Satan’s Eden no 48

Worshipping Satan through their church

May 29, 2022

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

Let us remain standing as we open up God’s Word and take our text from 2 Corinthians 4:3 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Let us pray…

This morning we are going to hear brother Branham take the Sword of the Word and cut very deeply with it. Therefore, before I begin I want you to understand, I do not have an axe to grind with any particular person, or church group. I am just going to lay out what our prophet tells us as he begins to take the Sword of the Word and begins to slay the enemy of God which is Satan and his methods of producing unbelief in the church population.

Remember, this sermon of brother Branham’s is called Satan’s Eden for a purpose, and it was his hopes that the title of this sermon would draw people to hear what the Lord placed on his heart to reveal to us concerning Satan’s methods to bring about unbelief in this last day and channel the worship of the people towards him.

Now, let’s pick up where we left off with br. Branham’s sermon Satan’s Eden and begin reading at paragraph 17.  “The god of this world today, the worshipped person of this world today is Satan, and the people are ignorant of worshipping Satan.

Before we go any further let me read again from 2 Corinthians 4 to show you that this is not an original thought of William Branham’s here, but he is simply echoing what the Apostle Paul taught us in 2 Corinthians 4:3 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Notice that the apostle Paul called Satan the “the god of this world”, and we know that the word “god” means “an object of worship”. Therefore what the apostle Paul is teaching here is that “the god of this world,” is the worshipped person of this world, and this one who is the object of worship has blinded the minds of them which believe not. Making them think that they do believe, and are actually worshipping God through their church which he has full control over.

Now, this is not just an end-time strategy of Satan for he was kicked out of heaven for doing exactly the same thing. He is narcissistic and has from the beginning shown himself to try to channel the worship of God towards himself.

God's servant Job 55-0223 P:12 As soon as Satan... You know the old--the argument is: why couldn't God have by-passed all this, and not had any of it? But God putting Satan almost co-equal with Him, Satan taking the things of God and perverted them into the evil thoughts, and through there began to pervert things into evil instead of good. And God, as soon as the first thing was done, out of His great treasure chest of love, He had a plan of redemption, that quick.

Didn't have to sit down, and think it all over, how it would be. He was God, infinite. He knowed how it would be. He had it in His great heart, how He would bring all this about. And then if He foreknew the Church, foreknew Christ, foreknew the plan, and set it all in order, and the world turning around. And you being dead to yourself, dead in Christ, and alive, after you're dead to yourself, alive in Christ, God's working all things together for the good to them that love Him, and how can you lose? You just can't lose; there's no way of losing.

God's power to transform 65-0911 P:103 "Well, I'll make You the bishop of all the earth. I have rule over it. If you'll just worship me, come on join my group, I'll--I'll make You the ruler. I'll step down, let You up."He said, "Get behind Me, Satan. It is written, 'Thou shall worship God, the Word, and Him only shall Thou serve.'" Then one day...On this great Person, I'd like to stay there awhile. But one day, the Spirit moved upon Him again; 'cause there was some Word had been wrote about Him, come from God, through the prophet, "And He was led to the slaughter like a lamb."

And the Spirit moved upon Him, and led Him, and sent Him to Calvary's cross. There He died. And everything that was spoke of Him in His death, was fulfilled to bring Light and Life to all the predestinated seed of God that was upon the earth. He brought the way to do it. Here is the Seed; the Spirit brings the Life, transforming sons and daughters of God from the world in this dark chaos in to be sons and daughters of God.

Harvest time 64-1212 P:20 Now, to you that would like to turn, usually you like to read from behind a minister when he's going to read, to find out just where he's speaking from, if you have your Bibles, and will turn to Saint Matthew the 4th chapter...

And now, I'm going to give my text just before I speak; more or less, want to teach it like, and speak it as we go along. And this I have titled somehow, I don't know why, I'm titling this: "The Harvest Time." And we're going to take a Scripture reading to base this thought upon, to draw from here the context of the text.

We're going to read Saint Matthew the 4th chapter, a portion of it. This is in the temptations of Jesus. After He was filled with the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness. Now when Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Now, watch the pattern of Satan in his temptations. First he works on the natural laws of self determination, which is survival, and Jesus was starving. And he sees that Jesus has just completed his fast of 40 days and nights, and was extremely hungry. So the tempter, Satan, tempts Jesus to use the Word or shall we say the third pull which is the creative Word to create bread for himself. And of course Jesus rebuffs him with the Word of God.

