Satan’s Eden no 21

Righteousness and Unrighteousness part 3

The Vindicated Word

December 5th, 2021 pm

Brian Kocourek, pastor

 

As we examined last week, Malachi 3 speaks of one group returning to the Word and discerning between righteousness and wickedness, and the other people return to its vomit and pollution.

 

Malachi 3:16 “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, (pricked up his ears and became suddenly attentive) and heard it, (discerned and understood what they were saying) 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.

 

Amplified Bible 16 Then those who feared the Lord with awe-filled reverence spoke to one another; and the Lord paid attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who fear the Lord with an attitude of reverence and respect and who esteem His name. 17 “They will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on that day when I publicly recognize them and openly declare them to be My own possession that is, My very special treasure. (My adopted sons) And I will have compassion on them and spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”

 

18  Then shall ye return, and discern between  righteousness and wickedness, between him that servets God and him that serves him not.

 

Now listen, this speaks of adopted sons, and all others shall perish. But the adopted shall be saved from the judgments that are to come because the others have turned down God, they spurned His mercy which came via His Message, and they chose judgment by doing so. And so God has given them a strong delusion, and we see the whole world in a great delusion at this time.

 

Now, Eternal security is absolutely in the Word of Almighty God, for those born again. And these other people who turned down the Word of God for the season were never born again, therefore they were never sons. And notice that those people will not return to the Word, but they have to return to something, so they will return to what they came out of before the Word was preached to them. So they will go right back to where they were. And the Bile says they will return to their vomit.

 

But what about those treated as sons? How were they born? They were born by the revealed Word of God. So therefore these others weren't. They were born of Creeds and dogmas. Yet as anointed ones at the end time, they may see miracles and supernatural manifestations of the Holy Ghost, no different than the children of Israel saw the acts of God but never understood his ways as Moses did.

 

Psalms 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

 

Notice what happened to those who saw the acts of God but never understood His ways? They perished in the wilderness. So it matters not whether you were alive to see God in action whether in Moses day or William Branham’s day, what matters is whether you understand what God is doing in His season or not. For we are at the end time, and  both groups must return, but return to what is the question. Only those who are righteous (rightly wise) who understand the ways of God will return to the Word which is brought by the end time prophet of Malachi 4, and all others will return to something, so they will return to their own righteousness which is as filthy rags in God’s eyes. And their own righteousness is referred to as a dog to its vomit and a hog to its filth. Therefore, if they do not return to the Word they will return to something.

 

John 1:1 tells us “In the beginning he was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and Ephesians 1:3 tells us we were in him before the foundations of the world. So we were a part of God back then as part of His thinking.  

 

Now it says, of that other group that their end is going to be worse than their beginning. He said, "What? You think that you escaped, you can't imagine the bondage you've actually placed yourself in."

 

Let's go back to Malachi. Except those who speak this certain way and fear the name, except by a revelation, it says, all of you are going to be destroyed. Wait until the tribulation hits them. And they'll say, "My God, what happened? Where did we miss it?" See? Of course there'll be some saying, "Well, we were told we don't get caught up until the end."

 

Now listen, "it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness."

 

2 Peter 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

 

Now, what is this corruption they come under bondage to? It is their own mind, their own thinking, their own doxa, and they prefer that than the very Doxa of God. The vindicated revelation for the hour.

 

1 Peter 1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory (the doxa) of man is as the flower or grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  25  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

 

So the corruption that Peter speaks of in 2 Peter 2:19 is that they return to their own word, their own doxa which is their own opinions, values, and judgments. That is the corruption that Peter is speaking of in 2 Peter 2:19 as he is the same Peter who wrote 1 Peter 1:22. Thus the Same Peter that wrote 1st Peter also wrote 2nd Peter, and he told us in 1st Peter what that corruption is, and it is their own doxa. He called the corruptible a seed, which is a word, but that corruptible seed dies, it must die and and decays. It is a corruptible Word. But he calls God’s Word the opposite, he calls it “the incorruptible Word of God that endures forever.

 

So one endures forever because it cannot corrupt, for it is incorruptible. While the other decays because it is corruptible.

