WHO IS THIS MELCHISEDEC #41
FEBRUARY 11, 2001
Brian Kocourek
LUKE 24:1-4 ¶ Now upon the first [day] of the week, very early in the morning,
they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and
certain [others] with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the
sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and
found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much
perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
Notice the condition of the
saints, the scripture tells us they were perplexed. They were entirely at a
loss, they had no explanation as to what happened.
LUKE 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down
[their] faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among
the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when
he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the
hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Now, I want to ask you a
question, "what did the angels (the two men) do to give them
faith"? They explained what had
taken place in their day by the Word of God making it live again among them.
Notice the reaction they
had. LUKE
24:8
And they remembered his words,9 And returned from the sepulchre, and
told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. Their
reaction was to go tell others.
LUKE 24:10 It was Mary
Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary [the mother] of James, and other [women that
were] with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them as idle
tales, and they believed them not. Notice the reaction of the Apostles, men of Faith.
LUKE 24:12 Then arose Peter,
and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid
by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to
pass. Still
wondering.
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. Notice that they were puzzled, they were trying to find some sort
of explanation to what they had been witnesses to. They reasoned among
themselves what could these things be?
LUKE 24:15 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. Notice their eyes were holden, that means they were not fixed on the
one who was talking to them, but they continued to look strait ahead and didn't
bother to look at the one who was now talking to them.
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? Look how Jesus is guiding them along with the
conversation, Notice the guiding questions He uses to prod them along to the
place where they would be willing to hear the answer.
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.
Notice that Jesus just let
them talk until they showed they just had no clue as to what had taken place.
Then when they were finished, He turned to them and said,
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? 27And 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.
I want you to notice the
reaction of these two men, and notice the atmosphere of uncertainty and
dejection had lifted and an atmosphere of expectation began to unfold in their
midst.
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.
Notice the little things
Jesus kept doing to help these two come to an understanding. Every thing He did
was with the purpose in mind to show them the light of what had just taken
place in their day and He took everything to the Word, and by the Word revealed
the day and it's condition. 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?
Look at the reaction of these men. Their hearts begin to burn
within them, and when this began to burn up inside it isn't long before you
want to go and tell others what has happened. 33 And they rose up the same hour,
and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them
that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to
Simon. 35 And they told what things [were done] in the way, and how he was
known of them in breaking of bread. Notice the first reaction was to
go and share this wonderful thing to others.
Luke 24:36 ¶
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and
saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you. 37 But they were terrified and
affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them,
Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Notice that even after all
these appearings, they still did not quite get it, and yet look how Jesus
handled this situation. Jesus didn't turn from them and dust His feet from them
and say, I have had enough. He looked at them and said, 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle
me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And
when he had thus spoken, he shewed them [his] hands and [his] feet. 41 And
while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye
here any meat? This story just amazes me how much unbelief there was
in those 11 disciples and yet Jesus was not one bit distraught with them, and
He once again did something to prove once more that He indeed had risen from
the dead and was not just some apparition or some ghost, but the same one who
died a few days earlier and now arisen from the dead.
42 nd they gave him a
piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took [it], and did eat
before them. 44 And he said unto them, These [are] the words which I spake unto
you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were
written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms,
concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might
understand the scriptures, Now, by this time they had known Him and followed
him for 3 -1/2 years and yet they still had not their eyes opened to what was
happening in their day. 46 And He said unto them,
Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the
dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are
witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon
you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from
on high. 50 ¶ And he led them out as
far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed
them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy: 53 And were continually in the temple, praising and
blessing God. Amen.
Now, this morning I would
like to tie this story of the time of the resurrection with what brother
Branham is telling us in the next paragraph of WHO
IS THIS MELCHISEDEC. In Paragraph 28 he says,
28 Now, as we
approach the Word in prayer, and approach the written Word, we ask Lord, that
You will take this written Word and make It alive to us tonight. And when we
leave this building tonight to separate to go to our different homes, may we
say like those who came from Emmaus, that had walked with Him all day and still
didn't know Him... But when He got them inside the room that night, and the
doors all shut, He did something just like He did before His crucifixion. By
that they knowed He had risen again. Do it again tonight, Lord. Grant it, while
the doors are shut and Your little group here is setting,
waiting. And, Father, when we go to our homes we'll say like they did,
"Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us along the way?"