But he (Jesus) answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And the devil taken him up into the holy city, and set him upon a pinnacle of the temple,

Now, realizing that Jesus has placed himself behind the Word of God for his defense, Satan at this point decides to use God’s Word himself to try and tempt Jesus into using His Spoken Word Third Pull creative powers.

“And he said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, “He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dashest thy foot against the stone.”

This of course he is quoting from Psalms 91:9-12 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; (which Jesus had shown satan that His fortification was behind God’s Word in the last temptation,) 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

But that did not sway Jesus one little iota, for He went right back to the Word to rightly divide the Word in answering Satan’s temptation. “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.

But Satan was still not finished, “And again, the devil taken him unto... exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glories of them;”

And he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou will fall down and worship me.... Jesus said unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, “Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shall thou serve.”

Notice that Jesus was persistent with the Word of God and battled Satan on the grounds of the Word. But this episode in Scripture gives us an insight as to Satan’s pattern to sway God’s children away from the protection of the Word of God. And this was not the first time Satan used the Word of God to try and bring worship to himself. And that is what we will be discussing this morning as we move forward with what brother Branham has to say in this sermon Satan’s Eden.

But first let me read to you from his sermon Take on the whole armor of God 62-0701 P:34 So when God... The first battle that was ever fought was not fought on the earth; it was fought in heaven, Michael and his Angels against Lucifer. And they were kicked out of heaven. And then that great army of the devil and all of his imps fell upon the earth, and God knowed there was going to be a battle.

I believe He knowed from the very beginning everything that would ever be. If God's infinite, He knowed every flea that would be on the earth, every gnat, how many times it would bat its eye, and how much tallow they'd all make together. He's infinite.

Revelations 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman (and remember a woman, a symbol, and woman always types the church.) clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Stars represent sons. Remember Joseph’s dreams where the stars bowed down to him? And when he told it his brothers became angry because they said “far be it we bow down to this pip squeak little brother of ours.”

Satan's eden 65-0829 P:35 In Isaiah 14 we'll read it. And watch what this fellow done: Isaiah 14, begin with the 12th verse. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars... (That's sons.)... stars of God: And I will set also upon the mount of the congregations, the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

God of this evil age 65-0801M P:41 Notice, Satan not called the god of any other age but this age. It was his ambition to be like God from the very beginning. Let's read that. We'll just take our time. Let's go back... Let's see; I got it wrote down, Isaiah 14. Let's go back here to Isaiah 14 just a minute and see what God said the god--what Satan did: Isaiah 14:12 and 14.

Notice. “How art thou falling from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cast down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:... (Sons of God, now)...

and I will set also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: It was Satan's ambition to be worshipped like God. He took two-thards--two-thirds of the stars of heaven, ascended hisself above those stars, and preached to them, and deceived two-thirds of them. You see it? All right. Notice, that's his ambition. And now he is ready with his careful selected, educated bride by his own knowledge (See?), all painted up in his deceit of big buildings, and big denominations, and paints of knowledge, and theology,

and smart, and intellectual, and educated, to deceive the whole world and become a god (That's what he's done.), all heading up into the person of the antichrist, which is already crowned the vicar of God by his worldly-loving, scientific bride, all dressed up in pomp of intellectual, religious education. She is made religious like him, and by his own interpretation of the Word of God as he did Eve, and as his son Cain did.

Revelations 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Now, this was not a tail like that a dragon would have because it is just more symbols.

QA Hebrews part 3 COD 57-1006 P:27 Now, over in Revelations … the 12th chapter, He gives a picture of the woman standing, the moon at her head and the sun at her head and the moon under her feet. And the red dragon stood to devour the child as soon as it was born; and he took his tail and pulled a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. Did you notice that? Now, that doesn't mean that Satan has a long tail that he hooked around people, but the tale that he told, and pulled a third part of those stars. Those stars were Abraham's seed. Abraham said, "Oh..."God told Abraham, "Look up to the heavens and number the stars if you can."He said, "I can't do it."He said, "Neither will you be able to number your seed," the stars.