 

And then after he tells us they return to their own corruption or their own doxa, he says in verse 20  “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

 

Now, it is interesting that this speaks of those who are entangled again first come to a certain knowledge, but then fall away. That is perfectly Hebrews 6 where they have been made partakers of the once and for all enlightenment which is this end time message, but then fall away.

 

Hebrews 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once for all enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers (companions) of the Holy Ghost, 5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (millennial power) 6  Having fallen away from that, it is impossible for them to ever renew themselves again unto repentance; ( change of the mind) seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.


Then in verse 7 Paul tells us how they fall away.

 

7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain (remember Deuteronomy 32 the rain is Gods Doctrine) that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: So he tells us here that the rain, (the doctrine) falls upon the just and the unjust, which are the wheat and tares. But what it produces in each shows you what seed they were to begin with.

 

8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.  Notice that which bears thorns is rejected. And the thorns appear when the water leaves them, or they leave the water.

 

From his sermon Go awake Jesus 63-1130E P:51 brother Branham said, “But we find out, the water supply gets low. And in my country where I live in Tucson, everything out there has got a sticker on it. Everything you look at has got a sticker, and because it's so dry. Now, if it was here in this country, and could grow, it'd have a real soft leaf. That sticker is a leaf rolled up so tight and so sharp, there's not an instrument could be ground like it.

 

Planting the vine and where to plant it 59-0920 P:25 Everything in the desert has a sticker on it. Any little plant you come to, don't get near it; it'll stick you. It's always got its stickers right out ready to stick anything that comes near it. What's the matter? What made it a sticker? Is because it had no water. That's what dried it up. That sticker is a leaf rolled up. For the lack of water, it becomes a sticker. Thus it is with the church today. That when the church gets away from the fountain of Life, when it gets away from the joys of salvation, when it gets away from the Lord God, then that person becomes a sticker, always finding fault, sticking. Don't you...?... me come up. "I'm a Presbyterian, I'm a Methodist, I'm a So-and-so. Don't talk to me about that stuff." A sticker, it has no fruits. You take that same plant, cactus, and put it into a land for a few generations where there's plenty of water, and that sticker will unfold, and will come a soft leaf bearing fruit.

 

So we see the parallel between the wise virgins who had the oil, and the foolish who had none. They had left their first love, and they dried out. And dried out they could not produced any fruit as a thorn cannot produce fruit because of lack of water.

 

So Paul tells us about the thorny plants that cannot bear fruit, and then he says in verse 9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, (fruits) though we thus speak. 10  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do continue to minister. 11  And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through revelation and patience inherit the promises. 13  For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14  Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

 

Now, in getting back to 2 Peter 2:21  “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 

Now, Peter and Paul both preached the same thing as you may recall last week we read from Romans 10 where Paul said it would have been better for them to not hear at all than to hear false doctrine, and thus to call upon a false Lord. And here Peter tells us “it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from it.”

 

But then he tells us how it is that they do so…22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; (and if it turns again then that is it returns to its vomit, and what is vomit, but yesterdays food.) and the sow that was washed returns to her wallowing in the mire. So they return to yesterdays food regurgitated up and made ready to be eaten again.

 

So he says 21 It were better that they didn't even know the difference between right and wrong. It were better that they hadn't had the chance to know... that's what he's really saying, to have known the difference between right from wrong. See? Far better than to... than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 

Now, how many times was the Word delivered? Twice. “Remember ye Moses, the law of Moses in Mount Horeb.”

 

Remember Moses come down with the Word, and because the people were engaged in gross sin (unbelief) He broke that Word to pieces and had to go up again to receive it from God all over again a type of The Word ministry in the alpha would be rejected and God would have to bring it back again in the Omega. Then the second time the Word of God comes, it will be a restored word, Just like Moses brought down a restored ten commandments. Remember the first time it could fall, but the second time it can't fall. Because It's restored. See? You've got a bone that's broken; if it mends right, it'll never break in the same place again. Why? because there's a new growth around it. See?

 

So it says, “their end is going to be worse than their beginning.” He said, "What you think that you escaped, you can't imagine the bondage you've actually placed yourself back in."

