The Doctrine of Christ no 23
“The path Jesus walked”
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
October 16th, 2011
Let us stand for the reading of the Word.
Isaiah 53:1 Who
hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender
plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and
when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire
him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was
despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed. 6 All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and
the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he
was afflicted, yet he opened
not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so he
openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall
declare his generation? for he was cut
off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was
he stricken. 9 And
he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering
for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of
the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he
shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of
many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Let us pray, Dear
Father we have read Thy Word this morning, that foretold of the sufferings and
afflictions, the rejection and the scoffing your son Jesus went through for our
sake, and we realize that through all of his agony, rejection and suffering, he
never once reviled back for he knew that He was to go through it as the Lamb
Slain from before the foundations of the world.
Help us dear Father as we come
more and more into the image of your dear son, our eldest brother who is the
pattern for all sons and daughters that you have set forth. Help us to see the
importance of he acted when put to the test, and help us to see what his
pattern produced for all of us as we must also be tested. But as we also go
through our testing here on earth, let us walk in the foot prints He left on the sands of time, and help us to place our
feet where your son placed his feet, and as your Son Jesus went as a lamb to
the slaughter, help us to go through our trials and testing with the same
pattern in mind, thus fulfilling your plan in bringing us into his image. For
we ask it in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.
Notice in verse 10 we read, 10 Yet
it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he
hath put him to grief: It pleased the Lord to bruise him. Why
did it please the Lord to bruise His dearly beloved son. That is the question I
would like to leave with you this morning as we study to better understand what
it is that our Father expects from us as we strive to walk in the light as He
is in the light.
This morning I would like to
look at this walk of Jesus while undergoing the most strenuous times in his
life, because if He is our pattern, then we must understand what this testing
is all about.
When God calls a man to be
like Jesus, God will set your path onto a life of rejection and humility, testing
your obedience to Him and His Word all along the way. We have all kinds of
examples in the Scriptures of this, and in modern times, just look at the
rejection of William Branham when he began to go into the deeper things of
Life, and look how they hated him without a cause because he spoke out against
sin in the camp. Look at how brother Vayle had gone from a mainstay teacher at
the conventions in the late 60’s and 70’s to an outcast among Message churches
because he was not afraid to teach on the Presence showing that the parousia
was the appearing before the coming. And then instead of buckling under the
pressure of his peers, he went further into the Godhead and became totally
outcast with the exception of a few.
That is the walk that Jesus
had, that is the walk that William Branham had. That is the walk that John the
Baptist had. That is the walk that Paul had. That is the walk that Elijah had,
and that is the walk that Enoch had. And that is the walk God has called us to,
each one of us.
We can find in each of these
men the examples of a surrendered Life, an obedient servant, a yielded
vessel.
The Apostle Paul said
in Colossians
3:1-5 If ye then be risen with
Christ, seek those things which are
above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your
members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate
affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Now, that was 300 years after having his family that
he walked alone with God, and it seems today we can not find anyone in this day
who is willing to walk alone in God and who has the same testimony, that he did
everything the Lord asked of Him to do. But his testimony of pleasing God is
that he walked alone with God, and was obedient always.
The Apostle Paul spoke
to us concerning this lonely path in which God’s saints have had to walk. In
his letter to the Hebrews in chapter 11 concerning the path in which he
mentions several saints of God, and the path in which they walked alone. :5 By
faith (By Revelation) Enoch was translated
(that means he was transported) that he should not see death; and was not found, because God
had translated (transported) him: for before his translation (transportation) he had this
testimony, that he pleased God.
Brother Branham made a statement about Enoch in his sermon,
Faith is the substance 47-0412 P:61 where he said, Faith, We've got to get in such a place till we be
translated like Enoch was. That's right. Faith, testimony, that it pleased God. Did not Enoch... Our
following Scripture said that Enoch had a testimony by faith that he pleased God. Is that right? And the
Bible said, "Without faith it's impossible
to please God." So you've got to have the same kind of faith that you believe, and
know.
Brother Branham said in his
message, Rising of the sun 65-0418M P:98 There was a man by the name of Enoch. Now, he had walked with every Word of God for about five hundred years.