So William Branham Word prophet told us the tail was not a long tail but the tale that he told, so this has to be in Scripture if this comes from a Word Prophet. Right?

Isaiah 9:15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

Oh, I love these Bible symbols, because where there is a symbol in this Bible there is also an explanation of what that symbol is.

5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Ok, so we look at the very beginning, the battle that was fought in heaven, and Satan was cast out down to the earth he went. To set the stage for the great battle of the Word of God against all the kingdom of Satan’s Eden. And guess who is going to win?

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman (the church) which brought forth the man child. (Christ)14 And to the woman (the church) were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Now, we just read two more symbols here, the eagle which always represents God’s Prophets, and the two wings which always represent the new and old testament.

As the eagle stirreth up her nest 59-0815 P:20 And then his eye is so keen. If he'd go so high, and he cannot see when he's up there, his altitude wouldn't do him any good. But he can see farther than any other bird. Therefore, God likened His prophets unto eagles. For higher you go, the further you can see.

And the prophet rises into a sphere to go way so high, until he see things coming, then comes back and warns the people. Then again, the eagle also is equipped with two great powerful wings. And the feathers, you could not pull out with the pair of pliers. Oh, they have to be tight, or when he gets up into that altitude and them storms, they would come out, and he'd fall. So he's got two wings. And I'm going to liken those two wings to the New and Old Testament that Jehovah Eagle spreads out before us.

Eagle in her nest 57-0705 P:9 Then we find out again, that the eagle had two great wings. And those wings was for deliverance. And they meant also, the New and Old Testament. And then we find out again, that the eagle could soar higher in the skies than any other bird. You've often heard them say about hawkeye; he's an amateur to the eagle. Why, he can't see half the distance of the eagle.

And the eagle goes so high into the air, until he has to have a certain makeup. No other bird could ever follow him. If the hawk would dare to try to follow the eagle, he would perish in the air. Therefore the eagle is a special made-up product, so that he can go high. God likened His prophets unto eagles, …

And of course in Malachi 4 God said he said, “the sun of righteousness would come with healing in His Wings”, which again the wings tell us he comes with the New and Old Testament.

In his sermon Only one way provided by God 63-0731 P:22 brother Branham takes us back to the very beginning before Satan came to earth to show he used the same tactics in heaven.

‘I'll say something here, maybe I oughtn't to say, but yet I believe I ought to say it. If you noticed, Lucifer is exactly doing the same thing today that he did at the beginning. See? Lucifer, at the beginning, wanted to build himself a kingdom which was greater and more beautiful than Michael's Kingdom, Christ.

He want... That was his ambitions to achieve something like that. And what did he get to do it by? He took fallen angels who had lost their first estate. He took that to do it with. And today Lucifer has got into the church, and taken away the Word, and injected denominations, and he's building a church, the ecumenical move that's going on now, to unite all the Protestants together, and altogether come into Catholic.

And this pope they got in now, to do the same thing, exactly what the Scripture said it would do. And what's he doing it by? He's doing it by men of those great ecumenical moves, who does not know God; and the many of them in the Pentecostals, 'cause they're doing the same. What is it? He's doing it with fallen angels, fallen Lutherans, fallen Methodists, fallen Pentecostals, that lost their original estate from the Word of God, and going right back in to make a great big ecumenical move.

Fallen messengers, messengers who once stayed with the Word, but sold out their birthrights and joined in with the world... The same thing, it's at the last day. And Lucifer is achieving today by men with those spirits in them, that he did with angels at the beginning, fallen angels who kept not their first estate to obey God. And he's doing the same thing today.

So we see the pattern has been established since before the foundations of the world. Satan has his pattern and God has his. In fact every seed life has a pattern, and must abide by its pattern, if it comes after the original seed. For the law of Life in Genesis 1:11 is that “every seed must bring forth after its kind. Or nature.”

The life in the seed must manifest the attributes and characteristics of the seed life. Therefore the life in the seed must manifest what life it is. “By their fruits you shall know them.” Matthew 7:20. One of the greatest yet simplest lessons Jesus taught us. And if you just learn the pattern of the seed life you will be able to identify what life all men are manifesting.