 

Let's go back to Malachi. Except those who speak this certain way and fear the name, except by a revelation, It says, all of you are going to be destroyed. Wait until the tribulation hits them. And they'll say, "My God, what happened? Where did we miss it?" See? Of course there'll be some saying, "Well, we told we don't get raptured until the end."

 

Now listen, "it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness." 21 It were better that they didn't know the difference between right and wrong. It were better that they hadn't had the chance to know... that's what he's really saying. See? Far better than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 

Now listen, "but it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit..." 22 What's vomit? What he ate. Not what he 'did'. What he 'ate'. "And the sow to the wallowing in the mire." What's that? Her natural nature. How many people had a chance to hear this Word and went right back to proving what they were, because they didn't want the Word? They're still anxious to fuss about it; they just can't take it to heart.

 

Now you notice here what we have read. Notice that fifth verse again, "Noah, a preacher of righteousness." Not Noah the great doer, although he was a fine man and did the right thing. But he was preaching It. And brothers and sisters, when you're preaching, he was teaching. He was bringing to the people the Word of the hour that saved the eight of them and everybody else perished outside of that Word.

 

The message, everybody perished but those that came out by that Word. Brothers and Sisters, don't you see that Lot sitting in that gate was no paragon of virtue? He was kind of in and kind of outside the city. A compromiser. He was a judge in that city. And what he saw vexed his righteous soul. Don't you see why Bro. Branham talked the way he talked? Sure it changed his life, but character is not the great thing that's coming. It's that Word. See? There's the difference, those that wooed the revelation and were not fooled for all but the very elect shall be. See? Notice how he puts it; receive the reward of unrighteousness. See? Right down the line.

 

Now, let's just leave Peter for just a split second there, and let's find another witness. Let's go to 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, (notice, that Wicked be revealed. See?) whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with the brightness of his parousia: 9 Even him, whose parousia is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.  See, but no Word. See? Who was Satan? The anointed cherub that covered. Now what's the anointing? With the Holy Ghost. Satan was anointed by the Holy Ghost, as he stood guard over the Word in the worship of God. Think of that.

 

Thou art the anointed cherub that covers. Right. And he took and prostituted with his own word, in the worship of God, and God threw him out of heaven for that. And they're going to have the same thing repeat at the end time. A leadership in the worship of God, which God despises, because Satan is tripping them up and taking them to himself, and he's going to do it. How's he going to do it? He's going to do it using the very things of God that God laid right down here in this earth for a pure Bride to have her hands on, and the rest are going to proclaim they got what the bride actually does have.

Listen: 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness (with all deceivableness of what? Of un-right-wiseness. And its) in them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: (the same lie told to Eve. And how did the devil tell that lie to Eve? Using the same Word God had given to her, but not rightly divided.) 12 That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in un-rightwiseness. (They prefer error over truth. They prefer a wrong understanding to a right understanding).

 

Now remember these words, which Peter said, are not words that sound out vulgar terrible bombastic things. So every word that sounds so hard and so vile here in 2 Peter is really a shadow of the substance which is spiritual and with spiritual connotation in these words. They are not physical. So when the eyes are full of adultery, it is not somebody running around looking at lascivious women. It is lascivious men fornicating with church systems to see where they can benefit themselves and make themselves a name; and that's with the law. No wonder they don't know the Name of God at this end time. They're so busy glorifying the names of Miss Baptist, Miss Presbyterian, Miss Oneness, Miss this and Miss that, that they miss it all.

 

Listen, "they've had pleasure in unrighteousness." They loved it. It was their joy. It was their spiritual exhilaration. Not some take, some moth-eaten, blasphemous thing out there in the gutter. But in the church, in the beautiful worship, they cried for error, and they were without revelation, "Alas, Babylon, that mighty city: it was beautiful, it was lovely." The beast system has been aiming for this thing for centuries and generations. And now we've come to a place of the "great love of the brethren and the church doing the wonderful duties to bring righteousness upon earth, hallelujah, hallelujah." Hogwash. What an end time delusion. And the Pentecostals who claim they've got the Holy Ghost are just as much in it as those that don't claim any Holy Ghost. And they love it. They're prisoners in it. Their joy is in it. But ours is in the stimulation of the wine of the revelation by the Holy Ghost of Almighty God. Amen. I don't know where the world is getting their pleasures, but mine comes from the revelation of this Word for the season we live.

