Who is this Melchisedec #142

“The Unrecognized Presence”

July 31, 2002

Luke 24:13 ¶ And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed [together] and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications [are] these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. 22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found [it] even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Let’s bow our heads in prayer. Dear Father, we realize that you are the Alpha and Omega, and what you were back then you are today. And we know that what you did in that first church age you have done for us in this last church age, and we are grateful for all that you have shown us. Now, Father, I have a special request to ask of you this morning. I pray Father, that the same experience that befell Cleopas, and his friends would befall us. Not the part that they did not know you or recognize your presence among them, but that other thing which took place when they suddenly did recognize who it was that was in their presence. Your Sacred Scriptures tells u that their hearts burned within them as their eyes became open to your presence among them. May we experience that same thing this morning Father as we open Your Word and Hear from you again this morning, for we ask it in the wonderful name of Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.

This morning I would like to again speak from paragraph 165 from the Message who is this Melchisedec. Last night I was preparing to move ahead when I opened the Notes from last week and my eyes could only read one thing. The Words that brother Branham said that stood out to me were the following. “But still they never recognized it. All day long they walked with You and still didn't know You.”

Last night as I was finishing up with prayer to My Lord Jesus Christ, I turned to review last Wednesday night’s notes, and My eyes focused immediately on those words and that thought hit me hard, and I have to admit, that there are literally thousands of people who have been following the Ministry of William Branham, and who have followed the Pillar of Fire which is here to lead us into the Millennium, and we, I am speaking of all who hold out the shingle of Malachi 4, We all have talked about God’s Prophet, and we have all talked about the great things that God has done in this hour, and yet this statement that Brother Branham made is so very haunting. You see, he was talking about Cleopas and his friends coming from Emmaus, and they had been talking WITH Jesus, and had been walking WITH him the entire day. ALL day Long. And yet they were not aware and did not know Who this was that was in their midst?

And I thought, Lord, why did brother Branham bring this out? And why are my eyes catching these words, and why do they stand out so bold to me. And then I asked the question. Could this be happening all over again? Could it be that Alpha has become Omega? He said it would, and He said it has. Then could we already be experiencing this scene played out before us in our day? And the answer is yes, yes, and yes.

So let’s read from this paragraph 165 again before we enter more fully into our message this morning. WHO IS THIS MELCHISEDEC 65-0221E 165 I pray tonight, God, just one more time. Tomorrow we're scheduled to go to Tucson. Other parts of the world, other cities we must preach in. But, dear God, there might be strangers here tonight that never has--they've heard words preached, but never seen it made manifest. As I asked You at the beginning... When those disciples, Cleopas and his friend coming from Emmaus, was walking along the road and You stepped out of the bush and begin to talk to them after the resurrection, preached to them... Why, He said, "Fools, slow of heart, don't you know that Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory." But still they never recognized it. All day long they walked with You and still didn't know You. But one night... Night come; they constrained You to come in. When they went into the little inn and closed the doors, then You did something just the way You did it before Your crucifixion; and they recognized it was the risen Christ. In a few moments You was behind the curtains and gone. Quickly they run and told the disciples, "The Lord is risen indeed." Father God, I believe that You're still alive. I know You are. And You've proved it to us so many times. Could You just do it once more for us, Lord? If we found grace in Your sight, let it happen once more. I am Your servant; these are Your servants in here. Lord, all that I've said wouldn't mount to... Just one word from You would be more than I've said in these five nights--or five messages. It would be more, just one word from You. Won't You speak, Lord, that the people might know that I've told them the truth? Grant it, God. I ask it in Jesus' Name this once more. Amen.

This morning I want to focus on that thought that he said, “All day long they walked with You and still didn't know You.”

And there is coming a time that He will here many people say, Lord, Lord did not I do this in your name and did not I preach the Message, and did not I do many wonderful works in your name, and did not I do this and did not I do that, and He will answer them and say, Depart from me, ye that work iniquity, for I NEVER KNEW YOU! That’s Matthew 7, and it’s coming to a scene in a neighborhood near you.