From his sermon Christ is the mystery 63-0728 P:256 “Notice, Lucifer in the last days is doing as he did at first. What did Lucifer do? The first thing that Lucifer done to separate the fellowship of God and man, he wanted to build him a united kingdom of greater splendor and seemingly more cultured, a greater kingdom than Michael, Christ had. You got it?

Now, now, if you miss it, just hold up your hand and I'll say it again. You see? See? Lucifer at the beginning, his purpose in heart was to achieve a brighter and greater thing in heaven than Christ had (Is that right?) by seemingly a more cultured, more beautiful, more splendor than the Kingdom of Christ. Do you think we'll have automobiles in the millennium and airplanes? See? See what Lucifer's doing?

Greatest battle ever fought 62-0311 P:44 This great first battle that was ever fought begin in heaven when Michael and his Angels fought against Lucifer and his angels. The first battle was in heaven, so sin did not originate on earth; it originated in heaven. And then it was thrown down from heaven, cast out of heaven to the earth and fell on human beings. Then the battle from Angels become human battles.

And Satan come to destroy God's creation. What God had created to be for Himself, he had (Satan), come to destroy this. That's what his purpose was, was to destroy it. Then the battle begin here on earth and begin in us, and it's been raging ever since.

And from his sermon Let your light so shine before men 61-0903 P:59 When Jesus come, what kind of a class of people did He have to get? Uneducated fisherman, men, Peter, apostle, the great saint, who was given the keys to the heavens could not even sign his own name. Stunk with fish from the old fish supposed to make the old greasy apron on. Jesus took that class of a man.

Today they'd kick him out of the church, if he come in (Right.) to worship. See, the people are looking for class. And did you know the devil lives in class? Do you know what caused the first battle in heaven, was when Lucifer set up a greater class of people, got a better class of angels, he thought, big a bigger kingdom, a more brighter, shinier kingdom than Michael had. And he was kicked out of heaven. See where class comes from? Stay away from class. The hungry don't want class; the hungry wants food. Yes, sir.

And again in his sermon Seal of God 61-0216 P:21 brother Branham said, “Now, we find out that because that Cain listened to the enemy, then what happened? He become the first murderer. He become the first one that had jealousy on earth. Tell me where that pure line from God to Adam...

That's the only connection. Adam was the son of God. Bible said so. Then where did that jealousy come from? Where did that murderer come from? Where did all that kind of a spirit come from? Out of Adam? Couldn't have. Come from Satan. It's exactly where it come from.

Now, we find out he was the first murderer. And he was the first one to have jealousy. And Lucifer got jealous of Michael, brought it right down to the earth and transferred it into man. And Satan... Cain by taking on this evil, took the first mark. God marked him. No one was to kill him. Let him alone. But you remember, as soon as He marked him, he went out from the Presence of God. Hold onto that now.

Hold onto what? Oh, people don’t miss what he just said, Cain went out from the Presence. He went out from the Parousia of God. And all these people that call the Parousia of Christ a false doctrine have their inspiration from Cain to say that. By their fruits you shall know them. You say, brother Branham didn’t use that word. But Jesus did, and Paul did, and Peter did, and John did and James did.

And Paul said if you don’t preach what I am preaching you are cursed with a curse. Brother Branham just called it by its English equivalent, “Presence” because he was speaking to an English Speaking people. He said the appearing is before the coming, and He is appearing now. That’s his presence.

“Oh, we don't have time to give it a real thorough study because, oh, brother, we could dig this here for six months (See?), and never touch the outsides of it. See?” And I can say amen to that, because we can take 2 – 3 years just to cover one of brother Branham’s sermons by taking it back to the Scriptures, and running it from Genesis through Revelations. 266 sermons & 3-1/2 years on the Spoken Word is the Original Seed.

If we have any Jews setting out there viewing this sermon, who are the end time Jews who may go through the tribulation period, that’s 42 months we studied that one sermon, and that is how many months the tribulation will take place. My suggestion for you is to take one sermon a week and it may see you through.

Unfailing realities of God 60-0626 P:82 You remember, sin didn't begin on earth. Sin begin in heaven, when Lucifer taken and made him... He said, "I want a denomination, make a great big thing," went on the north country and set up a bigger thing than Michael had. And he was kicked out of heaven. And those angels back there, them spirits... When that's the reason, "When this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one already waiting." See? And that's the reason our name was put on the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world. "All the Father has given Me, will come to Me."