He had a testimony that "I haven't
one time failed His Word.”He got so full of the Quickening Power, when the
Dynamics hit him on them mechanics, he didn't even have to die; he just took up
home. Just started walking. He was so... Like Philip, he got so full of
Quickening Power, instead of going over to Gaza and going to another place,
where they found him up in the upper coasts there; instead of that way, he just
said, "I'm an old man anyhow; I just got so much Quickening Power, I'll
just walk right out of the earth." That's
the same Quickening Power that we have right now. See? It will quicken your mortal bodies. Isn't that right? It's the Quickening
Powers. Enoch with that perfect testimony that "Everything God told me to do, I did it. Everything that I seen He said
for me do, I done it,” and he become so full of dynamics until when the
Quickening Power struck him the mechanics, It just lifted him right up. He
walked on out of the earth into heaven.
Now, many people try
to limit faith to a human sort of notion, a mental conception of sorts, and
they are satisfied with that and they call that faith. But Faith is way beyond
having just a mental sort of notion to hold onto. Faith is both passive and
active. The problem is that many have only a passive faith like those who watch
a great play unfolding. But you see this play or drama we have been called to
is one in which we are to have an active participation in it if we are the seed
of Abraham.
Now, that doesn’t mean that we are to try to fabricate
something we are not. But it does mean that we are to not just talk about it
but we are to apply it. For Faith without works is dead. That is what the
scripture teaches us. James said, James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so
faith without works is dead also. And again in James 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was
faith made perfect? And again in James 2:17 he
said, Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead,
being alone. And James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath
faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Scripture does not fight scripture and bride will not
fight bride. Brother Branham said from his message, Man
running from presence 65-0217 P:52 If you say, "I believe it," and
don't make no act... Just like the Message. If you say, "I believe
it," don't make no act, what good does it do? See? Noah went to work with
his hammer and built an ark to confirm
what he was talking about. That's
what we have to do too. We have to
go to work and prove our faith by our works. Our works proves our faith. Moses had to do it, and Elijah had to do
it. Every prophet in his age had to stand up and face these responsibilities. But
many of them didn't do like Jonah. He run; they didn't.
And again from his sermon, Blind
Bartimaeus 55-0818 P:14 brother Branham said, Those Pharisees
read the same Bible that the apostles read, but they didn't have faith to put into practice what they read. Every
denomination today reads the same Bible. But what I want to see, somebody's got faith enough, that'll step
out and take the word of it. Amen. That's what we need, somebody to practice what they believe.
Faith without works is dead. Doesn't do
you any good to have faith. You say, "I believe that's the
Bible." Well, if it is the Bible,
It's got promises. And if you believe that's true, well, the only thing you have to do is to let
your faith loose with it. Practice what you believe. Every bit's a seed. I
was walking through your city today. I see you've got many fruit trees; that's
very nice. Look at that fruit tree just a moment. That little fruit tree, when
it was just a little bitty thing, no bigger than that, every apple that was
ever on the tree, and ever would be on the tree, was on it when it was that
big. If it wasn't, where did it come from?. Where'd the apples come from? You
plant it, and it has to drink. It drinks water. And it drinks more and more.
And more it drinks, it pushes out
leaves, pushes out branches, pushes out blossoms, pushes out apples.
6 But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The problem today
though, is that people are not diligent towards their faith, they are the
opposite, they are dilatory. The Bible said “He (God) is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Diligently, and that word means Marked by persevering, painstaking effort.
So what we have is a
picture of from scripture that God shows a man something, (a promise for him),
and to that point we have a passive faith. Man just observes, and hears or
sees, or however it is that God shows him the promise. But then man is expected
to show God that he believes that promise. And that same passive faith becomes
obedient faith, active faith, when it is set in motion.
Brother Branham in his
sermon, God's provided place of worship 65-0425
P:56 describes to us what
it was that was pleasing to God about Enoch’s walk. He said, “Let's take a man here that kept all the Word of God back in the
Old Testament by the name of Enoch. He
was so quickened by the Word of God, that he had a testimony, that he pleased
God. (Now, listen to what brother Branham says next that
shows us why God was so pleased with Enoch). There wasn't one
thing that God commanded Enoch to do but what he did it. I wonder how many Enochs would be here this
afternoon, that if you know it's in the Word of God? How many of you
bobbed-haired women could call yourself an Enochist (See?), and know that God
condemns that? How many of you men, that let's them women do that, could call
yourself an Enoch? Oh, my. That's just one thing, how about the thousands? And
we smother down, say, "I belong to this, and I belong to that." You may belong to that, but till you come into God's
provided Place, and you can't get in
there unless you become part of that Word. And being part of It, you become all of It, subject to all.