 

Now all right, we've established the end time condition of Christianity. That's right. I know people don't want to believe this. So there is a spiritual, great deception at hand. Spiritually blinded people. They can't tell righteousness from unrighteousness. In the church is where they fail to see who serves God and who serves Him not, and they’ll end up worshipping the anti-Christ just like the Bible says.

 

So, now comes the question, where did this all come from? See? Why must it end this way? See? Why must it end in the church worship system? Fine people, nobody's fussing at the people; the system. See? Under the system. Now what is it? What does it? What brings it?

 

Now we'll go to 1 John 3 and to find it, 1 John 1:7, "Little children, let no man deceive you: (See?) he that doeth righteousness is righteous." "Oh bless God, don't tell me any man can deceive me. I can see. I know when a thing's right and when it's wrong. Glory to God, what do you think I am, some kind of a stupid fellow?"

 

Way back there John warned them about the very thing of our day. "Little children, don't let anybody deceive you." "What's to be deceived? I can tell you when a guy's really unrighteous and when he's righteous." John said evidently you don't know what you think you know, or you'd take me seriously. How many read this and take it seriously, " Nobody's serious; no fear grips the heart. The only thing people get serious about and fear is what happens to their wallet. "Say, did you hear that stock you've got ...?..." "My stock go down? I'll lose a dollar? ...?... Please Jesus, please Jesus, don't let my stock go down." Bunch of stupid hypocrites, aren't we? Something's wrong somewhere. It's not God, that’s stupid  brothers and sisters; it's not God. This book's stood the test of time. It’s not God who is stupid. Nothing wrong with Him; it's what wrong with us. See? You don't believe it, but we're ordained to believe it. I've got news for you; one day we're going to believe it, when the squeeze does its job.

 

Just like Sarah who stood at that tent door and God said, "And you're going to have a child." And she said, "Ha, ha, ha. What a liar. " And God say, "Why did Sarah laugh?" she said, "I didn't laugh. I didn't laugh." He said, "Don’t call me a liar, you did laugh…." She didn't tremble in His presence; and we didn’t when God worked through his prophet, but we're going to now. See? So, we need help to be serious. But we're going to be serious because the prophet said so. And he never lied, and he never fooled us, and it never ever failed. So one of these days we're going to get real serious.

 

Now listen, "He that doeth righteousness is righteous." See that word, 7b He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as Jesus is righteous. 8a He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. So what beginning is he speaking of? Not the very beginning, because there was no iniquity in that beginning, but their was before the earth was created  when sin came in the form of the one who led in the worship got caught up into his own righteousness, and used his own words in place of Gods words. And he was that cherub that covereth. So what was he doing? He got puffed up in his own ministry, and led the angels to himself instead of to worship God.

 

Now brother Branham said, “if you ever get off mark, bring that bullet back, don't get your lines crossed in times like these”. No, don't get your thinking wrong; keep it right with the Word.

 

Now listen: 8b For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy (that means bring to nothing) the works of the devil.

 

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

 

Notice right here, It says the reason a man doesn't sin is because he can't sin. It says this man doesn't sin, because he can't sin. And it has to do with righteousness and unrighteousness. It has to do with, what Bro. Branham says, you can't be deceived.

 

Now watch, verse 10 In this (very thing) the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, (tells you right there, if you are of God you'll do it) neither he that loveth not his brother. 11 For this is the message that we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

 

Now right here we often read this wrong. See? The Bible says that Cain did an unrighteous thing, and it led him to kill his brother. See? It wasn't the killing that was the unrighteous thing, although that was a very bad thing, that was wrong, but what was that unrighteous thing that he did that led him to killing his brother? Now, if we can find that out, we can find what this whole thing is all about. See?

 

If you have a wrong seed it will have to produce a wrong result. A Word is a seed and a wrong word will produce a wrong spirit, it has to every time.