Questions and answers COD 59-0628E P:44 Now, as I just got to basing up to this, that Lucifer in heaven tried to exalt himself and even be just a little higher than his Boss. And he betrayed Michael, and made hisself a great kingdom in the north, and come down. Now, and he and his angels was cast out. The person asked of the Revelation... That's on Revelations 12, on the Isle of Patmos.

But now notice this here at the 12th verse, and watch how he sets in the kingdom of men. How many people here understand that the devil controls every nation under heaven? The devil controls the United States. The devil is government of the United States. The devil is the government of Germany. He's the government of every nation under heaven. The devil controls every nation. The Bible says he does.

Read Matthew the 4th chapter, when Satan took Jesus up to the top of the mountain, and showed Him the kingdoms of the world, and claimed them to be his, and said, "I'll give them to you if you'll worship me." Jesus never said, "You lied, Satan." He knowed they belonged to him. But over in the Book of Revelation, said, "Rejoice, you heavens and you earth, for the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. And He shall reign on earth."Jesus knowed that in the millennium that all the governments and kingdoms will be broke down, and He'll be God and Ruler over all of them. He knowed He fell heir to all of it; so therefore, He told Satan, "Get thee behind Me, Satan," for He knew what He had to do.

And this being the time of Satan setting up his Eden, he has just brought about this Satan worship through the instrument of the church whereby his getting the churches to fall away from God’s Revealed word, he can now manipulate them into worshipping him.

The Apostle Paul called it out, William Branham gave the final warning and here we see it in plain view in this day as Satan’s Eden has come into full blossom and manifestation..

Now I could stop there but we can see he is bringing an indictment against the people who claim to be worshipping God but are actually worshipping Satan and do not even know it. And that has to be Laodicea who are blind and don’t know it. And that means these are ignorant people. Insane.

William Branham is telling us “Thus Saith the Lord” as God’s vindicated prophet, “the worshipped person in this day is not God, it is Satan.” He then tells us the people are actually ignorant that they are worshipping Satan. And the apostle Paul told us it is a “willful ignorance”.

2 Peter 3:3-7 "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his Parusia? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."

Now, we hear many bloggers on the internet that want to show you that the elitists are Satan worshippers. And we can’t even get the lukewarm so called Christians today to even believe that. Yet there is so much evidence today, whether it is statements they’ve made themselves, or photographs people have taken, or even video evidence. And yet the so called Christians today still don’t want to believe that anyone could worship Satan, much less governmental leaders. But Satan controls every country he said so to Jesus. We read it to you, so wake up pleas before it is too late.

But God’s vindicated prophet to this age said the so called worshippers of God are actually worshipping Satan and they don’t even know it. And he is not speaking of the Political leadership here, he’s speaking of the church leadership and the church goers.

Listen to what he says… “But it's Satan impersonating himself as the church (See?), as the church. They worship Satan thinking that they are worshipping God through the church, but it's the way Satan has done it.

So it is through the church that they think they are worshipping God when in actuality through the church they are worshipping Satan. Let me repeat that so you will not continue to misunderstand him. He is telling us that most people go to church thinking that by doing so they are worshipping God, but Satan through the church has redirected their worship away from God and to himself.

So the church is only the instrument whereby people worship Satan today. Now, I know people are going to say, “oh, that’s not what he means.” And I would just like to ask you, since when has God called you to tell us what the prophet of God means and what he doesn’t mean. But this message is full or people, who say “only say what the prophet says!” And then they teach contrary to what the prophet taught.

He said that “Satan is impersonating himself as the church,” and notice that brother Branham said it twice. And it’s normal to repeat yourself when you want people to know that you mean what you are say. And he said “they worship Satan thinking they are worshipping God through their church.” Then he says, but it's the way Satan has done it.

Now, that’s not just the Baptists, Methodists and Pentecostal churches he’s talking about. He says the people are worshipping Satan through their churches…Thinking they are worshipping God through their churches… but are actually worshipping Satan through their churches.

Now, how can that be? When people say they are believers in this End time Message and call their church a Message church…and then deny what the Messenger taught? They are using the church to take the people away from the end time message.

They place their creeds and their dogmas of their churches and their pastors above the Word of God, and when they do that they are worshipping Satan through his anti Word creeds, but all the while in their minds they are thinking they are worshipping God. But they are worshipping the god of this evil age.