We commit ourselves and all in Your hands, Lord; do with us as You see fit.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Now, this is not just a
wonderful opening prayer, but it speaks of the Sovereignty of God. He said, We commit ourselves and all in Your hands, Lord; do with us
as You see fit. And oh,
what wonderful hands to be committed unto.
Or may I ask you, what others hands would you rather be committed into?
Why? Because Look at the way Jesus nurtured along a sick and unbelieving
brethren.
Now, let's look at this same
story from another perspective in St. John.
JOHN 20:1¶ The first [day] of the week cometh Mary Magdalene
early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away
from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the
other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the
Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other
disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other
disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping
down, [and looking in], saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then
cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the
linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with
the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in
also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and
believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again
from the dead. 10 Then the disciples
went away again unto their own home.
11 ¶ But Mary stood without at the sepulchre
weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, [and looked] into the sepulchre, 12
And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at
the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman,
why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord,
and I know not where they have laid him. 14 And when she had thus said, she
turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She,
supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him
hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus
saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is
to say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet
ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto
my Father, and your Father;and [to] my God, and your God.18 Mary Magdalene came
and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and [that] he had spoken
these things unto her.
Notice what Jesus said to
her, for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go
to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father;
and [to] my God, and your God.. Look at the message of the
resurrected Lord Jesus setting the relationship straight between himself and
the brethren. He said, My God is your God, My Father is your Father.
Now, with this in mind, and
showing how the Lord Jesus behaved Himself in the midst of his brethren who
didn't seem to have enough faith to accept His presence among them, I want to tie His attitude together with this
next paragraph of Brother Branham's Message from Melchisedec because it says it
all.
29 Now, let's get
right into the service now quickly, turning now with me if you will to the Book
of Hebrews. And another revelation on the Message, we'll speak for just a few
moments tonight, the Lord willing. And then while reading the first three
verses of Hebrews 7:1-3, and then commenting on this... And we don't know what
the Lord will do. We do not know; the only thing we do is just believe, watch,
pray (That right?), and believe that He'll make everything work together for
good to them that loves Him, because He promised to.
Now, there are two
statements brother Branham made here that bear looking into. First he said,
First he said, We commit ourselves and all in Your hands, Lord; do with us
as You see fit. And then
he followed up that thought with we don't know what
the Lord will do. We do not know; the only thing we do is just believe, watch,
pray (That right?), and believe that He'll make everything work together for
good to them that loves Him, because He promised to.
Put together we can read
this thought into it, We commit ourselves into the
Lords hands not even knowing what He will do, but we do know this, that all
things will work together for our God because He promised it.
I think it something to note
the attitude that Jesus displayed to his brethren even when they were having
trouble believing the Truth. And yet He never gave up on them, but little by
little He gave them evidence of His Resurrection, even to the point where He
let Thomas place his own finger in the wound in His side.
In PHILIPPIANS 2:4 Paul said, Look not every man on
his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: Now the King James version is the only one that
translates this word as mind, let this mind be in
you.
Most of the other major
translation use the word attitude because it not only speaks of a mindset, but
the attitude or disposition or motive behind that mindset. The NIV says,
"Your attitude should be the same as that of
Christ." The NEW AMERICAN STD. Says, " Have this attitude in yourselves that was also in
Jesus Christ." And the AMPLIFIED
says, "let this same attitude and purpose and
humbleness of mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus.
Now, with this in mind, then
what ought our attitude be towards others who are struggling to
understand. Jesus never just wrote them
off, but he went after them, not with a whip, that was for the unbelievers who
hated the Light. What Jesus did was to give them example after example of
resurrection presence, resurrection evidence, showing resurrection life.