 

Now let's go back to the Book of Genesis 4, just like Bro. Branham taught us. All right, notice, verse : 2b And Abel was the keeper of the sheep, and Cain was the tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 And Abel also, he brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and unto his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And because God did not respect Cain's offering, Cain got mad. (In other words, what Cain did was unrighteous, And notice now.) 6 And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?"

 

Now listen, when I read this in the King James, according to what is translated from the so-called Hebrew, we're going to get a big mess. But I'll read it anyway. 7 If thou doest well, (now, the KJV translated this very very wrong here. The word well should have never been used. But the right word should be “if thou deost what is right” and you cannot do what is right without being rightly wise. So he said ) “if thou deost what is right” shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not what is right then sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

So Cain did not have right-wiseness and therefore his offering was not right. In the Septuagint which  Jesus used it, and Paul used it, and Peter used it. They used the translation from the Hebrew to the Greek by the seventy elders or scholars in Alexandria under Ptolemy. Now what is the actual translation from the Septuagint? Here's what God said, "Thou hast offered right, yet, if thou hast not rightly divided, hast thou not sinned?" Read it again, "Thou," said God to Cain, "has offered right, yet, if thou has not rightly divided," even though you did the right thing, you are still sin.

 

Now let's go to 2 Timothy 2:15 and prove it. 2 Tim 2:15, let's find out all about it. And right here It says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman (serving God) a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth."

 

So there is no such thing as a workman who will not be ashamed unless he rightly divides the Word. Now did Cain offer right? What did he offer? He offered the firstfruits. Is that in the Bible? Yes. If it's in the Bible then the offering was right. However his division of the Word was wrong, because he should've given the blood first, then the first-fruit resurrection offering. He misinterpreted the season and thereby his offer of worship and service to God was not accepted. The act of worship was unrighteous. The service was turned aside.

 

Hebrews 11: "By Revelation, Abel, offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." [Heb 11:4a] So, if Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice, then Cain offered an excellent sacrifice. There is your answer. What did these boys do? They claim to worship God according to the Word of God, but only one was in the Word of God by revelation and according to the Word of God for the season, so he did a righteous thing, by offering accordingly. But the other one, trying to please God, trying to serve God, trying to be right, tried to do right, without revelation of the season; his works were unrighteous.

 

Now It says in your Bible, if you're a true child of God, you will never ever be outside of the division of this Word. You will be approved; you will be accepted, because you cannot be deceived. So the deception comes via a wrong division of the Word.  Cain was deceived---how?---like millions more; simply reading that Bible and believing their own interpretation rather than to stand with what the Word of the hour absolutely brings forth in that day. Oh, I’ve seen them come and go, and they go because they will take their own understanding of the Word over one that has been vindicated to be true. And in order to do that they are calling God a liar because God vindicated what they believe was a wrong understanding.

 

Now you notice right here, two acts by two men. One served God; the other served him not, though both said they did, and both tried to. "I'm serving God!" You're a liar; God says you're not, if you've got  Word for another season and not the season you are in then you are not in the Word. Cain did sacrifice. "Well he said, I want you to know how right I am." God said, “You're unrighteous”. You're works are unrighteous. They are not rightly wise for the season. You can talk all you want about the death and resurrection, the mediatorial and the intercessory power of Jesus Christ, and be just as lost as Israel who left Egypt with a blood sacrifice and a Holy Ghost revival and still perished, because the Word was not mixed with revelation in them that heard it. See?

 

Now Cain was a worker, a tiller of the soil. Abel went by pure revelation. Abel divided the Word rightly but Cain did not. Now hear what the prophet of God said, in his sermon Spoken word original seed 62-0318E P:161 You can only serve God as you do and believe the servants that God sends. You can only serve God on earth (See?) as God's servants that's sent on earth by Divine inspiration interprets the Word to you. You believe that? You want to put down some Scriptures for it? I Corinthians 14:16. Paul said, "You follow me as I follow Christ." Also, 11:1; Luke 10:16. See what He said, what Jesus said there: Luke 10:16. Believe we're right close to it here. Let's see what it says one time here. Luke 10:16, while they're writing the rest of them down. Now, that's I Corinthians 14:16, also 11:1, and Luke 10:16. Now, let's read. I'm getting to Luke 10:16 here just to read, while you all looking at the other now, just for a moment. All right, here we are. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despises you despises me; and he that despises me despises him that sent me. That proves that God speaks His message through His servants: always has. That's right.