Now, that sounds like
obedience to me? Now, I have been preaching this for the past 4 years and still
I wonder sometimes if I’m just talking to myself. Brothers think I’ve somehow
lost it, and that I am running off into Latter Rain or some Elohim in the bdire
nonsense, because I have bee n trying to get you to see that Obedience is better
than sacrifice saith the Lord.
Look, when I spoke of John 14:12
and showed that there is a right division between the works and the greater
works which brother Branham alone did, I’m talking about a life of surrender
and yielding to a God who is sovereign.
Don’t think for one
minute that I believe the fullness of the Godhead is in the bride. The fullness
of the Godhead was only in one person. Even brother Branham said what he had
was a teaspoon to what Jesus had. But
Jesus himself said he could do nothing unless God showed him what to do. And he
said he could say nothing but what God commanded Him to say. So I say that the
works that he did were sovereignly commanded by God and all he did was step
into the vision and that vision became flesh. And all I am saying about the
bride is that She has the word and knows what to do with it. And that doesn’t
mean she sits on it either.
Spoken word original seed 62-0318E P:175 Notice, what harmony. Jesus never did anything until seen of the Father or the Father showed
Him first: (Harmony between God and Christ. See? John
5:19) So will the Bride, and He
shows Her His Word of Life (He shows
Her), (and I would like to add that is passive on her part
to that point)
and she receives It. (Now,
notice he said she receives it, so the passive is beginning to take on life.) She never doubts it. (now this is still in the passive
form, it is still mental at this point) Nothing can harm Her, not even death; for if the Seed be
planted, the water will raise it up again. Amen. (Now, I got a great big
"Hallelujah.") Here is the
secret (Now, at this point brother Branham is going to tell us
something about this bride receiving the Word that he calls a secret, so we see
he says the secret is that the Word that she receives) the Word is in the Bride and the
mind of Christ to know what He wants done with the Word, and She does it in His Name.
Now, that no longer looks like a passive Faith to me.
He shows it, that’s passive, she receives it, that is still passive, the mind
of Christ comes into her because that which she received is a seed, and as it
begins to come alive in her, that passive Life now becomes an active Life in
her and he says, she knows what He wants done (that is active) done with the
word and she does it.
Now, if that is latter rain teaching or if that is
Elohim in the bride, then I am really confused, because to me that is common
sense. You don’t expect a seed you plant in the soil to stay in seed mode for
the remainder of it’s life do you? And God doesn’t expect His word that he has
planted to stay in passive mode either. He expects it to produce some 30, some
60, and some 100 percent.
Jesus himself told us what he expects from His word,
seed that the son of man has sown in this hour. We find it in Matthew 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any
one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh
the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he
which received seed by the way side. (Notice here is
a group of people who receive the Message but because they don’t understand it,
the devil takes it from them.) 20 But he that received the seed into stony
places, the same is he that heareth the
word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet
hath he no root in himself, but
dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the
word, by and by he is offended.
Notice this person hears
the word and is very happy, but because he has no root, in other words, it is
all surface to him, he’s a social Christian that doesn’t study the words, he
doesn’t dig down deep into it, and so when the trials come because of the Word
he gets offended and he done for at that point.) (Now, this next one is the one
brother Branham was concerned the most about, because this is the one who is
happy to receive the message, but because he lets other things come in and
crowd out the Word, it stifles the Life of the Word, and like a thorn patch
crowding out the Life of the wheat plant and eventually kills the life of the
Word of Life.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the
care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, (notice it chokes the
Word, smothers it out and the results is that it can not produce any fruit. It
can’t do what it was meant to do, produce a son or daughter of God in the image
of the first born son.) and he becometh unfruitful. (Now, these are my
biggest critics here, they all have televisions, they all spend more time in
entertainment mode than in prayer mode, and then they crucify me for being
concerned for their souls.)23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it;
which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty,
some thirty.
You see, he begins with passive faith also, therefore
no different than the others began. They all see the son of Man sowing the
seed, they see what God is doing, and
they are observing, which is passive faith.
But where this one is different is that this one
understands what it is all about, The sowing of the Word Seed has a purpose and
a plan, and that is to produce the same life that was sown. Therefore, because
he understands what God is doing, he steps into the revelation, and becomes
like Jesus stepped into the visions His father showed him to do, and when He
did that the vision became manifested Word. It went from Rhema to Logos, from
passive faith to active faith. From passive life to active life. You see in the
seed form it is still passive life, but in the growing and manifesting it moves
into active life.