[Matthew 25: 31-46] 31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of
his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the
goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on
his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them
on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world: 35
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me
drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was
sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall
the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed
[thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and
took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as
ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it]
unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me,
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For
I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no
drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me
not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or
naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye
did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me. 46 And these
shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Did you know that the attitude we take toward others is so very
important in God’s economy? We should be examining what it is that God looks at
in these sheep and goats. It isn’t so much what they knew, or how great they
could preach, or how many souls they could get saved. But He looked at their
actions toward one another, and what they did to make their short time here on
earth better for the brethren. And we aren’t any different. When someone treats
our children good, we enjoy it almost as much as our children do. We appreciate
the kindnesses that are shown to us and to our household, and God is no
different. After all He’s our Father. Brother Branham said, "You want to do something nice for me, then do it for
my children."
IDENTIFIED
MASTERPIECE OF GOD 64-1205 E-8 And I think it's when we can get together with this type of
fellowship, it does something to us that draws us closer to each other. And as
we get closer to each other, we also get closer to God, for Jesus said, "Insomuch as you
have done unto the least of these My little ones, you have done it to Me." I've got a
little boy in here somewhere, I suppose: Joseph. I got Billy setting here, two
daughters setting back there, and a wife. Now if anybody had something that you
wanted to do real nice, I would much rather you would do it to my children than
to do it to me. And so I feel maybe, as a parent--and He's the source of
parenthood--I think that that's the way God feels. We serve Him as we serve each
other. That's how we serve God.
And here in Matthew 25 we find Jesus telling us what the great
white throne judgment is going to be like, and there are basically two kinds of
people that will be there.
One kind will be given
eternal life based on their mercies that they showed to the brethren, while the
other will be cast out for their lack of mercies for having not shown mercy to
the brethren. And that is the key.
Now, certainly we are not
legalistic and we do not believe that we could ever work our way into heaven.
But there is a difference between our status and our state which is our
standing in Christ. Our Status is what has been given by law, in other words,
through God’s Election and decree, we have a status as joint heirs with Christ,
and yet because God just doesn’t shove us through a tube, and say, “blessed
is he that overcomes,” we then must have a path that takes us toward
that divine decree, and that path is the vehicle that God has chosen for us to
get there and that is called predestination. Now, there is no way that you can
change your status in Christ. Either you are a Son or you are not. But our
state or standing is another matter altogether. Our standing is where we are at
this moment. It is what we are in this flesh, or as Paul would say, “in
the body of this death.” And
our standing tells us where along this path of predestination we have come, and
how far along we are.
Now the reality of
predestination is that God has called us to a certain position that is
rightfully ours by the divine sovereignty and divine decree of God And yet This
same One who called us to be Sons, also made us of the earth, earthy. And yet
we know there is a prescribed way in which we must come and that is through the
channel of His Word. The first step is by being justified by Faith. Then when
our faith becomes focused and we begin to walk in the light, we begin to
separate ourselves from the things of this world, and as we do, we become
sanctified. Then this sanctification leads us further along God’s plan because
it allows us to be considered fit vessels worthy of God’s own Life to come in
and indwell us. Thus becoming born again by the Living Word of God. In fact
that is what sanctification is all about. It is a cleaning up and placing into
service. Fit for service. And once we are cleaned up and ready for service,
then God places within us His Word to be kept by us and to keep us. I say to be
kept, in that we become stewards of His Divine promise, and I say to keep, in
that by being good stewards the Word that we are keeping will also keep
us.
As we see in the beginning
when God created the world by Jesus Christ, we find that it is also maintained
by Him as well, and He is the Word. In Col
1: 12-17 We are told that He not only created the world , but the world
which He created is also dependent upon Him for it’s keeping. And we are no
different.
What we are looking at this
morning is the attitude we take toward one another. We can say all the fine
words we want, but words are cheap. Let me see your sermon because your actions
speak louder than your words will ever do. And these two different types of
people were given their rewards not based on how much they preached, but on
what they did for others. And yet, look how surprised they were to find out.
