? That's how they know it. That's what's "the sign of the Messiah". That is true. Just ask anybody. Look through the Bible. That's what it is: "the sign of Messiah"."

 

Again we understand by God's vindicated prophet that the Sign of Messiah is the discerning of the thoughts and intents of the heart. He called it in 142 places "the Messiahic Sign", in 10 places "the Messianic sign" and in 63 other places he called it "the Sign of Messiah". If you check all "Sign of Messiah" quotes, "Messiahic sign" quotes and all "Messianic Sign" quotes, for a total of 219 quotes, you will find he mentions, the woman at the well, or Nathaniel praying under the tree, or even Elohim before the tent talking to Abraham about what Sarah was thinking. And in all 219 quotes his focus is on the discerning of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

Again in his sermon, Unchangeable God 62-0120 P:55 "Now, Jesus when He grew up, He proved He was that Messiah that they'd prayed for. He showed them His sign of Messiah. He proved that He was Messiah by the signs that He done. Look at the woman at the well when He told her, her sins, that she had five husbands. "Why," she said, "Sir, we know when Messiah cometh, He will tell us all things." But she didn't know Who He was. He said, "I'm He." Look at Nathanael, when he came back with Philip, and he walked up in the Presence of Jesus. And Jesus told him who he was, where he come from, what he'd been doing. Oh, my. It proved... He said, "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel." My, sure. Because what? He's proven."

 

Now, this is Hebrews 4:12 "The word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart".

 

Now, this is not the same as 1 Corinthians 12 the gift of discerning of spirits that is a gift of the Holy Ghost. It is not so much a gift as the Giver Himself. But the gift in 1 Corinthians 12 is: "To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he wills it. 12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are still one body: so also is Christ.13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14  For the body is not one member, but many.

 

Any Christian may have that gift to discern between a Godly Spirit and an evil spirit. And Hebrews 4:12 is not Malachi 3:16 which discerns between what is righteous and what is wicked.

 

Let's just read Malachi 3:16 for ourselves, "Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.  18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not."

 

Again any Christian filled with the Holy Spirit of God should be able to discern between righteousness and wickedness. In fact the Scripture alludes to the fact that you can teach yourself to discern certain things.

 

Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Now, what does that mean exercise their senses to discern? Now, think about that. We just read our Bibles so casually without even  thinking of the meaning of what we just read.

 

Well, what are the sense's he's speaking of here? The Greek word means your perception and judgment. So Paul says we can exercise our perception and judgment to discern. And notice how he says we do it. But strong meat (In other words deep teaching of the Word of God) belongs to them that are of full age, (teleios full age, have reached maturity, ready for adoption) even those who by reason of use. etc.

 

Notice he tells us right before this in verse 12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13  For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14  But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, (that Greek word is Teleios which means to be of a mature age) even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

 

And we see the same Greek word used again in 1 Corinthians 14:20  Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. (men, teleios, of full age, full maturity ready for adoption)

 

So he is saying, when you just feed on a milk toast Gospel and watered down Word so you won't offend, he says, you can never expect to come to a proper discernment between righteous and wickedness. You can never expect to come to full maturity, ready for adoption.

 

And that is why brother Branham taught his children to listen to what the ministers on the radio are saying and then discern what spirit is behind what is being said. He would have them listen for five minutes and then they had to tell him what denomination was behind that preaching.  And I think that is a wonderful way to teach your children. Show them what others believe and then show them in the Scripture why those things are wrong.

 

Jesus basically tells the Pharisees the same thing in  Luke 12:56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

 

In other words, you can look at natural things and discern or make judgments based on what you are seeing with your physical eyes, but why are you so dull in your spiritual eyes that you can't see what God is doing in your day?

 

Matthew 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

 

And what was the signs of the times? When the sign of Messiah was being presented and God was operating in such a supernatural way through the ministry of His Son,  why were they so dull in their spiritual eyes not to be able to see that no man can do what was done except that God be with him.

 

Notice he is comparing natural discernment with Spiritual Discernment.