So brother Branham continues, She has THUS SAITH THE LORD. Then it is germitized; so the Holy
Spirit waters it until it is grown and serves
its purpose. They do only
His will. (Amen. I'll believe that.)
No one can persuade them different. (they
can’t be cajoled into doing stupid latter rain antics, and they can’t be
cajoled into chasing after works of the flesh. For they have the mind of Christ
and will only do what he wants done with the Word.) They have THUS SAITH THE LORD, (in
other words, they know what the Lord has already said thus) or they keep still.
(Yeah or they keep still. Did not God ask one of his prophets to lay
on his side for 30 plus days? Is that not obedience to God? Is that not an act of the Holy Spirit? Did not
Jesus say, the son can do NOTHING, but what God shows him first to do? And then
brother Branham adds, ) Then they (this
is not singular, this is they, it speaks of more than one, they plural) will do the works of God. For it is Himself in them, (the
life of God in the bride) continuing His Word
to fulfill as He did complete in
His day.
Now, listen this is exactly
what Paul speaks of Noah. 7 By faith Noah, being warned of
God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, (he didn’t just sit there,
he moved to) prepared an ark to the saving of his house;
by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which
is by faith.
Again let me read you the
quote from brother Branham concerning Noah. Man
running from presence 65-0217 P:52 Then faith without works is dead. If you say, "I believe it," and
don't make no act... Just like the
Message. If you say, "I believe it," don't make no act, what good
does it do? See? Noah went to work with
his hammer and built an ark to confirm what he was talking about. That's what we have to do too. We have
to go to work and prove our faith by our works. Our works proves our faith. Moses had to do it, and Elijah had to do
it. Every prophet in his age had to stand up and face these responsibilities.
But many of them didn't do like Jonah. He run; they didn't.
God told Moses to speak and
go forward and brother Branham told us that if Moss just talked about it,
nothing would have happened. He said Moses had to take that first step into the
water before the waters parted.
Now, look, I know what I’m
talking about. When that storm came up in
Now, no one can tell me that
is latter rain chasing off after miracles. That was sovereignly Given by a
sovereign God and if that isn’t exactly what Jesus did, and if that is not what he meant by the
works that I do will the believer do also, then you tell me what is? That is
not Mark 16. That is John 14:12 the first part.
Now, brother Branham spoke
of the scoffers and said in his sermon, QA Hebrews part 3 COD 57-1006 P:34 They had their own religions, and they did
not believe the message of Noah. They did not believe the message of Enoch. And
they rejected their message and was condemned; the Bible said they were. Enoch prophesied to them, said, "The Lord's a-coming with ten thousands of
His saints."
And they prophesied. And Noah built
an ark, and they said, "He's a holy-roller. He's a fanatic. There
is no such a thing as the rain coming." And a hundred and twenty years went
on, and he had a religion that had
salvation in it; there was a way of escape made, but they were satisfied in their condition.
Brother Branham also said in
his sermon, Ensign an 62-0119 P:46 Anything
that God says to do, hold on to it, because it's right. No matter how many scoffers laughed and
made fun of, Noah knew he had THUS SAITH THE LORD.
Perseverance 62-0608 P:25 Noah, as we talked on him last night, or
about him, when he heard the voice of God speak to him and told him of the
oncoming judgment... After he heard the voice of God give the--the witness to
him what was going to happen, and instructed him on what to do, he was very perseverant. Scoffers had
nothing. No matter how many ecclesiastics stood up and said, "Noah, you're
wrong," he pressed right on. He built the ark anyhow. The scoffers
could've come around by the thousands and said, "Look at the old fogy.
Look at him." The science could've stood there, and said, "Noah,
looky here, fellow. We love you, but you've lost your mind. We've got a instrument
here that can shoot all the way to the moon. And we can prove that there's no
rain or water between here and there that would drown the earth. Look in this
instrument. It'll prove it." Noah would've--might've said something like
this. "I don't care what your
instrument says. You're looking at that instrument. I'm looking to God and what
He promised He'd do." That's it. It
depends on what you're looking at, where your faith is. Now, if the
instrument declares it, that's all the farther you can go if your faith is in
the instrument.