MATTHEW 7:21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? (The Word prophesied in the Greek is the word propheteuo and it means to speak forth as a prophet. That means these men preach the Word or “utter forth, or declare a thing which can only be known by divine revelation,” therefore they are men who preach revelation to the people. And notice they do it in His name, In the Name of Jesus.) and then Jesus tells us they will say, and in thy name have cast out devils? (Notice he is not speaking of heathens here, he is speaking of the ministry who have preached in the name of Jesus and in the name of Jesus have even had success praying for the sick, and casting out devils.) and in thy name done many wonderful works? (These are people who have done polus from poly, meaning many, or much, dunamis which means power, now dunamis also means power in the sense of the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth and power and resources arising from numbers) So these are men who are highly successful in their ministries whether it be the power they exercise by shear numbers following their ministry, or even to the point of having real healing and miracle ministries. But here is the kicker. Verse 23, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Depart from Me, for I never Knew You. What awful words to hear, especially from the one they claimed to worship. These were not men who lived the life of Riley. These are not whoremongers, and pimps, and drug pushers, and politicians, and lawyers, and conmen. These are men who sincerely thought they were worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will find out one day they did not even know Him in order to worship Him, and that is the tragic thing. All that wasted effort. All that wasted energies. They thought they knew who it was they were serving, and the One they thought they were serving, said, Uh, Uh! Not me. I never knew you. And then we find out why. He says, I never knew you because you are workers of iniquity.

Now, most people who claim to be Christian would never think this could be them. Most people who work in the ministry think, this could never be me. And yet, it is the ministry, it is the ones who preach in the name of Jesus Christ, and cast out devils in the name of Jesus Christ and build up great ministries and following in the name of Jesus Christ. And to hear those words one day, say you thought you were doing those things for me, But I never knew you because the things you did, although you did them in My name, yet you did the things that you knew you were not supposed to do, and you didn’t do the things yu were supposed to do. In other words, you knowing worked iniquity,

Work = ergazomai minister about, forbear working, labour for, to work, labour, do work. But notice a closer look at this word has some very interesting motives behind it.

1b) to trade, to make gains by trading, "do business"

2b) to work for, earn by working, to acquire

In other words we see that the real reason was not because they knew Him and Loved Him so much that they could not cease from talking about Him, but the real underlying motive is that they made it a business, and were very good businessmen and were very good at doing what was needed to increase their market share.

Now, you might not think that is a very kind thing to say, but it is the Truth. Many men as brother Branham would say, have sold their birth right for a mess of pottage just like Esau did. Let’s look in to the Word of God and see for ourselves. In Revelations 18 we see where the Whore which is Rome will be destroyed by the Russian bomb, and this whole New World Order which is being put together by the rich merchants of the earth will suddenly have no more markets. And then God tells us what those market are.

REVELATION 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13 And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

And the Souls of Men… And so we se that has God placed the Merchants of men’s souls in the same group as those other world class merchants who have given the Whore her power through commerce which is commercialism.

Yes, Depart from me you which preach in my name for a profit, not prophet but for a profit. And depart from me you that would gather together large throngs of people for gain. Therefore, it is for having a wrong motive that they are condemned to Apousia which is eternal absence from His presence.

II THESSALONIANS 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

That means out from or away from or separated from the presence of the Lord which is exactly what happened to Cain as we see in Genesis chapter 4.

GENESIS 4:9 ¶ And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13¶ And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment [is] greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid(The word panlym here actually means presence, from Thy Presence I shall be hid. In other words, Thy Presence shall be hidden from me he is saying… The Unrecognized Presence of God).; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, [that] every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. 16 ¶ And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

And so we are looking at the Unrecognized Presence of God, and how it came to be that they were not aware that He was here and so they built and sewed and watered and developed and gathered and harvested until they had a great gain, not realizing that the very One they claimed to be worshipping, was here and they knew it not. Now, look, what good are our efforts to bring people into the kingdom, if we are not bringing them to a knowledge of the King and kingdom that is here right now. He never asked us to build him a kingdom. He asked us to preach His presence, and declare His kingdom, that The King, our King has come, and He is here to set up His Kingdom, but they do not want that. They want their own kingdoms.

DECEIVED CHURCH BY THE WORLD 59-0628M 83 But as Israel was bound by their kings, that they could not follow their real King, and their real King, when He came, they didn't recognize Him, so is it today, O Lord, the King of glory has appeared in the form of the Holy Ghost, and, Lord, they don't know it. They don't recognize it. They're so organized so tight, that they do not understand it, because it's not in their organization. Lord, this is a work of the devil that's done this to the people. May the Samson of God, may the true in heart, those who are longing and crying, and pleading and holding on, may they stay with it, Lord, until this new crop grows out, until there comes forth again a joy in Zion, and there comes forth a group that can recognize and understand, that can see the Messiah and the hidden powers that's hid from the world, that they will not understand now. Grant, Lord, that they'll see this. For we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Now, notice that brother Branham was telling us here that the men who have set up their own kingdoms have so bound the people by organization that they are completely unaware of the presence of the King of Glory, the Holy Ghost Himself, that He is here setting up His Kingdom, and they don’t even know it.