 

So tell me anyone can serve God outside a vindicated revelation brought by a vindicated vessel of God’s choosing. It can’t be done and then accepted by God.  

 

Am I preaching the Word the way he preached it? I don't know one point I'm missing on. Cain had the right act in the wrong place then he hated the one who had it right.

 

Now notice, Abel had the Word right. Then he loved his brother for he did not even defend himself. But see, listen, it's the correct Word and then love. Don't make love your criterion. It is not your love first. It is not your work first. It is being in the spirit of God and having the Word for your day. Make the revealed Word your criterion and it starts with "THUS SAITH THE LORD."

 

Now you can see the picture. This is what the works of the devil are: misinterpretation of the Word and serving God by creeds and dogmas. "In vain do you worship me, having for doctrine the commandments of men." Mattew 15:9

 

The same thing that the serpent perpetrated upon Eve. Why he said, "Eve, it's all right, didn't God tell you to multiply and replenish the earth?" "Why," she said, "He certainly did." Then he said, "well, then Let's get to it."

 

And he Absolutely mis-divided of the Word of God, yet attempting to say they are doing it according to God’s Word. And then she said, "I have received of God a man." Oh yeah, they all claim big things. They all claim they're doing what is right. But how can it be right, if you're off that Word? Listen, Jesus and Paul both were killed, because they worshipped God according to what the people called heresy, but which was the revealed Word and will of Almighty God.

 

Now listen, let's go back to Hebrews 11 again, verse 4 that I quoted to you, "By revelation, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain."

 

Watch now. Both men offered. Now listen, both men had faith in their revelation. That's right. You've got faith in yours; I've got faith in mine. Baptists got it in his. Presbyterian in his. They've all got faith in their revelation. Sure. But notice, one was wrong. And God manifested who was right.

 

Now back in Abel's day, I believe that God showed His Divine approval by sending a Pillar of Fire to lick up the offering. And remember in Elijah’s day He did the same thing. But what about today? How do we know today if we are lined up with the Word? Now how we going to find out? Now the Word of God has to have the answer. 1 John 4, tells us "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets...

 

Verse 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. (Now listen, John says,) 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God listens to me. Did you ever hear such a big mouth in your life? Unabashed, unashamed, unequivocally stand up there and say what I just read. "He that knows God hears me." And he said, "He that is not of God does not hear me." Then he says, "And this is the way you know the spirit of truth and of error."

 

Now people just read that, and they don't even think about it. Like I told the ministers in Congo DRC “you read the Bible like you read a book, and you don’t get anything from it. Read it one thought at a time, because this is Gods love letter to you.”

 

If Bro. Branham had a stood up and said this very thing, which he was qualified to say, they would have run him out of town. I'm telling you the truth. That is the Word of God but They don't want to know it. But brothers and sisters we’ve got "THUS SAITH THE LORD" in the camp. We've dealt with God. We've seen Him face-to-face as it were, through the revealed Word. God identifying Himself,

 

"Hereby we know..." This is how we know, what the spirit is, whether we got the right one or the wrong one. Not these other things like your dreams and your vision, because they are not vindicated. But this Spoken Word is vindicated.

 

Let's find out if somebody else did the same thing. Thank God he did, and he's the Apostle Paul. And what I find in 1 Corinthians 14, I find Paul saying in verse 36, What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? (Where did this Word come from? Did you produce it or did I produce it? Now listen,) 37 If any man thinks he's a prophet, (part of the five-fold ministry) or spiritual, (got the Holy Ghost) let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of God. Do you got the Holy Ghost? Huh? Are you part of the five-fold ministry?

 

You, a five-fold minister and you say, “Paul”, “William Branham”, “I've got just as much right to talk as you've got.” What!? Where'd this Word come from? Where do you think you're producing anyway? Two men standing up in that first century. Peter himself said, "If any man speaks, let him speaks as the oracles of God." You hear me talking don't you? Then it's "THUS SAITH THE LORD" what I'm saying. Three men said it. What more do you want? A whole multitude? I've got news for you: prophets don't come in multitudes. No apology. There’s only one for a season.