It Becometh us to fulfill all Righteousness
61-1001M P:53 Now, Noah, no matter what the criticism was
upon father Noah, he knew where he was
standing, and so he stayed right
with the Word. And he built the ark
for the saving of his household, because it was becoming to him to do so.
It was becoming to Noah, to do so. It's
becoming to every Christian to stand by the Word. Exactly right. Stand by God's Word. Heavens and earth
will pass away. You'll pass away. I'll pass away. Churches will pass away.
Organizations will pass away. But God's Word shall never pass away. Be
faithful, faithful pilgrim.
Let’s look a moment at
Abraham whom we call the Father of our Faith. Hebrews
11:8 By
faith (by revelation) Abraham, when he
was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not even knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, in a strange country, dwelling
in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath
foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
You see he walked alone, and
was determined to go where God directed him to go. You know we talk about
walking in the light as He is in the light, but who is walking? Everybody just
talk, talk, talk, but who do you see that is willing to walk by faith and stick
their neck out their for everyone to chop it off. No, most are like turtles,
and they pull in their neck when anyone is around, then they stick it out a
little bit and take one step, but as soon as someone comes they put their neck
in for safety sake, and stop walking, then when no one’s looking, they stick
their neck out again and take another step, and do you think at that pace
they’ll ever make a rapture?
Brother Branham said in the message Perseverance 63-0113E P:46 Every
person that starts out to meet Christ will find you got a lot of hindrances,
but your faith don't have any. Faith
don't have no hindrance. Faith has
hairs on his chest, great big muscles. Reasons raise up and said, "You
know it's reasonable." Faith pulls his muscles back and sticks out his big
chest, and says, "Shut up! Set down!" And reason jumps over in a
corner and takes his stool. Right. Faith's
got muscles, and he means what he says. That's what we need tonight.."
God wants you to walk alone with him. That is what he has shown us by the
examples we see in this Bible. Every man that ever was successful in walking
with God, walked alone. None of them had a big organization to make their path
clear. God don’t want you to follow other Christians, he wants you to follow
him. Many times it seems God will seem
to let other ministers do things that he will not let you do. Other ministers
who seem very successful and have large churches can push themselves forward,
or work schemes to carry out their plans, but God would never let you get away
with what they do. If you even attempt to do it, God will make sure that you’ll
meet with failure and His rebuke to your soul, that you will not hardly be able
to stand it. Others seem to brag on themselves, and brag about their
experiences, but the Holy spirit will never allow you to do so and if you begin
to do it, He will lead you into such anguish of spirit that you will despise
yourself and all that you have done.
Other will create their own Kingdoms, and draw the big crowds, and have
their luxuries, but God may only supply you daily, because He wants you to have
something far better than the best cars money can buy, He wants you to be helpless
and dependent on Him, that He may have privilege of providing your needs day by
day out His unseen treasury. He may let others be honored and put forward,
while keeping you hid away in obscurity,
but he does that by design. You see, God is a jealous God, and he wants you for
himself. He wants to walk with you alone, and he doesn’t want to compete for
your affection.
In order to keep you for Himself, God will let others become what the world calls great, while keeping you
small. He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are
doing; and then to make your still more precious, He will let others get the
credit for the work which you have done, and this will make your reward ten
times greater when JESUS comes.
The Holy spirit will put a strict watch on you with a jealous love and
will rebuke you for little words and feelings or wasting your time, which other
Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an
infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and He
will not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His
dealings with you.
God will take you at Your word; and if you absolutely sell yourself to
be his slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and let other people
say and do many things that you cannot do or say. Settle it forever, that You
are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is have privilege of
Tying of your tongue, or chaining Your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that
others are not to deal with. Now when you are so possessed with the living
God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this
peculiar, personal private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy
spirit over your life, you will have found yourself in his Presence. (1)
Future
home 64-0802 P:63 Enoch was translated: one man. Oh, the
church may be a number but the Bride is
going to be a very small group, that'll make up the Bride. Now, the church
may be a great number, but the Bride... You see, compare eight with one. Eight
times less will be the Bride than the church. "And if the righteous
scarcely be saved, where will the sinner and the ungodly appear?"
QA on
the seals 63-0324M P:44 There
was Enoch... I seen Moses come and Elijah comes back and they're killed. See?