Remember when we did the TWINS study, we showed you in the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 13 of the Two men that went forth sowing seeds. He said the tares would grow until the harvest and then they would be bound into bundles.

And we found in that study that the binding into bundles is a two-fold process. The binding is first, and that is to bring under obligation, and the bundles are the organizational means to align like people like priest together to make it easier for the burning.

HOSEA 4:6 ¶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: (what Knowledge? He said, I never KNEW you. Therefore they are destroyed for lacking the knowledge of His Presence.) because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me (Isn’t that just what Jeuss said, you that preach and prophecy, and cast out devils and do many great things, and gather great numbers together, depart from Me for I know your motives and I know why you will not tell the people of my presence and declare my Great Godhead among the people.) seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (Now, notice carefully this next verse.) 7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me (And what is sin? It is unbelief.) [therefore] will I change their glory into shame. 8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.(And what does the heart represent? Their understanding. So they set their understanding upon iniquity, those things that they know but refuse to do. And what is the reason for these great increase?) 9 Because, there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.

HEAR YE HIM 57-0519A E-40 Now, watch. God never did anything 'less He asked man to do, but what He did Himself. His Son, when He was born here on earth, He was an obedient Son. Every step was for the Father. Everything He done was to glorify God. And we seen God in Christ. Is that right? "No man has seen the Father at any time, but the only begotten of the Son has declared Him." The very move, the very action, everything that Christ did was God working in Him. You get it now? Now, watch what takes place. Then God takes His Son after a long life, just before Calvary, and He taken Him up on a high mountain in a public place. He brought the heavenly witnesses down. He brought the earthly witnesses up. And there God took His Son, and when they looked up, they saw a cloud that overshadowed them. And Jesus' raiment shined like the sun in the midst of the day. What was it? God put a robe on Him, just like the old adoption said. He robed Him in a glorified condition. No wonder He said, "All powers in heavens and earth is given to My hands." He robed Him and He placed Him. And then He said, "This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him." Then He had the powers of heavens and earth was given unto His hands.

E-41 Notice, Peter got all excited under this vision. Many times when the glory of God is close, men get excited. No matter how good they are, they get excited. They want to run out and build a denomination. That's what started when Martin Luther got on the road in the reformation. That's what started when John Wesley in England, got started. They wanted to build a denomination. That's what started when John Smith got started, and they built the Baptists. That's what happened when--when Alexander Campbell got started, and they built the Christian. That's what happened when Pentecost got started. They built the denominations. God never did intend it. It's a man excited under the glory of God. Stay with the Word. That's it. Don't build a denomination. When you do... I ain't got nothing against the denominations, but as long as you make yourself prejudice to the other fellow... Be brothers, what Christ died for.

E-42 Now, notice as we come to a close. Peter was excited. He said, "Look. Let us build here three tabernacles. Let's build one for Moses, and one for Elijah, and one for Jesus." Let us build three tabernacles. Now, isn't that just the way man does today? They want to build a tabernacle; they want to build a denomination. "We'll just make ourselves the Oneness. We'll make ourselves the Trinity. We will make ourselves the Methodist." Want to build three tabernacles.

Peter said, "You know what? We ought to do it this a way. We could have all these different denominations, and all just be all right anyhow." But God proved it right there; it won't work. Peter said, "Now, we'll build one for Moses, and all that wants to keep the law, let them keep the law: keep the sabbath day and the new moons and all, quit eating meat and all that. And we'll just... We'll just have..." A very good picture of the Seventh Day Adventists, we'll just let them start right there. "Well then, one says, now if they want to listen to the prophets, we will build one for them." But no sooner than he had got it out of his mouth, God spoke and said, "This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him."

E-43 Moses was gone. Elijah was gone. Prophets and so forth was over. It's now "My beloved Son." You get it? Listen closely, now, as we pull this to the end. Watch. Now, aren't you glad that He said that? Notice. Peter wanted to have all the denominations. It finally turned out that way, but not the will of God. Now, here Moses: Moses represented the law. No man can be saved by the law. The law doesn't save anybody. No matter what you ever do, how good you live, how many good deeds you do, you're lost. That's all you got. "Oh," you say, "Brother Branham, I give so much to the red feather; I give so much to charity. I feed the widows, I clothe the orphan children, and I go to church, and I..." Cain done as good as that any time, and was lost. It's not by good works that we are saved; it's by the grace of God we are saved.