Like the Jew and gentile
that Paul spoke of in Romans 2. One thought they could justify their lack of
kindness because they knew the law and felt that because they knew the law that
God was obligated to overlook their shortcomings, whereas the other group, the gentiles use their lack of knowing
the law to justify themselves by saying, Hey, we didn’t know therefore we are not
responsible. And yet both were
wrong. You are responsible, therefore you had better know. But Paul speaks here
of a God who is not a respecter of persons. He will judge you according to the
works done in the body, period.
“Whatsoever you have done
unto the least of these my brethren, you have done so unto me.” do you realize the significance of those words?
Now, we see that their are
two types of unbelievers and two types of believers. But that actually makes 4
. And 4 is the number of deliverance. It is also the number of earth or earthy.
But 5 is the number of Grace and that is what we see in the scripture
pertaining to another Group altogether, which we shall call the ones in
between. Because it is strictly by Grace that they are given Life Eternal on
the other side. And it is this group that I want to focus our thoughts upon
this morning because we all have loved ones that just can not see this Message
of Grace that God has given to us. They are truly blinded to it and because of
this it looks like there is absolutely no hope for them. Yet God who is rich in
Mercy has made a way for them and that is what I want to address to you this
morning. Your parents, your brothers, your sisters, your close friends who are
just blind and can not help being blind. They were ordained to their blindness
because they are part of what makes up Laodicea which are blind, naked and
miserable and don't even know it.
274-2 CHURCH AGE BOOK CPT.7 As Israel (chosen people of
God) in majority forfeited their rights in the Book of Life by rejecting Jesus,
so the majority of the Gentile church
will also come into condemnation with the resultant removal of their
names from the Book of Life by
rejecting the Word and thereby entering into the world ecumenical
movement which is the image erected unto the beast.274-3 There is another
point to see here. In the great White Throne judgment there will be a separation
of people. The Book of Life will be opened and another book will be opened.
Now, we have already read in
Matthew 25 about this White throne judgment that is coming. Let's take a moment
and read several other scriptures as well.
[Revelation 20:11-15] "And I saw a great white throne, and Him
that sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away: and there
was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life:
[ Matt 16: 24 - 27 ] ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any
[man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me. 25 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find
it. 26 For what is a man profited, if
he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give
in exchange for his soul? 27 For the
Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he
shall reward every man according to his works.
[ Rom 3: 19 - 20 ] 19 ¶
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who
are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may
become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of
sin.
[Revelation 20:11-15] and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works, And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it: and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was
not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
There will be both the righteous and the un-righteous in this judgment. It
says so. THESE RIGHTEOUS WILL NOT BE
THE BRIDE FOR THE BRIDE SITS WITH HIM IN JUDGMENT.
[I Corinthians 6:2-3] "Do
ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be
judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that
we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"
[Revelation 3:21] "To
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." See, the bride is
with Him in the throne. As she is to judge the world she has to be sitting in
the judgment with Him.
That is exactly what Daniel saw. [Daniel 7:9-10] "I beheld till the thrones were cast
down, and the Ancient of days did sit, Whose garment was white as snow, and the
hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and
His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before
Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were
opened." See, it is the same scene, for
the thousand thousands who are ministering to Him are the bride, for who
ministers to the husband but the wife?
CA 276-1 The question now
arises, why are these righteous ones in the judgment? There is no other place
that they can come up, for there are but two resurrections and since they could
not qualify for the first resurrection they must come up in the second which is
a resurrection unto judgment. The ones who qualify for the first resurrection
(the bride) are not in the judgment.
[John 5:24] "Verily, verily I say unto you, He that heareth My Word,
and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life (that is, the believer
is already the recipient of eternal life which he has in his possession now)
and shall not come into condemnation (shall not come into the judgment, is what
it really says) but is passed (permanently) from death unto life."
But notice carefully, Jesus must have yet
another group in mind who at a certain resurrection will receive eternal life.
They will receive it at the resurrection, NOT HAVING PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED IT AS
A MEMBER OF THE BRIDE.