But now, Enoch was translated before time. I've often thought and wondered
myself: Well, what about that? But then, here's the only consolation that I can
say is this: Now, notice, Moses only served God forty years. See? He was a
hundred and twenty, but twenty years...The first forty years, I mean, he was
getting his education. That right? The second forty years God was taking it out
of him, and the third forty years he served God. See? All right. But Enoch walked five hundred years before God
and was blameless (See, see?); so Moses comes back to serve some more time:
him and Elijah. Now, I don't say that's right. See? I just give you that for a
thought. See? But I, just to say what part, I don't know. I really can't tell
you what happened there or what God will do.
First
seal the 63-0318 P:58 Remember,
when they went to buy oil, they... "Oh," you say, "now, wait a
minute, Brother Branham. I don't know about that." When they went to buy
oil, when they come back, the Bride was done gone, and the door was shut; and
they knocked and said, "Let us in; let us in," but they were out in
outer darkness. Now, if you want a type of that, now look: "In the time of
Noah..." Jesus referred to it. Now, in Noah's time, they went into the
ark, but they were carried over during the time of the judgment. But that
didn't type Christ's Bride; Enoch typed
the Bride. Enoch... Noah went over through... Went over through the
tribulation period, and suffered, and become a drunk, and died. But Enoch
walked before God for five hundred years and had a testimony he pleased God
with raptured faith, and just started walking right out, and went up through
the skies, and went home without even tasting death, never died at all.
From the
beginning it wasn't so 59-1125 P:25 And if the Word makes a promise, God keeps that promise. If we haven't
got faith enough to make it come to pass, then just say we haven't got faith
enough, "Pray for me that I will have." If we haven't got faith enough to take a little evening stroll like
Enoch did and walk up home with Him, I'd never stand in somebody's way that did
have that much faith. I'd bless God for that man that had that kind of a
faith that could walk home with Him. Yes, sir. I'd never put a stumbling block
in his way. Enoch just got tired walking
around; he'd had walked with Him
five hundred years and did--and pleased Him all the time, said, "I'm just not adjusted to the earth so I'll
think I'll go home with Him this afternoon,” and just walked right on up
through the sky. Oh, I wished I had that
kind of faith. It's going to take that kind of faith at the coming of the Lord,
to take a little stroll some afternoon out here and walk right on out home with
Him. Yes, a man has that faith,
I'd never put a straw in his way. I'd
praise God for him just as hard as I could. Yes, sir, because we'll have to be that way before we are
raptured with Him in the last days.
QA
Hebrews part 3 COD 57-1006 P:34 So
these spirits, these angels that preached, was in prison... Angels, if you'll
notice it here, it's a little "a" which means "men":
angels, messenger's here on the earth. They sinned, and the only way that they
could sin would be disbelieve. And the way... They had their own religions, and they did not believe the message of
Noah. They did not believe the message of Enoch. And they rejected their message and was condemned; the Bible said they
were. Enoch prophesied to them,
said, "The Lord's a-coming with ten thousands of
His saints." And they prophesied. And Noah built an ark, and they said, "He's a holy-roller. He's a fanatic. There
is no such a thing as the rain coming." And a hundred and
twenty years went on, and he had a religion that had salvation in it; there was
a way of escape made, but they were
satisfied in their condition.
QA
Hebrews part 2 COD 57-1002 P:45 For
after those souls were in prison, that repented not when Enoch and when all of them preached, and Noah... And for the
long-suffering of God, like it is now,
waiting for that time to come... And
Noah and Enoch and all of them
preached, and those people laughed and made fun of them. And they were
in the prison house, and Jesus went and preached to the souls that were in
prison.
In closing, brother Branham said, World again
falling apart 63-1127 P:63 What we need today is a
rooting out. We may root out too late now. The hour might be past. We never
have another revival. I know you're looking for it, but I don't see it in the
Scripture. I look for a rapture, for just a handful of people (That's right.),
just a handful of people. They'll never be missed in the world. When they go,
you'll never know it's gone. That's right. It'll come like a thief in the
night.
Presence of God unrecognized 64-0618 P:18 And,
think, people will go right on preaching, saying they believe they're getting
saved, and adding in the church, and building churches, and going on just like
they did in the days of Noah, and so forth, and not know it; and the rapture
done past, "It's already happened and you didn't know it." There's
hundreds of people disappear from the earth and people know nothing about where
they went to; they can't account for it; somebody was going somewhere, they
never hear from them no more. And that could be the rapture.
Let us pray,
(1)
The High Calling source unknown