 

Again in 1 Corinthians 11:29 we hear the Apostle Paul tells us that a lack of proper discerning the body of the Lord will bring only condemnation to ourselves.  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. And brother Branham taught us in his sermon Discerning body of Lord 59-0812 P:13 "These Christians was taking the communion and not living the Life. Christianity is a experience and a life. And these Christians was just living any kind of a life, making a poor example of their profession. And Paul says, "That this cause, many are sick and weakly among you, and many are asleep," which means they are dead, because they haven't discerned the Body of the Lord. And we who call ourselves Christians, we have no right to take the communion unless we are living above a reproach of the world. We have no right. The communion is for those who are living right as an example of Christianity."

 

" Discerning body of Lord 59-0812 P:46 Let's discern the Body of the Lord, discern the times that we're living in. We'll die spiritually if we don't do that. And if this is true, and the Holy Spirit is with us, and we've got the last sign of the coming of the Lord just before He come... Remember, that was just before Sodom burned, just a few hours before it burned.

 

Let's go back to 1 Corinthians 11:28 because I have read this for the past 35 years at least once a month to you at Communion time. "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 33  Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 34  And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

 

The Apostle Paul had to deal with a situation in the early church in Galatia because the people did not have a fully developed ability to discern between what was right and what was wrong, and they allowed themselves to be influenced away from the truth by those brothers from Jerusalem who came in and influenced them away from the liberty they had in Christ back to circumcision.

 

This same Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:14 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.

 

So if they are spiritually discerned, then doesn't it take the Holy Spirit in us to know when what is taking place is of God or not? Either of God or just of man?

 

What Paul was telling them was that when he came teaching them the Revelation of Jesus Christ they rejoiced, but when he started to discipline the church concerning wrong activity that was taking place among some members, they got really upset.

 

So we see there is to be a certain amount of discernment within each believer and it all depends on the amount of Word they have and the exercise of that Word.

 

But when brother Branham speaks of Discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart, only God Himself who is the Anointer, the Christ, the Messiah Himself, is able to discern between the thoughts and the intentions of the heart.

 

In Jeremiah 17:10 we read, "I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

 

Psalms 44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

 

Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

 

Acts 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

 

Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

 

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

 

Does God change His mind 65-0427 P:62 Now, she wasn't like them priests, they said, "He's got a devil. He's a fortuneteller or something." She turned, and she said, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Now, we haven't had one for four hundred years. The church hasn't been used to such as this. But we perceive, I perceive that You are a prophet. Now, I know that we're looking for the Messiah. And when the Messiah comes, that's the thing that He'll do. "Now, the Bible said He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. If that was the anointed sign of Messiah back there to the Samaritan and to the Jew... Now, it never was done before Gentiles. Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus ever do it before Gentiles. They had four thousand years of looking for a Messiah; we've had two thousand years with their training also, to look for a Messiah. Now, if that was His identification just before their day was finished, it's got to be our identification; because He promised the Son of man would reveal Himself again in the day that the world become like Sodom again. And anybody knows we're there. See?

 

Ok, so let's read St. John 4 where brother Branham is talking about this sign of Messiah.

 

St. John 4:5  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6  Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8  For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat. 9  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. 19  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

 

When their eyes were opened 64-0212 P:65 Now, this lady here is a stranger to me. Now I'm going to talk to her. Here comes back St. John 4, where Jesus talked to a woman and told her what her trouble was. And she believed that was the sign of the Messiah. If that was the sign of Messiah then, it's still the sign of Messiah, 'cause He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

 

Sir we would see Jesus 63-1112 P:79 Watch that little woman. You know, she could teach ninety percent of the clergy today the Gospel. See? Why, why did those priests stand there and call Him Beelzebub, when their very Bible said that's what He would do? Is that right? And here stands a prostitute, a woman of ill fame, and as soon as He said that to that woman, she never said, "Why, you're Beelzebub." She said, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet." Uh-huh. Now, watch her quotation. "We perceive. I perceive that You are a prophet. We know that when the Messiah cometh, which is called the Christ; we're looking for Him to come, and when He comes, He's going to tell us these things. This is what He's going to do." That was the sign of Messiah yesterday. That's the sign of Messiah today, the same. See?