[John 5:28-29] "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in the
which ALL that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
Now
we all know that John 5:28-29 is NOT
THE RAPTURE for only the dead in Christ will arise from the graves at that time
along with the living bride who still is on the earth.
[I Thessalonians 4:16-17] "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead
in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord." But it says in John 5:28-29 that ALL are going
to come forth from the grave.
This is the very same
resurrection that is spoken of in Revelation 20:11-15 wherein THE DEAD
were brought before the Lord and judged according to their works, and all whose
names were not in the Book of Life were then cast into the lake of fire.
CA 277-1 We now face the
question as to why they should be given eternal life at the judgment since the
Epistles seem to conclusively point out that one must possess the Spirit of
Christ or perish. Though it seems thus, we must not discredit the words of
Jesus Who most pointedly sets forth that there are some found in the Book of Life
who will either receive eternal life before the general resurrection or after
it. Paul does not evade this truth for he most clearly says in Philippians 3:11, "If by any means I might attain to
the resurrection of the dead." Now this statement is most peculiar. We all
know that we are ALL going to be in a resurrection whether we want to be or
not. All will be resurrected. So Paul
could hardly be saying, "If by ANY
MEANS I might attain to a resurrection of the dead." The truth of the
matter is, he is not saying that. The
literal reading is, "If by any means I might attain to the
`out-resurrection' from among the dead." This is not the attaining to
the general or second resurrection, but attaining to the first resurrection, of
which is said, "Blessed and Holy is
he who hath part in the first resurrection, on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him
a thousand years." The first resurrection has nothing to do with the
second death. That is at the end of the thousand years when ALL THE REST of the
dead live again. And in that day there will be those who come forth to eternal
life and those others who are caught in the second death. Now we do not need to
guess about those who in the second resurrection are given life. We are told it
is given to them on the grounds that they have been kind and good to the
"Brethren". Those who are raised and cast into the lake of fire will
be so treated because of their mistreatment of the "Brethren". Since
this is the Word of God we simply accept it. There is no argument here, just a
simple statement of fact.
278-1 To
further clarify, notice specifically the words of Matthew 25:31-46. It does not say that a shepherd is literally
separating sheep from goats, but it is
AS a shepherd dividing sheep from goats. These are not sheep in this particular area of time (White Throne
Judgment). The sheep are in His fold, they
heard His voice (Word) and they followed Him. THEY ALREADY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
AND CANNOT COME INTO THE JUDGMENT. But these do NOT have eternal life, and
they are in the judgment. They are
allowed to GO INTO eternal life. But upon what grounds do they enter into
life eternal? Certainly not upon the fact that they already have His life as
does the bride, but they receive it
because they were kind to His brethren.
They are not His brethren: that would make them joint-heirs with Jesus.
They are NOT heirs to anything but life. They
share no throne, etc. with Him. THEIR NAMES MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE BOOK OF
LIFE AND NOT REMOVED. Now because of
their love of the people of God they are recognized and saved. No doubt these
served and helped the children of God. Perhaps like Nicodemus and Gamaliel
they stood for the children in a time of trouble.278-2 If this seems to
smack of "restoration," watch carefully now, for the wicked are NOT
restored, but turned into the lake of fire. The names of many of those
destroyed were in the Book of Life also; but they were blotted out because they
failed to honor the people of God who were the living manifested Word (living
epistles) for their day.278-3 Now let us be very clear here. These are not
nations being judged and going into the millennium because they have harbored
and helped the Jews. That is very clear because of the conclusion of these
verses. "And these (the wicked) shall go away into everlasting punishment
(lake of fire), but the righteous into everlasting life."