 

Now listen, this identification has never ever ceased in the church.

 

Revelation 1:10, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as a trumpet."

 

Now you know the trumpet is the message, because except the trumpet make a certain sound, who shall prepare himself for battle.

 

Now notice in verse 12, "And I turned to see the voice." What wonderful language! You and I would say, "I turned to see the speaker," but John does not. He turned to see the voice. Where is that voice? Where is that voice of Paul? Where is that voice of John? Where is that voice of Peter? Where is that voice of Jesus? Where is it? Never mind the man. I don't care if he comes in to get himself. Give me a John the Baptist, eating locust and wild honey with an old sheepskin around him. That's fine with me. Give me that Word. We're involved with life and death.

 

And I turned to see... I turned to check that voice. "And when I turned I saw the Bride, seven golden candlesticks:" 12  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;13  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

 

"And he saw one like unto the Son of Man," which in the Greek may also be interpreted, 'one who said the same thing as.' That voice caught him. Now that one had in his hand seven stars, which were seven messengers.

 

Now let's go to the Revelation 2:1. "Unto the messenger of the church which is in Ephesus write; these things sayeth he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walked in the midst of the Bride for seven church ages saying the same thing." But watch verse seven, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." But he's only talking to one man---the messenger. So therefore, if you want to hear from God, you're going to have to identify with the messenger, who has a message, which is a revelation of Jesus Christ. Because every time Jesus introduces himself to a messenger, he gives him a revelation of who he is and then he gives them the historical data of the age so he can place it. What is the Message of every age? It is Christ revealed, Until at the end time, the Alpha and the Omega comes into full view, see, and he gets us ready for the Rapture.

 

Brothers and Sisters, that voice has been in every single age. And at the end time, we've had a most marvelous phenomena, because at the end time, God, not willing, and making sure that there would be a people identified with the Word, who would not die,  he said He Himself would come on down.

Revelation 10:1 And I saw another mighty messenger come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: a rainbow upon his head, his feet as it were,-his face as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: 2 And he came down with that little open book, to earth, in order to read it on earth. And at the same time a prophet stood there in order to say, "I challenge you." Show me one time he was ever wrong. But they didn't want that. They couldn't stand another Paul. They couldn't stand another John. They couldn't stand another Peter. And they said, "What is with this man anyway? Oh sure, because he's got a great ministry, now it's gone to his head." Oh they all did the same thing, and they all knew it. They said, "This man is a fallacious individual too." No he wasn't a liar, brothers and sisters because the Bible said when that man came who had "THUS SAITH THE LORD," you hear him and you fear him or you will be cut off. Every age, as Bro. Branham said, "In the Word he was indicated, he was authenticated, and he was vindicated." What more do you want? See?

 

Listen, this demonstration was so fantastic, that this was the end time messenger, that It says this in Hebrews 6, concerning this age, verse 4: For it is impossible for those who were once for all enlightened, (now listen what they had) and have tasted the heavenly gift, and were made partakers (companions) of the Holy Ghost, 5 They have tasted the good word of God, they will taste the powers of the world to come, And they will still fall away. And they will never be renewed to a change of their mind.

 

And never once did that word ever come back to the mind, but as dogs to its vomit and as the sow to its wallow, the ox to its destruction, and the fool to his own folly, as the bird that's struck by the arrow, they go to their death. Why? Because they don't believe that the spirit of truth and error is associated with men. And as men will indicate the spirit of error, by their error, so the men of truth can only stand with the truth.

 

All of these things are marvelous. Listen, enlightenment, partake of the Holy Ghost, taste the good word of God, the powers of the world to come; all of these things, absolutely every one manifest, remember when Christ was here that took place and again at the end time, the end time messenger with the same identical ministry standing on this earth brings this all into focus, they turn it down. See? Turn it down, because they don't know the Word of God. See? What a fantastic vindication. Yet it's turned down.