 

Now, I want you to pay close attention to what brother Branham is saying here because he is telling us that the sign of Messiah doesn't miss even if you think it has. Br. Collins was in a meeting in Kentucky and brother Branham called out a woman and told her where she lived, and two of her friends who were there said he was wrong. He heard them talking on the way out so he went over to the woman who was healed and asked he where she lived, and she told him it was the address brother Branham had mentioned, then he said but your friends say you live at such a such an address, and she said, "well I moved from their last week." God's Word cannot fail, and I don't care what unbelievers come alone and say he made mistakes, God's Word never fails, you just got your understanding of it messed up.

 

It is I be not afraid 62-0726 P:46 Matthew said, "Yes, I remember. (He's the one that wrote it, you know.) Oh, yes. I remember it. My heart failed. I thought, 'My, my. Uh-huh. There's our Master one time wrong,' (See?), because He told her she had a husband, go get her husband, and she said, 'I have no husband.' And then He turns around and said, 'You've told the truth.' Then we all were puzzled. Here He says, 'Go, get your husband,' she said, 'I have no husband,' He said, 'That's right.' "Look. "Go get your husband." "I have no husband." "You're right." Now. "Oh, we were all astonished, and our hearts beat, and we raised up over the bushes behind Him to see what He was going to say next. Oh, He was wrong. She said, 'I have no husband,' and yet we believed Him to be the Messiah. How could that great Messiahic sign be wrong? And we knowed He was Messiah, because He did the sign of Messiah. Therefore we... (Messiah is God, the anointed. And the anointed is the Word. And the Word was manifested. See?) We knowed that He was Messiah. And here He was. Every time it hit but this time. But now it had missed, for He said to the young woman, 'Go, get your husband,' she said, 'I have none.' He said, 'Thou hast said the truth. You said well, for you've had five, and the one you're now living with is not yours.' Oh." "And we noticed what that woman said. She turned with startled eyes, and she said, 'Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.'" Now, that... Really, in the King James is mistranslated. It's all right. It's okay like that. But if you'll take your margin reading on that, and run it back in the original Greek (and many of the scholars here read it), it said, "Thou art That prophet." See? That's the margin reading. "Thou art That prophet. I perceive that Thou art That prophet." "Now, we know that when Messiah cometh, is called the Christ (That prophet, Messiah, Christ, all the same Person), when He comes He will tell us all these things." "And Jesus said, 'I'm He that speaks with you.'" "And that woman run into the city and begin to tell all the men, 'Come see a Man that told me the things that I've done (Now, watch.), told me the things that I have done. Isn't that the very Messiah?' And you know, we all went into the city to find out what happened. And all the men in that city believed the woman's testimony."

 

We would see Jesus 62-0704 P:55 Notice. Now, I got to nail this down, 'cause I got to quit. Look the difference between that woman in that shape that she was in to those high-cultured ministers. That woman said, "Sir, I perceive that You are a Prophet." The priests and the educated said, "You are Beelzebub, a devil, fortuneteller." This woman said, "Sir, I perceive that You are a Prophet. We know when Messiah cometh, He'll tell us these things." If that was the sign of Messiah yesterday, and He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, it's got to be the same. She said, "We know Messiah, which is called the Christ, the anointed One; when He comes, He'll tell us these things. But Who are You?" He said, "I'm He that speaks with you." That was enough. She saw it.

 

Now, listen to this quote here in Perseverance 62-0218 P:145 when brother Branham refers to the Sign of Messiah, he says, "Well, if that was the sign of the Messiah to the Jews, to the Samaritans, wouldn't it be the sign of Messiah to the Gentiles? Wouldn't the Messiah then, if He's raised from the dead and living in His Church, manifest Himself through, wouldn't He do the same works when He promised He would do it?

 

In closing we read from Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.                                                                      

 

Let us pray...