There is no record
of TWO judgments set where the wicked are cast into the lake of fire. Only the
beast and false prophet are judged at the end of the great tribulation. No,
this is the White Throne judgment, and they are judged according to what is
written in the books
279-1 It is the second resurrection wherein the five foolish
virgins come up. Notice that they were virgins. They did not have the Holy Spirit so they missed being in the bride,
while the five wise who had oil became a part of that bride. But these people, being a separated,
God-loving people, and trying to abide in the Word, according to what they knew
of it, and being a help in the work of the Lord will come up at the end of
time. They will miss the millennium, which you can begin to see by these
truths is much more important and wonderful than we have ever thought or
believed.279-2 All these people had their names in the Book
of Life and their names remained. But whose names did not remain? Those of the
world system churches who fought the bride will be those whose names are
removed. That is who will lose out. They will be cast into the lake of fire.279-3
Now let us go another step, but before we do let us review our case thus
far. First of all we know most assuredly that the purpose of God stands in
election. It was purposed in Himself. It was God's purpose to bring forth a
people like unto Himself that would be a Word Bride. She was chosen before the
foundation of the world IN HIM. She was fore-known and beloved before she was
ever brought forth during the ages upon the earth. She was redeemed by His
blood and can NEVER come into condemnation. She can never be in the judgment
because sin cannot be imputed unto her. [Romans
4:8] "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." But indeed she shall be with Him in His throne of judgment,
judging the world and even angels. Her name (each of her members) was written
in a section of the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world. Secondly, there is another class.
Their names are also in the Book of Life and they will come up in the second
resurrection. Such are the foolish virgins and the righteous as are spoken of
in Matthew 25. In this class also
are those who do not worship the beast or become involved in the antichrist
system but die for their faith even though they are not in the bride, not
having been born again. But they will come up in the second resurrection and go
into eternal life. Thirdly,
there are the borderline Christians such as we saw in Israel coming out of
Egypt. These had their names in the Book of Life and their works written in the
books. These having failed to obey God and being void of the Spirit, though
even the signs and wonders were amongst them, will have their names removed
from the Book of Life. Amongst this group will be the ones like Judas who
though entirely void of the Spirit, but are religious, will have manifestation
in their lives, and though on the books were not the elected IN HIM. Such also
as Balaam will be in that group. Fourth
and finally are the ones whose names have never been or will ever be
written on the books. Such are found in Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 17:8,
"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not
written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world. The beast that thou sawest was,
and is not: and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:
and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in
the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast
that was, and is not, and yet is."
Jesus said that a certain group would accept one who came in his own name. That
one is the antichrist. And that is exactly what it says of them in Revelation 13:8, and 17:8. These were ordained of God but
not unto election. And with this group is such that are as Pharaoh. It says of
him, "Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up. Vessels of wrath
fitted for destruction." Romans 9:17 and 22. None of these would be placed
on the records of life.
I am not saying that there is no record of them. No doubt
there is some kind of a record of them, but NOT IN THE RECORDS OF LIFE. Their
purpose of existence has been dealt with slightly in the rest of this book but
we can add two more Scriptures. [Proverbs
16:4] "The Lord hath made the
wicked for the day of evil." [Job
21:30]"The wicked is reserved to
the day of destruction, they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath."
Now with this in mind, I
hope you can see the importance of be salty and applying the Token for your
loved ones.
E-28 BLIND
BARTIMAEUS 56-0407 Just watch, watch what happens to that type
of crowd. What if they could rise out of hell tonight, what would they do? I
imagine there would be an old fashion altar call, sure enough. But they can't. Their attitude towards the Son of God then
sealed their destination. And your attitude towards Him tonight will do the
same thing for you. That's right. You either bring Him in or seal Him out.
THE TOKEN
63-0901 pg. 49 pp. 5 Apply
it, create that atmosphere around you, that they will just drop right into it. Oh, you are , if you've got the Token, you create an
atmosphere around you of power, that when you walk, people know that you are a
Christian. In love for you to say
something to them. They believe your word, what you say, they hold onto it.
See? That is it. Apply the Token, then walk in it. Claim your household. You
must do it, now. This is the evening time
IS YOUR LIFE WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL pp. 151
And did you know, you are a little creator yourself? Did you know
that? Certainly! You've seen people that you just love to be around. You don't
know why. Just that loving type of person. Haven't you seen that? Just as kind,
you like you be around them. They create
that atmosphere by the life they live, the way they talk, their conversation.