 

Going back to 2 Thessalonians for just a second, notice what It says in verses 10 to 12. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (No, they won't be saved, no.) 11 And for this cause God (not the devil,) for this cause God Himself is going to send delusion. "

 

“Oh you see, what it is, God will get the devil to do it." No, It says God Himself is going to do it. How much personal honor is at stake at this end time, with the end time messenger, that God Himself is going to see to this? Not just leave it and run its course; God is going to do it. They're going to believe the lie. Why? That they might stand in the judgment and be condemned, because they took pleasure in their own type and system of worship: calling upon God just like Cain.

 

What was that unrighteous act? It was to worship God apart from a revelation, using the Scripture, apart from the Word of the hour, and saying, "Don't tell me that we're not right. I can talk in tongues to anybody. Don't tell me I haven't got it. I'm born again. I went to that altar. Don't tell me I don't know how to get saved."

 

This is what the Bible teaches. They took pleasure in their church system of creeds and dogmas. But we've been resurrected from the creeds and dogmas and for the first time in two thousand years, the Holy Ghost Himself has liberated us and has brought us the truth.

 

Their lies are bound in their creeds and dogmas to which at the end time they add a miracle ministry of Mattew 24:24. But as Bro. Branham said, "Give them the Word test." But like Cain, they cannot take the Word and they hate those who do.

Let me show you where we are. Everything runs in a circle. The Book of Revelation now coincides with the Book of Genesis. Do you mind if we go back to Genesis 3:22 and read It once more? "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil."

 

Right now we're at the place to reach out the hand and take hold of eternal life, and God says you're not going to do it because you do know good and evil, and you've turned down the truth. But there's a little group, said God, at this end time, that Bro. Branham spoke of, that would know right from wrong. And He said, I'm watching them, and I'm writing a record on them, and they fear My Name, because they're the only ones that know the name.

 

Nobody's afraid of Jesus, vindicated, but you and me. See? And the way they talk, nobody else talks like them, and they keep talking to each other. And He said, "What I hear is causing me to write a record, and they're mine and they're the only ones that are mine. And when I come to make up my jewels, they'll be with me, because they have turned back to me, and they know righteousness from wickedness." They know how to worship. They know the truth. They know who serves God and who don't serve God, and they take a stand over it. They don't just accept anybody and everybody. They just don't say, "Everybody talks about God and prays to God, has got to be a Christian." They don't say, "Everybody talks about being born again is born again." And they don't think, just because a man's got a healing ministry, that makes him of God. He said, "Do you see my people? God said. "They are my chosen, my elect and they cannot be deceived.” And I am going to write a book of remembrance of them when I come to save them as a Father spares a son that serves him.”

 

You won't be deceived little children; you won't. But I'll tell you, if you're one of His, for all time you have laid down every single thought you've had on any subject, and you're willing to line up your mind with everything the prophet said. And if he said something contrary then you'll backtrack and you'll clean that tare out of your garden, which is in your mind, which contains that Word of God. See? We're at the end time. They don't know righteousness from unrighteousness, they don’t know truth from error, they don’t know service from infamy, and they'll go on until they end up in the camp of the antichrist, thinking they're worshipping God, through a church system of creeds and dogmas and be absolutely lost.

 

But you know truth from error, righteousness from unrighteousness because you have a vindicated Word. Stay with that Word little children,  and it will see you through. It will see you to the resurrection ministry, the catching away, the millennium and the new Jerusalem, for it will see you to your final destination.

 

Bro. Branham said, "I don't call you 'church' anymore, or saints, I call you 'Bride.'" I think it's about time we took maybe even one more step, because I know he would have taken it if he were here. He could've also said, "Jewels, are you ready for the crowning day?" Jewels of God, lively stones, to reflect the light that has been shed at the end time. Here's where we stand: my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' Blood and righteousness. On the fact that he had the Divine revelation, absolutely authenticated. Let men say we're bigots. Let them deny that we have a right to say as we have. They'll hate that right in us one of these days, but we'll go right on just the same, because the truth cannot perish anymore than God can. So righteousness will not go down, but as in that time when Noah, and Lot, they believed God’s Word, and that saved them.

 

Let us pray…