Blind leaders of the blind, and won’t they all fall in the ditch. Now where does that bring you and me to this morning? It brings us to the place that we had better know Him, and know Him in the power of His resurrection. He is here. The Prophet said, “My ministry is to declare Him, that he is here.”

SUPER SIGN 59-1227M 92 Someone, as I have said before, wants to make Him a little short God. He was man; God was using a man. God was using a flesh that He created Himself in order to create through Him and to "Bring through Him many sons," says the Scripture, "through that obedient Son. Through one son all fell; through an obedient Son all shall live that believe." God with us, a sign, said that would be a sign. Jesus so loved to refer to Himself as Son of man, man Himself, just a man, "I am nothing; the Son can do nothing in Himself." But it's the Father was in Him, the Immanuel, the God, the baby, God, Jehovah God, that little baby cried, that was Jehovah. Did you see it? God living in a baby. God living in a teenage. What type of a teenager was He? He set the example. When He was lost by His father and His mother, they looked about to find Him, and they found Him in the temple, What did He say, as a teenager? "Know you not? Wist thou not that I must be about My Father's business?" Example for teenagers.

95 As a man, with all the pomp of the world offered Him, everything laying right in His hands, to become the greatest of all men, the richest of all men; Who could tell people where fish had coins in their mouth, could pump the best water out of the wells and turn it into wine, that could change anything that He wished to change, that could take five biscuits and feed five thousand, with a power in His hands to become a great man, but still chose to be poor: didn't even have a grave when He died He had to borrow one. "Immanuel, this will be a sign." How does God come? In the poor. How does God deal? It'll be an everlasting sign with the poor, the uneducated.

96 "A sign," said the great prophetess Ann. When Simeon raised his hands in the temple, and holding that little One in swaddling cloth, and says, "It's a sign that'll be evil spoken of, for the fall of Israel, but the gathering together again too; a Light to the Gentiles..." What? "God with us," not in the rich and the haughty, but in the poor, born in a stable, "God with us." What kind of a things did He do? Watch His things He said. Watch Him, what He said. For God Himself said, "This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him. This is My Son Who I am pleased to dwell in, hear ye Him." He said, "I'll be with you always, even to the end." He sent forth His apostles. They burnt the earth up in their days, as God being one with man. They baptized the people in the Name of that God, Jesus Christ. They lived so close to Him till He manifested Himself through them, through signs and wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit. "God with us." They preached there was one true and living God. Man has built all kinds of towers on three or four gods, or two gods, but there's one God. That message was to be revived in the last days.

101 You had better get your thinking on now, open up your hearts. Ask God to reveal this to you, what I'm fixing to say. When He come, He fulfilled what the prophets said. And when He's coming in the last days in the latter rains of God, when both former and latter rain will be poured out, He's coming just exactly the way it was prophesied of Him: "It shall be Light in the evening time." What was to happen? Immanuel, the same Son, the same Light, the same God that come to dwell in flesh with His people at the day of Pentecost, will come in the like manner in the last days, for it shall be evening Light. What is it? There shall be a sign, an everlasting sign: God with us, God in us, God through us, man and God becomes one. Jesus died, that He gave that precious Life, on His decision, (in last Sunday's Message), because He gave it for a decision that He might bring many sons to God. Immanuel with us, the evening Light people, it would attract them.

103 When God gave the sign, "This will be a sign. God will be dwelling in flesh." He thought that would attract the people. It did. "For as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become sons of God." And it's supposed to attract the evening Light people when that same Light shows. God and Christ are one. Peter said, "Let it be known unto you, that God's made this same Jesus, Whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ," a sign evil spoken of. But the evening Lights is here.

32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Therefore I would like to ask you a question this morning. What is the condition of your heart this morning? Is your heart burning within you as you walk with Him along the way, for He is still here, and he is still leading us to the Millennium.

Let’s just bow our hearts in a word of prayer. Dear gracious Father, we are so thankful for this reminder that you are still here with us, and that you have not left us, not forsaken us. But you remain the same yesterday, today and forever, and you who created the Word are here to confirm it. Grant to us this morning Lord, a glimpse of your presence, and give us that burning in our hearts that we might feel Thy Presence with us, for we ask it in Jesus name, thy Loving and obedient Son.