Then you've seen those that every time you - you shun them. All the time they
want to talk about something evil and talk about somebody, and say, "Oh,
my, there they come, they're going to talk about this man. All they're going to
do is tell dirty jokes, or something about women, or something like that."
You just hate to get around them. See? They create. Seemingly pretty nice
people, but they create that atmosphere. And the things that you think on, the
things that you do, the actions, the things you talk about creates an atmosphere.
AWAKENING JESUS 63-0117 And we create our atmosphere around us,
each one of us. You've been with people that were nice people, but you just
couldn't hardly be around them. Then you've been with other people that you
just loved to be around them. You create
that atmosphere. And, oh, wouldn't you have loved to have been around Jesus
just a little? Wonderful! See what that atmosphere He created would have been.
I imagine it was just one great big bundle of Love, and Respects, and Godly Fear.
E-13 GREAT
COMMISSION 58-0301B And what about a brother that has made a
mistake? Though I say he's wrong. Sometimes he's accused wrong when he's not
wrong. But if he is wrong, well, if we will take him to the throne of God,
stand there shoulder-to-shoulder with our brother, knowing he's a mortal, and maybe his destination rests upon our
attitude towards him, when we come back from the throne of God, we'll
realize that we're everyone guilty, and we all need help one from the other.
And the best way to do is pray.
E-15 IMPERSONATION
OF CHRISTIANITY 57-0120M Our heavenly Father, today it's with grateful
hearts, as we quietly and reverently approach this sacred moment, How do we
know but what this very hour, may
determine the eternal destination of a soul setting present? And the value
of that soul is compared with many thousands of worlds. So we pray, Father, that You will let us
approach reverently, solemnly, and in the attitude of prayer. And also, there
may be sick people setting present, who this day, and their attitude that they receive through this Word, may determine
how much longer they stay on the earth. So we realize the solemnity of this
very moment, and we ask that Your great Presence will anoint us all.
E-24 FROM THAT
TIME 60-0302 Whatever
you attitude is towards God, seals your eternal destination. You can walk
across the line between grace, mercy, and judgment; and when you spurn grace so
many times you can separate yourself from ever the Presence of God, or you can
accept Him and have Eternal Life, and never die, but be raised up again at the
last day in the general resurrection. Oh, how glad I am, that there's something
that we can point back to and say, "From that time, something
happened."
1 DISCERNMENT OF
SPIRIT V-9 N-3 60-0308 And we are here this morning, Father,
gathered for no other purpose but to study to know the will of God and what we
must do to make Christ real to the people of this generation. Knowing surely
that in the day of the judgment we will be brought face to face with this
generation. And, being ministers, we
will be judges. And the people to which we have spoken to, and their attitude
towards the Word that we bring them, will determine their eternal destination.
Therefore, Lord, in that day we would be a judge for or against the generation
that we preached to.
32 SEVEN CHURCH
AGES 54-0512 And may every
one of the laity act tonight as if this was their last sermon they'd ever hear.
God, take away all folly. Make us sincere, knowing that we must answer at the
judgment of God someday. And our
attitude towards Him and His Word now, will 'termine our eternal destination.
E-52 THEN JESUS
CAME 57-0407E And whosoever
will, may come and drink from the fountains of Life freely. You make your
choice. Your eternal destination will be
staked upon your attitude towards Jesus Christ. This might be your last
chance. And when we bow our heads now just for a word of prayer. I'll ask the
sister to come to the piano. While every person is in prayer, I want you to
think it over.
E-7 GOD PROJECTING
HIS LOVE 57-0806 Your action or your
attitude towards this little piece of Scripture will seal your eternal
destination. And if that Scripture is that valuable, it's plenty enough
for us tonight to think on for just a little while.
E-10 THEN JESUS
CAME 57-1213 These little words here tonight of these
four letters that's been read for a text, they could seal your eternal
destination, your attitude towards them. So that's what makes them so
important. Them little words could set you free from sin tonight. Those little
words could condemn you tonight. Those little words could set you free from
sickness and suffering tonight, if you will receive them. But they've got to be
received.