Now, the Apostle Paul tells us the reason for this in 2 Corinthians 2:4 But if our gospel be hid, (in other words, if it is hid then it is because they do not understand it. And then Paul says,) it is hid to them that are lost: So the Gospel is hid from them that are lost. So who might that be?

In 1 Corinthians 2 the apostle Paul tells us who these lost people are that and cannot understand the things of God. He says in verse. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

So if it is hidden then who hides it? “God hides it from the wise and prudent but he reveals it unto babes such as are willing to learn.” Those are words which Jesus himself said.

Luke Chapter 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

And the Apostle Paul echoed them as well in 1 Corinthians 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

And God is the one who does this.

And the Apostle Paul continues in verse 2 Corinthians 2 and verse 8 “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. The Lord of the doxa. The Lord of the Opinions, and Values, and judgments of God. So when Jesus spoke to them they called it heresy, like the do the Parousia of Christ and the understanding of the Godhead, yet he constantly told them his words, and his doctrine were not his own but His Fathers that sent him.

John 5:17 My father worketh hitherto and I work

John 5:19 The son can only do what he sees the father do first

John 5:30 The son can of Himself do nothing, but what he sees the father do that he does.

John 8: 29 I do always those things that please him.

John 10:18 This commandment received I of my Father

John 10:25 the works I do in my Fathers name

John 10:32 works I showed you from my Father

John 12:49 Father gave me commandment what to say and do

John 12:50 as my Father said to me so I speak

John 14:31 The Father gave me commandment what to say and do.

Now, back to 2 Corinthians and we will pick up at verse 9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Therefore, if it has not even entered into the heart nor the understanding of man, then how are they going to understand the things of God? And there is only one way for us to understand the things of God and Paul tells us in verse 10 “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”

Therefore if God does not reveal them to us we will never know the things of God. It is impossible. And that is what the Apostle Paul makes very clear in verse 11. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God knows.

By this there is one thing he makes very clear and that is “the things of God knoweth no man,” and the only way to know them is if God reveals them to us by His Spirit.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; (in order) that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

The Apostle Paul is saying here that in order to be able to understand the things of God we must receive the Spirit of God, because if we do not have the Spirit of God in us, he tells us it is impossible to understand the things of God which includes this Message.

13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

You see, this is where I come in conflict with my fellow brethren who claim to believe the Message. How can you believe what you do not understand? Oh, you say you don’t have to understand it, you just have to believe it. That may be true if you are just believing unto. But if you have come unto and still do not understand then you show you do not believe.

Contending for the Faith 55-0220E E-66 Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom." You can't understand it. It's a mystic, mythical thing until you're born again. There the very Life of God comes in you. Everlasting, Eternal Life, Zoe, God's own Life comes in you, and then you're a part of God. You're a Son of God or a daughter of God. And then you see as God sees. You believe as God believes.

Divine Healing 54-1219M 279 May I, instead of him this morning, standing and quote to this generation, "For except a man be born again, he can't understand these things, the Kingdom of God," as He said to Nicodemus of old. You can't understand it; you'll never understand it, until God comes into your heart. And you'll be a part of Him, then you'll say, "Yes, Lord, every bit of the Word's inspired. I believe every bit of It. I believe It's the Truth. And here I am, Lord, to walk in the Light." As long as you're borderline out there, you can't believe it. You can't do it. May the Lord help you this morning to see the supernatural.

Shalom. pg 34 “The Elected see, knows It' always through every age that they know it.

Shalom 64-0112 P:22 And men, how they'll continue on into their creeds, and serve under those creeds and things. And they're good people. They're fine people. But yet it seems like that they can't understand, look like they can't get it. Why? I go back the next year, and instead of being any better, it's worse. It

Hear recognize act on word 60-0221 P:18 First, faith cometh by hearing, hearing of the Word of God. Then the believer hears It, recognizes It, and acts on It. The carnal man will hear It, the sound of It, but never... "Hear" means to "understand" It. Look at, is looking at something; but to see it, is to "understand" it. "Except a man be borned again, he cannot see or understand the Kingdom of God."

Hear recognize act on word 60-0221 P:18 First, “faith cometh by hearing, hearing of the Word of God”. Then the believer hears It, recognizes It, and acts on It. The carnal man will hear It, the sound of It, but never... "Hear" means to "understand" It. Look at, is looking at something; but to see it, is to "understand" it. "Except a man be borned again, he cannot see or understand the Kingdom of God."

Seed shall not be heir 65-0429B P:25 Now, if you'll take Saint John 5:24, listen to this, "He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has Everlasting Life." Now, how would that be so much different from many of our theologies? Now, I could walk out here and say to a drunkard, "Do you believe?""Sure."A man with another man's wife, "Do you believe?""Sure."

"Did you set in the meeting last night to hear the Word?""Sure.""You believe It?""Sure." He's just saying that. But the original interpretation of this Word, "he that understandeth My Word, and will believe on Him that sent Me... He that understands," that is to who It's made known to. Jesus said, "No man can come to Me except My Father has drawed him. And all that My Father hath given Me, they will come.

My sheep, My doves, hear My Voice. A stranger they will not follow." And what is the Voice of God? Is the Word of God. What's any man's voice but his word? It's the Word of God; they'll hear the Word of God.

Now, back to 2 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man (the man without the baptism of the Holy Spirit) receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, (it is impossible for him to know them and understand them) because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he that is spiritual (He that is spirit filled) judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Now, in getting back to what the Apostle Paul was saying in our text this morning, In 2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

He called Satan “the god of this world”. The word god means an object of worship. Therefore what the apostle Paul is teaching is that the god of this world, the worshipped person of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not. Making them think that they do believe.

Look, you can’t tell the Baptist, Methodist, or Pentecostal they aren’t worshipping God, but a vindicated prophet of God told us they aren’t. He said they are worshipping Satan and don’t even know it, thinking they are worshipping God because they are just plumb ignorant of God’s Word.

You cannot tell these people that they don’t believe the Bible? Because they’ll tell you they do believe it. And when you or your church come to any Scripture and deny that Scripture by your actions or creeds, then you’re worshipping Satan and you don’t even know it.

When the Apostle Paul commanded us to say only what he said, and teach only what he taught or you’re cursed. And he said, “to teach anything different than what he taught you are cursed, and you say, well in this day it don’t mean that, then you are a worshipper of Satan instead of God Who is the Word. And you are too ignorant to even know it And ignorance is no excuse. And today they are willfully ignorant.

You deny today what God has placed in the church for the perfecting of the church? You’re worshipping Satan and you don’t know it. Jesus called them, “blind leaders of the blind.”

You call the Parousia of Christ false doctrine even though Jesus taught it first, and then the apostle Paul, and the apostle Peter, and the Apostles James and John? And we of all people who heard the voice of the end time prophet of God ought to know this word but they are so ignorant still.

People if you take the 23 verses of scripture that Jesus spoke concerning the parousia, and those that Paul spoke of it, and those which Peter James and John all spoke of it, you come up with 84 signs and events that will be fulfilled during that period called the parousia and 79 of them have already been fulfilled, and most people right in this Message have no clue because they listen to pastors who are not called, but just musically inclined, or have a leadership and organizational spirit upon them.

And if you still believe that Jesus is one with God as your finger is one, you deny what God’s vindicated prophet taught and what Jesus and Paul and Peter and James and John all taught. And that means you are ignorant.

And you call what the son of God taught, and his apostles taught for Gospel Truths, and you call it a false doctrine, you my friend are worshipping Satan and you don’t even know it. And I don’t care if you are ignorant that Jesus Paul, Pater, James and John preached it. That is no excuse. You deny Him by denying His Word.

You say, “well the prophet never used that word?” The prophet never spoke Greek or Hebrew either, so does that negate the entire Bible? Are you going to throw out your Bible because William Branham never used all the Greek and Hebrew words in it? People can be so ignorant, that’s all.

And ignorance is no excuse. A sister told brother Vayle, “I do not understand therefore I will not be held accountable.” And he said “you have it all wrong sister, you will be held accountable, therefore you had better understand.”

Ignorance is no excuse for unbelief because ignorance is unbelief. The Apostle Paul said, “Study to show yourself approved, a workman that needs not be ashamed.” 2 Timothy 2:15

If you look up the word Parousia in the Greek it simply means “presence”, and William Branham spoke the word “presence” in referring to the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ more than 4,400 times, and he used words like “the Appearing before the coming”, and “he is here” and many other phrases to declare the presence of Jesus Christ more than 8,700 times which is an average of 7 times per sermon.

And people can’t find it in their Bibles? It’s because they certainly have not even tried.

You believe in the Oneness teaching or the Trinitarian teaching? You’re worshipping Satan and you don’t know it.

You believe in “Two Lords” instead of “one Lord” even when brother Vayle said “two lords a fallacy and should not be preached”, and you continue to preach it? When Moses taught one Lord, and Jesus taught One Lord, and Paul taught One Lord, and William Branham taught One Lord?

If you’re still teaching two lords you are teaching heresy and contrary to what Paul, Jesus, Moses, Peter, James and John taught. So, you are worshipping Satan, thinking you are worshipping God and you are so lukewarm and blind and ignorant that you don’t even know it.

When you deny John 14:12 is for the believer and you make it for one man only? You are either ignorant of what you are saying or you are worshipping Satan and you don’t even know it.

When you have a Vindicated prophet who taught John 14:12 is for every believer who has the Holy Ghost, but you deny it, then you are willfully ignorant and a worshipper of Satan and don’t even know it.

A Vindicated prophet of God said in his sermon Faithful Abraham 61-0312 P:53 Now, the church that professes to be a Christian church, will have to have that same Spirit that was in Jesus Christ. For at the resurrection of the church, Christ and His Bride will come together and dovetail. The writings and promises of God will be made fulfilled there.

So it cannot come together unless the same Spirit was in Christ is in you and me. And then if that same Spirit is in there, It'll “do the same works”, and live the same kind of a separated life, and “do the works that He did”. The Bible said so, all the way to Genesis confirms it.

Also William Branham vindicated prophet of God makes it clear that John 14:12 is for every believer as we see in 59-0628E - "Questions And Answers" 172  88b. Brother Branham,... Can any man do the works of Christ unless he was Christ? That's what it is, "Unless he was Christ?" Sure. Let's take Saint John, just a minute. Saint John the 14th chapter and I want you to look at this, now, if you can catch it right quick, Saint John 14:12, I believe it is. We'll get it right quick, and look what Jesus said about this.

All right, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He," "whoever it is", "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." Any man, The man himself can't be Christ, but the works of Christ will follow every believer. See? He'll do the works of Christ in any man. "He that believeth in Me, the works that I do, he shall do." Not, "I shall do," "he shall do, he shall," not, "I." "But he believes in Me and has confessed his faith in Me and died out to himself and My Spirit dwells in him and he becomes a part of Me."

Now that don't make him Christ. It makes him part of Christ with the rest of the Church. All right. He is not Christ, because that would be anti-Christ, you see. He would be taking away from Christ. But he can be, do the works of Christ, any believer. All right.

So you see, any creed that says other than what the Word of God says, it is placing man’s words above God’s Word, and thus you are under the influence of Satan.

Ok, I think I’ve wacked enough devils of unbelief this morning, I just feel we should close now, and pick up next week where we have just left off. I had another hour left but I don’t want to wear you out.

And for those people who quote Matthew 7:1 and say, “Judge not lest ye be judged?” But let’s read all of what Jesus said. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

So what does that mean? It means our standard is this Word and this Word alone, and we must all stand before the Judgment seat of Christ and so we should ask ourselves before it is too late, “do I believe what God’s Word says or what man says about it.”

For the apostle Paul said, 1 Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

And how do we judge? By God’s Word. Jesus told us in John 12:47-49 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

And how will that judgment come? 1 Corinthians 6:2 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?

God’s prophet told us in his sermon, Led by the Spirit of God 56-0723 P:84 “Now, remember your blood is before me; I'm placing it before Christ. As a minister, I'm obligated to the Word. God will judge me if I don't preach the truth. And then I preach the truth then it's on your hands. He said if you would see the enemy coming and you don't warn, then I'll require the blood at your hand, but if you do, then it's upon your own head.

And from his sermon Discernment of spirit 60-0308 P:1 he said, “And we are here this morning, Father, gathered for no other purpose but to know and to study to know, rather, 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.

So with that in mind let’s just bow our heads now to the Father of Glory and close our eyes, and open up our hearts to God in a word of prayer…